Amos 2-5

New International Version

2 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab,^(A)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes^(B)
    the bones of Edom’s king,
²I will send fire on Moab
    that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.^[a]^(C)
Moab will go down in great tumult
    amid war cries^(D) and the blast of the trumpet.^(E)
³I will destroy her ruler^(F)
    and kill all her officials with him,”^(G)
says the Lord.^(H)

⁴This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah,^(I)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law^(J) of the Lord
    and have not kept his decrees,^(K)
because they have been led astray^(L) by false gods,^[b]^(M)
    the gods^[c] their ancestors followed,^(N)
⁵I will send fire^(O) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses^(P) of Jerusalem.^(Q)”

Judgment on Israel

⁶This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.^(R)
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.^(S)
⁷They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.^(T)
⁸They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.^(U)
In the house of their god
    they drink wine^(V) taken as fines.^(W)

⁹“Yet I destroyed the Amorites^(X) before them,
    though they were tall^(Y) as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.^(Z)
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots^(AA) below.
¹⁰I brought you up out of Egypt^(AB)
    and led^(AC) you forty years in the wilderness^(AD)
    to give you the land of the Amorites.^(AE)

¹¹“I also raised up prophets^(AF) from among your children
and Nazirites^(AG) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
¹²“But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.^(AH)

¹³“Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.^(AI)
¹⁴The swift will not escape,^(AJ)
    the strong^(AK) will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.^(AL)
¹⁵The archer^(AM) will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman^(AN) will not save his life.^(AO)
¹⁶Even the bravest warriors^(AP)
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you^(AQ)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:^(AR)

²“You only have I chosen^(AS)
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish^(AT) you
for all your sins.^(AU)”

³Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
⁴Does a lion roar^(AV) in the thicket
    when it has no prey?^(AW)
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
⁵Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait^(AX) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
⁶When a trumpet^(AY) sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster^(AZ) comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?^(BA)

⁷Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan^(BB)
to his servants the prophets.^(BC)

⁸The lion^(BD) has roared^(BE)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?^(BF)

⁹Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod^(BG)
    and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;^(BH)
    see the great unrest within her
    and the oppression among her people.”

¹⁰“They do not know how to do right,^(BI)” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortresses^(BJ)
what they have plundered^(BK) and looted.”

¹¹Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.^(BL)”

¹²This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s^(BM) mouth
    only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
    with only the head of a bed
    and a piece of fabric^[d] from a couch.^[e]^(BN)”

¹³“Hear this and testify^(BO) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

¹⁴“On the day I punish^(BP) Israel for her sins,
    I will destroy the altars of Bethel;^(BQ)
the horns^(BR) of the altar will be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
¹⁵I will tear down the winter house^(BS)
    along with the summer house;^(BT)
the houses adorned with ivory^(BU) will be destroyed
    and the mansions^(BV) will be demolished,^(BW)”
declares the Lord.^(BX)

Israel Has Not Returned to God

4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan^(BY) on Mount Samaria,^(BZ)
    you women who oppress the poor^(CA) and crush the needy^(CB)
    and say to your husbands,^(CC) “Bring us some drinks!^(CD)”
²The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    “The time^(CE) will surely come
when you will be taken away^(CF) with hooks,^(CG)
    the last of you with fishhooks.^[f]
³You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,^(CH)
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,^[g]”
declares the Lord.
⁴“Go to Bethel^(CI) and sin;
    go to Gilgal^(CJ) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,^(CK)
    your tithes^(CL) every three years.^[h]^(CM)
⁵Burn leavened bread^(CN) as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings^(CO)—
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

⁶“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.^(CP)

⁷“I also withheld^(CQ) rain from you
    when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
    but withheld it from another.^(CR)
One field had rain;
    another had none and dried up.
⁸People staggered from town to town for water^(CS)
    but did not get enough^(CT) to drink,
    yet you have not returned^(CU) to me,”
declares the Lord.^(CV)

⁹“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.^(CW)
Locusts^(CX) devoured your fig and olive trees,^(CY)
yet you have not returned^(CZ) to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹⁰“I sent plagues^(DA) among you
    as I did to Egypt.^(DB)
I killed your young men^(DC) with the sword,
    along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench^(DD) of your camps,
    yet you have not returned to me,”^(DE)
declares the Lord.^(DF)

¹¹“I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.^(DG)
You were like a burning stick^(DH) snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.^(DI)

¹²“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”

