RVIC2000 (American Revised Version, Improved and Corrected)AMOS
The Book of
Amos
1:3 God’s Judgments on neighboring Nations. 2:4 Judgments on Judah and Israel. 5:18 The Day of the Lord.
1
RVIC2000 (American Revised Version, Improved and Corrected)AMOS
1The words of Amos,who was among theherdsmen of Tekoa,which he saw concerning Israel in thedays of Uzziahking of Judah,and in thedays of Jeroboam theson of Joashking of Israel,two years before theearthquake.
2 And he said,Jehovah will roar from Zion,and utter his voice from Jerusalem;and the[1]pastures of theshepherds shall mourn,and thetop of Carmel shall wither.
3 Thus saith Jehovah:for three transgressions of Damascus,yes,for four,Iwill not [2]turn away [3]thepunishmentthereof;because they have threshed [4]Gilead with threshing instuments of iron: 4 but Iwill send afire into thehouse of Hazael,and it shall devour the palaces of Beh-hadad. 5 And Iwill break the bar of Damascus,and cutoff [5]theinhabitant from thevalley of [6]Aven,and him that holdeth thesceptre from [7]the house of Eden;and thepeople of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir,saith Jehovah.
6 Thus saith Jehovah:For three transgressions of Gaza,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;because they carried away captive [8]the whole people,to deliver them up to Edom: 7 but Iwill send afire on the wall of Gaza,and it shall devour the palaces thereof. 8 And Iwill cutoff theinhabitant fromAshdod,andhim that holdeth thesceptre from Ashkelon;and Iwill turn myhand against Ekron;andtheremnant of thePhilistines shall perish,saith theLord Jehovah.
9 Thus saith Jehovah:For three transgressions of Tyre,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;because they delivered up the whole people toEdom,and remembered not [9]the brotherly covenant: 10but Iwill send afire on thewall of Tyre,and it shall devour thepalaces thereof.
11 Thus saith Jehovah:For three transgressions of Edom,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;because he did pursue his brother with thesword,and [10]did castoff all pity,and his anger did tear perpetually,and he kept his wrath forever: 12but Iwill send afire upon Teman,and it shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.
13 Thus saith Jehovah:For three transgressions of thechildren of Ammon,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;because they have rippedupthewomenwithchild ofGilead,that they may enlarge their border: 14 but Iwill kindle afire in the wall of Rabbah,and it shall devour the palaces thereof,with shouting in theday of battle,with atempest in the day of the whirlwind; 15 and their king shall go into captivity,he and his princes together,saith Jehovah.
2 Thus saith Jehovah:For three transgressions of Moab,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;becausehe burned thebones of theking of Edom into lime: 2 but Iwill send afire upon Moab,and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth;and Moab shall die with tumult,with shouting,andwith thesound of thetrumpet; 3 and Iwill cutoff the judge from themidst thereof,and will slay all the princes thereof with him,saith Jehovah.
4 Thus saith Jehovah:for three transgressions of Judah,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;because they have rejected thelaw of Jehovah,and have not kept hisstatutes,and theirlies have caused them toerr,after which their fathers did walk: 5 but Iwill send afire upon Judah,and it shall devour thepalaces of Jerusalem.
6 Thus saith Jehovah:For three transgressions of Israel,yes,for four,Iwill not turn away thepunishmentthereof;because they have sold the righteous for silver,and theneedy for apair of shoes; 7they thatpant after the dust of the earth on the head ofthe poor,and turn aside the way of the meek:and aman and his father go unto the same maiden,to profane my holy name: 8 and they lay themselves down beside every altar upon clothes taken in pledge;and in thehouse of their God they drink thewine of such as have been fined.
9 Yet destroyed I theAmorite before them,whose height was like theheight of thecedars,and he was strong as theoaks;yet I destroyed his fruit from above,and his roots from beneath. 10 AlsoI brought you up out of theland of Egypt,and led you forty years in thewilderness,to possess theland of theAmorite. 11And Iraisedup of your sons for prophets,and of your young men for Nazirites. Is itnot even thus,Oye children of Israel?saith Jehovah. 12 But ye gave theNazirites wine to drink,and commanded theprophets,saying,Prophesy not.
13 Behold, [11]Iwill press you in your place,as acart presseth that is full of sheaves. 14 And [12]flight shall perish from theswift;and thestrong shall not strengthen his force;neither shall themighty deliver [13]his soul; 15 neither shall he stand that handleth thebow;and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver his soul;neither shall he that rideth thehorse deliver his soul; 16 and he that[14]is courageous among themighty shall fleeawaynaked inthatday,saith Jehovah.
