1 L isten to this, you fat cows of Bashan who are on the mountain of Samaria. You make it hard for the poor. You crush those in need. You say to your husbands, “Bring us something to drink!”

¶ Hear this word, ye cows of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

2 A s the Lord God is holy, He has promised, “The days are coming when they will take you away with meat hooks. And the last of you will be taken with fish hooks.

The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days shall come upon you that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity in fishing boats.

3 Y ou will go out through breaks in the walls. Each of you will go straight out. And you will be sent to Harmon,” says the Lord.

And ye shall go forth by the breaches one after another, and ye shall be cast out of the palace, saith the LORD.

4 “ Go to Bethel and sin! Go and sin much more in Gilgal! Bring your gifts in worship every morning. Every three days give a tenth part of what you receive.

Go to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal increase the rebellion; and bring your sacrifices early in the morning and your tithes every three years:

5 G ive a thank gift of bread made with yeast. And make your free-will gifts known. For this is what you love to do, O people of Israel,” says the Lord God. Israel Did Not Learn

and offer a sacrifice of praise with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free will offerings for this is the way you like it, O ye sons of Israel, said the Lord GOD.

6 “ I kept food from your teeth in all your cities. I did not let you have enough bread in all your places. Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.

¶ I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities and want of bread in all your places: yet ye have not returned unto me, said the LORD.

7 “ I kept the rain from you while there were still three months until gathering time. Then I would send rain on one city, but would send no rain on another city. One part would receive rain, while the part which did not receive rain would dry up.

And also I have withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece upon which it did not rain withered.

8 P eople would go from city to city to drink water, but would not get enough. Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.

So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied, yet ye have not returned unto me, said the LORD.

9 “ I sent hot wind to dry up your fields. The locust destroyed your many gardens and grape-fields, fig trees and olive trees. Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.

I have smitten you with the east wind and with the caterpillar; your many gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees were devoured by the locust; yet ye have never returned unto me, said the LORD.

10 “ I sent a very bad disease upon you as I had done to Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword and took your horses away. I filled your nose with the bad smell of your camp. Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.

I have sent among you the pestilence in the way to Egypt; your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils; and ye never returned unto me, said the LORD.

11 “ I destroyed some of you as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick pulled out of the fire. Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord.

I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the fire; and ye never returned unto me, said the LORD.

12 “ So I will do this to you, O Israel. And because I will do this to you, get ready to meet your God, O Israel.”

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel; and because I must do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

13 H e is the One Who makes the mountains and the wind. He makes His thoughts known to man. He turns the morning into darkness, and walks on the high places of the earth. The Lord God of All is His name.

For, behold, he that forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares unto man what is his thought, that makes the darkness into morning and treads above the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of the hosts, is his name.