Beginning
1 The words of Amos be these, that was in the shepherds’ things of Tekoa, which he saw on Israel, in the days of Uzziah, that is, Azariah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, king of Israel, before two years of the earth-moving. (These be the words of Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, what he said about Israel, in the days of Uzziah, the king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash[a], the king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.)
2 And he said, The Lord shall roar from Zion, and shall give his voice from Jerusalem; and the fair things of shepherds mourned, and the top of Carmel was made dry (and the pastures of the shepherds were parched, and the top of Mount Carmel was made dry).
3 The Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Damascus, and on four, I shall not convert it, for it threshed Gilead in iron wains. (The Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Damascus, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they carved, or sliced, up the people of Gilead with iron wagons, or with iron sleds.)
4 And I shall send fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the houses of Benhadad.
5 And I shall all-break the bar(s), [or locks,] of Damascus, and I shall lose a dweller from the field of idol, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of lust and of lechery; and the people of Syria shall be translated to Kir, saith the Lord. (And I shall altogether break the locks of Damascus, and I shall destroy the inhabitants of the field of Aven, and him who holdeth the sceptre of the house of Eden; and the people of Syria, or of Aram, shall be carried away captive to Kir, saith the Lord.)
6 And the Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Gaza, and on four, I shall not convert it, for it translated perfect captivity, to close that together in Idumea. (And the Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Gaza, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they carried away their Israelite captives, and delivered up, or sold, them to Edom.)
7 And I shall send fire into the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses thereof. (And I shall send fire onto the city walls of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses there.)
8 And I shall lose the dwellers of Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre of Ashkelon; and I shall turn mine hand on Ekron, and the remnants of Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God. (And I shall destroy the inhabitants of Ashdod, and him who holdeth the sceptre of Ashkelon; and I shall turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnants of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord God.)
9 The Lord God saith these things, On three great trespasses of Tyre, and on four, I shall not convert it, for they closed together perfect captivity in Idumea, and had not mind on the bond of peace of brethren. (The Lord God saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Tyre, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they delivered up, or sold, their Israelite captives to Edom, and did not remember their covenant with their kinsmen.)
10 And I shall send fire into the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour the houses thereof. (And I shall send fire onto the city walls of Gaza, and it shall devour the houses there.)
11 The Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Edom, and on four, I shall not convert it, for it pursued by sword his brother, and defouled the mercy of him, and poured further his strong vengeance, and kept his indignation till into without end. (The Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Edom, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they pursued their own kinsmen with swords, and defiled their own mercy/and gave them no mercy, and poured out more of their strong vengeance, and kept their indignation kindled forevermore.)
12 And I shall send fire into Teman, and it shall devour the houses of Bozrah.
13 The Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of the sons of Ammon, and on four, I shall not convert him, for he carved the women with child of Gilead, for to alarge his term. (The Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Ammon, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they carved up the women with child in Gilead, in order to enlarge their boundaries.)
14 And I shall kindle fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the houses thereof, in yelling in the day of battle, and in whirlwind in the day of moving together. (And I shall send fire onto the city walls of Rabbah, and it shall devour its houses, and there shall be shouting on the day of battle, and in the great moving, or in the tumult, on the day of the whirlwind.)
15 And Malcham shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the Lord. (And their king shall go into captivity, he and his leaders together, saith the Lord.)
2 The Lord God saith these things, On three great trespasses of Moab, and on four, I shall not convert it, for it burnt the bones of the king of Idumea till to ashes. (The Lord God saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Moab, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they burned the bones of the king of Edom unto ashes.)
2 And I shall send fire into Moab, and it shall devour the houses of Kerioth; and Moab shall die in sound, in the noise of a trump (and Moab shall die amid the sound of trumpets).
3 And I shall lose a judge of the midst thereof, and I shall slay with it all the princes thereof, saith the Lord. (And I shall destroy their judge, or their ruler, in their midst, and I shall kill all their leaders along with him, saith the Lord.)
