Bible in 90 Days
7 So I will leap on them like a lion.
I will hide and wait
beside the road like a leopard.
8 I will attack them like a bear
that is robbed of her cubs.
I will rip them wide open.
Like a lion I will eat them up.
Like a wild animal I will tear them apart.
9 “Israel, you will be destroyed.
I helped you. But you turned against me.
10 Where is your king?
Wasn’t he supposed to save you?
Where are the rulers in all your towns?
You said, ‘Give us a king and princes.’
11 So I became angry and gave you a king.
Then I took him away from you.
12 Ephraim’s guilt is piling up.
I am keeping a record of all their sins.
13 They will suffer pain like a woman having a baby.
They are like foolish children.
It is time for them to be born.
But they don’t have the sense to come out of their mother’s body.
14 “I will set these people free from the power of the grave.
I will save them from death.
Death, where are your plagues?
Grave, where is your power to destroy?
“I will no longer pity Ephraim.
15 Even though they are doing well among the other tribes,
trouble will come to them.
I will send a hot and dry wind from the east.
It will blow in from the desert.
Their springs will not have any water.
Their wells will dry up.
All their treasures
will be taken out of their storerooms.
16 The people of Samaria must pay for their sins.
They have refused to obey me.
They will be killed by swords.
Their little children will be smashed on the ground.
Their pregnant women will be ripped wide open.”
The Lord Blesses Those Who Turn Away From Sin
14 Israel, return to the Lord your God.
Your sins have destroyed you!
2 Tell the Lord you are turning away from your sins.
Return to him.
Say to him,
“Forgive us for all our sins.
Please be kind to us.
Welcome us back to you.
Then our lips will offer you our praise.
3 Assyria can’t save us.
We won’t trust in our war horses.
Our own hands have made statues of gods.
But we will never call them our gods again.
We are like children whose fathers have died.
But you show us your tender love.”
4 Then the Lord will answer,
“My people always wander away from me.
But I will put an end to that.
My anger has turned away from them.
Now I will love them freely.
5 I will be like the dew to Israel.
They will bloom like a lily.
They will send their roots down deep
like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
6 They will spread out like new branches.
They will be as beautiful as an olive tree.
They will smell as sweet as the cedar trees in Lebanon.
7 Once again my people will live
in the safety of my shade.
They will grow like grain.
They will bloom like vines.
And Israel will be as famous
as wine from Lebanon.
8 Ephraim will have nothing more to do with other gods.
I will answer the prayers of my people.
I will take good care of them.
I will be like a healthy juniper tree to them.
All the fruit they bear will come from me.”
9 If someone is wise, they will realize
that what I’ve said is true.
If they have understanding,
they will know what it means.
The ways of the Lord are right.
People who are right with God live the way he wants them to.
But those who refuse to obey him trip and fall.
1 A message from the Lord came to Joel, the son of Pethuel. Here is what Joel said.
Locusts Attack the Land
2 Elders, listen to me.
Pay attention, all you who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your whole life?
Did it ever happen to your people
who lived long ago?
3 Tell your children about it.
Let them tell their children.
And let their children tell it
to those who live after them.
4 The giant locusts have eaten
what the common locusts have left.
The young locusts have eaten
what the giant locusts have left.
And other locusts have eaten
what the young locusts have left.
5 Get up and weep, you people who drink too much!
Cry, all you who drink wine!
Cry because the fresh wine
has been taken away from you.
6 The locusts are like a mighty army
that has marched into our land.
There are so many of them
they can’t even be counted.
Their teeth are as sharp as a lion’s teeth.
They are like the fangs of a female lion.
7 The locusts have completely destroyed our vines.
They have wiped out our fig trees.
They’ve stripped off the bark and thrown it away.
They’ve left the branches bare.
8 My people, mourn like a virgin
who is dressed in the clothes of sadness.
She is sad because she has lost
the young man she was going to marry.
9 No one brings grain offerings and drink offerings
to the Lord’s house anymore.
So the priests who serve the Lord
are filled with sorrow.
10 Our fields are wiped out.
The ground is dried up.
