Amos 4

1 Listen to this message, women of Sameria, you well-fed cows of Bashan, who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring us another drink!’

Listen to this word, you fat cows that are on the mountain of Samaria, you who make false accusations against the destitute and crush the poor, who say to your nobles, “Bring, and we will drink.”

2 The Lord God has sworn by his holiness: The time is coming when you will be carried away in baskets, your children carried away in fish-baskets,

The Lord God has sworn in his holiness: behold, the days that will overcome you and that will impale you on poles, and that will place what remains of you in boiling pots.

3 and through the breaches in the city wall you will go, thrown out on the garbage dump, says the Lord.

And you will go out through the breaches, one over another, and you will be cast out into Harmon, says the Lord.

4 Come to Bethel and transgress, at Gilgald increase your transgression. Bring your sacrifices in the morning, every third day your tithes!

Come to Bethel and behave impiously, to Gilgal and increase betrayals. And bring daybreak to your victims, your tithes in three days.

5 Burn some leavened bread as a thank-offering, proclaim aloud your voluntary offerings, for you love to do this, Israelites! says the Lord God.

And offer a sacrifice of praise with leaven. And call for voluntary oblations, and announce it. For such is your will, sons of Israel, says the Lord God.

6 But it was I who gave to you empty stomachs in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your towns, yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.

Therefore, because of this, I have given you dull teeth in every one of your cities, and a lack of bread in all your places. And you have not been turned back towards me, says the Lord.

7 It was I who withheld from you the rain, sending rain on one city, while on another I allowed no rain. One field received rain, while a field without rain withered.

Therefore, I have withheld the rains from you, when there were still three months left until the harvest. And I rained on one city, and I did not rain on another city; one part was rained on, and the part on which I did not rain, dried out.

8 People from two or three cities ranged as far as another city for drinking water, and still they did not have enough, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.

And two and three cities went to one city, in order to drink water, and they were not satisfied. And you did not return to me, says the Lord.

9 I struck you with blight and mildew, I laid waste your gardens and vineyards. The swarming locust devoured your fig and your olive trees, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.

I struck you with a burning wind and with yellowing; the caterpillar has consumed your many gardens and your vineyards, your olive groves and your fig groves. And you did not return to me, says the Lord.

10 I sent plague among you like the plagues of Egypt, I slew your youths with the sword, your horses raided away, I caused the stench of your camps to rise in your nostrils, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.

I sent death to you by way of Egypt; I struck your youths with the sword, even bringing captivity to your horses. And I made the stench of your camp ascend into your nostrils. And you did not return to me, says the Lord.

11 I wrought a destruction among you, as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a stick snatched from the fire, yet you did not return to me, says the Lord.

I overturned you, just as God overturned Sodom and Gomorrah, and you became like an ember seized from the fire. And you did not return to me, says the Lord.

12 Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I am about to do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel.

Because of this, I will do these things to you, Israel. But after I have done these things to you, Israel, be prepared to meet your God.

13 He is here! He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, declares to his thoughts to mortals, makes dawn and darkness, treads upon the heights of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind and announces his speech to man, who makes the morning mist and steps over the heights of the earth: the Lord God of hosts is his name.