Amos, 6

1. Woe to them [that are] at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, [which are] named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

1. Woe to those proud people who live, overconfident on the hill of Samaria! Woe to you, men of renown, from the first among the nations, to whom the people of Israel come!

2. Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: [be they] better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

2. Pass through Kalneh and see; from there go to Hamath the great, then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms were? Is your territory greater than theirs?

3. Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

3. You hope to postpone the evil day; in fact you bring about a year of violence.

4. That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

4. You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and sprawl on your couches; you eat lamb from the flock and veal from calves fattened in the stall.

5. That chant to the sound of the viol, [and] invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

5. You strum on your harps, and like David, try out new musical instruments.

6. That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

6. You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you do not grieve over the ruins of Joseph.

7. Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

7. Therefore you will be the first to go into exile; and the feast of sprawlers will be over.

8. The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

8. Yahweh has sworn by his life, "I hate the proud city of Jacob, I hate its palaces. I will hand over the city and all that fills it."

9. And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.

9. In those days, if ten people are left in one house, they shall die.

10. And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that [is] by the sides of the house, [Is there] yet [any] with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.

10. Their kinsman will lift the corpses and bring the bones from the house; when he will say to his comrade at the back part of the house, "Are there any more?" the other will say, "No, but hush! We must not mention the name of Yahweh."

11. For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

11. For this is Yahweh's command, "The great house shall crumble, and the small house fall to pieces."

12. Shall horses run upon the rock? will [one] plow [there] with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:

12. Do horses run on craggy cliffs? Does anyone plow the sea with oxen? Well, you have turned the rights into a poisonous plant and the sentences of the court into wormwood.

13. Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

13. You rejoice about unimportant matters when you say, "Are we not winners once more?"

14. But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

14. Yet am I stirring up against you, Israel, a nation that will oppress you from the pass of Hamath to the brook of the Arabah.