The grain is destroyed.
The fresh wine is gone.
And there isn’t any more olive oil.
11 Farmers, be sad.
Cry, you who grow vines.
Mourn because the wheat and barley are gone.
The crops in the fields are destroyed.
12 The vines and fig trees are dried up.
The pomegranate, palm and apple trees
don’t have any fruit on them.
In fact, all the trees in the fields are dried up.
And my people’s joy has faded away.
A Call to Mourn
13 Priests, put on the clothing of sadness and mourn.
Cry, you who serve at the altar.
Come, you who serve my God in the temple.
Spend the night dressed in the clothes of sadness.
Weep because no one brings grain offerings and drink offerings
to the house of your God anymore.
14 Announce a holy fast.
Tell the people not to eat anything.
Gather them together for a special service.
Send for the elders
and all who live in the land.
Have them come to the house of the Lord your God.
And pray to him.
15 The day of the Lord is near.
How sad it will be on that day!
The Mighty One is coming to destroy you.
16 Our food has been taken away
right in front of our eyes.
There isn’t any joy or gladness
in the house of our God.
17 The seeds have dried up in the ground.
The grain is also gone.
The storerooms have been destroyed.
The barns are broken down.
18 Listen to the cattle groan!
The herds wander around.
They don’t have any grass to eat.
The flocks of sheep are also suffering.
19 Lord, I call out to you.
Fire has burned up the desert grasslands.
Flames have destroyed all the trees in the fields.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to you for help.
The streams of water have dried up.
Fire has burned up the desert grasslands.
The Lord Sends an Army of Locusts
2 Priests, blow the trumpets in Zion.
Give a warning on my holy mountain.
Let everyone who lives in the land tremble with fear.
The day of the Lord is coming.
It is very near.
2 That day will be dark and sad.
It will be black and cloudy.
A huge army of locusts is coming.
They will spread across the mountains
like the sun when it rises.
There has never been an army like it.
And there will never be another
for all time to come.
3 Like fire they eat up everything in their path.
Behind them it looks as if flames have burned the land.
In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden.
Behind them it is a dry and empty desert.
Nothing escapes them.
4 They look like horses.
Like war horses they charge ahead.
5 They sound like chariots as they leap over the mountaintops.
They crackle like fire burning up dry weeds.
They are like a mighty army
that is ready for battle.
6 When people see them, they tremble with fear.
All their faces turn pale.
7 The locusts charge ahead like warriors.
They climb over walls like soldiers.
All of them march in line.
They don’t turn to the right or the left.
8 They don’t bump into one another.
Each of them marches straight ahead.
They charge through everything that tries to stop them.
But they still stay in line.
9 They attack a city.
They run along its wall.
They climb into houses.
They enter through windows like robbers.
10 As they march forward, the earth shakes.
The heavens tremble as they approach.
The sun and moon grow dark.
And the stars stop shining.
11 The Lord thunders with his mighty voice
as he leads his army.
He has so many forces they can’t even be counted.
The army that obeys his commands is mighty.
The day of the Lord is great and terrifying.
Who can live through it?
Let Your Hearts Be Broken
12 The Lord announces to his people,
“Return to me with all your heart.
There is still time.
Do not eat any food.
Weep and mourn.”
13 Don’t just tear your clothes to show how sad you are.
Let your hearts be broken.
Return to the Lord your God.
He is gracious.
He is tender and kind.
He is slow to get angry.
He is full of love.
He won’t bring his judgment.
He won’t destroy you.
14 Who knows? He might turn toward you
and not bring his judgment.
He might even give you his blessing.
Then you can bring grain offerings and drink offerings
to the Lord your God.
15 Priests, blow the trumpets in Zion.
Announce a holy fast.
Tell the people not to eat anything.
Gather them together for a special service.
16 Bring them together.
Set all of them apart to me.
Bring together the elders.
Gather the children and the babies
who are still nursing.
Let the groom leave his bedroom.
Let the bride leave their marriage bed.
17 Let the priests who serve the Lord weep.
Let them cry between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say, “Lord, spare your people.
