1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied. ¹  He ²  was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him ³  during the time of ⁴  King Uzziah of Judah and ⁵  King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake. ⁶ 

1:2 Amos ⁷  said:

“The Lord comes roaring ⁸  out of Zion;

from Jerusalem ⁹  he comes bellowing! ¹⁰ 

The shepherds’ pastures wilt; ¹¹ 

the summit of Carmel ¹²  withers.” ¹³ 

1:3 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Damascus has committed three crimes ¹⁴  –

make that four! ¹⁵  – I will not revoke my

decree of judgment. ¹⁶ 

They ripped through Gilead like threshing sledges with iron teeth. ¹⁷ 

1:4 So I will set Hazael’s house ¹⁸  on fire;

fire ¹⁹  will consume Ben Hadad’s ²⁰  fortresses.

1:5 I will break the bar ²¹  on the gate of Damascus.

I will remove ²²  the ruler ²³  from Wicked Valley, ²⁴ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden. ²⁵ 

The people of Aram will be deported to Kir.” ²⁶ 

The Lord has spoken!

1:6 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Gaza ²⁷  has committed three crimes ²⁸  –

make that four! ²⁹  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ³⁰ 

They deported a whole community ³¹  and sold them ³²  to Edom.

1:7 So I will set Gaza’s city wall ³³  on fire;

fire ³⁴  will consume her fortresses.

1:8 I will remove ³⁵  the ruler ³⁶  from Ashdod, ³⁷ 

the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon. ³⁸ 

I will strike Ekron ³⁹  with my hand; ⁴⁰ 

the rest of the Philistines will also die.” ⁴¹ 

The sovereign Lord has spoken!

1:9 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Tyre has committed three crimes ⁴²  –

make that four! ⁴³  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁴⁴ 

They sold ⁴⁵  a whole community ⁴⁶  to Edom;

they failed to observe ⁴⁷  a treaty of brotherhood. ⁴⁸ 

1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre’s city wall; ⁴⁹ 

fire ⁵⁰  will consume her fortresses.”

1:11 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Edom has committed three crimes ⁵¹  –

make that four! ⁵²  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁵³ 

He chased his brother ⁵⁴  with a sword;

he wiped out his allies. ⁵⁵ 

In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; ⁵⁶ 

in his fury he relentlessly attacked them. ⁵⁷ 

1:12 So I will set Teman ⁵⁸  on fire;

fire ⁵⁹  will consume Bozrah’s ⁶⁰  fortresses.”

1:13 This is what the Lord says:

“Because the Ammonites have committed three crimes ⁶¹  –

make that four! ⁶²  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁶³ 

They ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women ⁶⁴ 

so they could expand their territory.

1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah’s ⁶⁵  city wall; ⁶⁶ 

fire ⁶⁷  will consume her fortresses.

War cries will be heard on the day of battle; ⁶⁸ 

a strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm. ⁶⁹ 

1:15 Ammon’s ⁷⁰  king will be deported; ⁷¹ 

he and his officials ⁷²  will be carried off ⁷³  together.”

The Lord has spoken!

2:1 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Moab has committed three crimes ⁷⁴  –

make that four! ⁷⁵  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁷⁶ 

They burned the bones of Edom’s king into lime. ⁷⁷ 

2:2 So I will set Moab on fire, ⁷⁸ 

and it will consume Kerioth’s ⁷⁹  fortresses.

Moab will perish ⁸⁰  in the heat of battle ⁸¹ 

amid war cries and the blaring ⁸²  of the ram’s horn. ⁸³ 

2:3 I will remove ⁸⁴  Moab’s leader; ⁸⁵ 

I will kill all Moab’s ⁸⁶  officials ⁸⁷  with him.”

The Lord has spoken!

2:4 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions ⁸⁸  –

make that four! ⁸⁹  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁹⁰ 

They rejected the Lord’s law; ⁹¹ 

they did not obey his commands.

Their false gods, ⁹² 

to which their fathers were loyal, ⁹³ 

led them astray.

