Amos

Sefaria · Tanakh > Prophets · 146 sections

1.1
The words of Amos, a sheepbreeder 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.aSee Zech. 14.5.
1.2
He proclaimed: The LORD 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 the LORD: For three transgressions of Damascus, For four, I will not revoke it:bI.e, the decree of punishment. Because they threshed Gilead With threshing boards of iron.
1.4
I will send downcCf. Lam. 1.13. fire upon the palace of Hazael, And it shall devour the fortresses of Ben-hadad.dCf. 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 the LORD.
1.6
Thus said the LORD: For three transgressions of Gaza, For four, I will not revoke it: Because they exiledeI.e., they cooperated in the annexation of Israelite territory; cf. Jer. 13.19 with note. an entire population, Which they delivered to Edom.fEmendation 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 to the last man —said the Lord GOD.
1.9
Thus said the LORD: For three transgressions of Tyre, For four, I will not revoke it: Because they handed over An entire population to Edom,gEmendation yields “Aram.” Ignoring the covenant of brotherhood.hCf. 1 Kings 5.26; 9.12–13.
1.10
I will send down fire upon the wall of Tyre, And it shall devour its fortresses.
1.11
Thus said the LORD: For three transgressions of Edom, For four, I will not revoke it: Because he pursued his brother with the sword And repressed all pity, Because his anger raged unceasing And his fury stormediCf. 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 the LORD: For three transgressions of the Ammonites, For four, I will not revoke it: 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 the LORD.
2.1
Thus said the LORD: For three transgressions of Moab, For four, I will not revoke it: 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 the LORD.
2.4
Thus said the LORD: For three transgressions of Judah, For four, I will not revoke it: Because they have spurned the Teaching of the LORD And have not observed His laws; They are beguiled by the delusions After which their fathers walked.
2.5
I will send down fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the fortresses of Jerusalem.
2.6
Thus said the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, For four, I will not revoke it: Because they have sold for silver Those whose cause was just, And the needy for a pair of sandals.
2.7
[Ah,] you aUnderstanding sho’afim as equivalent to shafim. 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.who trample the heads of the poor Into the dust of the ground, And make the humble walk a twisted course!-a Father and son go to the same girl, 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 the LORD.
2.12
But you made the nazirites drink wine And ordered the prophets not to prophesy.
2.13
bMeaning 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.-b
2.14
Flight shall fail the swift, The strong shall find no strength, And the warrior shall not save his life.
2.15
The bowman 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 unarmedcLit. “naked.” that day —declares the LORD.
3.1
Hear this word, O people of Israel, That the LORD 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 he 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 the LORD has not caused it?
3.7
Indeed, my Lord GOD does nothing Without having revealed His purpose To His servants the prophets.
3.8
A lion has roared, Who can but fear? My Lord GOD has spoken, Who can but prophesy?
3.9
Proclaim in the fortresses of AshdodaSeptuagint reads “Assyria.” And in the fortresses of the land of Egypt! Say: Gather on the hillbHeb. 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 the LORD; They store up lawlessness and rapine In their fortresses.
3.11
Assuredly, Thus said my Lord GOD: An enemy, all about the land! He shall strip you of your splendor, And your fortresses shall be plundered.
3.12
Thus said the LORD: As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s jaws Two shank bones or the tip of an ear, So shall the Israelites escape Who dwell in Samaria— With the legcMeaning of Heb. uncertain. of a bed or the headcMeaning of Heb. uncertain. of a couch.
3.13
Hear [this], and warn the House of Jacob —says my Lord GOD, the God of Hosts—
3.14
That when I punish Israel for its transgressions, I will wreak judgment on the altardHeb. 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 the LORD.
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 youraHeb. “their.” husbands, “Bring, and let’s carouse!”
4.2
My Lord GOD swears by His holiness: Behold, days are coming upon you bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.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 heap-b —declares the LORD.
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;cCf. 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 my Lord 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 the LORD.
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 the LORD.
4.9
I scourged you with blight and mildew; RepeatedlybMeaning 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 the LORD.
4.10
I sent against you pestilence In the manner of Egypt;dAlluding 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 the LORD.
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 the LORD.
4.12
Assuredly, eEmendation yields “Because you are acting thus toward Me.”Because I am doing that to you,-e Even so will I act toward you, O Israel— Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!
4.13
Behold, He who formed the mountains, And created the wind, And has told man what His wishbMeaning of Heb. uncertain. is, Who turns blacknessfCf. Joel 2.2. Emendation yields “darkness”; cf. 5.8. into daybreak, And treads upon the high places of the earth— His name is the LORD, the God of Hosts.
5.1
Hear this word which 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 my Lord 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 the LORD To the House of Israel: Seek Me, and you will live.
5.5
Do not seek Bethel, Nor go to Gilgal, Nor cross overaI.e., 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 the LORD, and you will live, bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.Else He will rush like fire upon-b the House of Joseph And consume BethelcSeptuagint 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 the LORD,]
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— His name is the LORD!
5.9
bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.It is He who hurls destruction upon strongholds, So that ruin comes upon fortresses!-b
5.10
They hate the arbiter in the gate, And detest him whose plea is just.
5.11
Assuredly, Because you bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.impose a tax-b on the poor And exact from him 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 man keeps silent, For it is an evil time.
5.14
Seek good and not evil, That you may live, And that the LORD, 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 LORD, the God of Hosts, Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
5.16
Assuredly, Thus said the LORD, My Lord, 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 the LORD.
5.18
Ah, you who wish For the day of the LORD! Why should you want The day of the LORD? It shall be darkness, not light!
5.19
—As if a man should run from a lion And be attacked by a bear; Or if he got indoors, Should lean his hand on the wall And be bitten by a snake!
5.20
Surely the day of the LORD 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 meal 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
dVv. 26–27 would read well after 6.14.And you shall carry off your “king”— SikkutheTwo Akkadian names applied to Saturn, here deliberately pointed with the vowels of Heb. shiqquṣ, “detestable thing.” and Kiyyun,eTwo 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 the LORD, whose name is God of Hosts.fI.e., who is Lord of all the astral bodies.
6.1
Ah, you who are at ease in ZionaEmendation 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 bTaking ba’ l-as synonymous with ba’ ‘ad; see Isa. 45.24 and note i-i.pin their hopes:-b
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, cEmendation yields “Or is your territory larger than theirs?”Or is their territory larger than yours?-c
6.3
dMeaning of Heb. uncertain.Yet you ward off [the thought of] a day of woe And convene a session of lawlessness.-d
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
dMeaning of Heb. uncertain.They hum snatches of song To the tune of the lute— They account themselves musicians-d 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
My Lord GOD swears by Himself: I loathe eA poetic designation of the northern kingdom.the Pride of Jacob,-e And I detest his fortresses. I will declare forfeit city and inhabitants alike —declares the LORD, the God of Hosts.
6.9
If ten people are left in one house, they shall die.
6.10
dMeaning of Heb. uncertain.And if someone’s kinsman—who is to burn incense for him—comes to carry the remains out of a house,-d and he calls to the one at the rear of the house, “Are there any alive besides you?” he will answer, “No, none.” And he will say, “Hush!”—so that no one may utter the name of the LORD.
6.11
For the LORD 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? fMeaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “Can one plow the sea with oxen?”Can it be plowed with oxen?-f 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,gTwo 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. Who exult, “By our might We have captured Karnaim”!gTwo 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 LORD, the God of Hosts— Who will harass you from Lebo-Hamath To the Wadi Arabah.

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