Amos 1

This is the message that God gave to {me,} Amos. I am a man who raises sheep, and I am from {the village of} Tekoa. God showed me in a vision this message about Israel during the time when Uzziah was the king of Judah and Jeroboam, the son of Jehoash, was the king of Israel. This was two years before the {great} earthquake.

This is the message: God is speaking powerfully, like the roar of a lion, from Zion, in {the middle of} Jerusalem. He is causing the pastures where shepherds take care of their sheep to dry up, and {even the forests on} the top of Mount Carmel will wither. \*

This is what God says, “The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, so I will certainly punish them and will not change my mind about it, because they cruelly attacked the people of the region of Gilead, destroying them as people crush grain with iron-toothed threshing tools. 4 So I will send fire to {destroy} {that place, including} the palace that {their king} Hazael built, and it will burn down the fortresses where {his son, their king} Ben-Hadad, has his armies. \* 5 I will smash the {gate} bars {that protect the city} of Damascus, and I will get rid of the one who sits {on the throne} in the Valley of Aven and the king who rules in {the region of} Beth Eden. The people of Aram will become captives and will go to the land of Kir,” says God. \*

This is what God says, “The people of the city of Gaza have sinned again and again, so I will certainly punish them and will not change my mind about it, because they captured whole people groups and took them away in order to sell them {as slaves} to the people of Edom. 7 So I will send fire to {destroy} the walls of Gaza, and it will burn down the fortresses of that city. \* 8 I will get rid of the one who sits {on the throne} in the city of Ashdod and the king who rules in {the city of} Ashkelon. I will also powerfully punish the people of {the city of} Ekron, and all the people of {the region of} Philistia who are still alive will die,” says my Lord God. \*

This is what God says, “The people of {the city of} Tyre have sinned again and again, so I will certainly punish them and will not change my mind about it, because they {also} captured whole people groups and took them away to Edom, and they ignored the treaty that they had made with another nation. 10 So I will send fire to {destroy} the walls of Tyre, and it will burn down the fortresses of that city.” \*

This is what God says, “The people of Edom have sinned again and again, so I will certainly punish them and will not change my mind about it, because they attacked the people {of Israel,} who descended from Esau’s brother Jacob, {and killed them} with swords. They did not act mercifully toward them at all. They were constantly wrathful {to the people of Israel}, and they kept encouraging each other to stay angry {with the people of Israel} always. 12 So I will send fire to {destroy} {the region of} Teman, and it will burn down the fortresses of {the city of} Bozrah.” \*

This is what God says, “The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, so I will certainly punish them and will not change my mind about it, because their soldiers {even} ripped open the pregnant women of {the region of} Gilead {when they attacked it} in order to enlarge their own territory. \* 14 So I will start a fire that will destroy the walls of the city of Rabbah, and it will burn down the fortresses of that city. During that battle, the enemies will shout loudly. They will come as quickly and violently as a strong windstorm. 15 Then the king of Ammon will become a captive and will go to another country, and his officials will go with him,” says God. \*