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Amos 2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Amos 2
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 2
Moab
1 Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Moab, and now four—
I will not take it back—
Because he burned to ashes[a]
the bones of Edom’s king,
2 I will send fire upon Moab,
and it will devour the strongholds of Kerioth;
Moab shall meet death amid uproar,
battle cries and blasts of the ram’s horn.
3 I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
and all the princes I will slay with him, says the Lord.
Judah
4 [b]Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Judah, and now four—
I will not take it back—
Because they spurned the instruction of the Lord,(A)
and did not keep his statutes;
Because the lies[c] which their ancestors followed
have led them astray,
5 I will send fire upon Judah,
and it will devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.
Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Israel,[d] and now four—
I will not take it back—
Because they hand over the just for silver,
and the poor for a pair of sandals;(B)
7 They trample the heads of the destitute
into the dust of the earth,
and force the lowly out of the way.
Son and father sleep with the same girl,[e]
profaning my holy name.
8 Upon garments taken in pledge
they recline beside any altar.[f](C)
Wine at treasury expense
they drink in their temples.
9 Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were as tall as cedars,
and as strong as oak trees.
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots beneath.(D)
10 It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and who led you through the desert for forty years,
to occupy the land of the Amorites;
11 I who raised up prophets among your children,
and nazirites[g] among your young men.
Is this not so, Israelites?—
oracle of the Lord.
12 But you made the nazirites drink wine,
and commanded the prophets, “Do not prophesy!”(E)
13 Look, I am groaning beneath you,
as a wagon groans when laden with sheaves.
14 Flight shall elude the swift,
and the strong shall not retain strength;(F)
The warrior shall not save his life,
15 nor shall the archer stand his ground;
The swift of foot shall not escape,
nor shall the horseman save his life.
16 And the most stouthearted of warriors
shall flee naked on that day—
oracle of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 2:1 He burned to ashes: to the peoples of the Near East, burning the bones of the dead was a particularly heinous crime, as it was believed to cause the spirits of these dead to wander without any hope of interment in their graves, where they could rest in peace.
- 2:4–8, 12 Unlike the crimes of the nations detailed in this section, which are wrongs against other nations, those of Judah and Israel named here are violations of the Lord’s demands.
- 2:4 The lies: false gods worshiped by the Judahites.
- 2:6 Israel: Amos’s audience would applaud his condemnation of foreign kingdoms in the foregoing seven oracles, especially of Judah. But now he adds an eighth, unexpected oracle—against Israel itself. This is the real “punch line” of this whole section, to which the preceding oracles serve mainly as introduction.
- 2:7 Son and father sleep with the same girl: the crime condemned here may be the misuse of power by the rich who take unfair advantage of young women from the ranks of the poor and force themselves on them, thus adding oppression to the sin of impurity.
- 2:8 Upon garments…any altar: creditors kept the garments taken as pledges from the poor instead of returning them to their owners before nightfall as the law commanded (Ex 22:25; cf. Dt 24:12). Wine…in their temples: lavish feasts for the rich, serving the finest wines in great abundance (see 6:4–7) and funded by the treasuries of local temples (e.g., at Dan and Bethel). The Hebrew in this verse is difficult. Another possible translation would be: “And the wine of those who have been fined / they drink in the house of their god.”
- 2:11 Nazirites: see note on Nm 6:2–21. Oracle of the Lord: a phrase used extensively in prophetic books to indicate divine speech.
Amos 2
Living Bible
Amos 2
Living Bible
2 The Lord says, “The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished anymore. For they desecrated the tombs of the kings of Edom, with no respect for the dead. 2 Now in return I will send fire upon Moab, and it will destroy all the palaces in Kerioth. Moab shall go down in tumult as the warriors shout and trumpets blare. 3 And I will destroy their king and slay all the leaders under him.” The Lord has spoken.
4 The Lord says, “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished anymore. For they have rejected the laws of God, refusing to obey him. They have hardened their hearts and sinned as their fathers did. 5 So I will destroy Judah with fire and burn down all Jerusalem’s palaces and forts.”
