Amos:1-5

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* The words of Amos , who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa , which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah , and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash , king of Israel , two years before the earthquake . * And he said : "The LORD roars from Zion , And utters His voice from Jerusalem ; The pastures of the shepherds mourn , And the top of Carmel withers ." * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Damascus , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron . * But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael , Which shall devour the palaces of Ben-Hadad . * I will also break the gate bar of Damascus , And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven , And the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden . The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir ," Says the LORD . * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Gaza , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom . * But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza , Which shall devour its palaces . * I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod , And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon ; I will turn My hand against Ekron , And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish ," Says the Lord GOD . * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Tyre , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom , And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood . * But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre , Which shall devour its palaces ." * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Edom , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because he pursued his brother with the sword , And cast off all pity ; His anger tore perpetually , And he kept his wrath forever . * But I will send a fire upon Teman , Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah ." * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of the people of Ammon , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead , That they might enlarge their territory . * But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah , And it shall devour its palaces , Amid shouting in the day of battle , And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind . * Their king shall go into captivity , He and his princes together ," Says the LORD . * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Moab , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime . * But I will send a fire upon Moab , And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth ; Moab shall die with tumult , With shouting and trumpet sound . * And I will cut off the judge from its midst , And slay all its princes with him ," Says the LORD . * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Judah , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because they have despised the law of the LORD , And have not kept His commandments . Their lies lead them astray , Lies which their fathers followed . * But I will send a fire upon Judah , And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem ." * Thus says the LORD : "For three transgressions of Israel , and for four , I will not turn away its punishment , Because they sell the righteous for silver , And the poor for a pair of sandals . * They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor , And pervert the way of the humble . A man and his father go in to the same girl , To defile My holy name . * They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge , And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god . * "Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them , Whose height was like the height of the cedars , And he was as strong as the oaks ; Yet I destroyed his fruit above And his roots beneath . * Also it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt , And led you forty years through the wilderness , To possess the land of the Amorite . * I raised up some of your sons as prophets , And some of your young men as Nazirites . Is it not so , O you children of Israel ?" Says the LORD . * "But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink , And commanded the prophets saying , "Do not prophesy !' * "Behold , I am weighed down by you , As a cart full of sheaves is weighed down . * Therefore flight shall perish from the swift , The strong shall not strengthen his power , Nor shall the mighty deliver himself ; * He shall not stand who handles the bow , The swift of foot shall not escape , Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself . * The most courageous men of might Shall flee naked in that day ," Says the LORD . * Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you , O children of Israel , against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt , saying : * "You only have I known of all the families of the earth ; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities ." * Can two walk together , unless they are agreed ? * Will a lion roar in the forest , when he has no prey ? Will a young lion cry out of his den , if he has caught nothing ? * Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth , where there is no trap for it ? Will a snare spring up from the earth , if it has caught nothing at all ? * If a trumpet is blown in a city , will not the people be afraid ? If there is calamity in a city , will not the LORD have done it ? * Surely the Lord GOD does nothing , Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets . * A lion has roared ! Who will not fear ? The Lord GOD has spoken ! Who can but prophesy ? * "Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod , And in the palaces in the land of Egypt , and say : "Assemble on the mountains of Samaria ; See great tumults in her midst , And the oppressed within her . * For they do not know to do right ,' Says the LORD , "Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces ."' * Therefore thus says the Lord GOD : "An adversary shall be all around the land ; He shall sap your strength from you , And your palaces shall be plundered ." * Thus says the LORD : "As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion Two legs or a piece of an ear , So shall the children of Israel be taken out Who dwell in