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The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

And he said, Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the [a]pastures of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Damascus, yea, for four, I will not [b]turn away [c]the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. And I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off [d]the inhabitant from the valley of [e]Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from [f]the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith Jehovah.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away captive [g]the whole people, to deliver them up to Edom. But I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour the palaces thereof. And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up [h]the whole people to Edom, and remembered not [i]the brotherly covenant. 10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour the palaces thereof.

11 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Edom, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and [j]did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever. 12 But I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

13 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border. 14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with shouting in the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind; 15 and their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith Jehovah.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Moab, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime. But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet; and I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith Jehovah.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers did walk. But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes— they that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father go unto the same maiden, to profane my holy name: and they lay themselves down beside every altar upon clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of such as have been fined.

Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith Jehovah. 12 But ye gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

13 Behold, [k]I will press you in your place, as a cart presseth that is full of sheaves. 14 And [l]flight shall perish from the swift; and the strong shall not strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver [m]himself; 15 neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver [n]himself; 16 and he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith Jehovah.

Hear this word that Jehovah hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities. Shall two walk together, except they have [o]agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is set for him? shall a snare spring up from the ground, and have taken nothing at all? Shall the trumpet be blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it? Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing, except he reveal his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared; who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken; who can but prophesy?

Publish ye [p]in the palaces at Ashdod, and [q]in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold what great tumults are therein, and what oppressions in the midst thereof. 10 For they know not to do right, saith Jehovah, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. 11 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An adversary there shall be, even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be plundered. 12 Thus saith Jehovah: As the shepherd rescueth out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued that sit in Samaria in the corner of a couch, and [r]on the silken cushions of a bed.

13 Hear ye, and testify against the house of Jacob, saith the Lord Jehovah, the God of hosts. 14 For in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Beth-el; and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. 15 And I will smite the winter-house with the summer-house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and [s]the great houses shall have an end, saith Jehovah.

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say unto their lords, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks. And ye shall go out at the breaches, every one straight before her; [t]and ye shall cast yourselves into Harmon, saith Jehovah.

Come to Beth-el, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes every three days; and [u]offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill-offerings and publish them: for this pleaseth you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.

And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. And I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees hath the palmer-worm devoured: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, [v]and have carried away your horses; and I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 11 I have overthrown cities among you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a brand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah.

12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel; and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought; that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth—Jehovah, the God of hosts, is his name.

Hear ye this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she [w]is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up. For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, to the house of Israel.

For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live; but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall [x]come to nought. Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el. Ye who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth, seek him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth [y]the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth (Jehovah is his name); that [z]bringeth sudden destruction upon the strong, so that destruction cometh upon the fortress.

10 They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. 11 Forasmuch therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink the wine thereof. 12 For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins—ye that afflict the just, that take a bribe, and that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right. 13 Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time; for it is an evil time.

14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all the broad ways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, [aa]and such as are skilful in lamentation to wailing. 17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

18 Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! Wherefore would ye have the day of Jehovah? It is darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; [ab]or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20 Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

21 I hate, I despise your feasts, and I [ac]will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Yea, though ye offer me [ad]your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the [ae]peace-offerings of your fat beasts. 23 Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. 24 But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a [af]mighty stream.

25 Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and [ag]offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26 Yea, ye [ah]have borne the tabernacle of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. 27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come! Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: are they better than these kingdoms? or is their border greater than your border? —ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the [ai]seat of violence to come near; 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; that sing idle songs to the sound of the viol; that invent for themselves instruments of music, [aj]like David; that drink [ak]wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

Therefore shall they now go captive with the first that go captive; and the revelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away. The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: I abhor the [al]excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein. And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die. 10 And when a man’s [am]uncle shall take him up, even he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is in the innermost parts of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No; then shall he say, Hold thy peace; for we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah. 11 For, behold, Jehovah commandeth, and [an]the great house shall be smitten with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? that ye have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood; 13 ye that rejoice in a thing of nought, that say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14 For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entrance of Hamath unto the brook of the Arabah.

Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and, behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. And it came to pass that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord Jehovah, forgive, I beseech thee: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small. Jehovah repented concerning this: It shall not be, saith Jehovah.

Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and, behold, the Lord Jehovah called to contend by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the [ao]land. Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, cease, I beseech thee: how shall Jacob stand? for he is small. Jehovah repented concerning this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood [ap]beside a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And Jehovah said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more; and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land. 12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: 13 but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el; for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house.

