⁴ So these officials went to the king and said, “Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!”

¹¹ The priests and prophets presented their accusations to the officials and the people. “This man should die!” they said. “You have heard with your own ears what a traitor he is, for he has prophesied against this city.”

²⁰ “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials.

Amos and Amaziah

¹⁰ Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable.

⁹ They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination.^[a]

²⁰ “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.

“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight.

¹⁷ When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”

¹⁸ “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.

⁴ Pharaoh replied, “Moses and Aaron, why are you distracting the people from their tasks? Get back to work!

²² But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”