Bible in 90 Days
7 So I will be (A)like a lion to them;
Like a (B)leopard I will [a]lie in wait by the wayside.
8 I will encounter them (C)like a bear robbed of her cubs,
And I will tear open [b]the chest enclosing their heart;
There I will also (D)devour them like a lioness,
As a beast of the field would rip them open.
9 It is your ruin, O Israel,
[c]That you are (E)against Me, against your (F)help.
10 Where now is your (G)king,
That he may save you in all your cities,
And your (H)judges of whom you said,
“Give me a king and princes”?
11 I (I)gave you a king in My anger
And (J)took him away in My wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
His sin is (K)stored up.
13 The pains of (L)childbirth come upon him;
He is (M)not a wise son,
For [d]it is not the time that he should (N)delay at the opening of the womb.
14 Shall I (O)ransom them from the [e]power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
(P)O Death, where are your thorns?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
(Q)Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he (R)is fruitful among the [f]reeds,
An (S)east wind will come,
The wind of Yahweh coming up from the wilderness;
And his fountain will (T)become dry,
And his spring will be dried up;
It will (U)plunder his treasury of every desirable article.
16 [g]Samaria will be held (V)guilty,
For she has (W)rebelled against her God.
(X)They will fall by the (Y)sword;
Their infants will be (Z)dashed in pieces,
And their pregnant (AA)women will be ripped open.
Yahweh’s Anger Turns Away from Israel
14 [h](AB)Return, O Israel, to Yahweh your God,
For you have stumbled in your (AC)iniquity.
2 Take words with you and return to Yahweh.
Say to Him, “(AD)Forgive all iniquity
And [i]take what is good,
That we may (AE)pay in full [j]the fruit of our lips.
3 Assyria will not save us;
We will (AF)not ride on horses,
Nor will we say again, ‘(AG)Our god,’
To the (AH)work of our hands;
For in (AI)You the [k]orphan finds compassion.”
4 I will (AJ)heal their turning away from Me;
I will (AK)love them freely,
For My anger has (AL)turned away from them.
5 I will be like the (AM)dew to Israel;
He will flourish like the (AN)lily,
And he will [l]take root like the cedars of (AO)Lebanon.
6 His shoots will go forth,
And his splendor will be like the (AP)olive tree
And his fragrance like the cedars of (AQ)Lebanon.
7 Those who (AR)live in his shadow
Will [m]again raise (AS)grain,
And they will flourish like the vine.
His name of remembrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.
8 O Ephraim, what more have I to do with (AT)idols?
It is I who answer and look after [n]you.
I am like a luxuriant (AU)cypress;
From (AV)Me [o]comes your fruit.
9 (AW)Whoever is wise, so let him discern these things;
Whoever is discerning, let him know them.
For the (AX)ways of Yahweh are right,
And the (AY)righteous will walk in them,
But (AZ)transgressors will stumble in them.
The Locusts Bring Desolation
1 The (BA)word of [p]Yahweh that came to (BB)Joel, the son of Pethuel:
2 (BC)Hear this, O (BD)elders,
And give ear, all inhabitants of the land.
(BE)Has anything like this happened in your days
Or in your fathers’ days?
3 (BF)Recount about it to your sons,
And let your sons recount about it to their sons,
And their sons to the next generation.
4 What the (BG)gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has consumed;
And what the (BH)swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has consumed;
And what the creeping locust has left, the (BI)stripping locust has consumed.
5 Awake, (BJ)drunkards, and weep;
And wail, all you wine drinkers,
On account of the sweet wine
That is (BK)cut off from your mouth.
6 For a (BL)nation has come up against my land,
Mighty and without number;
(BM)Its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
And it has the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has (BN)made my vine a desolation
And my fig tree [q]splinters.
It has stripped them bare and cast them away;
Their branches have become white.
8 (BO)Wail like a virgin (BP)girded with sackcloth
For the bridegroom of her youth.
9 The (BQ)grain offering and the drink offering are cut off
From the house of Yahweh.
The (BR)priests mourn,
The ministers of Yahweh.
10 The field is (BS)destroyed;
(BT)The land mourns,
For the grain is destroyed,
The new wine dries up,
Fresh oil [r]fails.
11 [s](BU)Be ashamed, O farmers,
Wail, O vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley,
Because the (BV)harvest of the field perishes.