14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I [aq]was no prophet, neither [ar]was I [as]a prophet’s son; but I [at]was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore-trees: 15 and Jehovah took me from following the flock, and Jehovah said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 16 Now therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac; 17 therefore thus saith Jehovah: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou thyself shalt die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.

Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me: and, behold, a basket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said Jehovah unto me, The end is come upon my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. And the songs of the [au]temple shall be wailings in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah: the dead bodies shall be many; in every place [av]shall they cast them forth with silence.

Hear this, O ye that would swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? and the sabbath, that we may [aw]set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit; that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, and sell the refuse of the wheat? Jehovah hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? yea, it shall rise up wholly like the River; and it shall be troubled and sink again, like the River of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day. 10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah. 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Jehovah, and shall not find it. 13 In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst. 14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, As thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, As the [ax]way of Beer-sheba liveth; they shall fall, and never rise up again.

I saw the Lord standing [ay]beside the altar: and he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: [az]there shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape. Though they dig into Sheol, thence shall my hand take them; and though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down. And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and it shall bite them. And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

For the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, is he that toucheth the land and it melteth, and all that dwell therein shall mourn; and it shall rise up wholly like the River, and shall sink again, like the River of Egypt; it is he that buildeth his chambers in the heavens, and hath founded his vault upon the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth; Jehovah is his name.

Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith Jehovah. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; save that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith Jehovah. For, lo, I will command, and I will [ba]sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least kernel fall upon the earth. 10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake nor meet us.

11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old; 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that [bb]are called by my name, saith Jehovah that doeth this. 13 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 14 And I will [bc]bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith Jehovah thy God.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:2 Or, habitations
  2. Amos 1:3 Or, revoke my word
  3. Amos 1:3 Hebrew it (and so in verses 6, 9, etc.).
  4. Amos 1:5 Or, him that sitteth on the throne (and so in verse 8)
  5. Amos 1:5 That is, Vanity.
  6. Amos 1:5 Or, Beth-eden
  7. Amos 1:6 Hebrew an entire captivity.
  8. Amos 1:9 Hebrew an entire captivity.
  9. Amos 1:9 Hebrew the covenant of brethren.
  10. Amos 1:11 Hebrew corrupted his compassions.
  11. Amos 2:13 Or, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves
  12. Amos 2:14 Or, refuge shall fail the swift
  13. Amos 2:14 Hebrew his soul (or, life).
  14. Amos 2:15 Hebrew his soul (or, life).
  15. Amos 3:3 Or, made an appointment
  16. Amos 3:9 Or, upon
  17. Amos 3:9 Or, upon
  18. Amos 3:12 According to some manuscripts, in Damascus on a bed.
  19. Amos 3:15 Or, many houses
  20. Amos 4:3 The text is obscure.
  21. Amos 4:5 Hebrew offer by burning.
  22. Amos 4:10 Hebrew with the captivity of your horses.
  23. Amos 5:2 Or, lieth forsaken
  24. Amos 5:5 Or, become vanity (Hebrew Aven)
  25. Amos 5:8 Or, deep darkness
  26. Amos 5:9 Or, causeth destruction to flash forth
  27. Amos 5:16 Hebrew and proclaim wailing to such as are skilful in lamentation.
  28. Amos 5:19 Or, and
  29. Amos 5:21 Hebrew will not smell a savor.
  30. Amos 5:22 Or, burnt-offerings with your meal-offerings
  31. Amos 5:22 Or, thank-offerings
  32. Amos 5:24 Or, ever-flowing
  33. Amos 5:25 Or, meal-offerings
  34. Amos 5:26 Or, shall take up . . . And I will cause etc.
  35. Amos 6:3 Or, sitting
  36. Amos 6:5 Or, like David’s
  37. Amos 6:6 Hebrew in bowls of wine.
  38. Amos 6:8 Or, pride
  39. Amos 6:10 Or, kinsman
  40. Amos 6:11 Or, he will smite the great house
  41. Amos 7:4 Hebrew portion.
  42. Amos 7:7 Or, upon
  43. Amos 7:14 Or, am
  44. Amos 7:14 Or, am
  45. Amos 7:14 Or, one of the sons of the prophets. See 1 Kin. 20:35.
  46. Amos 7:14 Or, am
  47. Amos 8:3 Or, palace
  48. Amos 8:3 Or, have they cast them forth: be silent!
  49. Amos 8:5 Hebrew open.
  50. Amos 8:14 Or, manner
  51. Amos 9:1 Or, upon
  52. Amos 9:1 Or, he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered
  53. Amos 9:9 Hebrew cause to move to and fro.
  54. Amos 9:12 Or, were
  55. Amos 9:14 Or, return to

