English Standard Version

Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

6 “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
    and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria,
the notable men of the first of the nations,
    to whom the house of Israel comes!
2 Pass over to Calneh, and see,
    and from there go to Hamath the great;
    then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
    Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3 O you who put far away the day of disaster
    and bring near the seat of violence?

4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
    and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
    and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
    and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 who drink wine in bowls
    and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
    but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
    and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

8 The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:

“I abhor the pride of Jacob
and hate his strongholds,
and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.”

9 And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For behold, the Lord commands,
    and the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
    and the little house into bits.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
    Does one plow there[a] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison
    and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood[b]—
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar,[c]
    who say, “Have we not by our own strength
    captured Karnaim[d] for ourselves?”
14 “For behold, I will raise up against you a nation,
    O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts;
“and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath
    to the Brook of the Arabah.”

the SECOND SUMMONS to the COWS

Amos 4 New American Bible Chapter 4

Second Summons

1 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!”
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—[b]
    oracle of the Lord.

4 Come to Bethel[c] 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.
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;
Yet you did not return to me—
    oracle of the Lord.
9 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!