12 The (BW)vine dries up,
And the fig tree [t]fails;
The (BX)pomegranate, the (BY)palm also, and the [u](BZ)apple tree,
All the trees of the field dry up.
Indeed, (CA)rejoicing dries up
From the sons of men.
The Day of Yahweh Is Near
13 (CB)Gird yourselves with sackcloth
And lament, O priests;
(CC)Wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, (CD)spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God;
For the grain offering and the drink offering
Are withheld from the house of your God.
14 (CE)Set apart a fast as holy,
Call for a (CF)solemn assembly;
Gather the elders
And all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of Yahweh your God,
And (CG)cry out to Yahweh.
15 (CH)Alas for the day!
For the (CI)day of Yahweh is near,
And it will come as (CJ)destruction from the [v]Almighty.
16 Has not (CK)food been cut off before our eyes,
Gladness and (CL)joy from the house of our God?
17 The [w](CM)seeds shrivel under their [x]clods;
The storehouses are desolate;
The barns are pulled down,
For the grain is dried up.
18 How (CN)the beasts groan!
The herds of cattle wander aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them;
Even the flocks of sheep [y]suffer.
19 (CO)To You, O Yahweh, I cry;
For (CP)fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness,
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
20 Even the beasts of the field [z](CQ)pant for You;
For the (CR)water brooks are dried up,
And fire has consumed the pastures of the wilderness.
2 (CS)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
And make a loud shout on My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
For the (CT)day of Yahweh is coming;
Surely it is near,
2 A day of (CU)darkness and thick darkness,
A day of clouds and dense gloom.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a (CV)numerous and mighty people;
There has (CW)never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
For the years from generation to generation.
3 A (CX)fire consumes before them,
And behind them a flame burns.
The land is (CY)like the garden of Eden before them
But a (CZ)desolate wilderness behind them,
And nothing at all escapes them.
4 Their (DA)appearance is like the appearance of horses;
And like war horses, so they run.
5 [aa]With a (DB)noise as of chariots
They leap on the tops of the mountains,
Like the [ab]crackling of a (DC)flame of fire consumes the stubble,
Like a mighty people arranged for battle.
6 Before them the peoples are (DD)writhing;
All (DE)faces [ac]turn pale.
7 They run like mighty men;
They climb up the wall like men of war;
And they each (DF)march [ad]in line,
And they do not deviate from their paths.
8 They do not crowd each other;
They march everyone in his path;
When they fall against the defending weapons,
They do not break ranks.
9 They rush on the city;
They run on the wall;
They climb up into the (DG)houses;
They (DH)enter through the windows like a thief.
10 Before them the earth (DI)trembles;
The heavens quake;
The (DJ)sun and the moon grow dark,
And the stars [ae]lose their brightness.
11 But Yahweh (DK)gives forth His voice before (DL)His military force;
Surely His camp is very numerous,
For (DM)mighty is he who does His word.
The (DN)day of Yahweh is indeed great and very awesome,
And (DO)who can endure it?
Return to Yahweh
12 “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh,
“(DP)Return to Me with all your heart
And with (DQ)fasting, weeping, and [af]wailing;
13 And (DR)tear your heart and not (DS)your garments.”
Now return to Yahweh your God,
For He is (DT)gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness,
And (DU)relenting concerning evil.
14 Who knows (DV)whether He will not turn and relent
And leave a (DW)blessing behind Him,
Even (DX)a grain offering and a drink offering
For Yahweh your God?
15 (DY)Blow a trumpet in Zion,
(DZ)Set apart a fast as holy, call for a solemn assembly,
16 Gather the people, (EA)set apart the congregation as holy,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the infants and the nursing babies.
Let the (EB)bridegroom come out of his room
And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
17 Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh,
Weep (EC)between the porch and the altar,
And let them say, “(ED)Pity Your people, O Yahweh,
And do not make Your inheritance a (EE)reproach,
A byword among the nations.
Why should they among the peoples say,
‘(EF)Where is their God?’”
Yahweh Will Spare His People
18 Then Yahweh [ag]will be (EG)zealous for His land
And [ah]will (EH)spare His people.
19 Then Yahweh [ai]will answer and say to His people,
“Behold, I am going to (EI)send you grain, new wine, and oil,
And you will be satisfied in full with [aj]them;
And I will (EJ)never again make you a reproach among the nations.
20 But I will remove the (EK)northern military force far from you,
And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land,
And its vanguard into the (EL)eastern sea,
And its rear guard into the (EM)western sea.
