Amos 2:4-16
Legacy Standard Bible
Punishment of Judah and Israel
4 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (A)Judah and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they (B)rejected the law of Yahweh
And have not kept His statutes;
Their [a](C)falsehood also has led them astray,
That which their (D)fathers walked after.
5 So I will (E)send fire upon Judah,
And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
6 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (F)Israel and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they (G)sell the righteous for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 These who [b]pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the (H)poor
Also (I)turn aside the way of the humble;
And a (J)man and his father go to the same [c]young woman
In order to profane My holy name.
8 On garments (K)taken as pledges they stretch out beside (L)every altar,
And in the house of their God they (M)drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the (N)Amorite before them,
[d]Though his (O)height was like the height of cedars,
And he was strong as the oaks;
I even destroyed his (P)fruit above and his root below.
10 And it was I who (Q)brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And I led you in the wilderness (R)forty years
[e]That you might take possession of the land of the (S)Amorite.
11 Then I (T)raised up some of your sons to be prophets
And some of your choice men to be (U)Nazirites.
Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares Yahweh.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You (V)shall not prophesy!’
13 Behold, I am [f](W)weighted down beneath you
As a wagon [g]is weighted down when filled with sheaves.
14 (X)So [h]flight will perish from the swift,
And the strong will not instill his power with courage,
Nor will the (Y)mighty man make his [i]life escape.
15 He who (Z)grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will he who rides the (AA)horse make his [j]life escape.
16 Even the [k]most courageous of heart among the mighty men will (AB)flee naked in that day,” declares Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Amos 2:4 Or false gods
- Amos 2:7 Or trample upon the head of the helpless on the dust
- Amos 2:7 Possibly a harlot or a temple prostitute
- Amos 2:9 Lit Whose height
- Amos 2:10 Lit To possess
- Amos 2:13 Or tottering
- Amos 2:13 Or totters
- Amos 2:14 Or a place of refuge
- Amos 2:14 Lit soul
- Amos 2:15 Lit soul
- Amos 2:16 Lit stout of heart
Amos 2:4-16
New Living Translation
God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel
4 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Judah have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They have rejected the instruction of the Lord,
refusing to obey his decrees.
They have been led astray by the same lies
that deceived their ancestors.
5 So I will send down fire on Judah,
and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.”
6 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Israel have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sell honorable people for silver
and poor people for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample helpless people in the dust
and shove the oppressed out of the way.
Both father and son sleep with the same woman,
corrupting my holy name.
8 At their religious festivals,
they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security.
In the house of their gods,[a]
they drink wine bought with unjust fines.
9 “But as my people watched,
I destroyed the Amorites,
though they were as tall as cedars
and as strong as oaks.
I destroyed the fruit on their branches
and dug out their roots.
10 It was I who rescued you from Egypt
and led you through the desert for forty years,
so you could possess the land of the Amorites.
11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets
and others to be Nazirites.
Can you deny this, my people of Israel?”
asks the Lord.
12 “But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine,
and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
13 “So I will make you groan
like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain.
14 Your fastest runners will not get away.
The strongest among you will become weak.
Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.
15 The archers will not stand their ground.
The swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to escape.
Even those riding horses won’t be able to save themselves.
16 On that day the most courageous of your fighting men
will drop their weapons and run for their lives,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- 2:8 Or their God.
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