Amos 4
1 Listen to this message, you well-fed cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and who order your husbands, “Bring us drinks!”
Hear this word, O ye cows of Bashan, that are on the mount of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their lords, Bring, and let us drink.
2 The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: Watch out! For the time is coming when they will drag you away with hooks, each one of you will be like a fish on a hook.
Sworn hath the Lord Eternal by his holiness, that, lo, days are coming over you, when men will carry you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
3 You will leave through breaches in the city walls, thrown out in the direction of Mount Hermon.
And through breaches in the wall shall ye go out, every one through that before her: and ye shall cast off your proud greatness, saith the Lord.
4 Why don't you go to Bethel and sin? Go to Gilgal and add to your sins even more? Offer your sacrifices in the morning, bring your tithes after three days.
Go then to Beth-el, and transgress; to Gilgal, [and] multiply transgression; and bring in the morning your sacrifices, after three days your tithes:
5 Burn a thank offering of bread made with yeast, and announce what you're giving as freewill offerings so everyone will know. This is what you love to do! declares the Lord God.
And burn of leaven a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and proclaim and publish freewill-offerings; for so do you love [to do], O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord Eternal.
6 It was I who made sure you had nothing to eat in all your cities, and a lack of food wherever you lived, but still you wouldn't return to me, says the Lord.
But, I also had indeed given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: and yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
7 It was I who kept the rain from falling when there was still three months before harvest. One city would have rain, while another would not. One field would have rain, another would dry up from lack of rain.
And I also had indeed withholden from you the rain, when it was yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and upon another city I caused it not to rain; one piece of land was rained upon, and another piece whereupon it rained not became dried up;
8 People wandered from town to town looking for water, yet were still thirsty. But still you did not return to me, declares the Lord.
And two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: and yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
9 I struck your many farms and vineyards with blight and mildew; locusts devoured your fig trees and olive trees. But still you did not return to me, declares the Lord.
I had smitten you with blasting and mildew; the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees did the caterpillar devour: and yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
10 I sent a plague on you like I did in Egypt. I killed your young men in battle; I took away your horses; I made you smell the stench of dead bodies in your camps. But still you did not return to me, declares the Lord.
I had sent out against you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I slew your young men with the sword, together with your captive horses; and I had caused the stench of your camps to ascend even into your nostrils; and yet ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
11 Some of you I destroyed as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick pulled out of a fire. But still you did not return to me, declares the Lord.
I had produced an overthrow among you, like the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye became like a fire-brand snatched out of the burning: and yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.
12 Therefore, this is what I am going to do to you, Israel. Because I am going to do this, Israel, prepare to meet your God!
Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: because then I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13 Watch! The One who made the mountains, who created the winds, who reveals his thoughts to humankind, who turns the sunlight into darkness, who walks on the high places of the earth—the Lord God of power is his name!
For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning-dawn [and] darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, — The Lord, the God of hosts, is his name.
