Amos
Introduction
1:1 The following is a record of what Amos prophesied.1 He2 was one of the herdsmen from Tekoa. These prophecies about Israel were revealed to him3 during the time of4 King Uzziah of Judah and5 King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.6
God Will Judge the Surrounding Nations
1:2 Amos7 said:
"The LORD comes roaring8 out of Zion;
from Jerusalem he comes bellowing!9
The shepherds' pastures wilt;10
the summit of Carmel11 withers."12
1:3 This is what the LORD says:
"Because Damascus has committed three treaty violations13--
make that four!14--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.15
They ripped through Gilead like threshing boards with iron teeth.16
1:4 So I will set Hazael's house17 on fire,
it will consume Ben-hadad's18 fortresses.
1:5 I will break the bar19 on the gate of Damascus.
I will remove20 the ruler21 from Wicked Valley,22
the one who holds the royal scepter from Beth Eden.23
The people of Aram will be deported to Kir."24
The LORD has spoken!
1:6 This is what the LORD says:
"Because Gaza25 has committed three treaty violations26--
make that four!27--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.28
They deported a whole community29 and sold them30 to Edom.
1:7 So I will set Gaza's city wall31 on fire;
fire32 will consume her fortresses.
1:8 I will remove33 the ruler34 from Ashdod,35
the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon.36
I will strike Ekron37 with my hand;38
the rest of the Philistines will also die."39
The sovereign LORD has spoken!
1:9 This is what the LORD says:
"Because Tyre has committed three treaty violations40--
make that four!41--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.42
They sold43 a whole community44 to Edom;
they failed to observe45 a treaty of brotherhood.46
1:10 So I will set fire to Tyre's city wall;47
fire48 will consume her fortresses."
1:11 This is what the LORD says:
"Because Edom has committed three treaty violations49--
make that four!50--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.51
He chased his treaty partner52 with a sword,
he wiped out his allies.53
In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest,54
in his fury he relentlessly attacked them.55
1:12 So I will set Teman56 on fire;
fire57 will consume Bozrah's58 fortresses."
1:13 This is what the LORD says:
"Because the Ammonites have committed three treaty violations59--
make that four!60--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.61
They ripped open Gilead's pregnant women,62
so they could expand their territory.
1:14 So I will set fire to Rabbah's63 city wall,64
fire65 will consume her fortresses.
War cries will be heard on the day of battle,66
A strong gale will blow on the day of the windstorm.67
1:15 Ammon's68 king will be deported;69
he and his officials70 will be carried off71 together."
The LORD has spoken!
2:1This is what the LORD says:
"Because Moab has committed three treaty violations1--
make that four!2--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.3
They burned the bones of Edom's king into lime.4
2:2 So I will set Moab on fire,5
and it will consume Kerioth's6 fortresses.
Moab will perish7 in the heat of battle8
amid war cries and the blaring9 of the ram's horn.10
2:3 I will remove11 Moab's leader;12
I will kill all Moab's13 officials14 with him."
The LORD has spoken!
2:4 This is what the LORD says:
"Because Judah has committed three treaty violations15--
make that four!16--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.17
They rejected the LORD's law;18
they did not obey his commands.
Their false gods,19
the idols to which their fathers were loyal,20
led them astray.
2:5 So I will set Judah on fire,
and it will consume Jerusalem's fortresses."
God Will Judge Israel
2:6 This is what the LORD says:
"Because Israel has committed three treaty violations21--
make that four!22--I will not revoke my decree of judgment.23
They sold the innocent24 for silver,
the needy for a pair of sandals.25
2:7 They trample26 on the dirt-covered heads of the poor;27
they push the destitute away.28
Father and son have sex with the same girl,29
in this way they show disrespect30 for my moral purity.31
2:8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral;
they do this right32 beside every altar!
They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied;
they do this right in the temple33 of their God!34
2:9 For Israel's sake I destroyed the Amorites.35
They were as tall as cedars,36
and as strong as oaks;
but I destroyed the fruit on their branches,37
and their roots in the ground.38
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 religious devotees.39
Is this not true, you Israelites?"