2:5 So I will set Judah on fire,

and it will consume Jerusalem’s fortresses.” ⁹⁴ 

2:6 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Israel has committed three covenant transgressions ⁹⁵  –

make that four! ⁹⁶  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁹⁷ 

They sold the innocent ⁹⁸  for silver,

the needy for a pair of sandals. ⁹⁹ 

2:7 They trample ¹⁰⁰  on the dirt-covered heads of the poor; ¹⁰¹ 

they push the destitute away. ¹⁰² 

A man and his father go to the same girl; ¹⁰³ 

in this way they show disrespect ¹⁰⁴  for my moral purity. ¹⁰⁵ 

2:8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral;

they do so right ¹⁰⁶  beside every altar!

They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied;

they do so right in the temple ¹⁰⁷  of their God! ¹⁰⁸ 

2:9 For Israel’s sake I destroyed the Amorites. ¹⁰⁹ 

They were as tall as cedars ¹¹⁰ 

and as strong as oaks,

but I destroyed the fruit on their branches ¹¹¹ 

and their roots in the ground. ¹¹² 

2:10 I brought you up from the land of Egypt;

I led you through the wilderness for forty years

so you could take the Amorites’ land as your own.

2:11 I made some of your sons prophets

and some of your young men Nazirites. ¹¹³ 

Is this not true, you Israelites?”

The Lord is speaking!

2:12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine; ¹¹⁴ 

you commanded the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy!’

2:13 Look! I will press you down,

like a cart loaded down with grain presses down. ¹¹⁵ 

2:14 Fast runners will find no place to hide; ¹¹⁶ 

strong men will have no strength left; ¹¹⁷ 

warriors will not be able to save their lives.

2:15 Archers ¹¹⁸  will not hold their ground; ¹¹⁹ 

fast runners will not save their lives,

nor will those who ride horses. ¹²⁰ 

2:16 Bravehearted ¹²¹  warriors will run away naked in that day.”

The Lord is speaking!

3:1 Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the Lord is proclaiming against ¹²²  you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up ¹²³  from the land of Egypt: 3:2 “I have chosen ¹²⁴  you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

3:3 Do two walk together without having met? ¹²⁵ 

3:4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? ¹²⁶ 

Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?

3:5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?

Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?

3:6 If an alarm sounds ¹²⁷  in a city, do people not fear? ¹²⁸ 

If disaster overtakes a ¹²⁹  city, is the Lord not responsible? ¹³⁰ 

3:7 Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

3:8 A lion has roared! ¹³¹  Who is not afraid?

The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy? ¹³² 

3:9 Make this announcement in ¹³³  the fortresses of Ashdod

and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt.

Say this:

“Gather on the hills around Samaria! ¹³⁴ 

Observe the many acts of violence ¹³⁵  taking place within the city, ¹³⁶ 

the oppressive deeds ¹³⁷  occurring in it.” ¹³⁸ 

3:10 “They do not know how to do what is right.” (The Lord is speaking.)

“They store up ¹³⁹  the spoils of destructive violence ¹⁴⁰  in their fortresses.

3:11 Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. ¹⁴¹ 

He will take away your power; ¹⁴² 

your fortresses will be looted.”

3:12 This is what the Lord says:

“Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion’s mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear,

so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be salvaged. ¹⁴³ 

They will be left with just a corner of a bed, ¹⁴⁴ 

and a part ¹⁴⁵  of a couch.”

3:13 Listen and warn ¹⁴⁶  the family ¹⁴⁷  of Jacob! ¹⁴⁸ 

The sovereign Lord, the God who commands armies, ¹⁴⁹  is speaking!

3:14 “Certainly when ¹⁵⁰  I punish Israel for their ¹⁵¹  covenant transgressions, ¹⁵² 

I will destroy ¹⁵³  Bethel’s ¹⁵⁴  altars.

The horns ¹⁵⁵  of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.

3:15 I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. ¹⁵⁶ 

The houses filled with ivory ¹⁵⁷  will be ruined,

the great ¹⁵⁸  houses will be swept away.” ¹⁵⁹ 

The Lord is speaking!