< Amos 2 >

1 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;
Thus says the Lord; For three sins of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away from it; because they burnt the bones of the king of Idumea to lime.
2 but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;
But I will send forth a fire on Moab, and it shall devour the foundations of its cities: and Moab shall perish in weakness, with a shout, and with the sound of a trumpet.
3 and I will cut off the judge from among them, and will kill all its princes with him,” says Yahweh.
And I will destroy the judge out of her, and kill all her princes with him, says the Lord.
4 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have rejected Yahweh’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;
Thus says the Lord; For three sins of the children of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away from him; because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his ordinances, and their vain [idols] which they made, which their fathers followed, caused them to err.
5 but I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
And I will send a fire on Juda, and it shall devour the foundations of Jerusalem.
6 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals;
Thus says the Lord; for three sins of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away from him; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for sandals,
7 They trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth and deny justice to the oppressed. A man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name.
wherewith to tread on the dust of the earth, and they have struck upon the heads of the poor, and have perverted the way of the lowly: and a son and his father have gone into the same maid, that they might profane the name of their God.
8 They lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge. In the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
And binding their clothes with cords they have made them curtains near the altar, and they have drunk wine gained by extortion in the house of their God.
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
Nevertheless I cut off the Amorite from before them, whose height was as the height of a cedar, and he was strong as an oak; and I dried up his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
And I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you about in the desert forty years, that you should inherit the land of the Amorites.
11 I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn’t this true, you children of Israel?” says Yahweh.
And I took of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for consecration. Are not these things so, you sons of Israel? says the Lord.
12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’
But you gave the consecrated ones wine to drink; and you commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
13 Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
Therefore, behold, I roll under you, as a waggon full of straw is rolled.
14 Flight will perish from the swift. The strong won’t strengthen his force. The mighty won’t deliver himself.
And flight shall perish from the runner, and the strong shall not hold fast his strength, and the warrior shall not save his life:
15 He who handles the bow won’t stand. He who is swift of foot won’t escape. He who rides the horse won’t deliver himself.
and the archer shall not withstand, and he that is swift of foot shall in no wise escape; and the horseman shall not save his life.
16 He who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says Yahweh.
And the strong shall find no confidence in power: the naked shall flee away in that day, says the Lord.

< Amos 2 >