The LORD is speaking!
2:12 "But you made the religious devotees drink wine;40
you commanded the prophets, `Do not prophesy!'
2:13 Look! I am creaking beneath you,
like a cart loaded down with grain creaks.41
2:14 Fast runners will find no place to hide;42
strong men will have no strength left;43
warriors will not be able to save their lives.
2:15 Archers44 will not hold their ground;45
fast runners will not save their lives,
nor will those who ride horses.46
2:16 Brave-hearted warriors will run away naked in that day."
The LORD is speaking!
Every Effect has its Cause
3:1 Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the LORD is proclaiming against1 you. This message is for the entire clan I brought up2 from the land of Egypt: 3:2 "I have chosen3 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?4
3:4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey?5
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 and not catch something?
3:6 If an alarm sounds6 in a city, do people not fear?7
If disaster overtakes a8 city, is the LORD not responsible?9
3:7 Certainly the sovereign LORD does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
3:8 A lion has roared!10 Who is not afraid?
The sovereign LORD, has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy?11
Samaria Will Fall
3:9 Make this announcement in12 the fortresses of Ashdod
and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt.
Say this:
"Gather on the hills around Samaria!13
Observe the many acts of violence14 taking place within the city,15
the oppressive deeds16 occurring in it."17
3:10 "They do not know how to do what is right." (The LORD is speaking.)
"They store up18 the spoils of destructive violence19 in their fortresses.
3:11 Therefore," says the sovereign LORD, "an enemy will encircle the land.20
Your power, Samaria, will be taken away;21
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.22
They will be left with just a corner of a bed,23
and a part24 of a couch."
3:13 Listen and warn25 the family26 of Jacob!27
The sovereign LORD, the God who leads armies,28 is speaking!
3:14 "Certainly when29 I punish Israel for their30 treaty violations,31
I will destroy32 Bethel's altars.
The horns33 of the altars will be cut off and fall to the ground.
3:15 I will destroy both the winter and summer houses.34
The houses filled with ivory35 will be ruined,
the great36 houses will be swept away."37
The LORD is speaking!
4:1Listen to this message, you "cows of Bashan"1 who live on Mount Samaria!
You2 oppress the poor;
you crush the needy.
You say to your3 husbands,
"Bring us more to drink so we can party!"4
4:2 The sovereign LORD confirms this oath by his own holy character:5
"Certainly the time is approaching!6
You will be carried away7 in baskets,8
every last one of you9 in fishermen's pots.10
4:3 Each of you will go straight through the gaps in the walls;11
you will be thrown out12 toward Harmon."13
The LORD is speaking!
Israel has an Appointment with God
4:4 "Go to Bethel14 and rebel!15
At Gilgal16 rebel some more!
Bring your sacrifices in17 the morning,
your tithes on18 the third day!
4:5 Burn a thank offering of leavened bread!19
Make a public display of your voluntary offerings!20
For you love to do this, you Israelites."
The sovereign LORD is speaking!
4:6 "But I gave you no food to eat in any of your cities;
you lacked food everywhere you live.21
Yet you did not come back to me."
The LORD is speaking!
4:7 "I withheld rain from you three months before the harvest.22
I gave rain to one city, but not to another.
One field23 would get rain, but the fields24 that received no rain dried up.
4:8 People from25 two or three cities staggered into one city to get26 water,
but remained thirsty.27
Yet you did not come back to me."
The LORD is speaking!
4:9 "I destroyed your crops28 with blight and disease.
Locusts kept29 devouring your orchards,30 vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees.
Yet you did not come back to me."
The LORD is speaking!
4:10 "I sent against you a plague like one of the Egyptian plagues.31
I killed your young men with the sword,
along with the horses you had captured.
I made the stench from the corpses32 rise up into your nostrils.
Yet you did not come back to me."
The LORD is speaking!
4:11 "I overthrew some of you the way God33 overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.34
You were like a burning stick35 snatched from the flames.
Yet you did not come back to me."
The LORD is speaking!
4:12 "Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel.
Since I will do this to you,
prepare to meet your God, Israel!36
4:13 For here he is! He37 formed the mountains and created the wind.
