Amos

Sefaria · Tanakh > Prophets · 146 sections

1.1
The words of Amos, a sheep breeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Israel in the reigns of Kings Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.athe earthquake See Zech. 14.5.
1.2
He proclaimed: GOD roars from Zion, Shouts aloud from Jerusalem; And the pastures of the shepherds shall languish, And the summit of Carmel shall wither.
1.3
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Damascus, For four, I will not revoke the decree:bthe decree Of punishment. Heb. “it.” Because they threshed Gilead With threshing boards of iron.
1.4
I will send down firecsend down fire Cf. Lam. 1.13. upon the palace of Hazael, And it shall devour the fortresses of Ben-hadad.dHazael…Ben-hadad Two of Aram’s kings; cf. 2 Kings 13.22–25.
1.5
I will break the gate bars of Damascus, And wipe out the inhabitants from the Vale of Aven And the sceptered ruler of Beth-eden; And the people of Aram shall be exiled to Kir —said GOD.
1.6
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Gaza, For four, I will not revoke the decree:ethe decree See note at v. 3. Because they exiledfexiled I.e., cooperated in the annexation of Israelite territory; cf. Jer. 13.19 with note. an entire population, Which they delivered to Edom.gEdom Emendation yields “Aram”; cf. Isa. 9.11.
1.7
I will send down fire upon the wall of Gaza, And it shall devour its fortresses;
1.8
And I will wipe out the inhabitants of Ashdod And the sceptered ruler of Ashkelon; And I will turn My hand against Ekron, And the Philistines shall perish with no remnant —said the Sovereign GOD.
1.9
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Tyre, For four, I will not revoke the decree:hthe decree See note at v. 3. Because they handed over An entire population to Edom,iEdom Emendation yields “Aram.” Ignoring the covenant of brotherhood.jcovenant of brotherhood I.e., the alliance between kings of similar social stature. Cf. 1 Kings 5.26; 9.12–13; and see note at 20.32.
1.10
I will send down fire upon the wall of Tyre, And it shall devour its fortresses.
1.11
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Edom, For four, I will not revoke the decree:kthe decree See note at v. 3. Because he pursued his brotherlhis brother I.e., an army of the descendants of Israel; cf. Gen. 25.25–26; 35.10; 36.1. with the sword And repressed all pity,mrepressed all pity Or “destroyed his womenfolk”; cf. Judg. 5.30. Change of vocalization yields “destroyed his wombs”; cf. v. 13. Because his anger raged unceasing And his fury stormednstormed Cf. Akkadian shamaru and Jer. 3.5. unchecked.
1.12
I will send down fire upon Teman, And it shall devour the fortresses of Bozrah.
1.13
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of the Ammonites, For four, I will not revoke the decree:othe decree See note at v. 3. Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead In order to enlarge their own territory.
1.14
I will set fire to the wall of Rabbah, And it shall devour its fortresses, Amid shouting on a day of battle, On a day of violent tempest.
1.15
Their king and his officers shall go Into exile together —said GOD.
2.1
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Moab, For four, I will not revoke the decree:athe decree See note at 1.3. Because he burned the bones Of the king of Edom to lime.
2.2
I will send down fire upon Moab, And it shall devour the fortresses of Kerioth. And Moab shall die in tumult, Amid shouting and the blare of horns;
2.3
I will wipe out the ruler from within her And slay all her officials along with him —said GOD.
2.4
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Judah, For four, I will not revoke the decree:bthe decree See note at 1.3. Because they have spurned the Teaching of GOD And have not observed divine laws; They are beguiled by the delusions After which their ancestors walked.
2.5
I will send down fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the fortresses of Jerusalem.
2.6
Thus said GOD: For three transgressions of Israel, For four, I will not revoke the decree:cthe decree See note at 1.3. Because they have sold for silver Those whose cause was just, And the needy for a pair of sandals.
2.7
[Ah,] you who trample the heads of the poor Into the dust of the ground, And make the humble walk a twisted course!dwho trample the heads of the poor / Into the dust of the ground, / And make the humble walk a twisted course! Understanding shoʼaphim as equivalent to shaphim. Emendation yields: “Who crush on the ground / The heads of the poor, / And push off the road / The humble of the land”; cf. Job 24.4. Father and son go to the same woman, And thereby profane My holy name.
