Overview
Through a sweeping series of oracles against Moab, Judah, and Israel, Amos declares that no nation — and no privileged people — stands beyond God's reach, as Israel's ingratitude, oppression of the poor, corruption of the consecrated, and liturgy divorced from justice bring upon them a divine judgment before which every human advantage collapses.
Passages
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Amos 2
1Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;
2but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet;
3and I will cut off the judge from among them, and will kill all its princes with him,” says Yahweh.
4Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have rejected Yahweh’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;
5but I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
6Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment, because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals;
7They trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth and deny justice to the oppressed. A man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name.
8They lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge. In the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
11I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn’t this true, you children of Israel?” says Yahweh.
12“But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’
13Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
14Flight will perish from the swift. The strong won’t strengthen his force. The mighty won’t deliver himself.
15He who handles the bow won’t stand. He who is swift of foot won’t escape. He who rides the horse won’t deliver himself.
16He who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says Yahweh.