The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoasha was king of Israel.

He said:

“The LORD roars from Zion

and thunders from Jerusalem;

the pastures of the shepherds dry up,

and the top of Carmel withers.”

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Damascus,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because she threshed Gilead

with sledges having iron teeth,

I will send fire on the house of Hazael

that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.

I will break down the gate of Damascus;

I will destroy the king who is inb the Valley of Avenc

and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.

The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,”

says the LORD.

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Gaza,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because she took captive whole communities

and sold them to Edom,

I will send fire on the walls of Gaza

that will consume her fortresses.

I will destroy the kingd of Ashdod

and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.

I will turn my hand against Ekron,

till the last of the Philistines are dead,”

says the Sovereign LORD.

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Tyre,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,

disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,

I will send fire on the walls of Tyre

that will consume her fortresses.”

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Edom,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because he pursued his brother with a sword

and slaughtered the women of the land,

because his anger raged continually

and his fury flamed unchecked,

I will send fire on Teman

that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Ammon,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead

in order to extend his borders,

I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah

that will consume her fortresses

amid war cries on the day of battle,

amid violent winds on a stormy day.

Her kinge will go into exile,

he and his officials together,”

says the LORD.

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Moab,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because he burned to ashes

the bones of Edom’s king,

I will send fire on Moab

that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.a

Moab will go down in great tumult

amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet.

I will destroy her ruler

and kill all her officials with him,”

says the LORD.

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Judah,

even for four, I will not relent.

Because they have rejected the law of the LORD

and have not kept his decrees,

because they have been led astray by false gods,b

the godsc their ancestors followed,

I will send fire on Judah

that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

This is what the LORD says:

“For three sins of Israel,

even for four, I will not relent.

They sell the innocent for silver,

and the needy for a pair of sandals.

They trample on the heads of the poor

as on the dust of the ground

and deny justice to the oppressed.

Father and son use the same girl

and so profane my holy name.

They lie down beside every altar

on garments taken in pledge.

In the house of their god

they drink wine taken as fines.

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites before them,

though they were tall as the cedars

and strong as the oaks.

I destroyed their fruit above

and their roots below.

I brought you up out of Egypt

and led you forty years in the wilderness

to give you the land of the Amorites.

“I also raised up prophets from among your children

and Nazirites from among your youths.

Is this not true, people of Israel?”

declares the LORD.

“But you made the Nazirites drink wine

and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

“Now then, I will crush you

as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.

The swift will not escape,

the strong will not muster their strength,

and the warrior will not save his life.

The archer will not stand his ground,

the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,

and the horseman will not save his life.

Even the bravest warriors

will flee naked on that day,”

declares the LORD.

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the LORD has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

“You only have I chosen

of all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punish you

for all your sins.”

Do two walk together

unless they have agreed to do so?

Does a lion roar in the thicket

when it has no prey?

Does it growl in its den

when it has caught nothing?

Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground

when no bait is there?

Does a trap spring up from the ground

if it has not caught anything?

When a trumpet sounds in a city,

do not the people tremble?

When disaster comes to a city,

has not the LORD caused it?

Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing

without revealing his plan

to his servants the prophets.

The lion has roared—

who will not fear?

The Sovereign LORD has spoken—

who can but prophesy?

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod

and to the fortresses of Egypt:

“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;

see the great unrest within her

and the oppression among her people.”

“They do not know how to do