4 The Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Judah, and on four, I shall not convert him, for he hath cast away the law of the Lord, and kept not the commandments of him; for their idols, after which the fathers of them went, deceived them. (The Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Judah, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, for they have thrown away the Law of the Lord, and they did not obey his commandments; for they were deceived by the same idols, which their forefathers served.)
5 And I shall send fire into Judah, and it shall devour the houses of Jerusalem.
6 The Lord saith these things, On three great trespasses of Israel, and on four, I shall not convert him, for that that he sold a just man for silver, and a poor man for shoes. (The Lord saith these things, For the three great trespasses of Israel, and for the fourth, I shall not turn away their punishment, because they sold the righteous, or the innocent, into slavery for some silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes.)
7 Which all-foul the heads of poor men on the dust of [the] earth, and bow away the way of meek men; and the son and his father went to a damsel, that they should defoul mine holy name. (Who push down the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the meek out of their way; and the son and his father went after the same young woman, and in doing so, they defile my holy name.)
8 And they ate on clothes laid to wed beside each altar, and drank the wine of condemned men in the house of their God. (And they lie down beside each altar, on clothes taken as a pledge from the poor, and drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their gods.)
9 Forsooth I destroyed Amorite from the face of them, whose highness was the highness of cedars, and he was strong as an oak; and I all-brake the fruit of him above, and the roots of him beneath. (And I destroyed the Amorites before them, who were as tall as cedars, and were as strong as oaks; and I altogether broke their fruit above, and their roots below.)
10 I am, that made you to go up from the land of Egypt, and led you out in desert by forty years, that ye should wield the land of (the) Amorite. (I am he, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you through the wilderness for forty years, so that ye could possess the land of the Amorites.)
11 And I raised of your sons into prophets, and (into) Nazarites of your young men. Whether it is not so, ye sons of Israel? saith the Lord. (And I raised up prophets from among your sons, and Nazarites from out of your young men. Is that not so, ye Israelites? saith the Lord.)
12 And ye poured out wine to (the) Nazarites, and commanded to (the) prophets, and said, Prophesy ye not.
13 Lo! I shall creak under you, as a wain charged with hay creaketh. (Lo! I shall creak under you, like a wagon, loaded with hay, creaketh.)
14 And flight shall perish from a swift man, and a strong man shall not hold his strength, and a stalworthy man shall not save his life; (And the swift shall not be able to escape, and a strong man shall not be able to hold onto his own strength, and a stalwart man, or a warrior, shall not be able to save his own life;)
15 and he that holdeth a bow shall not stand, and a swift man shall not be saved by his feet; and the rider of an horse shall not save his life, (and he who holdeth a bow shall not stand, and the swift shall not be saved by their own feet; and the rider of an horse shall not be able to save his own life,)
16 and a strong man of heart shall flee naked among strong men in that day, saith the Lord. (and even the most strong-hearted of the strong shall flee away naked on that day, saith the Lord.)
3 Sons of Israel, hear ye the word which the Lord spake on you, and on all the kindred, which I led out of the land of Egypt, and said, (Israelites, hear ye the word which the Lord spoke about you, yea, about all the tribes, whom he led out of the land of Egypt, and he said,)
2 Only I knew you of all the kindreds of earth; therefore I shall visit on you all your wickednesses. (It was only you I knew, and cared for, out of all the families, or all the nations, of the earth; and so I shall punish you for all your wickednesses.)
3 Whether twain shall go together, no but it accord to them? (Shall two walk together, unless both of them agree?)
4 Whether a lion shall roar in a forest, no but he have prey? Whether the whelp of a lion shall give voice from his den, no but he take anything? (Shall a lion roar in a forest, unless he first have some prey? Shall a lion’s cub give voice from his cave, unless he first catch something?)
5 Whether a bird shall fall into a snare of (the) earth, without a fowler? Whether a snare shall be taken away from (the) earth, before that it take something? (Shall a bird fall into a snare on the ground, without a fowler having first set it there? Shall a snare spring from the ground, before that it catch something?)
6 Whether a trump shall sound in a city, and the people shall not dread? Whether evil shall be in a city, which evil the Lord shall not make? (Shall a trumpet sound in a city, and the people have no fear? Shall evil be in a city, which evil the Lord did not send?/which evil the Lord shall not come to fight against?)
