Amos 1-7
New American Standard Bible
2And he said, 'The Lord roars from Zion, And from Jerusalem He utters His voice; And the shepherds’ pasture grounds mourn, And the summit of Carmel dries up.'
3This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
4So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael, And it will consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
5I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And eliminate every inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, As well as him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden; So the people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,' Says the Lord.
6This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they led into exile an entire population To turn them over to Edom.
7So I will send fire on the wall of Gaza And it will consume her citadels.
8I will also eliminate every inhabitant from Ashdod, As well as him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; And I will direct My power against Ekron, And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,' Says the Lord God.
9This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they turned an entire population over to Edom And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10So I will send fire on the wall of Tyre, And it will consume her citadels.'
11This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword And stifled his compassion; His anger also tore continually, And he maintained his fury forever.
12So I will send fire upon Teman And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.'
13This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of the sons of Ammon, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead In order to enlarge their borders.
14So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah, And it will consume her citadels Amid war cries on the day of battle, And amid a storm on the day of tempest.
15Their king will go into exile, He and his princes together,' says the Lord.
Chapter 2
1This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. 2So I will send fire upon Moab And it will consume the citadels of Kerioth; And Moab will die amid the panic of battle, Amid war cries and the sound of a trumpet. 3I will also eliminate the judge from her midst And slay all her leaders with him,' says the Lord. 4This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the Law of the Lord And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those which their fathers followed. 5So I will send fire upon Judah, And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.' 6This is what the Lord says: 'For three offenses of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for money, And the needy for a pair of sandals. 7These who trample the head of the helpless to the dust of the earth Also divert the way of the humble; And a man and his father resort to the same girl So as to profane My holy name. 8And on garments seized as pledges they stretch out beside every altar, And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. 9'Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the height of cedars And he was as strong as the oaks; I also destroyed his fruit above and his roots below. 10And it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, And led you in the wilderness for forty years So that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite. 11Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, And some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not so, you sons of Israel?' declares the Lord. 12'But you made the Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’ 13Behold, I am making a rut in the ground beneath you, Just as a wagon makes a rut when filled with sheaves. 14Refuge will be lost from the swift, And the strong will not strengthen his power, Nor the warrior save his life. 15The one who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will the one who rides the horse save his life. 16Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked on that day,' declares the Lord.
2'You only have I known among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your wrongdoing.'
3Do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?
4Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something?
5Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no device in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
6If a trumpet is blown in a city, will the people not tremble? If a disaster occurs in a city, has the Lord not brought it about?
7 Certainly the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret plan To His servants the prophets.
8A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can do anything but prophesy?
9Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, 'Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see the great panic within her and the oppressions in her midst.
10But they do not know how to do what is right,' declares the Lord, 'these who store up violence and devastation in their citadels.'
12This is what the Lord says: 'Just as the shepherd snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear, So will the sons of Israel living in Samaria be snatched away— With the corner of a bed and the cover of a couch!
13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,' Declares the Lord God, the God of armies.
14'For on the day that I punish Israel’s offenses, I will also punish the altars of Bethel; The horns of the altar will be cut off, And will fall to the ground.
15I will also strike the winter house together with the summer house; The houses of ivory will also perish, And the great houses will come to an end,' Declares the Lord.
Chapter 4
1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who exploit the poor, who oppress the needy, And say to their husbands, 'Bring now, that we may drink!' 2The Lord God has sworn by His holiness, 'For behold, the days are coming upon you When they will take you away with meat hooks, And the last of you with fish hooks. 3You will go out through holes in the walls, One in front of the other, And you will be hurled to Harmon,' declares the Lord. 4'Enter Bethel and do wrong; In Gilgal multiply wrongdoing! Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. 5 Offer a thanksgiving offering also from that which is leavened, And proclaim voluntary offerings, make them known. For so you love to do, you sons of Israel,' Declares the Lord God. 6'But I gave you also cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me,' declares the Lord. 7'Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city, But on another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up. 8So the people of two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink water, But would not be satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,' declares the Lord. 9'I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; The caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,' declares the Lord. 10'I sent a plague among you as in Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,' declares the Lord. 11'I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a log snatched from a fire; Yet you have not returned to Me,' declares the Lord. 12'Therefore so I will do to you, Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, Israel.' 13For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind, And declares to a person what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness And treads on the high places of the earth, The Lord God of armies is His name.Chapter 5
1Hear this word which I am taking up for you as a song of mourning, house of Israel: 2She has fallen, she will not rise again— The virgin Israel. She lies unnoticed on her land; There is no one to raise her up.
