Amos 6

Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

1 w "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion,
and to those who feel secure on x the mountain of Samaria,
y the notable men of z the first of the nations,
to whom the house of Israel comes!
2 Pass over to a Calneh, and see,
and from there go to b Hamath the great;
then go down to c Gath of the Philistines.
d Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory,
3 e O you who put far away the day of disaster
f and bring near the seat of violence?

4 "Woe to those g who lie on h beds of ivory
g and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
i and calves from the midst of the stall,
5 j who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David j invent for themselves instruments of music,
6 k who drink wine in bowls
and l anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 m Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,
and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away."

8 n The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts:
"I abhor o the pride of Jacob
and hate his strongholds,
p and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it."

9 And q if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when one's relative, r the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, "Is there still anyone with you?" he shall say, "No"; and he shall say, s "Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord."

11 For behold, the Lord commands,
and t the great house shall be struck down into fragments,
and the little house into bits.
12 Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there 1 with oxen?
u But you have turned justice into v poison
u and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood 2 -
13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar, 3
who say, w "Have we not by our own strength
captured Karnaim 4 for ourselves?"
14 "For behold, x I will raise up against you a nation,
O house of Israel," declares the Lord, the God of hosts;
"and they shall oppress you from y Lebo-hamath
to the Brook of z the Arabah."

  1. Cross References
    Isaiah 32:9
    Rise up, you women who are at ease, hear my voice; you complacent daughters, give ear to my speech.
    Zephaniah 1:12
    At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, 'The Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill.
    Luke 6:24
    But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
    James 5:1
    Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
  2. Cross References
    Amos 3:9
    Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.
    Amos 4:1
    "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, 'Bring, that we may drink!'
  3. Cross References
    Ezekiel 22:6
    Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 19:5
    Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.
  5. Cross References
    Genesis 10:10
    The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
    Isaiah 10:9
    Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
  6. Cross References
    1 Kings 8:65
    So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days.
    2 Kings 18:34
    Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
    Isaiah 10:9
    Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 17:4
    And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
  8. Cross References
    Nahum 3:8
    Are you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with water around her, her rampart a sea, and water her wall?
  9. Cross References
    Amos 9:10
    All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, 'Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.
    Ezekiel 12:27
    "Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, 'The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.'
  10. Cross References
    Amos 3:10
    "They do not know how to do right," declares the Lord, "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."
  11. Cross References
    Amos 3:12
    Thus says the Lord : "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.
  12. Cross References
    Amos 3:12
    Thus says the Lord : "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.
  13. Cross References
    Esther 1:6
    There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.
  14. Cross References
    James 5:5
    You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
  15. Cross References
    Amos 5:23
    Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
  16. Cross References
    Amos 5:23
    Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 5:12
    They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands.
  18. Cross References
    Daniel 10:3
    I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
  19. Cross References
    Amos 7:11
    For thus Amos has said, "'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'
    Amos 7:17
    Therefore thus says the Lord : "'Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'
  20. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:5
    But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.
    Jeremiah 51:14
    The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself: Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts, and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
  21. Cross References
    Amos 8:7
    The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: "Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
    Psalms 47:4
    He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
  22. Cross References
    Jeremiah 17:3
    On the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory.
  23. Cross References
    Amos 3:3
    Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?
  24. Cross References
    1 Samuel 31:12
    All the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
  25. Cross References
    Amos 5:13
    Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
    Amos 8:3
    The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day," declares the Lord God. "So many dead bodies!" "They are thrown everywhere!" "Silence!
  26. Cross References
    Amos 3:15
    I will strike the winter house along with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall come to an end," declares the Lord.
  27. Cross References
    Amos 5:7
    O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!
  28. Cross References
    Amos 5:7
    O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!
  29. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 29:18
    Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit.
  30. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:11
    And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the Lord, 'With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'
    Micah 4:13
    Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you shall beat in pieces many peoples; and shall devote their gain to the Lord, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth.
  31. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:15
    Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation; it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.
  32. Cross References
    2 Kings 14:25
    He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.
  33. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 1:1
    These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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