2 Kings 14:26-29
The Message
26-27 God was fully aware of the trouble in Israel, its bitterly hard times. No one was exempt, whether slave or citizen, and no hope of help anywhere was in sight. But God wasn’t yet ready to blot out the name of Israel from history, so he used Jeroboam son of Jehoash to save them.
28-29 The rest of the life and times of Jeroboam, his victories in battle and how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath which had belonged to Judah, these are all written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Jeroboam died and was buried with his ancestors in the royal cemetery. His son Zechariah became the next king.
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2 Kings 14:26-29
New International Version
26 The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free,(A) was suffering;[a](B) there was no one to help them.(C) 27 And since the Lord had not said he would blot out(D) the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved(E) them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
28 As for the other events of Jeroboam’s reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus(F) and Hamath,(G) which had belonged to Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals(H) of the kings of Israel? 29 Jeroboam rested with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 14:26 Or Israel was suffering. They were without a ruler or leader, and
Amos 1-3
The Message
1 The Message of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, that he received on behalf of Israel. It came to him in visions during the time that Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II son of Joash was king of Israel, two years before the big earthquake.
Swallowing the Same Old Lies
2 The Message:
God roars from Zion,
shouts from Jerusalem!
The thunderclap voice withers the pastures tended by shepherds,
shrivels Mount Carmel’s proud peak.
3-5 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Damascus
—make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She pounded Gilead to a pulp, pounded her senseless
with iron hammers and mauls.
For that, I’m setting the palace of Hazael on fire.
I’m torching Ben-hadad’s forts.
I’m going to smash the Damascus gates
and banish the crime king who lives in Sin Valley,
the vice boss who gives orders from Paradise Palace.
The people of the land will be sent back
to where they came from—to Kir.”
God’s Decree.
6-8 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Gaza
—make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She deported whole towns
and then sold the people to Edom.
For that, I’m burning down the walls of Gaza,
burning up all her forts.
I’ll banish the crime king from Ashdod,
the vice boss from Ashkelon.
I’ll raise my fist against Ekron,
and what’s left of the Philistines will die.”
God’s Decree.
9-10 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Tyre
—make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She deported whole towns to Edom,
breaking the treaty she had with her kin.
For that, I’m burning down the walls of Tyre,
burning up all her forts.”
11-12 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Edom
—make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She hunts down her brother to murder him.
She has no pity, she has no heart.
Her anger rampages day and night.
Her meanness never takes a timeout.
For that, I’m burning down her capital, Teman,
burning up the forts of Bozrah.”
13-15 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Ammon
—make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She ripped open pregnant women in Gilead
to get more land for herself.
For that, I’m burning down the walls of her capital, Rabbah,
burning up her forts.
Battle shouts! War whoops!
with a tornado to finish things off!
The king has been carted off to exile,
the king and his princes with him.”
God’s Decree.
* * *
2 1-3 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Moab
—make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She violated the corpse of Edom’s king,
burning it to cinders.
For that, I’m burning down Moab,
burning down the forts of Kerioth.
Moab will die in the shouting,
go out in the blare of war trumpets.
I’ll remove the king from the center
and kill all his princes with him.”
God’s Decree.
4-5 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Judah
—make that four—I’m not putting up with them any longer.
They rejected God’s revelation,
refused to keep my commands.
But they swallowed the same old lies
that got their ancestors onto dead-end roads.
For that, I’m burning down Judah,
burning down all the forts of Jerusalem.”
Destroyed from the Roots Up
6-8 God’s Message:
“Because of the three great sins of Israel
—make that four—I’m not putting up with them any longer.
They buy and sell upstanding people.
People for them are only things—ways of making money.
They’d sell a poor man for a pair of shoes.
They’d sell their own grandmother!
They grind the penniless into the dirt,
shove the luckless into the ditch.
Everyone and his brother sleeps with the ‘sacred whore’—
a sacrilege against my Holy Name.
Stuff they’ve extorted from the poor
is piled up at the shrine of their god,
While they sit around drinking wine
they’ve conned from their victims.
9-11 “In contrast, I was always on your side.
I destroyed the Amorites who confronted you,
Amorites with the stature of great cedars,
tough as thick oaks.
I destroyed them from the top branches down.
I destroyed them from the roots up.
