Amos 6
1 Terrible things will happen to you people in Jerusalem who are not worried about anything, and also to you leaders who live on Samaria Hill who think that you are safe. [You think that] [IRO] you are the most important people [in the world], people to whom Israeli people [MTY] go [to get help].
Woe to those that are free from care in Zion, and that are in safety on the mount of Samaria, who are named the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come!
2 But go to Calneh [city] and see [what happened there]. Then go to [see] the great [city] Hamath [and see what happened there]. Then go down to Gath [city] in Philistia [and see what happened to their city walls]. Your land/country is certainly not [RHQ] larger or more powerful than their countries were, [but they were all destroyed].
Pass ye over unto Calneh, and see; and go from there to Chamath-rabbah; then go down to Gath of the Philistines: whether they be better than these kingdoms? or whether their territory be greater than your territory?
3 You are trying to not think about a day when you will experience disasters, when [your enemies will come and] violently attack you.
[Ye] that deem far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
4 You lie on beds [decorated with expensive] ivory, and on [soft] couches. You eat [the tender meat of] lambs and fat calves.
That lie upon beds of ivory, and are stretched out upon their couches, and eat lambs out of the flock, and calves out of the midst of the stall;
5 You create/compose new songs and play them on your harps like [King] David did.
That chant to the sound of the psaltery, and like David's do they imagine their instrument of music to be;
6 You drink entire bowlfuls of wine and you put expensive oils/perfumes on your bodies, but you do not grieve about [your country of] Israel [MTY], which is about to be destroyed.
That drink out of wine-bowls, and anoint themselves with the costliest of ointments; but who feel no pain for the wound of Joseph.
7 Your feasting and lounging [on soft couches] will soon end, and you will be among the first ones to be forced [by your enemies] to go (into exile/to another country).
Therefore now shall they go into exile at the head of exiles, and the noisy banquet of those that were stretched out shall pass away.
8 Yahweh the Lord has solemnly declared this: “I hate the people of Israel because they are very proud; I detest their fortresses. I will enable [their enemies] to capture their [capital] city and everything in it.”
The Lord Eternal hath sworn by his own existence, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the pride of Jacob, and his palaces do I hate: therefore will I surrender up [to the enemy] the city with all that filleth it.
9 [When that happens, ] if there are ten people in one house, they will all die.
And it shall come to pass, that if there remain ten men in one house, they shall die.
10 If a relative who (has the task of/is responsible for) burning their corpses comes to the house and inquires of anyone who is still hiding there, “Is there anyone here with you?”, and that person replies “No,” [the one who inquired] will say, “Be quiet! We must not mention the name of Yahweh, [lest he cause us also to be killed]!”
And should a man's uncle or relative carry him forth, to bring out the bones out of the house, and say unto him that is in the recesses of the house, Is there yet any one with thee? he will say, There is no one left. Then will he say, Be silent; for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.
11 [Terrible things like that will happen] because Yahweh has commanded that large houses [in Israel] must be smashed into pieces, and small houses must be smashed into tiny bits.
For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.
12 Horses certainly do not [RHQ] run on big rocks, and certainly people do not [RHQ] plow the sea with oxen. But you have [done things that no one should do]: You have distorted what is fair/right and caused it to be considered like poison [MET]; you have changed what is right and consider it to be like things that are bitter.
Do horses ever run upon the rock? or will one plough there with oxen? that ye have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood;
13 You are proud because you have captured Lo-Debar [town], and you have said, “We captured Karnaim by our own power!”
Ye who rejoice for a thing of naught, who say, Have we not through our own strength procured ourselves horns?
14 But the Commander of the armies of angels declares, “I will cause another nation to attack you people [MTY] of Israel; they will (oppress you/cause you to suffer) all the way from Hamath Pass [in the northwest] to the Dead Sea [in the southeast].”
For, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of hosts, and they shall oppress you from the entrance of Chamath unto the brook of the wilderness.