3 Hear this word that Jehovah hath spoken against you,Ochildren of Israel,against the whole family whichI broughtup out of theland of Egypt,saying, 2You only haveI known of all thefamilies of theearth:therefore Iwill visit upon you all your iniquities. 3Shall two walk together,except they have [15]agreed? 4Will alion roar in theforest,when he hath no prey?will a young lion cry out of his den,if he have taken nothing? 5 Can abird fall in asnare upon theearth,where no gin is set for him?shall asnare spring up from theground,and have taken nothing at all? 6 Shall thetrumpet be blown in acity,and thepeople not be afraid?shall evil befall acity,and Jehovah hath not done it? 7 Surely the Lord Jehovah will do nothing,except he reveal hissecret unto his servants theprophets. 8 Thelion hath roared;who will not fear? The Lord Jehovah hath spoken;who can but prophesy?
9 Publish ye [16]in thepalaces at Ashdod,and in the palaces in theland of Egypt,and say,Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria,and behold what great tumults are therein,and what oppressions in themidst thereof. 10 For they know not to do right,saith Jehovah,who storeup violence and robbery in theirpalaces. 11ThereforethussaiththeLord Jehovah;An adversary there shall be,even round about theland;and he shall bringdown thy strength from thee,and thy palaces shall be plundered. 12 Thus saith Jehovah:As the shepherd rescueth out of the mouth of thelion two legs,or apiece of an ear,so shall the children of Israel be rescued that sit in Samaria in thecorner of acouch,and [17]on the silken cushions of abed.
13 Hear ye,and testify against thehouse of Jacob,saith the Lord Jehovah,the God of hosts. 14 For in the day that Ishall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him,Iwill also visit the altars of Beth-el;and the horns of thealtar shall be cutoff, and fall to theground. 15And Iwill smite thewinter-house with thesummer-house;and thehouses of ivory shall perish,and [18]the great houses shall have an end,saith Jehovah.
4 Hear this word,ye kine of Bashan,that are in the mountain of Samaria,that oppress thepoor,that crush theneedy,that say unto their lords,Bring,and let us drink. 2 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness,that,lo,thedays shall come upon you,that they shall take you away with hooks,and your residue with fish-hooks. 3 And ye shall go out at thebreaches,everyone straight before her;and [19]ye shall cast yourselves into Harmon,saith Jehovah.
4 Come to Beth-el,and transgress;to Gilgal,andmultiply transgression;and bring your sacrifices every morning,andyour tithes every three days; 5and [20]offer asacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened,andproclaim freewill-offerings and publish them:for this pleaseth you,Oye children of Israel,saith the Lord Jehovah.
6 And Ialso have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,and want of bread in all your places;yet have ye not returned unto me,saith Jehovah. 7And Ialso have withholden therain from you,when there were yet three months to theharvest;and Icaused it to rain upon one city,and caused it not to rain upon another city:one piece was rained upon,and the piece whereupon it rainednotwithered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water,and were not satisfied:yet have ye not returned unto me,saith Jehovah. 9I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:themultitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-treeshath thepalmer-worm devoured:yet have ye not returned unto me,saith Jehovah. 10I have sent among you the pestilence after themanner of Egypt:your young men haveIslain with thesword, [21]and have carried away your horses;and I have made the stench of your camp to comeup even into your nostrils:yet have ye not returned untome,saith Jehovah. 11I have overthrown cities among you,as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,and ye were as abrand plucked out of theburning:yet have ye not returned unto me,saith Jehovah.
12 Therefore thus will Ido unto thee,OIsrael;andbecause Iwill do this unto thee,prepare to meet thy God,OIsrael. 13 For,lo,he that formeth the mountains,and createth thewind,and declareth unto man what is his [22]thought;that maketh themorning darkness,and treadethuponthehighplacesof theearth;Jehovah,the God of hosts,is his name.
5 Hear ye thewordwhichI takeup for alamentation over you,Ohouse of Israel. 2 The virgin of Israel is fallen;she shall no more rise:she [23]is castdown upon her land;there is none to raise her up. 3 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah:Thecity thatwent forth athousand shall have ahundred left,and thatwhich went forth ahundred shall have ten left,to the house of Israel.
4 For thus saith Jehovah unto thehouse of Israel,Seek ye me,and ye shall live; 5 but seek not Beth-el,nor enter into Gilgal,and pass not to Beer-sheba:for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity,and Beth-el shall [24]come to nought. 6 Seek Jehovah,and ye shall live;lest he break out like fire in thehouse of Joseph,and itdevourand there be none to quenchitin Beth-el. 7Yewho turn justice to wormwood,and castdown righteousness to theearth, 8 seek him that maketh thePleiades and Orion,and turneth [25]theshadow of death into themorning,and maketh the daydark with night;that calleth for thewaters of thesea,and poureth them out upon theface of theearth;(Jehovah is his name;) 9that[26]bringeth suddendestruction upon thestrong,sothat destruction cometh upon thefortress.
