“ You who are now living, consider my message. I am saying,“ Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been like a land of deep darkness? Why do my people say,‘ We are free to wander. We won’t come to you anymore’?

这世代的人哪，你们要看明耶和华的话。我岂向以色列作旷野呢？或作幽暗之地呢？我的百姓为何说：‘我们脱离约束，再不归向你了’？

这世代的人哪，你们要留意耶和华的话。我向以色列岂是旷野，或幽暗之地呢？我的百姓为何说：‘我们脱离约束，不再归向你了’？

这世代的人哪，你们要留意耶和华的话。我向以色列岂是旷野，或幽暗之地呢？我的百姓为何说：‘我们脱离约束，不再归向你了’？

这世代的人啊，要留心听耶和华的话。对以色列人来说，难道我是旷野，是幽暗之地吗？为什么我的子民竟说，‘我们可以四处游荡，不再追随你’？

这世代的人哪！你们要注意耶和华的话：‘对以色列人来说，难道我是旷野，或是黑暗的地方？我的子民为什么说：我们自由了，不再到你那里去了？

這世代的人哪，你們要看明耶和華的話。我豈向以色列作曠野呢？或作幽暗之地呢？我的百姓為何說：我們脫離約束，再不歸向你了？

這世代的人哪，你們要留意耶和華的話。我向以色列豈是曠野，或幽暗之地呢？我的百姓為何說：『我們脫離約束，不再歸向你了』？

這世代的人哪，你們要留意耶和華的話。我向以色列豈是曠野，或幽暗之地呢？我的百姓為何說：『我們脫離約束，不再歸向你了』？

這世代的人啊，要留心聽耶和華的話。對以色列人來說，難道我是曠野，是幽暗之地嗎？為什麼我的子民竟說，『我們可以四處遊蕩，不再追隨你』？

這世代的人哪！你們要注意耶和華的話：‘對以色列人來說，難道我是曠野，或是黑暗的地方？我的子民為甚麼說：我們自由了，不再到你那裡去了？

但你們呢，這世代的人哪，你們要看明白永恆主的話。難道我對以色列竟成了曠野？或是極幽暗之地？我的人民為甚麼說：「我們漫遊無拘了；我們再也不來歸你了」？

斯世之人歟、當明耶和華之言、我於以色列族、豈為幽曠之野、杳冥之域乎、我民奚曰、我已放縱、不復詣爾、

斯世之人、宜聽我言、我眷佑以色列族、詎若幽曠之野、杳冥之域哉。何以我民放縱、不肯詣予。

爾曹斯代之人、當聽我言、我於以色列人、豈曾如曠野、豈曾如幽暗之地乎、我民何故言曰、我欲離約束自由、我欲離約束自由或作我欲飄流不復歸爾、

“ You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:“ Have I been a desert to Israel or a land of great darkness? Why do my people say,‘ We are free to roam; we will come to you no more’?

And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say,‘ We are free, we will come no more to you’?

“ O my people, listen to the words of the Lord! Have I been like a desert to Israel? Have I been to them a land of darkness? Why then do my people say,‘ At last we are free from God! We don’t need him anymore!’

Evil generation, pay attention to the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do my people claim,“ We will go where we want; we will no longer come to you”?

You generation, look to the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of thick darkness? Why do My people say,‘ We are free to roam; We will no longer come to You’?

“ O generation, see the word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of darkness? Why do My people say,‘ We are lords; We will come no more to You’?

O generation, see ye the word of Jehovah. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? or a land of thick darkness? wherefore say my people, We are broken loose; we will come no more unto thee?

Evil generation, pay attention to the word of the Lord! Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do My people claim,“ We will go where we want; we will no longer come to You”?

O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?

You people of this generation, listen to what the LORD says.“ Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? Why then do you say,‘ We are free to wander. We will not come to you any more?’

Generation, consider Yahweh’s word. Have I been a wilderness to Israel? Or a land of thick darkness? Why do my people say,‘ We have broken loose. We will come to you no more?’

When Israel grew fat, they became stubborn. When they were filled with food, they became fat and heavy. They left the God who made them. They turned away from the Rock who saved them.

These are the words of Amos. He was a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Here is the vision he saw concerning Israel. It came to him two years before the earthquake. At that time Uzziah was king of Judah. Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. Here are the words of Amos.

If you don’t, I might have too much. Then I might say I don’t know you. I might say,‘ Who is the Lord?’ Or I might become poor and steal. Then I would bring shame to the name of my God.

