1This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel.H1697H5986H5349H8620H2372H3478H3117H5818H4428H3063H3117H3379H1121H3101H4428H3478H8141H6440H74942This is what he saw and heard. “The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem! The lush pastures of the shepherds will dry up; the grass on Mount Carmel will wither and die.”H559H3068H7580H6726H5414H6963H3389H4999H7462H56H7218H3760H3001
God’s Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3This is what the Lord says. “The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They beat down my people in Gilead as grain is threshed with iron sledges.H559H3068H7969H6588H1834H702H7725H1758H1568H2742H12704So I will send down fire on King Hazael’s palace, and the fortresses of King Ben-hadad will be destroyed.H7971H784H1004H2371H398H759H11305I will break down the gates of Damascus and slaughter the people in the valley of Aven. I will destroy the ruler in Beth-eden, and the people of Aram will go as captives to Kir,” says the Lord.H7665H1280H1834H3772H3427H1237H206H8551H7626H1004H5731H1040H5971H758H1540H7024H559H30686This is what the Lord says: “The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sent whole villages into exile, selling them as slaves to Edom.H559H3068H7969H6588H5804H702H7725H1540H8003H1546H5462H1237So I will send down fire on the walls of Gaza, and all its fortresses will be destroyed.H7971H784H2346H5804H398H7598I will slaughter the people of Ashdod and destroy the king of Ashkelon. Then I will turn to attack Ekron, and the few Philistines still left will be killed,” says the Sovereign Lord.H3772H3427H795H8551H7626H831H7725H3027H6138H7611H6430H6H559H136H30699This is what the Lord says: “The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel, selling whole villages as slaves to Edom.H559H3068H7969H6588H6865H702H7725H5462H8003H1546H123H2142H251H128510So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre, and all its fortresses will be destroyed.”H7971H784H2346H6865H398H75911This is what the Lord says: “The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords, showing them no mercy. In their rage, they slashed them continually and were unrelenting in their anger.H559H3068H7969H6588H123H702H7725H7291H251H2719H7843H7356H639H2963H5703H8104H5678H533112So I will send down fire on Teman, and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed.”H7971H784H8487H398H759H122413This is what the Lord says. “The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they ripped open pregnant women with their swords.H559H3068H7969H6588H1121H5983H702H7725H1234H2030H1568H7337H136614So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah, and all its fortresses will be destroyed. The battle will come upon them with shouts, like a whirlwind in a mighty storm.H3341H784H2346H7237H398H759H8643H3117H4421H5591H3117H549215And their king and his princes will go into exile together,” says the Lord.H4428H1980H1473H8269H3162H559H3068
Amos 2
2This is what the Lord says. “The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They desecrated the bones of Edom’s king, burning them to ashes.H559H3068H7969H6588H4124H702H7725H8313H6106H4428H123H78752So I will send down fire on the land of Moab, and all the fortresses in Kerioth will be destroyed. The people will fall in the noise of battle, as the warriors shout and the ram’s horn sounds.H7971H784H4124H398H759H7152H4124H4191H7588H8643H6963H77823And I will destroy their king and slaughter all their princes,” says the Lord.H3772H8199H7130H2026H8269H559H3068
God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel
4This is what the Lord says. “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors.H559H3068H7969H6588H3063H702H7725H3988H8451H3068H8104H2706H3577H8582H310H1H19805So I will send down fire on Judah, and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.”H7971H784H3063H398H759H33896This is what the Lord says: “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals.H559H3068H7969H6588H3478H702H7725H4376H6662H3701H34H52757They trample helpless people in the dust and shove the oppressed out of the way. Both father and son sleep with the same woman, corrupting my holy name.H7602H6083H776H7218H1800H5186H1870H6035H376H1H3212H5291H2490H6944H80348At their religious festivals, they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security. In the house of their god, they drink wine bought with unjust fines.H5186H899H2254H681H4196H8354H3196H6064H1004H4309“But as my people watched, I destroyed the Amorites, though they were as tall as cedars and as strong as oaks. I destroyed the fruit on their branches and dug out their roots.H8045H567H6440H1363H1363H730H2634H437H8045H6529H4605H832810It was I who rescued you from Egypt and led you through the desert for forty years, so you could possess the land of the Amorites.H5927H776H4714H3212H705H8141H4057H3423H776H56711I chose some of your sons to be prophets and others to be Nazirites. Can you deny this, my people of Israel?” asks the Lord.H6965H1121H5030H970H5139H1121H3478H5002H306812“But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’H5139H3196H8248H6680H5030H559H501213“So I will make you groan like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain.H5781H5699H5781H4392H599514Your fastest runners will not get away. The strongest among you will become weak. Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.H4498H6H7031H2389H553H3581H1368H4422H531515The archers will not stand their ground. The swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to escape. Even those riding horses won’t be able to save themselves.H5975H8610H7198H7031H7272H4422H7392H5483H4422H531516On that day the most courageous of your fighting men will drop their weapons and run for their lives,” says the Lord.H533H3820H1368H5127H6174H3117H5002H3068
