< Amos 2 >

1 The Lord says: For Moab’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They have burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom,
Thus sayth the Lord, For three transgressions of Moab, and for foure, I will not turne to it, because it burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime.
2 to desecrate the dead. So I will send a fire into Moab. It will devour the palaces of Kirioth, with a war-cry, with the sound of trumpets.
Therefore will I send a fire vpon Moab, and it shall deuoure the palaces of Kerioth, and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of a trumpet.
3 I will kill the ruler, all his nobles I will slay with him, says the Lord.
And I will cut off the iudge out of the mids thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, sayth the Lord.
4 The Lord says: For Judah’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his statutes. Instead their false gods their ancestors followed, have led them astray.
Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Iudah, and for foure, I will not turne to it, because they haue cast away the Lawe of the Lord, and haue not kept his commandementes, and their lies caused them to erre after the which their fathers haue walked.
5 So I will send a fire on Judah. It will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
Therefore will I send a fire vpon Iudah, and it shall deuoure the palaces of Ierusalem.
6 The Lord says: For Israel’s three crimes – no, four! – I will not rescind my judgment. They sell the righteous for money, the needy for a pair of shoes.
Thus sayth the Lord, For three transgressions of Israel, and for foure, I will not turne to it, because they solde the righteous for siluer and the poore for shooes.
7 They trample on the head of the poor, push the humble out of the way. Father and son go to the same temple girl, and so profane my holy name.
They gape ouer the head of the poore, in the dust of the earth, and peruert the wayes of the meeke: and a man and his father will goe in to a mayde to dishonour mine holy Name.
8 They stretch themselves on garments taken in pledges beside every altar, and they drink the wine of those who have been fined in the house of their God.
And they lye downe vpon clothes layde to pledge by euery altar: and they drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God.
9 It was I who destroyed the Amorites for your sake, whose height was like that of the cedars, as strong as oaks. I destroyed their fruit from above and their roots from below.
Yet destroyed I the Amorite before the, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the okes: notwithstanding I destroyed his fruite from aboue, and his roote from beneath.
10 It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt, led you forty years in the wilderness, brought you here to possess the land of the Amorites.
Also I brought you vp from the land of Egypt, and led you fourtie yeres thorowe the wildernesse, to possesse the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons to be prophets some of your youths to be Nazirites. Is not this indeed so, Israelites? says the Lord.
And I raysed vp of your sonnes for Prophets, and of your yong men for Nazarites. Is it not euen thus, O ye children of Israel, sayth the Lord?
12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine and banned the prophets from prophesying.
But ye gaue the Nazarites wine to drinke, and commanded the Prophetes, saying, Prophecie not.
13 Listen! It is I who will make you groan in your places, as a wagon groans under its load of grain.
Behold, I am pressed vnder you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues.
14 Then flight will fail the swift, and the strength of the strongest will be useless. The warrior will not save his life,
Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mightie saue his life.
15 the archer will not stand firm, the swift of foot will not escape, the horseman will not save his life.
Nor he that handleth the bowe, shall stand, and he that is swift of foote, shall not escape, neyther shall he that rideth the horse, saue his life.
16 The bravest of warriors will flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.
And he that is of a mighty courage among the strong men, shall flee away naked in that day, sayth the Lord.

< Amos 2 >