¹³He who forms the mountains,^(DJ)
    who creates the wind,^(DK)
    and who reveals his thoughts^(DL) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth^(DM)—
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.^(DN)

A Lament and Call to Repentance

5 Hear this word, Israel, this lament^(DO) I take up concerning you:

²“Fallen is Virgin^(DP) Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.^(DQ)”

³This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.^(DR)”

⁴This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek^(DS) me and live;^(DT)
⁵    do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,^(DU)
    do not journey to Beersheba.^(DV)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
    and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.^[i]^(DW)”
⁶Seek^(DX) the Lord and live,^(DY)
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;^(DZ)
it will devour them,
    and Bethel^(EA) will have no one to quench it.^(EB)

⁷There are those who turn justice into bitterness^(EC)
and cast righteousness^(ED) to the ground.^(EE)

⁸He who made the Pleiades and Orion,^(EF)
    who turns midnight into dawn^(EG)
    and darkens day into night,^(EH)
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.^(EI)
⁹With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.^(EJ)

¹⁰There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court^(EK)
and detest the one who tells the truth.^(EL)

¹¹You levy a straw tax on the poor^(EM)
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,^(EN)
    you will not live in them;^(EO)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.^(EP)
¹²For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.^(EQ)

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes^(ER)
and deprive the poor^(ES) of justice in the courts.^(ET)
¹³Therefore the prudent keep quiet^(EU) in such times,
for the times are evil.^(EV)

¹⁴Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.^(EW)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
¹⁵Hate evil,^(EX) love good;^(EY)
    maintain justice in the courts.^(EZ)
Perhaps^(FA) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy^(FB)
    on the remnant^(FC) of Joseph.

¹⁶Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:

“There will be wailing^(FD) in all the streets^(FE)
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers^(FF) will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
¹⁷There will be wailing^(FG) in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through^(FH) your midst,”
says the Lord.^(FI)

The Day of the Lord

¹⁸Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!^(FJ)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?^(FK)
    That day will be darkness,^(FL) not light.^(FM)
¹⁹It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,^(FN)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.^(FO)
²⁰Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,^(FP) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?^(FQ)

²¹“I hate,^(FR) I despise your religious festivals;^(FS)
    your assemblies^(FT) are a stench to me.
²²Even though you bring me burnt offerings^(FU) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.^(FV)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.^(FW)
²³Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.^(FX)
²⁴But let justice^(FY) roll on like a river,
    righteousness^(FZ) like a never-failing stream!^(GA)

²⁵“Did you bring me sacrifices^(GB) and offerings
    forty years^(GC) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
²⁶You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,^(GD)
    the star of your god^[j]—
    which you made for yourselves.
²⁷Therefore I will send you into exile^(GE) beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.^(GF)

Footnotes

Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
Amos 2:4 Or by lies
Amos 2:4 Or lies
Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
Amos 4:4 Or days
Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols

Revelation 14

New International Version

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,^(A) standing on Mount Zion,^(B) and with him 144,000^(C) who had his name and his Father’s name^(D) written on their foreheads.^(E) ²And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters^(F) and like a loud peal of thunder.^(G) The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.^(H) ³And they sang a new song^(I) before the throne and before the four living creatures^(J) and the elders.^(K) No one could learn the song except the 144,000^(L) who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^(M) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^(N) They were purchased from among mankind^(O) and offered as firstfruits^(P) to God and the Lamb. ⁵No lie was found in their mouths;^(Q) they are blameless.^(R)

The Three Angels

⁶Then I saw another angel flying in midair,^(S) and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth^(T)—to every nation, tribe, language and people.^(U) ⁷He said in a loud voice, “Fear God^(V) and give him glory,^(W) because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made^(X) the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^(Y)

⁸A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’^[a]^(Z) which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”^(AA)

⁹A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^(AB) and its image^(AC) and receives its mark on their forehead^(AD) or on their hand, ¹⁰they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^(AE) which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^(AF) They will be tormented with burning sulfur^(AG) in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^(AH) There will be no rest day or night^(AI) for those who worship the beast and its image,^(AJ) or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^(AK) ¹²This calls for patient endurance^(AL) on the part of the people of God^(AM) who keep his commands^(AN) and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(AO) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(AP) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(AQ) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[b]^(AR) with a crown^(AS) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Then another angel came out of the temple^(AT) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(AU) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(AV) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^(AW) ¹⁸Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(AX) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(AY) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^(AZ) ²⁰They were trampled in the winepress^(BA) outside the city,^(BB) and blood^(BC) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[c]