Amos 4:4 (DBY)

Passage

Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices in the morning, your tithes every three days,

Nearby Context

Amos 4:2 the Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that behold, days shall come upon you, when he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish-hooks;

Amos 4:3 and ye shall go out by the breaches, every one straight before her, and ye shall be cast out to Harmon, saith Jehovah.

Amos 4:4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices in the morning, your tithes every three days,

Amos 4:5 and burn a thank-offering with leaven, and proclaim, publish, voluntary offerings: for this pleaseth you, children of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Amos 4:6 And 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, saith Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "come", "bethel", "transgress", "gilgal", "multiply", "transgression", "bring", and "sacrifices". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "come" and "bethel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and ye shall go out by the..." into verse 5's "and burn a thank-offering with leaven and...", so "come" and "bethel" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "come" and "bethel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.