Amos 6
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 6
Bloody Description of the Orgy of the Head of Israel
1 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,
and for those who feel secure on the mount of Samaria,
the leaders of the most important of the nations
to whom the people of Israel have recourse.
2 Cross over to Calneh[a] and see;
travel on from there to Hamath the great,
and then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Is your territory greater than theirs?
3 You put aside all thoughts of the evil day
and thereby hasten the reign of violence.
4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory
and lounge on their couches.
They feast on lambs from the flock
and stall-fattened calves.
5 They improvise on the music of the harp,
and, like David, they invent musical instruments.
6 They drink wine by the bowlful
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but they feel no grief over the ruin of Joseph.
7 Therefore, they will now be the first to go into exile,
and their wanton revelry will come to an end.
There Will Be Nothing Left of Israel
8 The Lord God has sworn by himself.
Thus say I, the Lord, the God of hosts:
I abhor the pride of Jacob
and hate his palaces,
I shall deliver up the city
and all that is in it.
9 If ten men are left in a single house,
they will die.
10 Only a few will be left
to carry out the dead from the house.
If someone calls to a man inside the house,
“Are there any more there?”
and he answers, “No,”
then he will say, “Hush,”
for the name of the Lord must not be mentioned.
11 At the Lord’s command,
the great house will be shattered to bits,
and the small houses will be reduced to rubble.
12 Can horses gallop over rocks?
Can one plow the sea with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into poison
and the fruit of justice into venom—
13 you who rejoice in Lodebar,[b]
who say, “Have we not, by our own strength,
seized Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 Beware, O house of Israel,
for I am raising up against you a nation,
says the Lord, the God of hosts,
and that nation shall oppress you
from Lebo of Hamath even to the Wadi Arabah.
Footnotes
- Amos 6:2 Calneh, near Aleppo, and Hamath were two principalities of Syria.
- Amos 6:13 Lodebar and Karnaim had been conquered by the Israelites (see 2 Ki 13:25; 14:25).
Amos 6
New King James Version
Warnings to Zion and Samaria
6 Woe (A)to you who are at (B)ease in Zion,
And (C)trust in Mount Samaria,
Notable persons in the (D)chief nation,
To whom the house of Israel comes!
2 (E)Go over to (F)Calneh and see;
And from there go to (G)Hamath the great;
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
(H)Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory?
3 Woe to you who (I)put far off the day of (J)doom,
(K)Who cause (L)the seat of violence to come near;
4 Who lie on beds of ivory,
Stretch out on your couches,
Eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall;
5 (M)Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments,
And invent for yourselves (N)musical instruments (O)like David;
6 Who (P)drink wine from bowls,
And anoint yourselves with the best ointments,
(Q)But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7 Therefore they shall now go (R)captive as the first of the captives,
And those who recline at banquets shall be removed.
8 (S)The Lord God has sworn by Himself,
The Lord God of hosts says:
“I abhor (T)the pride of Jacob,
And hate his palaces;
Therefore I will deliver up the city
And all that is in it.”
9 Then it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when [a]a relative of the dead, with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the [b]bodies to take them out of the house, he will say to one inside the house, “Are there any more with you?”
Then someone will say, “None.”
And he will say, (U)“Hold your tongue! (V)For we dare not mention the name of the Lord.”
11 For behold, (W)the Lord gives a command:
(X)He will break the great house into bits,
And the little house into pieces.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there with oxen?
Yet (Y)you have turned justice into gall,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13 You who rejoice over [c]Lo Debar,
Who say, “Have we not taken [d]Karnaim for ourselves
By our own strength?”
Amos 6
English Standard Version
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion
6 (A)“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on (B)the mountain of Samaria,
(C)the notable men of (D)the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!
2 Pass over to (E)Calneh, and see,
and from there go to (F)Hamath the great;
then go down to (G)Gath of the Philistines.
(H)Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3 (I)O you who put far away the day of disaster
(J)and bring near the seat of violence?
4 “Woe to those (K)who lie on (L)beds of ivory
(M)and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
(N)and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 (O)who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David (P)invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 (Q)who drink wine in bowls
and (R)anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 (S)Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”
8 (T)The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:
“I abhor (U)the pride of Jacob
and hate his strongholds,
(V)and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”
9 And (W)if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, (X)the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, (Y)“Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
11 For behold, the Lord commands,
and (Z)the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
and the little house into bits.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there[a] with oxen?
(AA)But you have turned justice into (AB)poison
(AC)and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood[b]—
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,[c]
who say, (AD)“Have we not by our own strength
captured Karnaim[d] for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (AE)I will raise up against you a nation,
O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts;
“and they shall oppress you from (AF)Lebo-hamath
to the Brook of (AG)the Arabah.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
