Amos 2:4-16
Lexham English Bible
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[a] because they have rejected the law of Yahweh and have not kept his rules, and their lies have led them astray, after which their ancestors walked![b] 5 So I will send a fire against Judah and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Jerusalem.
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says Yahweh: “For three transgressions of Israel and for four I will not revoke the punishment,[c] because they sell the righteous for money and the poor for a pair of sandals! 7 Those who trample the heads of the powerless into the dust of the ground and turn aside the way of the destitute, a man and his father have sexual relations with[d] the same girl, so that they profane my holy name. 8 They stretch themselves out beside every altar on clothing taken in pledge and they drink wine, bought with fines imposed,[e] in the house of their God. 9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,[f] who was as tall as[g] cedars and was as strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath. 10 And I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and I led you in the wilderness forty years to take possession of the land of the Amorite. 11 And I raised up some of your sons to be prophets and some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is it not so, O people[h] of Israel? This is the declaration of Yahweh! 12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’ 13 Look! I am going to press you down in your place just as a utility cart full of mature stalks of grain is pressed down. 14 Flight will perish from the swift and the strong person will not muster his strength and the warrior will not save his life. 15 And the one who takes hold of the bow will not stand and the one who is swift on his feet will not save himself, nor will the one who rides the horse save his life. 16 Even those who are strong of heart among the mighty will flee away naked from the city on that day. This is the declaration of Yahweh!”
Read full chapter
Amos 2:4-16
New Living Translation
God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel
4 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Judah have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They have rejected the instruction of the Lord,
refusing to obey his decrees.
They have been led astray by the same lies
that deceived their ancestors.
5 So I will send down fire on Judah,
and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.”
6 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Israel have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sell honorable people for silver
and poor people for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample helpless people in the dust
and shove the oppressed out of the way.
Both father and son sleep with the same woman,
corrupting my holy name.
8 At their religious festivals,
they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security.
In the house of their gods,[a]
they drink wine bought with unjust fines.
9 “But as my people watched,
I destroyed the Amorites,
though they were as tall as cedars
and as strong as oaks.
I destroyed the fruit on their branches
and dug out their roots.
10 It was I who rescued you from Egypt
and led you through the desert for forty years,
so you could possess the land of the Amorites.
11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets
and others to be Nazirites.
Can you deny this, my people of Israel?”
asks the Lord.
12 “But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine,
and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
13 “So I will make you groan
like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain.
14 Your fastest runners will not get away.
The strongest among you will become weak.
Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.
15 The archers will not stand their ground.
The swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to escape.
Even those riding horses won’t be able to save themselves.
16 On that day the most courageous of your fighting men
will drop their weapons and run for their lives,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- 2:8 Or their God.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