And its (EN)stench will rise up, and its foul smell will rise up,
For it has done great things.”
21 (EO)Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,
For Yahweh has done (EP)great things.
22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,
For the (EQ)pastures of the wilderness have turned green,
For the tree has borne its fruit;
The fig tree and the vine have yielded [ak]their full force.
23 So rejoice, O (ER)sons of Zion,
And (ES)be glad in Yahweh your God,
For He has (ET)given you [al]the early rain in righteousness.
And He has poured down for you the rain,
The [am]early and [an](EU)late rains [ao]as before.
24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,
And the vats will (EV)overflow with the new wine and oil.
25 “Then I will pay back to you in full for the years
That the swarming (EW)locust has consumed,
The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust,
My great military force which I sent among you.
26 And you will have plenty to (EX)consume and be satisfied
And (EY)praise the name of Yahweh your God,
Who has (EZ)dealt wondrously with you;
Then My people will (FA)never be put to shame.
27 Thus you will (FB)know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am Yahweh your God,
And there is (FC)no other;
And My people will never be (FD)put to shame.
Yahweh Will Pour Out His Spirit
28 “[ap](FE)And it will be afterwards
That I will (FF)pour out My Spirit on all [aq](FG)mankind;
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy;
Your old men will dream dreams;
Your young men will see visions.
29 Even on the (FH)male slaves and female slaves
I will in those days pour out My Spirit.
Deliverance in the Day of Yahweh
30 And I will (FI)put wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
31 The (FJ)sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood
Before the (FK)great and awesome day of Yahweh comes.
32 And it will be that (FL)everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh
Will [ar]be delivered;
For (FM)on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who (FN)escape,
As Yahweh has said,
Even among the (FO)survivors whom Yahweh calls.
Yahweh Will Judge the Nations
3 “[as]For behold, (FP)in those days and at that time,
When I (FQ)restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will (FR)gather all the nations
And bring them down to the (FS)valley of [at]Jehoshaphat.
Then I will (FT)enter into judgment with them there
On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel,
Whom they have (FU)scattered among the nations;
And they have (FV)divided up My land.
3 They have also (FW)cast lots for My people,
[au](FX)Traded a boy for a harlot,
And sold a girl for wine that they may drink.
4 Moreover, what are you to Me, O (FY)Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of (FZ)Philistia? Are you rendering Me a recompense? But if you do recompense Me, swiftly and speedily I will (GA)return your recompense on your head. 5 Since you have (GB)taken My silver and My gold, brought My desirable [av]treasures to your temples, 6 and sold the (GC)sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the [aw]Greeks in order to remove them far from their borders, 7 behold, I am going to (GD)rouse them from the place where you have sold them and return your recompense on your head. 8 Also I will (GE)sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the (GF)Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for Yahweh has spoken.
9 (GG)Call out this message among the nations:
(GH)Set yourselves apart for a war; (GI)rouse the mighty men!
Let all the men of war approach, let them come up!
10 (GJ)Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
(GK)Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”
11 [ax](GL)Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations,
And gather yourselves.
There, bring down, O Yahweh, Your (GM)mighty ones.
12 Let the nations be roused up
And come up to the (GN)valley of [ay]Jehoshaphat,
For there I will sit to (GO)judge
All the surrounding nations.
13 (GP)Send in the sickle, for the (GQ)harvest is ripe.
Come, [az](GR)tread, for the (GS)wine press is full;
The vats overflow, for their (GT)evil is great.
14 (GU)Multitudes, multitudes in the (GV)valley of [ba]decision!
For the (GW)day of Yahweh is near in the valley of [bb]decision.
15 The (GX)sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars lose their brightness.
16 And Yahweh (GY)roars from Zion
And (GZ)gives forth His voice from Jerusalem,
And the (HA)heavens and the earth quake.
But Yahweh is a (HB)refuge for His people
And a (HC)strong defense to the sons of Israel.
17 Then you will (HD)know that I am Yahweh your God,
Dwelling in Zion, My (HE)holy mountain.
So Jerusalem will be (HF)holy,
And (HG)strangers will pass through it no more.
Yahweh Dwells in Zion
18 And it will be in that day,
That the (HH)mountains will drip with [bc]sweet wine,
And the hills will (HI)flow with milk,
And all the (HJ)brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a (HK)spring will go out from the house of Yahweh
To water the valley of [bd]Shittim.
