Amos 2

Verse 1The 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;

Verse 2but 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;

Verse 3and I will cut off the judge from among them,

and will kill all its princes with him,”

says the LORD.

Verse 4The 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;

Verse 5but I will send a fire on Judah,

and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”

Verse 6The 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;

Verse 7They 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.

Verse 8They lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge.

In the house of their Goda they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

Verse 9Yet 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.

Verse 10Also 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.

Verse 11I 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.

Verse 12“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,

and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’

Verse 13Behold,b I will crush you in your place,

as a cart crushes that is full of grain.

Verse 14Flight will perish from the swift.

The strong won’t strengthen his force.

The mighty won’t deliver himself.

Verse 15He 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.

Verse 16He who is courageous among the mighty

will flee away naked on that day,”

says the LORD.