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!”

Listen to this message, women of Sameria, you well-fed cows of Bashan, who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring us another 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.

The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: The time is coming when you will be carried away in baskets, your children carried away in fish-baskets,

3 You will leave through breaches in the city walls, thrown out in the direction of Mount Hermon.

and through the breaches in the city wall you will go, thrown out on the garbage dump, says 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.

Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgald increase your transgression. Bring your sacrifices in the morning, every third day 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.

Burn some leavened bread as a thank-offering, proclaim aloud your voluntary offerings, for you love to do this, Israelites! says the Lord God.

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 it was I who gave to you empty stomachs in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your towns, yet you have not returned to me, says 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.

It was I who withheld from you the rain, sending rain on one city, while on another I allowed no rain. One field received rain, while a field without rain withered.

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.

People from two or three cities ranged as far as another city for drinking water, and still they did not have enough, yet you did not return to me, says 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 struck you with blight and mildew, I laid waste your gardens and vineyards. The swarming locust devoured your fig and your olive trees, yet you did not return to me, says 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 sent plague among you like the plagues of Egypt, I slew your youths with the sword, your horses raided away, I caused the stench of your camps to rise in your nostrils, yet you did not return to me, says 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 wrought a destruction among you, as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a stick snatched from the fire, yet you did not return to me, says 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 this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I am about to do this to you, prepare to meet your God, 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!

He is here! He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, declares to his thoughts to mortals, makes dawn and darkness, treads upon the heights of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!