misleading the people. The classical prophets of the northern kingdom, Amos and Hosea, draw on the pattern of the Sinai covenant, in part to counter the popular belief that the obligations of this covenant could be met by sacrifice and cultic observance alone. Addressing a relatively affluent nation, Amos critiques its way of life in which the poor are oppressed and cheated while the upper classes are pampered. Hosea addresses a dying nation and compares Israel’s covenant infidelity to an unfaithful