New American Standard Bible 1995

Amos 4

“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”

1Hear this word, you cows of 1Bashan who are on the 2mountain of Samaria, Who 3oppress the poor, who crush the needy, Who say to 4your husbands, “Bring now, that we may 5drink!”2The Lord 6God has 7sworn by His 8holiness, “Behold, the days are coming upon you When 9they will take you away with 10meat hooks, And the last of you with 11fish hooks.3You will 12go out through breaches in the walls, Each one straight before her, And you 13will be cast to Harmon,” declares the Lord.

4“Enter Bethel and transgress; In Gilgal multiply transgression! 14Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days.5 15Offer a 16thank offering also from that which is leavened, And proclaim 17freewill offerings, make them known. For so you 18love to do, you sons of Israel,” Declares the Lord God.

6“But I gave you also 19cleanness of teeth in all your cities And lack of bread in all your places, Yet you have 20not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.7“Furthermore, I 21withheld the rain from you While there were still three months until harvest. Then I would send rain on one city And on 22another city I would not send rain; One part would be rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up.8So two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink 23water, But would 24not be satisfied; Yet you have 25not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.9“I 26smote you with scorching wind and mildew; And the 27caterpillar was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees; Yet you have 28not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.10“I sent a 29plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I 30slew your young men by the sword along with your 31captured horses, And I made the 32stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils; Yet you have 33not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.11“I overthrew you, as 34God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a 35firebrand snatched from a blaze; Yet you have 36not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.12“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to 37meet your God, O Israel.”13For behold, He who 38forms mountains and 39creates the wind And 40declares to man what are His thoughts, He who 41makes dawn into darkness And 42treads on the high places of the earth, 43The Lord God of hosts is His name.

Notes

1. Amos 4:1 Ps 22:12; Ezek 39:18 ↩
2. Amos 4:1 Amos 3:9; 6:1 ↩
3. Amos 4:1 Amos 5:11; 8:6 ↩
4. Amos 4:1 Lit their lords ↩
5. Amos 4:1 Amos 2:8; 6:6 ↩
6. Amos 4:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch ↩
7. Amos 4:2 Amos 6:8; 8:7 ↩
8. Amos 4:2 Ps 89:35 ↩
9. Amos 4:2 Lit he ↩
10. Amos 4:2 Is 37:29; Ezek 38:4 ↩
11. Amos 4:2 Jer 16:16; Ezek 29:4; Hab 1:15 ↩
12. Amos 4:3 Jer 52:7 ↩
13. Amos 4:3 So Gr; M.T. reads will cast ↩
14. Amos 4:4 Num 28:3; Amos 5:21, 22 ↩
15. Amos 4:5 Lit Offer up in smoke ↩
16. Amos 4:5 Lev 7:13 ↩
17. Amos 4:5 Lev 22:18-21 ↩
18. Amos 4:5 Jer 7:9, 10; Hos 9:1, 10 ↩
19. Amos 4:6 Is 3:1; Jer 14:18 ↩
20. Amos 4:6 Is 9:13; Jer 5:3; Hag 2:17 ↩
21. Amos 4:7 Deut 11:17; 2 Chr 7:13; Is 5:6 ↩
22. Amos 4:7 Ex 9:4, 26; 10:22, 23 ↩
23. Amos 4:8 1 Kin 18:5; Jer 14:4 ↩
24. Amos 4:8 Ezek 4:16, 17; Hag 1:6 ↩
25. Amos 4:8 Jer 3:7 ↩
26. Amos 4:9 Deut 28:22; Hag 2:17 ↩
27. Amos 4:9 Joel 1:4, 7; Amos 7:1, 2 ↩
28. Amos 4:9 Jer 3:10 ↩
29. Amos 4:10 Ex 9:3; Lev 26:25; Deut 28:27, 60; Ps 78:50 ↩
30. Amos 4:10 Jer 11:22; 18:21; 48:15 ↩
31. Amos 4:10 2 Kin 13:3, 7 ↩
32. Amos 4:10 Joel 2:20 ↩
33. Amos 4:10 Is 9:13 ↩
34. Amos 4:11 Gen 19:24, 25; Deut 29:23; Is 13:19 ↩
35. Amos 4:11 Zech 3:2 ↩
36. Amos 4:11 Jer 23:14 ↩
37. Amos 4:12 Is 32:11; 64:2; Jer 5:22 ↩
38. Amos 4:13 Job 38:4-7; Ps 65:6; Is 40:12 ↩
39. Amos 4:13 Ps 135:7; Jer 10:13 ↩
40. Amos 4:13 Dan 2:28, 30 ↩
41. Amos 4:13 Jer 13:16; Joel 2:2; Amos 5:8 ↩
42. Amos 4:13 Mic 1:3 ↩
43. Amos 4:13 Is 47:4; Jer 10:16; Amos 5:8, 27; 9:6 ↩

“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me”

Notes

Commentaries on Amos 4