|
Scripture: Amos 2:4-3:15
4 The Lord says:
I will not relent from punishing Judah(A)
for three crimes, even four,
because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord(B)
and have not kept his statutes.(C)
The lies(D) that their ancestors followed(E)
have led them astray.
5 Therefore, I will send fire(F) against Judah,
and it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.
6 The Lord says:
I will not relent from punishing Israel(G)
for three crimes, even four,
because they sell a righteous person for silver
and a needy person for a pair of sandals.(H)
7 They trample the heads of the poor(I)
on the dust of the ground
and obstruct the path of the needy.(J)
A man and his father have sexual relations
with the same girl,(K)
profaning my holy name.(L)
8 They stretch out beside every altar(M)
on garments taken as collateral,(N)
and in the house of their God
they drink wine obtained through fines.(O)
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite(P) as Israel advanced;
his height(Q) was like the cedars,
and he was as sturdy as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit(R) above and his roots beneath.
10 And I brought you from the land of Egypt(S)
and led you forty years in the wilderness(T)
in order to possess the land of the Amorite.(U)
11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets(V)
and some of your young men as Nazirites.(W)
Is this not the case, Israelites?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets,
“Do not prophesy.”(X)
13 Look, I am about to crush[a] you in your place(Y)
as a wagon crushes when full of grain.
14 Escape will fail the swift,(Z)
the strong one will not maintain his strength,(AA)
and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground,(AB)
the one who is swift of foot
will not save himself,
and the one riding a horse will not save his life.(AC)
16 Even the most courageous of the warriors
will flee naked on that day(AD)—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
3 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:(AE)
2 I have known only you(AF)
out of all the clans of the earth;
therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.(AG)
3 Can two walk together(AH)
without agreeing to meet?
4 Does a lion roar(AI) in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion growl from its lair
unless it has captured something?
5 Does a bird land in a trap on the ground
if there is no bait for it?
Does a trap spring from the ground
when it has caught nothing?
6 If a ram’s horn(AJ) is blown in a city,
aren’t people afraid?(AK)
If a disaster(AL) occurs in a city,
hasn’t the Lord done it?(AM)
7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing his counsel
to his servants the prophets.(AN)
8 A lion has roared;(AO)
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;(AP)
who will not prophesy?(AQ)
9 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod(AR)
and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:
Assemble on the mountains of Samaria,(AS)
and see the great turmoil in the city
and the acts of oppression within it.(AT)
10 The people are incapable of doing right(AU)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
those who store up violence and destruction(AV)
in their citadels.
11 Therefore, the Lord God says:
An enemy(AW) will surround the land;
he will destroy(AX) your strongholds
and plunder your citadels.(AY)
12 The Lord says:
As the shepherd snatches two legs
or a piece of an ear
from the lion’s mouth,(AZ)
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will be rescued
with only the corner of a bed(BA)
or the[b] cushion[c] of a couch.[d](BB)
13 Listen and testify(BC) against the house of Jacob—
this is the declaration of the Lord God,
the God of Armies.
14 I will punish the altars of Bethel(BD)
on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;
the horns of the altar(BE) will be cut off
and fall to the ground.(BF)
15 I will demolish the winter house(BG)
and the summer house;(BH)
the houses inlaid with ivory(BI) will be destroyed,
and the great houses(BJ) will come to an end.
This is the Lord’s declaration.