Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹Blow the trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment], Sound an alarm on My holy mountain [Zion]! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble and shudder in fear, For the [judgment] day of the LORD is coming; It is close at hand,

²A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and of thick [dark] mist, Like the dawn spread over the mountains; There is a [pagan, hostile] people numerous and mighty, The like of which has never been before Nor will be again afterward Even for years of many generations.

³Before them a fire devours, And behind them a flame burns; Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, But behind them a desolate wilderness; And nothing at all escapes them.

⁴Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, And they run like war horses.

⁵Like the noise of chariots They leap on the tops of the mountains, Like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, Like a mighty people set in battle formation.

⁶Before them the people are in anguish; All faces become pale [with terror].

⁷They run like warriors; They climb the wall like soldiers. They each march [straight ahead] in line, And they do not deviate from their paths.

⁸They do not crowd each other; Each one marches in his path. When they burst through the defenses (weapons), They do not break ranks.

⁹They rush over the city, They run on the wall; They climb up into the houses, They enter at the windows like a thief.

¹⁰The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

¹¹The LORD utters His voice before His army, For His camp is very great, Because strong and powerful is he who [obediently] carries out His word. For the day of the LORD is indeed great and very terrible [causing dread]; Who can endure it?

¹²"Even now," says the LORD, "Turn and come to Me with all your heart [in genuine repentance], With fasting and weeping and mourning [until every barrier is removed and the broken fellowship is restored];

¹³Rip your heart to pieces [in sorrow and contrition] and not your garments." Now return [in repentance] to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness [faithful to His covenant with His people]; And He relents [His sentence of] evil [when His people genuinely repent].

¹⁴Who knows whether He will relent [and revoke your sentence], And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering [from the bounty He provides you] For the LORD your God?

¹⁵Blow a trumpet in Zion [warning of impending judgment], Dedicate a fast [as a day of restraint and humility], call a solemn assembly.

¹⁶Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber. [No one is excused from the assembly.]

¹⁷Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Have compassion and spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance (Israel) an object of ridicule, Or a [humiliating] byword among the [Gentile] nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"

¹⁸Then the LORD will be jealous for His land [ready to defend it since it is rightfully and uniquely His] And will have compassion on His people [and will spare them].

¹⁹The LORD will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I am going to send you grain and new wine and oil, And you will be satisfied in full with them; And I will never again make you an object of ridicule among the [Gentile] nations.

²⁰"But I will remove the northern army far away from you, And I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, With its forward guard into the eastern sea (Dead Sea) And with its rear guard into the western sea (Mediterranean Sea). And its stench will arise and its foul odor of decay will come up [this is the fate of the northern army in the final day of the LORD], For He has done great things."

²¹Do not fear, O land; be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done great things!

²²Do not be afraid, you animals of the field, For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green; The tree has produced its fruit, And the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.

²³So rejoice, O children of Zion, And delight in the LORD, your God; For He has given you the early [autumn] rain in vindication And He has poured down the rain for you, The early [autumn] rain and the late [spring] rain, as before.

²⁴And the threshing floors shall be full of grain, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

²⁵"And I will compensate you for the years That the swarming locust has eaten, The creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust— My great army which I sent among you.

²⁶"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the LORD your God Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.

²⁷"And you shall know [without any doubt] that I am in the midst of Israel [to protect and bless you], And that I am the LORD your God, And there is no other; My people will never be put to shame.

²⁸"It shall come about after this That I shall pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.

²⁹"Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

³⁰"I will show signs and wonders [displaying My power] in the heavens and on the earth, Blood and fire and columns of smoke.

³¹"The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.

³²"And it shall come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be saved [from the coming judgment] For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the remnant [of survivors] whom the LORD calls.

¹"For behold, in those [climactic] days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

²I will gather together all the [Gentile] nations [that were hostile to My people] And bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the LORD has judged). And there I will deal with them and enter into judgment with them there For [their treatment of] My people, My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, And [because] they have encroached on My land and divided it up.

³"They have also cast lots for My people, And have traded a boy for a prostitute And have sold a girl for wine that they may drink.

⁴Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon and all the [five small] regions of Philistia? Will you pay Me back for something [I have supposedly done to you]? Even if you do pay Me back, I will swiftly and speedily return your deed [of retaliation] on your own head.

