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
Legacy Standard Bible
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion
6 (A)Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,
The (B)distinguished men of the first of the nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
2 Pass on over to (C)Calneh and look,
And go from there to (D)Hamath the great,
Then go down to (E)Gath of the Philistines.
Are [a]they better than these kingdoms,
Or are their borders greater than your borders?
3 Do you (F)put off the day of calamity,
And would you (G)cause the seat of violence to approach?
4 Those who lay down on beds of ivory
And sprawl on their (H)couches
And (I)eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall,
5 Who improvise to the [b]sound of the harp,
And like David have [c]composed (J)songs for themselves,
6 Who (K)drink wine from [d]sacrificial bowls
While they anoint themselves with the first pick of the oils,
Yet they have not (L)grieved over the destruction of Joseph.
7 Therefore, they will now (M)go into exile among the first of the exiles,
And the (N)sprawlers’ [e]banqueting will turn aside.
8 Lord Yahweh has (O)sworn by Himself, Yahweh God of hosts has declared:
“I (P)abhor the lofty pride of Jacob
And hate his (Q)citadels;
Therefore I will (R)deliver up the city as well as its fullness.”
9 And it will be, if (S)ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then one’s [f]uncle, or the one who [g](T)burns his bones, will lift him up to bring 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 [h]answer, “(U)Keep quiet. For [i]the name of Yahweh is (V)not to be mentioned.” 11 For behold, Yahweh is going to (W)command and will strike the (X)great house to pieces and the small house to fragments.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one plow [j]them with oxen?
Yet you have overturned (Y)justice into gall
And the fruit of righteousness into [k]wormwood,
13 You who are glad in [l](Z)Lo-debar
[m]And say, “Have we not (AA)by our own strength taken [n]Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (AB)I am going to raise up a nation against you,
O house of Israel,” declares Yahweh God of hosts,
“And they will press down on you from [o](AC)Lebo-hamath
To the (AD)brook of the Arabah.”
Footnotes
- Amos 6:2 Or you
- Amos 6:5 Lit mouth
- Amos 6:5 Or invented musical instruments
- Amos 6:6 Lit sprinkling basins
- Amos 6:7 Or cultic feasts
- Amos 6:10 Or beloved one
- Amos 6:10 Lit burns him
- Amos 6:10 Lit say
- Amos 6:10 Lit not to make mention of the name of
- Amos 6:12 Or the sea with oxen
- Amos 6:12 Or bitterness
- Amos 6:13 Lit a thing of nothing
- Amos 6:13 Lit Who
- Amos 6:13 Lit a pair of horns
- Amos 6:14 Or the entrance of Hamath
Amos 6
King James Version
6 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!
2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;
5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
8 The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
10 And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.
11 For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.
12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:
13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.
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.”
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