Don’t Expect Help from Egypt
1 This is the Lord’s message for his rebellious people:
“You follow your own plans
instead of mine;
you make treaties
without asking me,
and you keep on
sinning.
2 You trust Egypt for protection.
So you refuse
my advice
and send messengers to Egypt
to beg their king
for help.
3 You will be disappointed,
completely disgraced
for trusting Egypt.
4 The king’s power reaches
from the city of Zoan
as far south as
Hanes.
5 But Egypt can’t protect you,
and to trust that nation
is useless and
foolish.
6 This is a message
about the animals
of the Southern Desert:
You people carry treasures
on donkeys and camels.
You travel to a feeble nation
through a troublesome desert
filled with lions
and flying fiery dragons.
7 Egypt can’t help you!
That’s why I call that nation
a helpless monster.
Israel Refuses To Listen
Trust the Lord
15 The holy Lord God of Israel
had told all of
you,
“I will keep you safe
if you turn back to me
and calm down.
I will make you strong
if you quietly
trust me.”
Then you stubbornly 16 said,
“No! We will safely escape
on speedy horses.”
But those who chase you
will be even faster.
17 As few as five of them,
or even one, will be enough
to chase a thousand
of you.
Finally, all that will be left
will be a few
survivors
as lonely as a flag pole
on a barren hill.
The Lord Will Show Mercy
18 The Lord God is waiting
to show how kind he is
and to have pity
on you.
The Lord always does right;
he blesses those who trust him.
19 People of Jerusalem, you don’t
need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears
your cries for help, he will come. 20 The Lord has given you trouble
and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see
the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you
turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying,
“This is the road! Now follow it.” 22 Then you will
treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw
them away like filthy rags.
23 The Lord will send rain to water the
seeds you have planted—your fields will produce more crops
than you need, and your cattle will graze in open pastures. 24
Even the oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will be fed the
finest grain.
25 On that day people will be slaughtered
and towers destroyed, but streams of water will flow from high
hills and towering mountains. 26 Then the Lord will bandage his
people’s injuries and heal the wounds he has caused. The
moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven
times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven
days all at once.
Assyria Will Be Punished
27 The Lord is coming
from far away
with his fiery anger
and thick clouds
of smoke.
His angry words flame up
like a destructive
fire;
28 he breathes out a flood
that comes up
to the neck.
He sifts the nations
and destroys them.
Then he puts a bridle
in every foreigner’s mouth
and leads them
to doom.
29 The Lord’s people will sing
as they do when they celebrate a religious festival at night.
The Lord is Israel’s mighty rock, and his people will be
as happy as they are when they follow the sound of flutes to the
mountain where he is worshiped.
30 The Lord will get furious. His fearsome
voice will be heard, his arm will be seen ready to strike, and
his anger will be like a destructive fire, followed by thunderstorms
and hailstones. 31 When the Assyrians hear the Lord’s voice
and see him striking with his iron rod, they will be terrified.
32 He will attack them in battle, and each time he strikes them,
it will be to the music of tambourines and harps.
33 Long ago the Lord got a place ready
for burning the body of the dead king. The place for the fire
is deep and wide, the wood is piled high, and the Lord will start
the fire by breathing out flaming sulfur.
The Contemporary English Version, c1995 by the American Bible Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Amos: Hypertext Bible Commentary