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Amos 5-9
New American Standard Bible 1995

“Seek Me that You May Live”

5 Hear this word which I take up for you as a (A)dirge, O house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, she will (B)not rise again—
The (C)virgin Israel.
She lies neglected on her land;
There is (D)none to raise her up.

3 For thus says the Lord [a]God,

“The city which goes forth a thousand strong
Will have a (E)hundred left,
And the one which goes forth a hundred strong
Will have (F)ten left to the house of Israel.”

4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel,

“(G)Seek Me (H)that you may live.
5 “But do not [b]resort to (I)Bethel
And do not come to (J)Gilgal,
Nor cross over to (K)Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will [c]come to trouble.
6 “(L)Seek the Lord that you may live,
Or He will break forth like a (M)fire, [d]O house of Joseph,
And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn (N)justice into wormwood
And [e]cast righteousness down to the earth.”

8 He who made the (O)Pleiades and Orion
And (P)changes deep darkness into morning,
[f]Who also (Q)darkens day into night,
Who (R)calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The (S)Lord is His name.
9 It is He who (T)flashes forth with destruction upon the strong,
So that (U)destruction comes upon the fortress.

10 They hate him who (V)reproves in the [g]gate,
And they (W)abhor him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you [h]impose heavy rent on the poor
And exact a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built (X)houses of well-hewn stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will (Y)not drink their wine.
12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great,
You who (Z)distress the righteous and accept bribes
And [i]turn aside the poor in the [j]gate.
13 Therefore at [k]such a time the prudent person (AA)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,
(AB)Just as you have said!
15 (AC)Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the [l]gate!
Perhaps the Lord God of hosts
(AD)May be gracious to the (AE)remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord,

“There is (AF)wailing in all the plazas,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They also call the (AG)farmer to mourning
And [m](AH)professional mourners to lamentation.
17 “And in all the (AI)vineyards there is wailing,
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says the Lord.

18 Alas, you who are longing for the (AJ)day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be (AK)darkness and not light;
19 As when a man (AL)flees from a lion
And a bear meets him,
[n]Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall
And a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be (AM)darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?

21 “I hate, I (AN)reject your festivals,
Nor do I [o](AO)delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 “Even though you (AP)offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the (AQ)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 (AR)justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 “[p](AS)Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 26 (AT)You also carried along [q]Sikkuth your king and [r]Kiyyun, your images, [s]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 (AU)Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,
The (AV)distinguished men of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
2 Go over to (AW)Calneh and look,
And go from there to (AX)Hamath the great,
Then go down to (AY)Gath of the Philistines.
Are [t]they better than these kingdoms,
Or is their territory greater than yours?
3 Do you (AZ)put off the day of calamity,
And would you (BA)bring near the seat of violence?

4 Those who recline on beds of ivory
And sprawl on their (BB)couches,
And (BC)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 [u]composed (BD)songs for themselves,
6 Who (BE)drink wine from [v]sacrificial bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils,
Yet they have not (BF)grieved over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore, they will now (BG)go into exile at the head of the exiles,
And the (BH)sprawlers’ [w]banqueting will [x]pass away.

8 The Lord [y]God has (BI)sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts has declared:
“I (BJ)loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
And [z]detest his (BK)citadels;
Therefore I will (BL)deliver up the city and [aa]all it contains.”

9 And it will be, if (BM)ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then one’s [ab]uncle, or his [ac](BN)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 [ad]answer, “(BO)Keep quiet. For [ae]the name of the Lord is (BP)not to be mentioned.” 11 For behold, the Lord is going to (BQ)command that the (BR)great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.

12 Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one plow [af]them with oxen?
Yet you have turned (BS)justice into poison
And the fruit of righteousness into [ag]wormwood,
13 You who rejoice in [ah](BT)Lodebar,
[ai]And say, “Have we not (BU)by our own strength taken [aj]Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (BV)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 (BW)entrance of Hamath
To the (BX)brook of the Arabah.”