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)

He said:

“The Lord roars(F) from Zion
    and thunders(G) from Jerusalem;(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
    and the top of Carmel(I) withers.”(J)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus,(K)
    even for four, I will not relent.(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
    with sledges having iron teeth,
I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
    that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
I will break down the gate(Q) of Damascus;
    I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(R)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(S)
says the Lord.(T)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,(U)
    even for four, I will not relent.(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,(W)
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(X)
    and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(Y) against Ekron,
    till the last of the Philistines(Z) are dead,”(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.(AB)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre,(AC)
    even for four, I will not relent.(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
    disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
    that will consume her fortresses.(AF)

11 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Edom,(AG)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(AH)
    and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
    and his fury flamed unchecked,(AI)
12 I will send fire on Teman(AJ)
    that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(AK)

13 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Ammon,(AL)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(AM) of Gilead
    in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(AN)
    that will consume(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries(AP) on the day of battle,
    amid violent winds(AQ) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
    he and his officials together,(AR)
says the Lord.(AS)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab,(AT)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes(AU)
    the bones of Edom’s king,
I will send fire on Moab
    that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[f](AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
    amid war cries(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.(AX)
I will destroy her ruler(AY)
    and kill all her officials with him,”(AZ)
says the Lord.(BA)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah,(BB)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(BC) of the Lord
    and have not kept his decrees,(BD)
because they have been led astray(BE) by false gods,[g](BF)
    the gods[h] their ancestors followed,(BG)
I will send fire(BH) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses(BI) of Jerusalem.(BJ)

Judgment on Israel

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.(BL)
They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.(BM)
They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.(BN)
In the house of their god
    they drink wine(BO) taken as fines.(BP)

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites(BQ) before them,
    though they were tall(BR) as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots(BT) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(BU)
    and led(BV) you forty years in the wilderness(BW)
    to give you the land of the Amorites.(BX)

11 “I also raised up prophets(BY) from among your children
    and Nazirites(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(CA)

13 “Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(CB)
14 The swift will not escape,(CC)
    the strong(CD) will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.(CE)
15 The archer(CF) will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman(CG) will not save his life.(CH)
16 Even the bravest warriors(CI)
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you(CJ)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:(CK)

“You only have I chosen(CL)
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(CM) you
    for all your sins.(CN)

Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar(CO) in the thicket
    when it has no prey?(CP)
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait(CQ) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
When a trumpet(CR) sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster(CS) comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?(CT)

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan(CU)
    to his servants the prophets.(CV)

The lion(CW) has roared(CX)
    who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    who can but prophesy?(CY)

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod(CZ)
    and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;(DA)
    see the great unrest within her
    and the oppression among her people.”

10 “They do not know how to do right,(DB)” declares the Lord,
    “who store up in their fortresses(DC)
    what they have plundered(DD) and looted.”

11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
    pull down your strongholds
    and plunder your fortresses.(DE)

12 This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s(DF) mouth
    only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
    with only the head of a bed
    and a piece of fabric[i] from a couch.[j](DG)

13 “Hear this and testify(DH) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

14 “On the day I punish(DI) Israel for her sins,
    I will destroy the altars of Bethel;(DJ)
the horns(DK) of the altar will be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house(DL)
    along with the summer house;(DM)
the houses adorned with ivory(DN) will be destroyed
    and the mansions(DO) will be demolished,(DP)
declares the Lord.(DQ)

Israel Has Not Returned to God

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(DR) on Mount Samaria,(DS)
    you women who oppress the poor(DT) and crush the needy(DU)
    and say to your husbands,(DV) “Bring us some drinks!(DW)
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    “The time(DX) will surely come
when you will be taken away(DY) with hooks,(DZ)
    the last of you with fishhooks.[k]
You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,(EA)
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[l]
declares the Lord.
“Go to Bethel(EB) and sin;
    go to Gilgal(EC) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(ED)
    your tithes(EE) every three years.[m](EF)
Burn leavened bread(EG) as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings(EH)
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
    and lack of bread in every town,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(EI)

“I also withheld(EJ) rain from you
    when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
    but withheld it from another.(EK)
One field had rain;
    another had none and dried up.
People staggered from town to town for water(EL)
    but did not get enough(EM) to drink,
    yet you have not returned(EN) to me,”
declares the Lord.(EO)

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
    destroying them with blight and mildew.(EP)
Locusts(EQ) devoured your fig and olive trees,(ER)
    yet you have not returned(ES) to me,”
declares the Lord.

