Jonah’s Prayer

1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish,2 and he said,
“I called out of my distress to the LORD,
And He answered me.
I cried for help from the depth of Sheol;
You heard my voice.3
“For You had cast me into the deep,
Into the heart of the seas,
And the current engulfed me.
All Your breakers and billows passed over me.4
“So I said, `I have been expelled from Your sight.
Nevertheless I will look again toward Your holy temple.’5
“Water encompassed me to the point of death.
The great deep engulfed me,
Weeds were wrapped around my head.6
“I descended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its bars {was} around me forever,
But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.7
“While I was fainting away,
I remembered the LORD,
And my prayer came to You,
Into Your holy temple.8
“Those who regard vain idols
Forsake their faithfulness,9
But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of thanksgiving.
That which I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation is from the LORD.

10 Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

Jonah’s Disobedience

1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

4 The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up.5 Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten {it} for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.6 So the captain approached him and said, “How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps {your} god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.

7 Each man said to his mate, “Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity {has struck} us. So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.8 Then they said to him, “Tell us, now! On whose account {has} this calamity {struck} us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.

10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?–for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy.12 He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm {has come} upon you.13 However, the men rowed {desperately} to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming {even} stormier against them.14 Then they called on the LORD and said, “We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased.

15 So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

Edom Will Be Humbled

1 The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom–
We have heard a report from the LORD,
And an envoy has been sent among the nations {saying,}
“Arise and let us go against her for battle–2
“Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.3
“The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of the rock,
In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart,
`Who will bring me down to earth?’4
“Though you build high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down, declares the LORD.5
“If thieves came to you,
If robbers by night–
O 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} gleanings?6
“O how Esau will be ransacked,
{And} his hidden treasures searched out!7
“All the men allied with you
Will send you forth to the border,
And the men at peace with you
Will deceive you and overpower you.
{They who eat} your bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is no understanding in him.)8
“Will I not on that day, declares the LORD,
“Destroy wise men from Edom
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?9
“Then your mighty men will be dismayed, O Teman,
So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

10
“Because of violence to your brother Jacob,
You will be covered {with} shame,
And you will be cut off forever.11
“On the day that you stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And cast lots for Jerusalem–
You too were as one of them.12
“Do not gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not boast
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 gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not loot their wealth
In the day of their disaster.14
“Do not stand at the fork of the road
To cut down their fugitives;
And do not imprison their survivors
In the day of their distress.

The Day of the L{ORD} and the Future 15
“For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you.
Your dealings will return on your own head.16
“Because just as you drank on My holy mountain,
All the nations will drink continually.
They will drink and swallow
And become as if they had never existed.17
“But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.18
“Then the house of Jacob will be a fire
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau {will be} as stubble.
And they will set them on fire and consume them,
So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,
For the LORD has spoken.19
Then {those of} the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau,
And {those of} the Shephelah the Philistine {plain;}
Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin {will possess} Gilead.20
And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,
Who are {among} the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Will possess the cities of the Negev.21
The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the kingdom will be the LORD’S.<PE>

God’s Judgment Unavoidable1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said,
“Smite the capitals so that the thresholds will shake,
And break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will slay the rest of them with the sword;
They will not have a fugitive who will flee,
Or a refugee who will escape.2
“Though they dig into Sheol,
From there will My hand take them;
And though they ascend to heaven,
From there will I bring them down.3
“Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will search them out and take them from there;
And though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent and it will bite them.4
“And though they go into captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword that it slay them,
And I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.

5
The Lord GOD of hosts,
The One who touches the land so that it melts,
And all those who dwell in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;6
The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth,
The LORD is His name.

