Amos 2

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:

1The LORD says this. "Moab has done wrong again and again. I will not hold back their punishment. They burned the bones of Edom's king until they crumbled to powder."

Note"For three transgressions, and for four" is a way of saying "wrong done over and over." "Into lime" means burned so hot that the bones turned to white powder.

2But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:

2"So I will send fire on Moab. It will burn up the strong buildings of Kirioth. Moab will die in a loud, wild noise. There will be shouting and the blast of a horn."

3And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.

3"I will take away the ruler of Moab. I will kill all its leaders with him," says the LORD.

4Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

4The LORD says this. "Judah has done wrong again and again. I will not hold back their punishment. They turned away from the LORD's teaching. They did not keep his rules. Lies led them the wrong way. Their fathers followed those same lies."

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

5"So I will send fire on Judah. It will burn up the strong buildings of Jerusalem."

6Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;

6The LORD says this. "Israel has done wrong again and again. I will not hold back their punishment. They sell good people for silver. They sell poor people for the price of a pair of sandals."

7That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:

7"They step on the heads of the poor like they are dirt. They push needy people out of the way. A man and his father sleep with the same girl. They treat my holy name as if it means nothing."

8And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

8"They lie down beside every altar, on coats they took from poor people as a promise. In the house of their god they drink wine bought with money they took as fines."

Note"Clothes laid to pledge" means a coat a poor person handed over to show he would pay back what he borrowed.

9Yet destroyed I 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.

9"But I destroyed the Amorite people ahead of you. They were tall like cedar trees. They were strong like oak trees. I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below."

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

10"I also brought you up out of Egypt. I led you forty years through the empty desert. I gave you the land of the Amorites to live in."

11And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.

11"I made some of your sons into prophets, people who tell others what God says. I made some of your young men into Nazarites, who made a special promise to God. Is this not true, people of Israel?" says the LORD.

12But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.

12"But you gave the Nazarites wine to drink, which broke their promise. And you told the prophets to stop speaking for me."

13Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.

13"Look, I will press you down where you stand. You will be like ground under a cart piled high with grain."

NoteThe old English here says God is pressed down, like a cart loaded with grain. Newer translations say God will press the people down. The Hebrew word can be read either way.

14Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:

14"So fast runners will not get away. Strong people will not stay strong. Mighty fighters will not save their own lives."

15Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.

15"The man with the bow will not hold his place. The quick runner will not get away. The man on a horse will not save his life."

16And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.

16"Even the bravest fighter will run away with no clothes on that day," says the LORD.