Amos 3
3Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel and Judah—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt.H8085H1697H3068H1696H1121H3478H4940H5927H776H4714H5592“From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins.”H3045H4940H127H6485H5771
Witnesses against Guilty Israel
3Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?H8147H3212H3162H1115H32594Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey?H738H7580H3293H2964H3715H5414H6963H4585H3920H11155Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait? Does a trap spring shut when there’s nothing to catch?H6833H5307H6341H776H4170H5927H6341H127H3920H39206When the ram’s horn blows a warning, shouldn’t the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has planned it?H7782H8628H5892H5971H2729H7451H5892H3068H62137Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.H136H3069H6213H1697H1540H5475H5650H50308The lion has roared—so who isn’t frightened? The Sovereign Lord has spoken—so who can refuse to proclaim his message?H738H7580H3808H3372H136H3069H1696H50129Announce this to the leaders of Philistia and to the great ones of Egypt. “Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.”H8085H759H795H759H776H4714H559H622H2022H8111H7200H7227H4103H7130H6217H843210“My people have forgotten how to do right,” says the Lord. “Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence.H3045H6213H5229H5002H3068H686H2555H7701H75911Therefore,” says the Sovereign Lord, “an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses.”H559H136H3069H6862H5439H776H3381H5797H759H96212This is what the Lord says. “A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear. So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds, and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches.H559H3068H7462H5337H6310H738H8147H3767H915H241H1121H3478H5337H3427H8111H6285H4296H1833H621013“Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel,” says the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.H8085H5749H1004H3290H5002H136H3069H430H663514“On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.H3117H6485H6588H3478H6485H4196H1008H7161H4196H1438H5307H77615And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy—their winter mansions and their summer houses, too—all their palaces filled with ivory,” says the Lord.H5221H2779H1004H7019H1004H1004H8127H6H7227H1004H5486H5002H3068
Amos 4
Israel’s Failure to Learn
4Listen to me, you fat cows living in Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, and who are always calling to your husbands, “Bring us another drink!”H8085H1697H6510H1316H2022H8111H6231H1800H7533H34H559H113H935H83542The Sovereign Lord has sworn this by his holiness. “The time will come when you will be led away with hooks in your noses. Every last one of you will be dragged away like a fish on a hook!H136H3069H7650H6944H3117H935H5375H6793H319H1729H55183You will be led out through the ruins of the wall; you will be thrown from your fortresses,” says the Lord.H3318H6556H802H7993H2038H5002H30684“Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. Keep on disobeying at Gilgal. Offer sacrifices each morning, and bring your tithes every three days.H935H1008H6586H1537H7235H6586H935H2077H1242H4643H7969H31175Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary offerings so you can brag about it everywhere! This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do,” says the Sovereign Lord.H6999H8426H2557H7121H8085H5071H3651H157H1121H3478H5002H136H30696“I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.H5414H5356H8127H5892H2640H3899H4725H7725H5002H30687“I kept the rain from falling when your crops needed it the most. I sent rain on one town but withheld it from another. Rain fell on one field, while another field withered away.H4513H1653H7969H2320H7105H4305H259H5892H4305H259H5892H259H2513H4305H2513H4305H30018People staggered from town to town looking for water, but there was never enough. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.H8147H7969H5892H5128H259H5892H8354H4325H7646H7725H5002H30689“I struck your farms and vineyards with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured all your fig and olive trees. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.H5221H7711H3420H1593H3754H8384H2132H7235H1501H398H7725H5002H306810“I sent plagues on you like the plagues I sent on Egypt long ago. I killed your young men in war and led all your horses away. The stench of death filled the air! But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.H7971H1698H1870H4714H970H2026H2719H7628H5483H889H4264H5927H639H7725H5002H306811“I destroyed some of your cities, as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Those of you who survived were like charred sticks pulled from a fire. But still you would not return to me,” says the Lord.H2015H430H4114H5467H6017H181H5337H8316H7725H5002H306812“Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!”H6213H3478H6118H6213H3559H7125H430H347813For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The Lord God of Heaven’s Armies is his name!H3335H2022H1254H7307H5046H120H7808H6213H7837H5890H1869H1116H776H3068H430H6635H8034