7 For the Lord God shall not make a word, no but he show his private to his servants (the) prophets. (For the Lord God shall not do anything, unless first he tell his secret, or his private, plans to his servants, the prophets.)
8 A lion shall roar, who shall not dread? the Lord God spake, who shall not prophesy? (A lion shall roar, who shall not be afraid? the Lord God hath spoken, who shall not prophesy?)
9 Make ye heard in the houses of Ashdod, and in the houses of the land of Egypt; and say ye, Be ye gathered together on the hills of Samaria, and see ye many strong vengeances in the midst thereof, and them that suffer false challenge in the privy places thereof (and say ye, Be ye gathered together on the hills of Samaria, and see ye many strong vengeances in their midst, and those who suffer oppression there).
10 And they could not do rightful thing/And they knew not (to) do rightful thing, saith the Lord, and they treasured wickedness and raven in their houses. (And they did not know how to do what is right/And they do not know how to be honest, saith the Lord, and they treasured wickedness and spoils in their houses.)
11 Therefore the Lord God saith these things, The land shall be troubled, and be (en)compassed; and thy strength shall be drawn down of thee, and thine houses shall be ravished [and thine houses shall be robbed]. (And so the Lord God saith these things, The land shall be troubled, and surrounded; and thy strength shall be drawn out of thee/and thy fortress shall be pulled down, and thy houses shall be robbed.)
12 The Lord saith these things, As if a shepherd ravisheth from the mouth of a lion twain hips, either the last thing of the ear, so the children of Israel shall be ravished, that dwell in Samaria, in the country of (a) bed, and in the bed of Damascus. (The Lord saith these things, Like a shepherd taketh out of the mouth of a lion only two legs, or the last part of an ear, so only a few Israelites, who live in Samaria, shall be rescued, from the corner of a bed there, and from their beds in Damascus.)
13 Hear ye, and witness ye in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God of hosts.
14 For in the day, when I shall begin to visit the trespassings of Israel on him, I shall visit also on the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut away, and shall fall down into the earth. (For on the day, when I shall begin to punish Israel for their trespasses, I shall destroy the altars of Bethel; and the corners of the altars shall be cut off, and shall fall to the ground.)
15 And I shall smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and many houses shall be destroyed, saith the Lord. (And I shall strike both the winter house and the summer house, and the ivory houses, or the palaces, shall perish, yea, every great house shall be destroyed, saith the Lord.)
4 Ye fat kine, that be in the mount of Samaria, hear this word; which make false challenge to needy men, and break poor men; which say to your lords, Bring ye, and we shall drink. (Ye fat cows of Bashan, who live on the mount of Samaria, hear this word; ye who oppress the needy, and trample down the poor; who say to your lords, or to your masters, Bring ye us something to drink!)
2 The Lord God swore in his holy (place), for lo! days shall come on you; and they shall raise you in shafts, and your remnants in boiling pots. (The Lord God swore by his holiness, for lo! days shall come upon you; and then they shall raise you up with shafts, and shall put your remnants into boiling pots.)
3 And ye shall go out by the openings, one against another, and ye shall be cast forth into Harmon, saith the Lord. (And ye shall go out by the openings in the walls, one after the other, and ye shall be thrown forth onto the dunghill, saith the Lord.)
4 Come ye to Bethel, and do ye wickedly; to Gilgal, and multiply your trespassing; and offer ye early your sacrifices, in three days your tithes (and offer ye your sacrifices early in the morning, and your tithes every three days).
5 And sacrifice ye praising of bread made sour, and call ye (out about your) willful offerings, and tell ye; for ye, sons of Israel, would so, saith the Lord God. (And offer ye the unleavened bread of thanksgiving, and shout ye out about your freewill offerings, and tell ye everyone; for ye, Israelites, delighteth to do so, saith the Lord God.)
