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Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

(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.
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?
Do you (F)put off the day of calamity,
And would you (G)cause the seat of violence to approach?

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,
Who improvise to the [b]sound of the harp,
And like David have [c]composed (J)songs for themselves,
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.
Therefore, they will now (M)go into exile among the first of the exiles,
And the (N)sprawlers’ [e]banqueting will turn aside.

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 6:2 Or you
  2. Amos 6:5 Lit mouth
  3. Amos 6:5 Or invented musical instruments
  4. Amos 6:6 Lit sprinkling basins
  5. Amos 6:7 Or cultic feasts

Woe to the Complacent

Alas for those being at ease in Zion, and those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the best of the nations! The house of Israel resorts to them. Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory? You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence! Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall. Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music. Alas for those who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they shall now go into exile at the head of the exiles and the feast of lounging shall pass away.

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