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Amos1This message was given to Amos, a

shepherd from the town of Tekoa inJudah. He received this message invisions two years before the earthquake,when Uzziah was king of Judah andJeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, wasking of Israel.2This is his report of what he saw andheard: "The LORD's voice roars from hisTemple on Mount Zion; he thundersfrom Jerusalem! Suddenly, the lushpastures of the shepherds dry up. All thegrass on Mount Carmel withers anddies."3This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Damascus have sinned againand again, and I will not forget it. I willnot let them go unpunished any longer!They beat down my people in Gilead asgrain is threshed with threshing sledgesof iron.4So I will send down fire on KingHazael's palace, and the fortresses ofKing Ben-hadad will be destroyed.5I will break down the gates ofDamascus and slaughter its people allthe way to the valley of Aven. I willdestroy the ruler in Beth-eden, and thepeople of Aram will return to Kir asslaves. I, the LORD, have spoken!"6This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Gaza have sinned again andagain, and I will not forget it. I will not letthem go unpunished any longer! Theysent my people into exile, selling themas slaves in Edom.7So I will send down fire on the walls ofGaza, and all its fortresses will bedestroyed.8I will slaughter the people of Ashdodand destroy the king of Ashkelon. Then Iwill turn to attack Ekron, and the fewPhilistines still left will be killed. I, theSovereign LORD, have spoken!"9This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Tyre have sinned again andagain, and I will not forget it. I will not letthem go unpunished any longer! Theybroke their treaty of brotherhood withIsrael, selling whole villages as slaves toEdom.10So I will send down fire on the walls ofTyre, and all its fortresses will bedestroyed."11This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Edom have sinned again and

again, and I will not forget it. I will not letthem go unpunished any longer! Theychased down their relatives, theIsraelites, with swords. They showedthem no mercy and were unrelenting intheir anger.12So I will send down fire on Teman, andthe fortresses of Bozrah will bedestroyed."13This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Ammon have sinned againand again, and I will not forget it. I willnot let them go unpunished any longer!When they attacked Gilead to extendtheir borders, they committed cruelcrimes, ripping open pregnant womenwith their swords.14So I will send down fire on the walls ofRabbah, and all its fortresses will bedestroyed. There will be wild shoutsduring the battle, swirling like awhirlwind in a mighty storm.15And their king and his princes will gointo exile together. I, the LORD, havespoken!"

2This is what the LORD says: "The

people of Moab have sinned again andagain, and I will not forget it. I will not letthem go unpunished any longer! Theydesecrated the tomb of Edom's king andburned his bones to ashes.2So I will send down fire on the land ofMoab, and all the fortresses in Keriothwill be destroyed. The people will fall inthe noise of battle, as the warriors shoutand the trumpets blare.3And I will destroy their king andslaughter all their princes. I, the LORD,have spoken!"4This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Judah have sinned again andagain, and I will not forget it. I will not letthem go unpunished any longer! Theyhave rejected the laws of the LORD,refusing to obey him. They have beenled astray by the same lies thatdeceived their ancestors.5So I will send down fire on Judah, andall the fortresses of Jerusalem will bedestroyed."6This is what the LORD says: "Thepeople of Israel have sinned again andagain, and I will not forget it. I will not letthem go unpunished any longer! Theyhave perverted justice by selling honestpeople for silver and poor people for apair of sandals.7They trample helpless people in the

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dust and deny justice to those who areoppressed. Both father and son sleepwith the same woman, corrupting myholy name.8At their religious festivals, they loungearound in clothing stolen from theirdebtors. In the house of their god, theypresent offerings of wine purchased withstolen money.9"Yet think of all I did for my people! Idestroyed the Amorites before mypeople arrived in the land. The Amoriteswere as tall as cedar trees and strongas oaks, but I destroyed their fruit anddug out their roots.10It was I who rescued you from Egyptand led you through the desert for fortyyears so you could possess the land ofthe Amorites.11I chose some of your sons to beprophets and others to be Nazirites. Canyou deny this, my people of Israel?"asks the LORD.12"But you caused the Nazirites to sin bymaking them drink your wine, and yousaid to my prophets, 'Shut up!'13"So I will make you groan as a wagongroans when it is loaded down withgrain.14Your fastest runners will not get away.The strongest among you will becomeweak. Even the mightiest warriors willbe unable to save themselves.15The archers will fail to stand theirground. The swiftest soldiers won't befast enough to escape. Even warriors onhorses won't be able to outrun thedanger.16On that day, the most courageous ofyour fighting men will drop theirweapons and run for their lives. I, theLORD, have spoken!"

