Amos 2

1 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Moab, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of his burning the bones of the king of Edom to lime,

The Lord says: For Moab’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They have burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom,

2 And I have sent a fire against Moab, And it hath consumed the palaces of Kerioth, And dying with noise is Moab, With shouting, with voice of a trumpet.

to desecrate the dead. So I will send a fire into Moab. It will devour the palaces of Kirioth, with a war-cry, with the sound of trumpets.

3 And I have cut off a judge from her midst, And all its heads I slay with him, said Jehovah.

I will kill the ruler, all his nobles I will slay with him, says the Lord.

4 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, And for four, I do not reserve it, Because of their loathing the law of Jehovah, And His statutes they have not kept, And their lies do cause them to err, After which their fathers did walk,

The Lord says: For Judah’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his statutes. Instead their false gods their ancestors followed, have led them astray.

5 And I have sent a fire against Judah, And it hath consumed palaces of Jerusalem.

So I will send a fire on Judah. It will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

6 Thus said Jehovah: For three transgressions of Israel, And for four, I do not reverse it, Because of their selling for silver the righteous, And the needy for a pair of sandals.

The Lord says: For Israel’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They sell the righteous for money, the needy for a pair of shoes.

7 Who are panting for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, And the way of the humble they turn aside, And a man and his father go unto the damsel, So as to pollute My holy name.

They trample on the head of the poor, push the humble out of the way. Father and son go to the same temple girl, and so profane my holy name.

8 And on pledged garments they stretch themselves near every altar, And the wine of fined ones they drink [in] the house of their gods.

They stretch themselves on garments taken in pledges beside every altar, and they drink the wine of those who have been fined in the house of their God.

9 And I — I have destroyed the Amorite from before them, Whose height [is] as the height of cedars, And strong he [is] as the oaks, And I destroy his fruit from above, And his roots from beneath.

It was I who destroyed the Amorites for your sake, whose height was like that of the cedars, as strong as oaks. I destroyed their fruit from above and their roots from below.

10 And I — I have brought you up from the land of Egypt, And cause you to go in a wilderness forty years, To possess the land of the Amorite.

It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, led you forty years in the wilderness, brought you here to possess the land of the Amorites.

11 And I raise of your sons for prophets, And of your choice ones for Nazarites, Is not this true, O sons of Israel? An affirmation of Jehovah.

I raised up some of your sons to be prophets some of your youths to be Nazirites. Is not this indeed so, Israelites? says the Lord.

12 And ye cause the Nazarites to drink wine, And on the prophets ye have laid a charge, Saying, 'Do not prophecy!'

But you made the Nazirites drink wine and banned the prophets from prophesying.

13 Lo, I am pressing you under, As the full cart doth press for itself a sheaf.

Listen! It is I who will make you groan in your places, as a wagon groans under its load of grain.

14 And perished hath refuge from the swift, And the strong strengtheneth not his power, And the mighty delivereth not his soul.

Then flight will fail the swift, and the strength of the strongest will be useless. The warrior will not save his life,

15 And the handler of the bow standeth not, And the swift with his feet delivereth not [himself], And the rider of the horse delivereth not his soul.

the archer will not stand firm, the swift of foot will not escape, the horseman will not save his life.

16 And the courageous of heart among the mighty, Naked doth flee in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah!

The bravest of warriors will flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.