And yes, I’m the One who delivered you from Egypt,
led you safely through the wilderness for forty years
And then handed you the country of the Amorites
like a piece of cake on a platter.
I raised up some of your young men to be prophets,
set aside your best youth for training in holiness.
Isn’t this so, Israel?”
God’s Decree.
12-13 “But you made the youth-in-training break training,
and you told the young prophets, ‘Don’t prophesy!’
You’re too much for me.
I’m hard-pressed—to the breaking point.
I’m like a wagon piled high and overloaded,
creaking and groaning.
14-16 “When I go into action, what will you do?
There’s no place to run no matter how fast you run.
The strength of the strong won’t count.
Fighters won’t make it.
Skilled archers won’t make it.
Fast runners won’t make it.
Chariot drivers won’t make it.
Even the bravest of all your warriors
Won’t make it.
He’ll run off for dear life, stripped naked.”
God’s Decree.
The Lion Has Roared
3 Listen to this, Israel. God is calling you to account—and I mean all of you, everyone connected with the family that he delivered out of Egypt. Listen!
2 “Out of all the families on earth,
I picked you.
Therefore, because of your special calling,
I’m holding you responsible for all your sins.”
3-7 Do two people walk hand in hand
if they aren’t going to the same place?
Does a lion roar in the forest
if there’s no carcass to devour?
Does a young lion growl with pleasure
if he hasn’t caught his supper?
Does a bird fall to the ground
if it hasn’t been hit with a stone?
Does a trap spring shut
if nothing trips it?
When the alarm goes off in the city,
aren’t people alarmed?
And when disaster strikes the city,
doesn’t God stand behind it?
The fact is, God, the Master, does nothing
without first telling his prophets the whole story.
8 The lion has roared—
who isn’t frightened?
God has spoken—
what prophet can keep quiet?
* * *
9-11 Announce to the forts of Assyria,
announce to the forts of Egypt—
Tell them, “Gather on the Samaritan mountains, take a good, hard look:
what a snake pit of brutality and terror!
They can’t—or won’t—do one thing right.” God said so.
“They stockpile violence and blight.
Therefore”—this is God’s Word—“an enemy will surround the country.
He’ll strip you of your power and plunder your forts.”
12 God’s Message:
“In the same way that a shepherd
trying to save a lamb from a lion
Manages to recover
just a pair of legs or the scrap of an ear,
So will little be saved of the Israelites
who live in Samaria—
A couple of old chairs at most,
the broken leg of a table.
13-15 “Listen and bring witness against Jacob’s family”—
this is God’s Word, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
“Note well! The day I make Israel pay for its sins,
pay for the sin-altars of worship at Bethel,
The horned altars will all be dehorned
and scattered around.
I’ll tear down the winter palace,
smash the summer palace—all your fancy buildings.
The luxury homes will be demolished,
all those pretentious houses.”
God’s Decree.
Amos 1-3
New International Version
1 The 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)
2 He 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
3 This 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,
4 I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
5 I 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)
6 This 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)
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I 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)
9 This 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)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.(AF)”
11 This 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)
12 I will send fire on Teman(AJ)
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(AK)”
13 This 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,
14 I 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.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,(AR)”
says the Lord.(AS)
2 This 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,
2 I 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)
3 I will destroy her ruler(AY)
and kill all her officials with him,”(AZ)
says the Lord.(BA)
4 This 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)
5 I will send fire(BH) on Judah
that will consume the fortresses(BI) of Jerusalem.(BJ)”
Judgment on Israel
6 This 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)
7 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.(BM)
8 They 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.
10 I 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)
14 The swift will not escape,(CC)
the strong(CD) will not muster their strength,
and the warrior will not save his life.(CE)
15 The 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)
16 Even the bravest warriors(CI)
will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 Hear 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)”
3 Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 Does a lion roar(CO) in the thicket
when it has no prey?(CP)
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
5 Does 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?
6 When 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)
7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan(CU)
to his servants the prophets.(CV)
8 The lion(CW) has roared(CX)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?(CY)
9 Proclaim 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.”
11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.(DE)”
12 This 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.
15 I 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)
Footnotes
- Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
- Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
- Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
- Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
- Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
- Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
- Amos 2:4 Or by lies
- Amos 2:4 Or lies
- Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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