Amos 1:3-5
Contemporary English Version
Judgment on Syria
3 (A) The Lord said:
I will punish Syria[a]
for countless crimes,
and I won't change my mind.
They dragged logs with spikes[b]
over the people of Gilead.
4 Now I will burn down the palaces
and fortresses of King Hazael
and of King Benhadad.[c]
5 I will break through
the gates of Damascus.
I will destroy the people[d]
of Wicked Valley[e]
and the ruler of Beth-Eden.[f]
Then the Syrians will be dragged
as prisoners to Kir.[g]
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Footnotes
- 1.3 Syria: The Hebrew text has “Damascus,” the leading city of Syria.
- 1.3 logs with spikes: These were dragged over grain to thresh it.
- 1.4 Hazael … Benhadad: Two Syrian kings.
- 1.5 people: Or “king.”
- 1.5 Wicked Valley: The Hebrew text has “Aven Valley,” probably the fertile valley between the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon mountains.
- 1.5 I will … Beth-Eden: Or “I will destroy the people of Wicked Valley and the king who rules from Beth-Eden.” Beth-Eden was a city-state on the banks of the Euphrates River.
- 1.5 Kir: The exact location of this country is not known; in 9.7 Amos refers to Kir as the original home of the Syrians, and so the verse probably means that the Syrians will lose everything they have gained as a people.
Amos 1:3-5
New International Version
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Damascus,(A)
even for four, I will not relent.(B)
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire(C) on the house of Hazael(D)
that will consume the fortresses(E) of Ben-Hadad.(F)
5 I will break down the gate(G) of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in[a] the Valley of Aven[b]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(H)
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(I)”
says the Lord.(J)
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