6 The Lord says, “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not forget it. I will not leave them unpunished anymore. For they have perverted justice by accepting bribes and sold into slavery the poor who can’t repay their debts; they trade them for a pair of shoes. 7 They trample the poor in the dust and kick aside the meek.
“And a man and his father defile the same temple girl, corrupting my holy name. 8 At their religious feasts they lounge in clothing stolen from their debtors, and in my own Temple they offer sacrifices of wine they purchased with stolen money.
9 “Yet think of all I did for them! I cleared the land of the Amorites before them—the Amorites, as tall as cedar trees, and strong as oaks! But I lopped off their fruit and cut their roots. 10 And I brought you out from Egypt and led you through the desert forty years, to possess the land of the Amorites. 11 And I chose your sons to be Nazirites[a] and prophets—can you deny this, Israel?” asks the Lord. 12 “But you caused the Nazirites to sin by urging them to drink your wine, and you silenced my prophets, telling them, ‘Shut up!’
13 “Therefore, I will make you groan as a wagon groans that is loaded with sheaves. 14 Your swiftest warriors will stumble in flight. The strong will all be weak, and the great ones can no longer save themselves. 15 The archer’s aim will fail, the swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to flee, and even the best of horsemen can’t outrun the danger then. 16 The most courageous of your mighty men will drop their weapons and run for their lives that day.” The Lord God has spoken.
Footnotes
- Amos 2:11 to be Nazirites, see Numbers 6.
Amos 2
New International Version
Amos 2
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,
2 I 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)
3 I will destroy her ruler(F)
and kill all her officials with him,”(G)
says the Lord.(H)
4 This 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)
5 I will send fire(O) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses(P) of Jerusalem.(Q)”
Judgment on Israel
6 This 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)
7 They 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)
8 They 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.
10 I 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)
14 The swift will not escape,(AJ)
the strong(AK) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.(AL)
15 The 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)
16 Even the bravest warriors(AP)
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Amos 2
New King James Version
Amos 2
New King James Version
Judgment on Israel
2 Thus says the Lord:
(A)“For three transgressions of Moab, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he (B)burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 But I will send a fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of (C)Kerioth;
Moab shall die with tumult,
With shouting and trumpet sound.
3 And I will cut off (D)the judge from its midst,
And slay all its princes with him,”
Says the Lord.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (E)Judah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
(F)Because they have despised the law of the Lord,
And have not kept His commandments.
(G)Their lies lead them astray,
Lies (H)which their fathers followed.
5 (I)But I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of (J)Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because (K)they sell the righteous for silver,
And the (L)poor for a pair of sandals.
7 They [a]pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor,
And (M)pervert the way of the humble.
(N)A man and his father go in to the same girl,
(O)To defile My holy name.
8 They lie down (P)by every altar on clothes (Q)taken in pledge,
And drink the wine of [b]the condemned in the house of their god.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the (R)Amorite before them,
Whose height was like the (S)height of the cedars,
And he was as strong as the oaks;
Yet I (T)destroyed his fruit above
And his roots beneath.
10 Also it was (U)I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And (V)led you forty years through the wilderness,
To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons as (W)prophets,
And some of your young men as (X)Nazirites.
Is it not so, O you children of Israel?”
Says the Lord.
12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets (Y)saying,
‘Do not prophesy!’
13 “Behold,(Z) I am [c]weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves [d]is weighed down.
14 (AA)Therefore [e]flight shall perish from the swift,
The strong shall not strengthen his power,
(AB)Nor shall the mighty [f]deliver himself;
15 He shall not stand who handles the bow,
The swift of foot shall not [g]escape,
Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16 The most [h]courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,”
Says the Lord.
Amos 2
King James Version
Amos 2
King James Version
2 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
2 But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:
3 And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the Lord.
4 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
6 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the Lord.
12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.
16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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Living Bible (TLB)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.