Amos 1-4
Expanded Bible
1 These are the words of Amos, one of the shepherds from the town of Tekoa [C a small town in the highlands of Judah, ten miles south of Jerusalem]. ·He saw this vision about [L …which he saw concerning] Israel two years before the earthquake [Zech. 14:5]. ·It was at the time […L in the days when] Uzziah was king of Judah [C ruled 769–733 bc] and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel [C ruled 800–784 bc].
2 Amos said,
“The Lord will roar [Joel 3:16] from ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
he ·will send his voice [or thunders; bellows; L gives his voice] from Jerusalem.
The pastures of the shepherds will ·become dry [or mourn],
and even the top of Mount Carmel [9:3] will ·dry up [wither].”
Israel’s Neighbors Are Punished
The People of Aram
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Damascus,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
They ·drove over [beat down; L threshed] the people of Gilead
with threshing boards ·that had iron teeth [L of iron].
4 So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael [C the royal dynasty of Syria (Aram), founded by Hazael (842–796 bc); 2 Kin. 8:7–15]
that will destroy the strong towers of Ben-Hadad [C either Hazael’s predecessor (whom he assassinated), or Hazael’s son, who took the same name].
5 I will break down the bar of the gate to Damascus [C the huge beam used to lock the gate]
and destroy the ·king who is in [or the inhabitants of; L the one who sits/dwells in] the Valley of ·Aven [or Wickedness; Hos. 4:15],
as well as the ·leader [L one who holds the scepter] of Beth Eden [C either Bit Adini, a city-state near the Euphrates, or a mocking name for Damascus, meaning “city of delight”].
The people of ·Aram [Syria] will be taken captive to the country of Kir [C where the Syrians originated (9:7); ironically, they would return there as captives; 2 Kin. 16:9],” says the Lord.
The People of Philistia
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; v. 3] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Gaza,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
They sold ·all the people of one area [whole communities]
·as slaves [into captivity] to Edom.
7 So I will send a fire on the walls of Gaza
that will ·destroy [devour; consume] the city’s ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces].
8 I will destroy the ·king [or inhabitants; L the one who sits; v. 5] of the city of Ashdod,
as well as the ·leader [L one who holds the scepter] of Ashkelon.
Then I will turn [L my hand] against ·the people of the city of Ekron [L Ekron],
and the ·last [rest; remnant] of the Philistines will ·die [perish],” says the Lord God.
The People of Phoenicia
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; vv. 3, 6] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Tyre,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
They sold ·all the people of one area [whole communities]
·as slaves to Edom [into captivity],
and they forgot the ·agreement among relatives they had made with Israel [L covenant/treaty of brotherhood].
10 So I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will ·destroy [devour; consume] the city’s ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces].”
The People of Edom
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; vv. 3, 6, 9] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Edom,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
·They hunted down their relatives, the Israelites, [L He pursued his brother; C Esau (Edom) was the brother of Jacob/Israel and so the Israelites were related to the Edomites] with the sword,
·showing them no mercy [or wiping out their allies; or destroying their women].
·They were angry all the time [His anger raged unceasingly]
and ·kept on being very angry [L he preserved his wrath forever].
12 So I will send fire on the city of Teman
that will even ·destroy [consume; devour] the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of Bozrah [C the whole country; Teman was in northern Edom and Bozrah in the south].”
The People of Ammon
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; vv. 3, 6, 9, 11] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Ammon,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
They ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead
·so they could take over that land
and make their own country larger [L to enlarge their borders].
14 So I will send fire on the city wall of Rabbah
that will ·destroy [consume; devour] its ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces].
·It will come during [L Amid shouting/war cries on] a day of battle,
during a stormy day with ·strong winds [a whirlwind].
15 Then their king will be taken ·captive [into exile];
he and his ·leaders [officials; princes] will all be taken away together,” says the Lord.