He reveals38 his plans39 to men.
He turns the dawn into darkness40 and marches on the earth's heights.
The LORD, the God who leads armies,41 is his name!"
Death is Imminent
5:1 Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you,1 family2 of Israel:
5:2 "The young lady3 Israel has fallen down and will not get up again.
She is abandoned on her own land
with no one to help her get up."4
5:3 The sovereign LORD says this:
"The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers5 will have only a hundred left;
the town6 that marches out with a hundred soldiers7 will have only ten left."
This message pertains to the family of Israel.8
5:4 The LORD says this to the family9 of Israel:
"Long for10 me, so you can live!
5:5 Don't long for11 Bethel!12
Don't visit Gilgal!
Don't journey down13 to Beersheba!
For the people of Gilgal14 will certainly be carried into exile;15
and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds."16
5:6 Long for17 the LORD so you can live!
Otherwise he will break out18 like fire against Joseph's19 family;20
the fire21 will consume
and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel.22
5:7 The Israelites23 pervert justice;24
they throw what is fair and right25 to the ground.26
5:8 (But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion;
he can turn the darkness into morning
and turn daylight27 into night.
He summons the water of the seas
and pours it out on the earth's surface.
The LORD is his name!
5:9 He flashes28 destruction down upon the strong;
destruction overwhelms29 the fortified places.)
5:10 The Israelites30 hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate;31
they despise anyone who speaks honestly.
5:11 Therefore, because you make the poor pay taxes on their crops32
and exact a grain tax from them,
you will not live in the houses you built with chiseled stone,
nor will you drink the wine from the fine33 vineyards you planted.34
5:12 Certainly35 I am aware of36 your many rebellious acts37
and your numerous sins.
You38 torment the innocent, you take bribes,
and you deny justice to39 the needy at the city gate.40
5:13 For this reason whoever is smart41 keeps quiet42 in such a time,
for it is an evil43 time.
5:14 Long for what is right, not what is wrong,44 so you can live!
Then the LORD, the God who leads armies, just might be with you,
as you claim he is.
5:15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right!
Promote45 justice at the city gate!46
Maybe the LORD, the God who leads armies, will have mercy on47 those who are left from48 Joseph.49
5:16 Because of Israel's sins50 this is what the LORD, the God who leads armies, the Sovereign One,51 says:
"In all the squares there will be wailing,
in all the streets they will mourn the dead.52
They will tell the field workers53 to lament
and the professional mourners54 to wail.
5:17 In all the vineyards there will be wailing,
for I will pass through55 your midst," says the LORD.
The Lord Demands Justice
5:18 Those who wish for the LORD's day of judgment56 are as good as dead!57
Why do you want the LORD's day of judgment to come?
It will bring darkness, not light.
5:19 Disaster will be inescapable,58
as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear,
then escaped59 into a house,
leaned his hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a poisonous snake.
5:20 Don't you realize the LORD's day of judgment will bring darkness, not light--
gloomy black, not bright light?
5:21 "I absolutely despise60 your festivals.
I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies.
5:22 Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings,61 I will not be satisfied;
I will not look with favor on the fattened calves you offer in peace.62
5:23 Take away from me your noisy songs;
I don't want to hear the music of your stringed instruments.63
5:24 Justice must flow like water,
right actions64 like a stream that never dries up.
5:25 You did not bring me65 sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years you spent in the wilderness, family66 of Israel.
5:26 You will pick up your images of Ninurta,67 your king,
and Saturn, 68 your star god, which you made for yourselves,
5:27 and I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD. He is called69 the God who leads armies.
The Party is over for the Rich
6:1Those who live in ease in Zion1 are as good as dead;2
so are those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.
They think of themselves as3 the elite class of the best nation.
The family4 of Israel looks to them for leadership.5
6:2 They say to the people:6
"Journey over to Calneh and take a look!
Then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah!7
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines!
Are they superior to our two8 kingdoms?
Is their territory larger than ours?"9
6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come,10
but you establish a reign of violence.11
6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory,12
and sprawl out on their couches.
They eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the middle of the pen.
6:5 They sing13 to the tune of14 stringed instruments;15
like David they invent16 musical instruments.
6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls,17
and pour the very best oils on themselves.18
Yet they are not concerned over19 the ruin20 of Joseph.
6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile,21
and the religious banquets22 where they sprawl out on couches23 will end.
6:8 The sovereign LORD confirms this oath by his very own life.24
The LORD, the God who leads armies, is speaking:
"I despise Jacob's arrogance;
I hate their25 fortresses.
I will hand over to their enemies26 the city of Samaria27 and everything in it."
6:9 If ten men are left in one house, they too will die. 6:10 When their close relatives, the ones who will burn the corpses,28 pick up their bodies to remove the bones from the house, they will say to anyone who is in the inner rooms of the house, "Is anyone else with you?" He will respond, "Be quiet! Don't invoke the LORD's name!"29
6:11 Indeed, look! The LORD is giving the command.30
He will smash the large house to bits,
and the small house into little pieces.
6:12 Can horses run on cliffs?
Can one plow the sea with oxen?31
Yet you have turned justice into a poisonous plant,
and the fruit of right actions into a bitter plant.32
6:13 You are happy because you conquered Lo-Debar.33
You say, "Did we not conquer Karnaim34 by our own power?"
6:14 "Look! I am about to bring35 a nation against you, family36 of Israel."
The LORD, the God who leads armies, is speaking.
"They will harass37 you all the way from Lebo-Hamath38 to the Stream of the Arabah."39
Symbolic Visions of Judgment
7:1 The sovereign LORD showed me this:
I saw1 him making locusts just as the crops planted late2 were beginning to sprout. (The crops planted late sprout after the royal harvest.3)
7:2 When they had completely consumed the earth's vegetation, I said, "Sovereign LORD, forgive Israel!4 How can Jacob survive?5 He is too weak!"6
7:3 The LORD decided not to do this.7 "It will not happen," the LORD said.
7:4 The sovereign LORD showed me this:
I saw8 the sovereign LORD summoning a shower of fire.9 It consumed the great deep and devoured the fields.
7:5 I said, "Sovereign LORD, stop! How can Jacob survive?10 He is too weak!"11
7:6 The LORD decided not to do this.12 The sovereign LORD said, "This will not happen either."
7:7 He showed me this:
I saw13 the Sovereign One14 standing by a tin15 wall holding tin in his hand.
7:8 The LORD said to me, "What do you see, Amos?" I said, "Tin." The Sovereign One then said, "Look, I am about to place tin among my people Israel. I will no longer overlook their sin.16
7:9 Isaac's worship centers17 will become desolate;
Israel's temples will be in ruins.
I will attack Jeroboam's dynasty with the sword."18
Amos Confronts a Priest
7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent this message19 to King Jeroboam of Israel: "Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel!20 The land cannot endure all his prophecies.21 7:11 As a matter of fact,22 Amos is saying this: `Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly be carried into exile23 away from its land.'"
7:12 Amaziah then said to Amos, "Leave, you visionary!24 Run away to the land of Judah! Earn money25 and prophesy there! 7:13 Don't prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here!"26
7:14 Amos replied27 to Amaziah, "I was not a prophet by profession.28 No,29 I was a herdsman who also took care of30 sycamore fig trees.31 7:15 Then the LORD took me from tending32 flocks and gave me this commission,33 `Go! Prophesy to my people Israel!' 7:16 So now listen to the LORD's message! You say, `Don't prophesy against Israel! Don't preach34 against the family of Isaac!'
7:17 "Therefore this is what the LORD says:
`Your wife will become a prostitute in the streets35
and your sons and daughters will die violently.36
Your land will be given to others37
and you will die in a foreign38 land.
Israel will certainly be carried into exile39 away from its land.'"
More Visions and Messages of Judgment
8:2 He said, "What do you see, Amos?" I replied, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end3 has come for my people Israel. I will no longer overlook their sins.4
8:3 The women singing in the temple5 will wail in that day."
The sovereign LORD is speaking.