10 They hate him that reproveth in thegate,and theyabhor him that speaketh uprightly. 11Forasmuch thereforeas ye trampleupon thepoor,and take exactions from him of wheat:ye have built houses of hewn stone,but ye shall not dwell in them;ye have planted pleasant vineyards,but ye shall not drink thewine thereof. 12 ForI know how manifold are your transgressions,and how mighty are your sins;ye that afflict the just,that take abribe,and that turn aside the needy in thegatefrom their right. 13 Therefore he that is prudent shall keep silence in such a time;for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good,and not evil,that ye may live;and so Jehovah,the God of hosts,will be with you,as ye say. 15[27]Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in thegate:it may be that Jehovah,the God of hosts,will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah,the God of hosts,[28]Jehovah:Wailing shall be in all the broad ways;and they shall say in all thestreets,Alas!alas!and they shall call thehusbandman tomourning, [29]and such as are skilful inlamentation towailing. 17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing;for Iwill pass through the midst of thee,saith Jehovah.
18 Woe unto you that desire theday of Jehovah! Wherefore wouldye have theday of Jehovah? It is darkness,and not light. 19 As if aman did flee from alion,and a bear met him; [30]or went into thehouse and leaned his hand on thewall,and aserpent bit him. 20 Shall not theday of Jehovah bedarkness,and not light?even very dark,and no brightness in it?
21 I hate,Idespise your feasts,and I [31]will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Yes,though ye offer me [32]your burnt-offeringsand meal-offerings, Iwill not accept them;neither will Iregard the[33]peace-offerings of your fat beasts. 23 Take thou away from me thenoise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. 24 But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a [34]mighty stream.
25 Did ye bring untome sacrifices and [35]offerings in thewilderness forty years,Ohouse of Israel? 26Yes, [36]ye have borne thebooth of your kingand theshrine of your images,the star of your god,which ye made toyourselves. 27 Therefore will Icause you to go intocaptivity beyond Damascus,saith Jehovah,whose name is the God of hosts.
6 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion,and to them that are secure in themountain of Samaria,the notable men of thechief of thenations,to whom thehouse of Israel come! 2 Pass ye unto Calneh,and see;and from thence go ye to Hamath thegreat;then godown to Gath of thePhilistines:are they better than these kingdoms?oris their border greater than your border? 3–ye thatput far away the evil day,and cause the[37]seat of violence to come near; 4 thatlie upon beds of ivory,and stretch themselves upon their couches,and eat the lambs out of theflock,and the calves out of the midst of thestall; 5 that sing idle songs to thesound oftheviol;thatinvent for themselves instruments of music, [38]like David; 6 that drink [39]wine in bowls,and anoint themselves with the chief oils;but they are not grieved for theaffliction of Joseph.
7 Therefore shall they now go captive with thefirst that go captive;and therevelry of them that stretched themselves shall pass away. 8 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his soul,saith Jehovah,the God of hosts:Iabhor the [40]excellency of Jacob,and hate his palaces;therefore will Ideliver up thecity with all that is therein. 9 And it shall come topass,if there remain ten men in one house,that they shall die. 10 And when aman’s [41]uncle shall take him up,even he that burneth him,to bring out thebones out of thehouse,and shall say unto him that is in the innermost parts of thehouse,Is there yet any with thee?and he shall say,No;then shall he say,Hold thy peace;for we may not make mention of thename of Jehovah. 11 For,behold,Jehovah commandeth,and [42]the great houseshall be smitten with breaches,and the little housewith clefts.
12 Shall horses run upon therock?will one plow there with oxen?that ye have turned justice into gall,and thefruit of righteousness into wormwood; 13ye that rejoice in athing of nought,that say,Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? 14 For,behold,Iwill raise up against you anation,Ohouse of Israel,saith Jehovah,the God of hosts;and they shall afflict you from theentrance of Hamath unto thebrook of theArabah.
7 Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me:and,behold,he formed locusts in thebeginning of the shooting up of the latter growth;and,lo,it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 And it came topass that,when they made an end of eating thegrass of theland,then Isaid,OLord Jehovah,forgive,I beseech thee:how shall Jacob stand?for he is small. 3 Jehovah repented concerning this:It shall not be,saith Jehovah.
4 Thus the Lord Jehovah showed me:and,behold,the Lord Jehovah called to contend by fire;and it devoured the great deep,and would have eaten up the[43]land. 5 Then said I,OLord Jehovah,cease,I beseech thee:how shall Jacob stand?for he is small. 6Jehovah repented concerning this:This also shall not be,saith the Lord Jehovah.
7 Thus he showed me:and,behold, [44]Jehovah stood [45]beside awall made by aplumbline,with aplumbline in his hand. 8 And Jehovah said unto me,Amos,what seest thou? And Isaid,Aplumbline. Then said Jehovah,Behold,Iwill set aplumbline in the midst of my people Israel;Iwill not again pass by them any more; 9and the high places of Isaac shall bedesolate,and thesanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste;and Iwill rise against thehouse of Jeroboam with thesword.
10 Then Amaziah thepriest of Beth-elsent to Jeroboam king of Israel,saying,Amos hath conspired against thee in themidst of thehouse of Israel:theland is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos saith,Jeroboam shall die by thesword,and Israel shall surely be led away captiveout of his land. 12Also Amaziah said unto Amos,Othou seer,go,flee thou away into theland of Judah,and there eat bread,and prophesy there: 13 but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el;for it is the king’s sanctuary,and it is a royal house.