Amos 1

 ¹  This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, [1]  was king of Israel.
   ²  This is what he saw and heard:

"The LORD's voice will roar from Zion
  and thunder from Jerusalem!
The lush pastures of the shepherds will dry up;
  the grass on Mount Carmel will wither and die."

God's Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
 ³  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, [3] 
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They beat down my people in Gilead
  as grain is threshed with iron sledges.
 ⁴  So I will send down fire on King Hazael's palace,
  and the fortresses of King Ben-hadad will be destroyed.
 ⁵  I will break down the gates of Damascus
  and slaughter the people in the valley of Aven.
I will destroy the ruler in Beth-eden,
  and the people of Aram will go as captives to Kir,"
  says the LORD.

 ⁶  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Gaza have sinned again and again,
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sent whole villages into exile,
  selling them as slaves to Edom.
 ⁷  So I will send down fire on the walls of Gaza,
  and all its fortresses will be destroyed.
 ⁸  I will slaughter the people of Ashdod
  and destroy the king of Ashkelon.
Then I will turn to attack Ekron,
  and the few Philistines still left will be killed,"
  says the Sovereign LORD.

 ⁹  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Tyre have sinned again and again,
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel,
  selling whole villages as slaves to Edom.
 ¹⁰  So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre,
  and all its fortresses will be destroyed."

 ¹¹  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Edom have sinned again and again,
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords,
  showing them no mercy.
In their rage, they slashed them continually
  and were unrelenting in their anger.
 ¹²  So I will send down fire on Teman,
  and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed."

 ¹³  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Ammon have sinned again and again,
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders,
  they ripped open pregnant women with their swords.
 ¹⁴  So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah,
  and all its fortresses will be destroyed.
The battle will come upon them with shouts,
  like a whirlwind in a mighty storm.
 ¹⁵  And their king [15]  and his princes will go into exile together,"
  says the LORD.

Amos 2

 ¹  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Moab have sinned again and again, [1] 
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They desecrated the bones of Edom's king,
  burning them to ashes.
 ²  So I will send down fire on the land of Moab,
  and all the fortresses in Kerioth will be destroyed.
The people will fall in the noise of battle,
  as the warriors shout and the ram's horn sounds.
 ³  And I will destroy their king
  and slaughter all their princes,"
  says the LORD.

God's Judgment on Judah and Israel
 ⁴  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Judah have sinned again and again,
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They have rejected the instruction of the LORD,
  refusing to obey his decrees.
They have been led astray by the same lies
  that deceived their ancestors.
 ⁵  So I will send down fire on Judah,
  and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed."

 ⁶  This is what the LORD says:

"The people of Israel have sinned again and again,
  and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sell honorable people for silver
  and poor people for a pair of sandals.
 ⁷  They trample helpless people in the dust
  and shove the oppressed out of the way.
Both father and son sleep with the same woman,
  corrupting my holy name.
 ⁸  At their religious festivals,
  they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security.
In the house of their gods, [8] 
  they drink wine bought with unjust fines.

 ⁹  "But as my people watched,
  I destroyed the Amorites,
though they were as tall as cedars
  and as strong as oaks.
I destroyed the fruit on their branches
  and dug out their roots.
 ¹⁰  It was I who rescued you from Egypt
  and led you through the desert for forty years,
  so you could possess the land of the Amorites.
 ¹¹  I chose some of your sons to be prophets
  and others to be Nazirites.
Can you deny this, my people of Israel?"
  asks the LORD.
 ¹²  "But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine,
  and you commanded the prophets, `Shut up!'

 ¹³  "So I will make you groan
  like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain.
 ¹⁴  Your fastest runners will not get away.
  The strongest among you will become weak.
Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.
 ¹⁵    The archers will not stand their ground.
The swiftest runners won't be fast enough to escape.
  Even those riding horses won't be able to save themselves.
 ¹⁶  On that day the most courageous of your fighting men
  will drop their weapons and run for their lives,"
  says the LORD.

Amos 3

 ¹  Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel and Judah—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt:

 ²  "From among all the families on the earth,
  I have been intimate with you alone.
That is why I must punish you
  for all your sins."

Witnesses against Guilty Israel
 ³  Can two people walk together
  without agreeing on the direction?
 ⁴  Does a lion ever roar in a thicket
  without first finding a victim?
Does a young lion growl in its den
  without first catching its prey?
 ⁵  Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
  that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
  when there's nothing to catch?
 ⁶  When the ram's horn blows a warning,
  shouldn't the people be alarmed?
Does disaster come to a city
  unless the LORD has planned it?

 ⁷  Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything
  until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.

 ⁸  The lion has roared—
  so who isn't frightened?
The Sovereign LORD has spoken—
  so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
 ⁹  Announce this to the leaders of Philistia [9] 
  and to the great ones of Egypt:
"Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria,
  and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel."

 ¹⁰  "My people have forgotten how to do right,"
  says the LORD.
"Their fortresses are filled with wealth
  taken by theft and violence.
 ¹¹  Therefore," says the Sovereign LORD,
  "an enemy is coming!
He will surround them and shatter their defenses.
  Then he will plunder all their fortresses."

 ¹²  This is what the LORD says:

"A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion's mouth
  will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear.
So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds,
  and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches. [12] 

   ¹³  "Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel, [13] " says the Lord, the LORD God of Heaven's Armies.

 ¹⁴  "On the very day I punish Israel for its sins,
  I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel.
The horns of the altar will be cut off
  and fall to the ground.
 ¹⁵  And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy—
  their winter mansions and their summer houses, too—
all their palaces filled with ivory,"
  says the LORD.

<<  1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant spelling of Jehoash.
<<  1:3 Hebrew have committed three sins, even four; also in 1:6, 9, 11, 13.
<<  1:15 Hebrew malcam, possibly referring to their god Molech.
<<  2:1 Hebrew have committed three sins, even four; also in 2:4, 6.
<<  2:8 Or their God.
<<  3:9 Hebrew Ashdod.
<<  3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew in this sentence is uncertain.
<<  3:13 Hebrew the house of Jacob. The names "Jacob" and "Israel" are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.

Revelation 6

The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals
 ¹  As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. [1]  Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, "Come!"  ²  "I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory."    ³  When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!"  ⁴  Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
   ⁵  When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.  ⁶  And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day's pay. [6]  And don't waste [6]  the olive oil and wine."
   ⁷  When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!"  ⁸  I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. [8]  These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease [8]  and wild animals.
   ⁹  When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.  ¹⁰  They shouted to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?"  ¹¹  Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters [11] —their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
   ¹²  I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.  ¹³  Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.  ¹⁴  The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
   ¹⁵  Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  ¹⁶  And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.  ¹⁷  For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"

<<  6:1 Or book.
<<  6:6a Greek A choinix [1 quart or 1 liter] of wheat for a denarius, and 3 choinix of barley for a denarius. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer's full day's wage. 6:6b Or harm.
<<  6:8a Greek was Hades. 6:8b Greek death.
<<  6:11 Greek their brothers.