"There will be many corpses littered everywhere!6 Be quiet!"
8:4 Listen to this, you who trample7 the needy,
and get rid of8 the destitute in the land.
8:5 You say,
"When will the new moon festival9 be over,10 so we can sell grain?
When will the Sabbath end,11 so we can open up the grain bins?12
We're eager13 to sell less for a higher price,14
and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales.15
8:6 We're eager to trade silver for the poor,16
a pair of sandals17 for the needy.
We want to mix in some chaff with the grain."18
8:7 The LORD confirms this oath19 by the arrogance of Jacob:20
"I swear21 I will never forget all you have done!22
8:8 Because of this the earth23 will quake,24
and all who live in it will mourn.
The whole earth will rise like the River Nile,25
it will surge upward26 and then grow calm,27 like the Nile in Egypt.28
8:9 In that day," says the sovereign LORD, "I will make the sun set at noon,
and make the earth dark in the middle of the day.29
8:10 I will turn your festivals into funerals,30
and all your songs into funeral dirges.
I will make everyone wear funeral clothes31
and cause every head to be shaved bald.32
I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son;33
when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day.34
8:11 Be certain of this,35 the time is36 coming," says the sovereign LORD,
"when I will send a famine through the land.
I'm not talking about a shortage of food or water,
but an end to divine revelation.37
8:12 People38 will stagger from sea to sea,39
and from the north around to the east.
They will wander around looking for a revelation from40 the LORD,
but they will not find any.41
8:13 In that day your42 beautiful young women43 and your44 young men will faint from thirst.45 8:14 These are the ones who now take oaths46 in the name of the sinful idol goddess47 of Samaria.
They vow,48 `As surely as your god49 lives, O Dan,' or, `As surely as your beloved one50 lives, O Beersheba!'
But they will fall down and not get up again."
9:1 I saw the Sovereign One1 standing by the altar2 and he said, "Strike the tops of the support pillars,3 so the thresholds shake!
Knock them down on the heads of all the people,4
and I will kill the survivors5 with the sword.
No one will be able to run away;6
no one will be able to escape.7
9:2 Even if they could dig down into the subterranean world,8
my hand would pull them up from there.
Even if they could go up to heaven,
I would bring them down from there.
9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,
I would hunt them down and take them from there.
Even if they tried to hide from me9 at the bottom of the sea,
from there10 I would command the Sea Serpent11 to bite them.
9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity,12
from there13 I will command the sword to kill them.
I will not let them out of my sight;
they will experience disaster, not prosperity."14
9:5 The sovereign LORD who leads armies will do this.15
He touches the earth and it dissolves;16
all who live on it mourn.
The whole earth17 rises like the River Nile,18
and then grows calm19 like the Nile in Egypt.20
9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace21 in heaven
and sets its foundation supports22 on the earth.23
He summons the water of the sea
and pours it out on the earth's surface.
The LORD is his name.
9:7 "You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,"24 says the LORD.
"Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,
but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor25 and the Arameans from Kir.26
9:8 Look, the sovereign LORD is watching27 the sinful nation,28
and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.
But I will not completely destroy the family29 of Jacob," says the LORD.
9:9 "For look, I am giving a command
and I will shake the family of Israel together with all the nations.
It will resemble a sieve being shaken,
when not even a pebble falls to the ground.30
9:10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword,
the ones who say, `Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.'
The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty
9:11 "In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut31 of David.
I will seal its32 gaps,
repair its33 ruins,
and restore it to what it was like in days gone by.34
9:12 As a result they35 will conquer those left in Edom36
and all the nations subject to my rule."37
The LORD, who is about to do this, is speaking!
9:13 "Be sure of this,38 the time is39 coming," says the LORD,
"when the plowman will catch up to the reaper40
and the one who stomps the grapes41 will overtake42 the planter.43
Juice will run down the slopes,44
it will flow down all the hillsides.45
9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel;
they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble46 and settle down.47
They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce;48
they will grow orchards49 and eat the fruit they produce.50
9:15 I will plant them on their land
and they will never again be uprooted from the51 land I have given them,"
says the LORD your God.