Amos 1-3
New Living Translation
1 This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash,[a] was king of Israel.
2 This is what he saw and heard:
“The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem!
The lush pastures of the shepherds will dry up;
the grass on Mount Carmel will wither and die.”
God’s Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Damascus have sinned again and again,[b]
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They beat down my people in Gilead
as grain is threshed with iron sledges.
4 So I will send down fire on King Hazael’s palace,
and the fortresses of King Ben-hadad will be destroyed.
5 I will break down the gates of Damascus
and slaughter the people in the valley of Aven.
I will destroy the ruler in Beth-eden,
and the people of Aram will go as captives to Kir,”
says the Lord.
6 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Gaza have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sent whole villages into exile,
selling them as slaves to Edom.
7 So I will send down fire on the walls of Gaza,
and all its fortresses will be destroyed.
8 I will slaughter the people of Ashdod
and destroy the king of Ashkelon.
Then I will turn to attack Ekron,
and the few Philistines still left will be killed,”
says the Sovereign Lord.
9 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Tyre have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They broke their treaty of brotherhood with Israel,
selling whole villages as slaves to Edom.
10 So I will send down fire on the walls of Tyre,
and all its fortresses will be destroyed.”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Edom have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They chased down their relatives, the Israelites, with swords,
showing them no mercy.
In their rage, they slashed them continually
and were unrelenting in their anger.
12 So I will send down fire on Teman,
and the fortresses of Bozrah will be destroyed.”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Ammon have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders,
they ripped open pregnant women with their swords.
14 So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah,
and all its fortresses will be destroyed.
The battle will come upon them with shouts,
like a whirlwind in a mighty storm.
15 And their king[c] and his princes will go into exile together,”
says the Lord.
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Moab have sinned again and again,[d]
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They desecrated the bones of Edom’s king,
burning them to ashes.
2 So I will send down fire on the land of Moab,
and all the fortresses in Kerioth will be destroyed.
The people will fall in the noise of battle,
as the warriors shout and the ram’s horn sounds.
3 And I will destroy their king
and slaughter all their princes,”
says the Lord.
God’s Judgment on Judah and Israel
4 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Judah have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They have rejected the instruction of the Lord,
refusing to obey his decrees.
They have been led astray by the same lies
that deceived their ancestors.
5 So I will send down fire on Judah,
and all the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.”
6 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Israel have sinned again and again,
and I will not let them go unpunished!
They sell honorable people for silver
and poor people for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample helpless people in the dust
and shove the oppressed out of the way.
Both father and son sleep with the same woman,
corrupting my holy name.
8 At their religious festivals,
they lounge in clothing their debtors put up as security.
In the house of their gods,[e]
they drink wine bought with unjust fines.
9 “But as my people watched,
I destroyed the Amorites,
though they were as tall as cedars
and as strong as oaks.
I destroyed the fruit on their branches
and dug out their roots.
10 It was I who rescued you from Egypt
and led you through the desert for forty years,
so you could possess the land of the Amorites.
11 I chose some of your sons to be prophets
and others to be Nazirites.
Can you deny this, my people of Israel?”
asks the Lord.
12 “But you caused the Nazirites to sin by making them drink wine,
and you commanded the prophets, ‘Shut up!’
13 “So I will make you groan
like a wagon loaded down with sheaves of grain.
14 Your fastest runners will not get away.
The strongest among you will become weak.
Even mighty warriors will be unable to save themselves.
15 The archers will not stand their ground.
The swiftest runners won’t be fast enough to escape.
Even those riding horses won’t be able to save themselves.
16 On that day the most courageous of your fighting men
will drop their weapons and run for their lives,”
says the Lord.
3 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt:
2 “From among all the families on the earth,
I have been intimate with you alone.
That is why I must punish you
for all your sins.”
Witnesses against Guilty Israel
3 Can two people walk together
without agreeing on the direction?
4 Does a lion ever roar in a thicket
without first finding a victim?
Does a young lion growl in its den
without first catching its prey?
5 Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
when there’s nothing to catch?
6 When the ram’s horn blows a warning,
shouldn’t the people be alarmed?
Does disaster come to a city
unless the Lord has planned it?
7 Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything
until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared—
so who isn’t frightened?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
9 Announce this to the leaders of Philistia[f]
and to the great ones of Egypt:
“Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria,
and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.”
10 “My people have forgotten how to do right,”
says the Lord.
“Their fortresses are filled with wealth
taken by theft and violence.
11 Therefore,” says the Sovereign Lord,
“an enemy is coming!
He will surround them and shatter their defenses.
Then he will plunder all their fortresses.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion’s mouth
will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear.
So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds,
and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches.[g]
13 “Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel,[h]” says the Lord, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
14 “On the very day I punish Israel for its sins,
I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel.
The horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy—
their winter mansions and their summer houses, too—
all their palaces filled with ivory,”
says the Lord.
Notas al pie
- 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant spelling of Jehoash.
- 1:3 Hebrew have committed three sins, even four; also in 1:6, 9, 11, 13.
- 1:15 Hebrew malcam, possibly referring to their god Molech.
- 2:1 Hebrew have committed three sins, even four; also in 2:4, 6.
- 2:8 Or their God.
- 3:9 Hebrew Ashdod.
