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Yet You Have Not Returned to Me

Hear this word, you cows of (A)Bashan who are on the (B)mountain of Samaria,
Who (C)oppress the poor, who crush the needy,
Who say to their [a]husbands, “Bring now, that we may (D)drink!”
Lord Yahweh has (E)sworn by His (F)holiness that,
“Behold, the days are coming upon you,
And [b]they will take you away with (G)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (H)fish hooks.
And you will (I)go out through breaches in the walls,
Each one straight before her,
And you [c]will be cast to Harmon,” declares Yahweh.

“Enter Bethel and transgress;
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
(J)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
[d]And offer a (K)thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And call for (L)freewill offerings; cause them to be heard about.
For so you (M)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares Lord Yahweh.

“But I gave you also (N)cleanness of teeth in all your cities
And lack of bread in all your places,
Yet you have (O)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
“And I also (P)withheld the rain from you
While there were still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city,
And on (Q)another city I would not send rain;
One portion would be rained on,
While the portion not rained on would dry up.
So two or three cities would wander around to another city to drink (R)water,
But would (S)not be satisfied;
Yet you have (T)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
“I (U)struck you with scorching wind and mildew;
And the (V)gnawing locust was devouring
Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees;
Yet you have (W)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
10 “I sent a (X)pestilence among you after the manner of Egypt;
I (Y)killed your choice men by the sword along with your (Z)captured horses,
And I made the (AA)stench of your camp rise up even in your nostrils;
Yet you have (AB)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
11 “I overthrew you as (AC)God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a (AD)firebrand [e]delivered from a blaze;
Yet you have (AE)not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to (AF)meet your God, O Israel.”
13 For behold, He who (AG)forms mountains and (AH)creates the wind
And (AI)declares to man what are His thoughts,
He who (AJ)makes dawn into gloom
And (AK)treads on the high places of the earth,
(AL)Yahweh God of hosts is His name.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 4:1 Or lords
  2. Amos 4:2 Lit he
  3. Amos 4:3 As in Gr; M.T. will cast
  4. Amos 4:5 Lit Offer up incense
  5. Amos 4:11 Or snatched

Israel Has Not Returned to God

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(A) on Mount Samaria,(B)
    you women who oppress the poor(C) and crush the needy(D)
    and say to your husbands,(E) “Bring us some drinks!(F)
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    “The time(G) will surely come
when you will be taken away(H) with hooks,(I)
    the last of you with fishhooks.[a]
You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,(J)
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[b]
declares the Lord.
“Go to Bethel(K) and sin;
    go to Gilgal(L) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(M)
    your tithes(N) every three years.[c](O)
Burn leavened bread(P) as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings(Q)
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
    and lack of bread in every town,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(R)

“I also withheld(S) rain from you
    when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
    but withheld it from another.(T)
One field had rain;
    another had none and dried up.
People staggered from town to town for water(U)
    but did not get enough(V) to drink,
    yet you have not returned(W) to me,”
declares the Lord.(X)

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
    destroying them with blight and mildew.(Y)
Locusts(Z) devoured your fig and olive trees,(AA)
    yet you have not returned(AB) to me,”
declares the Lord.

10 “I sent plagues(AC) among you
    as I did to Egypt.(AD)
I killed your young men(AE) with the sword,
    along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(AF) of your camps,
    yet you have not returned to me,”(AG)
declares the Lord.(AH)

11 “I overthrew some of you
    as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.(AI)
You were like a burning stick(AJ) snatched from the fire,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(AK)

12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
    and because I will do this to you, Israel,
    prepare to meet your God.”

13 He who forms the mountains,(AL)
    who creates the wind,(AM)
    and who reveals his thoughts(AN) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth(AO)
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.(AP)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
  2. Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
  3. Amos 4:4 Or days