Aa
Woe to the Complacent
1Woe to those who are at ease in Zion Is 32:9-11; Zph 1:12
and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria —
the notable people in this first of the nations,
those the house of Israel comes to.
2Cross over to Calneh Gn 10:10; Is 10:9 and see;
go from there to great Hamath; 1Kg 8:65; 2Kg 18:34; Is 10:9
then go down to Gath 1Sm 5:8; 2Ch 26:6 of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Is their territory larger than yours?
3You dismiss any thought of the evil day Am 9:10
and bring in a reign of violence. Am 3:10
4They lie on beds inlaid with ivory, Am 3:15
sprawled out on their couches, Am 3:12
and dine on lambs from the flock Ezk 34:2-3
and calves from the stall.
5They improvise songs Hb obscure to the sound of the harp Am 5:23; 8:10
and invent Or compose on their own musical instruments like David. 1Ch 15:16
6They drink wine by the bowlful Am 2:8; 4:1
and anoint themselves with the finest oils
but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Jr 8:21; Lm 2:11
7Therefore, they will now go into exile
as the first of the captives, Am 7:11,17
and the feasting 1Kg 20:16-21; Dn 5:4-6,30 of those who sprawl out
will come to an end.
Israel’s Pride Judged
8The Lord God has sworn by Himself Gn 22:16; Jr 22:5; 51:14 — this is the declaration of Yahweh, the God of Hosts:
I loathe Jacob’s pride Lv 26:30; Dt 32:19; Ps 106:40
and hate his citadels, Am 3:10-11
so I will hand over the city Hs 11:6 and everything in it.
9And if there are 10 men left in one house, they will die. Am 5:3
10A close relative Lit His uncle and burner A burner of incense, a memorial fire, or a body; Hb obscure 1Sm 31:12; 2Ch 16:14; Jr 34:5 will remove his corpse Lit remove bones from the house. He will call to someone in the inner recesses of the house, “Any more with you? ”
That person will reply, “None.”
Then he will say, “Silence, because Yahweh’s name must not be invoked.” Is 48:1; Jr 44:26; Hs 4:15
11For the Lord commands:
The large house will be smashed to pieces,
and the small house to rubble. Am 1:1; 9:9
12Do horses gallop on the cliffs;
does anyone plow there with oxen? Some emend to plow the sea
Yet you have turned justice into poison 1Kg 21:7-13; Is 59:13-14
and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood Is 5:20; Am 5:7; Rv 8:11
13you who rejoice over Lo-debar Jb 8:14-15; Ps 2:2-4; Lk 12:19-20
and say, “Didn’t we capture Karnaim
for ourselves by our own strength? ” Ps 75:4; Is 28:14-15
14But look, I am raising up a nation
against you, house of Israel Am 3:11
this is the declaration of the Lord,
the God of Hosts —
and they will oppress you
from the entrance of Hamath Or from Lebo-hamath Nm 34:7-8; 2Kg 14:25
to the Brook of the Arabah. Probably the Valley of Zared at the southeast end of the Dead Sea