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\sectd\sect{\header \pard\qr\plain\f0\fs16 Amos (Page \chpgn) \par}{\pard \pagebb
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs60 The Sermons of

\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs72 Amos
  
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Superscription and Text of the Book

\par}

{\pard\sl280\slmult1\fs24\fi720 
{\cf1 1}The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, and in the reign of Jeroboam the son of King Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}Amos said:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Whenever the {\scaps Lord} roars from Zion,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the top of Carmel becomes arid.
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Judgment About to Overtake Israel's Guilty Neighbors

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Damascus' three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}Therefore I will send fire on Hazael's house,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and it will devour the palaces of Ben-hadad,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}and I will break open the gate of Damascus,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and I will wipe out those who live in the valley of Aven,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the sceptered ruler of Beth-Eden;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the people of Aram will go into captivity in Kir,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Gaza's three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They carried away captive a whole nation,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
sold them as slaves to Edom.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}Therefore I will send fire on the wall of Gaza,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and it shall devour her palaces.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}And I will wipe out those who live in Ashdod,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the sceptered ruler of Askelon.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the {\scaps Lord} says.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Tyre's three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They carried away captive a whole people into exile in Edom,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and did not remember the brotherly covenant.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}So I will send fire on the walls of Tyre.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It will devour her palaces.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Edom's three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They pursued their relatives with the sword,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
stilled their pity,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
cherished their anger continually,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
retained their fury forever.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}So I will send a fire into Teman.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It will destroy the palaces of Bozrah.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Ammonites' three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
in their lust for land.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}So I will kindle a fire on the wall of Rabbah.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It will destroy her palaces,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
with a war-cry in the day of battle,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 15}Their king will go into exile,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
he and his nobles together,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
  {\cf1 2}The {\scaps {\super\cf2\fs24 1}Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Moab's three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They have burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom,      
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}to desecrate the dead.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
So I will send a fire into Moab.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It will devour the palaces of Kirioth,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
with a war-cry, 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
with the sound of trumpets.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}I will kill the ruler,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
all his nobles I will slay with him,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Judah's three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They have rejected the law of the {\scaps Lord},
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and have not kept his statutes,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
but their false gods their ancestors followed,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
have led them astray.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}So I will send a fire on Judah.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Judgment Awaiting Thrice Guilty Israel

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Israel's three crimes \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
no, four! \uc1\u8212* I will not rescind my judgment.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They sell the righteous for money,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the needy for a pair of shoes.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}They trample on the head of the poor,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
push the humble out of the way.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Father and son go to the same temple girl,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and so profane my holy name.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}They stretch themselves on garments taken in pledges beside every altar,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and they drink the wine of those who have been fined in the house of their God.      
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}It was I who destroyed the Amorites for your sake,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
whose height was like that of the cedars, 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
as strong as oaks.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I destroyed their fruit from above and their roots from below.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}It was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,       
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and led you forty years in the wilderness,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and brought you here to possess the land of the Amorites.    
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}I raised up some of your sons to be prophets 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and some of your youths to be Nazirites.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Is not this indeed so, Israelites? 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.       
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}But you made the Nazirites drink wine
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and banned the prophets from prophesying.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}Listen! 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is I who will make you groan in your places,      
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
as a wagon groans under its load of grain.   
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}Then flight will fail the swift,  
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the strength of the strongest will be useless.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The warrior will not save his life,  
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 15}the archer will not stand firm,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the swift of foot will not escape,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the horseman will not save his life.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 16}The bravest of warriors
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
will flee away naked in that day,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.  
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Basis of the Prophet's Arraignment of Israel

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\cf1 3}Hear this word
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 1}which the {\scaps Lord} has spoken against you, Israelites,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
against the whole nation that I brought out of Egypt:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}You alone have I cared for of all the nations of the world,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
this is why I will punish you for your crimes.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}Do two walk together unless they agreed to meet?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}Does a lion roar in the forest when there is no prey for him?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Does a young lion cry out in his den unless he has caught something?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}Does a bird swoop down into a trap if no bait is set for it?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Does a trap spring up from the ground if nothing sets it off?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}Can a trumpet be blown in a city and the people not tremble?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Can disaster strike a city and the {\scaps Lord} not have caused it?
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}Surely the Lord the {\scaps Lord} does nothing
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
without revealing his purpose to his servants the prophets.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}The lion has roared; who does not fear?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The Lord {\scaps God} has spoken; who will not prophesy?
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Guilt and Doom of Samaria

