III CHAPTER downe, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Iehoshaphat: for there will I sit to iudge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe, come, get you downe, for the presse is full, the fats overflowe, for the wickednesse is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the LORD is neere in the valley of decision. The Sunne and the Moone shall be darkened, and the starres shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shal roare out of Zion, and utter his voice from Ierusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall shake, but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Zion, my holy Mountaine: then shall Ierusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers passe through her any more. And it shall come to passe in that day, that the mountaines shal drop downe new wine, and the hils shall flow with milke, and all the rivers of Iudah shall flow with waters, and a fountaine shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wildernes, for the violence against the children of Iudah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Iudah shall dwell for ever, and Ierusalem from generation to generation. For I wil cleanse their blood, that I have not cleansed, for the LORD dwelleth in Zion. His blessing upon the Church. Amos sheweth Gods iudgement upon Syria, AMOS CHAPTER I HE wordes of Amos, who was among the heardmen of Tekoa, which hee sawe concerning Israel, in the daies of Uzziah King of Iudah, and in the dayes of Ieroboam the sonne of Ioash king of Israel, two yere before the earthquake. And he said, The LORD will roare from Zion, and utter his voice from Ierusalem: and the habitations of the shepheards shall mourne, and the top of Carmel shall wither. Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for foure I wil not turne away the punishment thereof, because they have threshed Gilead, with threshing instruments of yron. But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devoure the palaces of Benhadad. I wil breake also the barre of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plaine of Aven: and him that holdeth the scepter from the house of Eden, and the people of Syria shall goe into captivitie, unto Kir, saith the LORD. CHAPTER I Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of Gaza, and for upon the foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof: because they Philistines, caried away captive the whole captivitie, to deliver them up to Edom. But I wil send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devoure the palaces thereof. And I wil cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon, and I wil turne mine hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, saith the Lord GOD. Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for upon Tyrus, foure I wil not turne away the punishment thereof, because they delivered up the whole captivitie to Edom, and remembred not the brotherly covenant. But I wil send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devoure the palaces thereof. Thus saith the LORD, For three transgressions of Edom, and for upon Edom, foure, I will not turne away the punishment thereof, because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pitie, and his anger did teare perpetually, and kept his wrath for ever. But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devoure the palaces of Bozrah. Thus sayth the LORD, For three transgressions of the children of upon Ammon. Ammon, and for foure, I wil not turne away the punishment thereof; because they have ript up the women with childe of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border. But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devoure the palaces thereof, with showting in the day of battell, with a tempest in the day of the whirlewinde. And their king shall goe into captivitie, hee, and his princes together, sayth the LORD. CHAPTER II T HUS sayth the LORD, For three transgressions of Moab, and Gods wrath for foure, I wil not turne away the punishment thereof, against Moab, because hee burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lime. But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devoure the palaces of Kerioth, and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet: and I will cut off the iudge CHAPTER from the middest thereof, and wil slay all the princes thereof with him, sayeth the LORD. II upon Iudah, and upon Israel. God complaineth of their unthankefulnesse. The necessitie of Gods iudgement against Israel. Thus sayth the LORD, For three transgressions of Iudah, and for foure, I will not turne away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the Law of the LORD, and have not kept his Commandements, and their lies caused them to erre, after the which their fathers have walked. But I will send a fire upon Iudah, and it shall devoure the palaces of Ierusalem. Thus sayth the LORD, For three transgressions of Israel, and for foure, I will not turne away the punishment thereof; because they solde the righteous for silver, and the poore for a paire of shooes: that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poore, and turne aside the way of the meeke; and a man and his father will goe in unto the same maid, to profane my holy Name. And they lay themselves downe upon clothes laide to pledge, by every Altar, and they drinke the wine of the condemned in the house of their God. Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the Cedars, and hee was strong as the okes, yet I destroyed his fruite from above, and his rootes from beneath. Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and ledde you fourtie yeeres through the wildernesse, to possesse the land of the Amorite. And I raised up of your sonnes for Prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, Ô ye children of Israel, saith the LORD? But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drinke, and commaunded the Prophets, saying, Prophecie not. Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is ful of sheaves. Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mightie deliver himselfe : neither shall hee stand that handleth the bow, and hee that is swift of foote, shall not deliver himselfe, neither shall hee that rideth the horse, deliver himselfe. And hee that is couragious among the mighty, shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD. H CHAPTER III EARE this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family, which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying; You onely have I knowen of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Can two walke together, except they be agreed? Will a lyon roare in the forrest, when he hath no pray? will a young lyon cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no ginne is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet be blowen in the citie, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evill in a citie, and the LORD hath not done it? Surely the Lord GOD will doe nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the Prophets. The lyon hath roared, Who will not feare? the Lord God hath spoken, Who can but prophecie? CHAPTER III causes thereof. Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land The publication of Egypt, and say; Assemble your selves upon the mountaines of of it, with the Samaria and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof. For they know not to doe right, saith the LORD; who store up violence, and robberie in their palaces. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, An adversarie there shall be even round about the land: and he shal bring downe thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. Thus saith the LORD, As the shepheard taketh out of the mouth of the lyon two legges or a piece of an eare; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria, in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. Heare yee and testifie in the house of Iacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hostes; that in the day that I shall visite the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visite the altars of Bethel, and the hornes of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of yvorie shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD. CHAPTER IIII H EARE this word yee kine of Bashan, that are in the moun- He reproveth taine of Samaria, which oppresse the poore, which crush Israel, for oppression, the needy, which say to their masters; Bring, and let us drinke. The Lord God hath sworne by his holinesse, that loe, the dayes shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hookes, and your posteritie with fish-hookes. And yee shall goe out at the breaches, every Cow at that which is before her, and yee shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD. Come to Bethel and transgresse, at Gilgal multiplie transgres- for idolatry, sion; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three yeeres. And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaime and publish the free offrings; for this liketh you, O yee children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. And I also have given you cleannesse of teeth in all your cities, CHAPTER and for their nesse. A Lamentation for Israel. An exhortation and want of bread in all your places: yet have yee not returned unto me, saith the LORD. And also I have withholden the raine from you, when there were yet three moneths to the harvest, and I caused it to raine upon one citie, and caused it not to raine upon an other city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece wherupon it rained not, withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one citie, to drinke water; but they were not satisfied: yet have yee not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; when your gardens and your vineyards, and your fig trees, and your olive trees increased, the palmer worme devoured them: yet have yee not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have sent among you the pestilence, after the maner of Egypt: your yongmen have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses, and I have made the stinke of your campes to come up unto your nostrils, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. I have overthrowen some of you, as God overthrew Sodome and Gomorrah, and yee were as a firebrand pluckt out of the burning: yet have yee not returned unto me, saith the LORD. Therefore thus will I doe unto thee, O Israel: and because I will doe this unto thee, prepare to meete thy God, O Israel. For loe, he that formeth the mountaines, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man, what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkenesse, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth: the LORD, the God of hostes is his Name. H CHAPTER V upon her EARE ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise: she is forsaken land, there is none to raise her up. For thus saith the Lord GOD, The citie that went out by a thousand, shall leave an hundred, and that which went foorth by an hundred, shall leave ten to the house of Israel. For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seeke ye mee, to repentance. and ye shall live. But seeke not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal and passe not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely goe into captivitie, and Bethel shal come to nought. Seeke the LORD, and ye shall live, lest hee breake out like fire in the house of Ioseph and devoure it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel. Ye who turne iudgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousnesse in the earth seeke him that maketh the seven starres and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the |