1Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come!2Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours?3You put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of terror.4You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.5You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.6You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.7Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
The Lord abhors the pride of Israel
8The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself – the Lord God Almighty declares: ‘I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.’9If ten people are left in one house, they too will die.10And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[1] asks anyone who might be hiding there, ‘Is anyone else with you?’ and he says, ‘No,’ then he will go on to say, ‘Hush! We must not mention the name of the Lord.’11For the Lord has given the command, and he will smash the great house into pieces and the small house into bits.12Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plough the sea[2] with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness –13you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[3] and say, ‘Did we not take Karnaim[4] by our own strength?’14For the Lord God Almighty declares, ‘I will stir up a nation against you, Israel, that will oppress you all the way from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.’
Amos 6
English Standard Version
Woe to Those at Ease in Zion
1“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! (Ex 19:5; Isa 32:9; Eze 22:6; Am 3:9; Am 4:1; Zep 1:12; Lu 6:24; Jas 5:1)2Pass over to Calneh, and see, and from there go 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, (Ge 10:10; 1Sa 17:4; 1Ki 8:65; 2Ki 18:34; Isa 10:9; Na 3:8)3O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence? (Eze 12:27; Am 3:10; Am 9:10)4“Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, (Es 1:6; Am 3:12; Jas 5:5)5who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, (Am 5:23)6who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! (Isa 5:12; Da 10:3)7Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” (Am 7:11; Am 7:17)8The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it.” (Ps 47:4; Jer 17:3; Jer 22:5; Jer 51:14; Am 8:7)9And if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. (Am 3:3)10And when one’s relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, “Is there still anyone with you?” he shall say, “No”; and he shall say, “Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord.” (1Sa 31:12; Am 5:13; Am 8:3)11For behold, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits. (Am 3:15)12Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow there[1] with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood[2]— (De 29:18; Am 5:7)13you who rejoice in Lo-debar,[3] who say, “Have we not by our own strength captured Karnaim[4] for ourselves?” (1Ki 22:11; Mic 4:13)14“For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord, the God of hosts; “and they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of the Arabah.” (De 1:1; 2Ki 14:25; Jer 5:15)