Ezekiel, in the sixth century, discussed God’s plan for the Gentile nations in chapters 25–32, while Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians. In a similar manner, the prophet Amos had begun his eighth-century prophecy in chapters 1 and 2 with his message to the nations. To be sure, most of the words to these nations were messages of impending judgment, but so was the initial message of Jonah that also brought, in the end, deliverance and salvation to that nation. These same threats of divine