2.8
They recline by every altar On garments taken in pledge, And drink in the House of their God Wine bought with fines they imposed.
2.9
Yet I Destroyed the Amorite before them, Whose stature was like the cedar’s And who was stout as the oak, Destroying his boughs above And his trunk below!
2.10
And I Brought you up from the land of Egypt And led you through the wilderness forty years, To possess the land of the Amorite!
2.11
And I raised up prophets from among your sons And nazirites from among your young men. Is that not so, O people of Israel? —says GOD.
2.12
But you made the nazirites drink wine And ordered the prophets not to prophesy.
2.13
eMeaning of verse uncertain; alternatively: “I will slow your movements / As a threshing sledge (cf. Isa. 28.27–28) is slowed / When clogged by cut grain.” Ah, I will slow your movements As a wagon is slowed When it is full of cut grain.
2.14
Flight shall fail the swift, The strong shall find no strength, And the warrior shall not save his life.
2.15
The archer shall not hold his ground, And the fleet-footed shall not escape, Nor the horseman save his life.
2.16
Even the most stouthearted warrior Shall run away unarmedfunarmed Lit. “naked.” that day —declares GOD.
3.1
Hear this word, O people of Israel, That GOD has spoken concerning you, Concerning the whole family that I brought up from the land of Egypt:
3.2
You alone have I singled out Of all the families of the earth— That is why I will call you to account For all your iniquities.
3.3
Can two walk together Without having met?
3.4
Does a lion roar in the forest When it has no prey? Does a great beast let out a cry from its den Without having made a capture?
3.5
Does a bird drop on the ground—in a trap— With no snare there? Does a trap spring up from the ground Unless it has caught something?
3.6
When a ram’s horn is sounded in a town, Do the people not take alarm? Can misfortune come to a town If GOD has not caused it?
3.7
Indeed, my Sovereign GOD does nothing Without having revealed the purpose To God’s servants the prophets.
3.8
A lion has roared, Who can but fear? My Sovereign GOD has spoken, Who can but prophesy?
3.9
Proclaim in the fortresses of AshdodaAshdod Septuagint reads “Assyria.” And in the fortresses of the land of Egypt! Say: Gather on the hillbhill Heb. plural; but cf. 4.1; 6.1. of Samaria And witness the great outrages within her And the oppression in her midst.
3.10
They are incapable of doing right —declares GOD; They store up lawlessness and rapine In their fortresses.
3.11
Assuredly, Thus said the Sovereign GOD: An enemy, all about the land! He shall strip you of your splendor, And your fortresses shall be plundered.
3.12
Thus said GOD: As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s jaws Two shank bones or the tip of an ear,cAs a shepherd rescues … tip of an ear Cf. Exod. 22.9, 12. So shall the Israelites escape Who dwell in Samaria— With the legdleg Meaning of Heb. uncertain. of a bed or the headehead Meaning of Heb. uncertain. of a couch.
3.13
Hear [this], and warn the House of Jacob —says the Sovereign GOD, the God of Hosts—
3.14
That when I punish Israel for its transgressions, I will wreak judgment on the altarfaltar Heb. plural, but cf. “altar” in next line. of Bethel, And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And shall fall to the ground.
3.15
I will wreck the winter palace Together with the summer palace; The ivory palaces shall be demolished, And the great houses shall be destroyed —declares GOD.
4.1
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan On the hill of Samaria— Who defraud the poor, Who rob the needy; Who say to yourayour Heb. “their.” husbands, “Bring, and let’s carouse!”
4.2
My Sovereign GOD swears irrevocably:birrevocably Lit. “by His holiness.” Behold, days are coming upon you When you will be carried off in baskets, And, to the last one, in fish baskets,
4.3
And taken out [of the city]— Each one through a breach straight ahead— And flung on the refuse heapcWhen you will be carried off … on the refuse heap Meaning of Heb. uncertain. —declares GOD.
4.4
Come to Bethel and transgress; To Gilgal, and transgress even more: Present your sacrifices the next morning And your tithes on the third day;
4.5
And burn a thank offering of leavened bread;dthank offering of leavened bread Cf. Lev. 7.12–14; where, however, the bread is not to be burned. And proclaim freewill offerings loudly. For you love that sort of thing, O Israelites —declares the Sovereign GOD.
