Israel Has Not Returned to YHWH
Amos 4Y’all must listen to this word, cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, “Bring us drinks!”
Lord YHWH has sworn by ʜɪꜱ holiness, “Look, the days are coming on y’all that they will take y’all away with hooks, and the last of y’all with fish hooks. Y’all will go out at the breaks in the wall, each one straight before her, and y’all will be thrown toward Harmon,” says YHWH. “y’all must go to Bethel and rebel; In Gilgal, y’all are to rebel more. Bring y’all’s sacrifices every morning, y’all’s tithes every three days, Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of leavened bread, and y’all proclaim free will offerings and brag about them, for this is what y’all children of Israel love to do,” says Lord YHWH. “I also have given y’all cleanness of teeth in all y’all’s cities, and lack of bread in every town; yet y’all haven’t returned to me,” says YHWH. “I also have withheld the rain from y’all, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city. One field was rained on, and the field where it didn’t rain withered. So two or three cities staggered to one city to drink water, and were not satisfied; yet y’all haven’t returned to me,” says YHWH. “I struck y’all with blight and mildew many times in y’all’s gardens and vineyards, and the swarming locusts have devoured y’all’s fig trees and olive trees, yet y’all haven’t returned to me,” says YHWH. “I sent plagues among y’all like I did Egypt. I have slain y’all’s young men with the sword, and have carried away y’all’s horses. I filled y’all’s nostrils with the stench of y’all’s camp, yet y’all haven’t returned to me,” says YHWH. “I have overthrown some of y’all, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and y’all were like a burning stick plucked out of the fire, yet y’all haven’t returned to me,” says YHWH. “Therefore I will do this to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel. Hᴇ is here: the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, declares ʜɪꜱ thoughts to humankind, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the high places of the earth: YHWH, the God of Armies, is his name.”