Don’t let others make fun of them.
Don’t let the nations laugh at them.
Don’t let them tease your people and say,
‘Where is their God?’ ”
The Lord Answers the Prayer of His People
18 Then the Lord was concerned for his land.
He took pity on his people.
19 He replied,
“I am sending you grain, olive oil and fresh wine.
It will be enough to satisfy you completely.
I will never allow other nations
to make fun of you again.
20 “I will drive far away from you
the army that comes from the north.
I will send some of its forces
into a dry and empty land.
Its eastern troops will drown in the Dead Sea.
Its western troops will drown in the Mediterranean Sea.
Their dead bodies will stink.”
The Lord has done great things.
21 Land of Judah, don’t be afraid.
Be glad and full of joy.
The Lord has done great things.
22 Wild animals, don’t be afraid.
The desert grasslands are turning green again.
The trees are bearing their fruit.
The vines and fig trees are producing rich crops.
23 People of Zion, be glad.
Be joyful because of what the Lord your God has done.
He has given you the right amount of rain in the fall.
That’s because he is faithful.
He has sent you plenty of showers.
He has sent fall and spring rains alike,
just as he did before.
24 Your threshing floors will be covered with grain.
Olive oil and fresh wine will spill over
from the places where they are stored.
25 The Lord says,
“I sent a great army of locusts to attack you.
They included common locusts, giant locusts,
young locusts and other locusts.
I will make up for the years
they ate your crops.
26 You will have plenty to eat.
It will satisfy you completely.
Then you will praise me.
I am the Lord your God.
I have done wonderful things for you.
My people will never again be put to shame.
27 You will know that I am with you in Israel.
I am the Lord your God.
There is no other God.
So my people will never again be put to shame.
The Day of the Lord Is Coming
28 “After that, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will have dreams.
Your young men will have visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
on those who serve me, men and women alike.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth.
There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun will become dark.
The moon will turn red like blood.
It will happen before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
32 Everyone who calls out to me will be saved.
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
some of my people will be left alive.
I have chosen them.
That is what I have promised.
The Lord Judges the Nations
3 “At that time I will bless Judah and Jerusalem
with great success again.
2 I will gather together all the nations.
I will bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial.
I will judge them for what they have done
to my people Israel.
They scattered them among the nations.
They divided up my land among themselves.
3 They cast lots for my people.
They sold boys into slavery to get prostitutes.
They sold girls to buy some wine to drink.
4 “Tyre and Sidon, why are you doing things like that to me? And why are you doing them, all you people in Philistia? Are you trying to get even with me for something I have done? If you are, I will pay you back for it in a quick and speedy way. 5 You took my silver and gold. You carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks. You wanted to send them far away from their own country.
7 “But now I will stir them up into action. I will bring them back from the places you sold them to. And I will do to you what you did to them. 8 I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah. And they will sell them to the Sabeans. The Sabeans are a nation that is far away.” The Lord has spoken.
9 Announce this among the nations.
Tell them to prepare for battle.
Nations, get your soldiers ready!
Bring all your fighting men together
and march out to attack.
10 Hammer your plows into swords.
Hammer your pruning tools into spears.
Let anyone who is weak say,
“I am strong!”
11 Come quickly, all you surrounding nations.
Gather together in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
Lord, send down your soldiers from heaven!
12 The Lord says,
“Stir up the nations into action!
Let them march into the valley
where I will judge them.
I will take my seat in court.
I will judge all the surrounding nations.
13 My soldiers, swing your blades.
The nations are ripe for harvest.
Come and stomp on them as if they were grapes.
Crush them until the winepress of my anger is full.
Do it until the wine spills over
from the places where it is stored.
The nations have committed far too many sins!”
14 Huge numbers of soldiers are gathered in the valley
where the Lord will hand down his sentence.
The day of the Lord is near in that valley.
15 The sun and moon will become dark.
The stars won’t shine anymore.
16 The Lord will roar like a lion from Jerusalem.
His voice will sound like thunder from Zion.
The earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will keep the people of Israel safe.
