Amos 1-2

New Life Version

1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa, which he received in special dreams about Israel two years before the earth shook. Uzziah was king of Judah then, and Jeroboam the son of Joash was the king of Israel. ² He said, “The Lord makes a loud noise from Zion. He lets His voice be heard from Jerusalem. And the shepherds’ fields are filled with sorrow, and the top of Carmel dries up.”

God Judges Israel’s Neighbors—Syria

³ The Lord says, “For three sins of Damascus and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They have crushed Gilead with tools of sharp iron. ⁴ So I will send fire upon the people of Hazael, and it will destroy the strong-places of Ben-hadad. ⁵ I will break down the gate of Damascus, and destroy the people from the Valley of Aven and the king from Beth-Eden. The people of Syria will be taken away to Kir,” says the Lord.

Philistia

⁶ The Lord says, “For three sins of Gaza and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They took a nation of people away and sold them to Edom. ⁷ So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it will destroy her strong-places. ⁸ I will destroy the people from Ashdod and the king from Ashkelon. I will send My power against Ekron, and the rest of the Philistines will die,” says the Lord God.

Tyre

⁹ The Lord says, “For three sins of Tyre and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They took a nation of people and sold them to Edom. They did not remember the agreement between brothers. ¹⁰ So I will send fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it will destroy her strong-places.”

Edom

¹¹ The Lord says, “For three sins of Edom and for four, I will not hold back punishment. He went after his brother with the sword and would not have loving-pity. He was always angry, and he held on to his anger forever. ¹² So I will send fire upon Teman, and it will destroy the strong-places of Bozrah.”

Ammon

¹³ The Lord says, “For three sins of Ammon and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They tore open the women of Gilead who were going to have a baby, so that they would get more land. ¹⁴ So I will set a fire on the wall of Rabbah, and it will destroy her strong-places. Then there will be cries of war on the day of battle, and strong winds on the day of the storm. ¹⁵ And their king and his sons will be taken away to a strange land,” says the Lord.

Moab

2 The Lord says, “For three sins of Moab and for four, I will not hold back punishment. He burned the bones of the king of Edom to ashes. ² So I will send fire upon Moab, and it will destroy the strong-places of Kerioth. Moab will die among much noise, with cries of war and the sound of a horn. ³ I will kill the ruler of Moab and all his sons with him,” says the Lord.

Judah

⁴ The Lord says, “For three sins of Judah and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They turned away from the Law of the Lord. They have not obeyed His Laws. They have gone the wrong way, following the lies of their fathers. ⁵ So I will send fire upon Judah, and it will destroy the strong-places of Jerusalem.”

God Judges Israel

⁶ The Lord says, “For three sins of Israel and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They sell those who are right and good for money. To get shoes, they sell people who are in need. ⁷ They crush those who are poor in the dust of the earth with their feet. They push the poor out of the way. A man and his father go to the same girl and sin against My holy name. ⁸ They lie down beside every altar on clothing taken as trust for promises. And in the house of their God they drink the wine which was paid by those who have done wrong.

⁹ “I destroyed the Amorite before them, who was as tall as the cedar trees and as strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his root below. ¹⁰ I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you in the desert for forty years to give you the land of the Amorite. ¹¹ Then I raised up some of your sons to speak for Me, and some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not true, you sons of Israel?” says the Lord. ¹² “But you made the Nazirites drink wine. And you told the men who speak for Me not to speak. ¹³ Now I will crush you down like a wagon is crushed under a heavy load of grain. ¹⁴ Even the fast man will not get away. The strong man will not keep his strength. And the powerful man will not save his life. ¹⁵ He who uses the bow will not stand. The fast runner will not get away. The horseman will not save his life. ¹⁶ Even the strongest of heart among the men of war will run away without clothes on that day,” says the Lord.