3Listen to this message that the LORD

has spoken against you, O people ofIsrael and Judah--the entire family Irescued from Egypt:2"From among all the families on theearth, I chose you alone. That is why Imust punish you for all your sins."3Can two people walk together withoutagreeing on the direction?4Does a lion ever roar in a thicketwithout first finding a victim? Does ayoung lion growl in its den without firstcatching its prey?5Does a bird ever get caught in a trapthat has no bait? Does a trap everspring shut when there's nothing there

to catch?6When the war trumpet blares, shouldn'tthe people be alarmed? When disastercomes to a city, isn't it because theLORD planned it?7"But always, first of all, I warn youthrough my servants the prophets. I, theSovereign LORD, have now done this."8The lion has roared--tremble in fear!The Sovereign LORD has spoken--Idare not refuse to proclaim hismessage!9Announce this to the leaders of Philistiaand Egypt: "Take your seats now on thehills around Samaria, and witness thescandalous spectacle of all Israel'scrimes."10"My people have forgotten what itmeans to do right," says the LORD."Their fortresses are filled with wealthtaken by theft and violence.11Therefore," says the Sovereign LORD,"an enemy is coming! He will surroundthem and shatter their defenses. Thenhe will plunder all their fortresses."12This is what the LORD says: "Ashepherd who tries to rescue a sheepfrom a lion's mouth will recover only twolegs and a piece of ear. So it will bewhen the Israelites in Samaria arerescued with only a broken chair and atattered pillow.13Now listen to this, and announce itthroughout all Israel, " says the Lord, theLORD God Almighty.14"On the very day I punish Israel for itssins, I will destroy the pagan altars atBethel. The horns of the altar will be cutoff and fall to the ground.15And I will destroy the beautiful homesof the wealthy--their winter mansionsand their summer houses, too--all theirpalaces filled with ivory. I, the LORD,have spoken!"

4Listen to me, you "fat cows" of

Samaria, you women who oppress thepoor and crush the needy and who arealways asking your husbands foranother drink!2The Sovereign LORD has sworn this byhis holiness: "The time will come whenyou will be led away with hooks in yournoses. Every last one of you will bedragged away like a fish on a hook!3You will leave by going straight throughthe breaks in the wall; you will be thrownfrom your fortresses. I, the LORD, havespoken!

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4"Go ahead and offer your sacrifices tothe idols at Bethel and Gilgal. Keep ondisobeying--your sins are mounting up!Offer sacrifices each morning and bringyour tithes every three days!5Present your bread made with yeast asan offering of thanksgiving. Then giveyour extra voluntary offerings so youcan brag about it everywhere! This isthe kind of thing you Israelites love todo," says the Sovereign LORD.6"I brought hunger to every city andfamine to every town. But still youwouldn't return to me," says the LORD.7"I kept the rain from falling when youneeded it the most, ruining all yourcrops. I sent rain on one town butwithheld it from another. Rain fell on onefield, while another field withered away.8People staggered from one town toanother for a drink of water, but therewas never enough. But still you wouldn'treturn to me," says the LORD.9"I struck your farms and vineyards withblight and mildew. Locusts devoured allyour fig and olive trees. But still youwouldn't return to me," says the LORD.10"I sent plagues against you like theplagues I sent against Egypt long ago. Ikilled your young men in war andslaughtered all your horses. The stenchof death filled the air! But still youwouldn't return to me," says the LORD.11"I destroyed some of your cities, as Idestroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Thoseof you who survived were like halfburnedsticks snatched from a fire. Butstill you wouldn't return to me," says theLORD.12"Therefore, I will bring upon you allthese further disasters I haveannounced. Prepare to meet your Godas he comes in judgment, you people ofIsrael!"13For the LORD is the one who shapedthe mountains, stirs up the winds, andreveals his every thought. He turns thelight of dawn into darkness and treadsthe mountains under his feet. The LORDGod Almighty is his name!

5Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to

this funeral song I am singing:2"The virgin Israel has fallen, never torise again! She lies forsaken on theground, with none to raise her up."3The Sovereign LORD says: "When oneof your cities sends a thousand men tobattle, only a hundred will return. When

a town sends a hundred, only ten willcome back alive."4Now this is what the LORD says to thefamily of Israel: "Come back to me andlive!5Don't go to worship the idols of Bethel,Gilgal, or Beersheba. For the people ofGilgal will be dragged off into exile, andthe people of Bethel will come tonothing."6Come back to the LORD and live! If youdon't, he will roar through Israel like afire, devouring you completely. Yourgods in Bethel certainly won't be able toquench the flames!7You wicked people! You twist justice,making it a bitter pill for the poor andoppressed. Righteousness and fair playare meaningless fictions to you.8It is the LORD who created the stars,the Pleiades and Orion. It is he whoturns darkness into morning and dayinto night. It is he who draws up waterfrom the oceans and pours it down asrain on the land. The LORD is his name!9With blinding speed and power hedestroys the strong, crushing all theirdefenses.10How you hate honest judges! How youdespise people who tell the truth!11You trample the poor and steal whatlittle they have through taxes and unfairrent. Therefore, you will never live in thebeautiful stone houses you are building.You will never drink wine from the lushvineyards you are planting.12For I know the vast number of yoursins and rebellions. You oppress goodpeople by taking bribes and deprive thepoor of justice in the courts.13So those who are wise will keep quiet,for it is an evil time.14Do what is good and run from evil--thatyou may live! Then the LORD GodAlmighty will truly be your helper, just asyou have claimed he is.15Hate evil and love what is good;remodel your courts into true halls ofjustice. Perhaps even yet the LORDGod Almighty will have mercy on hispeople who remain.16Therefore, this is what the Lord, theLORD God Almighty, says: "There willbe crying in all the public squares and inevery street. Call for the farmers toweep with you, and summonprofessional mourners to wail andlament.17There will be wailing in every vineyard,

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for I will pass through and destroy themall. I, the LORD, have spoken!"18How terrible it will be for you who say,"If only the day of the LORD were here!For then the LORD would rescue usfrom all our enemies." But you have noidea what you are wishing for. That daywill not bring light and prosperity, butdarkness and disaster.19In that day you will be like a man whoruns from a lion--only to meet a bear.After escaping the bear, he leans hishand against a wall in his house--and isbitten by a snake.20Yes, the day of the LORD will be adark and hopeless day, without a ray ofjoy or hope.21"I hate all your show and pretense--thehypocrisy of your religious festivals andsolemn assemblies.22I will not accept your burnt offeringsand grain offerings. I won't even noticeall your choice peace offerings.23Away with your hymns of praise! Theyare only noise to my ears. I will not listento your music, no matter how lovely it is.24Instead, I want to see a mighty flood ofjustice, a river of righteous living that willnever run dry.25"Was it to me you were bringingsacrifices and offerings during the fortyyears in the wilderness, Israel?26No, your real interest was in yourpagan gods--Sakkuth your king god andKaiwan your star god--the images youyourselves made.27So I will send you into exile, to a landeast of Damascus," says the LORD,whose name is God Almighty.

