“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”

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!”
The 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.
You 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.

“Enter Bethel and do wrong;
In Gilgal multiply wrongdoing!
(J)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
[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.

“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.
“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.
So 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.
“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.”
13 For 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”

Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a (AM)song of mourning, house of Israel:
She 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.

For 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.”

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

(AS)Seek Me (AT)so that you may live.
But 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.
(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,
For those who turn (AZ)justice into wormwood,
And [n]throw righteousness to the earth.”

He 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.
It is He who (BF)makes destruction flash upon the strong,
So that (BG)destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 They hate him who (BH)rebukes in the [p]gate,
And they (BI)despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore 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.
12 For 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.
13 Therefore at [t]such a time the prudent person (BM)keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.

14 Seek 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.

16 Therefore 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.
17 And in all the (BU)vineyards there is mourning,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.

18 Woe 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;
19 As 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.
20 Will 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.
22 Even 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.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 But 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. 27 Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.

“Carefree in Zion”

(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.
Go 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?
Are you (CL)postponing the day of disaster,
And would you (CM)bring near the seat of violence?

Those 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,
Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
And like David have [ae]composed (CP)songs for themselves,
Who (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.
Therefore, 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.

The 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.”

And it will be, if (CY)ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then 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.” 11 For behold, the Lord is going to (DC)command that the (DD)great house be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.

12 Do 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,
13 You 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.”

Notas al pie

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

Israel Has Not Returned to God

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(A) on Mount Samaria,(B)
    you women who oppress the poor(C) and crush the needy(D)
    and say to your husbands,(E) “Bring us some drinks!(F)
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    “The time(G) will surely come
when you will be taken away(H) with hooks,(I)
    the last of you with fishhooks.[a]
You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,(J)
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[b]
declares the Lord.
“Go to Bethel(K) and sin;
    go to Gilgal(L) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(M)
    your tithes(N) every three years.[c](O)
Burn leavened bread(P) as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings(Q)
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

“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.(R)

“I also withheld(S) rain from you
    when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
    but withheld it from another.(T)
One field had rain;
    another had none and dried up.
People staggered from town to town for water(U)
    but did not get enough(V) to drink,
    yet you have not returned(W) to me,”
declares the Lord.(X)

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
    destroying them with blight and mildew.(Y)
Locusts(Z) devoured your fig and olive trees,(AA)
    yet you have not returned(AB) to me,”
declares the Lord.

10 “I sent plagues(AC) among you
    as I did to Egypt.(AD)
I killed your young men(AE) with the sword,
    along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(AF) of your camps,
    yet you have not returned to me,”(AG)
declares the Lord.(AH)

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

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.”

13 He who forms the mountains,(AL)
    who creates the wind,(AM)
    and who reveals his thoughts(AN) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth(AO)
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.(AP)

A Lament and Call to Repentance

Hear this word, Israel, this lament(AQ) I take up concerning you:

“Fallen is Virgin(AR) Israel,
    never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
    with no one to lift her up.(AS)

This 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.(AT)

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek(AU) me and live;(AV)
    do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(AW)
    do not journey to Beersheba.(AX)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
    and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[d](AY)
Seek(AZ) the Lord and live,(BA)
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(BB)
it will devour them,
    and Bethel(BC) will have no one to quench it.(BD)

There are those who turn justice into bitterness(BE)
    and cast righteousness(BF) to the ground.(BG)

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(BH)
    who turns midnight into dawn(BI)
    and darkens day into night,(BJ)
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.(BK)
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.(BL)

10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(BM)
    and detest the one who tells the truth.(BN)

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

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(BT)
    and deprive the poor(BU) of justice in the courts.(BV)
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet(BW) in such times,
    for the times are evil.(BX)

14 Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.(BY)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(BZ) love good;(CA)
    maintain justice in the courts.(CB)
Perhaps(CC) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(CD)
    on the remnant(CE) of Joseph.

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

“There will be wailing(CF) in all the streets(CG)
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(CH) will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(CI) in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through(CJ) your midst,”
says the Lord.(CK)

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!(CL)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(CM)
    That day will be darkness,(CN) not light.(CO)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,(CP)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.(CQ)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(CR) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(CS)

21 “I hate,(CT) I despise your religious festivals;(CU)
    your assemblies(CV) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(CW) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(CX)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(CY)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(CZ)
24 But let justice(DA) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(DB) like a never-failing stream!(DC)

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

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you(DI) who are complacent(DJ) in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure(DK) on Mount Samaria,(DL)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
    to whom the people of Israel come!(DM)
Go to Kalneh(DN) and look at it;
    go from there to great Hamath,(DO)
    and then go down to Gath(DP) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(DQ) your two kingdoms?
    Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the day of disaster
    and bring near a reign of terror.(DR)
You lie on beds adorned with ivory
    and lounge on your couches.(DS)
You dine on choice lambs
    and fattened calves.(DT)
You strum away on your harps(DU) like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.(DV)
You drink wine(DW) by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve(DX) over the ruin of Joseph.(DY)
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(DZ)
    your feasting and lounging will end.(EA)

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(EB)—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor(EC) the pride of Jacob(ED)
    and detest his fortresses;(EE)
I will deliver up(EF) the city
    and everything in it.(EG)

If ten(EH) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[f](EI) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(EJ) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For the Lord has given the command,
    and he will smash(EK) the great house(EL) into pieces
    and the small house into bits.(EM)

12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
    Does one plow the sea[g] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(EN)
    and the fruit of righteousness(EO) into bitterness(EP)
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[h]
    and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[i] by our own strength?(EQ)

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation(ER) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath(ES) to the valley of the Arabah.(ET)

Notas al pie

  1. Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
  2. Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
  3. Amos 4:4 Or days
  4. Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
  5. 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
  6. Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
  7. Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
  8. Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
  9. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.