5But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to nothing.
6Seek the Lord so that you may live, Or He will break through like a fire, house of Joseph, And it will consume with no one to extinguish it for Bethel,
7 For those who turn justice into wormwood, And throw righteousness to the earth.'
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, And changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The Lord is His name.
9 It is He who makes destruction flash upon the strong, So that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10They hate him who rebukes in the gate, And they despise him who speaks with integrity.
11Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And take a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of cut stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted beautiful vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.
12For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great, You who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes, And turn away the poor from justice at the gate.
13Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps quiet, because it is an evil time.
14Seek good and not evil, so that you may live; And so may the Lord God of armies be with you, Just as you have said!
17And in all the vineyards there is mourning, Because I will pass through the midst of you,' says the Lord.
18Woe to you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
19As when a man flees from a lion And a bear confronts him, Or he goes home, leans with his hand against the wall, And a snake bites him.
20 Will the day of the Lord not be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21'I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies.
22Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened oxen.
23Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24But let justice roll out like waters, And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, house of Israel?
26You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.
27Therefore I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus,' says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
Chapter 6
1Woe to those who are carefree in Zion, And to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, The dignitaries of the foremost of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes. 2Go over to Calneh and look, And go from there to Hamath the great, Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their territory greater than yours? 3Are you postponing the day of disaster, And would you bring near the seat of violence? 4Those who lie on beds of ivory, And lounge around on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock, And calves from the midst of the fattened cattle, 5Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves, 6Who drink wine from sacred bowls While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils— Yet they have not grieved over the collapse of Joseph. 7Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, And the revelry of those who lounge around will come to an end.
9And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die.
10Then one’s uncle, or his undertaker, will lift him up to carry 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 answer, 'Keep quiet! For the name of the Lord is not to be mentioned.'
11For behold, the Lord is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.
12Do horses run on rocks? Or does one plow them with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13You who rejoice in Lodebar, And say, 'Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?'
14'For behold, I am going to raise up a nation against you, House of Israel,' declares the Lord God of armies, 'And they will torment you from the entrance of Hamath To the brook of the Arabah.'
2And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, 'Lord God, please pardon! How can Jacob stand? For he is small.'
3The Lord relented of this. 'It shall not be,' said the Lord.
5Then I said, 'Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand? For he is small.'
6The Lord relented of this. 'This too shall not be,' said the Lord God.
8And the Lord said to me, 'What do you see, Amos?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said, 'Behold I am about to put a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer.
9The high places of Isaac will become deserted, And the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins. Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.'
10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, 'Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.
11For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’?'
12Then Amaziah said to Amos, 'Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there!
13But do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.'
14Then Amos replied to Amaziah, 'I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.
15But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’
16So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you prophesy against the house of Isaac.’
17Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die upon unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’?'
King James Version
Chapter 1
1The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen 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. 2And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.
15And their king shall go into captivity, he and his princes together, saith the Lord.
Chapter 2
1Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
5But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
6Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
Chapter 3
1Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, 2You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
8The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
9Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
10For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
15And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the Lord.
Chapter 4
1Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.
3And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the Lord.
4Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
17And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the Lord.
18Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
20Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
25Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
9And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
10And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.
9And 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.
10Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel 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.
11For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
12Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
13But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.
14Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an 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 shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
Christian Standard Bible
3The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Damascus for three crimes, even four, because they threshed Gilead with iron sledges.
4Therefore, I will send fire against Hazael’s palace, and it will consume Ben-hadad’s citadels.
5I will break down the gates of Damascus. I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven, and the one who wields the scepter from Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir. The Lord has spoken.
6The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Gaza for three crimes, even four, because they exiled a whole community, handing them over to Edom.
7Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Gaza, and it will consume its citadels.
8I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and the one who wields the scepter from Ashkelon. I will also turn my hand against Ekron, and the remainder of the Philistines will perish. The Lord God has spoken.
9The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Tyre for three crimes, even four, because they handed over a whole community of exiles to Edom and broke a treaty of brotherhood.
10Therefore, I will send fire against the walls of Tyre, and it will consume its citadels.
11The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Edom for three crimes, even four, because he pursued his brother with the sword. He stifled his compassion, his anger tore at him continually, and he harbored his rage incessantly.
12Therefore, I will send fire against Teman, and it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.
13The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing the Ammonites for three crimes, even four, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.
14Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its citadels. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm.
15Their king and his princes will go into exile together. The Lord has spoken.
Chapter 2
1The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Moab for three crimes, even four, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. 2Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn. 3I will cut off the judge from the land and kill all its officials with him. The Lord has spoken.
4The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord and have not kept his statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray.
5Therefore, I will send fire against Judah, and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.
6The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Israel for three crimes, even four, because they sell a righteous person for silver and a needy person for a pair of sandals.
7They trample the heads of the poor on the dust of the ground and obstruct the path of the needy. A man and his father have sexual relations with the same girl, profaning my holy name.
8They stretch out beside every altar on garments taken as collateral, and in the house of their God they drink wine obtained through fines.
9Yet I destroyed the Amorite as Israel advanced; his height was like the cedars, and he was as sturdy as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.
10And I brought you from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness in order to possess the land of the Amorite.
12But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets, "Do not prophesy."
13Look, I am about to crush you in your place as a wagon crushes when full of grain.
14Escape will fail the swift, the strong one will not maintain his strength, and the warrior will not save his life.
15The archer will not stand his ground, the one who is swift of foot will not save himself, and the one riding a horse will not save his life.
2I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3Can two walk together without agreeing to meet?
4Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl from its lair unless it has captured something?
5Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there is no bait for it? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has caught nothing?
6If a ram’s horn is blown in a city, aren’t people afraid? If a disaster occurs in a city, hasn’t the Lord done it?
7Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets.
8A lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who will not prophesy?
9Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt: Assemble on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great turmoil in the city and the acts of oppression within it.
13Listen and testify against the house of Jacob— this is the declaration of the Lord God, the God of Armies.
14I will punish the altars of Bethel on the day I punish Israel for its crimes; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
3You will go through breaches in the wall, each woman straight ahead, and you will be driven along toward Harmon. This is the Lord’s declaration.
4Come to Bethel and rebel; rebel even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tenths every three days.
6I gave you absolutely nothing to eat in all your cities, a shortage of food in all your communities, yet you did not return to me. This is the Lord’s declaration.
7I also withheld the rain from you while there were still three months until harvest. I sent rain on one city but no rain on another. One field received rain while a field with no rain withered.
11I overthrew some of you as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a burning stick snatched from a fire, yet you did not return to me — This is the Lord’s declaration.
12Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you, and since I will do that to you, Israel, prepare to meet your God!
13He is here: the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, the one who makes the dawn out of darkness and strides on the heights of the earth. The Lord, the God of Armies, is his name.
4For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!
5Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal or journey to Beer-sheba, for Gilgal will certainly go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
6Seek the Lord and live, or he will spread like fire throughout the house of Joseph; it will consume everything with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
7Those who turn justice into wormwood also throw righteousness to the ground.
8The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the water of the sea and pours it out over the surface of the earth — the Lord is his name.
9He brings destruction on the strong, and it falls on the fortress.
10They hate the one who convicts the guilty at the city gate, and they despise the one who speaks with integrity.
11Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact a grain tax from him, you will never live in the houses of cut stone you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.
12For I know your crimes are many and your sins innumerable. They oppress the righteous, take a bribe, and deprive the poor of justice at the city gates.
13Therefore, those who have insight will keep silent at such a time, for the days are evil.
14Pursue good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord, the God of Armies, will be with you as you have claimed.
15Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore the Lord, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: There will be wailing in all the public squares; they will cry out in anguish in all the streets. The farmer will be called on to mourn, and professional mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass among you. The Lord has spoken.
18Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! What will the day of the Lord be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
19It will be like a man who flees from a lion only to have a bear confront him. He goes home and rests his hand against the wall only to have a snake bite him.
20Won’t the day of the Lord be darkness rather than light, even gloom without any brightness in it?
21I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
22Even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.
25"House of Israel, was it sacrifices and grain offerings that you presented to me during the forty years in the wilderness?
26But you have taken up Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, images you have made for yourselves.
27So I will send you into exile beyond Damascus." The Lord, the God of Armies, is his name. He has spoken.
Chapter 6
1Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria— the notable people in this first of the nations, those the house of Israel comes to. 2Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?
3You dismiss any thought of the evil day and bring in a reign of violence.
4They lie on beds inlaid with ivory, sprawled out on their couches, and dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.
5They improvise songs to the sound of the harp and invent their own musical instruments like David.
6They drink wine by the bowlful and anoint themselves with the finest oils but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7Therefore, they will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and the feasting of those who sprawl out will come to an end.
11For the Lord commands: The large house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.
12Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does anyone plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood —
13you who rejoice over Lo-debar and say, "Didn’t we capture Karnaim for ourselves by our own strength?"
Chapter 7
1The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts at the time the spring crop first began to sprout—after the cutting of the king’s hay. 2When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, "Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?"
4The Lord God showed me this: The Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.
5Then I said, "Lord God, please stop! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?"
10Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words,
11for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’"
12Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living and give your prophecies there,
13but don’t ever prophesy at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple."
New Living Translation
3This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They beat down my people in Gilead as grain is threshed with iron sledges.
4So I will send down fire on King Hazael’s palace, and the fortresses of King Ben-hadad will be destroyed.
5I will break down the gates of Damascus and slaughter the people in the valley of Aven. I will destroy the ruler in Beth-eden, and the people of Aram will go as captives to Kir,' says the Lord.
6This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sent whole villages into exile, selling them as slaves to Edom.
7So I will send down fire on the walls of Gaza, and all its fortresses will be destroyed.
8I will slaughter the people of Ashdod and destroy the king of Ashkelon. Then I will turn to attack Ekron, and the few Philistines still left will be killed,' says the Sovereign Lord.
9This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel, selling whole villages as slaves to Edom.
10So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre, and all its fortresses will be destroyed.'
11This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords, showing them no mercy. In their rage, they slashed them continually and were unrelenting in their anger.
12So I will send down fire on Teman, and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed.'
13This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they ripped open pregnant women with their swords.
14So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah, and all its fortresses will be destroyed. The battle will come upon them with shouts, like a whirlwind in a mighty storm.
15And their king and his princes will go into exile together,' says the Lord.
Chapter 2
1This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They desecrated the bones of Edom’s king, burning them to ashes. 2So I will send down fire on the land of Moab, and all the fortresses in Kerioth will be destroyed. The people will fall in the noise of battle, as the warriors shout and the ram’s horn sounds. 3And I will destroy their king and slaughter all their princes,' says the Lord.
4This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors.
5So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.'
6This is what the Lord says: 'The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals.
7They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way. Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name.
8At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their gods, they drink wine bought with unjust fines.
9'But as my people watched, I destroyed the Amorites, though they were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. I destroyed the fruit on their branches and dug out their roots.
10It was I who rescued you from Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years, so you could possess the land of the Amorites.
11I chose some of your sons to be prophets and others to be Nazirites. Can you deny this, my people of Israel?' asks the Lord.
12'But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
13'So I will make you groan like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain.
14Your fastest runners will not get away. The strongest among you will become weak. Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.
15The archers will not stand their ground. The swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to escape. Even those riding horses won’t be able to save themselves.
16On that day the most courageous of your fighting men will drop their weapons and run for their lives,' says the Lord.
3Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?
4Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey?
5Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait? Does a trap spring shut when there’s nothing to catch?
6When the ram’s horn blows a warning, shouldn’t the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has planned it?
8The lion has roared — so who isn’t frightened? The Sovereign Lord has spoken — so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
9Announce this to the leaders of Philistia and to the great ones of Egypt: 'Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.'
10'My people have forgotten how to do right,' says the Lord. 'Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence.
11Therefore,' says the Sovereign Lord, 'an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses.'
14'On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
15And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy — their winter mansions and their summer houses, too — all their palaces filled with ivory,' says the Lord.
Chapter 4
1Listen to me, you fat cows living in Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and who are always calling to your husbands, 'Bring us another drink!' 2The Sovereign Lord has sworn this by his holiness: 'The time will come when you will be led away with hooks in your noses. Every last one of you will be dragged away like a fish on a hook! 3You will be led out through the ruins of the wall; you will be thrown from your fortresses, ' says the Lord.
4'Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. Keep on disobeying at Gilgal. Offer sacrifices each morning, and bring your tithes every three days.
5Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary offerings so you can brag about it everywhere! This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do,' says the Sovereign Lord.
7'I kept the rain from falling when your crops needed it the most. I sent rain on one town but withheld it from another. Rain fell on one field, while another field withered away.
8People staggered from town to town looking for water, but there was never enough. But still you would not return to me,' says the Lord.
4Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: 'Come back to me and live!
5Don’t worship at the pagan altars at Bethel; don’t go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing.'
6Come back to the Lord and live! Otherwise, he will roar through Israel like a fire, devouring you completely. Your gods in Bethel won’t be able to quench the flames.
7You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt.
8It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!
9With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses.
10How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth!
11You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.
12For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.
14Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.
15Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.
16Therefore, this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says: 'There will be crying in all the public squares and mourning in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will destroy them all,' says the Lord.
18What sorrow awaits you who say, 'If only the day of the Lord were here!' You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light.
19In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion — only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house — and he’s bitten by a snake.
20Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.
21'I hate all your show and pretense — the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
22I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.
23Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
25Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
26No, you served your pagan gods — Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god — the images you made for yourselves.
27So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus, ' says the Lord, whose name is the God of Heaven’s Armies.
Chapter 6
1What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help. 2But go over to Calneh and see what happened there. Then go to the great city of Hamath and down to the Philistine city of Gath. You are no better than they were, and look at how they were destroyed. 3You push away every thought of coming disaster, but your actions only bring the day of judgment closer. 4How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall. 5You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. 6You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions. You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. 7Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.
9(If there are ten men left in one house, they will all die.
10And when a relative who is responsible to dispose of the dead goes into the house to carry out the bodies, he will ask the last survivor, 'Is anyone else with you?' When the person begins to swear, 'No, by . . . ,' he will interrupt and say, 'Stop! Don’t even mention the name of the Lord.')
12Can horses gallop over boulders? Can oxen be used to plow them? But that’s how foolish you are when you turn justice into poison and the sweet fruit of righteousness into bitterness.
13And you brag about your conquest of Lo-debar. You boast, 'Didn’t we take Karnaim by our own strength?'
Chapter 7
1The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up. 2In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.'
4Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land.
5Then I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.'
8And the Lord said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' I answered, 'A plumb line.' And the Lord replied, 'I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.
9The pagan shrines of your ancestors will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end.'
10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: 'Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable.
11He is saying, ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed, and the people of Israel will be sent away into exile.’'
12Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos: 'Get out of here, you prophet! Go on back to the land of Judah, and earn your living by prophesying there!
13Don’t bother us with your prophecies here in Bethel. This is the king’s sanctuary and the national place of worship!'
14But Amos replied, 'I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees.
15But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’
16Now then, listen to this message from the Lord: 'You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel. Stop preaching against my people. ’
17But this is what the Lord says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this city, and your sons and daughters will be killed. Your land will be divided up, and you yourself will die in a foreign land. And the people of Israel will certainly become captives in exile, far from their homeland.’'
English Standard Version
4 So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
5I will break the gate-bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir," says the Lord.
6Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom.
7So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds.
8I will cut off the inhabitants from 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.
9Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of 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.
10So I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it shall devour her strongholds."
11Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.
12So I will send a fire upon Teman, and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah."
13Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.
14So I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour her strongholds, with shouting on the day of battle, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15and their king shall go into exile, he and his princes together," says the Lord.
2So I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth, and Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3 I will cut off the ruler from its midst, and will kill all its princes with him," says the Lord.
4Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.
5So I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem."
6Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals —
7those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;
8they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9"Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars and who was as strong as the oaks; I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath.
10 Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
11And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?" declares the Lord.
12"But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
13"Behold, I will press you down in your place, as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength, nor shall the mighty save his life;
15he who handles the bow shall not stand, and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself, nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16and he who is stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day," declares the Lord.
2 "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3"Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
4Does 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?
5Does 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 Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?
7"For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.
8The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?"
9Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst."
10"They do not know how to do right," declares the Lord, "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."
11Therefore thus says the Lord God: "An adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered."
13"Hear, and testify against the house of Jacob," declares the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14"that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground.
15 I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end," declares the Lord.
Chapter 4
1"Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ 2 The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks. 3 And you shall go out through the breaches, each one straight ahead; and you shall be cast out into Harmon," declares the Lord. 4 "Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days; 5offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, publish them; for so you love to do, O people of Israel!" declares the Lord God. 6"I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me," declares the Lord. 7"I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither; 8so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me," declares the Lord. 9 "I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me," declares the Lord. 10"I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me," declares the Lord. 11"I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me," declares the Lord. 12"Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" 13For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth — the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!
2"Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land, with none to raise her up."
3For thus says the Lord God: "The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out a hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel."
5but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing."
6 Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel,
7O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name;
9 who makes destruction flash forth against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
11Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
12For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins — you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.
13Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.
15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: "In all the squares there shall be wailing, and in all the streets they shall say, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmers to mourning and to wailing those who are skilled in lamentation,
17and in all vineyards there shall be wailing, for I will pass through your midst," says the Lord.
18Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light,
19 as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.
23Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
24But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25"Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
26You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god — your images that you made for yourselves,
27and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Chapter 6
1 "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! 2Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go to Hamath the great; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory, 3 O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence? 4"Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, 5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, 6 who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! 7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away." 8The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts: "I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it."
9And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die.
10And when one 's relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, "Is there still anyone with you?" he shall say, "No"; and he shall say, "Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord."
11For behold, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits.
12Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood —
13you who rejoice in Lo-debar, who say, "Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim for ourselves?"
14"For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel," declares the Lord, the God of hosts; "and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah."
Chapter 7
1This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king 's mowings. 2When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, "O Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
3 The Lord relented concerning this: "It shall not be," said the Lord.
4This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land.
5Then I said, "O Lord God, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
6 The Lord relented concerning this: "This also shall not be," said the Lord God.
7This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.
8And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them;
9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."
10Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.
11For thus Amos has said, "‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’"
12And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there,
13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king 's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom."
14Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, "I was no prophet, nor a prophet 's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.
15But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
16Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. "You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
New International Version
3This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth,
4I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
5I will break down the gate of Damascus; I will destroy the king who is in the Valley of Aven and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir," says the Lord.
6This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not relent. Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom,
7I will send fire on the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses.
8I will destroy the king of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn my hand against Ekron, till the last of the Philistines are dead," says the Sovereign Lord.
9This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not relent. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,
10I will send fire on the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses."
11This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Edom, even for four, I will not relent. Because he pursued his brother with a sword and slaughtered the women of the land, because his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked,
12I will send fire on Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah."
13This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders,
14I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah that will consume her fortresses amid war cries on the day of battle, amid violent winds on a stormy day.
15Her king will go into exile, he and his officials together," says the Lord.
Chapter 2
1This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Moab, even for four, I will not relent. Because he burned to ashes the bones of Edom’s king, 2I will send fire on Moab that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth. Moab will go down in great tumult amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. 3I will destroy her ruler and kill all her officials with him," says the Lord.
4This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed,
5I will send fire on Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem."
6This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not relent. They sell the innocent for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7They 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.
8They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. In the house of their god they drink wine taken as fines.
9"Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, though they were tall as the cedars and strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below.
10I brought you up out of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness to give you the land of the Amorites.
11"I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites 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.
13"Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.
14The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.
15The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.
16Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day," declares the Lord.
2"You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins."
3Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
4Does a lion roar in the thicket when it has no prey? Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?
5Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground when no bait is there? Does a trap spring up from the ground if it has not caught anything?
9Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod and to the fortresses of Egypt: "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest within her and the oppression among her people."
10"They do not know how to do right," declares the Lord, "who store up in their fortresses what they have plundered and looted."
14"On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel; the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
15I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house; the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed and the mansions will be demolished," declares the Lord.
Chapter 4
1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" 2The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. 3You will each go straight out through breaches in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon, " declares the Lord. 4"Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.
6"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.
7"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up.
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."
13He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord God Almighty is his name.
4This is what the Lord says to Israel: "Seek me and live;
5do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. "
7There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.
8He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land— the Lord is his name.
10There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.
11You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
13Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.
14Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
15Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says: "There will be wailing in all the streets and cries of anguish in every public square. The farmers will be summoned to weep and the mourners to wail.
17There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst," says the Lord.
18Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of the Lord? That day will be darkness, not light.
19It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him.
20Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light— pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
22Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.
23Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
25"Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26You have lifted up the shrine of your king, the pedestal of your idols, the star of your god — which you made for yourselves.
27Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus," says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.
Chapter 6
1Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! 2Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours? 3You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror. 4You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. 5You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. 6You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
9If ten people are left in one house, they too will die.
10And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them asks anyone who might be hiding there, "Is anyone else with you?" and he says, "No," then he will go on to say, "Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord."
11For the Lord has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.
12Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness—
13you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar and say, "Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?"
14For the Lord God Almighty declares, "I will stir up a nation against you, Israel, that will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah."
Chapter 7
1This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, "Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!"
4This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land.
5Then I cried out, "Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!"
12Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.
13Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom."
New King James Version
3Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad.
5I will also break the gate bar of Damascus, And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven, And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden. The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,” Says the Lord.
6Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom.
7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour its palaces.
8I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And the one 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.
9Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre, Which shall devour its palaces.”
11Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.
12But I will send a fire upon Teman, Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
13Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of the people of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead, That they might enlarge their territory.
14But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, And it shall devour its palaces, Amid shouting in the day of battle, And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15 Their king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together,” Says the Lord.
Chapter 2
1Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime. 2But I will send a fire upon Moab, And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; Moab shall die with tumult, With shouting and trumpet sound. 3And I will cut off the judge from its midst, And slay all its princes with him,” Says the Lord.
4Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have despised the law of the Lord, And have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, Lies which their fathers followed.
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
6Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals.
7They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, To defile My holy name.
8They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
9“Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, Whose height was like the height of the cedars, And he was as strong as the oaks; Yet I destroyed his fruit above And his roots beneath.
10Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, And led you forty years through the wilderness, To possess the land of the Amorite.