4.6
I, on My part, have given you Cleanness of teeth in all your towns, And lack of food in all your settlements. Yet you did not turn back to Me —declares GOD.
4.7
I therefore withheld the rain from you Three months before harvesttime: I would make it rain on one town And not on another; One field would be rained upon While another on which it did not rain Would wither.
4.8
So two or three towns would wander To a single town to drink water, But their thirst would not be slaked. Yet you did not turn back to Me —declares GOD.
4.9
I scourged you with blight and mildew; RepeatedlyeRepeatedly Meaning of Heb. uncertain. your gardens and vineyards, Your fig trees and olive trees Were devoured by locusts. Yet you did not turn back to Me —declares GOD.
4.10
I sent against you pestilence In the manner of Egypt;fpestilence / In the manner of Egypt Alluding to the plagues at the time of the Exodus. I slew your young men with the sword, Together with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your armies Rise in your very nostrils. Yet you did not turn back to Me —declares GOD.
4.11
I have wrought destruction among you As when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; You have become like a brand plucked from burning. Yet you have not turned back to Me —declares GOD.
4.12
Assuredly, Because I am doing that to you,gBecause I am doing that to you Emendation yields “Because you are acting thus toward Me.” Even so will I act toward you, O Israel— Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!
4.13
Behold the One who formed the mountains, And created the wind, And whose wisheshwishes Meaning of Heb. uncertain. have been made known to mortals, Who turns blacknessiblackness Cf. Joel 2.2. Emendation yields “darkness”; cf. 5.8. into daybreak, And treads upon the high places of the earth, Whose name is GOD—the God of Hosts.
5.1
Hear this word that I intone As a dirge over you, O House of Israel:
5.2
Fallen, not to rise again, Is Maiden Israel; Abandoned on her soil With none to lift her up.
5.3
For thus said the Sovereign GOD About the House of Israel: The town that marches out a thousand strong Shall have a hundred left, And the one that marches out a hundred strong Shall have but ten left.
5.4
Thus said GOD To the House of Israel: Seek Me, and you will live.
5.5
Do not seek Bethel, Nor go to Gilgal, Nor cross overacross over Into Judah; cf. 1 Kings 19.3. to Beer-sheba; For Gilgal shall go into exile, And Bethel shall become a delusion.
5.6
Seek GOD, and you will live. Otherwise, [God] will rush like fire uponbwill rush like fire Meaning of Heb. uncertain. the House of Joseph And consume BethelcBethel Septuagint reads “the House of Israel.” with none to quench it.
5.7
[Ah,] you who turn justice into wormwood And hurl righteousness to the ground! [Seek GOD,]
5.8
Who made the Pleiades and Orion, Who turns deep darkness into dawn And darkens day into night, Who summons the waters of the sea And pours them out upon the earth— Whose name is GOD!
5.9
dMeaning of verse uncertain. It is [God] who hurls destruction upon strongholds, So that ruin comes upon fortresses!
5.10
They hate the arbiter in the gate, And detest the one whose plea is just.
5.11
Assuredly, Because you impose a taxeimpose a tax Meaning of Heb. uncertain. on the poor And exact from them a levy of grain, You have built houses of hewn stone, But you shall not live in them; You have planted delightful vineyards, But shall not drink their wine.
5.12
For I have noted how many are your crimes, And how countless your sins— You enemies of the righteous, You takers of bribes, You who subvert in the gate The cause of the needy!
5.13
Assuredly, At such a time the prudent keep silent,fkeep silent Or “moan.” For it is an evil time.
5.14
Seek good and not evil, That you may live, And that the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts, May truly be with you, As you think.
5.15
Hate evil and love good, And establish justice in the gate; Perhaps the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts, Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
5.16
Assuredly, Thus said GOD, The Sovereign—the God of Hosts: In every square there shall be lamenting, In every street cries of “Ah, woe!” And the farm hand shall be Called to mourn, And those skilled in wailing To lament;
5.17
For there shall be lamenting In every vineyard, too, When I pass through your midst —said GOD.
