Condemning Neighboring Nations, Judah, and Israel

Amos 1–2 (selections)

Biblical Period

Chapter 1

1The words of Amos, a sheepbreeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Israel in the reigns of Kings Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

2He proclaimed:

The Lord roars from Zion,
Shouts aloud from Jerusalem;
And the pastures of the shepherds shall languish,
And the summit of Carmel shall wither. [ . . . ]
6Thus said the Lord:
For three transgressions of Gaza,
For four, I will not revoke it:
Because they exileda an entire population,
Which they delivered to Edom.
7I will send down fire upon the wall of Gaza,
And it shall devour its fortresses;
8And I will wipe out the inhabitants of Ashdod
And the sceptered ruler of Ashkelon;
And I will turn My hand against Ekron,
And the Philistines shall perish to the last man
—said the Lord God. [ . . . ]
13Thus said the Lord:
For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
For four, I will not revoke it:
Because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
In order to enlarge their own territory.
14I will set fire to the wall of Rabbah,
And it shall devour its fortresses,
Amid shouting on a day of battle,
On a day of violent tempest.
15Their king and his officers shall go
Into exile together
—said the Lord.

Chapter 2

1Thus said the Lord:
For three transgressions of Moab,
For four, I will not revoke it:
Because he burned the bones
Of the king of Edom to lime.
2I will send down fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the fortresses of Kerioth.
And Moab shall die in tumult,
Amid shouting and the blare of horns;
3I will wipe out the ruler from within her
And slay all her officials along with him
—said the Lord.
4Thus said the Lord:
For three transgressions of Judah,
For four, I will not revoke it:
Because they have spurned the Teaching of the Lord
And have not observed His laws;
They are beguiled by the delusions
After which their fathers walked.
5I will send down fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the fortresses of Jerusalem.
6Thus said the Lord:
For three transgressions of Israel,
For four, I will not revoke it:
Because they have sold for silver
Those whose cause was just,
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7[Ah,] you who trample the heads of the poor
Into the dust of the ground,
And make the humble walk a twisted course!
Father and son go to the same girl,
And thereby profane My holy name.
8They recline by every altar
On garments taken in pledge,
And drink in the House of their God
Wine bought with fines they imposed.
9Yet I
Destroyed the Amorite before them,
Whose stature was like the cedar’s
And who was stout as the oak,
Destroying his boughs above
And his trunk below!
10And I
Brought you up from the land of Egypt
And led you through the wilderness forty years,
To possess the land of the Amorite!
11And I raised up prophets from among your sons
And nazirites from among your young men.
Is that not so, O people of Israel?
—says the Lord.
12But you made the nazirites drink wine
And ordered the prophets not to prophesy.
13Ah, I will slow your movements
As a wagon is slowed
When it is full of cut grain.
14Flight shall fail the swift,
The strong shall find no strength,
And the warrior shall not save his life.
15The bowman shall not hold his ground,
And the fleet-footed shall not escape,
Nor the horseman save his life.
16Even the most stouthearted warrior
Shall run away unarmed that day
—declares the Lord.

Notes

I.e., they cooperated in the annexation of Israelite territory.

Credits

Reprinted from Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures by permission of the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 1985 by the Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.

Engage with this Source

Related Guide

Amos and the Primacy of Jerusalem

The eighth-century BCE prophet Amos was active primarily in the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

You may also like

Di yugend Editorial Statement

With this number, Di yugend passes into new hands—the hands of its writers. It is no secret that Yiddish writers, especially young Yiddish writers—and most of the contributors to this monthly journal…
View Source