Amos 4-6:14 (Contemporary English Version)
Amos 4
The Women of Samaria
The LORD said:
1You women of Samaria are fat cows! a] You mistreat and abusethe poor and needy,
then you say to your husbands,
"Bring us more drinks!"
2I, the LORD God, have sworn
by my own name
that your time is coming.
Not one of you will be left--
you will be taken away
by sharp hooks. b] 3You will be dragged through holes
in your city walls,
and you will be thrown
toward Harmon. c] I, the LORD, have spoken!
Israel Refuses To Obey
The LORD said:
4Come to Bethel and Gilgal. d] Sin all you want! Offer sacrifices the next morningand bring a tenth of your crops
on the third day. e] 5Bring offerings to show me
how thankful you are.
Gladly bring more offerings
than I have demanded.
You really love to do this.
I, the LORD God, have spoken!
How the LORD Warned Israel
6I, the LORD, took away the food from every town and village,but still you rejected me.
7Three months before harvest,
I kept back the rain.
Sometimes I would let it fall
on one town or field
but not on another,
and pastures dried up.
8People from two or three towns
would go to a town
that still had water,
but it wasn't enough.
Even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
9I dried up your grain fields;
your gardens and vineyards
turned brown.
Locusts f] ate your fig trees and olive orchards,
but even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
10I did terrible things to you,
just as I did to Egypt--
I killed your young men in war;
I let your horses be stolen,
and I made your camp stink
with dead bodies.
Even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
11I destroyed many of you,
just as I did the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were a burning stick
I rescued from the fire.
Even then you rejected me.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
12Now, Israel, I myself
will deal with you.
Get ready to face your God!
13I created the mountains
and the wind.
I let humans know
what I am thinking. g] I bring darkness at dawn
and step over hills.
I am the LORD God All-Powerful!
Amos 5
Turn Back to the LORD
1Listen, nation of Israel, to my mournful message:2You, dearest Israel, have fallen,
never to rise again--
you lie deserted in your own land,
with no one to help you up.
3The LORD God has warned,
"From every ten soldiers
only one will be left;
from a thousand troops,
only a hundred will survive."
4The LORD keeps saying,
"Israel, turn back to me
and you will live!
5Don't go to Gilgal or Bethel
or even to Beersheba. h] Gilgal will be dragged away,
and Bethel will end up
as nothing." i] 6Turn back to the LORD,
you descendants of Joseph, j] and you will live.
If you don't, the LORD
will attack like fire.
Bethel will burn to the ground,
and no one can save it.
7You people are doomed!
You twist the truth
and stomp on justice.
8But the LORD created the stars
and put them in place. k] He turns darkness to dawn
and daylight to darkness;
he scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
9God destroys mighty soldiers
and strong fortresses.
Choose Good Instead of Evil!
The LORD said:
10You people hate judges and honest witnesses;11you abuse the poor and demand
heavy taxes from them.
You have built expensive homes,
but you won't enjoy them;
you have planted vineyards,
but you will get no wine.
12I am the LORD, and I know
your terrible sins.
You cheat honest people
and take bribes;
you rob the poor of justice.
13Times are so evil
that anyone with good sense
will keep quiet.
14If you really want to live,
you must stop doing wrong
and start doing right.
I, the LORD God All-Powerful,
will then be on your side,
just as you claim I am.
15Choose good instead of evil!
See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the LORD All-Powerful,
will be kind to what's left
of your people. l]
Judgment Is Coming
16This is what the LORD has sworn: Noisy crying will be heardin every town and street.
Even farmers will be told
to mourn for the dead,
together with those
who are paid to mourn. m] 17Your vineyards will be filled
with crying and weeping, n] because I will punish you.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
When the LORD Judges
18You look forward to the day when the LORD comes to judge.But you are in for trouble!
It won't be a time of sunshine;
all will be darkness.
19You will run from a lion,
only to meet a bear.
You will escape to your house,
rest your hand on the wall,
and be bitten by a snake.
20The day when the LORD judges
will be dark, very dark,
without a ray of light.
What the LORD Demands
21I, the LORD, hate and despise your religious celebrationsand your times of worship.
22I won't accept your offerings
or animal sacrifices--
not even your very best.
23No more of your noisy songs!
I won't listen
when you play your harps.
24But let justice and fairness
flow like a river
that never runs dry.
25Israel, for forty years
you wandered in the desert,
without bringing offerings
or sacrifices to me.
26Now you will have to carry
the two idols you made--
Sakkuth, the one you call king,
and Kaiwan,
the one you built
in the shape of a star. o] 27I will force you to march
as captives beyond Damascus.
I, the LORD God All-Powerful,
have spoken! p]
Amos 6
Israel Will Be Punished
1Do you rulers in Jerusalem and in the city of Samariafeel safe and at ease?
