The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Moab(A)
for three crimes, even four,
because he burned the bones
of the king of Edom to lime.(B)
Therefore, I will send fire against Moab,
and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth.(C)
Moab will die with a tumult,(D)
with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn.
I will cut off the judge(E) from the land
and kill all its officials(F) with him.
The Lord has spoken.

Judgment on Judah

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Judah(G)
for three crimes, even four,
because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord(H)
and have not kept his statutes.(I)
The lies(J) that their ancestors followed(K)
have led them astray.
Therefore, I will send fire(L) against Judah,
and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.

Judgment on Israel

The Lord says:

I will not relent from punishing Israel(M)
for three crimes, even four,
because they sell a righteous person for silver
and a needy person for a pair of sandals.(N)
They trample the heads of the poor(O)
on the dust of the ground
and obstruct the path of the needy.(P)
A man and his father have sexual relations
with the same girl,(Q)
profaning my holy name.(R)
They stretch out beside every altar(S)
on garments taken as collateral,(T)
and in the house of their God
they drink wine obtained through fines.(U)

Yet I destroyed the Amorite(V) as Israel advanced;
his height(W) was like the cedars,
and he was as sturdy as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit(X) above and his roots beneath.
10 And I brought you from the land of Egypt(Y)
and led you forty years in the wilderness(Z)
in order to possess the land of the Amorite.(AA)
11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets(AB)
and some of your young men as Nazirites.(AC)
Is this not the case, Israelites?

This is the Lord’s declaration.

12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets,
“Do not prophesy.”(AD)
13 Look, I am about to crush[a] you in your place(AE)
as a wagon crushes when full of grain.
14 Escape will fail the swift,(AF)
the strong one will not maintain his strength,(AG)
and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground,(AH)
the one who is swift of foot
will not save himself,
and the one riding a horse will not save his life.(AI)
16 Even the most courageous of the warriors
will flee naked on that day(AJ)

this is the Lord’s declaration.

Footnotes

  1. 2:13 Or hinder; Hb obscure

Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[a] because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom. So I will send a fire against Moab and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Kerioth, and Moab will die amid uproar, amid war cries and amid the sound of a horn. And I will cut off the ruler from its midst and I will kill all of its officials with him,” says Yahweh.

Judgment on Judah

Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[b] because they have rejected the law of Yahweh and have not kept his rules, and their lies have led them astray, after which their ancestors walked![c] So I will send a fire against Judah and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Jerusalem.

Judgment on Israel

Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[d] because they sell the righteous for money and the poor for a pair of sandals! Those who trample the heads of the powerless into the dust of the ground and turn aside the way of the destitute, a man and his father have sexual relations with[e] the same girl, so that they profane my holy name. They stretch themselves out beside every altar on clothing taken in pledge and they drink wine, bought with fines imposed,[f] in the house of their God. Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,[g] who was as tall as[h] cedars and was as strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. 10 And I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and I led you in the wilderness forty years to take possession of the land of the Amorite. 11 And I raised up some of your sons to be prophets and some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is it not so, O people[i] of Israel? This is the declaration of Yahweh! 12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ 13 Look! I am going to press you down in your place just as a utility cart full of mature stalks of grain is pressed down. 14 Flight will perish from the swift and the strong person will not muster his strength and the warrior will not save his life. 15 And the one who takes hold of the bow will not stand and the one who is swift on his feet will not save himself, nor will the one who rides the horse save his life. 16 Even those who are strong of heart among the mighty will flee away naked from the city on that day. This is the declaration of Yahweh!”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 2:1 Or “it”
  2. Amos 2:4 Or “it”
  3. Amos 2:4 Literally “which their ancestors walked after them”
  4. Amos 2:6 Or “it”
  5. Amos 2:7 Literally “go to”
  6. Amos 2:8 Literally “imposing a fine”
  7. Amos 2:9 Literally “from the face of them”
  8. Amos 2:9 Literally “whose height was as the height of”
  9. Amos 2:11 Literally “children”