Amos 6

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you^a who are complacent^b in Zion,

and to you who feel secure^c on Mount Samaria,^d

you notable men of the foremost nation,

to whom the people of Israel come!^e

Go to Kalneh^f and look at it;

go from there to great Hamath,^g

and then go down to Gath^h in Philistia.

Are they better off thanⁱ your two kingdoms?

Is their land larger than yours?

You put off the evil day

and bring near a reign of terror.^j

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory

and lounge on your couches.^k

You dine on choice lambs

and fattened calves.^l

You strum away on your harps^m like David

and improvise on musical instruments.ⁿ

You drink wine^o by the bowlful

and use the finest lotions,

but you do not grieve^p over the ruin of Joseph.^q

Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;^r

your feasting and lounging will end.^s

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself^a—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor^b the pride of Jacob^c

and detest his fortresses;^d

I will deliver up^e the city

and everything in it.^f”

If ten^g people are left in one house, they too will die. And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them^h asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!ⁱ We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

For the Lord has given the command,

and he will smash^j the great house^k into pieces

and the small house into bits.^l

Do horses run on the rocky crags?

Does one plow the sea with oxen?

But you have turned justice into poison^m

and the fruit of righteousnessⁿ into bitterness^o—

you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar

and say, “Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?^p”

For the Lord God Almighty declares,

“I will stir up a nation^q against you, house of Israel,

that will oppress you all the way

from Lebo Hamath^r to the valley of the Arabah.^s”