Amos 6

1 Sorrow awaits who are carefree in Zion, overconfident on the mountain of Samaria! The elite of this, the best of nations, on whom the people of Israel rest their hopes!

Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.

2 You say to the people: Cross over to Calneh and see, go from there to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath of the Philistines: Are they better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?

Cross over to Calneh and see; go from there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their territory larger than yours?

3 You push away all thoughts of the evil day, yet have instituted a rule of violence.

You dismiss the day of calamity and bring near a reign of violence.

4 They lie on ivory couches, sprawl on their divans, eat choice lambs from the flock, and fattened calves from the stall.

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.

5 They idly sing to the sound of the lyre, thinking themselves songwriters like David,

You improvise songs on the harp like David and invent your own musical instruments.

6 they drink bowlfuls of wine, and anoint themselves with the finest of oil. But they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

7 Therefore now they must go into exile at the head of the captives, and hushed will be the revelry of the sprawlers.

Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end.

8 The Lord God, the Lord, the God of hosts, has sworn by himself: I abhor the pride of Jacob, I hate his palaces, therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it to their enemies.

The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything in it.”

9 If ten people remain in one house, then they will die.

And if there are ten men left in one house, they too will die.

10 When the uncle and another member of the family of a dead man come to carry the body out of the house for burial, they will call to someone in a corner of the house, “Any more there?” and he will answer, “No”, and then he will add, “Be quiet!” – for the name of the Lord must not be mentioned.

And when the relative who is to burn the bodies picks them up to remove them from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?” “None,” that person will answer. “Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of the LORD must not be invoked.”

11 Look! The Lord is giving the command! He will smash the large house to bits, the small house into fragments.

For the LORD gives a command: “The great house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to rubble.”

12 Do horses gallop on crags? Does one plough the sea with oxen? Yet you turn justice into poison weed, and the fruit of righteousness into bitter wormwood.

“Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—

13 You who are so proud of capturing Lo-debar, who say, “Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?”

you who rejoice in Lo-debar and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?’

14 I am now raising up against you, Israel, a nation, says the Lord, the God of hosts. They will oppress you, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.

For behold, I will raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of Hosts, “and they will oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.”