⁵"Because you have taken My silver and My gold and have carried My precious treasures to your temples and palaces,

⁶and have sold the children of Judah and the children of Jerusalem to the Greeks, so that you may send them far away from their territory,

⁷behold, I am going to stir them up from the place where you have sold them [and return them to their land], and I shall return your action [of retaliation] on your own head.

⁸Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation," for the LORD has spoken.

⁹Proclaim this among the [pagan] nations: Prepare a war! Stir up the mighty men! Let all the men of war come near, let them come up!

¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, "I am strong!"

¹¹Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, And gather yourselves there; Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones (Your warriors).

¹²Let the nations be stirred [to action] And come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge and punish All the surrounding nations.

¹³Put in the sickle [of judgment], for the harvest is ripe; Come, tread [the grapes], for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for the wickedness [of the people] is great.

¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision (judgment)! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision [when judgment is executed].

¹⁵The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.

¹⁶The LORD thunders and roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem [in judgment of His enemies], And the heavens and the earth tremble and shudder; But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold [of protection] to the children of Israel.

¹⁷Then you will know and understand fully that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers [who do not belong] will no longer pass through it.

¹⁸And in that day The mountains will drip with sweet wine And the hills will flow with milk; And all the brooks and riverbeds of Judah will flow with water, And a fountain will go out from the house of the LORD To water the [desert] Valley of Shittim.

¹⁹Egypt will become a waste, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of their violence against the children of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent blood.

²⁰But Judah shall be inhabited forever And Jerusalem from generation to generation.

²¹And I shall avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the LORD dwells in Zion.

¹The words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa, which he saw [in a divine revelation] 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.

²And he said, "The LORD thunders and roars from Zion [in judgment] And utters His voice from Jerusalem; Then the pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the summit of [Mount] Carmel dries up [because of God's judgment]."

³Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Damascus and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I shall not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they have threshed Gilead [east of the Jordan River] with sharp iron sledges [having spikes that crushed and shredded].

⁴"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon the house of Hazael, And it shall devour the palaces and strongholds of Ben-hadad (Hazael's son).

⁵"I also will break the bar [of the gate] of Damascus, And cut off and destroy the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven (Wickedness), And the ruler who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden (Damascus); And the people of Aram [conquered by the Assyrians] will go into exile to Kir," Says the LORD.

⁶Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Gaza [in Philistia] and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because [as slave traders] they took captive the entire [Jewish] population [of defenseless Judean border villages, of which none was spared] And deported them to Edom [for the slave trade].

⁷"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] on the wall of Gaza And it shall consume her citadels.

⁸"And I will cut off and destroy the inhabitants from Ashdod, And the ruler who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; And I will unleash My power and turn My hand [in judgment] against Ekron, And the rest of the Philistines [in Gath and the towns dependent on these four Philistine cities] shall die," Says the Lord GOD.

⁹Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Tyre and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they [as middlemen] deported an entire [Jewish] population to Edom And did not [seriously] remember their covenant of brotherhood.

¹⁰"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] on the wall of Tyre, And it shall consume her citadels."

¹¹Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Edom [the descendants of Esau] and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because he pursued his brother Jacob (Israel) with the sword, Corrupting and stifling his compassions and casting off all mercy; His destructive anger raged continually, And he maintained [and nurtured] his wrath forever.

¹²"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon Teman, And it shall consume the citadels of Bozrah [in Edom]."

¹³Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of the children of Ammon and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because the Ammonites have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, That they might enlarge their border.

¹⁴"So I will kindle a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] on the wall of Rabbah [in Ammon] And it shall devour its strongholds Amid war cries and shouts of alarm on the day of battle, And a tempest on the day of the whirlwind [when the enemy captures the city].

¹⁵"Their king shall go into exile, He and his princes together," says the LORD.

¹Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Moab and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom [Esau's descendant] into lime [and used it to plaster a Moabite house].

²"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon Moab And it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth; And Moab shall die amid tumult and uproar, With war cries and shouts of alarm and the sound of the trumpet.

³"I will also cut off and destroy the ruler from its midst And slay all the princes with him," says the LORD.

⁴Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Judah and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they have rejected the law of the LORD [the sum of God's instruction to His people] And have not kept His commandments; But their lies [and their idols], after which their fathers walked, Caused them to go astray.