5.18
Ah, you who wish For the day of GOD! Why should you want The day of GOD? It shall be darkness, not light!
5.19
—As if someone were to run from a lion And get attacked by a bear; Or, upon making it indoors, Were to lean their hand on the wall And get bitten by a snake!
5.20
Surely the day of GOD shall be Not light, but darkness, Blackest night without a glimmer.
5.21
I loathe, I spurn your festivals, I am not appeased by your solemn assemblies.
5.22
If you offer Me burnt offerings—or your grain offerings— I will not accept them; I will pay no heed To your gifts of fatlings.
5.23
Spare Me the sound of your hymns, And let Me not hear the music of your lutes.
5.24
But let justice well up like water, Righteousness like an unfailing stream.
5.25
Did you offer sacrifice and oblation to Me Those forty years in the wilderness, O House of Israel?
5.26
gThis verse and the next would read well after 6.14. And you shall carry off your “king”— Sikkuth and Kiyyun,hSikkuth and Kiyyun Two Akkadian names applied to Saturn, here deliberately pointed with the vowels of Heb. shiqquṣ, “detestable thing.” The images you have made for yourselves Of your astral deity—
5.27
As I drive you into exile beyond Damascus —Said GOD, whose name is God of Hosts.iwhose name is God of Hosts I.e., who is Sovereign of all the astral bodies.
6.1
Ah, you who are at ease in ZionaZion Emendation yields “Joseph,” cf. v. 6, and 5.6, 15, where “Joseph” denotes the northern kingdom. And confident on the hill of Samaria, You notables of the leading nation On whom the House of Israel pin their hopes:bpin their hopes Taking baʼ l- as synonymous with baʼ ʻad; see Isa. 45.24 and second note there.
6.2
Cross over to Calneh and see, Go from there to Great Hamath, And go down to Gath of the Philistines: Are [you] better than those kingdoms, Or is their territory larger than yours?cOr is their territory larger than yours? Emendation yields “Or is your territory larger than theirs?”
6.3
dMeaning of verse uncertain. Yet you ward off [the thought of] a day of woe And convene a session of lawlessness.
6.4
They lie on ivory beds, Lolling on their couches, Feasting on lambs from the flock And on calves from the stalls.
6.5
They hum snatches of song To the tune of the lute— They account themselves musicianseThey hum snatches … account themselves musicians Meaning of Heb. uncertain. like David.
6.6
They drink [straight] from the wine bowls And anoint themselves with the choicest oils— But they are not concerned about the ruin of Joseph.
6.7
Assuredly, right soon They shall head the column of exiles; They shall loll no more at festive meals.
6.8
The Sovereign GOD wholeheartedly swears: I loathe the Pride of Jacob,fPride of Jacob A poetic designation of the northern kingdom. And I detest his fortresses. I will declare forfeit city and inhabitants alike —declares the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts.
6.9
If ten people are left in one house, they shall die.
6.10
And if someone’s kinsman—who is to burn incense for one of the deceasedgwho is to burn incense for one of the deceased Or “along with an embalmer.”—comes to carry the remains out of the house,hAnd if someone’s kinsman … out of a house Meaning of Heb. uncertain. and he calls to the one at the rear of the house, “Are there any alive besides you?” the answer will be, “No, none.” And he will say, “Hush!”—so that no one may utter GOD’s name.
6.11
For GOD will command, And the great house shall be smashed to bits, And the little house to splinters.
6.12
Can horses gallop on a rock? Can it be plowed with oxen?iCan it be plowed with oxen? Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “Can one plow the sea with oxen?” Yet you have turned justice into poison weed And the fruit of righteousness to wormwood.
6.13
[Ah,] those who are so happy about Lo-dabar, Who exult, “By our might We have captured Karnaim”!jLo-dabar…Karnaim Two towns east of the Jordan recovered for Israel by Jeroboam II (see 2 Kings 14.25). For Lo-dabar, cf. 2 Sam. 9.4, 5; 17.27; for Karnaim, cf. Gen. 14.5.
6.14
But I, O House of Israel, Will raise up a nation against you —declares the ETERNAL, the God of Hosts— Who will harass you from Lebo-hamath To the Wadi Arabah.

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