He will be a place of safety for them.
The Lord Blesses His People
17 The Lord says,
“You will know that I am the Lord your God.
I live in Zion.
It is my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be my holy city.
People from other lands
will never again attack it.
18 “At that time fresh wine will drip from the mountains.
Milk will flow down from the hills.
Water will run through all Judah’s valleys.
A fountain will flow out of my temple.
It will water the places where acacia trees grow.
19 But Egypt will be deserted.
Edom will become a dry and empty desert.
They did terrible harm to the people of Judah.
My people were not guilty of doing anything wrong.
But Egypt and Edom spilled their blood anyway.
20 My people will live in Judah and Jerusalem forever.
The land will be their home for all time to come.
21 Egypt and Edom have spilled my people’s blood.
Should I let them escape my judgment?
No, I will not.”
The Lord lives in Zion!
1 These are the words of Amos. He was a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Here is the vision he saw concerning Israel. It came to him two years before the earthquake. At that time Uzziah was king of Judah. Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. Here are the words of Amos.
2 He said,
“The Lord roars like a lion from Jerusalem.
His voice sounds like thunder from Zion.
The grasslands of the shepherds turn brown.
The top of Mount Carmel dries up.”
The Lord Judges Israel’s Neighbors
3 The Lord says,
“The people of Damascus have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They used threshing sleds with iron teeth
to crush Gilead’s people.
4 So I will send fire to destroy the palace of King Hazael.
It will burn up the forts of his son Ben-Hadad.
5 I will break down the city gate of Damascus.
I will kill the king
who lives in the Valley of Aven, that evil place.
He holds the ruler’s scepter in Beth Eden.
The people of Aram will be taken away to Kir as prisoners,”
says the Lord.
6 The Lord says,
“The people of Gaza have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They captured whole communities.
They sold them to Edom.
7 So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Gaza.
It will burn up its forts.
8 I will kill the king of Ashdod.
He holds the ruler’s scepter in Ashkelon.
I will use my power against Ekron.
Every single Philistine will die,”
says the Lord and King.
9 The Lord says,
“The people of Tyre have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They captured whole communities.
They sold them to Edom.
They did not honor the treaty
of friendship they had made.
10 So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Tyre.
It will burn up its forts.”
11 The Lord says,
“The people of Edom have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They chased Israel with swords
that were ready to strike them down.
They killed the women of the land.
They were angry all the time.
Their anger was like a fire that blazed out.
It could not be stopped.
12 So I will send fire to destroy the city of Teman.
It will burn up Bozrah’s forts.”
13 The Lord says,
“The people of Ammon have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead.
They wanted to add land to their territory.
14 So I will set fire to destroy the walls of Rabbah.
It will burn up its forts.
War cries will be heard on that day of battle.
Strong winds will blow on that stormy day.
15 Ammon’s king will be carried away.
So will his officials,”
says the Lord.
2 The Lord says,
“The people of Moab have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They burned the bones
of Edom’s king to ashes.
2 So I will send fire to destroy Moab.
It will burn up Kerioth’s forts.
Moab will come crashing down with a loud noise.
War cries will be heard.
So will the blast of trumpets.
3 I will kill Moab’s ruler.
I will also kill all its officials,”
says the Lord.
4 The Lord says,
“The people of Judah have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They have refused to obey my law.
They have not kept my rules.
Other gods have led them astray.
Their people of long ago
worshiped those gods.
5 So I will send fire to destroy Judah.
It will burn up Jerusalem’s forts.”
The Lord Judges Israel
6 The Lord says,
“The people of Israel have sinned again and again.
So I will judge them.
They sell into slavery those who have done no wrong.
They trade needy people
for a mere pair of sandals.
7 They grind the heads of the poor
into the dust of the ground.
They refuse to be fair to those who are crushed.
A father and his son have sex with the same girl.
They treat my name as if it were not holy.
8 They lie down beside every altar on clothes they have taken.
They lie on those clothes
until the owner pays back what is owed.
In the house of their God
they drink wine that was paid as fines.
9 “Yet I destroyed the Amorites
to make room in the land for my people.