⁵"So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction by the Babylonians] upon Judah And it will devour the strongholds of Jerusalem."

⁶Thus says the LORD, "For three transgressions of Israel and for four (multiplied delinquencies) I will not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it, Because they sell the righteous and innocent for silver And the needy for the price of a pair of sandals.

⁷"These who pant after (long to see) the dust of the earth on the head of the helpless [as sign of their grief and distress] Also turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father will go to the same girl So that My holy name is profaned.

⁸"They stretch out beside every [pagan] altar on clothes taken in pledge [to secure a loan, disregarding God's command], And in the house of their God [in contempt of Him] they frivolously drink the wine [which has been] taken from those who have been fined.

⁹"Yet it was I [not the false gods] who destroyed the Amorite before them, Though his height was like the height of the cedars, And he was as strong as the oaks; I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below.

¹⁰"Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, And I led you forty years through the wilderness That you might possess the land of the Amorite.

¹¹"Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets [who gave you My revelation], And some of your young men to be Nazirites (dedicated ones). Is this not true, O you children of Israel?" says the LORD.

¹²"But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink [despite their vows] And commanded the prophets, saying, 'You shall not prophesy!'

¹³"Behold, I am weighted down beneath you As a cart that is weighted down when it is full of sheaves.

¹⁴"Flight will be lost to the swift [so they will be unable to escape], And the strong shall not strengthen nor maintain his power, Nor shall the mighty man save his own life.

¹⁵"He who handles the bow will not stand his ground, The one who is swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life [from the invading army].

¹⁶"Even the bravest among the warriors shall flee naked on that day," says the LORD.

¹Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt:

²"I have known [chosen, cared for, and loved] only you of all the families of the earth; Therefore I shall punish you for all your wickedness."

³Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?

⁴Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den if he has not captured something?

⁵Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the ground when it has caught nothing at all? [Of course not! So it is that Israel has earned her impending judgment.]

⁶If a trumpet is blown in a city [warning of danger] will not the people tremble? If a disaster or misfortune occurs in a city has not the LORD caused it?

⁷Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Without revealing His secret plan [of the judgment to come] To His servants the prophets.

⁸The lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken [to the prophets]! Who can but prophesy?

⁹Proclaim on the fortresses in Ashdod (Philistia) and on the citadels in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great confusion within her and the oppressions and abuse of authority in her midst.

¹⁰For they do not know how to do right," says the LORD, "these who store up violence and devastation [like treasures] in their strongholds."

¹¹Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "An adversary (Assyria), even one surrounding the land, Shall pull down your strength from you And your fortresses will be looted."

¹²Thus says the LORD, "Just as the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion a couple of legs or a piece of the [sheep's] ear [to prove to the owner that he has not stolen the animal], So will the [remaining] children of Israel living in Samaria be snatched away With the corner of a bed and [part of] the damask covering of a couch.

¹³"Hear and testify against the house of Jacob," Says the Lord GOD, the God of hosts,

¹⁴"On that day when I punish Israel's transgressions, I shall also punish the altars of Bethel [with their golden calves]; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground.

¹⁵"And I shall tear down the winter house with the summer house; And the houses of ivory shall also perish And the great houses shall come to an end," Says the LORD.

¹Hear this word, you [well-fed, pampered] cows (women) of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, Who say to their husbands, "Bring [the wine] now, and let us drink!"

²The Lord GOD has sworn [an oath] by His holiness That, "Behold, the days are coming upon you When they shall take you away with meat hooks, And the last of you with fish hooks.

³"And you shall go out through the breaches [made in the city wall], Every woman straight before her [unable to turn aside], And you shall be cast to Harmon," Says the LORD.

⁴"Come to Bethel [where the golden calf is] and transgress; In Gilgal [where idols are worshiped] multiply transgression; Bring your sacrifices every morning, Your tithes every three days!

⁵" Offer [by burning] a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, And [boastfully] proclaim freewill offerings, announce them. For this you so love to do, O children of Israel!" Says the Lord GOD.

⁶"I also gave you cleanness of teeth [because of the famine] in all your cities And lack of bread in all your places, Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance]," says the LORD.

⁷"Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you When there were still three months until the harvest. Then I would send rain on one city, And on another city I would not send rain; One piece of ground was rained on, While the part not rained on would dry up.

