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Amos 1
New Catholic Bible
Amos 1
New Catholic Bible
The Judgment Is Near
Judgment of the Nations
Chapter 1
Title and Introduction.[a] 1 These are the words of Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa, concerning visions in regard to Israel during the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel, two years prior to the earthquake. 2 He said:
“The Lord roars from Zion,
and his name thunders forth from Jerusalem.
The pastures of the shepherds will wither
and the summit of Carmel will be arid.”
For Three Crimes of Damascus
3 [b]These are the words of the Lord:
For three crimes of Damascus, and for four,
I will not revoke my decree.
Because they threshed Gilead
with threshing-sledges of iron,
4 I will send fire on the house of Hazael,
and it will devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.[c]
5 I will demolish the gate bars of Damascus
and destroy the inhabitants in the Valley of Aven,
as well as the sceptered ruler of Beth-eden;[d]
the people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,
says the Lord.
For Three Crimes of Gaza
6 Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Gaza, and for four,
I will not revoke my decree.
Because they deported entire communities
and sent them in exile to Edom,
7 I will send fire down on the walls of Gaza
to devour its palaces.
8 I will destroy the inhabitants of Ashdod
and the sceptered ruler at Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,
says the Lord God.
For Three Crimes of Tyre
9 Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Tyre, and for four,
I will not revoke my decree.
Because they delivered entire communities to slavery in Edom
and ignored the covenant of brotherhood,
10 I will send fire down on the walls of Tyre
to devour its palaces.
For Three Crimes of Edom
11 Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of Edom, and for four,
I will not revoke my decree.
Because he pursued his brother with the sword
and stifled any semblance of pity,
because he was unceasing in his anger
and constantly nurtured his wrath,
12 I will send down fire on Teman
to devour the palaces of Bozrah.
For Three Crimes of Ammon
13 Thus says the Lord:
For three crimes of the Ammonites, and for four,
I will not revoke my decree.
Because they ripped open the pregnant women in Gilead
in their determination to enlarge their territory,
14 I will send down fire upon the walls of Rabbah[e]
to devour its palaces
amid war cries on the day of battle
and violent storms on the day of the whirlwind.
15 Then their king will go into exile,
accompanied by his chief advisors,
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Amos 1:1 Amos’s message comes in the middle of a peaceful century, the eighth century B.C. According to the editor, the message applies to the whole Israelite people; this is why he mentions the king of the south (Uzziah: 781–740 B.C.) as well as the king of the north (Jeroboam II: 783–743 B.C.). We have no other information regarding the time of the great earthquake, which must have shaken Amos’s contemporaries, since they would have seen it as fulfilling the prophet’s threats.
- Amos 1:3 In the course of liturgical celebrations, the prophets often cursed the enemies of Israel. In the curses uttered by Amos, God judges the peoples, not on the basis of Israel’s interests, but in the name of a morality that obliges all human groups. Amos’s ethical sense is exemplary.
- Amos 1:4 Hazael . . . Ben-hadad: Kings of Damascus (see 2 Ki 8:7-15; 13:3).
- Amos 1:5 Beth-eden: “Valley of delights,” a sarcastic name for Damascus. Kir: the place of origin of the Arameans (see Amos 9:7).
- Amos 1:14 Rabbah: capital of the Ammonites.
Amos 1
New International Version
Amos 1
New International Version
1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)
2 He said:
“The Lord roars(F) from Zion
and thunders(G) from Jerusalem;(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
and the top of Carmel(I) withers.”(J)
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors
3 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Damascus,(K)
even for four, I will not relent.(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,
4 I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
5 I will break down the gate(Q) of Damascus;
I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(R)
The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(S)”
says the Lord.(T)
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Gaza,(U)
even for four, I will not relent.(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
and sold them to Edom,(W)
7 I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
that will consume her fortresses.
8 I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(X)
and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(Y) against Ekron,
till the last of the Philistines(Z) are dead,”(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.(AB)
9 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Tyre,(AC)
even for four, I will not relent.(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
that will consume her fortresses.(AF)”
11 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Edom,(AG)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(AH)
and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
and his fury flamed unchecked,(AI)
12 I will send fire on Teman(AJ)
that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(AK)”
13 This is what the Lord says:
“For three sins of Ammon,(AL)
even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(AM) of Gilead
in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(AN)
that will consume(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries(AP) on the day of battle,
amid violent winds(AQ) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
he and his officials together,(AR)”
says the Lord.(AS)
New International Version (NIV) 
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