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26 The Lord had seen how much everyone in Israel was suffering. It didn’t matter whether they were slaves or free. They didn’t have anyone to help them. 27 The Lord hadn’t said he would wipe out Israel’s name from the earth. So he saved them by the power of Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash.

28 The other events of the rule of Jeroboam are written down. What he and his army accomplished is written down. That includes how he brought Damascus and Hamath back under Israel’s control. Damascus and Hamath had belonged to the territory of Judah. Everything he did is written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 29 Jeroboam joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the royal tombs of Israel. Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became the next king after him.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 14:26 Or Israel was suffering. They were without a ruler or leader, and

These are the words of Amos. He was a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Here is the vision he saw concerning Israel. It came to him two years before the earthquake. At that time Uzziah was king of Judah. Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel. Here are the words of Amos.

He said,

“The Lord roars like a lion from Jerusalem.
    His voice sounds like thunder from Zion.
The grasslands of the shepherds turn brown.
    The top of Mount Carmel dries up.”

The Lord Judges Israel’s Neighbors

The Lord says,

“The people of Damascus have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They used threshing sleds with iron teeth
    to crush Gilead’s people.
So I will send fire to destroy the palace of King Hazael.
    It will burn up the forts of his son Ben-Hadad.
I will break down the city gate of Damascus.
    I will kill the king
    who lives in the Valley of Aven, that evil place.
He holds the ruler’s scepter in Beth Eden.
    The people of Aram will be taken away to Kir as prisoners,”
    says the Lord.

The Lord says,

“The people of Gaza have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They captured whole communities.
    They sold them to Edom.
So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Gaza.
    It will burn up its forts.
I will kill the king of Ashdod.
    He holds the ruler’s scepter in Ashkelon.
I will use my power against Ekron.
    Every single Philistine will die,”
    says the Lord and King.

The Lord says,

“The people of Tyre have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They captured whole communities.
    They sold them to Edom.
They did not honor the treaty
    of friendship they had made.
10 So I will send fire to destroy the walls of Tyre.
    It will burn up its forts.”

11 The Lord says,

“The people of Edom have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They chased Israel with swords
    that were ready to strike them down.
    They killed the women of the land.
They were angry all the time.
    Their anger was like a fire that blazed out.
    It could not be stopped.
12 So I will send fire to destroy the city of Teman.
    It will burn up Bozrah’s forts.”

13 The Lord says,

“The people of Ammon have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead.
    They wanted to add land to their territory.
14 So I will set fire to destroy the walls of Rabbah.
    It will burn up its forts.
War cries will be heard on that day of battle.
    Strong winds will blow on that stormy day.
15 Ammon’s king will be carried away.
    So will his officials,”
    says the Lord.

The Lord says,

“The people of Moab have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They burned the bones
    of Edom’s king to ashes.
So I will send fire to destroy Moab.
    It will burn up Kerioth’s forts.
Moab will come crashing down with a loud noise.
    War cries will be heard.
    So will the blast of trumpets.
I will kill Moab’s ruler.
    I will also kill all its officials,”
    says the Lord.

The Lord says,

“The people of Judah have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They have refused to obey my law.
    They have not kept my rules.
Other gods have led them astray.
    Their people of long ago
    worshiped those gods.
So I will send fire to destroy Judah.
    It will burn up Jerusalem’s forts.”

The Lord Judges Israel

The Lord says,

“The people of Israel have sinned again and again.
    So I will judge them.
They sell into slavery those who have done no wrong.
    They trade needy people
    for a mere pair of sandals.
They grind the heads of the poor
    into the dust of the ground.
    They refuse to be fair to those who are crushed.
A father and his son have sex with the same girl.
    They treat my name as if it were not holy.
They lie down beside every altar on clothes they have taken.
    They lie on those clothes
    until the owner pays back what is owed.
In the house of their God
    they drink wine that was paid as fines.

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites
    to make room in the land for my people.
The Amorites were as tall as cedar trees.
    They were as strong as oak trees.
But I cut off their fruit above the ground
    and their roots below it.

10 “People of Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt.
    I led you in the desert for 40 years.
    I gave you the land of the Amorites.
11 I raised up prophets from among your children.
    I also set apart for myself some of your young people to be Nazirites.
Isn’t that true, people of Israel?”
    announces the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine.
    You commanded the prophets not to prophesy.

13 “A cart that is loaded with grain
    crushes anything it runs over.
    In the same way, I will crush you.
14 Your fastest runners will not escape.
    The strongest people will not get away.
Even soldiers will not be able
    to save their own lives.
15 Men who are armed with bows will lose the battle.
    Soldiers who are quick on their feet will not escape.
Horsemen will not be able
    to save their own lives.
16 Even your bravest soldiers
    will run away naked on that day,”
    announces the Lord.

The Lord Calls for Witnesses Against Israel

People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. He has spoken his message against you. He has spoken it against the whole family he brought up out of Egypt. He says,

“Out of all the families on earth
    I have chosen only you.
So I will punish you
    because you have committed so many sins.”

Do two people walk together
    unless they’ve agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar in the bushes
    when it doesn’t have any food?
Does it growl in its den
    when it hasn’t caught anything?
Does a bird fly down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait is there?
Does a net spring up from the ground
    when it has not caught anything?
When someone blows a trumpet in a city,
    don’t the people tremble with fear?
When trouble comes to a city,
    hasn’t the Lord caused it?

The Lord and King never does anything
    without telling his servants the prophets about it.

A lion has roared.
    Who isn’t afraid?
The Lord and King has spoken.
    Who can do anything but prophesy?

Speak to the people in the forts of Ashdod and Egypt.
    Tell them, “Gather together
    on the mountains of Samaria.
Look at the great trouble in that city.
    Its people are committing many crimes.”

10 “They do not know how to do what is right,”
    announces the Lord.
    “They store up stolen goods in their forts.”

11 So the Lord and King says,

“Enemies will take over your land.
    They will pull down your places of safety.
    They will rob your forts.”

12 The Lord says,

“Suppose a shepherd saves only two leg bones
    from a lion’s mouth.
Or he might save only a piece of an ear.
    That is how the Israelites living in Samaria will be saved.
They will only have a board
    from a bed
and a piece of cloth
    from a couch.”

13 “Listen to me,” announces the Lord. “Be a witness against the people of Jacob,” says the Lord God who rules over all.

14 “I will punish Israel for their sins.
    When I do, I will destroy their altars at Bethel.
The horns that stick out from the upper corners
    of their main altar will be cut off.
    They will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down their winter houses.
    I will also pull down their summer houses.
The houses they have decorated with ivory will be destroyed.
    And their princely houses will be torn down,”
    announces the Lord.

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)

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

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,
I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
    that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
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)

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)
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
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)

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)

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,
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)
I will destroy her ruler(AY)
    and kill all her officials with him,”(AZ)
says the Lord.(BA)

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)
I will send fire(BH) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses(BI) of Jerusalem.(BJ)

Judgment on Israel

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)
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)
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)

“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

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)

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

Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
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?
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?
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)

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

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

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

  1. Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
  3. Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
  4. Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
  5. Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
  6. Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
  7. Amos 2:4 Or by lies
  8. Amos 2:4 Or lies
  9. Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  10. Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.