The Amorites were as tall as cedar trees.
They were as strong as oak trees.
But I cut off their fruit above the ground
and their roots below it.
10 “People of Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt.
I led you in the desert for 40 years.
I gave you the land of the Amorites.
11 I raised up prophets from among your children.
I also set apart for myself some of your young people to be Nazirites.
Isn’t that true, people of Israel?”
announces the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine.
You commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
13 “A cart that is loaded with grain
crushes anything it runs over.
In the same way, I will crush you.
14 Your fastest runners will not escape.
The strongest people will not get away.
Even soldiers will not be able
to save their own lives.
15 Men who are armed with bows will lose the battle.
Soldiers who are quick on their feet will not escape.
Horsemen will not be able
to save their own lives.
16 Even your bravest soldiers
will run away naked on that day,”
announces the Lord.
The Lord Calls for Witnesses Against Israel
3 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. He has spoken his message against you. He has spoken it against the whole family he brought up out of Egypt. He says,
2 “Out of all the families on earth
I have chosen only you.
So I will punish you
because you have committed so many sins.”
3 Do two people walk together
unless they’ve agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar in the bushes
when it doesn’t have any food?
Does it growl in its den
when it hasn’t caught anything?
5 Does a bird fly down to a trap on the ground
when no bait is there?
Does a net spring up from the ground
when it has not caught anything?
6 When someone blows a trumpet in a city,
don’t the people tremble with fear?
When trouble comes to a city,
hasn’t the Lord caused it?
7 The Lord and King never does anything
without telling his servants the prophets about it.
8 A lion has roared.
Who isn’t afraid?
The Lord and King has spoken.
Who can do anything but prophesy?
9 Speak to the people in the forts of Ashdod and Egypt.
Tell them, “Gather together
on the mountains of Samaria.
Look at the great trouble in that city.
Its people are committing many crimes.”
10 “They do not know how to do what is right,”
announces the Lord.
“They store up stolen goods in their forts.”
11 So the Lord and King says,
“Enemies will take over your land.
They will pull down your places of safety.
They will rob your forts.”
12 The Lord says,
“Suppose a shepherd saves only two leg bones
from a lion’s mouth.
Or he might save only a piece of an ear.
That is how the Israelites living in Samaria will be saved.
They will only have a board
from a bed
and a piece of cloth
from a couch.”
13 “Listen to me,” announces the Lord. “Be a witness against the people of Jacob,” says the Lord God who rules over all.
14 “I will punish Israel for their sins.
When I do, I will destroy their altars at Bethel.
The horns that stick out from the upper corners
of their main altar will be cut off.
They will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down their winter houses.
I will also pull down their summer houses.
The houses they have decorated with ivory will be destroyed.
And their princely houses will be torn down,”
announces the Lord.
Israel Has Not Returned to the Lord
4 Listen to the Lord’s message,
you women who live on the hill of Samaria.
You treat poor people badly.
You crush those who are in need.
You say to your husbands,
“Bring us some drinks!”
But you are already as fat
as the cows in Bashan.
2 The Lord and King has made a promise
by his own holy name.
He says, “You can be sure
that the time will come
when your enemies will put hooks in your faces.
They will lead every one of you away with fishhooks.
3 Each of you will go straight out
through gaps made in the wall.
You will be thrown out toward Harmon,”
announces the Lord.
4 “People of Samaria, go to Bethel and sin!
Go to Gilgal! Sin there even more!
Bring your sacrifices every morning.
Every third year, bring a tenth
of everything you produce.
5 Bake some bread with yeast.
Burn it as a thank offering.
Brag about the offerings you freely give.
This is what you Israelites love to do,”
announces the Lord and King.
6 “I made sure your stomachs were empty in every city.
You did not have enough bread in any of your towns.
In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,”
announces the Lord.
7 “I also held back rain from you.
The time to harvest crops
was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town.
But I held it back from another.
One field had rain.
But another had no rain and dried up.
8 People wandered from town to town to look for water.
But they did not get enough to drink.
In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,”
announces the Lord.
