So he will cut off from Israel heads and tails alike. In a single day he will cut off palm branches and tall grass alike. The palm branches are the people who rule over others. The tall grass is the people who bow down to them.

因此，耶和华一日之间必从以色列中剪除头与尾，棕枝与芦苇。

耶和华在一日之间从以色列中剪除了头与尾—棕树枝与芦苇—

耶和华在一日之间从以色列中剪除了头与尾—棕树枝与芦苇—

因此，耶和华要在一日之间铲除以色列的头和尾。

因此，耶和华在一日之间，必从以色列中剪除头和尾、棕枝与芦苇。

所以耶和华必在一日之内，从以色列中剪除头和尾，剪除棕枝和芦苇——

因此，耶和華一日之間必從以色列中剪除頭與尾，棕枝與蘆葦－

耶和華在一日之間從以色列中剪除了頭與尾－棕樹枝與蘆葦－

耶和華在一日之間從以色列中剪除了頭與尾－棕樹枝與蘆葦－

因此，耶和華要在一日之間剷除以色列的頭和尾。

因此，耶和華在一日之間，必從以色列中剪除頭和尾、棕枝與蘆葦。

因此永恆主從以色列中剪除了頭與尾，就在一日之間、剪除棕枝與燈草——（

所以耶和華必在一日之內，從以色列中剪除頭和尾，剪除棕枝和蘆葦——

故一日之間、耶和華斷以色列之首尾、椶枝與蘆葦、

故一日之間、耶和華絕以色列族之眾、自尊逮卑、自喬木至於叢葦、靡不斬伐、

故主在以色列族中、一日之間、絕首與尾、㯶枝與蘆葦、

So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day;

So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day—

Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.

So the LORD cut off Israel’s head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day.

So the Lord cuts off head and tail from Israel, Both palm branch and bulrush in a single day.

Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.

Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm- branch and rush, in one day.

So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, palm branch and reed in a single day.

Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

So the LORD cut off Israel’s head and tail, both the shoots and stalk in one day.

Therefore Yahweh will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed, in one day.

No one in Egypt can do anything to help them. Its elders and important leaders can’t help them. Its prophets and priests can’t do anything. Those who rule over others can’t help. And those who bow down to them can’t help either.

But she will be plagued by death, sadness and hunger. In a single day she will suffer all these plagues. She will be burned up by fire. That’s because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.

Your fastest runners will not escape. The strongest people will not get away. Even soldiers will not be able to save their own lives.Men who are armed with bows will lose the battle. Soldiers who are quick on their feet will not escape. Horsemen will not be able to save their own lives.Even your bravest soldiers will run away naked on that day,” announces the Lord.

So the Lord says,“ I will turn Samaria into a pile of trash. It will become a place for planting vineyards. I will dump its stones down into the valley. And I will destroy it down to its very foundations.All the statues of Samaria’s gods will be broken to pieces. All the gifts its people gave to temple prostitutes will be burned with fire. I will destroy all the statues of its gods. Samaria collected gifts that were paid to temple prostitutes. So the Assyrians will use the gifts to pay their own temple prostitutes.”I will weep and mourn because Samaria will be destroyed. I’ll walk around barefoot and naked. I’ll bark like a wild dog. I’ll hoot like an owl.

I will be like a moth to Ephraim. I will cause Judah to rot away.“ The people of Ephraim saw how sick they were. The people of Judah saw that they were wounded. Then Ephraim turned to Assyria for help. They sent gifts to the great King Tiglath- Pileser. But he is not able to make you well. He can’t heal your wounds.I will be like a lion to Ephraim. I will attack Judah like a powerful lion. I will tear them to pieces. I will drag them off. Then I will leave them. No one will be able to save them.

You trip and fall day and night. And the prophets fall down along with you. So I will destroy your nation. She is the one who gave birth to you.

In just one hour your great wealth has been destroyed!’“ Every sea captain and all who travel by ship will stand far away. So will the sailors and all who earn their living from the sea.

That’s because the Lord has already given an order. He will smash large houses to pieces. He will crush small houses to bits.

Gomer became pregnant again. She had a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea,“ Name her Lo- Ruhamah.” Lo- Ruhamah means Not Loved.“ That’s because I will no longer show love to the people of Israel. I will not forgive them anymore.

Then the Lord said to Hosea,“ Name him Jezreel. That’s because I will soon punish Jehu’s royal family. He killed many people at the city of Jezreel. So I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.

I saw the Lord standing next to the altar in the temple. He said to me,“ Strike the tops of the temple pillars. Then the heavy stones at the base of the entrance will shake. Bring everything down on the heads of everyone there. I will kill with my swords those who are left alive. None of the Israelites will escape. None will get away.They might dig down deep. But my powerful hand will take them out of there. They might climb up to the heavens. But I will bring them down from there.They might hide on top of Mount Carmel. But I will hunt them down and grab them. They might hide from me at the bottom of the ocean. But even there I will command the serpent to bite them.Their enemies might take them away as prisoners to another country. But there I will command Israel’s enemies to cut them down with swords. I will keep my eye on Israel to harm them. I will not help them.”The Lord rules over all. The Lord touches the earth, and it melts. Everyone who lives in it mourns. The whole land rises like the Nile River. Then it settles back down again like that river in Egypt.The Lord builds his palace high in the heavens. He lays its foundation on the earth. He sends for the waters in the clouds. Then he pours them out on the surface of the land. His name is the Lord.“ You Israelites are just like the people of Cush to me,” announces the Lord.“ I brought Israel up from Egypt. I also brought the Philistines from Crete and the Arameans from Kir.“ I am the Lord and King. My eyes are watching the sinful kingdom of Israel. I will wipe it off the face of the earth. But I will not totally destroy the people of Jacob,” announces the Lord.“ I will give an order. I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations. They will be like grain that is shaken through a screen. Not a pebble will fall to the ground.

