Amos 2

1 The LORD says: “For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because he burnt the bones of the king of Edom into lime;

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,

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 shofar;

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.

3 and I will cut off the judge from amongst them, and will kill all its princes with him,” says the LORD.

I will kill the ruler, all his nobles I will slay with him, says the Lord.

4 The LORD says: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have rejected the LORD’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;

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.

5 but I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”

So I will send a fire on Judah. It will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.

6 The LORD 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;

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 the LORD.

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.

12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’

But you made the Nazirites drink wine and banned the prophets from prophesying.

13 Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.

Listen! It is I who will make you groan in your places, as a wagon groans under its load of grain.

14 Flight will perish from the swift. The strong won’t strengthen his force. The mighty won’t deliver himself.

Then flight will fail the swift, and the strength of the strongest will be useless. The warrior will 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.

the archer will not stand firm, the swift of foot will not escape, the horseman will not save his life.

16 He who is courageous amongst the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says the LORD.

The bravest of warriors will flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.