Amos 1–2

1ST CHAPTER

¹These are the words of Amos, one of the sheep farmers from Tekoa. He saw ⸤a vision⸥ about Israel during the reigns of Judah’s King Uzziah and Israel’s King Jeroboam, son of Joash. This happened two years before the earthquake. 

²He said: 

The Lord roars from Zion, 

and his voice thunders from Jerusalem. 

The pastures of the shepherds are turning brown, 

and the top of ⸤Mount⸥ Carmel is dried up. 

Damascus Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

³This is what the Lord says: 

Because Damascus has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The Arameans have crushed ⸤the people of⸥ Gilead 

with iron-spiked threshing^asledges. 

⁴I will send a fire on the house of Hazael 

and burn down the palaces of Ben Hadad. 

⁵I will break the bars ⸤on the gates⸥ of Damascus. 

I will cut off those living in Aven Valley 

and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden. 

The people of Aram will go into captivity at Kir. 

The Lord has said this. 

Gaza Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

⁶This is what the Lord says: 

Because Gaza has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The Philistines have taken all the people captive 

in order to hand them over to the Edomites. 

⁷I will send a fire on the walls of Gaza 

and burn down its palaces. 

⁸I will cut off those living in Ashdod 

and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. 

I will turn my power against Ekron. 

The rest of the Philistines will die. 

The Almighty Lord has said this. 

Tyre Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

⁹This is what the Lord says: 

Because Tyre has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The Tyrians have handed all the people over to the Edomites. 

The Tyrians didn’t remember their treaty with their relatives. 

¹⁰I will send a fire on the walls of Tyre 

and burn down its palaces. 

Edom Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

¹¹This is what the Lord says: 

Because Edom has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The Edomites pursued their relatives with swords. 

They refused to show any compassion to them. 

Their anger was unstoppable. 

They refused to control their fury. 

¹²I will send a fire on Teman 

and burn down the palaces of Bozrah. 

Ammon Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

¹³This is what the Lord says: 

Because Ammon has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The Ammonites enlarged their territory 

by ripping open pregnant women in Gilead. 

¹⁴I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah 

and burn down its palaces 

while troops are shouting on the day of battle 

and winds are howling on the day of the storm. 

¹⁵Their king will go into captivity along with his officials. 

The Lord has said this. 

2ND CHAPTER

Moab Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

¹This is what the Lord says: 

Because Moab has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The Moabites have cremated Edom’s king. 

²I will send a fire on Moab 

and burn down the palaces of Kerioth. 

Moab will die during the noise of battle 

while troops are shouting and rams’ horns are blowing. 

³I will take their judges away from them. 

I will kill all their officials at the same time. 

The Lord has said this. 

Judah Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

⁴This is what the Lord says: 

Because Judah has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The people of Judah have rejected the Lord’s Teachings 

and haven’t kept his laws. 

They have been led astray by false teachings, 

the same ones their ancestors followed. 

⁵I will send a fire on Judah 

and burn down the palaces of Jerusalem. 

Israel Will Be Judged for Its Crimes

⁶This is what the Lord says: 

Because Israel has committed three crimes, and now a fourth crime, 

I will not change my plans. 

The people of Israel sell the righteous for money 

and the needy for a pair of sandals. 

⁷They stomp the heads of the poor into the dust. 

They push the humble out of the way. 

Father and son sleep with the same woman. 

They dishonor my holy name. 

⁸Beside every altar, they spread themselves out on clothes 

taken as security. 

In the temples of their gods, they drink the wine 

that they bought with fines. 

⁹I destroyed the Amorites in front of them, 

although the Amorites were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. 

I destroyed their fruit above the ground and their roots below it. 

¹⁰I brought you out of Egypt. 

I led you through the desert for 40 years 

so that you could take possession of the land of the Amorites. 

¹¹I also sent you prophets from among your children 

and Nazirites from among your youths. 

Isn’t that so, people of Israel? 

The Lord has declared this. 

¹²You made the Nazirites drink wine. 

You commanded the prophets to stop prophesying. 

¹³I am going to crush you as an overloaded wagon crushes a person. 

¹⁴Runners will not be able to escape. 

Strong men will find that their strength is useless. 

Soldiers will not be able to save themselves. 

¹⁵Archers will not stand their ground. 

Fast runners will not be able to escape. 

Horsemen will not be able to save themselves. 

¹⁶Brave soldiers will run away naked that day. 

The Lord has declared this.