Warning Through Visions

7 Thus the Lord [ak]God showed me, and behold, He was forming a (BY)locust-swarm [al]when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s [am]mowing. 2 And it came about, [an]when it had (BZ)finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,

“(CA)Lord God, please pardon!
[ao]How can Jacob stand,
For he is (CB)small?”
3 The Lord [ap](CC)changed His mind about this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

4 Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by (CD)fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the [aq]farm land. 5 Then I said,

“(CE)Lord God, please stop!
(CF)How can Jacob stand, for he is small?”
6 The Lord [ar](CG)changed His mind about this.
“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.

7 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing [as]by a [at]vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “(CH)What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold I am about to put a (CI)plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will [au](CJ)spare them no longer.
9 “The (CK)high places of Isaac will be desolated
And the (CL)sanctuaries of Israel laid waste.
Then I will (CM)rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused, Answers

10 Then Amaziah, the (CN)priest of Bethel, sent word to (CO)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (CP)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(CQ)Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! 13 But (CR)no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a (CS)sanctuary of the king and a royal [av]residence.”

14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (CT)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [aw]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from [ax]following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go (CU)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 Now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You (CV)shall not prophesy against Israel (CW)nor shall you [ay]speak against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘Your (CX)wife will become a harlot in the city, your (CY)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line and you yourself will die [az]upon (CZ)unclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”

Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity

8 Thus the Lord [ba]God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (DA)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The (DB)end has come for My people Israel. I will [bb](DC)spare them no longer. 3 [bc]The (DD)songs of the palace will turn to (DE)wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the (DF)corpses; in every place [bd]they will cast them forth [be]in silence.”

4 Hear this, you who [bf](DG)trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, 5 saying,

“When will the (DH)new moon [bg]be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the (DI)sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [bh]bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to (DJ)cheat with [bi]dishonest scales,
6 So as to (DK)buy the helpless for [bj]money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

7 The Lord has (DL)sworn by the (DM)pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (DN)never forget any of their deeds.
8 “Because of this will not the land (DO)quake
And everyone who dwells in it (DP)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (DQ)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the (DR)sun go down at noon
And (DS)make the earth dark in [bk]broad daylight.
10 “Then I will (DT)turn your festivals into mourning
And all your songs into [bl]lamentation;
And I will bring (DU)sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it (DV)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (DW)for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to (DX)seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.
13 “In that day the beautiful (DY)virgins
And the young men will (DZ)faint from thirst.
14 “As for those who swear by the [bm](EA)guilt of Samaria,
Who say, ‘As your god lives, O (EB)Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of (EC)Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and (ED)not rise again.”

God’s Judgment Unavoidable

9 I saw the Lord standing beside the (EE)altar, and He said,

“Smite the capitals so that the (EF)thresholds will shake,
And (EG)break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will (EH)slay the rest of them with the sword;
They will (EI)not have a fugitive who will flee,
Or a refugee who will escape.
2 “Though they dig into (EJ)Sheol,
From there will My hand take them;
And though they (EK)ascend to heaven,
From there will I bring them down.
3 “Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will (EL)search them out and take them from there;
And though they (EM)conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the (EN)serpent and it will bite them.
4 “And though they go into (EO)captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword that it slay them,
And I will (EP)set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”

5 The Lord [bn]God of hosts,
The One who (EQ)touches the land so that it melts,
And (ER)all those who dwell in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His [bo](ES)upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who (ET)calls for the waters of the sea
And (EU)pours them out on the face of the earth,
(EV)The Lord is His name.

7 “Are you not as the sons of (EW)Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the (EX)Philistines from Caphtor and the (EY)Arameans from (EZ)Kir?
8 “Behold, the (FA)eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will (FB)destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will (FC)not totally destroy the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will (FD)shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a [bp]kernel will fall to the ground.
10 “All the (FE)sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘(FF)The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’

The Restoration of Israel

11 “In that day I will (FG)raise up the fallen [bq](FH)booth of David,
And wall up its (FI)breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the (FJ)days of old;
12 (FK)That they may possess the remnant of (FL)Edom
And all the [br]nations who are (FM)called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.