⁸"So [the people of] two or three cities would stagger into one city to drink water, But would not be satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance]," says the LORD.

⁹"I wounded you with blight [from the hot, blasting east wind] and with mildew; And the caterpillar devoured Your many gardens and vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance]," says the LORD.

¹⁰"I sent a plague among you like [those of] Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword and I captured your horses, I made the stench of your camp rise up into your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance]," says the LORD.

¹¹"I overthrew and destroyed [some among] you, as [I, your] God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were [rescued] like a log pulled out of the flame; Yet you have not returned to Me [in repentance]," says the LORD.

¹²"Therefore this is what I shall do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God [in judgment], O Israel!"

¹³For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind And declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes the dawn into darkness And treads on the heights of the earth— The LORD God of hosts is His name.

¹Hear this word which I take up for you as a funeral song, O house of Israel:

²She has fallen, she will not rise again— The virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is no one to raise her up.

³For thus says the Lord GOD, "The city which goes forth a thousand strong Will have a hundred left, And the one which goes forth a hundred strong Will have ten left to the house of Israel."

⁴For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me [search diligently for Me and regard Me as more essential than food] so that you may live.

⁵"But do not resort to Bethel [to worship the golden calf] Nor enter [idolatrous] Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba [and its idols]; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity and exile, And Bethel will come to nothing.

⁶"Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and long for Him as your most essential need] so that you may live, Or He will rush down like a [devouring] fire, O house of Joseph, And there will be no one to quench the flame for [idolatrous] Bethel,

⁷"For those [shall be consumed] who turn justice into wormwood (bitterness) And cast righteousness down to the earth."

⁸He who made the [cluster of stars called] Pleiades and [the constellation] Orion, Who turns deep darkness into the morning And darkens the day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The LORD is His name.

⁹It is He who causes [sudden] destruction to flash forth on the strong So that destruction comes on the fortress.

¹⁰They hate the one who reprimands [the unrighteous] in the [court held at the city] gate [regarding him as unreasonable and rejecting his reprimand], And they detest him who speaks [the truth] with integrity and honesty.

¹¹Therefore, because you impose heavy rent on the poor And demand a tribute (food-tax) of grain from them, Though you have built [luxurious] houses of square stone, You will not live in them; You have planted beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.

¹²For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great (shocking, innumerable), You who distress the righteous and take bribes, And turn away from the poor in the [court of the city] gate [depriving them of justice].

¹³Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character].

¹⁴Seek (long for, require) good and not evil, that you may live; And so may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!

¹⁵Hate evil and love good, And establish justice in the [court of the city] gate. Perhaps the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [that is, those who remain after God's judgment].

¹⁶Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, "There is wailing in all the public plazas, And in all the streets they say, 'Alas! Alas!' And they call the farmers to mourning [for those who have died] And professional mourners to wailing.

¹⁷"And in all vineyards there is wailing, For I will pass through your midst [in judgment]," says the LORD.

¹⁸Woe (judgment is coming) to you who desire the day of the LORD [expecting rescue from the Gentiles]! Why would you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness (judgment) and not light [and rescue and prosperity];

¹⁹It is as if a man runs from a lion [escaping one danger] And a bear meets him [so he dies anyway], Or goes home, and leans with his hand against the wall And a snake bites him.

²⁰Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, instead of light, Even very dark with no brightness in it?

²¹"I hate, I despise and reject your [sacred] feasts, And I do not take delight in your solemn assemblies.

²²"Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened animals.

²³"Take the noise of your songs away from Me [they are an irritation]! I shall not even listen to the melody of your harps.

²⁴"But let justice run down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly].

²⁵"Did you bring Me sacrifices and grain offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? [Certainly not!]

²⁶You carried along your king Sikkuth and Kayyun [your man-made gods of Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [but you brought Me none of the appointed sacrifices].

²⁷Therefore, I will send you to go into exile far beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

¹Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are at ease and carefree in Zion (Judah) And to those on the mountain of Samaria who feel secure, The distinguished men of the foremost of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes.

²Go over to Calneh [in Babylonia] and look, And from there go [north of Damascus] to the great city of Hamath; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms [of yours], Or is their territory greater than yours?

³Do you put off the day of punishment, Yet cause the seat of violence to come near?

