Amos 1:1–3:15
1 The words of Amos, who was among the asheepherders from bTekoa, which he 1envisioned in visions concerning Israel in the days of cUzziah king of Judah, and in the days of dJeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the eearthquake.
“The aLord roars from Zion
And from Jerusalem He utters His voice;
And the shepherds’ bpasture grounds mourn,
And the 1csummit of Carmel dries up.”
“For athree transgressions of bDamascus and for four
I will not 1revoke its punishment,
Because they threshed Gilead with implements of sharp iron.
4 “So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael
And it will consume the citadels of aBen-hadad.
5 “I will also abreak the gate bar of Damascus,
And cut off the inhabitant from the 1valley of Aven,
And him who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden;
So the people of Aram will go exiled to bKir,”
Says the Lord.
“For three transgressions of aGaza and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they deported an entire population
To bdeliver it up to Edom.
7 “So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza
And it will consume her citadels.
8 “I will also cut off the inhabitant from aAshdod,
And him who holds the scepter, from bAshkelon;
I will even 1unleash My 2power upon Ekron,
And the remnant of the cPhilistines will perish,”
Says the Lord 3God.
“For three transgressions of aTyre and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they delivered up an entire population to Edom
And did not remember the covenant of 1bbrotherhood.
10 “So I will asend fire upon the wall of Tyre
And it will consume her citadels.”
“For three transgressions of aEdom and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because he bpursued his brother with the sword,
While he 1stifled his compassion;
His anger also ctore continually,
And he maintained his fury forever.
12 “So I will send fire upon aTeman
And it will consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
“For three transgressions of the sons of aAmmon and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they bripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
In order to cenlarge their borders.
14 “So I will kindle a fire on the wall of aRabbah
And it will consume her citadels
Amid 1bwar cries on the day of battle,
And a cstorm on the day of tempest.
15 “Their aking will go into exile,
He and his princes together,” says the Lord.
1 Thus says the Lord,
“For three transgressions of aMoab and for four
I will not 1revoke its punishment,
Because he bburned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
2 “So I will send fire upon Moab
And it will consume the citadels of aKerioth;
And Moab will die amid btumult,
With 1war cries and the sound of a trumpet.
3 “I will also cut off the 1ajudge from her midst
And slay all her bprinces with him,” says the Lord.
“For three transgressions of aJudah and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they brejected the law of the Lord
And have not kept His statutes;
Their 1clies also have led them astray,
Those after which their dfathers walked.
5 “So I will asend fire upon Judah
And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
“For three transgressions of aIsrael and for four
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they bsell the righteous for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 “These who 1pant after the very dust of the earth on the head of the ahelpless
Also bturn aside the way of the humble;
And a cman and his father 2resort to the same 3girl
In order to profane My holy name.
8 “On garments ataken as pledges they stretch out beside bevery altar,
And in the house of their God they cdrink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the aAmorite before them,
1Though his bheight was like the height of cedars
And he was strong as the oaks;
I even destroyed his cfruit above and his root below.
10 “It was I who abrought you up from the land of Egypt,
And I led you in the wilderness bforty years
1That you might take possession of the land of the cAmorite.
11 “Then I araised up some of your sons to be prophets
And some of your young men to be bNazirites.
Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You ashall not prophesy!’
13 “Behold, I am 1aweighted down beneath you
As a wagon 2is weighted down when filled with sheaves.
14 “1aFlight will perish from the swift,
And the stalwart will not strengthen his power,
Nor the bmighty man save his 2life.
15 “He who agrasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will he who rides the bhorse save his 1life.
16 “Even the 1bravest among the warriors will aflee naked in that day,” declares the Lord.
1 Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire 1afamily which 2He brought up from the land of Egypt:
2 “aYou only have I 1chosen among all the families of the earth;
Therefore I will 2bpunish you for all your iniquities.”
3 Do two men walk together unless they have made an 1appointment?
4 Does a alion roar in the forest when he has no prey?
Does a young lion 1growl from his den unless he has captured something?
5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no 1bait in it?
Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?
6 If a atrumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?
If a bcalamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?
7 1Surely the Lord 2God does nothing
Unless He areveals His secret counsel
To His servants the prophets.
8 A alion has roared! Who will not fear?
The bLord 1God has spoken! cWho can but prophesy?
9 Proclaim on the citadels in aAshdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the bmountains of Samaria and see the great tumults within her and the coppressions in her midst.
10 “But they ado not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who bhoard up 1violence and devastation in their citadels.”
11 Therefore, thus says the Lord God,
“An aenemy, even one surrounding the land,
Will pull down your 1strength from you
And your bcitadels will be looted.”
“Just as the shepherd 1asnatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,
So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be 2snatched away—
With the bcorner of a bed and the 3ccover of a couch!
13 “Hear and atestify against the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord God, the God of hosts.
14 “For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,
I will also punish the altars of aBethel;
The horns of the altar will be cut off
And they will fall to the ground.
15 “I will also smite the 1awinter house together with the bsummer house;
The houses of 2civory will also perish
And the dgreat houses will come to an end,”
Declares the Lord.