6 Wherefore and I gave to you astonishing of teeth in all your cities, and neediness of loaves in all your places [Wherefore and I gave to you edging of teeth in all your cities, and need of loaves in all your places]; and ye turned not again to me, saith the Lord. (And so I set your teeth on edge in all your cities, and made you to need food in all your places; and yet ye turned not again to me/and still ye did not return to me, saith the Lord.)
7 Also I forbad rain from you, when three months were yet to coming, till to ripe corn; and I rained on one city, and on another city I rained not; one part was berained, and the part dried up on (that) which I rained not. (And I forbade any rain to come to you, when there were yet three months left until the harvest; and I rained on one city, and on another city I did not rain; yea, one part was berained, and the part on which I did not rain, dried up.)
8 And twain and three cities came to one city, to drink water, and those were not [ful]filled; and ye came not again to me, saith the Lord. (And the people of two or three cities came to one city, to drink water, and still they were not fulfilled, or satisfied; and still ye did not come back to me, saith the Lord.)
9 I smote you with burning wind, and with rust, either mildew, the multitude of your orchards, and of your vineries; and a wortworm ate your olive places, and your fig places; and ye came not again to me, saith the Lord. (I struck you with burning wind, and with rust, or mildew, yea, the multitude of your orchards, and your vineyards; and the wortworms ate your olive places, and your fig places; and still ye did not come back to me, saith the Lord.)
10 I sent into you death (as) in the way of Egypt, I smote with sword your young men, till to the captivity of your horses, and I made the stink of your hosts to go up into your nostrils; and ye came not again to me, saith the Lord. (I sent death into you, like I did into Egypt, and I struck down your young men with the sword, and I took away your horses, and I made the stink of the corpses, or of the carrion, in your tents, or in your camps, to go up into your nostrils; and still ye did not come back to me, saith the Lord.)
11 I destroyed you, as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye be made as a brand ravished (out) of (the) burning; and ye turned not again to me, saith the Lord. (I destroyed you, like God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were made like a brand, or a stick, snatched from the fire; and still ye did not return to me, saith the Lord.)
12 Wherefore, thou Israel, I shall do these things to thee; but after that I shall do to thee these things, Israel, be made ready into against-coming of thy God. (And so, O Israel, I shall do these things to thee; and after I shall do these things to thee, Israel, prepare to meet thy God/prepare to face my judgement.)
13 For lo! he formeth hills, and maketh wind, and telleth to man his speech; and he maketh a morrow mist, and goeth on high things of earth; the Lord God of hosts is the name of him. (For lo! he formeth the hills, and maketh the wind, and telleth his thoughts and his words to the people; and he maketh a mist in the morning, and goeth on all the high places of the earth; yea, the Lord God of hosts is his name.)
5 Hear ye this word, for I raise on you a wailing. [Hear ye, house of Israel, this word, that I raise on you a wailing.]
2 The house of Israel fell down, he shall not put to, that it rise again; the virgin of Israel is cast down into her land, none is that shall raise her (up). [The maiden of Israel fell down, she shall not put to, that she rise again; she is cast down into her earth (she is cast down onto the ground), there is not that shall raise her (up again).]
3 For the Lord God saith these things, The city of which a thousand went out, an hundred shall be left therein; and of which an hundred went out, ten shall be left therein, in the house of Israel.
4 For the Lord saith these things to the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;
5 and do not ye seek (out) Bethel, and do not ye enter into Gilgal, and ye shall not pass to Beersheba; for why Gilgal shall be led (away) captive, and Bethel shall be unprofitable. (and do not ye go to Bethel, and do not ye enter into Gilgal, and ye shall not go on to Beersheba; because Gilgal shall be led away captive, and Bethel shall come to nothing.)
6 Seek ye the Lord, and live ye, lest peradventure the house of Joseph be burnt as fire; and it shall devour Bethel, and there shall none be, that shall quench. (Seek ye the Lord, and live ye, lest perhaps the house of Joseph shall burn like fire; and it shall devour Bethel, and there shall be no one, who shall quench it.)
