But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of the Lord their God. The people of Judah lived just like the people of Israel.
Amos 2:4 - Easy To Read Version The Lord says this: “I will definitely punish Judah for the many crimes they did. {\cf2\super [35]} Why? Because they refused to obey the Lord’s commands. They didn’t keep his commands. Their ancestors {\cf2\super [36]} believed \{lies\}. And those same lies caused the people of Judah to quit following God. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked: Amplified Bible - Classic Edition Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Judah and for four [for multiplied delinquencies], I will not reverse the punishment of it or revoke My word concerning it, because they have despised and rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept His commandments, but their lies, after which their fathers have walked, caused them to err and go astray. American Standard Version (1901) Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers did walk. Common English Bible The LORD proclaims: For three crimes of Judah, and for four, I won’t hold back the punishment, because they have rejected the Instruction of the LORD, and haven’t kept his laws. They have been led off the right path by the same lies after which their ancestors walked. Catholic Public Domain Version Thus says the Lord: For three wicked deeds of Judah, and for four, I will not convert him, in so far as he has rejected the law of the Lord and has not kept his commandments. For their idols, which their fathers followed, have deceived them. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Thus saith the Lord: For three crimes of Juda, and for four I will not convert him: because he hath cast away the law of the Lord, and hath not kept his commandments: for their idols have caused them to err, after which their fathers have walked. |
But even the people of Judah did not obey the commands of the Lord their God. The people of Judah lived just like the people of Israel.
Amaziah came home after he defeated the Edomite {\cf2\super [290]} people. He brought the idol gods the people of Seir {\cf2\super [291]} worshiped. Amaziah started to worship those idol gods. He bowed down in front of those gods, and he burned incense {\cf2\super [292]} to them.
Don’t be like your fathers or your brothers. The Lord was their God, but they turned against him. So the Lord made people hate them and speak evil about them. You can see with your own eyes that this is true.
We people of Israel have been very bad to you. We have not obeyed the commands, teachings, and laws you gave your servant Moses.
And then they turned against you!\par They threw away your teachings!\par They killed your prophets.\par Those prophets warned the people.\par They tried to bring them back to you.\par But our ancestors {\cf2\super [55]} did terrible things\par against you!\par
You people say, “We have made an agreement with death. We have a contract with Sheol—\{the place of death\}. So we will not be punished. Punishment will pass us without hurting us. We will hide behind our tricks and lies.”
That man does not know what he is doing. He is confused, so his heart leads him the wrong way. That man can’t save himself. And he can’t see that he is doing wrong. That man will not say, “This statue I am holding is a false god.”
You must say these things to those people: ‘Terrible things will happen to you because your ancestors {\cf2\super [131]} quit following me.’ This message is from the Lord. ‘They quit following me and began to follow and serve other gods. They worshiped those other gods. Your ancestors left me and `quit obeying my law.
But you people have sinned more than your ancestors. You are very stubborn. And you are doing only the things that you want to do. You are not obeying me. You do only what you want to do.
“But if you don’t listen to me and obey me, then bad things will happen. If you carry loads into Jerusalem on the Sabbath {\cf2\super [148]} day, then you are not keeping it a holy day. So I will start a fire that can’t be put out. That fire will start at the gates of Jerusalem, and it will burn until it burns even the palaces. {\cf2\super [149]} ”
Hear this, people of the earth.\par I am going to bring disaster\par to the people of Judah.\par Why? Because of all the bad things\par that those people planned.\par And because they ignored my messages.\par Those people refused to obey my law.”\par
Those men will spread those bones on the ground under the sun, the moon, and the stars. The people of Jerusalem love to worship the sun, the moon, and the stars. No person will gather those bones and bury them again. So, the bones of those people will be like dung thrown on the ground.
Those ‘wise people’ refused to listen\par to the Lord’s teachings.\par So they are not really wise people at all.\par Those ‘wise people’ were trapped.\par They became shocked and ashamed.\par
The people of Judah lived their own way.\par They were stubborn.\par They followed the false god Baal. {\cf2\super [76]} \par Their fathers taught them to follow\par those false gods.”\par
“‘But the family of Israel turned against me in the desert. They did not follow my laws. They refused to obey my rules. \{And they are good rules\}—if a person obeys those rules, then he will live. They treated my special days of rest as if they were not important. They worked on those days many, many times. I decided to destroy them in the desert—to let them feel the full force of my anger.
“‘The people of Israel refused to obey my rules. They did not follow my laws. They treated my days of rest as if they were not important. They did all these things because their hearts belonged to their filthy idols.
I spoke to their children. I told them, “Don’t be like your parents. Don’t make yourself filthy with their filthy idols. Don’t follow their laws. Don’t obey their commands.
“‘The people of Israel did not obey my commands. They refused to obey my laws. They treated my special days of rest like they were not important. And they worshiped the filthy idols of their fathers.
\{God said,\} “\{The people of Israel did all those bad things.\} So speak to the family of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord my Master says these things: You people have made yourselves filthy by doing the things your ancestors {\cf2\super [147]} did. You have acted like a prostitute. {\cf2\super [148]} You have left me to be with the horrible gods your ancestors worshiped.
“The prophets \{don’t warn the people—they cover up the truth. They are like workers that don’t really fix a wall\}—they only put plaster over the holes. They only see lies. They do their magic to learn the future, but they only tell lies. They say, ‘The Lord my Master said these things.’ But they are only lying—the Lord did not speak to them!
You people hate my holy things. You treat my special days of rest like they are not important.
\{The Lord says,\} “I have an argument against Israel. {\cf2\super [128]} Jacob {\cf2\super [129]} must be punished for the things he did. He must be punished for the bad things he did.
Jacob was still in his mother’s body, and he had already started tricking his brother. {\cf2\super [130]} Jacob was a strong young man. And at that time, he fought with God.
Judah, there is also a time of harvest for you.\par It will happen at the time that I bring\par
The Lord says these things: “I will definitely punish \{the people of\} Damascus for the many crimes they did. Why? Because they crushed \{the people of\} Gilead {\cf2\super [4]} with iron threshing tools. {\cf2\super [5]}
“There are many families on earth. But you are the only family I chose to know in a special way. \{And you turned against me.\} So I will punish you for all your sins.”
Rich people in that city are still cruel!\par The people in that city still tell lies.\par Yes, those people tell their lies!\par
That person’s false god will not help him. Why? Because it is only a statue that some man covered with metal. It is only a statue. So the person that made it can’t expect it to help. That statue can’t even speak!
Those people traded the truth of God for a lie. Those people worshiped and served things that were made. But people did not worship and serve the God who made those things. God should be praised forever. Amen.
So the person who refuses to obey this teaching is refusing to obey God, not man. And God is the One who gives you his Holy Spirit. {\cf2\super [14]}
You know that \{in the past\} you were living in a worthless way. You got that way of living from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver.
Again the people of Israel did things the Lord said are evil. They began worshiping the false gods Baal [93] and the Ashtoreth. [94] They also worshiped the gods of the people of Aram, the gods of the people of Sidon, the gods of the people of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistine people. The people of Israel left the Lord and stopped serving him.