Amos 4-6
New American Standard Bible 1995
“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”
4 Hear this word, you cows of (A)Bashan who are on the (B)mountain of Samaria,
Who (C)oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
Who say to [a]your husbands, “Bring now, that we may (D)drink!”
2 The Lord [b]God has (E)sworn by His (F)holiness,
“Behold, the days are coming upon you
When [c]they will take you away with (G)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (H)fish hooks.
3 “You will (I)go out through breaches in the walls,
Each one straight before her,
And you [d]will be cast to Harmon,” declares the Lord.
4 “Enter Bethel and transgress;
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
(J)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 “[e]Offer a (K)thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim (L)freewill offerings, make them known.
For so you (M)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord God.
6 “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.
7 “Furthermore, I (P)withheld the rain from you
While there were still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city
And on (Q)another city I would not send rain;
One part would be rained on,
While the part not rained on would dry up.
8 “So 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.
9 “I (U)smote you with scorching wind and mildew;
And 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 after the manner of Egypt;
I (Y)slew your young men by 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)firebrand snatched from a blaze;
Yet you have (AE)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to (AF)meet your God, O Israel.”
13 For behold, He who (AG)forms mountains and (AH)creates the wind
And (AI)declares to man 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 hosts is His name.
“Seek Me that You May Live”
5 Hear this word which I take up for you as a (AM)dirge, O house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, she will (AN)not rise again—
The (AO)virgin Israel.
She lies neglected on her land;
There is (AP)none to raise her up.
3 For thus says the Lord [f]God,
“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.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel,
“(AS)Seek Me (AT)that you may live.
5 “But do not [g]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 [h]come to trouble.
6 “(AX)Seek the Lord that you may live,
Or He will break forth like a (AY)fire, [i]O house of Joseph,
And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn (AZ)justice into wormwood
And [j]cast righteousness down to the earth.”
8 He who made the (BA)Pleiades and Orion
And (BB)changes deep darkness into morning,
[k]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.
9 It is He who (BF)flashes forth with destruction upon the strong,
So that (BG)destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who (BH)reproves in the [l]gate,
And they (BI)abhor him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you [m]impose heavy rent on the poor
And exact a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built (BJ)houses of well-hewn stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will (BK)not drink their wine.
12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great,
You who (BL)distress the righteous and accept bribes
And [n]turn aside the poor in the [o]gate.
13 Therefore at [p]such a time the prudent person (BM)keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
And thus may the Lord God of hosts be with you,
(BN)Just as you have said!
15 (BO)Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the [q]gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of hosts
(BP)May be gracious to the (BQ)remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord,
“There is (BR)wailing in all the plazas,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They also call the (BS)farmer to mourning
And [r](BT)professional mourners to lamentation.
17 “And in all the (BU)vineyards there is wailing,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.
18 Alas, you who are longing for the (BV)day of the Lord,
For what 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 meets him,
[s]Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall
And a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be (BY)darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I (BZ)reject your festivals,
Nor do I [t](CA)delight in your solemn 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 fatlings.
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 down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “[u](CE)Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 26 (CF)You also carried along [v]Sikkuth your king and [w]Kiyyun, your images, [x]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 hosts.
“Those at Ease in Zion”
6 (CG)Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,
The (CH)distinguished men of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
2 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 [y]they better than these kingdoms,
Or is their territory greater than yours?
3 Do you (CL)put off the day of calamity,
And would you (CM)bring near the seat of violence?
4 Those who recline on beds of ivory
And sprawl on their (CN)couches,
And (CO)eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall,
5 Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
And like David have [z]composed (CP)songs for themselves,
6 Who (CQ)drink wine from [aa]sacrificial bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils,
Yet they have not (CR)grieved over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore, they will now (CS)go into exile at the head of the exiles,
And the (CT)sprawlers’ [ab]banqueting will [ac]pass away.
8 The Lord [ad]God has (CU)sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts has declared:
“I (CV)loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
And [ae]detest his (CW)citadels;
Therefore I will (CX)deliver up the city and [af]all it contains.”
9 And it will be, if (CY)ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then one’s [ag]uncle, or his [ah](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 [ai]answer, “(DA)Keep quiet. For [aj]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 fragments.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one plow [ak]them with oxen?
Yet you have turned (DE)justice into poison
And the fruit of righteousness into [al]wormwood,
13 You who rejoice in [am](DF)Lodebar,
[an]And say, “Have we not (DG)by our own strength taken [ao]Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (DH)I am going to raise up a nation against you,
O house of Israel,” declares the Lord God of hosts,
“And they will afflict you from the (DI)entrance of Hamath
To the (DJ)brook of the Arabah.”