I fed them until they were satisfied. Then they became proud. They forgot all about me.

You already have everything you want, don’t you? Have you already become rich? Have you already begun to rule? And did you do that without us? I wish that you really had begun to rule. Then we could also rule with you!

I will bring them into a land that has plenty of milk and honey. I promised the land to their people of long ago. In that land they will eat until they have had enough. They will get fat. When they do, they will turn to other gods and worship them. They will turn their backs on me. They will break my covenant.

But suppose you don’t obey his commands. And suppose you have plenty to eat. You build fine houses and live in them.The number of your herds and flocks increases. You also get more and more silver and gold. And everything you have multiplies.Then your hearts will become proud. And you will forget the Lord your God. The Lord brought you out of Egypt. That’s the land where you were slaves.

Because he is proud, that evil person doesn’t turn to the Lord. There is no room for God in any of his thoughts.

‘ I know what you are doing. I know you aren’t cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other!But you are lukewarm. You aren’t hot or cold. So I am going to spit you out of my mouth.You say,“ I am rich. I’ve become wealthy and don’t need anything.” But you don’t realize how pitiful and miserable you have become. You are poor, blind and naked.

The Lord says,“ What did your people of long ago find wrong with me? Why did they wander so far away from me? They worshiped worthless statues of gods. Then they themselves became worthless.They did not ask,‘ Where is the Lord? He brought us up out of Egypt. He led us through a dry and empty land. He guided us through deserts and deep valleys. It was a land of total darkness where there wasn’t any rain. No one lived or traveled there.’

Then Nathan said to David,“ You are the man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says,‘ I anointed you king over Israel. I saved you from Saul.I gave you everything that belonged to your master Saul. I even put his wives into your arms. I made you king over all the people of Israel and Judah. And if all of that had not been enough for you, I would have given you even more.Why did you turn your back on what I told you to do? You did what is evil in my sight. You made sure that Uriah, the Hittite, would be killed in battle. You took his wife to be your own. You let the men of Ammon kill him with their swords.

Azariah the chief priest answered him. He said,“ The people have been bringing their gifts to the Lord’ s temple. Ever since they began to bring them, we’ve had enough to eat. We have even had plenty to spare. That’s because the Lord has blessed his people. So we have a large amount left over.” Azariah was from the family line of Zadok.

The Lord is calling out to Jerusalem. And it would be wise to pay attention to him. He says,“ Listen, tribe of Judah and you people who are gathered in the city.

They say,“ What we speak with our tongues will win the battle. What we say with our lips will keep us safe. No one will have victory over us.”

So you are under my curse. In fact, your whole nation is under my curse. That is because you are robbing me.Bring the entire tenth to the storerooms in my temple. Then there will be plenty of food. Test me this way,” says the Lord.“ Then you will see that I will throw open the windows of heaven. I will pour out so many blessings that you will not have enough room to store them.I will keep bugs from eating up your crops. And your grapes will not drop from the vines before they are ripe,” says the Lord.

I have not spoken in secret. I have not spoken from a dark place. I have not said to Jacob’s people,‘ It is useless to look for me.’ I am the Lord. I always speak the truth. I always say what is right.

For 40 years you took good care of them in the desert. They had everything they needed. Their clothes didn’t wear out. And their feet didn’t swell up.“ You gave them kingdoms and nations. You even gave them lands far away. They took over the country of Sihon. He was the king of Heshbon. They also took over the country of Og. He was the king of Bashan.You gave them as many children as there are stars in the sky. You told their parents to enter the land. You told them to take it over. And you brought their children into it.Their children went into the land. They took it as their own. You brought the Canaanites under Israel’s control. The Canaanites lived in the land. But you handed them over to Israel. You also handed over their kings and the other nations in the land to Israel. You allowed Israel to deal with them just as they wanted to.Your people captured cities that had high walls around them. They also took over the rich land in Canaan. They took houses filled with all kinds of good things. They took over wells that had already been dug. They took many vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees. They ate until they were very full and satisfied. They were filled with joy because you were so good to them.

She will still chase after her lovers. But she won’t catch them. She’ll look for them. But she won’t find them. Then she’ll say,‘ I’ll go back to my husband. That’s where I was at first. I was better off then than I am now.’She wouldn’t admit that I was the one who gave her everything she had. I provided her with grain, olive oil and fresh wine. I gave her plenty of silver and gold. But she used it to make statues of Baal.