19 Egypt will become a desolation,
And Edom will become a desolate wilderness,
Because of the (HL)violence [be]done to the sons of Judah,
In whose land they have shed innocent blood.
20 But Judah will be (HM)inhabited forever
And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 And I will (HN)avenge their blood which I have not avenged,
Indeed, Yahweh dwells in Zion.
Amos’ Vision of Yahweh’s Fire
1 The words of Amos, who was among the (HO)sheepherders from (HP)Tekoa, which he beheld in visions concerning Israel in the days of (HQ)Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of (HR)Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the (HS)earthquake. 2 And he said,
“[bf](HT)Yahweh roars from Zion
And from Jerusalem He gives forth His voice;
And the shepherds’ (HU)pasture grounds mourn,
And the [bg](HV)top of Carmel dries up.”
3 Thus says Yahweh,
“For (HW)three transgressions of (HX)Damascus and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron.
4 So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael,
And it will consume the citadels of (HY)Ben-hadad.
5 I will also (HZ)break the gate bar of Damascus
And cut off the inhabitant from the [bh]valley of Aven
And him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden;
So the people of Aram will go into exile to (IA)Kir,”
Says Yahweh.
6 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (IB)Gaza and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they took away into exile the whole community of exiles
To (IC)deliver it up to Edom.
7 So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza,
And it will consume her citadels.
8 I will also cut off the inhabitant from (ID)Ashdod
And him who holds the scepter from (IE)Ashkelon;
I will even turn My hand against Ekron,
And the remnant of the (IF)Philistines will perish,”
Says Lord Yahweh.
9 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (IG)Tyre and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they delivered up the whole community of exiles to Edom
And did not remember the covenant of [bi](IH)brotherhood.
10 So I will (II)send fire upon the wall of Tyre,
And it will consume her citadels.”
11 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (IJ)Edom and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because he (IK)pursued his brother with the sword
While he corrupted his compassion;
And his anger also (IL)tore continually,
And he kept his wrath forever.
12 So I will send fire upon (IM)Teman,
And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
13 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of the sons of (IN)Ammon and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they (IO)ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
In order to (IP)enlarge their borders.
14 So I will kindle a fire on the wall of (IQ)Rabbah,
And it will consume her citadels
Amid a (IR)loud shout on the day of battle
And a (IS)storm on the day of tempest.
15 And their (IT)king will go into exile,
He and his princes together,”
Says Yahweh.
2 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (IU)Moab and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because he (IV)burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 So I will send fire upon Moab,
And it will consume the citadels of (IW)Kerioth;
And Moab will die amid great (IX)rumbling,
Amid a loud shout and the sound of a trumpet.
3 I will also cut off the [bj](IY)judge from her midst
And kill all her (IZ)princes with him,” says Yahweh.
Punishment of Judah and Israel
4 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (JA)Judah and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they (JB)rejected the law of Yahweh
And have not kept His statutes;
Their [bk](JC)falsehood also has led them astray,
That which their (JD)fathers walked after.
5 So I will (JE)send fire upon Judah,
And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
6 Thus says Yahweh,
“For three transgressions of (JF)Israel and for four
I will not turn back its punishment
Because they (JG)sell the righteous for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 These who [bl]pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the (JH)poor
Also (JI)turn aside the way of the humble;
And a (JJ)man and his father go to the same [bm]young woman
In order to profane My holy name.
8 On garments (JK)taken as pledges they stretch out beside (JL)every altar,
And in the house of their God they (JM)drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the (JN)Amorite before them,
[bn]Though his (JO)height was like the height of cedars,
And he was strong as the oaks;
I even destroyed his (JP)fruit above and his root below.
10 And it was I who (JQ)brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And I led you in the wilderness (JR)forty years
[bo]That you might take possession of the land of the (JS)Amorite.
11 Then I (JT)raised up some of your sons to be prophets
And some of your choice men to be (JU)Nazirites.
Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares Yahweh.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You (JV)shall not prophesy!’
13 Behold, I am [bp](JW)weighted down beneath you
As a wagon [bq]is weighted down when filled with sheaves.
14 (JX)So [br]flight will perish from the swift,
And the strong will not instill his power with courage,
Nor will the (JY)mighty man make his [bs]life escape.
15 He who (JZ)grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will he who rides the (KA)horse make his [bt]life escape.
