Amos 4:1

ISV

Amos 4:1

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

Ye kine

The mountain

Amos 6:1

1 Kings 16:24

Which oppress

Crush

Deuteronomy 28:33

Job 20:19

Bring

Amos 2:8

Joel 3:3

General references

Deuteronomy 24:14

Jeremiah 17:20

Bible References

Ye kine

with curds from cattle and with milk from sheep, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, with the fat of goats, with the finest of wheat and from the juice of grapes you drank wine.

Many bulls have surrounded me; the vicious bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

"Though you rejoice, though you exult, you plunderers of my inheritance, though you skip around like a heifer in the grass and neigh like stallions,

You'll eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the world's princes, drinking the blood of these rams, lambs, goats, bulls, all of them fattened as if they're from Bashan, fit for slaughter!

The mountain

"Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, to those who rest on the mountain of Samaria the famous men of the nations to whom the house of Israel came!

He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, fortified the hill, and named the city Samaria after Shemer, the former owner of the hill.

Which oppress

This is what the LORD says: "For three transgressions of Israel and now for a fourth I will not turn away; because they sold the righteous for money, and the poor for sandals,

Announce this in the fortified citadels of Ashdod, and in the fortified citadels of the land of Egypt. Tell them, "Gather together on the mountains of Samaria; look at the great misery among the citadels, along with the oppression within Egypt.'

"Therefore, since you trample the poor continuously, taxing his grain, building houses of stone in which you won't live and planting fine vineyards from which you won't drink

"Hear this, you who are swallowing up the needy, who intend to make the poor of the land fail,

"You are not to wrong or oppress an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: "The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near,' and you show ill will toward your poor relative and not give to him. He may then call to the LORD on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

"Because the poor are being oppressed, because the needy are sighing, I will now arise," says the LORD, "I will establish in safety those who yearn for it."

I know that the LORD will act on behalf of the tormented, providing justice for the needy.

Don't rob the poor person because he is poor, and don't crush the helpless in court,

Don't move ancient boundaries or invade fields belonging to orphans;

Next I turned to consider all kinds of oppression that exists on earth. Look at the tears of the oppressed there is no one to comfort them. Power is on the side of their oppressors; so they have no comforters.

Don't be surprised when you see the poor oppressed and the violent perverting both justice and verdicts in a province, for one high official watches another, and there are ones higher still over them.

Learn to practice what is good; seek justice, alleviate oppression, defend orphans in court, and plead the widow's case.

"How terrible it will be for you who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you have settled yourselves alone in the middle of the land!"

Isn't this the fast that I have been choosing: to loose the bonds of injustice, and to untie the cords of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

"Evil men are found among my people. They lie in wait like someone who traps birds. They set a trap, but they do so to catch people.

For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "Cut down trees and set up siege works against Jerusalem. It is the city to be judged, and there is oppression throughout the entire city.

and if you don't oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and don't shed an innocent person's blood in this place, and if you don't follow other gods to your own harm,

They've treated mothers and fathers among you with contempt. They've oppressed the foreigner among you. They've maltreated the orphan and the widow among you.

"Woe to those who are crafting iniquity, planning evil well into the night! When morning's light comes, they carry out their plans because they have the power to do so.

"He will say, "Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel! You should know justice, should you not?

You are not to wrong the widow, orphans, the foreigner, or the poor, and you are not to plan evil against each other.

"I'll come near to you for judgment. I'll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don't fear me," says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

Now listen, you rich people! Cry and moan over the miseries that are overtaking you.

Crush

"A people whom you don't know will devour what your land and labor produces. You'll be only oppressed and discouraged continuously

because he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he didn't build.

Bring

They lay down beside every altar, on garments pledged as collateral, drinking wine paid for through fines imposed by the temple of their gods.

They cast lots for my people they sold a young boy in exchange for a prostitute, and a girl for wine, so they could drink."

General references

Don't take advantage of a hired person who is poor and needy, whether he's your fellow citizen or a foreigner who lives in your city.

Say to them, "Kings of Judah, all Judah, and all the residents of Jerusalem entering these gates, hear this message from the LORD.