9 “Many times I kept your gardens and vineyards from growing.
I sent hot winds to dry them up completely.
Locusts ate up your fig and olive trees.
In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,”
announces the Lord.
10 “I sent plagues on you,
just as I did on Egypt.
I killed your young men by swords.
I also let the horses you had captured be killed.
I filled your noses with the stink of your camps.
In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,”
announces the Lord.
11 “I destroyed some of you,
just as I did Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick that was pulled out of the fire.
In spite of that, you still have not returned to me,”
announces the Lord.
12 “So, people of Israel, I will judge you.
Because I will do that to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God!”
13 The Lord forms the mountains.
He creates the wind.
He makes his thoughts known to human beings.
He turns sunrise into darkness.
He rules over even the highest places on earth.
His name is the Lord God Who Rules Over All.
Mourn and Turn Back to the Lord
5 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. Hear my song of sadness about you. I say,
2 “The people of Israel have fallen.
They will never get up again.
They are deserted in their own land.
No one can lift them up.”
3 Here is what the Lord and King says to Israel.
“A thousand soldiers will march out from a city.
But only a hundred will return.
A hundred soldiers will march out from a town.
But only ten will come back.”
4 The Lord speaks to the people of Israel. He says,
“Look to me and live.
5 Do not look to Bethel.
Do not go to Gilgal.
Do not travel to Beersheba.
The people of Gilgal will be taken away as prisoners.
Nothing will be left of Bethel.”
6 Israel, look to the Lord and live.
If you don’t, he will sweep through
the tribes of Joseph like a fire.
It will burn everything up.
And Bethel won’t have anyone to put it out.
7 There are people among you who turn what is fair into something bitter.
They throw down to the ground what is right.
8 The Lord made the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns midnight into sunrise.
He makes the day fade into night.
He sends for the waters in the clouds.
Then he pours them out on the surface of the land.
His name is the Lord.
9 With a flash of light he destroys places of safety.
He tears down cities
that have high walls around them.
10 There are people among you who hate anyone who stands for justice in court.
They hate those who tell the truth.
11 You make poor people pay tax on their straw.
You also tax their grain.
So, even though you have built stone houses,
you won’t live in them.
You have planted fruitful vineyards.
But you won’t drink the wine they produce.
12 I know how many crimes you have committed.
You have sinned far too much.
Among you are people who crush those who have done no wrong.
They accept money from people who want special favors.
They take away the rights of poor people in the courts.
13 So those who are wise keep quiet in times like these.
That’s because the times are evil.
14 Look to what is good, not to what is evil.
Then you will live.
And the Lord God who rules over all
will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil and love good.
Do what is fair in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God who rules over all
will have mercy on you.
After all, you are the only ones left
in the family line of Joseph.
16 The Lord God rules over all. The Lord says,
“People will weep in all the streets.
They will be very sad in every market place.
Even farmers will be told to cry loudly.
People will mourn for the dead.
17 Workers will cry in all the vineyards.
That’s because I will punish you,”
says the Lord.
The Day of the Lord Is Coming
18 How terrible it will be for you
who long for the day of the Lord!
Why do you want it to come?
That day will be dark, not light.
19 It will be like a man running away from a lion
only to meet a bear.
He enters his house and rests his hand on a wall
only to be bitten by a snake.
20 The day of the Lord will be dark, not light.
It will be very black.
There won’t be a ray of sunlight anywhere.
21 The Lord says,
“I hate your holy feasts.
I can’t stand them.
Your gatherings stink.
22 You bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings.
But I will not accept them.
You bring your best friendship offerings.
But I will not even look at them.
23 Take the noise of your songs away!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 I want you to treat others fairly.
So let fair treatment roll on
just as a river does!
Always do what is right.
Let right living flow along
like a stream that never runs dry!
25 “People of Israel, did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
for 40 years in the desert?
26 Yes. But you have honored the place
where your king worshiped other gods.
You have carried the stands
the statues of your gods were on.
You have lifted up the banners
of the stars you worship as gods.
You made all those things for yourselves.
