²⁶ For the Lord saw that the trouble of Israel was very bitter. There was no one left of the servants or of those who were free. There was no one to help Israel. ²⁷ The Lord did not say that He would destroy the name of Israel from under heaven. So He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

²⁸ Jeroboam fought Judah and took back Damascus and Hamath for Israel. The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, all he did and his strength are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ²⁹ Jeroboam was buried with his fathers, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah became king in his place.

1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa, which he received in special dreams about Israel two years before the earth shook. Uzziah was king of Judah then, and Jeroboam the son of Joash was the king of Israel. ² He said, “The Lord makes a loud noise from Zion. He lets His voice be heard from Jerusalem. And the shepherds’ fields are filled with sorrow, and the top of Carmel dries up.”

God Judges Israel’s Neighbors—Syria

³ The Lord says, “For three sins of Damascus and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They have crushed Gilead with tools of sharp iron. ⁴ So I will send fire upon the people of Hazael, and it will destroy the strong-places of Ben-hadad. ⁵ I will break down the gate of Damascus, and destroy the people from the Valley of Aven and the king from Beth-Eden. The people of Syria will be taken away to Kir,” says the Lord.

Philistia

⁶ The Lord says, “For three sins of Gaza and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They took a nation of people away and sold them to Edom. ⁷ So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it will destroy her strong-places. ⁸ I will destroy the people from Ashdod and the king from Ashkelon. I will send My power against Ekron, and the rest of the Philistines will die,” says the Lord God.

Tyre

⁹ The Lord says, “For three sins of Tyre and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They took a nation of people and sold them to Edom. They did not remember the agreement between brothers. ¹⁰ So I will send fire upon the wall of Tyre, and it will destroy her strong-places.”

Edom

¹¹ The Lord says, “For three sins of Edom and for four, I will not hold back punishment. He went after his brother with the sword and would not have loving-pity. He was always angry, and he held on to his anger forever. ¹² So I will send fire upon Teman, and it will destroy the strong-places of Bozrah.”

Ammon

¹³ The Lord says, “For three sins of Ammon and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They tore open the women of Gilead who were going to have a baby, so that they would get more land. ¹⁴ So I will set a fire on the wall of Rabbah, and it will destroy her strong-places. Then there will be cries of war on the day of battle, and strong winds on the day of the storm. ¹⁵ And their king and his sons will be taken away to a strange land,” says the Lord.

Moab

2 The Lord says, “For three sins of Moab and for four, I will not hold back punishment. He burned the bones of the king of Edom to ashes. ² So I will send fire upon Moab, and it will destroy the strong-places of Kerioth. Moab will die among much noise, with cries of war and the sound of a horn. ³ I will kill the ruler of Moab and all his sons with him,” says the Lord.

Judah

⁴ The Lord says, “For three sins of Judah and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They turned away from the Law of the Lord. They have not obeyed His Laws. They have gone the wrong way, following the lies of their fathers. ⁵ So I will send fire upon Judah, and it will destroy the strong-places of Jerusalem.”

God Judges Israel

⁶ The Lord says, “For three sins of Israel and for four, I will not hold back punishment. They sell those who are right and good for money. To get shoes, they sell people who are in need. ⁷ They crush those who are poor in the dust of the earth with their feet. They push the poor out of the way. A man and his father go to the same girl and sin against My holy name. ⁸ They lie down beside every altar on clothing taken as trust for promises. And in the house of their God they drink the wine which was paid by those who have done wrong.

⁹ “I destroyed the Amorite before them, who was as tall as the cedar trees and as strong as the oaks. I destroyed his fruit above and his root below. ¹⁰ I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you in the desert for forty years to give you the land of the Amorite. ¹¹ Then I raised up some of your sons to speak for Me, and some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not true, you sons of Israel?” says the Lord. ¹² “But you made the Nazirites drink wine. And you told the men who speak for Me not to speak. ¹³ Now I will crush you down like a wagon is crushed under a heavy load of grain. ¹⁴ Even the fast man will not get away. The strong man will not keep his strength. And the powerful man will not save his life. ¹⁵ He who uses the bow will not stand. The fast runner will not get away. The horseman will not save his life. ¹⁶ Even the strongest of heart among the men of war will run away without clothes on that day,” says the Lord.

Word from the Man of God

3 O people of Israel, hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you and against the whole family which He brought up from the land of Egypt. ² “You are the only ones I have chosen among all the families of the earth. So I must punish you for all your sins.” ³ Do two men walk together unless they have made an agreement? ⁴ Does a lion make noise among the trees when he has no food? Does a young lion cry out from his home if he has not caught anything? ⁵ Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no food to tempt it? Does a trap jump up from the ground when it does not catch anything? ⁶ Are not the people afraid when a horn is blown in a city? When trouble comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? ⁷ For sure the Lord does not do anything without making His plan known to His servants who speak for Him. ⁸ The lion has made a noise! Who will not be afraid? The Lord God has spoken! Who can keep from speaking His Word?

Israel Will Be Punished for Its Sin

⁹ Say to the people who live in the strong cities of Ashdod and Egypt, “Gather together on the mountains of Samaria. See all the trouble within her and how her people suffer. ¹⁰ They do not know how to do what is right,” says the Lord. “They store up in their strong cities what they have fought for and robbed.”

¹¹ So the Lord God says, “Those who hate you will gather around the land. They will pull down your strong-places and rob your strong cities.” ¹² The Lord says, “As the shepherd saves from the lion’s mouth just two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the people of Israel living in Samaria be saved, with the corner of a bed and a part of a cover. ¹³ Hear and speak against the family of Jacob,” says the Lord God, the God of All. ¹⁴ “On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will punish the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. ¹⁵ I will destroy the winter house together with the summer house. The houses of ivory will be destroyed, and the beautiful houses will come to an end,” says the Lord.