Amos
Amos was a shepherd called by God to be a prophet in the northern cities of Israel. He preached at the height of Israel’s prosperity. His grim warnings focused on the people who had lived selfishly, had turned away from God and had mistreated the poor and needy.
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoaa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,b when Uzziahc was king of Judah and Jeroboamd son of Jehoasha was king of Israel.e
“The Lord roarsf from Zion
and thundersg from Jerusalem;h
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmeli withers.”j
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 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,
4 I will send firem on the house of Hazaeln
that will consume the fortresseso of Ben-Hadad.p
5 I will break down the gateq of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is inb the Valley of Avenc
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
“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
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the kingd of Ashdodx
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my handy against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistinesz are dead,”a
says the Sovereign Lord.b
“For three sins of Tyre,c
even for four, I will not relent.d
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,e
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.f”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Edom,g
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a swordh
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,i
12 I will send fire on Temanj
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.k”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Ammon,l
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant womenm of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbahn
that will consumeo her fortresses
amid war criesp on the day of battle,
amid violent windsq on a stormy day.
15 Her kinge will go into exile,
he and his officials together,r”
says the Lord.s
“For three sins of Moab,t
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashesu
the bones of Edom’s king,
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.a v
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war criesw and the blast of the trumpet.x
3 I will destroy her rulery
and kill all her officials with him,”z
says the Lord.a
“For three sins of Judah,b
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the lawc of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,d
because they have been led astraye by false gods,b f
the godsc their ancestors followed,g
5 I will send fireh on Judah
that will consume the fortressesi of Jerusalem.j”
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.k
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.l
7 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.m
8 They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.n
In the house of their god
they drink wineo taken as fines.p
9 “Yet I destroyed the Amoritesq before them,
though they were tallr as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.s
I destroyed their fruit above
and their rootst below.
10 I brought you up out of Egyptu
and ledv you forty years in the wildernessw
to give you the land of the Amorites.x
11 “I also raised up prophetsy from among your children
and Naziritesz 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.a
13 “Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.b
14 The swift will not escape,c
the strongd will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.e
15 The archerf will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horsemang will not save his life.h
16 Even the bravest warriorsi
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against youj—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:k
2 “You only have I chosenl
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punishm you
for all your sins.n”
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roaro in the thicket
when it has no prey?p
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no baitq is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
6 When a trumpetr sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disasters comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?t
7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his planu
to his servants the prophets.v
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?y
9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdodz
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;a
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,b” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortressesc
what they have plunderedd and looted.”
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.e”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’sf mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabrica from a couch.b g”
13 “Hear this and testifyh against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.
14 “On the day I punishi Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;j
the hornsk of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter housel
along with the summer house;m
the houses adorned with ivoryn will be destroyed
and the mansionso will be demolished,p”
declares the Lord.q
Israel Has Not Returned to God
4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashanr on Mount Samaria,s
you women who oppress the poort and crush the needyu
and say to your husbands,v “Bring us some drinks!w”
2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
“The timex will surely come
when you will be taken awayy with hooks,z
the last of you with fishhooks.a
3 You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,a
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,b”
declares the Lord.
4 “Go to Bethelb and sin;
go to Gilgalc and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,d
your tithese every three years.c f
5 Burn leavened breadg as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offeringsh—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.
6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.i
7 “I also withheldj rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.k
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
8 People staggered from town to town for waterl
but did not get enoughm to drink,
yet you have not returnedn to me,”
declares the Lord.o
9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.p
Locustsq devoured your fig and olive trees,r
yet you have not returneds to me,”
declares the Lord.
10 “I sent plaguest among you
as I did to Egypt.u
I killed your young menv with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stenchw of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,”x
declares the Lord.y
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.z
You were like a burning sticka snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.b
12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”
13 He who forms the mountains,c
who creates the wind,d
and who reveals his thoughtse to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earthf—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.g
A Lament and Call to Repentance
5 Hear this word, Israel, this lamenth I take up concerning you:
2 “Fallen is Virgini Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.j”
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.k”
4 This is what the Lord says to Israel:
do not go to Gilgal,n
do not journey to Beersheba.o
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.a p”
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;s
it will devour them,
and Bethelt will have no one to quench it.u
7 There are those who turn justice into bitternessv
and cast righteousnessw to the ground.x
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,y
who turns midnight into dawnz
and darkens day into night,a
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.b
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.c