- 1Woe 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!
- 2Pass 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?
- 3Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;
- 4That 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;
- 5That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;
- 6That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
- 7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.
- 8The 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.
- 9And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.
- 10And 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.
- 11For, behold, the LORD commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.
- 12 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:
- 13Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
- 14But, 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.
KING JAMES VERSION
AMOS 6
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Amos 6 — Ease in Zion Ends in Exile.
About this illustration
The composition centers ease in zion ends in exile as the chapter’s defining visual. It keeps judgment non-graphic, reserves a quiet title area, and avoids written words and any bodily depiction of God.
Scripture basis: Amos 6:1–14King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGE
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
Ninth–eighth centuries BC
Samaria Ostraca
More than one hundred ink-inscribed pottery sherds from Samaria preserve short Hebrew records of wine and oil deliveries, exposing the scribes, districts, commodities, and disputed workings of the northern kingdom's capital.
1 Kings 16:24 · 1 Kings 20:43 · Amos 6:1–6
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
Ninth–eighth centuries BC
The Samaria Ivories
More than twelve thousand carved ivory objects and fragments from Samaria’s royal acropolis preserve the fittings of elite furniture, boxes, and architectural display in the capital criticized by Amos for its ivory houses and beds.
1 Kings 22:39 · Amos 3:15 · Amos 6:4–6
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArchaeological site
Late ninth century BC, commonly placed around 830 BC
Tell es-Safi/Gath’s Ninth-Century Destruction
A widespread late-ninth-century destruction horizon at the enormous Philistine city of Gath, together with an encircling trench interpreted as siege works, closely fits the historical setting of Hazael’s capture without naming the attacker.
2 Kings 12:17–18 · Amos 6:2 · 2 Chronicles 26:6
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCECult & worship
Ninth century BCE
Two-Horned Stone Altar from Philistine Gath
A large ninth-century BCE stone installation from a cultic complex at Tell es-Safi/Gath preserves two front horns, though scholars dispute whether that form was intentional or an unfinished, damaged four-horned altar.
Exodus 27:1–2 · Exodus 30:1–3 · Amos 6:2
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
late 8th-early 6th century BC; deposited in the 586 BC destruction
The Jerusalem Ivories from the Givati Excavations
Nearly 1,500 burned ivory fragments from an elite late Iron Age building in Jerusalem preserve South Syrian-style furniture inlays and materially illuminate the wealth, courtly connections, and Babylonian destruction horizon of Judah's capital.
2 Kings 24:10–17 · 2 Kings 25:8–10 · Jeremiah 39:1–9
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
Ninth to eighth centuries BC
The Nimrud Wine Lists
Administrative tablets from Assyrian Kalhu record wine allocations to palace personnel and visiting groups, exposing the organized provisioning behind the imperial capital called Calah in Genesis.
Genesis 10:11–12 · Amos 6:1–7