Chapter 4 — The Old Testament Book of Amos

Second Summons

¹ Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,()
who live on the mount of Samaria:
Who oppress the destitute
and abuse the needy;
Who say to your husbands,
“Bring us a drink!”

² The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness:
Truly days are coming upon you
when they shall drag you away with ropes,
your children with fishhooks;

³ You shall go out through the breached walls
one in front of the other,
And you shall be exiled to Harmon—()
oracle of the LORD.

⁴ Come to Bethel() and sin,
to Gilgal and sin all the more!
Each morning bring your sacrifices,
every third day your tithes;

⁵ Burn leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,
proclaim publicly your voluntary offerings,
For so you love to do, Israelites—
oracle of the Lord GOD.

⁶ Though I made your teeth
clean of food in all your cities,
and made bread scarce in all your dwellings,
Yet you did not return to me—
oracle of the LORD.(5)

⁷ () And I withheld the rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away;
I sent rain upon one city
but not upon another;
One field was watered by rain,
but the one I did not water dried up;

⁸ Two or three cities staggered to another to drink water
but were not satisfied;

⁹ I struck you with blight and mildew;
locusts devoured your gardens and vineyards,
the caterpillar consumed your fig trees and olive trees;
oracle of the LORD.(7)

¹⁰ I sent upon you pestilence like that of Egypt;()
with the sword I killed your young men and your captured horses,
and to your nostrils I brought the stench of your camps;

¹¹ I overthrew you
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah;
you were like a brand plucked from the fire,()

¹² Therefore thus I will do to you,() Israel:
and since I will deal thus with you,
prepare to meet your God, O Israel!

¹³ The one who forms mountains and creates winds,
and declares to mortals their thoughts;
Who makes dawn into darkness
and strides upon the heights of the earth,
the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!