Amos 1; Amos 2; Amos 3; Revelation 6

1 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 was king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoash. Here are the words of Amos.

2 I said, "The LORD roars like a lion from Jerusalem. His voice sounds like thunder from Zion. The grasslands of the shepherds turn brown. The top of Mount Carmel dries up."

3 The LORD says, "The people of Damascus have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They used threshing sleds with iron teeth to crush Gilead's people.

4 So I will send fire to destroy the palace of King Hazael. It will burn up the forts of his son Ben-Hadad.

5 I will break down the city gate of Damascus. I will cut off the king who lives in the Valley of Aven. He holds the ruler's rod in Beth Eden. The people of Aram will be taken away to Kir as prisoners," says the Lord.

6 The LORD says, "The people of Gaza have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They captured whole communities. They sold them to Edom.

7 So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Gaza. It will burn up its forts.

8 I will cut off the king of Ashdod. He holds the ruler's rod in Ashkelon. I will use my powerful hand against Ekron. Every single Philistine will die," says the LORD and King.

9 The LORD says, "The people of Tyre have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They captured whole communities. They sold them to Edom. They did not honor the treaty of friendship they had made.

10 So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Tyre. It will burn up its forts."

11 The LORD says, "The people of Edom have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They chased Israel with swords that were ready to strike them down. They did not show them any pity. They were angry all the time. Their anger blazed out. It could not be stopped.

12 So I will send fire to destroy the city of Teman. It will burn up Bozrah's forts."

13 The LORD says, "The people of Ammon have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead. They wanted to add land to their territory.

14 So I will set fire to destroy the walls of Rabbah. It will burn up its forts. War cries will be heard on that day of battle. Strong winds will blow on that stormy day.

15 Ammon's god Molech will be carried away. So will its officials," says the Lord.

1 The LORD says, "The people of Moab have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They burned the bones of Edom's king to ashes.

2 So I will send fire to destroy Moab. It will burn up Kerioth's forts. Moab will come crashing down with a loud noise. War cries will be heard. So will the blast of trumpets.

3 I will cut off Moab's ruler. I will also kill all of its officials," says the Lord.

4 The LORD says, "The people of Judah have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They have refused to obey my law. They have not kept my rules. Other gods have led them down the wrong path. Their people before them worshiped those gods.

5 So I will send fire to destroy Judah. It will burn up Jerusalem's forts."

6 The LORD says, "The people of Israel have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They sell into slavery those who do what is right. They trade needy people for a mere pair of sandals.

7 They grind the heads of the poor into the dust of the ground. They refuse to be fair to those who are crushed. A father and his son have sex with the same girl. They treat my name as if it were not holy.

8 They lie down beside every altar on clothes they had taken until the owner paid back what was owed. In the house of their God they drink wine that was taken as fines.

9 "I destroyed the Amorites to make room for my people in the land. The Amorites were as tall as cedar trees. They were as strong as oak trees. But I cut off their fruit above the ground and their roots below it.

10 "People of Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt. I led you in the desert for 40 years. I gave you the land of the Amorites.

11 I raised up prophets from among your children. I also set some of your young people apart to me as Nazirites. Isn't that true, people of Israel?" announces the Lord.

12 "But you made the Nazirites drink wine. You commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

13 "A cart that is loaded with grain crushes anything it runs over. In the same way, I will crush you.

14 Your fastest runners will not escape. The strongest people will not get away. Even soldiers will not be able to save their own lives.

15 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.

16 Even your bravest soldiers will run away naked on that day," announces the Lord.

1 People of Israel, listen to the LORD's message. It is against you. It is against the whole family he brought up out of Egypt. He says,

2 "Out of all of the families on earth I have chosen only you. So I will punish you because you have committed so many sins."

3 Do two people walk together unless they've agreed to do so?

4 Does a lion roar in the bushes when it doesn't have any food? Does it growl in its den when it hasn't caught anything?

5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground where no one has set a trap for it? Does a net spring up from the earth when there isn't anything for it to catch?

6 When someone blows a trumpet in a city, don't the people tremble with fear? When trouble comes to a city, hasn't the LORD caused it?

7 The LORD and King never does anything without telling his servants the prophets about it.

8 A lion has roared. Who isn't afraid? The LORD and King has spoken. Who can do anything but prophesy?

9 Speak to the people in the forts of Ashdod and Egypt. Tell them, "Gather together on the mountains of Samaria. Look at the great trouble in that city. Its people are committing many crimes."

10 "They do not know how to do what is right," announces the Lord. "They pile up stolen goods in their forts."

11 So the LORD and King says, "Enemies will take over your land. They will pull down your places of safety. They will rob your forts."

12 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 will be saved. They sit in Samaria on the edge of their beds. They lie down in Damascus on their couches."

13 "Listen to me," announces the LORD. "Witness against the people of Jacob," says the LORD God who rules over all.

14 "I will punish Israel for their sins. When I do, I will destroy their altars at Bethel. The horns that stick out from the upper corners of their main altar will be cut off. They will fall to the ground.

15 I will tear their winter houses down. I will also pull down their summer houses. The houses they have decorated with ivory will be destroyed. And their princely houses will be torn down," announces the Lord.

1 I watched as the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!"

2 I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow in his hands. He was given a crown. He rode out like a hero on his way to victory.

3 The Lamb broke open the second seal. Then I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"

4 Another horse came out. It was flaming red. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. He was given a large sword.

5 The Lamb broke open the third seal. Then I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there in front of me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

6 Next, I heard what sounded like a voice coming from among the four living creatures. It said, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay. And three quarts of barley for a day's pay. But don't spoil the olive oil and the wine!"

7 The Lamb broke open the fourth seal. Then I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"

8 I looked, and there in front of me was a pale horse! Its rider's name was Death. Following close behind him was Hell. They were given power over a fourth of the earth. They were given power to kill people with the sword, hunger and sickness. They could also use the earth's wild animals to kill.

9 He broke open the fifth seal. I saw souls under the altar. They were the souls of people who were killed because of God's word and their faithful witness.

10 They called out in a loud voice. "How long, Lord and King, holy and true?" they asked. "How long will you wait to judge those who live on the earth? How long will it be until you pay them back for killing us?"

11 Then each of them was given a white robe. "Wait a little longer," they were told. "There are still more of your believing brothers and sisters who must be killed."

12 I watched as he broke open the sixth seal. There was a powerful earthquake. The sun turned black like black clothes that were made from the hair of a goat. The whole moon turned as red as blood.

13 The stars in the sky fell to earth. They dropped like ripe figs from a tree shaken by a strong wind.

14 The sky rolled back like a scroll. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

15 Everyone hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. This included the kings of the earth, the princes and the generals, rich people and powerful people. It also included every slave and everyone who was free.

16 They called out to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne! Hide us from the anger of the Lamb!

17 The great day of their anger has come. Who can live through it?"