Amos Chapter 2

1 Yahveh says,

      “For three sins of Moab and for four,

I won’t hold back its punishment:

      they burned the king of Edom’s bones into lime.

         2So I’ll burn the fortresses in Kerioth;

            Moab will die amid turmoil,

                  war cries, and bugle blasts.

         3I’ll eliminate judges from him

            and slay his officials with him.”                                

Amos 2:1-3

God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel

4 Yahveh says,

      “For three sins of Judah and for four,

I won’t hold back its punishment:

      they rejected the Law of Yahveh

            and didn’t keep his statutes.

      The same lies have led them astray

            that their ancestors followed.

         5So I’ll send down fire on Judah

            and burn the fortresses in Jerusalem.”                    

Amos 2:4-5

6 Yahveh says,

      “For three sins of Israel and for four,

I won’t hold back its punishment:

      they sell the good for money,

            the poor for a pair of shoes.

         7They walk on the heads of the poor in the dust

            and abandon those who are suffering.

      A man and his father sleep with the same girl

            to profane my holy name.

         8They lie down beside every altar

            on cloaks taken as pledges.

      In God’s Temple they drink the wine

            of the people they’ve fined.                                        

Amos 2:6-8

         9“Yet I was the One that destroyed the Amorites for you,

                  though they were as tall as cedars and strong as oaks.

            I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below.

                  10I was the One that brought you up from Egypt,

                  and led you in the desert for 40 years

                        to take over the land of the Amorites.

         11 Then I raised up some of your offspring to be prophets

            and some of your young men to be Nazirites.

Isn’t that so, Israel?                                                    Amos 2:9-11

         12“But you made Nazirites drink wine

            and told prophets not to prophesy!

         13 I’ll weigh you down like a wagon

            overloaded with bundles,

         14The swift won’t be able to flee;

            the strong will lose their strength;

            the powerful won’t save their lives.

         15The archers won’t stand their ground;

            the swift won’t escape;

            the cavalry won’t save themselves.

         16 The bravest among the troops

            will drop their weapons and run

            when that time comes.”                                             

Amos 2:12-16

From the CYV translation by Virgil Warren, PhD