Israel's Guilt and Punishment

(A)Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

(B)“You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
(C)therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.

“Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
(D)Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
(E)Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the Lord has done it?

“For the Lord God does nothing
    (F)without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
(G)The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”

Proclaim to the strongholds in (H)Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on (I)the mountains of Samaria,
    and see the great tumults within her,
    and (J)the oppressed in her midst.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
    (K)“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

(L)“An adversary shall surround the land
    and bring down[a] your defenses from you,
    and (M)your strongholds shall be plundered.”

12 Thus says the Lord: (N)“As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, (O)so shall the people of Israel (P)who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part[b] of a bed.

13 “Hear, (Q)and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, (R)the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    (S)I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and (T)the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 (U)I will strike (V)the winter house along with (W)the summer house,
    and (X)the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses[c] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down
  2. Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  3. Amos 3:15 Or and many houses

Giving to the Needy

“Beware of (A)practicing your righteousness before other people in order (B)to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

(C)“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may (D)be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have (E)received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. (F)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord's Prayer

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love (G)to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. (H)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, (I)go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. (J)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as (K)the Gentiles do, for (L)they think that they will be heard (M)for their many words. Do not be like them, (N)for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (O)Pray then like this:

(P)“Our Father in heaven,
(Q)hallowed be (R)your name.[a]
10 (S)Your kingdom come,
(T)your will be done,[b]
    (U)on earth as it is in heaven.
11 (V)Give us (W)this day our daily bread,[c]
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And (X)lead us not into temptation,
    but (Y)deliver us from (Z)evil.[d]

14 (AA)For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 (AB)but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting

16 “And (AC)when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. (AD)Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, (AE)anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. (AF)And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 6:9 Or Let your name be kept holy, or Let your name be treated with reverence
  2. Matthew 6:10 Or Let your kingdom come, let your will be done
  3. Matthew 6:11 Or our bread for tomorrow
  4. Matthew 6:13 Or the evil one; some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen

“Hear this word, (A)you cows of Bashan,
    who are (B)on the mountain of Samaria,
(C)who oppress the poor, (D)who crush the needy,
    who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
(E)The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
    that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
(F)when they shall take you away with hooks,
    (G)even the last of you with fishhooks.
(H)And you shall go out through the breaches,
    each one straight ahead;
    and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the Lord.

(I)“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
    to (J)Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
(K)bring your (L)sacrifices every morning,
    your tithes every three days;
offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of (M)that which is leavened,
    and proclaim (N)freewill offerings, publish them;
    (O)for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord God.

Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord

“I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
    and (P)lack of bread in all your places,
(Q)yet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.

“I also (R)withheld the rain from you
    when there were yet three months to the harvest;
(S)I would send rain on one city,
    and send no rain on another city;
one field would have rain,
    and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
so two or three cities (T)would wander to another city
    to drink water, and would not be satisfied;
(U)yet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.

(V)“I struck you with blight and mildew;
    your many gardens and your vineyards,
    your fig trees and your olive trees (W)the locust devoured;
(X)yet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.

10 “I sent among you a pestilence (Y)after the manner of Egypt;
    I killed your young men with the sword,
and (Z)carried away your horses,[a]
    and (AA)I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils;
(AB)yet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.

11 “I overthrew some of you,
    (AC)as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
    and you were (AD)as a brand[b] plucked out of the burning;
(AE)yet you did not return to me,”
declares the Lord.

12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
    because I will do this to you,
    prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

13 For behold, (AF)he who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
    and (AG)declares to man what is his thought,
(AH)who makes the morning darkness,
    and (AI)treads on the heights of the earth—
    (AJ)the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Footnotes

  1. Amos 4:10 Hebrew along with the captivity of your horses
  2. Amos 4:11 That is, a burning stick

The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, (A)that you may not grieve as others do (B)who have no hope. 14 For (C)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him (D)those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you (E)by a word from the Lord,[a] that (F)we who are alive, who are left until (G)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For (H)the Lord himself will descend (I)from heaven (J)with a cry of command, with the voice of (K)an archangel, and (L)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And (M)the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be (N)caught up together with them (O)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so (P)we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The Day of the Lord

Now concerning (Q)the times and the seasons, brothers,[b] (R)you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that (S)the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then (T)sudden destruction will come upon them (U)as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you (V)are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all (W)children[c] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then (X)let us not sleep, as others do, but let us (Y)keep awake and (Z)be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, (AA)are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, (AB)having put on the breastplate of (AC)faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for (AD)wrath, but (AE)to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 (AF)who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Or by the word of the Lord
  2. 1 Thessalonians 5:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 4, 12, 14, 25, 26, 27
  3. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 Or sons; twice in this verse

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