Amos 4-6

New American Standard Bible

“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”

4 Hear this word, you ^[a]cows of ^(A)Bashan who are on the ^(B)mountain of Samaria,
Who ^(C)exploit the poor, who oppress the needy,
^[b]And say to their ^[c]husbands, “Bring now, that we may ^(D)drink!”
²The Lord ^[d]God has ^(E)sworn by His ^(F)holiness,
“For behold, the days are coming upon you
When ^[e]they will take you away with ^(G)meat hooks,
And the last of you with ^(H)fish hooks.
³You will ^(I)go out through holes in the walls,
One in front of the other,
And you ^[f]will be hurled to Harmon,” declares the Lord.

⁴“Enter Bethel and do wrong;
In Gilgal multiply wrongdoing!
^(J)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
⁵^[g]Offer a ^(K)thanksgiving offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim ^(L)^[h]voluntary offerings, make them known.
For so you ^(M)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord God.

⁶“But I gave you also ^(N)cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
And lack of bread in all your places;
Yet you have ^(O)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
⁷“Furthermore, I ^(P)withheld the rain from you
While there were still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city,
But on ^(Q)another city I would not send rain;
One part would be rained on,
While the part not rained on would dry up.
⁸So the people of two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink ^(R)water,
But would ^(S)not be satisfied;
Yet you have ^(T)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
⁹“I ^(U)struck you with scorching wind and mildew;
The ^(V)caterpillar was devouring
Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees;
Yet you have ^(W)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
¹⁰“I sent a ^(X)plague among you ^[i]as in Egypt;
I ^(Y)killed your young men with the sword, along with your ^(Z)captured horses,
And I made the ^(AA)stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils;
Yet you have ^(AB)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
¹¹“I overthrew you, as ^(AC)God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a ^(AD)log snatched from a fire;
Yet you have ^(AE)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
¹²“Therefore so I will do to you, Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to ^(AF)meet your God, Israel.”
¹³For behold, He who ^(AG)forms mountains and ^(AH)creates the wind,
And ^(AI)declares to a person what are His thoughts,
He who ^(AJ)makes dawn into darkness
And ^(AK)treads on the high places of the earth,
^(AL)The Lord God of armies is His name.

“Seek Me So That You May Live”

5 Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a ^(AM)song of mourning, house of Israel:
²She has fallen, she will ^(AN)not rise again—
The ^(AO)virgin Israel.
She lies unnoticed on her land;
There is ^(AP)no one to raise her up.

³For this is what the Lord ^[j]God says:

“The city which goes forth a thousand strong
Will have a ^(AQ)hundred left,
And the one which goes forth a hundred strong
Will have ^(AR)ten left to the house of Israel.”

⁴For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:

“^(AS)Seek Me ^(AT)so that you may live.
⁵But do not ^[k]resort to ^(AU)Bethel
And do not come to ^(AV)Gilgal,
Nor cross over to ^(AW)Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will ^[l]come to nothing.
⁶^(AX)Seek the Lord so that you may live,
Or He will break through like a ^(AY)fire, ^[m]house of Joseph,
And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,
⁷For those who turn ^(AZ)justice into wormwood,
And ^[n]throw righteousness to the earth.”

⁸He who made the ^(BA)Pleiades and Orion,
And ^(BB)changes deep darkness into morning,
^[o]Who also ^(BC)darkens day into night,
Who ^(BD)calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The ^(BE)Lord is His name.
⁹It is He who ^(BF)makes destruction flash upon the strong,
So that ^(BG)destruction comes upon the fortress.

¹⁰They hate him who ^(BH)rebukes in the ^[p]gate,
And they ^(BI)despise him who speaks with integrity.
¹¹Therefore because you impose heavy ^[q]rent on the poor
And take a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built ^(BJ)houses of cut stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will ^(BK)not drink their wine.
¹²For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great,
You who are ^(BL)hostile to the righteous and accept bribes,
And ^[r]turn away the poor from justice at the ^[s]gate.
¹³Therefore at ^[t]such a time the prudent person ^(BM)keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.

¹⁴Seek good and not evil, so that you may live;
And so may the Lord God of armies be with you,
^(BN)Just as you have said!
¹⁵^(BO)Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the ^[u]gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of armies
^(BP)Will be gracious to the ^(BQ)remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶Therefore this is what the Lord God of armies, the Lord says:

“There is ^(BR)mourning in all the public squares,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Oh no! Oh no!’
They also call the ^(BS)farmer to mourning
And ^[v]^(BT)professional mourners to mourning rites.
¹⁷And in all the ^(BU)vineyards there is mourning,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.

¹⁸Woe to you who are longing for the ^(BV)day of the Lord,
For what ^[w]purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be ^(BW)darkness and not light;
¹⁹As when a man ^(BX)flees from a lion
And a bear confronts him,
^[x]Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
²⁰Will the day of the Lord not be ^(BY)darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?

