Amos 2

1 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Moab, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he burned to lime the bones of Edom’s king.

The Lord says: For Moab’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They have burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom,

2 So I will send fire against Moab to consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die in tumult, amid war cries and the sound of the ram’s horn.

to desecrate the dead. So I will send a fire into Moab. It will devour the palaces of Kirioth, with a war-cry, with the sound of trumpets.

3 I will cut off the ruler of Moab and kill all the officials with him,”

I will kill the ruler, all his nobles I will slay with him, says the Lord.

4 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they reject the Law of the LORD and fail to keep His statutes; they are led astray by the lies in which their fathers walked.

The Lord says: For Judah’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his statutes. Instead their false gods their ancestors followed, have led them astray.

5 So I will send fire upon Judah to consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”

So I will send a fire on Judah. It will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

6 This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Israel, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals.

The Lord says: For Israel’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They sell the righteous for money, the needy for a pair of shoes.

7 They trample on the heads of the poor as on the dust of the earth; they push the needy out of their way. A man and his father have relations with the same girl and so profane My holy name.

They trample on the head of the poor, push the humble out of the way. Father and son go to the same temple girl, and so profane my holy name.

8 They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. And in the house of their God, they drink wine obtained through fines.

They stretch themselves on garments taken in pledges beside every altar, and they drink the wine of those who have been fined in the house of their God.

9 Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.

It was I who destroyed the Amorites for your sake, whose height was like that of the cedars, as strong as oaks. I destroyed their fruit from above and their roots from below.

10 And I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.

It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, led you forty years in the wilderness, brought you here to possess the land of the Amorites.

11 I raised up prophets from your sons and Nazirites from your young men. Is this not true, O children of Israel?”

I raised up some of your sons to be prophets some of your youths to be Nazirites. Is not this indeed so, Israelites? says the Lord.

12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

But you made the Nazirites drink wine and banned the prophets from prophesying.

13 Behold, I am about to crush you in your place as with a cart full of grain.

Listen! It is I who will make you groan in your places, as a wagon groans under its load of grain.

14 Escape will fail the swift, the strong will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his life.

Then flight will fail the swift, and the strength of the strongest will be useless. The warrior will not save his life,

15 The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save his life.

the archer will not stand firm, the swift of foot will not escape, the horseman will not save his life.

16 Even the bravest of mighty men will flee naked on that day,”

The bravest of warriors will flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.