The People of Moab
2 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Moab,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
They burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime [C desecrating a tomb was a serious offense in the ancient Near East].
2 So I will send fire on Moab
that will ·destroy [consume; devour] the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of the city of Kerioth.
·The people of Moab [L Moab] will die in a great ·noise [uproar; tumult],
in the middle of ·the sounds of war [shouting; war cries] and trumpets.
3 So I will ·bring an end to [destroy; L cut off] the king of Moab,
and I will kill all its ·leaders [officials; princes] with him,” says the Lord.
The People of Judah
4 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; 2:1] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Judah,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
They rejected the ·teachings [law; L Torah] of the Lord
and did not ·keep [guard] his ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements];
they ·followed the same gods [or have been led astray by the same lies]
as their ·ancestors [fathers] had followed.
5 So I will send fire on Judah,
and it will ·destroy [consume; devour] the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of Jerusalem.”
Israel Is Punished
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For ·the many [L three, even four; 2:1] ·crimes [sins; transgressions] of Israel,
I will ·punish them [L not turn back/grant a reprieve].
For silver, they sell ·people who have done nothing wrong [the innocent/righteous];
they sell the ·poor [needy] to buy a pair of sandals.
7 They ·walk [trample] on ·poor people [L the heads of the poor] as if they were ·dirt [L the dust of the ground/earth],
and they ·refuse to be fair to [deny justice to; or push away] those who are ·suffering [afflicted].
Fathers and sons ·have sexual relations with [L go in to] the same woman,
and so they ·ruin [defile; profane] my holy name.
8 ·As they worship at their altars [L Beside every altar],
they lie down on clothes taken ·from the poor [L in pledge; C as collateral for a debt; Deut. 24:12–13].
They fine people,
and with that money they buy wine to drink in the house of their god.
9 “But it was I who destroyed the Amorites before them,
who were tall like cedar trees and as strong as oaks—
I destroyed ·them completely [L their fruit above and roots below].
10 It was I who brought you from the land of Egypt
and led you for forty years through the ·desert [wilderness]
·so I could give you [L to possess] the land of the Amorites.
11 I made some of your children to be prophets
and some of your young people to be Nazirites [Num. 6:2].
·People [L Sons/T Children] of Israel, isn’t this true?” says the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine [C violating their vows; Num. 6:3]
and ·told [commanded] the prophets not to prophesy.
13 Now I ·will make you get stuck [or will crush/press you down; or am burdened by you],
as a wagon loaded with grain ·gets stuck [or is weighed/pressed down].
14 No one will ·escape [find refuge], not even the fastest runner.
Strong people will not be strong enough;
warriors will not be able to save themselves.
15 Soldiers with bows and arrows will not ·stand and fight [hold their ground],
and even fast runners will not get away;
soldiers on horses will not escape alive.
16 At that time even the bravest warriors
will run away ·without their armor [L naked],” says the Lord.
Warning to Israel
3 Listen to this word that the Lord has spoken against you, ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel, against the whole family he brought out of Egypt.
2 “I have ·chosen [known; C selected for a special relationship] only you
out of all the families of the earth,
so I will punish you
for all your sins.”
3 ·Two people will not [L Can two…?] walk together
unless they have agreed ·to do so [or to meet; or on the direction].
4 ·A lion in the forest does not [L Does a lion in the forest…?] roar
unless it has caught ·an animal [L its prey];
·it does not [L does a young lion…?] growl in its den
when it has caught nothing.
5 ·A bird will not [L Does a bird…?] fall into a trap
where there is no bait;
·the trap will not [L does the trap…?] spring shut
if there is nothing to catch.
6 When a trumpet ·blows a warning [L sounds] in a city,
[L do not…?] the people tremble.
When ·trouble [disaster] comes to a city,
·the Lord has [L has not the Lord…?] caused it.
7 Before the Lord God does anything,
he tells his plans to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared [C a symbol of coming judgment]!