Amos 5
A Call to Repentance
5Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing.H8085H1697H5375H7015H1004H34782“The virgin Israel has fallen, never to rise again! She lies abandoned on the ground, with no one to help her up.”H1330H3478H5307H3254H6965H5203H127H69653The Sovereign Lord says. “When a city sends a thousand men to battle, only a hundred will return. When a town sends a hundred, only ten will come back alive.”H559H136H3069H5892H3318H505H7604H3967H3318H3967H7604H6235H1004H34784Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel. “Come back to me and live!H559H3068H1004H3478H1875H24215Don’t worship at the pagan altars at Bethel; don’t go to the shrines at Gilgal or Beersheba. For the people of Gilgal will be dragged off into exile, and the people of Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”H1875H1008H935H1537H5674H884H1537H1540H1540H1008H2056Come back to the Lord and live! Otherwise, he will roar through Israel like a fire, devouring you completely. Your gods in Bethel won’t be able to quench the flames.H1875H3068H2421H6743H784H1004H3130H398H3518H10087You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt.H2015H4941H3939H3240H6666H7768It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!H6213H3598H3685H2015H6757H1242H3117H2821H3915H7121H4325H3220H8210H6440H776H3068H80349With blinding speed and power he destroys the strong, crushing all their defenses.H1082H7701H5794H7701H935H401310How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth!H8130H3198H8179H8581H1696H854911You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.H3282H1318H1800H3947H4864H1250H1129H1004H1496H3427H5193H2531H3754H8354H319612For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.H3045H7227H6588H6099H2403H6887H6662H3947H3724H5186H34H817913So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.H7919H1826H6256H7451H625614Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.H1875H2896H7451H2421H3068H430H6635H55915Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.H8130H7451H157H2896H3322H4941H8179H3068H430H6635H2603H7611H313016Therefore, this is what the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, says. “There will be crying in all the public squares and mourning in every street. Call for the farmers to weep with you, and summon professional mourners to wail.H3068H430H6635H136H559H4553H7339H559H2351H1930H1930H7121H406H60H3045H5092H455317There will be wailing in every vineyard, for I will destroy them all,” says the Lord.H3754H4553H5674H7130H559H3068
Warning of Coming Judgment
18What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light.H1945H183H3117H3068H4100H3117H3068H2822H21619In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion—only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house—and he’s bitten by a snake.H376H5127H6440H738H1677H6293H935H1004H5564H3027H7023H5175H539120Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope.H3117H3068H2822H216H651H505121“I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.H8130H3988H2282H7306H611622I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.H5927H5930H4503H7521H5027H8002H480623Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.H5493H1995H7892H8085H2172H503524Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.H4941H1556H4325H6666H386H515825“Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?H5066H2077H4503H4057H705H8141H1004H347826No, you served your pagan gods—Sakkuth your king god and Kaiwan your star god—the images you made for yourselves.H5375H5522H4428H3594H6754H3556H430H621327So I will send you into exile, to a land east of Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of Heaven’s Armies.H1540H1973H1834H559H3068H8034H430H6635
Psalms 126
126[A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.] When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!H7892H4609H3068H7725H7870H6726H24922We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”H6310H4390H7814H3956H7440H559H1471H3068H6213H14313Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!H3068H6213H1431H80564Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.H7725H7622H7622H3068H650H50455Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.H2232H1832H7114H74406They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.H3212H1980H1058H5375H4901H2233H935H935H7440H5375H485
Dublin, OH
, was king of Israel.H1697
