Amos 4
Nuova Riveduta 2006
4 (A)Ascoltate questa parola, vacche di Basan[a] che state sul monte di Samaria! voi che opprimete gli umili, maltrattate i poveri e dite ai vostri mariti: «Portate qua, ché beviamo!»
2 Il Signore, Dio, l’ha giurato per la sua santità: «Ecco, verranno per voi dei giorni in cui sarete tirate fuori con gli uncini, e i vostri figli con gli ami da pesca;
3 voi uscirete per le brecce, ognuna davanti a sé, e sarete scacciate verso l’Ermon», dice il Signore.
Rifiuto di tornare a Dio, malgrado il castigo
4 (B)«Andate a Betel, e peccate, a Ghilgal, e peccate ancora di più! Portate ogni mattina i vostri sacrifici e ogni tre giorni le vostre decime!
5 Fate fumare sacrifici di ringraziamento con lievito[b]! Bandite delle offerte volontarie, proclamatele! Poiché così vi piace fare, o figli d’Israele», dice il Signore, Dio.
6 «Da parte mia, vi ho lasciati a bocca asciutta in tutte le vostre città; vi ho fatto mancare il pane in tutti i vostri villaggi; ma voi non siete tornati a me», dice il Signore.
7 «Vi ho anche rifiutato la pioggia, quando mancavano ancora tre mesi alla mietitura; ho fatto piovere sopra una città e non ho fatto piovere sull’altra; una parte del campo ha ricevuto la pioggia e la parte su cui non ha piovuto è inaridita.
8 Due, tre città si trascinavano verso un’altra città per bere acqua, e non potevano dissetarsi; ma voi non siete tornati a me», dice il Signore.
9 «Vi ho colpito con ruggine e carbone; le locuste hanno divorato i vostri numerosi giardini, le vostre vigne, i vostri fichi, i vostri ulivi; ma voi non siete tornati a me», dice il Signore.
10 «Ho mandato la peste in mezzo a voi come in Egitto; ho ucciso i vostri giovani con la spada e ho catturato i vostri cavalli; vi ho fatto salire al naso il fetore dei vostri accampamenti; ma voi non siete tornati a me», dice il Signore.
11 «Vi ho sconvolti, come Dio sconvolse Sodoma e Gomorra, e voi siete stati come un tizzone strappato dal fuoco; ma voi non siete tornati a me», dice il Signore.
12 «Perciò, ti farò come ho detto, o Israele. Poiché farò questo contro di te, prepàrati, Israele, a incontrare il tuo Dio!»
13 Poiché, ecco, egli forma i monti, crea il vento e fa conoscere all’uomo il suo pensiero; egli muta l’aurora in tenebre e cammina sulle alture della terra. Il suo nome è il Signore, Dio degli eserciti.
Amos 4
New King James Version
God’s Punishments Have Not Reformed Israel
4 Hear this word, you (A)cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria,
Who oppress the (B)poor,
Who crush the needy,
Who say to [a]your husbands, “Bring wine, let us (C)drink!”
2 (D)The Lord God has sworn by His holiness:
“Behold, the days shall come upon you
When He will take you away (E)with fishhooks,
And your posterity with fishhooks.
3 (F)You will go out through broken walls,
Each one straight ahead of her,
And you will [b]be cast into Harmon,”
Says the Lord.
4 “Come(G) to Bethel and transgress,
At (H)Gilgal multiply transgression;
(I)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
(J)Your tithes every three [c]days.
5 (K)Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
Proclaim and announce (L)the freewill offerings;
For this you love,
You children of Israel!”
Says the Lord God.
Israel Did Not Accept Correction
6 “Also I gave you [d]cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
And lack of bread in all your places;
(M)Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
7 “I also withheld rain from you,
When there were still three months to the harvest.
I made it rain on one city,
I withheld rain from another city.
One part was rained upon,
And where it did not rain the part withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water,
But they were not satisfied;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
9 “I(N) blasted you with blight and mildew.
When your gardens increased,
Your vineyards,
Your fig trees,
And your olive trees,
(O)The locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
10 “I sent among you a plague (P)after the manner of Egypt;
Your young men I killed with a sword,
Along with your captive horses;
I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
11 “I overthrew some of you,
As God overthrew (Q)Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.
12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
(R)Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”
Amos 4
Expanded Bible
Israel Will Not Return
4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan on the Mountain of Samaria [C mocking the wealthy women of Samaria].
You ·take things from [oppress] the poor
and crush people who are in need.
Then you command your husbands,
“Bring us something to drink!”
2 The Lord God has ·promised [sworn] this:
“Just as surely as I am a holy God,
the time will come
when you will be taken away ·by hooks [or in baskets],
and what is left of you with fishhooks.
3 You will go straight out of the city
through ·holes [breaches] in the walls,
and you will be thrown ·on the garbage dump [on the dung heap; or out toward Harmon],” says the Lord.
4 “Come to the city of Bethel and ·sin [rebel; transgress];
come to Gilgal and ·sin [rebel; transgress] even more [C Bethel and Gilgal were important worship centers in Israel].
Offer your sacrifices every morning,
and bring ·one-tenth of your crops [your tithes] every three days.
5 Offer bread made with yeast as a sacrifice to show your thanks,
and ·brag about [publicly announce] the ·special [voluntary; freewill] offerings you bring,
because this is what you love to do, ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel],” says the Lord God.
6 “I ·did not give you any food [L gave you cleanness of teeth; C an idiom meaning “empty stomachs” and indicating starvation] in your cities,
and there was not enough to eat in any of your towns,
but you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
7 “I held back the rain from you
three months before harvest time.
Then I let it rain on one city
but not on another.
Rain fell on one field,
but another field got none and dried up.
8 ·People weak from thirst went from town to town [L Two or three cities wandered to one] for water,
but they could not get enough to drink.
Still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
9 “I ·made your crops die from [L struck you with] ·disease [blight] and mildew.
When your gardens and your vineyards got larger,
locusts ·ate [devoured] your fig and olive trees.
But still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
10 “I sent ·disasters [a plague/pestilence] against you,
as I did to Egypt.
I killed your young men with swords,
and your horses were taken from you.
I made ·you smell the stink from all the dead bodies [L the stench of your camp rise into your nostrils],
but still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
11 “I ·destroyed [overthrew] some of you
as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen. 19].
You were like a burning stick pulled from a fire,
but still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
12 “So this is what I will do to you, Israel;
because I will do this to you,
get ready to meet your God, Israel.”
13 [L For look/T behold] He is the one who ·makes [forms] the mountains
and creates the wind
and makes his thoughts known to people.
He changes the dawn into darkness
and ·walks [treads; marches] ·over the mountains [on the heights] of the earth.
His name is the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
Copyright © 2006 Società Biblica di Ginevra
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.