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Mourning for the House of Israel

“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
    to those who rest on the mountain of Samaria—
the famous men of the nations
    to whom the house of Israel came!
Cross over to Calneh[a] and look around,
    then go on to that great city of[b] Hamath,
        and from there go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
    Or is their territory more extensive than yours?

“Disbelieving that a day of evil will come,[c]
    embracing opportunities to commit violence,[d]
lying on ivory beds,
    stretching out on your couches,
eating lambs from the flock,
    and fattened calves from the stall,
chanting to the sound of stringed instruments as if they were David,
    composing songs to themselves as if they were musicians,
drinking wine from bowls,
    anointing themselves with the choicest of oils,
        but not grieving on the occasion of Joseph’s ruin—
therefore you will be the first to go into exile,
    and the celebrations of those who are lounging will end.”

The Lord Swears an Oath

“The Lord God has sworn by himself,”
    declares the Lord, the God of the Heavenly Armies,
“I utterly detest the arrogance of Jacob;
    I hate his fortresses;
and I will deliver up the city,
    along with everyone in it.

“And if there are ten men remaining in one house,
    they will die.
10 One’s relative will pick up the corpse[e]
    to carry them from the house for burning,[f]
saying to whomever remains inside the house,
    ‘Is there anyone still with you?’
And he will say, ‘No.’
    He will respond, ‘Be quiet,
        because we do not mention the name “Lord”.’
11 For indeed, the Lord is giving the command—
    and he will smash the large house to rubble
        and the small house into bits.

12 “Horses don’t run over bare rock, do they?
    One doesn’t plow rock[g] with oxen, does he?
But you have turned justice to gall,
    and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.[h]
13 You rejoice in nothing worth mentioning—
    that is, you keep on saying,
‘We captured Karnaim by our own strength of will
    and by our own effort, didn’t we?’

14 “So look, house of Israel! I will raise up a nation against you,”
    declares the Lord, the God of the Heavenly Armies,
“and they will harass you from the entrance of Hamath
    to the wadi[i] of the wilderness.”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 6:2 I.e. a Mesopotamian city
  2. Amos 6:2 The Heb. lacks city of
  3. Amos 6:3 The Heb. lacks will come
  4. Amos 6:3 Lit. yet are pressing hard the seat of violence
  5. Amos 6:10 Lit. bones
  6. Amos 6:10 Or house to burn incense
  7. Amos 6:12 The Heb. lacks rock
  8. Amos 6:12 Lit. wormwood
  9. Amos 6:14 I.e. perhaps the Wadi of Egypt, a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times; ancient Israel’s southwestern-most border

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you(A) who are complacent(B) in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure(C) on Mount Samaria,(D)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
    to whom the people of Israel come!(E)
Go to Kalneh(F) and look at it;
    go from there to great Hamath,(G)
    and then go down to Gath(H) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(I) your two kingdoms?
    Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the day of disaster
    and bring near a reign of terror.(J)
You lie on beds adorned with ivory
    and lounge on your couches.(K)
You dine on choice lambs
    and fattened calves.(L)
You strum away on your harps(M) like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.(N)
You drink wine(O) by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve(P) over the ruin of Joseph.(Q)
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(R)
    your feasting and lounging will end.(S)

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(T)—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor(U) the pride of Jacob(V)
    and detest his fortresses;(W)
I will deliver up(X) the city
    and everything in it.(Y)

If ten(Z) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[a](AA) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(AB) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For the Lord has given the command,
    and he will smash(AC) the great house(AD) into pieces
    and the small house into bits.(AE)

12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
    Does one plow the sea[b] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(AF)
    and the fruit of righteousness(AG) into bitterness(AH)
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[c]
    and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[d] by our own strength?(AI)

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation(AJ) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath(AK) to the valley of the Arabah.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
  2. Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
  3. Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
  4. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.