Everyone bows down to you,
and you think you are better
than any other nation.
But you are in for trouble!
2Look what happened
to the cities of Calneh,
powerful Hamath,
and Gath q] in Philistia. Are you greater than any
of those kingdoms?
3You are cruel, and you forget
the coming day of judgment.
4You rich people lounge around
on beds with ivory posts,
while dining on the meat
of your lambs and calves.
5You sing foolish songs
to the music of harps,
and you make up new tunes,
just as David used to do.
6You drink all the wine you want
and wear expensive perfume,
but you don't care about
the ruin of your nation. r] 7So you will be the first
to be dragged off as captives;
your good times will end.
8The LORD God All-Powerful
has sworn by his own name:
"You descendants of Jacob
make me angry by your pride,
and I hate your fortresses.
And so I will surrender your city
and possessions
to your enemies."
9If only ten of you survive
by hiding in a house
you will still die.
10As you carry out a corpse
to prepare it for burial, s] your relative in the house
will ask, "Are there others?"
You will answer, "No!"
Then your relative will reply,
"Be quiet!
Don't dare mention
the name of the LORD." t] 11At the LORD's command,
houses great and small
will be smashed to pieces.
12Horses can't gallop on rocks;
oceans u] can't be plowed. But you have turned justice
and fairness
into bitter poison.
13You celebrate the defeat
of Lo-Debar and Karnaim, v] and you boast by saying,
"We did it on our own."
14But the LORD God All-Powerful
will send a nation
to attack
you people of Israel.
They will capture Lebo-Hamath
in the north,
Arabah Creek w] in the south, and everything in between.
Footnotes:
- Amos 4:1 fat cows: The Hebrew text has "cows of Bashan," a fertile plain famous for its rich pastures and well-fed cattle.
- Amos 4:2 taken. . . hooks: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Amos 4:3 Harmon: Hebrew; some manuscripts of one ancient translation "Mount Hermon," a mountain in the north of Palestine, on the way to Assyria.
- Amos 4:4 Bethel and Gilgal: These were two of the most important centers of worship in northern Israel. Amos mentions these together again in 5.5.
- Amos 4:4 Offer. . . day: Or "Offer sacrifices each morning and bring a tenth of your crops every three days." In verses 4,5 God is condemning the people for meaningless acts of worship.
- Amos 4:9 Locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to plant life.
- Amos 4:13 I let. . . thinking: Or "No one's secret thoughts are hidden from me."
- Amos 5:5 Gilgal. . . Bethel. . . Beersheba: These were ancient places of worship, but the LORD had warned his people to stay away from them.
- Amos 5:5 Gilgal. . . nothing: In Hebrew "Gilgal" and "dragged away" sound something alike. Bethel (meaning "house of God") is sometimes called "house of nothing" or "house of sin" by the prophets (see Hosea 4.15; 5.8; 10.5-8).
- Amos 5:6 descendants of Joseph: Another name for the people of the northern kingdom of Israel.
- Amos 5:8 the stars. . . place: The Hebrew text mentions two groups of stars, Pleiades and Orion. Since the LORD is the Creator of the stars, he controls the seasons that are signaled by the different positions of the stars. Moreover, the stars are created objects and should not be worshiped.
- Amos 5:15 your people: Hebrew "Joseph's descendants" (see the note at verse 6).
- Amos 5:16 paid to mourn: In ancient times some people were paid to mourn and make loud cries at funerals.
- Amos 5:17 Your vineyards. . . weeping: Instead of happy celebrations that were often held in vineyards after the harvest.
- Amos 5:26 star: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 26.
- Amos 5:27 I, the LORD. . . spoken: Israel did not offer sacrifices and gifts to the LORD during the time they wandered through the desert. But now they have made idols to carry during their ceremonies. So the LORD warns that he will make them "march" away as captives beyond Damascus, where Israel had extended its borders by victories in war (see 2 Kings 14.28).
- Amos 6:2 Calneh. . . Hamath. . . Gath: City-states captured by the Assyrians: Calneh in 738 B.C., Hamath in 720, and Gath in 711.
- Amos 6:6 your nation: Hebrew "Joseph's descendants" (see the note at 5.6).
- Amos 6:10 prepare. . . burial: Or "burn it" or "burn incense for it."
- Amos 6:10 the name of the LORD: Two relatives seem to be carrying out corpses for burial. One of them warns the other to be careful not even to say "Thank the LORD!" for fear that the mention of his name may cause something worse to happen.
- Amos 6:12 oceans: Or "rocks."