10 “I sent plagues(ET) among you
    as I did to Egypt.(EU)
I killed your young men(EV) with the sword,
    along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(EW) of your camps,
    yet you have not returned to me,”(EX)
declares the Lord.(EY)

11 “I overthrew some of you
    as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.(EZ)
You were like a burning stick(FA) snatched from the fire,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(FB)

12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
    and because I will do this to you, Israel,
    prepare to meet your God.”

13 He who forms the mountains,(FC)
    who creates the wind,(FD)
    and who reveals his thoughts(FE) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth(FF)
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.(FG)

A Lament and Call to Repentance

Hear this word, Israel, this lament(FH) I take up concerning you:

“Fallen is Virgin(FI) Israel,
    never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
    with no one to lift her up.(FJ)

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
    will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
    will have only ten left.(FK)

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek(FL) me and live;(FM)
    do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(FN)
    do not journey to Beersheba.(FO)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
    and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[n](FP)
Seek(FQ) the Lord and live,(FR)
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(FS)
it will devour them,
    and Bethel(FT) will have no one to quench it.(FU)

There are those who turn justice into bitterness(FV)
    and cast righteousness(FW) to the ground.(FX)

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(FY)
    who turns midnight into dawn(FZ)
    and darkens day into night,(GA)
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.(GB)
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.(GC)

10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(GD)
    and detest the one who tells the truth.(GE)

11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(GF)
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(GG)
    you will not live in them;(GH)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.(GI)
12 For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.(GJ)

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(GK)
    and deprive the poor(GL) of justice in the courts.(GM)
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet(GN) in such times,
    for the times are evil.(GO)

14 Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.(GP)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(GQ) love good;(GR)
    maintain justice in the courts.(GS)
Perhaps(GT) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(GU)
    on the remnant(GV) of Joseph.

16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:

“There will be wailing(GW) in all the streets(GX)
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(GY) will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(GZ) in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through(HA) your midst,”
says the Lord.(HB)

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!(HC)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(HD)
    That day will be darkness,(HE) not light.(HF)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,(HG)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.(HH)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(HI) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(HJ)

21 “I hate,(HK) I despise your religious festivals;(HL)
    your assemblies(HM) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(HN) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(HO)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(HP)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(HQ)
24 But let justice(HR) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(HS) like a never-failing stream!(HT)

25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(HU) and offerings
    forty years(HV) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,(HW)
    the star of your god[o]
    which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(HX) beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(HY)

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you(HZ) who are complacent(IA) in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure(IB) on Mount Samaria,(IC)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
    to whom the people of Israel come!(ID)
Go to Kalneh(IE) and look at it;
    go from there to great Hamath,(IF)
    and then go down to Gath(IG) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(IH) your two kingdoms?
    Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the day of disaster
    and bring near a reign of terror.(II)
You lie on beds adorned with ivory
    and lounge on your couches.(IJ)
You dine on choice lambs
    and fattened calves.(IK)
You strum away on your harps(IL) like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.(IM)
You drink wine(IN) by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve(IO) over the ruin of Joseph.(IP)
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(IQ)
    your feasting and lounging will end.(IR)

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(IS)—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor(IT) the pride of Jacob(IU)
    and detest his fortresses;(IV)
I will deliver up(IW) the city
    and everything in it.(IX)

If ten(IY) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[p](IZ) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(JA) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For the Lord has given the command,
    and he will smash(JB) the great house(JC) into pieces
    and the small house into bits.(JD)

12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
    Does one plow the sea[q] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(JE)
    and the fruit of righteousness(JF) into bitterness(JG)
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[r]
    and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[s] by our own strength?(JH)

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation(JI) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath(JJ) to the valley of the Arabah.(JK)

Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(JL) He was preparing swarms of locusts(JM) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean,(JN) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(JO) He is so small!(JP)

So the Lord relented.(JQ)

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(JR)

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;(JS) it dried up the great deep and devoured(JT) the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(JU)

So the Lord relented.(JV)

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(JW)

