Amos 4

CHAPTER 4

Yet You Have Not Returned to Me

¹Hear this word, you cows of ^aBashan who are on the ^bmountain of Samaria,

Who ^coppress the poor, who crush the needy,

Who say to their ¹husbands, “Bring now, that we may ^ddrink!”

²Lord Yahweh has ^asworn by His ^bholiness that,

“Behold, the days are coming upon you,

And ¹they will take you away with ^cmeat hooks,

And the last of you with ^dfish hooks.

³“And you will ^ago out through breaches in the walls,

Each one straight before her,

And you ¹will be cast to Harmon,” declares Yahweh.

⁴“Enter Bethel and transgress;

In Gilgal multiply transgression!

^aBring your sacrifices every morning,

Your tithes every three days.

⁵“¹And offer a ^athank offering also from that which is leavened,

And call for ^bfreewill offerings; cause them to be heard about.

For so you ^clove to do, you sons of Israel,”

Declares Lord Yahweh.

⁶“But I gave you also ^acleanness of teeth in all your cities

And lack of bread in all your places,

Yet you have ^bnot returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

⁷“And I also ^awithheld the rain from you

While there were still three months until harvest.

Then I would send rain on one city,

And on ^banother city I would not send rain;

One portion would be rained on,

While the portion not rained on would dry up.

⁸“So two or three cities would wander around to another city to drink ^awater,

But would ^bnot be satisfied;

Yet you have ^cnot returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

⁹“I ^astruck you with scorching wind and mildew;

And the ^bgnawing locust was devouring

Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees;

Yet you have ^cnot returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

¹⁰“I sent a ^apestilence among you after the manner of Egypt;

I ^bkilled your choice men by the sword along with your ^ccaptured horses,

And I made the ^dstench of your camp rise up even in your nostrils;

Yet you have ^enot returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

¹¹“I overthrew you as ^aGod overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

And you were like a ^bfirebrand ¹delivered from a blaze;

Yet you have ^cnot returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

¹²“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;

Because I will do this to you,

Prepare to ^ameet your God, O Israel.”

¹³For behold, He who ^aforms mountains and ^bcreates the wind

And ^cdeclares to man what are His thoughts,

He who ^dmakes dawn into gloom

And ^etreads on the high places of the earth,

^fYahweh God of hosts is His name.