Amos 6

1 Woe to them that dwell at ease in Zion; That feel secure upon the mountain of Samaria; The honorable men of the chief of the nations, To whom the house of Israel resort!

Alas for the careless in Zion, and for them who put confidence in the mountain of Samaria, —the distinguished among the first group of nations, to whom came in the house of Israel.

2 Pass over to Calneh, and see; And thence go to great Hamath; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines: Are they better than these kingdoms, Or is their border greater than your border?

Pass ye over to Calneh, and see, and go on from thence to Hamath the great, —and go down to Gath of the Philistines, are they better than these kingdoms? or their boundary larger than your boundary?

3 Woe to them, that put far away the day of evil, And bring near the seat of oppression;

Ye who are putting far away the day of calamity, —but bringing near the abode of violence:

4 That lie upon beds of ivory, And stretch themselves upon their couches; That eat lambs from the flock, And calves from the stall;

Who are lying on beds of ivory, and sprawling on their couch of pleasure, —and eating the well-fed of the flock, and the fatted calves out of the midst of the stalls:

5 That chant to the sound of the harp, And invent for themselves instruments of music, like David;

Who are bawling at the bidding of the harp, —like David, have they invented for themselves instruments of song:

6 That drink wine in bowls, And anoint themselves with the most precious perfumes, But grieve not for the destruction of Joseph!

Who are quaffing bowls of wine, and, with the best of oils, anointing themselves, —and are not afflicted for the injury of Joseph: —

7 Therefore now shall they go captive at the head of the captives; Yea, the shouting of them that stretch themselves upon their couches shall cease.

Therefore, at once, shall they go into exile among the first of the exiles, —so shall be disturbed the revelry of sprawlers.

8 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by himself, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts: I abhor the pride of Jacob, And I hate his palaces; I will give up the city, and all that is therein.

Sworn hath the Lord, Yahweh, by his own life, Declareth Yahweh, God of hosts, abhorring am I, the grandeur of Jacob, and, his palaces, I hate, —therefore will I cast off the city and the fulness thereof.

9 And if ten men remain in one house, These also shall die.

And it shall come to pass, though there be left remaining ten men in one house, yet shall they die;

10 A man's relative, or a burner of the dead, shall take him up, To carry his bones out of the house, And he shall say to him that is in the innermost part of the house, Is there yet any one with thee? And he shall answer, No one! Then shall he say, Keep silence! For we may not make mention of the name of Jehovah.

And a man’s near of kin, even he who is about to burn the bones, shall carry him out of the house, when he shall say to him that is in the hinder parts of the house—Are there yet any with thee? and he shall say—No one. Then shall he say—Hush! for we must not invoke the name of Yahweh.

11 For behold Jehovah hath commanded, And he will smite the great house with breaches, And the small house with clefts.

For lo! Yahweh, is giving command, and will smite the great house into ruins, —and the little house with clefts.

12 Shall horses run upon rocks, Or will one plough rocks with oxen, That ye change justice into hemlock, And the fruit of equity into wormwood,

Shall horses run upon crag? or will a man plough [there] with oxen? For ye have turned to poison the sentence of justice, and the fruit of righteousness, to wormwood:

13 Ye that rejoice in a thing of naught, And say, Have we not acquired dominion by our own strength?

Who rejoice in a thing of nought, —who say, Have we not by our own strength, taken to ourselves horns?

14 Behold, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, I will raise against you a nation, That shall oppress you from Hamath Even to the brook of the desert.

For behold me! raising up against you, O house of Israel, Declareth Yahweh, the God of hosts—a nation! And they shall crush you, from the entering in of Hamath, unto the torrent-bed of the waste plain.