Amos 1:1-4:5

English Standard Version

^(G)“The Lord roars from Zion
    and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
^(H)the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
    and the ^(I)top of ^(J)Carmel withers.”

^(K)“For three transgressions of ^(L)Damascus,
    and for four, ^(M)I will not revoke the punishment,^[c]
because they have threshed ^(N)Gilead
    with threshing sledges of iron.
^4 (O)So I will send a fire upon the house of ^(P)Hazael,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of ^(Q)Ben-hadad.
⁵ I will ^(R)break the gate-bar of ^(S)Damascus,
    and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of ^(T)Aven,^[d]
and him who holds the scepter from ^(U)Beth-eden;
    and the people of ^(V)Syria shall go into exile to ^(W)Kir,”
says the Lord.

^(X)“For three transgressions of ^(Y)Gaza,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because ^(Z)they carried into exile a whole people
    to deliver them up to Edom.
⁷ So I will send a fire upon the wall of ^(AA)Gaza,
    and it shall devour her strongholds.
⁸ I will cut off the inhabitants from ^(AB)Ashdod,
    and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
    and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.

^(AC)“For three transgressions of ^(AD)Tyre,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
    and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
¹⁰ So I will send a fire upon the wall of ^(AE)Tyre,
    and it shall devour her strongholds.”

^(AF)“For three transgressions of ^(AG)Edom,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
^(AH)because he pursued his brother with the sword
    ^(AI)and cast off all pity,
^(AJ)and his anger tore perpetually,
    ^(AK)and he kept his wrath forever.
¹² So I will send a fire upon ^(AL)Teman,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of ^(AM)Bozrah.”

^(AN)“For three transgressions of the ^(AO)Ammonites,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because ^(AP)they have ripped open pregnant women in ^(AQ)Gilead,
    that they might enlarge their border.
¹⁴ So I will kindle a fire in the wall of ^(AR)Rabbah,
    ^(AS)and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
    ^(AT)with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
¹⁵ and ^(AU)their king shall go into exile,
    he and his princes^[e] together,”
says the Lord.

^(AV)“For three transgressions of ^(AW)Moab,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,^[f]
because ^(AX)he burned to lime
    the bones of the king of Edom.
² So I will send a fire upon Moab,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of ^(AY)Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
    amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
^3 (AZ)I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
    and will kill ^(BA)all its princes^[g] with him,”
says the Lord.

^(BB)“For three transgressions of Judah,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because ^(BC)they have rejected the law of the Lord,
    and have not kept his statutes,
but ^(BD)their lies have led them astray,
    those after which their fathers walked.
⁵ So ^(BE)I will send a fire upon Judah,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

^(BF)“For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because ^(BG)they sell the righteous for ^(BH)silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
⁷ those who trample the head of the poor ^(BI)into the dust of the earth
    and ^(BJ)turn aside the way of the afflicted;
^(BK)a man and his father go in to the same girl,
    so that my holy name is profaned;
⁸ they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments ^(BL)taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
    the wine of those who have been fined.

⁹ “Yet ^(BM)it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
    ^(BN)whose height was like the height of the cedars
    and who was as strong as the oaks;
^(BO)I destroyed his fruit above
    and his roots beneath.
^10 (BP)Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
    ^(BQ)and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    ^(BR)to possess the land of the Amorite.
¹¹ And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
    and some of your young men for ^(BS)Nazirites.
    Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.

¹² “But you made the Nazirites ^(BT)drink wine,
    and commanded the prophets,
    saying, ^(BU)‘You shall not prophesy.’

¹³ “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
^14 (BV)Flight shall perish from the swift,
    ^(BW)and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    ^(BX)nor shall the mighty save his life;
¹⁵ he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is ^(BY)swift of foot shall not save himself,
    ^(BZ)nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
¹⁶ and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.

^2 (CB)“You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
^(CC)therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.

³ “Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed to meet?
⁴ Does a lion roar in the forest,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
    if he has taken nothing?
⁵ Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when it has taken nothing?
^6 (CD)Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
^(CE)Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the Lord has done it?

⁷ “For the Lord God does nothing
    ^(CF)without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.
⁸ The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
^(CG)The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?”

⁹ Proclaim to the strongholds in ^(CH)Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on ^(CI)the mountains of Samaria,
    and see the great tumults within her,
    and ^(CJ)the oppressed in her midst.”
¹⁰ “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
    ^(CK)“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

^(CL)“An adversary shall surround the land
    and bring down^[h] your defenses from you,
    and ^(CM)your strongholds shall be plundered.”

¹³ “Hear, ^(CQ)and testify against the house of Jacob,”
    declares the Lord God, ^(CR)the God of hosts,
¹⁴ “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
    ^(CS)I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and ^(CT)the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
^15 (CU)I will strike ^(CV)the winter house along with ^(CW)the summer house,
    and ^(CX)the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses^[j] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.

4 “Hear this word, ^(CY)you cows of Bashan,
    who are ^(CZ)on the mountain of Samaria,
^(DA)who oppress the poor, ^(DB)who crush the needy,
    who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
^2 (DC)The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
    that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
^(DD)when they shall take you away with hooks,
    ^(DE)even the last of you with fishhooks.
^3 (DF)And you shall go out through the breaches,
    each one straight ahead;
    and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the Lord.

^4 (DG)“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
    to ^(DH)Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
^(DI)bring your ^(DJ)sacrifices every morning,
    your tithes every three days;
⁵ offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of ^(DK)that which is leavened,
    and proclaim ^(DL)freewill offerings, publish them;
    ^(DM)for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord God.