Amos 1

¹The words of Amos, who was one of the sheepbreeders from Tekoa, which he received in a vision concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.[#Zec 14:5.; #: a major earthquake during the reign of Uzziah (ca. 783–742 B.C.), so devastating that it was remembered long afterwards (cf. Zec 14:5). See the description of an earthquake in Amos’s final vision (9:1).]

²He said:

The Lord roars from Zion,

and raises his voice from Jerusalem;

The pastures of the shepherds languish,

and the summit of Carmel withers.

II. ORACLES AGAINST THE NATIONS

³Thus says the Lord :

For three crimes of Damascus, and now four—

I will not take it back—

Because they threshed Gilead

with sledges of iron,

⁴I will send fire upon the house of Hazael,

and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.

⁵I will break the barred gate of Damascus;

From the Valley of Aven I will cut off the one enthroned,

And the sceptered ruler from Beth-eden;

the people of Aram shall be exiled to Kir, says the Lord .

⁶Thus says the Lord :

For three crimes of Gaza, and now four—

I will not take it back—

Because they exiled an entire population,

handing them over to Edom,

⁷I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza,

and it will devour its strongholds;

⁸From Ashdod I will cut off the one enthroned

and the sceptered ruler from Ashkelon;

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

and the last of the Philistines shall perish,

says the Lord God .

⁹Thus says the Lord :

For three crimes of Tyre, and now four—

I will not take it back—

Because they handed over an entire population to Edom,

and did not remember their covenant of brotherhood,

¹⁰I will send fire upon the wall of Tyre,

and it will devour its strongholds.

¹¹Thus says the Lord :

For three crimes of Edom, and now four—

I will not take it back—

Because he pursued his brother with the sword,

suppressing all pity,

Persisting in his anger,

his wrath raging without end,

¹²I will send fire upon Teman,

and it will devour the strongholds of Bozrah.

¹³Thus says the Lord :

For three crimes of the Ammonites, and now four—

I will not take it back—

Because they ripped open pregnant women in Gilead,

in order to extend their territory,

¹⁴I will kindle a fire upon the wall of Rabbah,[#: now called Amman, the modern capital of Jordan.]

and it will devour its strongholds

Amid war cries on the day of battle,

amid stormwind on the day of tempest.

¹⁵Their king shall go into exile,

he and his princes with him, says the Lord .