⁴Those who lie on [luxurious] beds of ivory And lounge around out on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall,

⁵Who improvise to the sound of the harp— Like David they have composed songs for themselves—

⁶Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls And anoint themselves with the finest oils [reflecting their unrestrained celebration]; Yet they are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph (Israel).

⁷Therefore, they will now go into exile with the first of the captives, And the cultic revelry and banqueting of those who lounge around [on their luxurious couches] will pass away.

⁸The Lord GOD has sworn [an oath] by Himself—the LORD God of hosts, says: "I loathe and reject the [self-centered] arrogance of Jacob (Israel), And I hate his palaces and citadels; Therefore, I shall hand over the [idolatrous] city [of Samaria] with all that it contains [to the Assyrian invaders]."

⁹And it shall come to pass that if there remain ten men in one house, they shall die [by the pestilence that comes with war].

¹⁰Then one's uncle, or his undertaker, shall come to bring the [disease-infected] body out of the house, [to cremate it], and he will say to another in the farthest part of the house, "Is there anyone else with you?" And that one will say, "No one." Then he will respond, "Hush! Keep quiet! For the name of the LORD is not to be mentioned [even casually, for fear that we might invoke even more punishment]."

¹¹For behold, the LORD is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.

¹²Do horses run on rocks? Do men plow rocks with oxen? [Of course not!] Yet you have turned justice into poison And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (bitterness),

¹³You who [self-confidently] rejoice in Lo-debar (Nothing), Who say, "Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim (Strength) for ourselves?"

¹⁴"For behold, I am going to stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel," says the LORD, the God of hosts, "And they will afflict and torment you [to the entire limits of Israel] from the entrance of Hamath [in the north] To the brook of the Arabah [in the south]."

¹Thus the Lord GOD showed me [a vision], and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king's mowing.

²And when the locusts had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said, "O Lord GOD, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?"

³The LORD revoked this sentence. "It shall not take place," said the LORD.

⁴Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, the Lord GOD called for punishment with fire, and it devoured the great deep [underground sources of water] and began to consume the land.

⁵Then I said, "O Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?"

⁶The LORD revoked this sentence. "This also shall not be," said the Lord GOD.

⁷Thus He showed me [a vision], and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand [to determine if the wall was straight or if it needed to be destroyed].

⁸The LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I am setting a plumb line [as a standard] Among My people Israel [showing the defectiveness of the nation, requiring judgment]. I shall not spare them any longer. [The door of mercy is shut.]

⁹"And the [idolatrous] high places of Isaac (Israel) will be devastated and deserted, And the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins. Then I shall rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword [and destroy the monarchy]."

¹⁰Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel [site of the golden calf shrine], sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.

¹¹For in this way Amos has said, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'"

¹²Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Go, you seer, run for your life [from Israel] to the land of Judah [your own country] and eat bread and live as a prophet there!

¹³But do not prophesy any longer at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal residence."

¹⁴Then Amos replied to Amaziah, "I am not a prophet [by profession], nor am I a prophet's son; I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.

¹⁵But the LORD took me as I followed the flock and the LORD said to me, 'Go, prophesy to My people Israel.'

¹⁶Now therefore, listen to the word of the LORD: You say, 'You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.'

¹⁷Therefore, thus says the LORD, 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city [when the Assyrians capture Samaria] and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided by a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean and defiled [pagan] land, and Israel shall certainly go from its land into exile.'"

¹Thus the Lord GOD showed me [a vision], and behold, there was a basket of [overripe] summer fruit.

²And He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer [for the nation is ripe for judgment].

³In that day, the songs of the palace shall turn to wailing," says the Lord GOD. "There will be many dead bodies; in [sacred] silence they will throw them everywhere."

⁴Hear this, you who trample down the needy, and do away with the poor of the land,

⁵saying, "When will the New Moon [festival] be over So that we may sell grain, And the Sabbath ended so that we may open the wheat market, Making the ephah [measure] smaller and the shekel bigger [that is, selling less for a higher price] And to cheat by falsifying the scales,

⁶So that we may buy the poor [as slaves] for silver [since they are unable to support themselves] And the needy for a pair of sandals, And that we may sell the leftovers of the wheat [as if it were a good grade of grain]?"

⁷The LORD has sworn [an oath] by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I shall never forget [nor leave unpunished] any of their [rebellious] acts.