- 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew in this sentence is uncertain.
- 3:13 Hebrew the house of Jacob. The names “Jacob” and “Israel” are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament, referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes to the nation.
Amos 1-3
English Standard Version
1 The words of Amos, who was among the (A)shepherds[a] of (B)Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel (C)in the days of (D)Uzziah king of Judah and in the days of (E)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years[b] before (F)the earthquake.
Judgment on Israel's Neighbors
2 And he said:
(G)“The Lord roars from Zion
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
(H)the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the (I)top of (J)Carmel withers.”
3 Thus says the Lord:
(K)“For three transgressions of (L)Damascus,
and for four, (M)I will not revoke the punishment,[c]
because they have threshed (N)Gilead
with threshing sledges of iron.
4 (O)So I will send a fire upon the house of (P)Hazael,
and it shall devour the strongholds of (Q)Ben-hadad.
5 I will (R)break the gate-bar of (S)Damascus,
and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of (T)Aven,[d]
and him who holds the scepter from (U)Beth-eden;
and the people of (V)Syria shall go into exile to (W)Kir,”
says the Lord.
6 Thus says the Lord:
(X)“For three transgressions of (Y)Gaza,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (Z)they carried into exile a whole people
to deliver them up to Edom.
7 So I will send a fire upon the wall of (AA)Gaza,
and it shall devour her strongholds.
8 I will cut off the inhabitants from (AB)Ashdod,
and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
says the Lord God.
9 Thus says the Lord:
(AC)“For three transgressions of (AD)Tyre,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered up a whole people to Edom,
and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 So I will send a fire upon the wall of (AE)Tyre,
and it shall devour her strongholds.”
11 Thus says the Lord:
(AF)“For three transgressions of (AG)Edom,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
(AH)because he pursued his brother with the sword
(AI)and cast off all pity,
(AJ)and his anger tore perpetually,
(AK)and he kept his wrath forever.
12 So I will send a fire upon (AL)Teman,
and it shall devour the strongholds of (AM)Bozrah.”
13 Thus says the Lord:
(AN)“For three transgressions of the (AO)Ammonites,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (AP)they have ripped open pregnant women in (AQ)Gilead,
that they might enlarge their border.
14 So I will kindle a fire in the wall of (AR)Rabbah,
(AS)and it shall devour her strongholds,
with shouting on the day of battle,
(AT)with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and (AU)their king shall go into exile,
he and his princes[e] together,”
says the Lord.
2 Thus says the Lord:
(AV)“For three transgressions of (AW)Moab,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,[f]
because (AX)he burned to lime
the bones of the king of Edom.
2 So I will send a fire upon Moab,
and it shall devour the strongholds of (AY)Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3 (AZ)I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
and will kill (BA)all its princes[g] with him,”
says the Lord.
Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:
(BB)“For three transgressions of Judah,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (BC)they have rejected the law of the Lord,
and have not kept his statutes,
but (BD)their lies have led them astray,
those after which their fathers walked.
5 So (BE)I will send a fire upon Judah,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
(BF)“For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because (BG)they sell the righteous for (BH)silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7 those who trample the head of the poor (BI)into the dust of the earth
and (BJ)turn aside the way of the afflicted;
(BK)a man and his father go in to the same girl,
so that my holy name is profaned;
8 they lay themselves down beside every altar
on garments (BL)taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet (BM)it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
(BN)whose height was like the height of the cedars
and who was as strong as the oaks;
(BO)I destroyed his fruit above
and his roots beneath.
10 (BP)Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
(BQ)and led you forty years in the wilderness,
(BR)to possess the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
and some of your young men for (BS)Nazirites.
Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites (BT)drink wine,
and commanded the prophets,
saying, (BU)‘You shall not prophesy.’
13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 (BV)Flight shall perish from the swift,
(BW)and the strong shall not retain his strength,
(BX)nor shall the mighty save his life;
15 he who handles the bow shall not stand,
and he who is (BY)swift of foot shall not save himself,
(BZ)nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.
Israel's Guilt and Punishment
3 (CA)Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
2 (CB)“You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
(CC)therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.
3 “Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
5 Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when it has taken nothing?
6 (CD)Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
(CE)Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?
7 “For the Lord God does nothing
(CF)without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
(CG)The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”
9 Proclaim to the strongholds in (CH)Ashdod
and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on (CI)the mountains of Samaria,
and see the great tumults within her,
and (CJ)the oppressed in her midst.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
(CK)“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
(CL)“An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down[h] your defenses from you,
and (CM)your strongholds shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the Lord: (CN)“As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, (CO)so shall the people of Israel (CP)who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part[i] of a bed.
13 “Hear, (CQ)and testify against the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord God, (CR)the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
(CS)I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and (CT)the horns of the altar shall be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 (CU)I will strike (CV)the winter house along with (CW)the summer house,
and (CX)the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses[j] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.
Notas al pie
- Amos 1:1 Or sheep breeders
- Amos 1:1 Or during two years
- Amos 1:3 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 6, 9, 11, 13
- Amos 1:5 Or On
- Amos 1:15 Or officials
- Amos 2:1 Hebrew I will not turn it back; also verses 4, 6
- Amos 2:3 Or officials
- Amos 3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down
- Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Amos 3:15 Or and many houses
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