27 So I will send you away
as prisoners beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord.
His name is God Who Rules Over All.
How Terrible for Those Who Feel Secure When They Shouldn’t
6 How terrible it will be for you men
who are so contented on Mount Zion!
How terrible for you who feel secure
on the hill of Samaria!
You are famous men from the greatest nation.
The people of Israel come to you
for help and advice.
2 Go and look at the city of Kalneh.
Go from there to the great city of Hamath.
Then go down to Gath in Philistia.
Are those places better off than your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You are trying to avoid the time
when trouble will come.
But you are only bringing closer
the Assyrian rule of terror.
4 You lie down on beds
that are decorated with ivory.
You rest on your couches.
You eat the best lambs
and the fattest calves.
5 You pluck away on your harps as David did.
You play new songs on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful.
You use the finest lotions.
But Joseph’s people will soon be destroyed.
And you aren’t even sad about it.
7 So you will be among the first
to be taken away as prisoners.
You won’t be able to enjoy good food.
You won’t lie around on couches anymore.
The Lord Hates the Pride of Israel
8 The Lord and King has made a promise in his own name. He is the Lord God who rules over all. He announces,
“I hate the pride of Jacob’s people.
I can’t stand their forts.
I will hand the city of Samaria
and everything in it over to their enemies.”
9 Ten people might be left in one house. If they are, they will die there. 10 Relatives might come to burn the dead bodies. If they do, they’ll have to carry them out of the house first. They might ask someone still hiding there, “Is anyone else here with you?” If the answer is no, the relatives will go on to say, “Be quiet! We must not pray in the Lord’s name.”
11 That’s because the Lord has already given an order.
He will smash large houses to pieces.
He will crush small houses to bits.
12 Horses don’t run on rocky ground.
People don’t plow the sea with oxen.
But you have turned fair treatment into poison.
You have turned the fruit of right living into bitterness.
13 You are happy because you captured the town of Lo Debar.
You say, “We were strong enough to take Karnaim too.”
14 But the Lord God rules over all. He announces, “People of Israel,
I will stir up a nation against you.
They will crush you from Lebo Hamath
all the way down to the Arabah Valley.”
Amos Has Visions of Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 The Lord and King gave me a vision. He was bringing large numbers of locusts on the land. The king’s share had already been harvested. Now the later crops were coming up. 2 The locusts stripped the land clean. Then I cried out, “Lord and King, forgive Israel! How can Jacob’s people continue? They are such a weak nation!”
3 So the Lord had pity on them.
“I will let them continue for now,” he said.
4 The Lord and King gave me a second vision. He was using fire to punish his people. It dried up the deep waters. It burned the land up. 5 Then I cried out, “Lord and King, please stop! How can Jacob’s people continue? They are such a weak nation!”
6 So the Lord had pity on them.
“I will let them continue for now,” the Lord and King said.
7 Then the Lord gave me a third vision. He was standing by a wall. It had been built very straight, all the way up and down. He was holding a plumb line. 8 The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look at what I am doing. I am hanging a plumb line next to my people Israel. It will show how crooked they are. I will no longer spare them.
9 “The high places where Isaac’s people worship other gods will be destroyed.
The other places of worship in Israel will also be torn down.
I will use my sword to attack Jeroboam’s royal family.”
Amaziah Tells Amos to Stop Prophesying
10 Amaziah was priest of Bethel. He sent a message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel. He said, “Amos is making evil plans against you right here in Israel. The people in the land can’t stand to listen to what he’s saying. 11 Amos is telling them,
“ ‘Jeroboam will be killed by a sword.
The people of Israel will be taken away as prisoners.
They will be carried off from their own land.’ ”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out of Israel, you prophet! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your living there. Do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy here at Bethel anymore. This is where the king worships. The main temple in the kingdom is located here.”
14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet. I wasn’t even the son of a prophet. I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me away from taking care of the flock. He said to me, ‘Go. Prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now then, listen to the Lord’s message. You say,
“ ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel.
Stop preaching against the people of Isaac.’
