Amos 4

1 Hear this word, ye cows of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

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!”

2 The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.

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,

3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD.

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

4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

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

5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and declare the free offerings: for this pleaseth you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

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

6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

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.

7 And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece on which it rained not withered.

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.

8 So two or three cities wandered to one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

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.

9 I have smitten you with blighting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

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.

10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up to your nostrils: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

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.

11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

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.

12 Therefore thus will I do to thee, O Israel: and because I will do this to thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

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.

13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth to man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

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!