The Word Am I

The Prophet Amos

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- Chapter 2 -

1
Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Moab, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has burned the bones of the king of Idumea, all the way to ashes.
2
And I will send a fire onto Moab, and it will devour the buildings of Kerioth. And Moab will die with a noise, with the blare of a trumpet.
3
And I will destroy the judge in their midst, and I will execute all his leaders with him, says the Lord.
4
Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Judah, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has rejected the law of the Lord and has not kept his commandments. For their idols, which their fathers followed, have deceived them.
5
And I will send a fire onto Judah, and it will devour the buildings of Jerusalem.
6
Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Israel, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has sold the just for silver and the poor for shoes.
7
They grind the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth, and they divert the way of the humble. And the son, as well as his father, have gone to the same girl, so that they outrage my holy name.
8
And they have lain on garments taken in pledge next to every altar. And they drank the wine of the damned in the house of their God.
9
Yet I exterminated the Amorites before their face, whose height was like the height of cedars, and whose strength was like the oak. And I crushed his fruit from above and his roots below.(a)
10
It is I who caused you to ascend from the land of Egypt, and I led you in the wilderness for forty years, so that you might possess the land of the Amorite.
11
And I stirred up prophets from your sons, and Nazirites from your young men. Is it not so, sons of Israel, says the Lord?
12
Yet you would offer wine to the Nazirites, and you would command the prophets, saying: “Do not prophesy.”
13
Behold, I will creak under you, just as a wagon creaks that is laden with hay.(b)
14
And flight will perish from the swift, and the strong will not maintain his strength, and the healthy will not save his life.
15
And one holding the bow will not stand firm, and the swift of foot will not be saved, and the rider on the horse will not save his life.
16
And the stout of heart among the strong will flee away naked in that day, says the Lord.

Footnotes

(a)2:9 The word ‘exterminavi’ is a harsh word; translators should not shy away from harsh words when translating harsh words.(Conte)
(b)2:13 I will screak:Unable to bear any longer the enormous load of your sins, etc. The spirit of God, as St. Jerome takes notice, accommodates himself to the education of the prophet and inspires him with comparisons taken from country affairs.(Challoner)
1
The LORD 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;
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;
3
and I will cut off the judge from among them, and will kill all its princes 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;
5
but I will send a fire on Judah, and 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;
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.
8
They lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge. In the house of their God(a) they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
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.
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.
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.
12
“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’
13
Behold,(b) I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
14
Flight will perish from the swift. The strong won’t strengthen his force. The mighty won’t deliver himself.
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.
16
He who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says the LORD.

Footnotes

(a)2:8 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
(b)2:13 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.
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