²¹“I hate, I ^(BZ)reject your festivals,
Nor do I ^[y]^(CA)delight in your festive assemblies.
²²Even though you ^(CB)offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the ^(CC)peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
²³Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
²⁴But let ^(CD)justice roll out like waters,
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

²⁵“^[z]^(CE)Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel? ²⁶^(CF)You also carried along ^[aa]Sikkuth your king and ^[ab]Kiyyun, your images, ^[ac]the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. ²⁷Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.

“Carefree in Zion”

6 ^(CG)Woe to those who are carefree in Zion,
And to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
The ^(CH)dignitaries of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
²Go over to ^(CI)Calneh and look,
And go from there to ^(CJ)Hamath the great,
Then go down to ^(CK)Gath of the Philistines.
Are ^[ad]they better than these kingdoms,
Or is their territory greater than yours?
³Are you ^(CL)postponing the day of disaster,
And would you ^(CM)bring near the seat of violence?

⁴Those who lie on beds of ivory,
And lounge around on their ^(CN)couches,
And ^(CO)eat lambs from the flock,
And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle,
⁵Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
And like David have ^[ae]composed ^(CP)songs for themselves,
⁶Who ^(CQ)drink wine from sacred bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils—
Yet they have not ^(CR)grieved over the collapse of Joseph.
⁷Therefore, they will now ^(CS)go into exile at the head of the exiles,
And the revelry of those who ^(CT)lounge around will come to an end.

⁸The Lord ^[af]God has ^(CU)sworn by Himself, the Lord God of armies has declared:
“I ^(CV)loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
And ^[ag]detest his ^(CW)citadels;
Therefore I will ^(CX)give up the city and ^[ah]all it contains.”

⁹And it will be, if ^(CY)ten men are left in one house, they will die. ¹⁰Then one’s ^[ai]uncle, or his ^(CZ)undertaker, will lift him up to carry out his bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” And that one will say, “No one.” Then he will ^[aj]answer, “^(DA)Keep quiet! For ^[ak]the name of the Lord is ^(DB)not to be mentioned.” ¹¹For behold, the Lord is going to ^(DC)command that the ^(DD)great house be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.

¹²Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one ^[al]plow them with oxen?
Yet you have turned ^(DE)justice into poison,
And the fruit of righteousness into ^[am]wormwood,
¹³You who rejoice in ^[an]^(DF)Lodebar,
^[ao]And say, “Have we not ^(DG)by our own strength taken ^[ap]Karnaim for ourselves?”
¹⁴“For behold, ^(DH)I am going to raise up a nation against you,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord God of armies,
“And they will torment you from the ^(DI)entrance of Hamath
To the ^(DJ)brook of the Arabah.”

Footnotes

Amos 4:1 I.e., haughty, prominent women
Amos 4:1 Lit Who
Amos 4:1 Lit lords
Amos 4:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
Amos 4:2 Lit he
Amos 4:3 As in LXX; MT will hurl
Amos 4:5 Lit Offer up in smoke
Amos 4:5 Or freewill offerings
Amos 4:10 Lit in the way of Egypt
Amos 5:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
Amos 5:5 Lit seek
Amos 5:5 Lit be
Amos 5:6 Or in the house
Amos 5:7 Lit they have thrown
Amos 5:8 Lit And He darkened
Amos 5:10 I.e., the place where court was held
Amos 5:11 Or tax
Amos 5:12 Lit they turn
Amos 5:12 I.e., the place where court was held
Amos 5:13 Lit that time
Amos 5:15 I.e., the place where court was held
Amos 5:16 Lit those who know mourning
Amos 5:18 Lit will this be to you, the day
Amos 5:19 Or Then
Amos 5:21 Lit like to smell your
Amos 5:25 Or You presented Me with the sacrifices and a grain offering
Amos 5:26 Or Sakkuth (Saturn), or the tabernacle of your Moloch
Amos 5:26 Or Kaiwan (Saturn), or stands of
Amos 5:26 Or your star gods
Amos 6:2 Or you
Amos 6:5 Or invented musical instruments
Amos 6:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Amos 6:8 Lit hate
Amos 6:8 Lit its fullness
Amos 6:10 Or beloved one
Amos 6:10 Lit say
Amos 6:10 Lit not to make mention in the name of
Amos 6:12 Another reading is plow the sea with oxen
Amos 6:12 I.e., bitterness
Amos 6:13 Lit nothing
Amos 6:13 Lit Who say
Amos 6:13 Lit a pair of horns

Hebrews 12-13

New American Standard Bible

Jesus, the Example

12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s ^(A)rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s ^(B)run with ^(C)endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking only at Jesus, the ^[a]^(D)originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him ^(E)endured the cross, ^(F)despising the shame, and has ^(G)sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³For ^(H)consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary ^[b]^(I)and lose heart.

