3-5 God’s Message:

“Because of the three great sins of Damascus
    —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She pounded Gilead to a pulp, pounded her senseless
    with iron hammers and mauls.
For that, I’m setting the palace of Hazael on fire.
    I’m torching Ben-hadad’s forts.
I’m going to smash the Damascus gates
    and banish the crime king who lives in Sin Valley,
    the vice boss who gives orders from Paradise Palace.
The people of the land will be sent back
    to where they came from—to Kir.”
        God’s Decree.

6-8 God’s Message:

“Because of the three great sins of Gaza
    —make that four—I’m not putting up with her any longer.
She deported whole towns
    and then sold the people to Edom.
For that, I’m burning down the walls of Gaza,
    burning up all her forts.
I’ll banish the crime king from Ashdod,
    the vice boss from Ashkelon.
I’ll raise my fist against Ekron,
    and what’s left of the Philistines will die.”
        God’s Decree.

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I will break down the gate(A) 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.(B)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(C)
says the Lord.(D)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,(E)
    even for four, I will not relent.(F)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,(G)
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
  2. Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.