Amos 6
The Party is over for the Rich
6:1 Woe1 to those who live in ease in Zion,2
to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
They think of themselves as3 the elite class of the best nation.
The family4 of Israel looks to them for leadership.5
6:2 They say to the people:6
“Journey over to Calneh and look at it!
Then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah!7
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines!
Are they superior to our two8 kingdoms?
Is their territory larger than yours?”9
6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come,10
but you establish a reign of violence.11
6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory,12
and sprawl out on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the middle of the pen.
6:5 They sing13 to the tune of14 stringed instruments;15
like David they invent16 musical instruments.
6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls,17
and pour the very best oils on themselves.18
Yet they are not concerned over19 the ruin20 of Joseph.
6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile,21
and the religious banquets22 where they sprawl on couches23 will end.
6:8 The sovereign
The
“I despise Jacob’s arrogance;
I hate their25 fortresses.
I will hand over to their enemies26 the city of Samaria27 and everything in it.”
6:9 If ten men are left in one house, they too will die.
6:10 When their close relatives, the ones who will burn the corpses,28 pick up their bodies to remove the bones from the house, they will say to anyone who is in the inner rooms of the house, “Is anyone else with you?” He will respond, “Be quiet! Don’t invoke the
6:11 Indeed, look! The
He will smash the large house to bits,
and the small house into little pieces.
6:12 Can horses run on rocky cliffs?
Can one plow the sea with oxen?31
Yet you have turned justice into a poisonous plant,
and the fruit of righteous actions into a bitter plant.32
6:13 You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar.33
You say, “Did we not conquer Karnaim34 by our own power?”
6:14 “Look! I am about to bring35 a nation against you, family36 of Israel.”
The
“They will oppress37 you all the way from Lebo-Hamath38 to the Stream of the Arabah.”39