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}Proclaim over the palaces in Ashdod,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and over the palaces in the land of Egypt:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Gather upon the mountain of Samaria,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and see the violent turmoil,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the acts of oppression in her midst.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}For they do not know how to do right.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
They are heaping up violence and oppression in their palaces,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 
 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 11}Therefore the Lord {\scaps God} says: 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
An enemy will surround the land,     
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
he will strip your strength from you.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and your palaces will be looted. 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 12}The {\scaps Lord} says:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Just as a shepherd rescues from the jaws of a lion
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
two shin-bones or a piece of an ear,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
so the Israelites living in Sameria will be rescued \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
with the corner of a couch,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the damask of a divan!
\par}

{\pard 
 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 13}Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the Lord {\scaps God}, the God of hosts. 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 14}On the day when I punish Israel for their crimes,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will also visit in judgment the altars of Bethel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the horns of the altar will be hacked off,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and they will fall to the ground.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 15}I will destroy the winter houses together with the summer houses
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
and the houses of ivory will perish.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Many great houses will be swept away,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
  {\cf1 4}Listen to this message, women of Sameria, 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 1}you well-fed cows of Bashan,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
who oppress the poor and crush the needy,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
who say to your husbands, \uc1\u8220*Bring us another drink!\uc1\u8221*
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}The Lord {\scaps God} has sworn by his holiness:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The time is coming when you will be carried away in baskets,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
your children carried away in fish-baskets,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}and through the breaches in the city wall you will go,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
thrown out on the garbage dump,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
says the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 Israel's Failure to Understand the Lord's Judgments
*********
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}Come to Bethel and transgress,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
At Gilgald increase your transgression;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And bring in the morning your sacrifices,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
On the third day your tithes!
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}And burn some leavened bread as a thank-offering,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And proclaim aloud the voluntary offerings,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For you love to do so, O Israelites!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is the oracle of the Lord the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}But it was also I who gave to you
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Empty stomachs in all your cities,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And lack of bread in all your palaces,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yet ye have not returned to me, is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}I also it was who withheld from you the rain,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I sent rain upon one city,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
While upon another I did not let it rain,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}Yet ye did not return to me, is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}I smote you with blight and mildew,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I laid waste your gardens and vineyards,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Your fig and your olive trees the young locust devoured;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yet you did not return to me, is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}I sent among you a pestilence by the way of Egypt,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I slew your youths with the sword, taking captive your horses,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I caused the stench of your camps to rise in your nostrils;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yet ye did not return to me, is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}I wrought a destruction among you,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
As God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And ye were as a brand plucked from the burning;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yet ye did not return to me, is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}Therefore thus will I do to thee, O Israel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Because I am about to do this to thee,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}For behold it is he who formeth the mountains,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And createth the wind,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And declareth to man what is his thought;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
He maketh dawn and darkness,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And treadeth upon the heights of the earth,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the {\scaps Lord}, the God of hosts, is his name.  
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 Certain Destruction Awaiting Israel Unless She Seeks the Lord

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\cf1 5}Hear the word which I take up against you, even a dirge, O house of Israel:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Hurled down upon her own soil she lies, with none to raise her!
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}For thus saith the Lord the {\scaps Lord}:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The city that taketh the field with a thousand hath but a hundred left,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the one that taketh the field with a hundred bath but ten left.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}For thus saith the {\scaps Lord} to the house of Israel:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Seek me and live,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}But seek not Bethel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And Gilgal do not enter,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
To Beersheba go not over;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For Gilgal shall taste the gall of exile,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And Bethel shall go to perdition.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}Seek the {\scaps Lord} and live,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Lest he cast fire on the house of Joseph,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And it devour and there be none to quench it for Bethel.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}He it is who made the Pleades and Orions
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Who turneth deep gloom into morning,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And darkeneth day again into night,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Who calleth the waters of the sea,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And poureth them out on the face of the earth,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}Who causeth destruction to burst over the strong,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And bringeth devastation upon the fortress,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the {\scaps Lord} is his name..
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 A Solemn Warning to the Corrupt Judges

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}Alas, for those who turn judgment to wormwood,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And east righteousness to the ground,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Who hate him that reproves in the gate,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And abhor one that speaks uprightly!
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}Therefore, because ye trample upon the weak,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And take front him exactions of grain,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Houses of hewn stone have ye built,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
But ye shall not dwell in them,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Charming vineyards have ye planted,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
But ye shall not drink their wine.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}Surely I know how many are your transgressions,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And how great are your sins!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Ye persecutors of the righteous, takers of bribes!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yea, the needy in the gated they thrust aside.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}Therefore since the prudent man at such a time keeps silent,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is surely an evil time.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}Seek good and not evil,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
That ye may live;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
That this the {\scaps Lord}, God of hosts,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
May be with you, as ye have said.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 15}Hate evil and love good,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And establish justice in the gate;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Perhaps the {\scaps Lord} will be gracious,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The God of hosts, to a remnant of Joseph.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 16}Therefore thus saith the {\scaps Lord} thee God of hosts:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
In all squares there shall be wailing,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And in every street they shall say, "Alas! Alas!"
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall summon the husbandman to mourning,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And to wailing those skilled in lamentation,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 17}Yea, in all vineyards there shall be wailing,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
When I pass through the midst of thee, saith the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 Captivity Awaiting Corrupt Israel

