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.”

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 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 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 And [by] breaches you go forth, A woman before her, And you have cast down the high place,” A declaration of YHWH.

and through the breaches in the city wall you will go, thrown out on the garbage dump, says 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 Bethel and transgress, at Gilgald increase your transgression. Bring your sacrifices in the morning, every third day your tithes!

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.

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 “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.

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 “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.

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 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.

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 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 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 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 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 “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 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, thus I do to you, O Israel, at last, Because this I do to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”

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 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!

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!