⁸"Because of this [coming judgment] will the land not quake And everyone mourn who dwells in it? Indeed, all of it shall rise up like the Nile, And it will be tossed around [from the impact of judgment] And [afterward] subside again like the Nile of Egypt.

⁹"It shall come about in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I shall cause the sun to go down at noon, And I shall darken the earth in broad daylight.

¹⁰"And I shall turn your festivals and feasts into mourning And all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung); And I shall cause sackcloth to be put on everyone's loins And baldness on every head [shaved for mourning]. And I shall make that time like a time of mourning for an only son [who has died], And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.

¹¹"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "When I will send hunger over the land, Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water, But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the LORD.

¹²"People shall stagger from sea to sea [to the very ends of the earth] And from the north even to the east; They will roam here and there to seek the word of the LORD [longing for it as essential for life], But they will not find it.

¹³"In that day the beautiful virgins And [even the vigorous] young men shall faint from thirst.

¹⁴"Those who swear [their oaths] by the sin (guilt) of Samaria or Ashimah (a pagan goddess), Who say, 'By the life of your god [the golden calf], O Dan!' And [swear], 'By the life of the way of [idolatrous] Beersheba,' They shall fall and not rise again."

¹I saw [in a vision] the Lord standing at the altar, and He said, "Destroy the capitals (tops) of the pillars so that the thresholds will shake, And break them on the heads of all of the people! Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword; They will not have a fugitive who will get away, Or a survivor who will escape.

²"Though they dig into Sheol [to hide in the deepest pit], From there My hand will take them [for judgment]; And though they climb up to heaven [to hide in the realm of light], From there will I bring them down [for judgment].

³"Though they hide on the summit of [Mount] Carmel, I will track them down and take them from there; And though they hide from My sight on the floor of the sea, From there I shall command the serpent and it will bite them.

⁴"And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I shall command the sword to kill them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil (judgment, punishment) and not for good [that is, not for correction leading to restoration]."

⁵The Lord GOD of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler], It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts, And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear], And all of it rises up like the Nile And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;

⁶It is He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has established His vaulted dome (the firmament of heaven) over the earth, He who calls to the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name.

⁷"Are you [degenerate ones] not as the [despised] sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?" says the LORD. "Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans (Syrians) from Kir?

⁸"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful [northern] kingdom [of Israel's ten tribes] And I shall destroy it from the face of the earth; But I shall not totally destroy the house of Jacob [that is, the entire nation of Israel]," Says the LORD.

⁹"For behold, I am commanding, And I shall shake and sift the house of Israel among all nations [and cause it to tremble] Like grain is shaken in a sieve [removing the chaff], But not a kernel [of the faithful remnant] shall fall to the ground and be lost [from My sight].

¹⁰"All the sinners among My people will die by the sword, Those who say [defiantly], 'The disaster will not overtake or confront us.'

¹¹"In that day I shall raise up and restore the fallen tabernacle (booth) of David, And wall up its breaches [in the city walls]; I will also raise up and restore its ruins And rebuild it as it was in the days of old,

¹²That they may possess the remnant of Edom (ancient enemies) And all the nations that are called by My name," Says the LORD who does this.

¹³"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "When the plowman shall overtake the one who gathers the harvest, And the one who treads the grapes [shall overtake] him who sows the seed [for the harvest continues until planting time]; When the mountains will drip sweet wine And all the hills shall melt [that is, everything that was once barren will overflow with streams of blessing].

¹⁴"Also I shall bring back the exiles of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the deserted and ruined cities and inhabit them: They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit.

¹⁵"I will also plant them on their land, And they shall never again be uprooted from their land Which I have given them," Says the LORD your God.

¹The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom— We have heard a report from the LORD, And an ambassador has been sent among the nations, saying, " Arise, and let us rise up against Edom for battle [with the LORD as commander]!"

²"Behold [Edom], I shall [humiliate you and] make you small among the nations; You are greatly despised.

³"The pride and arrogance of your heart have deceived you, You who live in the clefts and lofty security of the rock (Sela), Whose dwelling place is high, Who say [boastfully] in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to earth?'

⁴"Though you build [your nest] on high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, I will bring you down from there," says the LORD.

⁵"If thieves came to you, If robbers by night— How you will be ruined!— Would they not steal only until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some grapes for gleaning?