16 Even the [bu]most courageous of heart among the mighty men will (KB)flee naked in that day,” declares Yahweh.
Yahweh Speaks Against Israel
3 Hear this word which Yahweh has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire [bv](KC)family which [bw]He brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 “(KD)You only have I known among all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will [bx](KE)punish you for all your iniquities.”
3 Do two men walk together unless they have made an [by]appointment?
4 Does a (KF)lion roar in the forest when it has no prey?
Does a young lion give forth its voice from its den unless it has captured something?
5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no [bz]bait in it?
Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
6 If a (KG)trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?
If a (KH)calamity happens in a city has not Yahweh done it?
7 [ca]Surely Lord Yahweh does nothing
Unless He (KI)reveals His secret counsel
To His slaves the prophets.
8 A (KJ)lion has roared! Who will not fear?
(KK)Lord Yahweh has spoken! (KL)Who can but prophesy?
9 Make it heard on the citadels in (KM)Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Gather yourselves on the (KN)mountains of Samaria and see the great confusions within her and the (KO)oppressions in her midst. 10 But they (KP)do not know how to do what is right,” declares Yahweh, “these who (KQ)hoard up [cb]violence and devastation in their citadels.”
11 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh,
“An (KR)adversary, even one surrounding the land,
Will pull down your [cc]strength from you,
And your (KS)citadels will be plundered.”
12 Thus says Yahweh,
“Just as the shepherd (KT)delivers from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel inhabiting Samaria be delivered—
With the (KU)corner of a bed and the [cd](KV)cover of a couch!
13 Hear and (KW)testify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,
I will also punish the altars of (KX)Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut in pieces,
And they will fall to the ground.
15 I will also strike the [ce](KY)winter house together with the (KZ)summer house;
The houses of [cf](LA)ivory will also perish,
And the (LB)great houses will come to an end,”
Declares Yahweh.
Yet You Have Not Returned to Me
4 Hear this word, you cows of (LC)Bashan who are on the (LD)mountain of Samaria,
Who (LE)oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
Who say to their [cg]husbands, “Bring now, that we may (LF)drink!”
2 Lord Yahweh has (LG)sworn by His (LH)holiness that,
“Behold, the days are coming upon you,
And [ch]they will take you away with (LI)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (LJ)fish hooks.
3 And you will (LK)go out through breaches in the walls,
Each one straight before her,
And you [ci]will be cast to Harmon,” declares Yahweh.
4 “Enter Bethel and transgress;
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
(LL)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 [cj]And offer a (LM)thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And call for (LN)freewill offerings; cause them to be heard about.
For so you (LO)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares Lord Yahweh.
6 “But I gave you also (LP)cleanness of teeth in all your cities
And lack of bread in all your places,
Yet you have (LQ)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
7 “And I also (LR)withheld the rain from you
While there were still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city,
And on (LS)another city I would not send rain;
One portion would be rained on,
While the portion not rained on would dry up.
8 So two or three cities would wander around to another city to drink (LT)water,
But would (LU)not be satisfied;
Yet you have (LV)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
9 “I (LW)struck you with scorching wind and mildew;
And the (LX)gnawing locust was devouring
Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees;
Yet you have (LY)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
10 “I sent a (LZ)pestilence among you after the manner of Egypt;
I (MA)killed your choice men by the sword along with your (MB)captured horses,
And I made the (MC)stench of your camp rise up even in your nostrils;
Yet you have (MD)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
11 “I overthrew you as (ME)God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a (MF)firebrand [ck]delivered from a blaze;
Yet you have (MG)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to (MH)meet your God, O Israel.”
13 For behold, He who (MI)forms mountains and (MJ)creates the wind
And (MK)declares to man what are His thoughts,
He who (ML)makes dawn into gloom
And (MM)treads on the high places of the earth,
(MN)Yahweh God of hosts is His name.
Seek Me That You May Live
5 Hear this word which I take up for you as a funeral (MO)lament, O house of Israel:
2 She has fallen; she will (MP)not rise again—
The (MQ)virgin Israel.
She lies abandoned on her land;
There is (MR)none to raise her up.
3 For thus says Lord Yahweh,
“The city which goes forth one thousand strong
Will have one (MS)hundred left,
And the one which goes forth one hundred strong
Will have (MT)ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel,
“(MU)Seek Me (MV)that you may live.
5 But do not seek (MW)Bethel,
And do not come to (MX)Gilgal,
Nor cross over to (MY)Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into [cl]exile,
And Bethel will become [cm]evil.