7 Which convert doom into wormwood, and forsake rightwiseness in the land, (Ye who change justice, or judgement, into wormwood, and desert righteousness in all the land,)
8 and forsake him that maketh Arcturus and Orion, and him that turneth (the) darknesses into the morrowtide, and him that changeth day into night; which calleth waters of the sea, and poureth out them on the face of [the] earth; the Lord is name of him. (and desert him who maketh Arcturus, or the Pleiades, and Orion, and him who turneth the darkness into the morning, and him who changeth the day into the night; he who calleth to the waters of the sea, and poureth them out onto the face of the earth; the Lord is his name.)
9 Which scorneth destroying on the strong, and bringeth robbing on the mighty. (Who bringeth destruction and destitution, to the strong and the mighty.)
10 They hated a man reproving in the gate, and they loathed a man speaking perfectly. (They hated the man who rebuked them in the court, and they loathed the man who spoke truthfully.)
11 Therefore for that that ye robbed a poor man, and took from him the chosen prey, ye shall build houses with square stone, and ye shall not dwell in them; ye shall plant most loved vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them. (And so for ye robbed the poor, and took away the chosen prey from them, ye shall build houses with square stones, but ye shall not live in them; ye shall plant the most beautiful vineyards, but ye shall not drink their wine.)
12 For I knew your great trespasses many, and your strong sins; enemies of the rightwise man, taking a gift, and bearing down poor men in the gate. (For I know of your great many trespasses, and of your strong, or your mighty, sins; ye, the enemies of the righteous, taking bribes, and oppressing the poor in the courts.)
13 Therefore a prudent man shall be still in that time, for the time is evil. (And so the prudent shall be silent at that time, for the time is evil.)
14 Seek ye good, and not evil, (so) that ye live, and the Lord God of hosts shall be with you, as ye said (that he is).
15 Hate ye evil, and love ye good, and ordain ye in the gate doom (and ordain ye justice in the court); if peradventure the Lord God of hosts have mercy on the remnants of Joseph.
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, having lordship (And so the Lord God of hosts, who ruleth, or who is sovereign), saith these things, Wailing shall be in all streets, and in all things that be withoutforth it shall be said, Woe! Woe! and they shall call an earth-tiller to mourning, and them that know how to wail, to wailing.
17 And wailing shall be in all ways, for I shall pass forth in the middle of thee, saith the Lord. (And there shall be wailing on all the ways, for I shall pass through in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.)
18 Woe to them that desire the day of the Lord; whether to desire ye it to you? This day of the Lord shall be darknesses, and not light. (Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord; do ye desire it for yourselves?/do ye desire that it come to you? This day of the Lord shall be darkness, and not light.)
19 As if a man run from the face of a lion, and a bear run to him; and he enter into the house, and lean with his hand on the wall, and a serpent dwelling in (the) shadow bite him.
20 Whether the day of the Lord shall not be darknesses, and not light; and mist, and not shining therein? (Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light; and cloud, or fog, and not sunshine, or brightness.)
21 I hated and casted away your feast days, and I shall not take the odour of your companies. (I hated and threw away your feast days, and I shall not receive the aroma from your offerings.)
22 That if ye offer to me your burnt sacrifices, and gifts, I shall not receive, and I shall not behold the avows of your fat things. (And if ye offer me your burnt sacrifices, and gifts, I shall not receive them, and I shall not look upon the fat beasts of your vows, or of your offerings.)
23 Do thou away from me the noise of thy songs, and I shall not hear the songs of thine harp.
24 And doom shall be showed as water, and rightwiseness as a strong stream. (Let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like a strong stream.)
25 Whether ye offered to me hosts, and sacrifices in desert forty years, ye house of Israel? (Did ye offer me gifts, and sacrifices, for forty years in the wilderness, ye house of Israel?)
26 And ye have borne tabernacles to Moloch, your god, and (the) image of your idols, the star of your god, which ye made to you. (No! but now ye carry about the tent, or the shrine, of your god Moloch, and your images of Chiun, the star of your god/your star god, which ye made for yourselves.)
27 And I shall make you for to pass over Damascus, said the Lord; God of hosts is the name of him. (And so I shall make you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord; the God of hosts is his name.)
2001 by Terence P. Noble