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Thursday, January 9, 2025

the SECOND SUMMONS to the COWS

 Amos 4 New American Bible Chapter 4

Second Summons

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan,[a]   (fat people???)
    who live on the mount of Samaria:
Who oppress the destitute
    and abuse the needy;
Who say to your husbands,
    “Bring us a drink!”
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;
You shall go out through the breached walls
    one in front of the other,
And you shall be exiled to Harmon—[b]
    oracle of the Lord.

Come to Bethel[c] and sin,
    to Gilgal and sin all the more!
Each morning bring your sacrifices,
    every third day your tithes;
Burn leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,
    proclaim publicly your voluntary offerings,
For so you love to do, Israelites—
    oracle of the Lord God.

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.
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;
Two or three cities staggered to another to drink water
    but were not satisfied;
Yet you did not return to me—
    oracle of the Lord.
I struck you with blight and mildew;
    locusts devoured your gardens and vineyards,
    the caterpillar consumed your fig trees and olive trees;
Yet you did not return to me—
    oracle of the Lord.
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;
Yet you did not return to me—
    oracle of the Lord.
11 I overthrew you
    as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah;
    you were like a brand plucked from the fire,
Yet you did not return to me—
    oracle of the Lord.
12 Therefore thus I will do to you,[d] 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!

Footnotes

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