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The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years[a] before the earthquake.(A)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

And he said:

The Lord roars from Zion
    and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds wither,
    and the top of Carmel dries up.(B)

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Damascus,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[b]
because they have threshed Gilead
    with threshing sledges of iron.(C)
So I will send a fire on the house of Hazael,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.(D)
I will break the gate bars of Damascus
    and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven
and the one who holds the scepter from Beth-eden,
    and the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir,
            says the Lord.(E)

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Gaza,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[c]
because they carried into exile entire communities,
    to hand them over to Edom.(F)
So I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza,
    and it shall devour its strongholds.
I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod
    and the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
    and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,
            says the Lord God.(G)

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Tyre,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[d]
because they delivered entire communities over to Edom
    and did not remember the covenant of kinship.(H)
10 So I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre,
    and it shall devour its strongholds.(I)

11 Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Edom,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[e]
because he pursued his brother with the sword
    and cast off all pity;
he maintained his anger perpetually[f]
    and kept his wrath[g] forever.(J)
12 So I will send a fire on Teman,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.(K)

13 Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[h]
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead
    in order to enlarge their territory.(L)
14 So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah,
    and it shall devour its strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
    with a storm on the day of the whirlwind;(M)
15 then their king shall go into exile,
    he and his officials together,
            says the Lord.(N)

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Moab,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[i]
because he burned to lime
    the bones of the king of Edom.(O)
So I will send a fire on Moab,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
    amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;(P)
I will cut off the ruler from its midst
    and will kill all its officials with him,
            says the Lord.(Q)

Judgment on Judah

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Judah,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[j]
because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord
    and have not kept his statutes,
but they have been led astray by the same lies
    after which their ancestors walked.(R)
So I will send a fire on Judah,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.(S)

Judgment on Israel

Thus says the Lord:
For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[k]
because they sell the righteous for silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—(T)
they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
    and push the afflicted out of the way;
father and son go in to the same young woman,
    so that my holy name is profaned;(U)
they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge;
and in the house of their God they drink
    wine bought with fines they imposed.(V)

Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them,
    whose height was like the height of cedars
    and who was as strong as oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
    and his roots beneath.(W)
10 Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    to possess the land of the Amorite.(X)
11 And I raised up some of your children to be prophets
    and some of your youths to be nazirites.
    Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?
            says the Lord.(Y)

12 But you made the nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets,
    saying, “You shall not prophesy.”(Z)

13 So, I will press you down in your place,
    just as a cart presses down
    when it is full of sheaves.[l](AA)
14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
    and the strong shall not retain their strength,
    nor shall the mighty save their lives;(AB)
15 those who handle the bow shall not stand,
    and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves,
    nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;(AC)
16 and those who are stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked on that day,
            says the Lord.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. 1.1 Or during two years
  2. 1.3 Heb cause it to return
  3. 1.6 Heb cause it to return
  4. 1.9 Heb cause it to return
  5. 1.11 Heb cause it to return
  6. 1.11 Syr Vg: Heb and his anger tore perpetually
  7. 1.11 Gk Syr Vg: Heb and his wrath kept
  8. 1.13 Heb cause it to return
  9. 2.1 Heb cause it to return
  10. 2.4 Heb cause it to return
  11. 2.6 Heb cause it to return
  12. 2.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)

He said:

“The Lord roars(F) from Zion
    and thunders(G) from Jerusalem;(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
    and the top of Carmel(I) withers.”(J)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus,(K)
    even for four, I will not relent.(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
    with sledges having iron teeth,
I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
    that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
I will break down the gate(Q) of Damascus;
    I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(R)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(S)
says the Lord.(T)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,(U)
    even for four, I will not relent.(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,(W)
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(X)
    and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(Y) against Ekron,
    till the last of the Philistines(Z) are dead,”(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.(AB)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre,(AC)
    even for four, I will not relent.(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
    disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
    that will consume her fortresses.(AF)

11 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Edom,(AG)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(AH)
    and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
    and his fury flamed unchecked,(AI)
12 I will send fire on Teman(AJ)
    that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(AK)

13 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Ammon,(AL)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(AM) of Gilead
    in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(AN)
    that will consume(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries(AP) on the day of battle,
    amid violent winds(AQ) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
    he and his officials together,(AR)
says the Lord.(AS)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab,(AT)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes(AU)
    the bones of Edom’s king,
I will send fire on Moab
    that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[f](AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
    amid war cries(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.(AX)
I will destroy her ruler(AY)
    and kill all her officials with him,”(AZ)
says the Lord.(BA)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah,(BB)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(BC) of the Lord
    and have not kept his decrees,(BD)
because they have been led astray(BE) by false gods,[g](BF)
    the gods[h] their ancestors followed,(BG)
I will send fire(BH) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses(BI) of Jerusalem.(BJ)

Judgment on Israel

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.(BL)
They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.(BM)
They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.(BN)
In the house of their god
    they drink wine(BO) taken as fines.(BP)

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites(BQ) before them,
    though they were tall(BR) as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots(BT) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(BU)
    and led(BV) you forty years in the wilderness(BW)
    to give you the land of the Amorites.(BX)

11 “I also raised up prophets(BY) from among your children
    and Nazirites(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(CA)

13 “Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(CB)
14 The swift will not escape,(CC)
    the strong(CD) will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.(CE)
15 The archer(CF) will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman(CG) will not save his life.(CH)
16 Even the bravest warriors(CI)
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
  3. Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
  4. Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
  5. Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
  6. Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
  7. Amos 2:4 Or by lies
  8. Amos 2:4 Or lies