Amos 6

1 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure in the hill country of Samaria, the notable men of the best of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes for help!

Alas for the careless in Zion, and for them who put confidence in the mountain of Samaria, —the distinguished among the first group of nations, to whom came in the house of Israel.

2 Your leaders say, “Go to Kalneh and look; from there go to Hamath, the great city; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than your two kingdoms? Is their border larger than your border?”

Pass ye over to Calneh, and see, and go on from thence to Hamath the great, —and go down to Gath of the Philistines, are they better than these kingdoms? or their boundary larger than your boundary?

3 Woe to those who put off the day of disaster and make the throne of violence come near.

Ye who are putting far away the day of calamity, —but bringing near the abode of violence:

4 They lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches. They eat lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.

Who are lying on beds of ivory, and sprawling on their couch of pleasure, —and eating the well-fed of the flock, and the fatted calves out of the midst of the stalls:

5 They sing foolish songs to the music of the harp; they improvise on instruments as David did.

Who are bawling at the bidding of the harp, —like David, have they invented for themselves instruments of song:

6 They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

Who are quaffing bowls of wine, and, with the best of oils, anointing themselves, —and are not afflicted for the injury of Joseph: —

7 So they will now go into exile with the first exiles, and the feasts of those who lounge about will pass away.

Therefore, at once, shall they go into exile among the first of the exiles, —so shall be disturbed the revelry of sprawlers.

8 “I, the Lord Yahweh, have sworn by myself —this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts, I detest the pride of Jacob; I hate his fortresses. Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it.”

Sworn hath the Lord, Yahweh, by his own life, Declareth Yahweh, God of hosts, abhorring am I, the grandeur of Jacob, and, his palaces, I hate, —therefore will I cast off the city and the fulness thereof.

9 It will come about that if there are ten men left in one house, they will all die.

And it shall come to pass, though there be left remaining ten men in one house, yet shall they die;

10 When a man's relative comes to take their bodies up—the one who is to cremate them after bringing the corpses out of the house—if he says to the person in the house, “Is there anyone with you?” What if that person says, “No.” Then he will say, “Be quiet, for we must not mention Yahweh's name.”

And a man’s near of kin, even he who is about to burn the bones, shall carry him out of the house, when he shall say to him that is in the hinder parts of the house—Are there yet any with thee? and he shall say—No one. Then shall he say—Hush! for we must not invoke the name of Yahweh.

11 For, look, Yahweh will give a command, and the big house will be smashed to pieces, and the little house to bits.

For lo! Yahweh, is giving command, and will smite the great house into ruins, —and the little house with clefts.

12 Do horses run on the rocky cliffs? Does one plow there with oxen? Yet you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.

Shall horses run upon crag? or will a man plough [there] with oxen? For ye have turned to poison the sentence of justice, and the fruit of righteousness, to wormwood:

13 You who rejoice over Lo Debar, who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim by our own strength?”

Who rejoice in a thing of nought, —who say, Have we not by our own strength, taken to ourselves horns?

14 “But look, I will raise up against you a nation, house of Israel—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts. They will afflict you from Lebo Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.”

For behold me! raising up against you, O house of Israel, Declareth Yahweh, the God of hosts—a nation! And they shall crush you, from the entering in of Hamath, unto the torrent-bed of the waste plain.