6How terrible it will be for you who

lounge in luxury and think you aresecure in Jerusalem and Samaria! Youare famous and popular in Israel, you towhom the people go for help.2Go over to Calneh and see whathappened there. Then go to the greatcity of Hamath and on down to thePhilistine city of Gath. You are no betterthan they were, and look at how theywere destroyed.3You push away every thought ofcoming disaster, but your actions onlybring the day of judgment closer.4How terrible it will be for you whosprawl on ivory beds surrounded withluxury, eating the meat of tender lambsand choice calves.5You sing idle songs to the sound of the

harp, and you fancy yourselves to begreat musicians, as King David was.6You drink wine by the bowlful, and youperfume yourselves with exoticfragrances, caring nothing at all thatyour nation is going to ruin.7Therefore, you will be the first to be ledaway as captives. Suddenly, all yourrevelry will end.8The Sovereign LORD has sworn by hisown name, and this is what he, theLORD God Almighty, says: "I despisethe pride and false glory of Israel, and Ihate their beautiful homes. I will give thiscity and everything in it to theirenemies."9If there are ten men left in one house,they will all die.10And when a close relative--one who isresponsible for burning the dead--goesinto the house to carry away a deadbody, he will ask the last survivor, "Isthere anyone else with you?" And theperson will answer, "No!" Then he willsay, "Hush! Don't even whisper thename of the LORD. He might hear you!"11When the LORD gives the command,homes both great and small will besmashed to pieces.12Can horses gallop over rocks? Canoxen be used to plow rocks? Stupideven to ask--but that's how stupid youare when you turn justice into poisonand make bitter the sweet fruit ofrighteousness.13And just as stupid is this braggingabout your conquest of Lo-debar. Youboast, "Didn't we take Karnaim by ourown strength and power?"14"O people of Israel, I am about to bringan enemy nation against you," says theLORD God Almighty. "It will oppress youbitterly throughout your land--from Lebohamathin the north to the Arabah Valleyin the south."

7The Sovereign LORD showed me a

vision. I saw him preparing to send avast swarm of locusts over the land.This was after the king's share had beenharvested from the fields and as themain crop was coming up.2In my vision the locusts ate everythingin sight that was green. Then I said, "OSovereign LORD, please forgive yourpeople! Unless you relent, Israel will notsurvive, for we are only a small nation."3So the LORD relented and did not fulfillthe vision. "I won't do it," he said.

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4Then the Sovereign LORD showed meanother vision. I saw him preparing topunish his people with a great fire. Thefire had burned up the depths of the seaand was devouring the entire land.5Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD,please don't do it. Unless you relent,Israel will not survive, for we are only asmall nation."6Then the LORD turned from this plan,too. "I won't do that either," said theSovereign LORD.7Then he showed me another vision. Isaw the Lord standing beside a wall thathad been built using a plumb line. Hewas checking it with a plumb line to seeif it was straight.8And the LORD said to me, "Amos, whatdo you see?" I answered, "A plumbline." And the Lord replied, "I will test mypeople with this plumb line. I will nolonger ignore all their sins.9The pagan shrines of your ancestorsand the temples of Israel will bedestroyed, and I will bring the dynasty ofKing Jeroboam to a sudden end."10But when Amaziah, the priest of Bethel,heard what Amos was saying, herushed a message to King Jeroboam:"Amos is hatching a plot against youright here on your very doorstep! Whathe is saying is intolerable. It will lead torebellion all across the land.11He is saying, 'Jeroboam will soon bekilled and the people of Israel will besent away into exile.' "12Then Amaziah sent orders to Amos:"Get out of here, you seer! Go on backto the land of Judah and do yourpreaching there!13Don't bother us here in Bethel withyour prophecies, especially not herewhere the royal sanctuary is!"14But Amos replied, "I'm not one of yourprofessional prophets. I certainly nevertrained to be one. I'm just a shepherd,and I take care of fig trees.15But the LORD called me away frommy flock and told me, 'Go and prophesyto my people in Israel.'16"Now then, listen to this message fromthe LORD! You say, 'Don't prophesyagainst Israel. Stop preaching againstmy people. '17But this is what the LORD says:Because you have refused to listen,your wife will become a prostitute in thiscity, and your sons and daughters willbe killed. Your land will be divided up,

and you yourself will die in a foreignland. And the people of Israel willcertainly become captives in exile, farfrom their homeland."

