Judgment on Judah and Israel
Amos 2
The oracle of judgment continues against Moab, then turns to Judah for rejecting the Lord's law and to Israel itself, which is charged with oppressing the poor, profaning holy things, and silencing the prophets and consecrated men the Lord had raised up, so that not even its strongest warriors will escape the coming disaster.
About these editions
The Septuagint (LXX) in Greek, with Charles Thomson’s 1808 and Sir Lancelot Brenton’s 1851 English translations, set beside the King James Version and the Jewish Masoretic text (JPS 1917) where they align, so you can compare the Greek and the Hebrew. All public domain; choose which to show with the controls above.
Thomson 1808Septuagint
Brenton 1851Septuagint
Greek · BrentonSeptuagint
KJV 1769Masoretic
JPS 1917Masoretic
1
ThomsonTHUS saith the Lord: For the three transgressions of Moab, and for four, shall I not be averse from him? Because he burned into lime the bones of the king of Idumea;
BrentonThus saith the Lord; For three sins of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away from it; because they burnt the bones of the king of Idumea to lime.
GreekΤάδε λέγει Κύριος, ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶν ἀσεβείαις Μωὰβ, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέσσαρσιν οὐκ ἀποστραφήσομαι αὐτὸν, ἀνθʼ ὧν κατέκαυσαν τὰ ὀστᾶ βασιλέως τῆς Ἰδουμαίας εἰς κονίαν.
KJVThus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
JPSThus saith the LORD: For three transgressions of Moab, Yea, for four, I will not reverse it: Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime.
2
Thomsontherefore I will send a fire into Moab, and it shall devour the foundations of her cities, and Moab shall die of weakness, with shouting and with the clangour of trumpets;
BrentonBut I will send forth a fire on Moab, and it shall devour the foundations of its cities: and Moab shall perish in weakness, with a shout, and with the sound of a trumpet.
GreekΚαὶ ἐξαποστελῶ πῦρ εἰς Μωὰβ, καὶ καταφάγεται τὰ θεμέλια τῶν πόλεων αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀποθανεῖται ἐν ἀδυναμίᾳ Μωὰβ μετὰ κραυγῆς καὶ μετὰ φωνῆς σάλπιγγος.
KJVBut I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:
JPSSo will I send a fire upon Moab, And it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth; And Moab shall die with tumult, With shouting, and with the sound of the horn;
3
ThomsonI will cut off her judge, and slay all her chiefs with him, saith the Lord.
BrentonAnd I will destroy the judge out of her, and slay all her princes with him, saith the Lord.
GreekΚαὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω κριτὴν ἐξ αὐτῆς, καὶ πάντας [ἄρχοντας] αὐτῆς ἀποκτενῶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ, λέγει Κύριος.
KJVAnd I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.
JPSAnd I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, And will slay all the princes thereof with him, Saith the LORD.
4
ThomsonThus saith the Lord, For the three transgressions of the children of Juda, and for four, shall I not be averse from him? Because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept His commandments, and have been led astray by their vanities which they made, which their fathers had followed;
BrentonThus saith the Lord; For three sins of the children of Juda, and for four, I will not turn away from him; because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his ordinances, and their vain idols which they made, which their fathers followed, caused them to err.
GreekΤάδε λέγει Κύριος, ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶν ἀσεβείαις υἱῶν Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέσσαρσιν οὐκ ἀποστραφήσουμαι αὐτὸν, ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀπώσασθαι αὐτοὺς τὸν νόμον τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τὰ προστάγματα αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐφυλάξαντο, καὶ ἐπλάνησεν αὐτοὺς τὰ μάταια αὐτῶν ἃ ἐποίησαν, οἷς ἐξηκολούθησαν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν.
KJVThus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
JPSThus saith the LORD: For three transgressions of Judah, Yea, for four, I will not reverse it: Because they have rejected the law of the LORD, And have not kept His statutes, And their lies have caused them to err, After which their fathers did walk.
5
Thomsontherefore I will send a fire against Juda, and it shall devour the foundations of Jerusalem.
BrentonAnd I will send a fire on Juda, and it shall devour the foundations of Jerusalem.
GreekΚαὶ ἐξαποστελῶ πῦρ ἐπὶ Ἰούδαν, καὶ καταφάγεται θεμέλια Ἱερουσαλήμ.
KJVBut I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
JPSSo will I send a fire upon Judah, And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
6
ThomsonThus saith the Lord: For the three transgressions of Israel, and for four, shall I not be averse from him? Because they sold a righteous one for silver and a needy one for a pair of sandals;
BrentonThus saith the Lord; For three sins of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away from him; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for sandals,
GreekΤάδε λέγει Κύριος, ἐπὶ ταῖς τρισὶν ἀσεβείαις Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς τέσσαρσιν οὐκ ἀποστραφήσομαι αὐτὸν, ἀνθʼ ὧν ἀπέδοντο ἀργυρίου δίκαιον, καὶ πένητα ἕνεκεν ὑποδημάτων,
KJVThus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
JPSThus saith the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, Yea, for four, I will not reverse it: Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the needy for a pair of shoes;
7
Thomsonand dashed their sandals against the heads of the poor; and turned aside the way of the meek; and a son and a father went in unto the same handmaid.
Brentonwherewith to tread on the dust of the earth, and they have smitten upon the heads of the poor, and have perverted the way of the lowly: and a son and his father have gone in to the same maid, that they might profane the name of their God.