⁶"How Esau (Edom) shall be ransacked [by men who come to ravage with divine approval]! How his hidden treasures shall be searched out!

⁷"All the men allied with you Shall send you on your way to the border; The men who were at peace with you Shall deceive you and overpower you; Those who eat your bread [those you trust] Shall set a hostile ambush for you. (There is no understanding of it.)

⁸"Will I not on that day," says the LORD, "Destroy the wise men from Edom [removing all wisdom] And understanding from the mountain of Esau?

⁹"And your mighty men shall be dismayed and demoralized, O Teman, So that everyone from the mountain of Esau may be cut off in the slaughter.

¹⁰"Because of the violence you did against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you [completely], And you shall be cut off forever.

¹¹"On the day that [Jerusalem was destroyed] you stood aloof [from your brother Jacob]— On the day that strangers took his forces captive and carried off his wealth, And foreigners entered his gates And cast lots for Jerusalem [dividing the city for plunder]— You too were like one of them [collaborating with the enemy].

¹²"Do not gaze and gloat [in triumph] over your brother's day, The day when his misfortune came. Do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day of their destruction; Do not speak arrogantly [jeering and maliciously mocking] In the day of their distress.

¹³"Do not enter the gate of My people In the day of their disaster; Yes, you, do not look [with delight] on their misery In the day of their ruin, And do not loot treasures In the day of their ruin.

¹⁴"Do not stand at the crossroad To cut down those [of Judah] who escaped; And do not hand over [to the enemy] those [of Judah] who survive In the day of their distress.

¹⁵"For the [judgment] day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you [in retribution]; Your [evil] dealings will return on your own head.

¹⁶"Because just as you [Edom] drank on My holy mountain [desecrating it in the revelry of the destroyers], So shall all the nations drink continually [one by one, of My wrath]; Yes, they shall drink and swallow [the full measure of punishment] And become as though they had never existed.

¹⁷"But on Mount Zion [in Jerusalem] there shall be [deliverance for] those who escape, And it shall be holy [no pagan will defile it]; And the house of Jacob shall possess their [former] possessions.

¹⁸"Then the house of Jacob shall be a fire And the house of Joseph a flame [in executing God's wrath]; But the house of Esau will be like stubble. They (Jacob) shall set them on fire and consume them (the Edomites), So that there shall be no survivor of the house of Esau," For the LORD has spoken.

¹⁹Then those of the Negev shall possess the mountain of Esau, And those of the Shephelah [shall possess] the Philistine plain; Also, [they shall] possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria, And Benjamin will possess Gilead [across the Jordan River].

²⁰And the exiles of this host of the sons (descendants) of Israel Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad Shall possess the cities of the Negev.

²¹The deliverers shall go up on Mount Zion To rule and judge the mountain of Esau, And the kingdom and the kingship shall be the Lord's.

¹Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

²"Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim [judgment] against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me."

³But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the LORD [and his duty as His prophet]. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish [the most remote of the Phoenician trading cities]. So he paid the fare and went down into the ship to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the LORD.

⁴But the LORD hurled a great wind toward the sea, and there was a violent tempest on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.

⁵Then the sailors were afraid, and each man cried out to his god; and to lighten the ship [and diminish the danger] they threw the ship's cargo into the sea. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship and had lain down and was sound asleep.

⁶So the captain came up to him and said, "How can you stay asleep? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps your god will give a thought to us so that we will not perish."

⁷And they said to another, "Come, let us cast lots, so we may learn who is to blame for this disaster." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

⁸Then they said to him, "Now tell us! Who is to blame for this disaster? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country?"

⁹So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I [reverently] fear and worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

¹⁰Then the men became extremely frightened and said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was running from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

¹¹Then they said to him, "What should we do to you, so that the sea will become calm for us?"—for the sea was becoming more and more violent.

¹²Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you."

¹³Nevertheless, the men rowed hard [breaking through the waves] to return to land, but they could not, because the sea became even more violent [surging higher] against them.

¹⁴Then they called on the LORD and said, "Please, O LORD, do not let us perish because of taking this man's life, and do not make us accountable for innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as You pleased."

¹⁵So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.

¹⁶Then the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

¹⁷Now the LORD had prepared (appointed, destined) a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.