17 “But the Lord says,
“ ‘Your wife will become a prostitute
in the city of Bethel.
Your sons and daughters will be killed by swords.
Your land will be measured and divided up.
And you yourself will die in another country.
The people of Israel will surely be taken away as prisoners.
They will be carried off from their own land.’ ”
Amos Has a Vision of a Basket of Ripe Fruit
8 The Lord and King gave me a vision. He showed me a basket of ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.
“A basket of ripe fruit,” I replied.
Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel. I will no longer spare them.
3 “The time is coming when the songs in the temple will turn to weeping,” announces the Lord and King. “Many, many bodies will be thrown everywhere! So be quiet!”
4 Listen to me, you who walk all over needy people.
You crush those who are poor in the land.
5 You say,
“When will the New Moon feast be over?
Then we can sell our grain.
When will the Sabbath day come to an end?
Then people can buy our wheat.”
But you measure out less than the right amount.
You raise your prices.
You cheat others by using dishonest scales.
6 You buy poor people to make slaves out of them.
You buy those who are in need for a mere pair of sandals.
You even sell the worthless parts of your wheat.
7 People of Jacob, you are proud that the Lord is your God. But he has made a promise in his own name. He says, “I will never forget anything Israel has done.
8 “The land will tremble because of what will happen.
Everyone who lives in it will mourn.
So the whole land will rise like the Nile River.
It will be stirred up.
Then it will settle back down again
like that river in Egypt.”
9 The Lord and King announces,
“At that time I will make the sun go down at noon.
The earth will become dark in the middle of the day.
10 I will turn your holy feasts into times for mourning.
I will turn all your songs into weeping.
You will have to wear the clothing of sadness.
You will shave your heads.
I will make you mourn as if your only son had died.
The end of that time will be like a bitter day.”
11 The Lord and King announces,
“The days are coming
when I will send hunger through the land.
But people will not be hungry for food.
They will not be thirsty for water.
Instead, they will be hungry
to hear a message from me.
12 People will wander from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean.
They will travel from north to east.
They will look for a message from me.
But they will not find it.
13 “At that time
“the lovely young women and strong young men
will faint because they are so thirsty.
14 Some people make promises in the name of Samaria’s god.
That god has led them astray.
Others say, ‘People of Dan, you can be sure
that your god is alive.’
Still others say, ‘You can be sure
that Beersheba’s god is alive.’
But all these people will fall dead.
They will never get up again.”
Israel Will Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing next to the altar in the temple. He said to me,
“Strike the tops of the temple pillars.
Then the heavy stones at the base of the entrance will shake.
Bring everything down on the heads of everyone there.
I will kill with my swords
those who are left alive.
None of the Israelites will escape.
None will get away.
2 They might dig down deep.
But my powerful hand will take them out of there.
They might climb up to the heavens.
But I will bring them down from there.
3 They might hide on top of Mount Carmel.
But I will hunt them down
and grab them.
They might hide from me at the bottom of the ocean.
But even there I will command the serpent to bite them.
4 Their enemies might take them away
as prisoners to another country.
But there I will command Israel’s enemies
to cut them down with swords.
I will keep my eye on Israel to harm them.
I will not help them.”
5 The Lord rules over all.
The Lord touches the earth, and it melts.
Everyone who lives in it mourns.
The whole land rises like the Nile River.
Then it settles back down again
like that river in Egypt.
6 The Lord builds his palace high in the heavens.
He lays its foundation on the earth.
He sends for the waters in the clouds.
Then he pours them out on the surface of the land.
His name is the Lord.
7 “You Israelites are just like
the people of Cush to me,”
announces the Lord.
“I brought Israel up from Egypt.
I also brought the Philistines from Crete
and the Arameans from Kir.
8 “I am the Lord and King.
My eyes are watching the sinful kingdom of Israel.
I will wipe it off the face of the earth.
But I will not totally destroy the people of Jacob,”
announces the Lord.
9 “I will give an order.
I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations.
They will be like grain that is shaken through a screen.
Not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners among my people
will be killed by swords.
They say, ‘Nothing bad will ever happen to us.’
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