Who wouldn’t be afraid?
The Lord God has spoken.
Who will not prophesy?
9 Announce this to the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of Ashdod [C a city in Philistia]
and to the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of Egypt:
“·Come to [Assemble yourselves on] the mountains of Samaria,
where you will see great ·confusion [chaos; tumult]
and ·people hurting others [oppression in her midst].”
10 “The people don’t know how to do what is right,” says the Lord.
“Their ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] are filled with ·treasures they took by force from others [the spoils of violence and robbery].”
11 So this is what the Lord God says:
“An enemy will ·take over [overrun; or encircle] the land
and pull down your strongholds;
he will ·take the treasures out of [plunder] your ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces].”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“A shepherd might save from a lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a scrap of an ear of his sheep.
In the same way only a few Israelites in Samaria will be saved—
·people who now sit on their beds
and on their couches [or only a corner of a bed or a part of a couch will be saved].”
13 “Listen and ·be witnesses [testify] against the family of Jacob [C Israel],” says the Lord God, the God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
14 “·When [L On the day] I punish Israel for their sins,
I will also destroy the altars at Bethel [C an important worship center in Israel; 1 Kin. 12:25–33].
The ·corners [L horns] of the altar will be cut off,
and they will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house,
together with the summer house.
The houses ·decorated with [or filled with; L of] ivory will be destroyed,
and the great houses will ·come to an end [or be swept away],” says the Lord.
Israel Will Not Return
4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan on the Mountain of Samaria [C mocking the wealthy women of Samaria].
You ·take things from [oppress] the poor
and crush people who are in need.
Then you command your husbands,
“Bring us something to drink!”
2 The Lord God has ·promised [sworn] this:
“Just as surely as I am a holy God,
the time will come
when you will be taken away ·by hooks [or in baskets],
and what is left of you with fishhooks.
3 You will go straight out of the city
through ·holes [breaches] in the walls,
and you will be thrown ·on the garbage dump [on the dung heap; or out toward Harmon],” says the Lord.
4 “Come to the city of Bethel and ·sin [rebel; transgress];
come to Gilgal and ·sin [rebel; transgress] even more [C Bethel and Gilgal were important worship centers in Israel].
Offer your sacrifices every morning,
and bring ·one-tenth of your crops [your tithes] every three days.
5 Offer bread made with yeast as a sacrifice to show your thanks,
and ·brag about [publicly announce] the ·special [voluntary; freewill] offerings you bring,
because this is what you love to do, ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel],” says the Lord God.
6 “I ·did not give you any food [L gave you cleanness of teeth; C an idiom meaning “empty stomachs” and indicating starvation] in your cities,
and there was not enough to eat in any of your towns,
but you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
7 “I held back the rain from you
three months before harvest time.
Then I let it rain on one city
but not on another.
Rain fell on one field,
but another field got none and dried up.
8 ·People weak from thirst went from town to town [L Two or three cities wandered to one] for water,
but they could not get enough to drink.
Still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
9 “I ·made your crops die from [L struck you with] ·disease [blight] and mildew.
When your gardens and your vineyards got larger,
locusts ·ate [devoured] your fig and olive trees.
But still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
10 “I sent ·disasters [a plague/pestilence] against you,
as I did to Egypt.
I killed your young men with swords,
and your horses were taken from you.
I made ·you smell the stink from all the dead bodies [L the stench of your camp rise into your nostrils],
but still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
11 “I ·destroyed [overthrew] some of you
as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen. 19].
You were like a burning stick pulled from a fire,
but still you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
12 “So this is what I will do to you, Israel;
because I will do this to you,
get ready to meet your God, Israel.”
13 [L For look/T behold] He is the one who ·makes [forms] the mountains
and creates the wind
and makes his thoughts known to people.
He changes the dawn into darkness
and ·walks [treads; marches] ·over the mountains [on the heights] of the earth.
His name is the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