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 18}Alas, for those who long for the day of the {\scaps Lord}!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
What have you to do with the day of the {\scaps Lord}?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is darkness, and not light.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 19}It is as when one flees from a lion,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And a bear falls upon him,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Or goes into the house and leans his hand upon the wall,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And a serpent bites him.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 20}Shall not the {\scaps Lord}'s day be darkness and not light,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yea, murky darkness without a ray of light in it?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 21}I hate, I despise your feasts,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I will not smell the savor of your festivals,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 22}And with your cereal-offerings I will not be pleased,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the peace-offerings of your fatlings I will not regard with favor.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 23}Banish from me the noise of your songs,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For to the melody of your lyres I will not listen.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 24}But let justice roll on as a flood of waters,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And righteousness like an unfailing stream.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 25}Was it only sacrifices and cereal-offerings ye brought me
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
In the wilderness during forty years, O house of Israel?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 26}But now ye shall lift up the shrine of your king,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the image of your God which you have made for yourselves,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 27}And I will carry you away into exile beyond Damascus,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Saith the {\scaps Lord} the God of hosts.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
  {\cf1 6}Alas for those who are careless in Zion,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 1}And overconfident on the mountain of Samaria!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Men of mark of the first of the nations,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
To whom the house of Israel resort!
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}Pass over to Calneh and see,'
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And go from there to Hamath the great,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Are they better than these kingdoms,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Or is your territory larger than their territory?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}They who would postpone the day of calamity,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And yet have instituted a rule of violence.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}They who lie on ivory couches,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And sprawl upon their divans,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And eat lambs from the flock,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And calves from out the stall;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}They drawl to the sound of the lyre,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Like David, they devise for themselves instruments of song.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}They drink bowlfuls of wine,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And anoint themselves with the finest of oil,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
But they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}Therefore now they must go into exile at the head of the captives,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And hushed shall be the revelry of the sprawlers,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}It is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}, the God of hosts.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the {\scaps Lord} hath sworn by himself:
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I abhor the pride of Jacob,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And his palaces I hate,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Therefore I will deliver up the city and all that is in it,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}And one shall smite the great house into atoms,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the small house into fragments.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}Do horses run upon crags?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Does one plow the sea with oxen?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
That you turn justice into poison,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And, the fruit of righteousness into wormwood?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}Ye who rejoice in that which is not,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Who say, 'Have we not by our own strength taken horns for ourselves.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}Verily, I am now raising up against you,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
O house of Israel, a nation;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall oppress you,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
From the entrance of Hamath
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Even to the brook of the Arabah,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}, the God of hosts.  
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 Symbolic Pictures of the Impending Judgment

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\cf1 7}Thus the Lord the {\scaps {\super\cf2\fs24 1}Lord} showed me,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And behold, he was forming locusts,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
When the late spring grass began to come up.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}And when they were making an end
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Of devouring the vegetation of the land,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I said, O Lord the {\scaps Lord}, forgive, I pray,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
How can Jacob stand, for he is small?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}the {\scaps Lord} relented concerning this;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It shall not be, said the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}Thus the Lord the {\scaps Lord} showed me,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And behold, he was giving command to execute judgment,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
By fire \uc1\u8212* the Lord the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And it devoured the great deep,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And had begun to devour the tilled land;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}Then I said, 0 Lord the {\scaps Lord} cease, I pray,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
How can Jacob stand for he is small? '
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}the {\scaps Lord} relented concerning this;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Neither shall this be, said the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}Thus the Lord showed me,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And behold the Lord was standing
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Beside a wall, with a plumb-line in his hand.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}And the {\scaps Lord} said to me,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
What dost thou see, Amos?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I answered, A plumb-line,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Then the Lord said, Behold I am setting a plumb-line
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
In the midst of my people Israel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will not again pass by them any more.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 Amaziah's Accusation and Amos's Reply

\par}

{\pard\sl280\slmult1\fs24\fi720 
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words." {\super\cf2\fs24 11}For thus has Amos said, `Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.'
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\sl280\slmult1\fs24\fi720 
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}Also Amaziah said to Amos,O seer, go flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread and there prophesy; {\super\cf2\fs24 13}but you shall no longer prophesy at Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the royal residence.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\sl280\slmult1\fs24\fi720 
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, nor a son of a prophet; but I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores; {\super\cf2\fs24 15}but the {\scaps Lord} took me from following the flock, and the {\scaps Lord} said to me, Go, prophesy against my people Israel.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\sl280\slmult1\fs24\fi720 
 {\super\cf2\fs24 16}Now therefore hear the word of the {\scaps Lord}: Thou sayest, "Thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, nor preach against the house of Isaac." {\super\cf2\fs24 17}Therefore thus saith the {\scaps Lord}: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die upon an unclean soil, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.  
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Symbolic Picture of Israel's Approaching End