So these people will vanish like the morning mist. They will soon disappear like the early dew. They will be like straw that the wind blows around on a threshing floor. They will be like smoke that escapes through a window.

The Lord is the Light of Israel. He will become a fire. Israel’s Holy One will become a flame. In a single day he will burn up all Assyria’s bushes. He will destroy all their thorns.

The Lord asked me,“ What do you see, Amos?”“ A plumb line,” I replied. Then the Lord said,“ Look at what I am doing. I am hanging a plumb line next to my people Israel. It will show how crooked they are. I will no longer spare them.“ The high places where Isaac’s people worship other gods will be destroyed. The other places of worship in Israel will also be torn down. I will use my sword to attack Jeroboam’s royal family.”

Those sins are like cracks in a high wall. They get bigger and bigger. Suddenly the wall breaks apart. Then it quickly falls down.

Finally, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. It was in the ninth year of Hoshea. The king of Assyria took the Israelites away from their own land. He sent them off to Assyria. He made some of them live in Halah. He made others live in Gozan on the Habor River. And he made others live in the towns of the Medes.All of this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. He had brought them up out of Egypt. He had brought them out from under the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But they worshiped other gods.The Lord had driven out other nations to make room for Israel. But they followed the evil practices of those nations. They also followed the practices that the kings of Israel had started.The Israelites did things in secret against the Lord their God. What they did wasn’t right. They built high places for worship in all their towns. They built them at lookout towers. They also built them at cities that had high walls around them.They set up sacred stones. And they set up poles used to worship the female god named Asherah. They did that on every high hill and under every green tree.The Lord had driven out nations to make room for Israel. But the Israelites burned incense at every high place, just as those nations had done. The Israelites did evil things that made the Lord very angry.They worshiped statues of gods. They did it even though the Lord had said,“ Do not do that.”The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers. He said,“ Turn from your evil ways. Keep my commands and rules. Obey every part of my Law. I commanded your people who lived long ago to obey it. And I gave it to you through my servants the prophets.”But the people wouldn’t listen. They were as stubborn as their people of long ago had been. Those people didn’t trust in the Lord their God.They refused to obey his rules. They broke the covenant he had made with them. They didn’t pay any attention to the rules he had warned them to keep. They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless. They followed the example of the nations around them. They did it even though the Lord had ordered them not to. He had said,“ Do not do as they do.”They turned away from all the commands of the Lord their God. They made two statues of gods for themselves. The statues were shaped like calves. They made a pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. They bowed down to all the stars. And they worshiped the god named Baal.They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced all kinds of evil magic. They gave up following God’s rules. They did only what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. All these things made him very angry.So the Lord was very angry with Israel. He removed them from his land. Only the tribe of Judah was left.And even Judah didn’t obey the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel had started.So the Lord turned his back on all the people of Israel. He made them suffer. He handed them over to people who stole everything they had. And finally he threw them out of his land.

“ But the Lord says,“‘ Your wife will become a prostitute in the city of Bethel. Your sons and daughters will be killed by swords. Your land will be measured and divided up. And you yourself will die in another country. The people of Israel will surely be taken away as prisoners. They will be carried off from their own land.’ ”

He’ll take away heroes and soldiers. He’ll take away judges and prophets. He’ll take away fortune tellers and elders.He’ll take away captains of groups of 50 men. He’ll take away government leaders. He’ll take away advisers, skilled workers and those who are clever at doing evil magic.

So the people of Israel are swallowed up. Now they are among the nations like something no one wants.

People of Bethel, that will happen to you. You have committed far too many sins. When the time comes for me to punish you, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed.”

Ephraim’s greatness and glory will be gone. It will fly away like a bird. Women will no longer have children. They will not be able to get pregnant.But suppose they do have children. Then I will kill every one of them. How terrible it will be for them when I turn away from them!Tyre is planted in a pleasant place. And so is Ephraim. But the Assyrians will kill Ephraim’s children.”Lord, what should you do to Ephraim’s people? Give them women whose babies die before they are born. Give them women whose breasts have no milk.The Lord says,“ My people did many evil things in Gilgal. That is why I hated them there. They committed many sins. So I will drive them out of my land. I will not love them anymore. All their leaders refuse to obey me.Ephraim is like a worthless plant. Its roots are dried up. It does not produce any fruit. Suppose Ephraim’s people have children. Then I will kill the children they love so much.”My God will turn his back on his people. They have not obeyed him. So they will wander among other nations.

They will be terrified by her suffering. They will stand far away from her. And they will cry out,“‘ How terrible! How terrible it is for you, great city! How terrible for you, mighty city of Babylon! In just one hour you have been destroyed!’

Then the Lord said,“ Name him Lo- Ammi.” Lo- Ammi means Not My People.“ That’s because Israel is no longer my people. And I am no longer their God.

The Lord says,“ Suppose a shepherd saves only two leg bones from a lion’s mouth. Or he might save only a piece of an ear. That is how the Israelites living in Samaria will be saved. They will only have a board from a bed and a piece of cloth from a couch.”

“ The people of Israel have fallen. They will never get up again. They are deserted in their own land. No one can lift them up.”Here is what the Lord and King says to Israel.“ A thousand soldiers will march out from a city. But only a hundred will return. A hundred soldiers will march out from a town. But only ten will come back.”