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Woe to the Complacent

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
    and to those confident on the mount of Samaria,
nobles of the first of the nations,
    to whom the house of Israel comes!
Cross over to Kalneh and see,
    and go from there to Hamath the great;
    then go down to Gath of the Philistines—
are you better than these kingdoms?
    Or is their territory greater than your territory?
You who brush off the day of disaster,
    but bring on a session of lawlessness;
who lie upon beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches,
    eating lambs from the flock and calves from the stall;
who sing to the sound of the harp
    and invent musical instruments for themselves like David;
who drink from bowls of wine
    and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
    but are not grieved over the destruction of Joseph.
Therefore now they will go at the head of the captives into exile,
    and the revelry of those who are lounging will vanish.

The Lord God hath sworn by Himself, an oracle of the Lord the God of Hosts:

I abhor the pride of Jacob
    and hate his palaces,
so I will deliver up the city
    with all that is in it.

If there remain ten people in one house, they will die. 10 And when a relative or one who prepares the bodies picks them up to carry them out of the house, and says to someone in the recesses of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” he will say, “Hush!”—not to pronounce the name of the Lord.

11 But indeed the Lord gives a command,
    and He will shatter the great house to bits,
    and the small house to pieces.

12 Can horses run on a rocky crag?
    Can one plow the sea with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison,
    and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13 you who rejoice in Lo Debar, who say,
    “Is it not by our own strength that we captured Karnaim?”

14 Watch: I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,
    says the Lord, the God of Hosts,
and they will oppress you
    from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi Arabah.

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 than(I) your two kingdoms?
    Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the day of disaster
    and bring near a reign of terror.(J)
You lie on beds adorned 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(T)—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor(U) the pride of Jacob(V)
    and detest his fortresses;(W)
I will deliver up(X) the city
    and everything in it.(Y)

If ten(Z) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[a](AA) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(AB) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For the Lord has given the command,
    and he will smash(AC) the great house(AD) into pieces
    and the small house into bits.(AE)

12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
    Does one plow the sea[b] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(AF)
    and the fruit of righteousness(AG) into bitterness(AH)
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[c]
    and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[d] by our own strength?(AI)

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation(AJ) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath(AK) to the valley of the Arabah.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
  2. Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
  3. Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
  4. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.