Day 350 of 730

¹The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

²He said: "The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither."

³Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron;

⁴but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.

⁵I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir," says the Lord.

⁶Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom;

⁷but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it will devour its palaces.

⁸I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines will perish," says the Lord God.

⁹Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole community to Edom, and did not remember the brotherly covenant;

¹⁰but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will devour its palaces."

¹¹Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever;

¹²but I will send a fire on Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah."

¹³Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.

¹⁴But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind;

¹⁵and their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together," says the Lord.

¹Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;

²but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;

³and I will cut off the judge from their midst, and will kill all its princes with him," says the Lord.

⁴Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected the Lord's law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;

⁵But I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem."

⁶Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes;

⁷They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;

⁸and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.

⁹Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.

¹⁰Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

¹¹I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn't this true, you children of Israel?" says the Lord.

¹²"But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, 'Do not prophesy!'

¹³Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.

¹⁴Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won't strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;

¹⁵neither shall he stand who handles the bow; and he who is swift of foot won't escape; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;

¹⁶and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day," says the Lord.

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks, and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.

²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

³Our God comes, and does not keep silent. A fire devours before him. It is very stormy around him.

⁴He calls to the heavens above, to the earth, that he may judge his people:

⁵"Gather my holy ones together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

⁶The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.

⁷"Hear, my people, and I will speak; Israel, and I will testify against you. I am God, your God.

⁸I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices. Your burnt offerings are continually before me.

⁹I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male goats from your pens.

¹⁰For every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know all the birds of the mountains. The wild animals of the field are mine.

¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

¹³Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.

¹⁵Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

¹⁶But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,

¹⁷seeing you hate instruction, and throw my words behind you?

¹⁸When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers.

¹⁹"You give your mouth to evil. Your tongue frames deceit.

²⁰You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son.

²¹You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.

²²"Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be none to deliver.

²³Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and prepares his way so that I will show God's salvation to him."

¹Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

⁵"Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!

⁶Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding."

⁷He who corrects a mocker invites insult. He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.

⁸Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.

¹³The foolish woman is loud, Undisciplined, and knows nothing.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

¹⁵To call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,

¹⁶"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here." as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

¹⁷"Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he doesn't know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.