Amos 1-3
New King James Version
Judgments on Israel’s Neighbors
1 The words of Amos, who was among the (A)sheepbreeders of (B)Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of (C)Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of (D)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the (E)earthquake.
2 And he said:
“The Lord (F)roars from Zion,
And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
And the top of (G)Carmel withers.”
Judgment on the Nations
3 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (H)Damascus, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have (I)threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
4 (J)But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
Which shall devour the palaces of (K)Ben-Hadad.
5 I will also break the gate (L)bar of Damascus,
And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
And the one who [a]holds the scepter from [b]Beth Eden.
The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,”
Says the Lord.
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (M)Gaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they took captive the whole captivity
To deliver them up to Edom.
7 (N)But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
Which shall devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant (O)from Ashdod,
And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will (P)turn My hand against Ekron,
And (Q)the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
Says the Lord God.
9 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (R)Tyre, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom,
And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
Which shall devour its palaces.”
11 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (S)Edom, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he pursued his (T)brother with the sword,
And cast off all pity;
His anger tore perpetually,
And he kept his wrath forever.
12 But (U)I will send a fire upon Teman,
Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (V)the people of Ammon, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead,
That they might enlarge their territory.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of (W)Rabbah,
And it shall devour its palaces,
(X)Amid shouting in the day of battle,
And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15 (Y)Their king shall go into captivity,
He and his princes together,”
Says the Lord.
Judgment on Israel
2 Thus says the Lord:
(Z)“For three transgressions of Moab, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he (AA)burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 But I will send a fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of (AB)Kerioth;
Moab shall die with tumult,
With shouting and trumpet sound.
3 And I will cut off (AC)the judge from its midst,
And slay all its princes with him,”
Says the Lord.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (AD)Judah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
(AE)Because they have despised the law of the Lord,
And have not kept His commandments.
(AF)Their lies lead them astray,
Lies (AG)which their fathers followed.
5 (AH)But I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (AI)Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because (AJ)they sell the righteous for silver,
And the (AK)poor for a pair of sandals.
7 They [c]pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor,
And (AL)pervert the way of the humble.
(AM)A man and his father go in to the same girl,
(AN)To defile My holy name.
8 They lie down (AO)by every altar on clothes (AP)taken in pledge,
And drink the wine of [d]the condemned in the house of their god.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the (AQ)Amorite before them,
Whose height was like the (AR)height of the cedars,
And he was as strong as the oaks;
Yet I (AS)destroyed his fruit above
And his roots beneath.
10 Also it was (AT)I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And (AU)led you forty years through the wilderness,
To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons as (AV)prophets,
And some of your young men as (AW)Nazirites.
Is it not so, O you children of Israel?”
Says the Lord.
12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets (AX)saying,
‘Do not prophesy!’
13 “Behold,(AY) I am [e]weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves [f]is weighed down.
14 (AZ)Therefore [g]flight shall perish from the swift,
The strong shall not strengthen his power,
(BA)Nor shall the mighty [h]deliver himself;
15 He shall not stand who handles the bow,
The swift of foot shall not [i]escape,
Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16 The most [j]courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,”
Says the Lord.
Authority of the Prophet’s Message
3 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
2 “You(BB) only have I known of all the families of the earth;
(BC)Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion [k]cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no [l]trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a [m]trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
(BD)If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?
7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless (BE)He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
(BF)Who can but prophesy?
Punishment of Israel’s Sins
9 “Proclaim in the palaces at [n]Ashdod,
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say:
‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
See great tumults in her midst,
And the [o]oppressed within her.
10 For they (BG)do not know to do right,’
Says the Lord,
‘Who store up violence and [p]robbery in their palaces.’ ”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“An adversary shall be all around the land;
He shall sap your strength from you,
And your palaces shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the Lord:
“As a shepherd [q]takes from the mouth of a lion
Two legs or a piece of an ear,
So shall the children of Israel be taken out
Who dwell in Samaria—
In the corner of a bed and [r]on the edge of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”
Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will also visit destruction on the altars of (BH)Bethel;
And the horns of the altar shall be cut off
And fall to the ground.
15 I will [s]destroy (BI)the winter house along with (BJ)the summer house;
The (BK)houses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,”
Says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Amos 1:5 Rules
- Amos 1:5 Lit. House of Eden
- Amos 2:7 Or trample on
- Amos 2:8 Or those punished by fines
- Amos 2:13 Or tottering under
- Amos 2:13 Or totters
- Amos 2:14 Or the place of refuge
- Amos 2:14 Lit. save his soul or life
- Amos 2:15 Or save
- Amos 2:16 Lit. strong of his heart among the mighty
- Amos 3:4 Lit. give his voice
- Amos 3:5 Or bait or lure
- Amos 3:6 ram’s horn
- Amos 3:9 So with MT; LXX Assyria
- Amos 3:9 Or oppression
- Amos 3:10 Or devastation
- Amos 3:12 Or snatches
- Amos 3:12 Heb. uncertain, possibly on the cover
- Amos 3:15 Lit. strike
Revelation 2:1-17
New King James Version
The Loveless Church
2 “To the [a]angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says (A)He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, (B)who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 (C)“I know your works, your labor, your [b]patience, and that you cannot [c]bear those who are evil. And (D)you have tested those (E)who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have (F)not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, (G)or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 (H)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give (I)to eat from (J)the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’
The Persecuted Church
8 “And to the [d]angel of the church in Smyrna write,
‘These things says (K)the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are (L)rich); and I know the blasphemy of (M)those who say they are Jews and are not, (N)but are a [e]synagogue of Satan. 10 (O)Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. (P)Be faithful until death, and I will give you (Q)the crown of life.
11 (R)“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by (S)the second death.” ’
The Compromising Church
12 “And to the [f]angel of the church in Pergamos write,
‘These things says (T)He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of (U)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, (V)to eat things sacrificed to idols, (W)and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, [g]which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and (X)will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden (Y)manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone (Z)a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 2:1 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:2 perseverance
- Revelation 2:2 endure
- Revelation 2:8 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:9 congregation
- Revelation 2:12 Or messenger
- Revelation 2:15 NU, M likewise.
Psalm 129
New King James Version
Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
129 “Many a time they have (A)afflicted[a] me from (B)my youth,”
(C)Let Israel now say—
2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
6 Let them be as the (D)grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor he who binds sheaves, his [b]arms.
8 Neither let those who pass by them say,
(E)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Footnotes
- Psalm 129:1 persecuted
- Psalm 129:7 armsful, lit. bosom
Proverbs 29:19-20
New King James Version
19 A servant will not be corrected by mere words;
For though he understands, he will not respond.
20 Do you see a man hasty in his words?
(A)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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