6 (MZ)Seek Yahweh that you may live,
Lest He come mightily like a (NA)fire, [cn]O house of Joseph,
And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel,
7 For those who overturn (NB)justice into wormwood
And put righteousness down to the earth.”
8 He who made the (NC)Pleiades and Orion
And (ND)overturns the shadow of death into morning,
[co]Who also (NE)darkens day into night,
Who (NF)calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
(NG)Yahweh is His name.
9 It is He who (NH)flashes forth with devastation upon the strong
So that (NI)devastation comes upon the fortification.
10 They hate him who (NJ)reproves in the [cp]gate,
And they (NK)abhor him who speaks with integrity.
11 Therefore because you [cq]impose heavy rent on the poor
And take a tribute of grain from them,
Though you have built (NL)houses of cut stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted desirable vineyards, yet you will (NM)not drink their wine.
12 For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are mighty,
You who (NN)distress the righteous and take bribes
And [cr]turn aside the needy in the [cs]gate.
13 Therefore at [ct]such a time the one with insight (NO)keeps silent, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good and not evil, in order that you may live;
And thus may Yahweh God of hosts be with you,
(NP)Just as you have said!
15 (NQ)Hate evil, love good,
And set justice at the [cu]gate!
Perhaps Yahweh God of hosts
(NR)May be gracious to the (NS)remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus says Yahweh God of hosts, the Lord,
“There is (NT)wailing in all the plazas,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
They also call the (NU)farmer to mourning
And [cv](NV)professional weepers to wailing.
17 And in all the (NW)vineyards there is wailing
Because I will pass through the midst of you,” says Yahweh.
18 Woe, you who are longing for the (NX)day of Yahweh,
For what purpose will the day of Yahweh be to you?
It will be (NY)darkness and not light;
19 As when a man (NZ)flees from a lion
And a bear meets him;
[cw]Or he goes home, leans his hand against the wall,
And a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of Yahweh be (OA)darkness instead of light,
Even thick darkness with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I (OB)reject your feasts,
Nor do I [cx](OC)delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you (OD)offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the (OE)peace offerings of your fatlings.
23 Remove from Me the tumult of your songs;
I will not even listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let (OF)justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “[cy](OG)Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? 26 (OH)You also carried along [cz]Sikkuth your king and [da]Kiyyun, your images, [db]the star of your gods which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of hosts.
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion
6 (OI)Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,
The (OJ)distinguished men of the first of the nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
2 Pass on over to (OK)Calneh and look,
And go from there to (OL)Hamath the great,
Then go down to (OM)Gath of the Philistines.
Are [dc]they better than these kingdoms,
Or are their borders greater than your borders?
3 Do you (ON)put off the day of calamity,
And would you (OO)cause the seat of violence to approach?
4 Those who lay down on beds of ivory
And sprawl on their (OP)couches
And (OQ)eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall,
5 Who improvise to the [dd]sound of the harp,
And like David have [de]composed (OR)songs for themselves,
6 Who (OS)drink wine from [df]sacrificial bowls
While they anoint themselves with the first pick of the oils,
Yet they have not (OT)grieved over the destruction of Joseph.
7 Therefore, they will now (OU)go into exile among the first of the exiles,
And the (OV)sprawlers’ [dg]banqueting will turn aside.
8 Lord Yahweh has (OW)sworn by Himself, Yahweh God of hosts has declared:
“I (OX)abhor the lofty pride of Jacob
And hate his (OY)citadels;
Therefore I will (OZ)deliver up the city as well as its fullness.”
9 And it will be, if (PA)ten men are left in one house, they will die. 10 Then one’s [dh]uncle, or the one who [di](PB)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 [dj]answer, “(PC)Keep quiet. For [dk]the name of Yahweh is (PD)not to be mentioned.” 11 For behold, Yahweh is going to (PE)command and will strike the (PF)great house to pieces and the small house to fragments.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one plow [dl]them with oxen?
Yet you have overturned (PG)justice into gall
And the fruit of righteousness into [dm]wormwood,
13 You who are glad in [dn](PH)Lo-debar
[do]And say, “Have we not (PI)by our own strength taken [dp]Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, (PJ)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 [dq](PK)Lebo-hamath
To the (PL)brook of the Arabah.”
Yahweh Will Rise Up Against Israel
7 Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, He was forming a (PM)locust-swarm [dr]when the spring crop began to come up. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s [ds]mowing. 2 And it happened [dt]when it had (PN)completed eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“(PO)Lord Yahweh, please pardon!
