< 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 cows of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters, Bring, and let us 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 hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
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 cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, 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 Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:
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 with leaven, and proclaim and declare the free offerings: for this pleaseth you, 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 to 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 also I have withheld 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 on which 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 to one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned to 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 blighting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned to 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 after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up to your nostrils: yet have ye not returned to 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 firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned to 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 to thee, O Israel: and because I will do this to 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 to 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.