Samaria -- In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch ! * Hear and testify against the house of Jacob ," Says the Lord GOD , the God of hosts , * "That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions , I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel ; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground . * I will destroy the winter house along with the summer house ; The houses of ivory shall perish , And the great houses shall have an end ," Says the LORD . * Hear this word , you cows of Bashan , who are on the mountain of Samaria , Who oppress the poor , Who crush the needy , Who say to your husbands , "Bring wine , let us drink !" * The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness : "Behold , the days shall come upon you When He will take you away with fishhooks , And your posterity with fishhooks . * You will go out through broken walls , Each one straight ahead of her , And you will be cast into Harmon ," Says the LORD . * "Come to Bethel and transgress , At Gilgal multiply transgression ; Bring your sacrifices every morning , Your tithes every three days . * Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven , Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings ; For this you love , You children of Israel !" Says the Lord GOD . * "Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities . And lack of bread in all your places ; Yet you have not returned to Me ," Says the LORD . * "I also withheld rain from you , When there were still three months to the harvest . I made it rain on one city , I withheld rain from another city . One part was rained upon , And where it did not rain the part withered . * So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water , But they were not satisfied ; Yet you have not returned to Me ," Says the LORD . * "I blasted you with blight and mildew . When your gardens increased , Your vineyards , Your fig trees , And your olive trees , The locust devoured them ; Yet you have not returned to Me ," Says the LORD . * "I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt ; Your young men I killed with a sword , Along with your captive horses ; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils ; Yet you have not returned to Me ," Says the LORD . * "I overthrew some of you , As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah , And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning ; Yet you have not returned to Me ," Says the LORD . * "Therefore thus will I do to you , O Israel ; Because I will do this to you , Prepare to meet your God , O Israel !" * For behold , He who forms mountains , And creates the wind , Who declares to man what his thought is , And makes the morning darkness , Who treads the high places of the earth -- The LORD God of hosts is His name . * Hear this word which I take up against you , a lamentation , O house of Israel : * The virgin of Israel has fallen ; She will rise no more . She lies forsaken on her land ; There is no one to raise her up . * For thus says the Lord GOD : "The city that goes out by a thousand Shall have a hundred left , And that which goes out by a hundred Shall have ten left to the house of Israel ." * For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel : "Seek Me and live ; * But do not seek Bethel , Nor enter Gilgal , Nor pass over to Beersheba ; For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity , And Bethel shall come to nothing . * Seek the LORD and live , Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph , And devour it , With no one to quench it in Bethel -- * You who turn justice to wormwood , And lay righteousness to rest in the earth !" * He made the Pleiades and Orion ; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night ; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth ; The LORD is His name . * He rains ruin upon the strong , So that fury comes upon the fortress . * They hate the one who rebukes in the gate , And they abhor the one who speaks uprightly . * Therefore , because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him , Though you have built houses of hewn stone , Yet you shall not dwell in them ; You have planted pleasant vineyards , But you shall not drink wine from them . * For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins : Afflicting the just and taking bribes ; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate . * Therefore the prudent keep silent at that time , For it is an evil time . * Seek good and not evil , That you may live ; So the LORD God of hosts will be with you , As you have spoken . * Hate evil , love good ; Establish justice in the gate . It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph . * Therefore the LORD God of hosts , the Lord , says this : "There shall be wailing in all streets , And they shall say in all the highways , "Alas ! Alas !' They shall call the farmer to mourning , And skillful lamenters to wailing . * In all vineyards there shall be wailing , For I will pass through you ," Says the LORD . * Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD ! For what good is the day of the LORD to you ? It will be darkness , and not light . * It will be as though a man fled from a lion , And a bear met him ! Or as though he went into the house , Leaned his hand on the wall , And a serpent bit him ! * Is not the day of the LORD darkness , and not light ? Is it not very dark , with no brightness in it ? * "I hate , I despise your feast days , And I do not savor your sacred assemblies . * Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings , I will not accept them , Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings . * Take away from Me the noise of your songs , For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments . * But let justice run down like water , And righteousness like a mighty stream . * "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years , O house of Israel ? * You also carried Sikkuth your king And Chiun , your idols , The star of your gods , Which you made for yourselves . * Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus ," Says the LORD , whose name is the God of hosts . * Woe to you who are at ease in Zion , And trust in Mount Samaria , Notable persons in the chief nation , To whom the house of Israel comes !

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