< Amos 4 >

1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, Who [are] on the mountain of Samaria, Who are oppressing the poor, Who are bruising the needy, Who are saying to their lords: “Bring in, and we drink.”
Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say unto their lords: 'Bring, that we may feast.'
2 Lord YHWH has sworn by His holiness, “Behold, days are coming on you, And He has taken you away with hooks, And your posterity with fish-hooks.
The Lord GOD hath sworn by His holiness: Lo, surely the days shall come upon you, that ye shall be taken away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks.
3 And [by] breaches you go forth, A woman before her, And you have cast down the high place,” A declaration of YHWH.
And ye shall go out at the breaches, every one straight before her; and ye shall be cast into Harmon, saith the LORD.
4 “Enter Beth-El, and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression, And bring in your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every third year.
Come to Beth-el, and transgress, to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices in the morning, and your tithes after three days;
5 And burn a thank-offering with leaven as incense, And proclaim willing gifts, sound! For so you have loved, O sons of Israel,” A declaration of Lord YHWH.
And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill-offerings and publish them; for so ye love to do, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
6 “And I also—I have given to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, And lack of bread in all your places, And you have not turned back to Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD.
7 “And I also—I have withheld from you the rain, While yet three months to harvest, And I have sent rain on one city, And on another city I do not send rain, One portion is rained on, And the portion on which it does not rain withers.
And I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city; one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.
8 And two or three cities have wandered, To the same city to drink water, And they are not satisfied, And you have not turned back to Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, and were not satisfied; yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD.
9 “I have struck you with blasting and with mildew, The abundance of your gardens and of your vineyards, And of your figs, and of your olives, The palmer-worm eats, And you have not turned back to Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees hath the palmer-worm devoured; yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD.
10 “I have sent among you pestilence by the way of Egypt, I have slain your choice ones by sword, With your captive horses, And I cause the stink of your camps to come up—Even into your nostrils, And you have not turned back to Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
I have sent among you the pestilence in the way of Egypt; your young men have I slain with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils; yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD.
11 “I have overturned among you, Like the overturn by God of Sodom and Gomorrah, And you are as a brand delivered from a burning, And you have not turned back to Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD.
12 “Therefore, thus I do to you, O Israel, at last, Because this I do to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”
Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel; because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13 For behold, the Former of mountains, and Creator of wind, And the Declarer to man what [is] His thought, He is making dawn obscurity, And is treading on high places of earth, YHWH, God of Hosts, [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 darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth; the LORD, the God of hosts, is His name.

< Amos 4 >