A Father’s Discipline

⁴^(J)You have not yet resisted ^[c]^(K)to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; ⁵and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“^(L)My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor ^(M)faint when you are punished by Him;
⁶^(N)For ^(O)whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

⁷It is for discipline that you endure; ^(P)God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? ⁸But if you are without discipline, ^(Q)of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ⁹Furthermore, we had ^[d]earthly fathers to discipline us, and we ^(R)respected them; shall we not much more be subject to ^(S)the Father of ^[e]spirits, and ^(T)live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, ^(U)so that we may share His holiness. ¹¹^(V)For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the ^(W)peaceful fruit of righteousness.

¹²Therefore, ^[f]^(X)strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, ¹³and ^(Y)make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather ^(Z)be healed.

¹⁴^(AA)Pursue peace with all people, and the ^(AB)holiness without which no one will ^(AC)see the Lord. ¹⁵See to it that no one ^(AD)comes short of the grace of God; that no ^(AE)root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become ^(AF)defiled; ¹⁶that there be no ^(AG)sexually immoral or ^(AH)godless person like Esau, ^(AI)who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷For you know that even afterward, ^(AJ)when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Contrast of Sinai and Zion

¹⁸^(AK)For you have not come to ^(AL)a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, ¹⁹and to the ^(AM)blast of a trumpet and the ^(AN)sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard ^(AO)begged that no further word be spoken to them. ²⁰For they could not ^[g]cope with the command, “^(AP)If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” ²¹And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “^(AQ)I am terrified and trembling.” ²²But ^(AR)you have come to Mount Zion and to ^(AS)the city of ^(AT)the living God, ^(AU)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^(AV)myriads of ^[h]angels, ²³to the general assembly and ^(AW)church of the firstborn who ^(AX)are enrolled in heaven, and to God, ^(AY)the Judge of all, and to the ^(AZ)spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, the ^(BA)mediator of a new covenant, and to the ^(BB)sprinkled blood, which speaks better than ^(BC)the blood of Abel.

The Unshaken Kingdom

²⁵^(BD)See to it that you do not refuse Him who is ^(BE)speaking. For ^(BF)if those did not escape when they ^(BG)refused him who ^(BH)warned them on earth, ^[i]much less will we escape who turn away from Him who ^(BI)warns us from heaven. ²⁶And ^(BJ)His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “^(BK)Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” ²⁷This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes ^(BL)the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore, since we receive a ^(BM)kingdom which cannot be shaken, let’s ^[j]show gratitude, by which we may ^(BN)offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; ²⁹for ^(BO)our God is a consuming fire.

The Changeless Christ

13 Let ^(BP)love of the brothers and sisters continue. ²Do not neglect ^(BQ)hospitality to strangers, for by this some have ^(BR)entertained angels without knowing it. ³^(BS)Remember ^(BT)the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. ⁴^(BU)Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; ^(BV)for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. ⁵Make sure that your character is ^(BW)free from the love of money, ^(BX)being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “^(BY)I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” ⁶so that we confidently say,

“^(BZ)The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”

⁷Remember ^(CA)those who led you, who spoke ^(CB)the word of God to you; and considering the ^[k]result of their way of life, ^(CC)imitate their faith. ⁸^(CD)Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever. ⁹^(CE)Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to ^(CF)be strengthened by grace, not by ^(CG)foods, ^(CH)through which those who ^[l]were so occupied were not benefited. ¹⁰We have an altar ^(CI)from which those ^(CJ)who serve the ^[m]tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹For ^(CK)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. ¹²Therefore Jesus also suffered ^(CL)outside the gate, ^(CM)that He might sanctify the people ^(CN)through His own blood. ¹³So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, ^(CO)bearing His reproach. ¹⁴For here ^(CP)we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking ^(CQ)the city which is to come.

God-pleasing Sacrifices

¹⁵^(CR)Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a ^(CS)sacrifice of praise to God, that is, ^(CT)the fruit of lips praising His name. ¹⁶And do not neglect doing good and ^(CU)sharing, for ^(CV)with such sacrifices God is pleased.

¹⁷^(CW)Obey your leaders and submit to them—for ^(CX)they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they may do this with joy, not ^[n]groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you.

¹⁸^(CY)Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a ^(CZ)good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. ¹⁹And I urge you all the more to do this, ^(DA)so that I may be restored to you more quickly.

Benediction

²⁰Now may ^(DB)the God of peace, who ^(DC)brought up from the dead the ^(DD)great Shepherd of the sheep ^[o]through ^(DE)the blood of the ^(DF)eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, ²¹^(DG)equip you in every good thing to do His will, ^(DH)working in us that ^(DI)which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, ^(DJ)to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²²But ^(DK)I urge you, ^(DL)brothers and sisters, ^[p]listen patiently to ^[q]this ^(DM)word of exhortation, for ^(DN)I have written to you briefly. ²³Know that ^(DO)our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. ²⁴Greet ^(DP)all of your leaders and all the ^[r]^(DQ)saints. Those from ^(DR)Italy greet you.