Amos 6

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

Beware, those who are complacent in Zion, and those who feel secure on the mighty mountain of Samaria. You, who are considered leaders among nations, to whom the people of Israel look up to!

Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

Visit Calneh, then journey to the grand city of Hamath, and finally descend to Gath, the land of the Philistines. Ask yourself, are these places superior to our kingdoms? Are their territories larger than ours?

Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

Those who ignore impending doom and invite chaos, beware.

That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

Those who lounge on lavish ivory beds, sprawl on plush sofas, and feast on the finest lambs and calves, oblivious to the world around them.

That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

They sing joyfully to the melody of the harp, creating their own musical instruments, inspired by David.

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

They indulge in wine and lavish themselves with the finest oils, yet they show no sorrow for Joseph's suffering.

Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

So now they will be the first to be dragged off as captives into exile, and the feasting of those who lounged in excess will be over.

The Lord GOD hath sworn by himself, saith the LORD the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

God has sworn by Himself, says the Lord Almighty: He abhors Jacob's arrogance and despises his grand homes. So, He will hand over the city and everything in it.

And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.

If only ten men are left in a house, they will tragically meet their end.

And a man’s uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the LORD.

A man's relative, the one who must burn the bodies, will come to carry the bones out of the house. He will call to anyone still inside, "Is anyone else with you?" If the answer is no, he will say, "Hush! We must not even speak the Lord's name now."

For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

Look, when God commands, even the mighty houses will crumble and the humble homes will crack.

Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:

Can horses gallop on rocky cliffs? Can oxen plow on such terrain? You've twisted justice into bitterness, and the rewards of doing right into poison.

Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

You who find joy in meaningless things, boasting, "Haven't we achieved greatness by our own power?"

But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

But be warned, Israel, the Lord, your God, has a message for you. He will raise up a nation against you. They will oppress you, from Hemath's gates to the wilderness river.