< Amos 2 >

1 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;
Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Moab, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has burned the bones of the king of Idumea, all the way to ashes.
2 but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;
And I will send a fire onto Moab, and it will devour the buildings of Kerioth. And Moab will die with a noise, with the blare of a trumpet.
3 and I will cut off the judge from their midst, and will kill all its officials with him," says the LORD.
And I will destroy the judge in their midst, and I will execute all his leaders with him, says the Lord.
4 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected the LORD's law, and have not kept his statutes. Their false idols which they made, after which their fathers walked, have led them astray.
Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Judah, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has rejected the law of the Lord and has not kept his commandments. For their idols, which their fathers followed, have deceived them.
5 But I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem."
And I will send a fire onto Judah, and it will devour the buildings of Jerusalem.
6 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes;
Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Israel, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has sold the just for silver and the poor for shoes.
7 They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;
They grind the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth, and they divert the way of the humble. And the son, as well as his father, have gone to the same girl, so that they outrage my holy name.
8 and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
And they have lain on garments taken in pledge next to every altar. And they drank the wine of the damned in the house of their God.
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
Yet I exterminated the Amorites before their face, whose height was like the height of cedars, and whose strength was like the oak. And I crushed his fruit from above and his roots below.
10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
It is I who caused you to ascend from the land of Egypt, and I led you in the wilderness for forty years, so that you might possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn't this true, you children of Israel?" says the LORD.
And I stirred up prophets from your sons, and Nazirites from your young men. Is it not so, sons of Israel, says the Lord?
12 "But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, 'Do not prophesy.'
Yet you would offer wine to the Nazirites, and you would command the prophets, saying: “Do not prophesy.”
13 Look, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
Behold, I will creak under you, just as a wagon creaks that is laden with hay.
14 Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won't strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
And flight will perish from the swift, and the strong will not maintain his strength, and the healthy will not save his life.
15 neither shall he stand who handles the bow; and he who is swift of foot won't escape; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;
And one holding the bow will not stand firm, and the swift of foot will not be saved, and the rider on the horse will not save his life.
16 and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day," says the LORD.
And the stout of heart among the strong will flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.

< Amos 2 >