13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the (FN)plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the (FO)mountains will drip sweet (FP)wine
And all the hills will be dissolved.
14 “Also I will (FQ)restore the [bs]captivity of My people Israel,
And they will (FR)rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also (FS)plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 “I will also plant them on their land,
And (FT)they will not again be rooted out from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 5:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Amos 5:5 Lit seek
  3. Amos 5:5 Or become iniquity
  4. Amos 5:6 Or in the house
  5. Amos 5:7 Lit they have put down
  6. Amos 5:8 Lit And He darkened
  7. Amos 5:10 I.e. the place where court was held
  8. Amos 5:11 Another reading is trample upon
  9. Amos 5:12 Lit they turn
  10. Amos 5:12 I.e. the place where court was held
  11. Amos 5:13 Lit that time
  12. Amos 5:15 I.e. the place where court was held
  13. Amos 5:16 Lit those who know lamentation
  14. Amos 5:19 Or Then
  15. Amos 5:21 Lit like to smell
  16. Amos 5:25 Or You presented Me with the sacrifices and a grain offering
  17. Amos 5:26 Or Sakkuth (Saturn) or shrine of your Moloch
  18. Amos 5:26 Or Kaiwan (Saturn) or stands of
  19. Amos 5:26 Or your star gods
  20. Amos 6:2 Or you
  21. Amos 6:5 Or invented musical instruments
  22. Amos 6:6 Lit sprinkling basins
  23. Amos 6:7 Or cultic feasts
  24. Amos 6:7 Lit turn aside
  25. Amos 6:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  26. Amos 6:8 Lit hate
  27. Amos 6:8 Lit its fullness
  28. Amos 6:10 Or beloved one
  29. Amos 6:10 Lit one who burns him
  30. Amos 6:10 Lit say
  31. Amos 6:10 Lit not to make mention of the name of
  32. Amos 6:12 Another reading is the sea with oxen
  33. Amos 6:12 I.e. bitterness
  34. Amos 6:13 Lit a thing of nothing
  35. Amos 6:13 Lit Who
  36. Amos 6:13 Lit a pair of horns
  37. Amos 7:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  38. Amos 7:1 Lit at the beginning of the coming up of
  39. Amos 7:1 Or shearings
  40. Amos 7:2 Lit if
  41. Amos 7:2 Lit As who
  42. Amos 7:3 Or relented
  43. Amos 7:4 Lit portion
  44. Amos 7:6 Or relented
  45. Amos 7:7 Or upon
  46. Amos 7:7 Lit wall of a plumb line
  47. Amos 7:8 Lit pass him by
  48. Amos 7:13 Lit house
  49. Amos 7:14 Or nipper
  50. Amos 7:15 Lit behind
  51. Amos 7:16 Lit flow
  52. Amos 7:17 Or in an unclean land
  53. Amos 8:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  54. Amos 8:2 Lit pass him by
  55. Amos 8:3 Or They will howl the palace songs
  56. Amos 8:3 Lit he has thrown
  57. Amos 8:3 Or hush!
  58. Amos 8:4 Or snap at
  59. Amos 8:5 Lit pass by
  60. Amos 8:5 Lit ephah
  61. Amos 8:5 Lit balances of deception
  62. Amos 8:6 Lit silver
  63. Amos 8:9 Lit a day of light
  64. Amos 8:10 Or a dirge
  65. Amos 8:14 Or Ashimah
  66. Amos 9:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  67. Amos 9:6 Or stairs
  68. Amos 9:9 Or pebble
  69. Amos 9:11 Or shelter or tabernacle
  70. Amos 9:12 Or Gentiles
  71. Amos 9:14 Or fortunes
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Amos 4
Obadiah 1
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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

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