“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”
4 Hear this word, you [a]cows of (A)Bashan who are on the (B)mountain of Samaria,
Who (C)exploit the poor, who oppress the needy,
[b]And say to their [c]husbands, “Bring now, that we may (D)drink!”
2 The Lord [d]God has (E)sworn by His (F)holiness,
“For behold, the days are coming upon you
When [e]they will take you away with (G)meat hooks,
And the last of you with (H)fish hooks.
3 You will (I)go out through holes in the walls,
One in front of the other,
And you [f]will be hurled to Harmon,” declares the Lord.
4 “Enter Bethel and do wrong;
In Gilgal multiply wrongdoing!
(J)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
5 [g]Offer a (K)thanksgiving offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim (L)[h]voluntary offerings, make them known.
For so you (M)love to do, you sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord God.
6 “But I gave you also (N)cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
And lack of bread in all your places;
Yet you have (O)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
7 “Furthermore, I (P)withheld the rain from you
While there were still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city,
But on (Q)another city I would not send rain;
One part would be rained on,
While the part not rained on would dry up.
8 So the people of two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink (R)water,
But would (S)not be satisfied;
Yet you have (T)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
9 “I (U)struck you with scorching wind and mildew;
The (V)caterpillar was devouring
Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees;
Yet you have (W)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
10 “I sent a (X)plague among you [i]as in Egypt;
I (Y)killed your young men with the sword, along with your (Z)captured horses,
And I made the (AA)stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils;
Yet you have (AB)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
11 “I overthrew you, as (AC)God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a (AD)log snatched from a fire;
Yet you have (AE)not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
12 “Therefore so I will do to you, Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to (AF)meet your God, Israel.”
13 For behold, He who (AG)forms mountains and (AH)creates the wind,
And (AI)declares to a person what are His thoughts,
He who (AJ)makes dawn into darkness
And (AK)treads on the high places of the earth,
(AL)The Lord God of armies is His name.
Footnotes
- Amos 4:1 I.e., haughty, prominent women
- Amos 4:1 Lit Who
- Amos 4:1 Lit lords
- Amos 4:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 4:2 Lit he
- Amos 4:3 As in LXX; MT will hurl
- Amos 4:5 Lit Offer up in smoke
- Amos 4:5 Or freewill offerings
- Amos 4:10 Lit in the way of Egypt
Cross references
- Amos 4:1 : Ps 22:12; Ezek 39:18
- Amos 4:1 : Amos 3:9; 6:1
- Amos 4:1 : Amos 5:11; 8:6
- Amos 4:1 : Amos 2:8; 6:6
- Amos 4:2 : Amos 6:8; 8:7
- Amos 4:2 : Ps 89:35
- Amos 4:2 : Is 37:29; Ezek 38:4
- Amos 4:2 : Jer 16:16; Ezek 29:4; Hab 1:15
- Amos 4:3 : Jer 52:7
- Amos 4:4 : Num 28:3; Amos 5:21, 22
- Amos 4:5 : Lev 7:13
- Amos 4:5 : Lev 22:18-21
- Amos 4:5 : Jer 7:9, 10; Hos 9:1, 10
- Amos 4:6 : Is 3:1; Jer 14:18
- Amos 4:6 : Is 9:13; Jer 5:3; Hag 2:17
- Amos 4:7 : Deut 11:17; 2 Chr 7:13; Is 5:6
- Amos 4:7 : Ex 9:4, 26; 10:22, 23
- Amos 4:8 : 1 Kin 18:5; Jer 14:4
- Amos 4:8 : Ezek 4:16, 17; Hag 1:6
- Amos 4:8 : Jer 3:7
- Amos 4:9 : Deut 28:22; Hag 2:17
- Amos 4:9 : Joel 1:4, 7; Amos 7:1, 2
- Amos 4:9 : Jer 3:10
- Amos 4:10 : Ex 9:3; Lev 26:25; Deut 28:27, 60; Ps 78:50
- Amos 4:10 : Jer 11:22; 18:21; 48:15
- Amos 4:10 : 2 Kin 13:3, 7
- Amos 4:10 : Joel 2:20
- Amos 4:10 : Is 9:13
- Amos 4:11 : Gen 19:24, 25; Deut 29:23; Is 13:19
- Amos 4:11 : Zech 3:2
- Amos 4:11 : Jer 23:14
- Amos 4:12 : Is 32:11; 64:2; Jer 5:22
- Amos 4:13 : Job 38:4-7; Ps 65:6; Is 40:12
- Amos 4:13 : Ps 135:7; Jer 10:13
- Amos 4:13 : Dan 2:28, 30
- Amos 4:13 : Jer 13:16; Joel 2:2; Amos 5:8
- Amos 4:13 : Mic 1:3
- Amos 4:13 : Is 47:4; Jer 10:16; Amos 5:8, 27; 9:6