7
“Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel? declares the LORD.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?8
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,
Declares the LORD.9
“For behold, I am commanding,
And I will shake the house of Israel among all nations
As {grain} is shaken in a sieve,
But not a kernel will fall to the ground.10
“All the sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, `The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’

The Restoration of Israel

11
“In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David,
And wall up its breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the days of old;12
That they may possess the remnant of Edom
And all the nations who are called by My name,
Declares the LORD who does this. 13
“Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD,
“When the plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the mountains will drip sweet wine
And all the hills will be dissolved.14
“Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel,
And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live {in 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 will not again be rooted out from their land
Which I have given them,
Says the LORD your God.<PE>

Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity

1 Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, {there was} a basket of summer fruit.2 He said, “What do you see, Amos? 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.3 “The songs of the palace will turn to wailing in that day, declares the Lord GOD. “Many {will be} the corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence.

4 Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,5 saying,
“When will the new moon be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat {market,}
To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to cheat with dishonest scales,6
So as to buy the helpless for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And {that} we may sell the refuse of the wheat?

7
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.8
“Because of this will not the land quake
And everyone who dwells in it mourn?
Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.9
“It will come about in that day, declares the Lord GOD,
“That I will make the sun go down at noon
And make the earth dark in broad daylight.10
“Then I will turn your festivals into mourning
And all your songs into lamentation;
And I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it like {a time of} mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

11
“Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord GOD,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.12
“People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD,
But they will not find {it.}13
“In that day the beautiful virgins
And the young men will faint from thirst.14
“{As for} those who swear by the guilt of Samaria,
Who say, `As your god lives, O Dan,’
And, `As the way of Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and not rise again.

Warning Through Visions

1 Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, He was forming a locust-swarm when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop {was} after the king’s mowing.2 And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“Lord GOD, please pardon!
How can Jacob stand,
For he is small?3
The LORD changed His mind about this.
“It shall not be, said the LORD.

4 Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, the Lord GOD was calling to contend {with them} by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the farm land.5 Then I said,
“Lord GOD, please stop!
How can Jacob stand, for he is small?6
The LORD changed His mind about this.
“This too shall not be, said the Lord GOD.

7 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand.8 The LORD said to me, “What do you see, Amos? And I said, “A plumb line. Then the Lord said,
“Behold I am about to put a plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will spare them no longer.9
“The high places of Isaac will be desolated
And the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste.
Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.<PE>

Amos Accused, Answers

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, 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.11 “For thus Amos says, `Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying!13 “But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.

14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.15 “But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, `Go prophesy to My people Israel.’16 “Now hear the word of the LORD: you are saying, `You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.’17 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, `Your wife will become a harlot in the city, your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a {measuring} line and you yourself will die upon unclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’

“Those at Ease in Zion

1
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
And to those who {feel} secure in the mountain of Samaria,
The distinguished men of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.2
Go over to Calneh and look,
And go from there to Hamath the great,
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are they better than these kingdoms,
Or is their territory greater than yours?3
Do you put off the day of calamity,
And would you bring near the seat of violence?

4
Those who recline on beds of ivory
And sprawl on their couches,
And eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall,5
Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
{And} like David have composed songs for themselves,6
Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils,
Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.7
Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles,
And the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away.

8
The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself, the LORD God of hosts has declared:
“I loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
And detest his citadels;
Therefore I will deliver up {the} city and all it contains.<PE>9 And it will be, if ten men are left in one house, they will die.10 Then one’s uncle, or his undertaker, will lift him up to carry out {his} bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost part of the house, “Is anyone else with you? And that one will say, “No one. Then he will answer, “Keep quiet. For the name of the LORD is not to be mentioned.11 For behold, the LORD is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.

12
Do horses run on rocks?
Or does one plow them with oxen?
Yet you have turned justice into poison
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,13
You who rejoice in Lodebar,
And say, “Have we not by our {own} strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?14
“For behold, I am going to raise up a nation against you,
O house of Israel, declares the LORD God of hosts,
“And they will afflict you from the entrance of Hamath
To the brook of the Arabah.

“Seek Me that You May Live

1
Hear this word which I take up for you as a dirge, O house of Israel:2
She has fallen, she will not rise again–
The virgin Israel.
She {lies} neglected on her land;
There is none to raise her up.<PE>3 For 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.