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[t] with a plumb line[u] in his hand. And the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(JX) Amos?(JY)

“A plumb line,(JZ)” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(KA)

“The high places(KB) of Isaac will be destroyed
    and the sanctuaries(KC) of Israel will be ruined;
    with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.(KD)

Amos and Amaziah

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel(KE) sent a message to Jeroboam(KF) king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy(KG) against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.(KH) 11 For this is what Amos is saying:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
    and Israel will surely go into exile,(KI)
    away from their native land.’”(KJ)

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!(KK) Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.(KL) 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,(KM) because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple(KN) of the kingdom.(KO)

14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet(KP) nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.(KQ) 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock(KR) and said to me, ‘Go,(KS) prophesy(KT) to my people Israel.’(KU) 16 Now then, hear(KV) the word of the Lord. You say,

“‘Do not prophesy against(KW) Israel,
    and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute(KX) in the city,
    and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
    and you yourself will die in a pagan[v] country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,(KY)
    away from their native land.(KZ)’”

A Basket of Ripe Fruit

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(LA) a basket of ripe fruit. “What do you see,(LB) Amos?(LC)” he asked.

“A basket(LD) of ripe fruit,” I answered.

Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(LE)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[w](LF) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(LG)

Hear this, you who trample the needy
    and do away with the poor(LH) of the land,(LI)

saying,

“When will the New Moon(LJ) be over
    that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
    that we may market(LK) wheat?”(LL)
skimping on the measure,
    boosting the price
    and cheating(LM) with dishonest scales,(LN)
buying the poor(LO) with silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(LP)

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(LQ) “I will never forget(LR) anything they have done.(LS)

“Will not the land tremble(LT) for this,
    and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
    it will be stirred up and then sink
    like the river of Egypt.(LU)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.(LV)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(LW) into mourning
    and all your singing into weeping.(LX)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(LY)
    and shave(LZ) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(MA)
    and the end of it like a bitter day.(MB)

11 “The days are coming,”(MC) declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine(MD) of hearing the words of the Lord.(ME)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.(MF)

13 “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men(MG)
    will faint because of thirst.(MH)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(MI)
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(MJ)
    or, ‘As surely as the god[x] of Beersheba(MK) lives’—
    they will fall,(ML) never to rise again.(MM)

Israel to Be Destroyed

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:

“Strike the tops of the pillars
    so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(MN) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.(MO)
Though they dig down to the depths below,(MP)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(MQ)
    from there I will bring them down.(MR)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(MS)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(MT)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(MU)
    there I will command the serpent(MV) to bite them.(MW)
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword(MX) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
    for harm(MY) and not for good.(MZ)(NA)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(NB)
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;(NC)
he builds his lofty palace[y](ND) in the heavens
    and sets its foundation[z] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.(NE)

“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites[aa]?”(NF)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines(NG) from Caphtor[ab](NH)
    and the Arameans from Kir?(NI)

“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
    are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(NJ) it
    from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
    the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(NK)
“For I will give the command,
    and I will shake the people of Israel
    among all the nations
as grain(NL) is shaken in a sieve,(NM)
    and not a pebble will reach the ground.(NN)
10 All the sinners among my people
    will die by the sword,(NO)
all those who say,
    ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(NP)

Israel’s Restoration

11 “In that day

“I will restore David’s(NQ) fallen shelter(NR)
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins(NS)
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,(NT)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(NU)
    and all the nations that bear my name,[ac](NV)
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(NW)

13 “The days are coming,”(NX) declares the Lord,

“when the reaper(NY) will be overtaken by the plowman(NZ)
    and the planter by the one treading(OA) grapes.
New wine(OB) will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,(OC)
14     and I will bring(OD) my people Israel back from exile.[ad](OE)

“They will rebuild the ruined cities(OF) and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards(OG) and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(OH)
15 I will plant(OI) Israel in their own land,(OJ)
    never again to be uprooted(OK)
    from the land I have given them,”(OL)

says the Lord your God.(OM)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
  3. Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
  4. Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
  5. Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
  6. Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
  7. Amos 2:4 Or by lies
  8. Amos 2:4 Or lies
  9. Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  10. Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
  11. Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
  12. Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
  13. Amos 4:4 Or days
  14. Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
  15. Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
  16. Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
  17. Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
  18. Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
  19. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
  20. Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  21. Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
  22. Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean
  23. Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
  24. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
  25. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  26. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  27. Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  28. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
  29. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
  30. Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel