Amos

1  1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, which he prophesied 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 earth quake. He said:— 2 Jehovah will roar from Zion, And utter his voice from Jerusalem; The habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, And the top of Carmel shall wither. 3 Thus saith Jehovah; For three transgressions of Damascus, And for four, will I not turn away its punishment; For they thrashed Gilead with thrashing-wains of iron. 4 I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, Which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. 5 I will also break the bar of Damascus, And I will destroy the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, And him that holdeth the sceptre from Beth-Eden, And the people of Syria shall be led captive to Kir: Jehovah hath said it. 6 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Gaza, And for four, I will not turn away its punishment; For they led captive all that fell into their hands, And delivered them up to Edom. 7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour her palaces. 8 And I will destroy the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him that holdeth the sceptre from Ashkelon; And I will turn my hand against Ekron, And the residue of the Philistines shall perish. The Lord, Jehovah, hath said it. 9 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Tyre, And for four, will I not turn away its punishment; Because they delivered up all their captives to Edom, And remembered not the brotherly covenant. 10 But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, Which shall devour her palaces. 11 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Edom, And for four, will I not turn away his punishment; For he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity, And his anger tore perpetually; Yea, he kept his wrath forever. 12 But I will send a fire upon Teman. Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah. 13 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, And for four, will I not turn away their punishment; For they ripped up the women with child of Gilead, That they might enlarge their border. 14 But I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah, Which shall devour her palaces, Amid the war-shout in the day of battle, In a whirlwind in the day of the storm. 15 Their king shall go into captivity, He and his princes together, saith Jehovah.

2  1 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Moab, And for four, will I not turn away his punishment; For he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime! 2 But I will send a fire on Moab, Which shall devour the palaces of Kirioth; And Moab shall die amid tumults, Amid the war-shout, and the sound of the trumpet. 3 I will destroy the judge from the midst of him, And slay all the princes with him, saith Jehovah. 4 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, And for four, will I not turn away their punishment; For they have despised the law of Jehovah, And have not kept his statutes, And their idols have caused them to err, After which their fathers walked. 5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, Which shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. 6 Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, And for four, will I not turn away their punishment. For they sell the righteous for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes; 7 They pant for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, And pervert the cause of the afflicted. The son and the father go in to the same damsel, To dishonor my holy name. 8 They lay themselves down upon pledged garments Near every altar; And drink wine, procured by fines, In the house of their gods. 9 Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them, Who were tall as the cedars, And strong as the oaks. I destroyed their fruit above, And their roots beneath. 10 I brought you up from the land of Egypt, And led you in the desert forty years, That ye might possess the land of the Amorite. 11 Of your sons also I raised up prophets, And of your young men Nazarites; Is it not even so, O ye sons of Israel? saith Jehovah. 12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink, And commanded the prophets, Saying, Prophesy not! 13 Behold, I will press you down, As a wagon presseth down that is full of sheaves. 14 And flight shall fail the swift, And the strong shall not exert his strength, And the mighty shall not save his life, 15 And he that handleth the bow shall not stand, And the swift of foot shall not save himself, And the horseman shall not escape with his life. 16 He that is strong in heart among the mighty Shall, in that day, flee away naked, saith Jehovah.

3  1 Hear these words, which Jehovah speaketh against you, ye sons of Israel; Against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt! 2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities. 3 Can two walk together, Unless they agree together? 4 Will the lion roar in the forest, When he seeth no prey? Will the young lion cry aloud from his den, If he have seized nothing? 5 Can a bird fall into a snare upon the earth, Where none is set for him? Will a snare spring up from the ground, When it hath caught nothing? 6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, And the people not be afraid? Shall there be evil upon a city, And Jehovah not have done it? 7 Surely the Lord Jehovah doeth nothing, But he revealeth his secret To his servants the prophets. 8 When the lion roareth, who will not fear? When the Lord Jehovah speaketh, who will not prophesy? 9 Proclaim ye, in the palaces in Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, And say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria; Behold the great tumults in the midst of her, And the oppressions within her! 10 For they have no care to do right, saith Jehovah; They treasure up rapine and robbery in their palaces. 11 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: An enemy shall encompass the land. And shall bring down thy strength from thee, And thy palaces shall be plundered. 12 Thus saith Jehovah: As the shepherd taketh out of the lion's mouth Two legs, or a portion of an ear, So shall the children of Israel be taken out, Who in Samaria sit in the corners of their sofas, And upon their damask couches. 13 Hear ye, and testify to the house of Jacob, Saith the Lord, Jehovah, God of hosts! 14 In the day when I punish the transgressions of Israel, Then will I punish the altars of Bethel; The horns of the altar shall be cut off, And fall to the ground. 15 and I will smite the winter-house together with the summer-house, And the houses of ivory shall be destroyed, And the great houses shall be brought to the ground, saith Jehovah.

4  1 Hear these words, O ye kine of Bashan, That are on the mountain of Samaria; That oppress the poor; that crush the needy; That say to your master, Bring, and let us drink! 2 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness; Behold, the days shall come upon you When ye shall be taken away with hooks, And your residue with fishing-hooks. 3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every one right forward, And ye shall be thrown into a castle, saith Jehovah. 4 Go, now, to Bethel, and transgress; At Gilgal multiply transgression! Bring your sacrifices every morning, And your tithes every three years! 5 Burn a thank-offering from your extortions, And proclaim the free-will offerings; publish them abroad! For this is your delight, ye sons of Israel, Saith the Lord, Jehovah. 6 I also have caused cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And want of bread in all your places; And yet ye have not returned to me, saith Jehovah. 7 I also have withholden from you the rain three months before the harvest; I have caused it to rain upon one city, And upon another city have I not caused it to rain; One piece of ground hath been rained upon, And another, upon which I have not caused it to rain, hath withered. 8 Two or three cities have gone to one city, To drink water, and have not been satisfied; And yet ye have not returned to me, saith Jehovah. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; The locust hath devoured your many gardens, Your vineyards, your fig-trees, and your olive-trees; Yet have ye not returned to me, saith Jehovah. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I have slain your young men with the sword, And your horses have I led into captivity; I have made the smell of your camps to come up into your nostrils; And yet ye have not returned to me, saith Jehovah. 11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; And ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning; And yet ye have not returned to me, saith Jehovah. 12 Therefore thus will I deal with thee, O Israel! Yet since I will thus deal with thee, Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel! 13 For behold, he formed the mountains, and created the wind; He declareth to man what is his thought; He maketh the morning darkness, And walketh upon the high places of the earth; Jehovah, God of hosts, is his name.

5  1 Hear these words, which I utter concerning you; This lamentation, O house of Israel! 2 She is fallen, she shall rise no more, The virgin of Israel! She is prostrate on her own ground, there is none to raise her up! 3 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah; The city which sent out a thousand shall have a hundred left, And that which sent out a hundred shall have ten left, To the house of Israel. 4 For thus saith Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live! 5 Seek not Bethel, And go not to Gilgal, And pass not over to Beersheba! For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity! And Bethel shall come to naught. 6 Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live! Lest he rush like a fire on the house of Joseph, And it devour, and there be none to quench it in the house of Israel. 7 Ye who turn justice into wormwood, And cast righteousness down to the ground. 8 Seek him, that made the Pleiades and Orion; That changeth death-like darkness into morning, And darkeneth day into night; That calleth up the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth; Jehovah is his name! 9 Who sendeth sudden destruction upon the strong, And bringeth desolation upon the fortress. 10 They hate him that pleadeth in the gate, And abhor him that speaketh uprightly. 11 Since, then, ye trample upon the poor, And take from him presents of wheat, Though ye build houses of hewn stone, ye shall not dwell in them; Though ye plant pleasant vineyards, ye shall not drink their wine. 12 For I know that your sins are many, And your transgressions manifold, Ye who afflict the righteous, and take a bribe, And oppress the poor in the gate! 13 Therefore the wise man shall be silent at that time, For it shall be an evil time. 14 Seek ye good, and not evil, that ye may live; Then shall Jehovah, the God of hosts, be with you, as ye boast. 15 Hate ye evil, and love good, And establish justice in the gate; It may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will have pity upon the remnant of Joseph. 16 Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: In all the streets shall there be wailing, And in all the highways shall they cry, Alas! alas! They shall call the husbandmen to mourning, And those who are skilful in lamentation to wailing, 17 And in all vineyards shall be sounds of woe, For I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah. 18 Woe unto them that ask for the day of Jehovah! What is the day of Jehovah to you? It shall be darkness, and not light. 19 As if a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him; Or went into a house and leaned his hand on a wall, And a serpent bit him; 20 So shall the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light, Even thick darkness, and no brightness in it. 21 I hate, I despise your feasts; I have no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 When ye offer me burnt-offerings and flour-offerings, I will not accept them; And upon the thank-offerings of your fatlings I will not look. 23 Take ye away from me the noise of your songs, And the music of your harps let me not hear! 24 Let justice flow forth as waters, And righteousness as a mighty stream! 25 Did ye offer me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness, for forty years, O house of Israel? 26 But ye bore the tabernacle of your king, And the shrine of your images, The star of your god, which ye made for yourselves. 27 Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, Saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts!

6  1 Woe to them that dwell at ease in Zion; That feel secure upon the mountain of Samaria; The honorable men of the chief of the nations, To whom the house of Israel resort! 2 Pass over to Calneh, and see; And thence go to great Hamath; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines: Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their border greater than your border? 3 Woe to them, that put far away the day of evil, And bring near the seat of oppression; 4 That lie upon beds of ivory, And stretch themselves upon their couches; That eat lambs from the flock, And calves from the stall; 5 That chant to the sound of the harp, And invent for themselves instruments of music, like David; 6 That drink wine in bowls, And anoint themselves with the most precious perfumes, But grieve not for the destruction of Joseph! 7 Therefore now shall they go captive at the head of the captives; Yea, the shouting of them that stretch themselves upon their couches shall cease. 8 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: I abhor the pride of Jacob, And I hate his palaces; I will give up the city, and all that is therein. 9 And if ten men remain in one house, These also shall die. 10 A man's relative, or a burner of the dead, shall take him up, To carry his bones out of the house, And he shall say to him that is in the innermost part of the house, Is there yet any one with thee? And he shall answer, No one! Then shall he say, Keep silence! For we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah. 11 For behold Jehovah hath commanded, And he will smite the great house with breaches, And the small house with clefts. 12 Shall horses run upon rocks, Or will one plough rocks with oxen, That ye change justice into hemlock, And the fruit of equity into wormwood, 13 Ye that rejoice in a thing of naught, And say, Have we not acquired dominion by our own strength? 14 Behold, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, I will raise against you a nation, That shall oppress you from Hamath Even to the brook of the desert.

7  1 The Lord Jehovah showed me this vision: Behold, he formed locusts In the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; Behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowing. 2 And when they had devoured the grass of the land, Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, forgive, I beseech thee! How shall Jacob stand? For he is small! 3 Jehovah repented of this; It shall not be, said Jehovah. 4 The Lord Jehovah also showed me this vision: Behold, the Lord Jehovah commanded the fire to execute judgment; And it devoured the great deep, And it devoured the fields. 5 Then said I, O Lord Jehovah, desist, I beseech thee! How shall Jacob stand? For he is small! 6 Jehovah repented of this; This also shall not be, said the Lord Jehovah. 7 He also showed me this vision: Behold, the Lord stood upon a wall, built with a plumb-line, And in his hand was a plumb-line; 8 And Jehovah said to me, What seest thou, Amos? And I said, A plumb-line. And the Lord said, Behold I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel; I will not spare them any more. 9 The high places of Isaac shall be desolate, And the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword. 10 Then sent Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, To Jeroboam, the king of Israel, and said: Amos conspireth against thee in the midst of the house of Israel; The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus hath Amos said: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led captive from their own land. 12 And Amaziah said to Amos, Go, thou seer! flee into the land of Judah! There eat thy bread, and there prophesy! 13 But prophesy no more at Bethel, For it is the king's sanctuary, And it is the king's abode. 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah: I was no prophet, nor the son of a prophet; I was a shepherd, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit. 15 And Jehovah took me from the flock; And Jehovah said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel! 16 Now, therefore, hear the word of Jehovah: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, And speak no word against the house of Isaac! 17 Therefore thus saith Jehovah: “Thy wife shall be put to shame in the city, And thy sons and daughters shall fall by the sword; Thy land shall be divided by the line, And thou shalt die in a polluted land, And Israel shall surely be led captive from his own land.”

8  1 The Lord Jehovah showed me this vision: Behold a basket of ripe fruits! 2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of ripe fruits. Then said Jehovah to me, The destruction of my people Israel is ripe; I will not spare them any more. 3 The songs of the palace shall be shrieks in that day, Saith the Lord Jehovah. There shall be many dead bodies in every place, And they shall be cast forth in silence. 4 Hear this, ye that pant to oppress the needy, And to destroy the poor of the land. 5 That say, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn, And the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, Making the ephah small, and the shekel heavy, And falsifying the balances for deceit, 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes, And sell the refuse of the wheat? 7 Jehovah hath sworn by the glory of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. 8 Shall not the land tremble for this, And shall not all that dwell therein mourn? Shall not all of it rise in waves like a river, And be swept from its place, and overflowed, as by the river of Egypt! 9 It shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah, That I will cause the sun to go down at noon, And will darken the land in the clear day. 10 I will turn your feasts into mourning, And all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth upon all loins, And baldness upon all heads. I will fill the land with mourning, as for an only son, And its end shall be as a day of bitter woe. 11 Behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord Jehovah, That I will send a famine upon the land; Not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the word of Jehovah. 12 And men shall wander from sea to sea, And from the north even to the east shall they run to and fro, To seek an answer from Jehovah, and shall not find it. 13 In that day shall the fair virgins, and the young men, faint for thirst, 14 Who swear by the sin of Samaria, And say, By the life of thy God, O Dan! And, By the worship of Beersheba! They shall fall, and shall rise no more!

9  1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar; and he said: Smite the capital, so that the thresholds shall tremble! Break them in pieces upon the heads of all of them! And their residue will I slay with the sword. He that fleeth of them shall not flee from danger, And he that escapeth of them shall not escape into safety. 2 Though they dig down to the under-world, Thence shall my hand take them; Though they climb up to heaven, Thence will I bring them down. 3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, There will I search for them, and take them away; Though they hide themselves from mine eyes in the bottom of the sea, There will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them. 4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, There will I command the sword, and it shall slay them; I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good. 5 For the Lord Jehovah of hosts Is he, that toucheth the earth, and it shall melt, And all that dwell therein shall mourn; All of it shall rise in waves like a river, And shall be overflowed, as by the river of Egypt; 6 He that buildeth his upper rooms in the heavens, And foundeth his arch upon the earth,—That calleth the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth,—Jehovah is his name. 7 Are ye not as the Ethiopians to me, O children of Israel? saith Jehovah. Did I not bring Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? 8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are upon the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet will I not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith Jehovah. 9 For, behold, I will command, And I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, As one sifteth corn with a sieve, And not a grain shall fall upon the ground. 10 But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, Who say, Evil shall not approach, nor fall upon us. 11 In that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David, And I will close up the breaches thereof, And raise up its ruins, And I will build it, as in the days of old. 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the nations, which shall be called by my name. Thus saith Jehovah, who doeth this. 13 Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, That the plougher shall draw near to the reaper, And the treader of grapes to the sower of the seed; And the mountains shall drop new wine, And all the hills shall melt. 14 I will bring back the captives of my people Israel, And they shall build the desolate cities, and shall inhabit them; And they shall plant vineyards, and drink their wine; They shall also make gardens, and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them in their land, And they shall no more be rooted up from the land which I have given them, Saith Jehovah, thy God.