Amos 6

1 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.

Woe to them that set at nothing Sion, and that trust in the mountain of Samaria: they have gathered [the harvest of] the heads of the nations, and they have gone in themselves.

2 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?

O house of Israel, pass by all [of you], and see; and pass by thence to Ematrabba; and thence descend to Geth of the Philistines, the chief of all these kingdoms, [see] if their coasts are greater than your coasts.

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

You who are approaching the evil day, who are drawing near and adopting false sabbaths;

4 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:

who sleep upon beds of ivory, and live delicately on their couches, and eat kids out of the flocks, and sucking calves out of the midst of the stalls;

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

who excel in the sound of musical instruments; they have regarded them as dwelling, not as fleeting [pleasures];

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

who drink strained wine, and anoint themselves with the best ointment; and have suffered nothing on occasion of the calamity of Joseph.

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

Therefore now shall they depart into captivity from the dominion of princes, and the neighing of horses shall be cut off from Ephraim.

8 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.

For the Lord has sworn by himself, [saying], Because I abhor all the pride of Jacob, I do also hate his countries, and I will cut off [his] city with all who inhabit it.

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

And it shall come to pass, if there be ten men left in one house, that they shall die.

10 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.

But a remnant shall be left behind, and their relations shall take them, and shall strenuously endeavour to carry forth their bones from the house: and one shall say to the heads of the house, Is there yet [any one] else with you? And he shall say, No [one] else. And [the other] shall say, Be silent, that you name not the name of the Lord.

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

For, behold, the Lord commands, and he will strike the great house with breaches, and the little house with rents.

12 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:

Will horses run upon rocks? will they refrain from neighing at mares? for you have turned judgement into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness:

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

you who rejoice at vanity, who say, Have we not possessed horns by our own strength?

14 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.

For behold, O house of Israel, I will raise up against you a nation, says the Lord of hosts; and they shall afflict you so that you shall not enter into Aemath, and as it were [from] the river of the wilderness.