6
1 Hoy to them that are complacent in Tziyon,
and have their bitachon in Har Shomron,
the notables of the foremost Goyim,
to whom Bais Yisroel comes!
2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see;
and from thence go ye to great Chamat;
then go down to Gat of the Pelishtim (Philistines);
be they better than these mamlachot?
Or their territory more vast than your territory?
3 Ye that put far away the Yom Rah,
and cause the shevet chamas to come near;
4 That lie upon beds of ivory,
and stretch themselves upon their couches,
and eat the lambs out of the tzon,
and the calves from the stall;
5 Who prattle to the tune of the nevel (harp);
like Dovid* they invent string instruments.
6 That drink yayin in sacrificial bowls,
and anoint themselves with the finest ointments;
but they are not grieved for the shever Yosef (ruin of Yosef).
7 Therefore now shall they go
into captivity at the head of the golus,
and the merry shouting of the revellers will die.
8 Adonoi Hashem hath sworn by Himself, saith Hashem Elohei Tzva'os:
I abhor the ga'on Ya'akov,
and hate his fortresses;
therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.
9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain asarah anashim in one bais, they shall die. 10 And a manʼs relative shall take him up, and he that burieth him, to carry out the bones out of the bais, and shall say unto him still hiding inside, Is there yet any with thee? And he shall say, Not one. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue; for the Shem Hashem is not to be invoked.
11 For, hinei, Hashem commandeth,
and He will strike the bais hagadol into ruins,
and the bais hakaton into pieces.
12 Do susim run upon the rock?
Do men plow there with oxen?
For ye have turned mishpat into poison,
and the p'ri of tzedakah into wormwood;
13 Ye which rejoice over what is worthless,
which say: Have we not taken to us
horns† by chazekeinu (our own strength)?
14 But, hineni, I will raise up against you a Goy (Nation),
O Bais Yisroel, saith Hashem Elohei Tzva'os;
and they shall afflict you from the territory of Chamat
unto the Wadi of the Aravah.‡
* 6:5 HaMelech † 6:13 i.e., symbols of military resources ‡ 6:14 Notice in the next chapter that Amos refuses to be intimidated by an apostate religious leader who dares to war against Scripture. Amos gives a prophetic prediction that this chalatan will be defrocked by Hashem by being dragged off to an unclean heathen land.