- Amos 6:13 Lo-Debar and Karnaim: Two cities east of the Jordan River that were captured by Jeroboam II (see 2 Kings 14.25). In Hebrew "Lo-Debar" can mean "nothing," and "Karnaim" means "two horns (of a bull)." Horns were symbols of strength, and so the people are bragging about their military power (defeat of "two horns"), which Amos says is "nothing" (Lo-Debar).
- Amos 6:14 Lebo-Hamath. . . Arabah Creek: The northern and southern boundaries of the northern kingdom.
Revelation 2:18-3:6 (Contemporary English Version)
The Letter to Thyatira
18This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: I am the Son of God! My eyes are like flames of fire, and my feet are like bronze. Listen to what I say.19I know everything about you, including your love, your faith, your service, and how you have endured. I know that you are doing more now than you have ever done before. 20But I still have something against you because of that woman Jezebel. a] She calls herself a prophet, and you let her teach and mislead my servants to do immoral things and to eat food offered to idols. 21I gave her a chance to turn from her sins, but she did not want to stop doing these immoral things. 22I am going to strike down Jezebel. Everyone who does these immoral things with her will also be punished, if they don't stop. 23I will even kill her followers. b] Then all the churches will see that I know everyone's thoughts and feelings. I will treat each of you as you deserve. 24Some of you in Thyatira don't follow Jezebel's teaching. You don't know anything about what her followers call the "deep secrets of Satan." So I won't burden you down with any other commands. 25But until I come, you must hold firmly to the teaching you have.
26I will give power over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and keeps on obeying me until the end. 27-28I will give each of them the same power that my Father has given me. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash those nations to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star. c] 29If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3
The Letter to Sardis
1This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Sardis: I have the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Listen to what I say.I know what you are doing. Everyone may think you are alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! You have only a little strength left, and it is almost gone. So try to become stronger. I have found that you are not completely obeying God. 3Remember the teaching that you were given and that you heard. Hold firmly to it and turn from your sins. If you don't wake up, I will come when you least expect it, just as a thief does.
4A few of you in Sardis have not dirtied your clothes with sin. You will walk with me in white clothes, because you are worthy. 5Everyone who wins the victory will wear white clothes. Their names will not be erased from the book of life, d] and I will tell my Father and his angels that they are my followers. 6If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Footnotes:
- Revelation 2:20 Jezebel: Nothing else is known about her. This may have been her real name or a name that was given to her because she was like Queen Jezebel, who opposed the Lord (see 1 Kings 19.1,2; 21.1-26).
- Revelation 2:23 her followers: Or "her children."
- Revelation 2:27 the morning star: Probably thought of as the star that signals the end of night and the beginning of day. In 22.16 Christ is called the "morning star."
- Revelation 3:5 book of life: The book in which the names of God's people are written.
Psalm 130:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 130
(A song for worship.)
Trusting the LORD in Times of Trouble
1From a sea of troubles I call out to you, LORD.2Won't you please listen
as I beg for mercy?
3If you kept record of our sins,
no one could last long.
4But you forgive us,
and so we will worship you.
5With all my heart,
I am waiting, LORD, for you!
I trust your promises.
6I wait for you more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
Yes, I wait more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
7Israel, trust the LORD!
He is always merciful,
and he has the power
to save you.
8Israel, the LORD will save you
from all of your sins.
Psalm 130:1-8 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 130
(A song for worship.)
Trusting the LORD in Times of Trouble
1From a sea of troubles I call out to you, LORD.2Won't you please listen
as I beg for mercy?
3If you kept record of our sins,
no one could last long.
4But you forgive us,
and so we will worship you.
5With all my heart,
I am waiting, LORD, for you!
I trust your promises.
6I wait for you more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
Yes, I wait more eagerly
than a soldier on guard duty
waits for the dawn.
7Israel, trust the LORD!
He is always merciful,
and he has the power
to save you.
8Israel, the LORD will save you
from all of your sins.
Proverbs 29:19-20 (Contemporary English Version)
19Even when servants are smart,
it takes more than words
to make them obey.
20There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who speaks
without thinking.
Verse of the Day
“But the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14
it takes more than words
to make them obey.
20There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who speaks
without thinking.
Verse of the Day
“But the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14
Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.
Thought for the Day
A Joke for Today
Donald MacDonald from Scotland went to study at an English university and was living in the hall of residence with all the other students there. After he had been there a month, his mother came to visit him (no doubt carrying reinforcements of tatties, salt herring, oatmeal and whisky).
“And how do you find the English students, Donald?” she asked.
“Mother,” he replied, “they're such terrible, noisy people. The one on that side keeps banging his head on the wall and won't stop. The one on the other side screams and screams all night.”
“Oh Donald! How do you manage to put up with these awful noisy English neighbors?”
“Mother, I do nothing. I just ignore them. I just stay here quietly, playing my bagpipes.”
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