< Amos 4 >

1 Hear ye this word, ye heifers of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, —who say to their lords, Bring in, and let us drink!
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.”
2 Sworn hath My Lord, Yahweh, by his own holiness, That lo! days, are coming upon you, —when he will take you away with hooks, and your followers with fishhooks;
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.
3 And, through fissures, shall ye go out, every woman, straight before her, —and ye shall be thrust forth towards the castle, Declareth Yahweh.
And [by] breaches you go forth, A woman before her, And you have cast down the high place,” A declaration of YHWH.
4 Enter ye Bethel, and transgress, At Gilgal, cause transgression, to abound, —Yea, carry in, every morning, your sacrifices, every three days, your tithes;
“Enter Beth-El, and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression, And bring in your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every third year.
5 Yea, burn thou incense, of that which is leavened, as a thank-offering, and proclaim ye freewill-offerings, let them be known, —for, so, ye love [to have it], ye sons of Israel, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh.
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.
6 Moreover also, I, have given you cleanness of teeth throughout all your cities, and want of bread throughout all your dwelling-places, —Yet have ye not returned unto me, Declareth Yahweh.
“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.
7 Moreover also, I, have withholden from you the abundant rain, when yet there were only three mouths to the harvest, Or I might rain upon one city, and, on another city, might not rain, —One portion, would be rained upon, and, the portion whereupon it should not rain, would be dried up;
“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.
8 Then would two or three cities totter to one city to drink water, without being satisfied, —Yet have ye not returned unto me, Declareth Yahweh.
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.
9 I have smitten you with blight and with mildew, When your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees have increased, the creeping locust would devour them, —Yet have ye not returned unto me, Declareth Yahweh.
“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.
10 I have sent among you pestilence, in the manner of Egypt, I have slain, with the sword, your young men, and therewith have been taken captive your horses, And I have caused to ascend—the stench of your camps, even into your own nostrils, Yet ye have not returned unto me, Declareth Yahweh.
“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.
11 I have made an overthrew among you, like the divine overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye have become like a brand snatched out of the burning, —Yet hate ye not returned unto me, Declareth Yahweh.
“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.
12 Therefore, thus, will I do unto thee, O Israel, —Because this thing I will do unto thee, Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
“Therefore, thus I do to you, O Israel, at last, Because this I do to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”
13 For lo! He that fashioned the mountains, and created the wind, and who telleth the son of earth what is his thought, who turneth dawn into darkness, and marcheth upon the high places of the earth, Yahweh, God of hosts, is his name!
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!

< Amos 4 >