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\cf1 8}Thus the Lord the {\scaps {\super\cf2\fs24 1}Lord} showed me,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And behold, a basket of summer fruit.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}Then he said, 'What dost thou see, Amos?'
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I said, 'A basket of summer fruit.'
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the {\scaps Lord} said to me,'The end has come to my people Israel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will not again pass them by.'
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}Hear this, you who trample upon the needy,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And oppress the poor of the earth, saying,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}When shall the new moon pass that we may sell grain,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the sabbath that we may open the corn \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Making smaller the measure and enlarging the weight,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And perverting the false balances \uc1\u8212*
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}And that we may sell the refuse of the corn!
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}the {\scaps Lord} bath sworn by the pride of Jacob, 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Never shall I forget all their deeds!        
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}For this shall not the land tremble,       
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And all her inhabitants mourn?       
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Shall not the whole of it rise like the Nile,        
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And sink like the Nile of Egypt?     
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}And it shall come to pass in that day,     
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is the oracle of the Lord the {\scaps Lord},
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
That I will make the sun set at noon 
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And darken the earth in broad day,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the singing-women of the palace shall wail,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is the oracle of the Lord the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
A multitude of carcasses! In every place they are cast!
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}And I will turn your festivals into mourning,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And all your songs into dirges,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will bring upon all loins sackcloth,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And upon every head baldness,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will make it like the mourning for an only son,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the end of it like a bitter day. 
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}And I will send hunger in the land,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water,        
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
But for hearing the word of the {\scaps Lord}.        
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}Then shall they wander from sea to sea,   
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
From the north to the rising of the sun shall they run to and fro,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
To seek the word of the {\scaps Lord}, but they shall not find it.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}In that day shall faint   
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The fairest maidens and the youths,  
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}Who swear by the guilts of Samaria,       
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And say, 'As liveth thy God, O Dan!  
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And as liveth thy patron, O Beersheba!'      
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall fall, no more to rise!  
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Portrayal of the Final Destruction of the Nation

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\cf1 9}I saw the Lord standing by the altar;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
{\super\cf2\fs24 1}And he said, Smite the capitals that the thresholds may shake,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Yea, break them off upon the head of all of them,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the rest of them I will slay with the sword,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Not one of them shall escape,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Nor shall a refugee be delivered from among them.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 2}If they dig through to Sheol,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Thence will my hand take them;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And if they climb up to heaven,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Thence will I bring them down;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 3}And if they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Thence will I search them out and take them.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And if they hide out of my sight at the bottom of the sea,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Thence will I command the sea-serpent to bite them;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 4}And if they go-into captivity before their enemies,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Thence will I command the sword to slay them,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I will keep my eye on them,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
For evil and not for good.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 5}And it is the Lord the {\scaps Lord} of hosts,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Who toucheth the earth and it melts,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And all who dwell in it mourn,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And all of it rises up like the Nile,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And sinks like the Nile of Egypt.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 6}He who buildeth his chambers in the heavens,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And hath established his vault upon the earth;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
He that calleth for the waters of the sea.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And poureth them out upon the face of the earth
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
the {\scaps Lord} is his name.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 7}Are ye not as the Cushites to me
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
O Israel? is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 8}Behold the eyes of the Lord the {\scaps Lord} are upon the sinful kingdom,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I will destroy it from the face of the earth.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Except that I will not completely destroy the house of Jacob,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}.
\par}

{\pard\sb360\sa360\fs36 The Glories of the Restoration

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 9}For behold I am about to give command.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Just as one shakes grain in a sieve;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
But not a kernel shall fall to the ground.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 10}By the sword shall die all the sinners of my people,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Who say, Disaster shall not touch or befall us.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 11}In that time I will raise up the hut of David that is fallen,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
I will wall up its breaches and raise up its ruins,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And I will rebuild it as in the days of old,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 12}In order that they may possess the remnant of Edom,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And all the nations which were called by my name,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
It is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord}, who will do this.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 13}Behold the days are coming, is the oracle of the {\scaps Lord},
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And the treader of grapes him who soweth seed;
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
The mountains also shall drop sweet wine.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And all the hills shall melt.
\par}

{\pard 

\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 14}And I will lead back the captivity of my people Israel,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall rebuild waste cities and inhabit them.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall make gardens and eat their fruit,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
 {\super\cf2\fs24 15}And I will plant them upon their own soil.
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
And they shall never again be torn away from their land,
\par}

{\pard\fi-2440\li2800
Which I have given them, saith the {\scaps Lord} thy God.
\par}

}