4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel,
“Seek Me that you may live.5
“But do not resort to Bethel
And do not come to Gilgal,
Nor cross over to Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will come to trouble.6
“Seek the LORD that you may live,
Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph,
And it will consume with none to quench {it} for Bethel,7
{For} those who turn justice into wormwood
And cast righteousness down to the earth.

8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion
And changes deep darkness into morning,
Who also darkens 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.9
It is He who flashes forth {with} destruction upon the strong,
So that destruction comes upon the fortress.

10
They hate him who reproves in the gate,
And they abhor him who speaks {with} integrity.11
Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor
And exact a tribute of grain from them,
{Though} you have built houses of well-hewn stone,
Yet you will not live in them;
You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine.12
For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great,
{You} who distress the righteous {and} accept bribes
And turn aside the poor in the gate.13
Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.

14
Seek good and not evil, that you may live;
And thus may the LORD God of hosts be with you,
Just as you have said!15
Hate evil, love good,
And establish justice in the gate!
Perhaps the LORD God of hosts
May be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

16 Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, the Lord,
“There is wailing in all the plazas,
And in all the streets they say, `Alas! Alas!’
They also call the farmer to mourning
And professional mourners to lamentation.17
“And in all the vineyards {there is} wailing,
Because I will pass through the midst of you, says the LORD.

18
Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD,
For what purpose {will} the day of the LORD {be} to you?
It {will be} darkness and not light;19
As when a man flees from a lion
And a bear meets him,
Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall
And a snake bites him.20
{Will} not the day of the LORD {be} darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?

21
“I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.22
“Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept {them;}
And I will not {even} look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.23
“Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.24
“But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

25 “Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel?26 “You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.27 “Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus, says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.

“Yet You Have Not Returned to Me

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 now, that we may drink!2
The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness,
“Behold, the days are coming upon you
When they will take you away with meat hooks,
And the last of you with fish hooks.3
“You will go out {through} breaches {in the walls,}
Each one straight before her,
And you will be cast to Harmon, declares the LORD.

4
“Enter Bethel and transgress;
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.5
“Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim freewill offerings, make them known.
For so you love {to do,} you sons of Israel,
Declares the Lord GOD.

6
“But I gave you also cleanness of teeth in all your cities
And lack of bread in all your places,
Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the LORD.7
“Furthermore, I withheld the rain from you
While {there were} still three months until harvest.
Then I would send rain on one city
And on another city I would not send rain;
One part would be rained on,
While the part not rained on would dry up.8
“So two or three cities would stagger to another city to drink water,
But would not be satisfied;
Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the LORD.9
“I smote you with scorching {wind} and mildew;
And the caterpillar was devouring
Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees and olive trees;
Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the LORD.10
“I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt;
I slew your young men by the sword along with your captured horses,
And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils;
Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the LORD.11
“I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze;
Yet you have not returned to Me, declares the LORD.12
“Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.13
For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind
And declares to man what are His thoughts,
He who makes dawn into darkness
And treads on the high places of the earth,
The LORD God of hosts is His name.

All the Tribes Are Guilty

1 Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt:2
“You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.3
Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?4
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?
Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured {something?}5
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it?
Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?6
If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?
If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?7
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing
Unless He reveals His secret counsel
To His servants the prophets.8
A lion has roared! Who will not fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?

9 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria and see {the} great tumults within her and {the} oppressions in her midst.10 “But they do not know how to do what is right, declares the LORD, “these who hoard up violence and devastation in their citadels.<PE>

11 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD,
“An enemy, even one surrounding the land,
Will pull down your strength from you
And your citadels will be looted.<PE>12 Thus says the LORD,
“Just as the shepherd snatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be snatched away–
With {the} corner of a bed and {the} cover of a couch!13
“Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,
Declares the Lord GOD, the God of hosts.14
“For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,
I will also punish the altars of Bethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut off
And they will fall to the ground.15
“I will also smite the winter house together with the summer house;
The houses of ivory will also perish
And the great houses will come to an end,
Declares the LORD.