8Then the Sovereign LORD showed

me another vision. In it I saw a basketfilled with ripe fruit.2"What do you see, Amos?" he asked. Ireplied, "A basket full of ripe fruit." Thenthe LORD said, "This fruit represents mypeople of Israel--ripe for punishment! Iwill not delay their punishment again.3In that day the riotous sounds ofsinging in the Temple will turn to wailing.Dead bodies will be scatteredeverywhere. They will be carried out ofthe city in silence. I, the SovereignLORD, have spoken!"4Listen to this, you who rob the poor andtrample the needy!5You can't wait for the Sabbath day tobe over and the religious festivals to endso you can get back to cheating thehelpless. You measure out your grain infalse measures and weigh it out ondishonest scales.6And you mix the wheat you sell withchaff swept from the floor! Then youenslave poor people for a debt of onepiece of silver or a pair of sandals.7Now the LORD has sworn this oath byhis own name, the Pride of Israel : "I willnever forget the wicked things you havedone!8The earth will tremble for your deeds,and everyone will mourn. The land willrise up like the Nile River at floodtime,toss about, and sink again.9At that time," says the Sovereign LORD,"I will make the sun go down at noonand darken the earth while it is still day.10I will turn your celebrations into timesof mourning, and your songs of joy willbe turned to weeping. You will wearfuneral clothes and shave your heads assigns of sorrow, as if your only son haddied. How very bitter that day will be!11"The time is surely coming," says theSovereign LORD, "when I will send afamine on the land--not a famine ofbread or water but of hearing the wordsof the LORD.12People will stagger everywhere fromsea to sea, searching for the word of theLORD, running here and going there,but they will not find it.13Beautiful girls and fine young men willgrow faint and weary, thirsting for the

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LORD's word.14And those who worship and swear bythe idols of Samaria, Dan, andBeersheba will fall down, never to riseagain."

9Then I saw a vision of the Lord

standing beside the altar. He said,"Strike the tops of the Temple columnsso hard that the foundation will shake.Smash the columns so the roof willcrash down on the people below. Thenthose who survive will be slaughtered inbattle. No one will escape!2"Even if they dig down to the place ofthe dead, I will reach down and pullthem up. Even if they climb up into theheavens, I will bring them down.3Even if they hide at the very top ofMount Carmel, I will search them outand capture them. Even if they hide atthe bottom of the ocean, I will send thegreat sea serpent after them to bite anddestroy them.4Even if they are driven into exile, I willcommand the sword to kill them there. Iam determined to bring disaster uponthem and not to help them."5The Lord, the LORD Almighty, touchesthe land and it melts, and all its peoplemourn. The ground rises like the NileRiver at floodtime, and then it sinksagain.6The upper stories of the LORD's homeare in the heavens, while its foundationis on the earth. He draws up water fromthe oceans and pours it down as rain onthe land. The LORD is his name!7"Do you Israelites think you are moreimportant to me than the Ethiopians ?"asks the LORD. "I brought you out ofEgypt, but have I not done as much forother nations, too? I brought thePhilistines from Crete and led theArameans out of Kir.8"I, the Sovereign LORD, am watchingthis sinful nation of Israel, and I willuproot it and scatter its people acrossthe earth. Yet I have promised that I willnever completely destroy the family ofIsrael, " says the LORD.9"For I have commanded that Israel bepersecuted by the other nations as grainis sifted in a sieve, yet not one truekernel will be lost.10But all the sinners will die by thesword--all those who say, 'Nothing badwill happen to us.'11"In that day I will restore the fallen

kingdom of David. It is now like a housein ruins, but I will rebuild its walls andrestore its former glory.12And Israel will possess what is left ofEdom and all the nations I have calledto be mine. I, the LORD, have spoken,and I will do these things.13"The time will come," says the LORD,"when the grain and grapes will growfaster than they can be harvested. Thenthe terraced vineyards on the hills ofIsrael will drip with sweet wine!14I will bring my exiled people of Israelback from distant lands, and they willrebuild their ruined cities and live inthem again. They will plant vineyardsand gardens; they will eat their cropsand drink their wine.15I will firmly plant them there in the landI have given them," says the LORD yourGod. "Then they will never be uprootedagain."