11I raised up some of your sons as prophets, And some of your young men as Nazirites. Is it not so, O you children of Israel?” Says the Lord.
12“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, And commanded the prophets saying, ‘Do not prophesy!’
13“Behold, I am weighed down by you, As a cart full of sheaves is weighed down.
14 Therefore flight shall perish from the swift, The strong shall not strengthen his power, Nor shall the mighty deliver himself;
15He shall not stand who handles the bow, The swift of foot shall not escape, Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16The most courageous men of might Shall flee naked in that day,” Says the Lord.
2“You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
3Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?
7Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?
9“Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her.
10For they do not know to do right,’ Says the Lord, ‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’ ”
12Thus says the Lord: “As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria— In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch!
13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,” Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14“That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground.
15I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house; The houses of ivory shall perish, And the great houses shall have an end,” Says the Lord.
Chapter 4
1Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!” 2 The Lord God has sworn by His holiness: “Behold, the days shall come upon you When He will take you away with fishhooks, And your posterity with fishhooks. 3 You will go out through broken walls, Each one straight ahead of her, And you will be cast into Harmon,” Says the Lord. 4“Come to Bethel and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression; Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days. 5 Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings; For this you love, You children of Israel!” Says the Lord God. 6“Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 7“I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered. 8So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, But they were not satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 9“I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, Your vineyards, Your fig trees, And your olive trees, The locust devoured them; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 10“I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; Your young men I killed with a sword, Along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 11“I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me,” Says the Lord. 12“Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!” 13For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth— The Lord God of hosts is His name.
4For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live;
5But do not seek Bethel, Nor enter Gilgal, Nor pass over to Beersheba; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, And Bethel shall come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord and live, Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, And devour it, With no one to quench it in Bethel—
7You who turn justice to wormwood, And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”
8He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.
9He rains ruin upon the strong, So that fury comes upon the fortress.
10 They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
11 Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them.
12For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
13Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time, For it is an evil time.
14Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken.
15 Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
16Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this: “ There shall be wailing in all streets, And they shall say in all the highways, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They shall call the farmer to mourning, And skillful lamenters to wailing.
17In all vineyards there shall be wailing, For I will pass through you,” Says the Lord.
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
19It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
21“I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.
25“Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun, your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves.
27Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus,” Says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Chapter 6
1Woe to you who are at ease in Zion, And trust in Mount Samaria, Notable persons in the chief nation, To whom the house of Israel comes! 2 Go over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory? 3 Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, Who cause the seat of violence to come near; 4Who lie on beds of ivory, Stretch out on your couches, Eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall; 5 Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David; 6Who drink wine from bowls, And anoint yourselves with the best ointments, But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. 7Therefore they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, And those who recline at banquets shall be removed. 8 The Lord God has sworn by Himself, The Lord God of hosts says: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, And hate his palaces; Therefore I will deliver up the city And all that is in it.”
11For behold, the Lord gives a command: He will break the great house into bits, And the little house into pieces.
12Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into gall, And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13You who rejoice over Lo Debar, Who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves By our own strength?”
14“But, behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” Says the Lord God of hosts; “And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath To the Valley of the Arabah.”
2And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: “O Lord God, forgive, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!”
3 So the Lord relented concerning this. “It shall not be,” said the Lord.
5Then I said: “O Lord God, cease, I pray! Oh, that Jacob may stand, For he is small!”
6 So the Lord relented concerning this. “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.
8And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said: “Behold, I am setting a plumb line In the midst of My people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.
9 The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”
12Then Amaziah said to Amos: “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, And there prophesy.
13But never again prophesy at Bethel, For it is the king’s sanctuary, And it is the royal residence.”
14Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah: “I was no prophet, Nor was I a son of a prophet, But I was a sheepbreeder And a tender of sycamore fruit.
15Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, And the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’
16Now therefore, hear the word of the Lord: You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, And do not spout against the house of Isaac.’
