Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today, we're starting the book of
Amos the prophet, and we're starting with chapters
1 through 5. Chapter 1. The words of Amos, who
was among the sheep breeders of Tekua, which
he saw 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. And he said, The Lord roars from
Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem. The
pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top
of Carmel withers. Thus says the Lord, For three
transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will
not turn away its punishment, because they have
threshed Gilead with implements of iron. But
I will send a fire into the house of Hazel, which
shall devour the palaces of Ben -Hadad. I will
also break the gate bar of Damascus, and cut
off the inhabitant from the valley of Avin, and
the one who holds the scepter from Beth Eden.
The people of Syria shall go captive to care,
says the Lord. Thus says the Lord, for three
transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will
not turn away its punishment, because they took
captive the whole captivity to deliver them up
to Edom. But I will send a fire upon the wall
of Gaza, which shall devour its palaces. I will
cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and the one
who holds the scepter from Ashkelon. I will turn
my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the
Philistines shall perish, says the Lord God.
Thus says the Lord, For three transgressions
of Tyre, and for four I will not turn away its
punishment, because they delivered up the whole
captivity to Edom. and did not remember the covenant
of brotherhood, but I will send a fire upon the
wall of Tyre, which shall devour its palaces.
Thus says the Lord, for three transgressions
of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its
punishment, because he pursued his brother with
the sword, and cast off all pity. His anger tore
perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever, but
I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour
the palaces of Bozrah. Thus says the Lord. for
three transgressions of the people of Ammon,
and for four I will not turn away its punishment,
because they ripped open the women with child
in Gilead, that they might enlarge their territory.
But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah,
and it shall devour its palaces, amid shouting
in the day of battle, and a tempest in the day
of the whirlwind. Their king shall go into captivity,
he and his princes together, says the Lord. Chapter
2 Thus says the Lord. For three transgressions
of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away its
punishment, because he burned the bones of the
king of Edom to lime. But I will send a fire
upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of
Kiriath. Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting
and trumpet sound, and I will cut off the judge
from its midst, and slay all its princes with
him, says the Lord. Thus says the Lord, for three
transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will
not turn away its punishment, because they have
despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept
his commandments. Their lies led them astray,
lies which their fathers followed. But I will
send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the
palaces of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord, for
three transgressions of Israel and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment, because
they sell the righteous for silver, and the poor
for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust
of the earth, which is on the head of the poor,
and pervert the way of the humble. A man and
his father go into the same girl to defile my
holy name. They lie down by every altar on cloth
taken in pledge, and drink the wine of the condemned
in the house of their God. Yet it was I who destroyed
the Amorite before them, whose height was like
the height of the cedars, and he was as strong
as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath. Also it was I who brought
you up from the land of Egypt and led you forty
years through the wilderness to possess the land
of the Amorite. I raised up some of your sons
as prophets and some of your young men as Nazarites.
Is it not so, O you children of Israel? says
the Lord. But you gave the Nazarites wine to
drink and commanded the prophets, saying, Do
not prophesy. Behold, I am weighed down by you,
as a cart full of sheaves is weighed down. Therefore
flight shall perish from the swift, the strong
shall not strengthen his power, nor shall the
mighty deliver himself. He shall not stand who
handles the bow, the swift of foot shall not
escape, nor shall he who rides a horse deliver
himself. The most courageous men of might shall
flee naked in that day, says the Lord. Chapter
3 Hear this, that the Lord has spoken against
you, O children of Israel. against the whole
family which I brought up from the land of Egypt,
saying, You only have I known of all the families
of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for
all your iniquities. Can two walk together unless
they are agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest
when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out
of his den if he has caught nothing? Will a bird
fall into a snare on the earth where there is
no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the
earth if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet
is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the
Lord have done it? Surely the Lord God does nothing
unless he reveals his secret to his servants,
the prophets. A lion has roared, who will not
fear? The Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesy?
Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the
palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble
on the mountains of Samaria. See great tumults
in her midst, and the oppressed within her. For
they do not know to do right, says the Lord,
who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God, an adversary
shall be all around the land. He shall sap your
strength from you, and your palaces shall be
plundered. Thus says the Lord, as a shepherd
takes from the mouth of a lion two legs or a
piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel
be taken out who dwell in Samaria. Chapter 4
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 wine, let us drink. The Lord God has sworn
by His holiness, Behold, the days shall come
upon you, when He will take you away with fishhooks,
and your posterity with fishhooks. You will go
out through broken walls, each one straight ahead
of her, and you will be cast into Harmon, says
the Lord. Come to Bethel and transgress. At Gilgal,
multiply transgression. Bring your sacrifices
every morning, your tithe every three days. Offer
a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven. Proclaim
and announce the freewill offerings. For this
you love, you children of Israel, says the Lord
God. Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all
your cities, and lack of bread in all your places.
Yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.
I also withheld rain from you. When there was
still three months to the harvest, I made it
rain on one city. I withheld rain from another
city. One part was rained upon, and where it
did not rain, the part withered. So two or three
cities wandered to another city to drink water,
but they were not satisfied. Yet you have not
returned to me, says the Lord. I blasted you
with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased,
your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive
trees, the locusts devoured them. Yet you have
not returned to me, says the Lord. I sent among
you a plague after the manner of Egypt. Your
young men I killed with a sword, along with your
captive horses. I made the stench of your camps
come up into your nostrils. Yet you have not
returned to me, says the Lord. I overthrew some
of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
and you were like a firebrand plucked from the
burning. Yet you have not returned to me, says
the Lord. Therefore thus will I do to you, O
Israel, because I will do this to you. Prepare
to meet your God, O Israel. For behold, he who
forms mountains and creates the wind, who declares
to man what his thought is and makes the morning
darkness, who treads the high places of the earth,
the Lord God of hosts is his name. Chapter 5
Hear this word which I take up against you, O
lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of
Israel has fallen. She will rise no more. She
lies forsaken on her land. There is no one to
raise her up. For thus says the Lord God, The
city that goes out by a thousand shall have a
hundred left, and that which goes out by a hundred
shall have ten left to the house of Israel. For
thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, Seek
me and live, but do not seek Bethel, nor enter
Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba. For Gilgal
shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall
come to nothing. Seek the Lord and live, lest
he break out like fire in the house of Joseph
and devour it. with no one to quench it in Bethel,
you who turn justice to wormwood and lay righteousness
to rest in the earth. He made the Pleiades and
Orion, he turns the shadow of death into morning,
and makes the dark day as night. He calls for
the waters of the sea, and pours them out on
the face of the earth. The Lord is his name.
He rains ruin upon the strong, so that fury comes
upon the fortress. They hate the one who rebukes
in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks
uprightly. therefore because you tread down the
poor and take grain taxes from him though you
have built houses of hewn stone yet you shall
not dwell in them you have planted pleasant vineyards
but you shall not drink wine from them for i
know your manifold transgressions and your mighty
sins afflicting the just and taking bribes diverting
the poor from justice at the gate therefore the
prudent keep silent at that time for it is an
evil time seek good and not evil that you may
live So the Lord God of hosts will be with you,
as you have spoken, hate evil, love good. Establish
justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord
God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant
of Joseph. Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the
Lord, says this, There shall be wailing in all
streets, and they shall say in all the highways,
Alas, alas! They shall call the farmer to mourning,
and skillful lamenters to wailing. In all vineyards
there shall be wailing, for I will pass through
you, says the Lord. Woe to you who desire the
day of the Lord! For what good is the day of
the Lord to you? It will be darkness and not
light. It will be as though a man fled from a
lion, and a bear met him, or as though he went
into the house, leaned his hand on the wall,
and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the
Lord darkness and not light? Is it not very dark,
with no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your
feast days, and I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
Though you offer me burnt offerings and your
grain offerings, I will not accept them, nor
will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
Take away from me the noise of your songs, for
I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
But let justice run down like water, and righteousness
like a mighty stream. Did you offer me sacrifices
and offerings in the wilderness forty years,
O house of Israel? I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did, and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.