Bible Gateway passage: Amos 1-4 - New International Version (2024)

1The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa^(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,^(B) when Uzziah^(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam^(D) son of Jehoash^[a] was king of Israel.^(E)

²He said:

“The Lord roars^(F) from Zion
and thunders^(G) from Jerusalem;^(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel^(I) withers.”^(J)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

³This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus,^(K)
even for four, I will not relent.^(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
⁴I will send fire^(M) on the house of Hazael^(N)
that will consume the fortresses^(O) of Ben-Hadad.^(P)
5I will break down the gate^(Q) of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in^[b] the Valley of Aven^[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.^(R)
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,^(S)”
says the Lord.^(T)

⁶This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,^(U)
even for four, I will not relent.^(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,^(W)
7I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
⁸I will destroy the king^[d] of Ashdod^(X)
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand^(Y) against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines^(Z) are dead,”^(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.^(AB)

⁹This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre,^(AC)
even for four, I will not relent.^(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,^(AE)
10I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.^(AF)”

¹¹This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Edom,^(AG)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword^(AH)
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,^(AI)
12I will send fire on Teman^(AJ)
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.^(AK)”

¹³This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Ammon,^(AL)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women^(AM) of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
¹⁴I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah^(AN)
that will consume^(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries^(AP) on the day of battle,
amid violent winds^(AQ) on a stormy day.
¹⁵Her king^[e] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,^(AR)”
says the Lord.^(AS)

2This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab,^(AT)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes^(AU)
the bones of Edom’s king,
²I will send fire on Moab
that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.^[f](AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
amid war cries^(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.^(AX)
3I will destroy her ruler^(AY)
and kill all her officials with him,”^(AZ)
says the Lord.^(BA)

⁴This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah,^(BB)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law^(BC) of the Lord
and have not kept his decrees,^(BD)
because they have been led astray^(BE) by false gods,^[g](BF)
the gods^[h] their ancestors followed,^(BG)
5I will send fire^(BH) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses^(BI) of Jerusalem.^(BJ)”

Judgment on Israel

⁶This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not relent.^(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.^(BL)
7They 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.^(BM)
8They lie down beside every altar
on garments taken in pledge.^(BN)
In the house of their god
they drink wine^(BO) taken as fines.^(BP)

⁹“Yet I destroyed the Amorites^(BQ) before them,
though they were tall^(BR) as the cedars
and strong as the oaks.^(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
and their roots^(BT) below.
¹⁰I brought you up out of Egypt^(BU)
and led^(BV) you forty years in the wilderness^(BW)
to give you the land of the Amorites.^(BX)

¹¹“I also raised up prophets^(BY) from among your children
and Nazirites^(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
¹²“But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.^(CA)

¹³“Now then, I will crush you
as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.^(CB)
14The swift will not escape,^(CC)
the strong^(CD) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.^(CE)
15The archer^(CF) will not stand his ground,
the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
and the horseman^(CG) will not save his life.^(CH)
16Even the bravest warriors^(CI)
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

3Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you^(CJ)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:^(CK)

²“You only have I chosen^(CL)
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish^(CM) you
for all your sins.^(CN)”

³Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
⁴Does a lion roar^(CO) in the thicket
when it has no prey?^(CP)
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
⁵Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait^(CQ) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
⁶When a trumpet^(CR) sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster^(CS) comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?^(CT)

⁷Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan^(CU)
to his servants the prophets.^(CV)

⁸The lion^(CW) has roared^(CX)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?^(CY)

⁹Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod^(CZ)
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;^(DA)
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”

¹⁰“They do not know how to do right,^(DB)” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortresses^(DC)
what they have plundered^(DD) and looted.”

¹¹Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.^(DE)”

¹²This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s^(DF) mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric^[i] from a couch.^[j](DG)”

¹³“Hear this and testify^(DH) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

¹⁴“On the day I punish^(DI) Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;^(DJ)
the horns^(DK) of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
¹⁵I will tear down the winter house^(DL)
along with the summer house;^(DM)
the houses adorned with ivory^(DN) will be destroyed
and the mansions^(DO) will be demolished,^(DP)”
declares the Lord.^(DQ)

Israel Has Not Returned to God

4Hear this word, you cows of Bashan^(DR) on Mount Samaria,^(DS)
you women who oppress the poor^(DT) and crush the needy^(DU)
and say to your husbands,^(DV) “Bring us some drinks!^(DW)”
²The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
“The time^(DX) will surely come
when you will be taken away^(DY) with hooks,^(DZ)
the last of you with fishhooks.^[k]
3You will each go straight out
through breaches in the wall,^(EA)
and you will be cast out toward Harmon,^[l]”
declares the Lord.
⁴“Go to Bethel^(EB) and sin;
go to Gilgal^(EC) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,^(ED)
your tithes^(EE) every three years.^[m](EF)
5Burn leavened bread^(EG) as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings^(EH)—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

⁶“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
and lack of bread in every town,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.^(EI)

⁷“I also withheld^(EJ) rain from you
when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
but withheld it from another.^(EK)
One field had rain;
another had none and dried up.
⁸People staggered from town to town for water^(EL)
but did not get enough^(EM) to drink,
yet you have not returned^(EN) to me,”
declares the Lord.^(EO)

⁹“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
destroying them with blight and mildew.^(EP)
Locusts^(EQ) devoured your fig and olive trees,^(ER)
yet you have not returned^(ES) to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹⁰“I sent plagues^(ET) among you
as I did to Egypt.^(EU)
I killed your young men^(EV) with the sword,
along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench^(EW) of your camps,
yet you have not returned to me,”^(EX)
declares the Lord.^(EY)

¹¹“I overthrew some of you
as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.^(EZ)
You were like a burning stick^(FA) snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.^(FB)

¹²“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”

¹³He who forms the mountains,^(FC)
who creates the wind,^(FD)
and who reveals his thoughts^(FE) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth^(FF)—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.^(FG)