< Amos 4 >
1 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.
Hear you this word, you heifers of the land of Basan that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, and trample on the needy, which say to their masters, Give us that we may drink.
2 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.
The Lord swears by his holiness, that, behold, the days come upon you, when they shall take you with weapons, and fiery destroyers shall cast those with you into boiling cauldrons.
3 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.
And you shall be brought forth naked in the presence of each other; and you shall be cast forth on the mountain Romman, says the Lord.
4 Go then to Beth-el, and transgress; to Gilgal, [and] multiply transgression; and bring in the morning your sacrifices, after three days your tithes:
You went into Bethel, and sinned, and you multiplied sin at Galgala; and you brought your meat-offerings in the morning, [and] your tithes every third day.
5 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.
And they read the law without, and called for public professions: proclaim aloud that the children of Israel have loved these things, says the Lord.
6 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.
And I will give you dullness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places: yet you returned not to me, says the Lord.
7 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;
Also I withheld from you the rain three months before the harvest: and I will rain upon one city, and on another city I will not rain: one part shall be rained upon, and the part on which I shall not rain shall be dried up.
8 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.
And [the inhabitants of] two or three cities shall be gathered to one city to drink water, and they shall not be satisfied: yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.
9 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.
I struck you with parching, and with blight: you multiplied your gardens, your vineyards, and your fig-grounds, and the cankerworm devoured your olive yards: yet not [even] thus did you return to me, says the Lord.
10 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.
I sent pestilence amongst you by the way of Egypt, and killed your young men with the sword, together with your horses that were taken captive; and in my wrath against you I set fire to your camps: yet not even thus did you return to me, says the Lord.
11 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.
I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodoma and Gomorrha, and you became as a brand plucked out of the fire: yet not even thus did you return to me, says the Lord.
12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: because then I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel: nay because I will do thus to you, prepare to call on your God, O Israel.
13 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.
For, behold, I am he that strengthens the thunder, and creates the wind, and proclaims to men his Christ, forming the morning and the darkness, and mounting on the high places of the earth, The Lord God Almighty is his name.