[du]How can Jacob rise up,
For he is (PP)small?”
3 Yahweh [dv](PQ)relented concerning this.
“It shall not be,” said Yahweh.
4 Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, Lord Yahweh was calling to contend with them by (PR)fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the [dw]farm land. 5 Then I said,
“(PS)Lord Yahweh, please stop!
[dx](PT)How can Jacob rise up, for he is small?”
6 Yahweh [dy](PU)relented concerning this.
“This too shall not be,” said Lord Yahweh.
7 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing [dz]by a wall made with a [ea]plumb line, and in His hand was a [eb]plumb line. 8 And Yahweh said to me, “(PV)What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold, I am about to put a (PW)plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will (PX)pass over them no longer.
9 The (PY)high places of Isaac will be desolated
And the (PZ)sanctuaries of Israel laid waste.
Then I will (QA)rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused
10 Then Amaziah, the (QB)priest of Bethel, sent word to (QC)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (QD)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(QE)Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and there do your prophesying! 13 But (QF)no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a (QG)sanctuary of the king and a royal house.”
14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (QH)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [ec]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But Yahweh took me from [ed]following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, ‘Go (QI)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now, hear the word of Yahweh: you are saying, ‘You (QJ)shall not prophesy against Israel, (QK)nor shall you drip out words against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘Your (QL)wife will play the harlot in the city, your (QM)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be divided up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die [ee]upon (QN)unclean land. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
A Famine for Hearing the Words of Yahweh
8 Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (QO)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then Yahweh said to me, “The (QP)end has come for My people Israel. I will (QQ)pass over them no longer. 3 And they will (QR)wail with the (QS)songs of the palace in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Many will be the (QT)corpses; in every place [ef]they will cast them forth [eg]in silence.”
4 Hear this, you who [eh](QU)trample the needy, even to cause the humble of the land to cease, 5 saying,
“When will the (QV)new moon pass over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the (QW)sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [ei]bushel smaller and the [ej]shekel bigger,
And to (QX)cheat with a deceptive balance,
6 So as to (QY)buy the poor for [ek]money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 Yahweh has (QZ)sworn by the (RA)lofty pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (RB)never forget any of their works.
8 Because of this will not the land (RC)tremble
And everyone who inhabits it (RD)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (RE)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 And it will be in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh,
“That I will make the (RF)sun go down at noon
And (RG)make the earth dark in [el]broad daylight.
10 Then I will (RH)overturn your feasts into mourning
And all your songs into [em]lamentation;
And I will bring up (RI)sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it (RJ)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Lord Yahweh,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (RK)for hearing the words of Yahweh.
12 People will wander from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to (RL)seek the word of Yahweh,
But they will not find it.
13 In that day the beautiful (RM)virgins
And the choice men will (RN)faint from thirst.
14 As for those who swear by the [en](RO)guilt of Samaria,
Who say, ‘As your god lives, O (RP)Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of (RQ)Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and (RR)not rise again.”
Sinful Israelites Will Die by the Sword
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the (RS)altar, and He said,
“Strike the capitals so that the (RT)thresholds will quake,
And (RU)break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will (RV)kill the rest of them with the sword;
(RW)Not one of them who can flee will flee,
And not one of them who can survive will escape.
2 Though they dig into (RX)Sheol,
From there will My hand take them;
And though they (RY)ascend to heaven,
From there will I bring them down.
3 And though they hide on the [eo]top of Carmel,
From there I will (RZ)search them out and take them;
And though they (SA)conceal themselves from My eyes on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the (SB)serpent, and it will bite them.
4 And though they go into (SC)captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword that it kill them,
And I will (SD)set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”
5 Now Lord Yahweh of hosts,
The One who (SE)touches the land so that it melts,
And (SF)all those who inhabit it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His [ep](SG)upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth;
The One who (SH)calls for the waters of the sea
And (SI)pours them out on the face of the earth;
(SJ)Yahweh is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of (SK)Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel?” declares Yahweh.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the (SL)Philistines from Caphtor and the (SM)Arameans from (SN)Kir?
8 Behold, the (SO)eyes of Lord Yahweh are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will (SP)destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will (SQ)not totally destroy the house of Jacob,”
Declares Yahweh.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will (SR)shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a [eq]kernel will fall to the ground.
10 All the (SS)sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘(ST)The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’
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