Footnotes
- Amos 4:1 Lit their lords
- Amos 4:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 4:2 Lit he
- Amos 4:3 So Gr; M.T. reads will cast
- Amos 4:5 Lit Offer up in smoke
- Amos 5:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 5:5 Lit seek
- Amos 5:5 Or become iniquity
- Amos 5:6 Or in the house
- Amos 5:7 Lit they have put down
- Amos 5:8 Lit And He darkened
- Amos 5:10 I.e. the place where court was held
- Amos 5:11 Another reading is trample upon
- Amos 5:12 Lit they turn
- Amos 5:12 I.e. the place where court was held
- Amos 5:13 Lit that time
- Amos 5:15 I.e. the place where court was held
- Amos 5:16 Lit those who know lamentation
- Amos 5:19 Or Then
- Amos 5:21 Lit like to smell
- Amos 5:25 Or You presented Me with the sacrifices and a grain offering
- Amos 5:26 Or Sakkuth (Saturn) or shrine of your Moloch
- Amos 5:26 Or Kaiwan (Saturn) or stands of
- Amos 5:26 Or your star gods
- Amos 6:2 Or you
- Amos 6:5 Or invented musical instruments
- Amos 6:6 Lit sprinkling basins
- Amos 6:7 Or cultic feasts
- Amos 6:7 Lit turn aside
- Amos 6:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Amos 6:8 Lit hate
- Amos 6:8 Lit its fullness
- Amos 6:10 Or beloved one
- Amos 6:10 Lit one who burns him
- Amos 6:10 Lit say
- Amos 6:10 Lit not to make mention of the name of
- Amos 6:12 Another reading is the sea with oxen
- Amos 6:12 I.e. bitterness
- Amos 6:13 Lit a thing of nothing
- Amos 6:13 Lit Who
- Amos 6:13 Lit a pair of horns
Psalm 55
New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David.
55 (A)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (B)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (C)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (D)complaint and [b](E)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (F)pressure of the wicked;
For they (G)bring down [c]trouble upon me
And in anger they (H)bear a grudge against me.
4 My (I)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (J)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (K)trembling come upon me,
And [d](L)horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [e](M)be at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (N)lodge in the wilderness. [f]Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (O)stormy wind and tempest.”
9 [g]Confuse, O Lord, (P)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (Q)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 (R)Destruction is in her midst;
(S)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [h]streets.
12 For it is (T)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (U)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [i]my equal,
My (V)companion and my [j](W)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet [k]fellowship together
(X)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [l]death come (Y)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (Z)go down alive to [m]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 As for me, I shall (AA)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 (AB)Evening and (AC)morning and at (AD)noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (AE)redeem my soul in peace [n]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (AF)many who strive with me.
19 God will (AG)hear and [o]answer them—
Even the one (AH)who [p]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there [q]is no change,
And who (AI)do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against (AJ)those who were at peace with him;
He has [r](AK)violated his covenant.
21 His [s]speech was (AL)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were (AM)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn (AN)swords.
22 (AO)Cast [t]your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;
(AP)He will never allow the righteous to [u](AQ)be shaken.
23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the [v](AR)pit of destruction;
(AS)Men of bloodshed and deceit will (AT)not live out half their days.
But I will (AU)trust in You.
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:1 Possibly Contemplative, or Didactic, or Skillful Psalm
- Psalm 55:2 Or I must moan
- Psalm 55:3 Or wickedness
- Psalm 55:5 Lit shuddering
- Psalm 55:6 Lit settle down
- Psalm 55:7 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 55:9 Lit Swallow up
- Psalm 55:11 Or plaza
- Psalm 55:13 Lit according to my valuation
- Psalm 55:13 Or acquaintance
- Psalm 55:14 Lit counsel; or intimacy
- Psalm 55:15 Another reading is desolations be upon them
- Psalm 55:15 I.e. the nether world
- Psalm 55:18 Or so that none may approach me
- Psalm 55:19 Or afflict
- Psalm 55:19 Or abides from
- Psalm 55:19 Lit are no changes
- Psalm 55:20 Lit profaned
- Psalm 55:21 Lit mouth
- Psalm 55:22 Or what He has given you
- Psalm 55:22 Or totter
- Psalm 55:23 Or lowest pit
Matthew 14
New American Standard Bible 1995
John the Baptist Beheaded
14 (A)At that [a]time (B)Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, “(C)This is John the Baptist; [b]he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 For when (D)Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him (E)in prison because of (F)Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, “(G)It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded [c]John as (H)a prophet.
6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of (I)Herodias danced [d]before them and pleased (J)Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Having been prompted by her mother, she *said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of [e]his dinner guests. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried [f]it; and they went and reported to Jesus.
Five Thousand Fed
13 (K)Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the [g]people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14 When He went [h]ashore, He (L)saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and (M)healed their sick.
15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already [i]late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” 17 They *said to Him, “We have here only (N)five loaves and two fish.” 18 And He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Ordering the [j]people to [k]sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He (O)blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20 and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full (P)baskets. 21 There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 (Q)Immediately He [l]made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, (R)He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already [m]a long distance from the land, [n]battered by the waves; for the wind was [o](S)contrary. 25 And in (T)the [p]fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is (U)a ghost!” And they cried out [q]in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “(V)Take courage, it is I; (W)do not be afraid.”
28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “(X)You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly (Y)God’s Son!”
34 (Z)When they had crossed over, they came to land at (AA)Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place [r]recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; 36 and they implored Him that they might just touch (AB)the fringe of His cloak; and as many as (AC)touched it were cured.
Footnotes
- Matthew 14:1 Or occasion
- Matthew 14:2 Or he, himself
- Matthew 14:5 Lit him
- Matthew 14:6 Lit in the midst
- Matthew 14:9 Lit those who reclined at the table with him
- Matthew 14:12 Lit him
- Matthew 14:13 Lit the crowds
- Matthew 14:14 Lit out
- Matthew 14:15 Lit past
- Matthew 14:19 Lit crowds
- Matthew 14:19 Lit recline
- Matthew 14:22 Lit compelled
- Matthew 14:24 Lit many stadia from; a stadion was about 600 feet or about 182 meters
- Matthew 14:24 Lit tormented
- Matthew 14:24 Or adverse
- Matthew 14:25 I.e. 3-6 a.m.
- Matthew 14:26 Lit from
- Matthew 14:35 Or knew
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