Greekτὰ πατοῦντα ἐπὶ τὸν χοῦν τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐκονδύλιζον εἰς κεφαλὰς πτωχῶν, καὶ ὁδὸν ταπεινῶν ἐξέκλιναν, καὶ υἱὸς καὶ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ εἰσεπορεύοντο πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν παιδίσκην, ὅπως βεβηλῶσι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτῶν.
KJVThat pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
JPSThat pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, And turn aside the way of the humble; And a man and his father go unto the same maid, To profane My holy name; .
8
ThomsonThat they might profane the name of their God, having bound their garments with cords of rushes, they pitched their tents near the altar and drank, in the house of their God, wine got by extortion.
BrentonAnd binding their clothes with cords they have made them curtains near the altar, and they have drunk wine gained by extortion in the house of their God.
GreekΚαὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν δεσμεύοντες σχοινίοις, παραπετάσματα ἐποίουν ἐχόμενα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ οἶνον ἐκ συκοφαντιῶν ἔπινον ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτῶν.
KJVAnd they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
JPSAnd they lay themselves down beside every altar Upon clothes taken in pledge, And in the house of their God they drink The wine of them that have been fined.
9
ThomsonAs for Me, I removed from before them the Amorite whose stature was like that of a cedar. Though he was strong as an oak, I withered his fruit above and his roots underneath.
BrentonNevertheless I cut off the Amorite from before them, whose height was as the height of a cedar, and he was strong as an oak; and I dried up his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
GreekἘγὼ δὲ ἐξῇρα τὸν Ἀμοῤῥαῖον ἐκ προσώπου αὐτῶν, οὗ ἦν, καθὼς ὕψος κέδρου, τὸ ὕψος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰσχυρὸς ἦν ὡς δρῦς, καὶ ἐξήρανα τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπάνωθεν, καὶ τὰς ῥίζας αὐτοῦ ὑποκάτωθεν.
KJVYet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
JPSYet destroyed I the Amorite before them, Whose height was like the height of the cedars, And he was strong as the oaks; Yet I destroyed his fruit from above, And his roots from beneath.
10
ThomsonI indeed brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you about in the wilderness forty years, that you might inherit the land of the Amorites.
BrentonAnd I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you about in the desert forty years, that ye should inherit the land of the Amorites.
GreekΚαὶ ἐγὼ ἀνήγαγον ὑμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ περιήγαγον ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη, τοῦ κατακληρονομῆσαι τὴν γῆν τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων.
KJVAlso I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
JPSAlso I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, And led you forty years in the wilderness, To possess the land of the Amorites.
11
ThomsonAnd I took some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for a state of sanctification. Are not these things so, O children of Israel? saith the Lord.
BrentonAnd I took of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for consecration. Are not these things so, ye sons of Israel? saith the Lord.
GreekΚαὶ ἔλαβον ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν ὑμῶν εἰς προφήτας, καὶ ἐκ τῶν νεανίσκων ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν· μὴ οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ; λέγει Κύριος.
KJVAnd I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
JPSAnd I raised up of your sons for prophets, And of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? Saith the LORD.
12
ThomsonBut you caused My sanctified ones to drink wine; and charged the prophets, saying, You shall not prophesy.
BrentonBut ye gave the consecrated ones wine to drink; and ye commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
GreekΚαὶ ἐποτίζετε τοὺς ἡγιασμένους οἶνον, καὶ τοῖς προφήταις ἐνετέλλεσθε λέγοντες, οὐ μὴ προφητεύσητε.
KJVBut ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
JPSBut ye gave the Nazirites wine to drink; And commanded the prophets, saying: ‘Prophesy not.’
13
ThomsonTherefore behold I will roll under you, as a cart rolleth which is loaded with sheaves,
BrentonTherefore, behold, I roll under you, as a waggon full of straw is rolled.
GreekΔιατοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ κυλίω ὑποκάτω ὑμῶν, ὃν τρόπον κυλίεται ἡ ἅμαξα ἡ γέμουσα καλάμης.
KJVBehold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
JPSBehold, I will make it creak under you, As a cart creaketh that is full of sheaves.
14
Thomsonso that flight shall perish from the swift runner; and the strong will not be master of his strength, and the warrior shall not save his life.
BrentonAnd flight shall perish from the runner, and the strong shall not hold fast his strength, and the warrior shall not save his life:
GreekΚαὶ ἀπολεῖται φυγὴ ἐκ δρομέως, καὶ ὁ κραταιὸς οὐ μὴ κρατήσῃ τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ μαχητὴς οὐ μὴ σώσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ.
KJVTherefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
JPSAnd flight shall fail the swift, And the strong shall not exert his strength, Neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
15
ThomsonAnd the bowman shall not stand, nor shall the swift of foot escape; even the horseman shall not save his life.
Brentonand the archer shall not withstand, and he that is swift of foot shall in no wise escape; and the horseman shall not save his life.
GreekΚαὶ ὁ τοξότης οὐ μὴ ὑποστῇ καὶ ὁ ὀξὺς τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ διασωθῇ, καὶ ὁ ἱππεὺς οὐ μὴ σώσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ,
KJV—
JPS—
16
ThomsonThe mighty will not know how to act with their forces; the naked shall in that day pursue, saith the Lord.
BrentonAnd the strong shall find no confidence in power: the naked shall flee away in that day, saith the Lord.
Greekκαὶ ὁ κραταιὸς οὐ μὴ εὑρήσει τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐν δυναστείαις, ὁ γυμνὸς διώξεται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, λέγει Κύριος.
KJVAnd he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.
JPSAnd he that is courageous among the mighty Shall flee away naked in that day, Saith the LORD.