
{1}1{/}

{I}1_{/}These are the 
words of Amos, one of the 
sheep-breeders of Tekoa, 
and the visions which he 
saw concerning Israel 
during the reign of 
Uzziah, King of Judah and 
Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, 
King of Israel, two years 
before the earthquake. 
{I}2_{/}He said,
"Yahweh roars from Zion,
his voice thunders from 
Jerusalem.
The pastures of the 
shepherds are scorched
and the choicest farmland 
is dried up."
{I}3_{/}Yahweh says this, 
"Because Damascus has 
sinned, not once but 
three times and even 
more, I will not relent. 
Because they have 
threshed Gilead with 
threshing sledges of 
iron, {I}4_{/}I will send 
fire upon the people of 
Hazael that shall devour 
the strongholds of 
Benhadad. I will cut off 
the ruler from the Valley 
of Aven and him who holds 
the scepter from 
Betheden. {I}5_{/}I shall 
break the protective 
crossbar of Damascus."
CONDEMNATION OF SEVERAL 
NATIONS{/}

{I}6_{/}Yahweh says this, 
"Because Gaza has sinned, 
not once but three times 
and even more, I will not 
relent. Because they 
carried a whole people 
into captivity to deliver 
them over to Edom, 
{I}7_{/}I will send fire 
upon the wall of Gaza and 
it will devour her 
strongholds. {I}8_{/}I 
will cut off the ruler 
from Ashdod, and him that 
holds the scepter from 
Ashkelon; I will turn my 
hand against Ekron and 
the remnant of the 
Philistines will perish," 
says Yahweh.
{I}9_{/}Yahweh says this, 
"Because Tyre has sinned, 
not once but three times 
and even more, I will not 
relent. Because they 
delivered over to Edom a 
whole people and did not 
remember the covenant of 
brotherhood, {I}10_{/}I 
will send fire upon the 
walls of Tyre and it 
shall devour her 
palaces."
{I}11_{/}Yahweh says 
this, "Because Edom has 
sinned, not once but 
three times and even 
more, I will not relent. 
Because he pursued his 
brother with the sword 
and cast off all pity, 
because his anger rages 
forever and his wrath is 
always wild, {I}12_{/}I 
will send fire upon Teman 
and it shall devour the 
strongholds of Bozrah."
{I}13_{/}Yahweh says 
this, "Because the 
Amonites have sinned, not 
once but three times and 
even more, I will not 
relent. Because they have 
ripped open pregnant 
women in Gilead, that 
they might enlarge their 
border, {I}14_{/}I will 
set fire to the walls of 
Rabbah and it shall 
devour her strongholds. 
Then there will be war 
cry and battle; then 
storm winds will blow. 
{I}15_{/}Their king will 
go into exile, he and his 
princes with him," says 
Yahweh.
{1}2{/}

{I}1_{/}Yahweh says this, 
"Because Moab has sinned, 
not once but three times 
and even more, I will not 
relent. Because they 
burned to a cinder the 
bones of the king of 
Edom, {I}2_{/}I will send 
fire on Moab and it shall 
be destroyed in the midst 
of the tumult, with war 
cries and the blast of 
the trumpet. {I}3_{/}I 
will do away with their 
ruler and all the princes 
with him," says Yahweh.
{I}4_{/}Yahweh says this, 
"Because Judah has 
sinned, not once but 
three times and even 
more, I will not relent. 
Because they rejected the 
law of Yahweh and did not 
keep his statutes, but 
have been led astray by 
the falsehood after which 
their fathers walked, 
{I}5_{/}I will send fire 
upon Judah and it will 
devour the fortresses of 
Jerusalem."
JUDGMENT ON ISRAEL{/}

{I}6_{/}Yahweh says this, 
"Because Israel has 
sinned, not once but 
three times and even 
more, I will not relent. 
They sell the just for 
money and the needy for a 
pair of sandals;  
{I}7_{/}they tread on the 
head of the poor and 
trample them upon the 
dust of the earth, while 
they silence the right of 
the afflicted; a man and 
his father go to the same 
woman to profane my holy 
name; {I}8_{/}they 
stretch out upon garments 
taken in pledge, beside 
every altar; they take 
the wine of those they 
swindle and are drunk in 
the house of their God.
{I}9_{/}It was I who 
destroyed the Amorites 
before them, whose height 
was like the height of 
the cedar, a people as 
sturdy as an oak. I 
destroyed their fruit 
above and their roots 
below.
{I}10_{/}It was I who 
brought you up from the 
land of Egypt and led you 
forty years in the 
wilderness to take 
possession of the land of 
the Amorites.
{I}11_{/}It was I who 
raised up prophets among 
your sons, and Nazirites 
among your young men. Is 
this not so, people of 
Israel?" says Yahweh. 
{I}12_{/}"But you gave 
the Nazirites wine to 
drink and commanded the 
prophets not to prophesy.
{I}13_{/}Behold, I will 
crush you to the ground, 
as a cart does when it is 
full of sheaves. 
{I}14_{/}The swift shall 
be unable to flee and the 
strong man shall lose his 
strength. The warrior 
shall not save himself 
nor the bowman stand his 
ground. {I}15_{/}The 
swift of foot shall not 
escape nor the horseman 
save himself. 
{I}16_{/}Even the most 
stout-hearted among the 
warriors shall flee away 
naked on that day," says 
Yahweh.
PUNISHMENT IS NEAR{/}

{1}3{/}

{I}1_{/}Hear this word 
which Yahweh speaks 
against you, people of 
Israel, against the whole 
family which he brought 
up from the land of 
Egypt.
{I}2_{/}"Only you have I 
known of all the families 
of the earth; therefore I 
will call you to account 
for all your 
wrongdoings."
{I}3_{/}Do two walk 
together unless they have 
agreed?
{I}4_{/}Does a lion roar 
in the forest when it has 
no prey? Does a young 
lion growl in its den 
unless it has seized 
something?
{I}5_{/}Does a bird get 
caught in a snare if the 
snare has not been 
baited?
Does a tiger spring up 
from the ground unless it 
has caught something?
{I}6_{/}If a trumpet 
sounds in a city, will 
the people not be 
frightened?
If disaster strikes a 
city, has not Yahweh 
caused it? {I}7_{/}Yet 
Yahweh does nothing 
without revealing his 
plan to his servants, the 
prophets. {I}8_{/}If the 
lion roars, who will not 
be afraid? If Yahweh 
speaks, who will not 
prophesy?
{I}9_{/}Call on the 
people living in the 
palaces of Ashur and in 
the palaces of Egypt, 
"Come together against 
the hill of Samaria and 
see the many scandals and 
the oppression that is 
there."
{I}10_{/}"These people do 
not know how to do what 
is right, says Yahweh, 
storing in strongholds 
what they have taken 
through violence and 
extortion. 
{I}11_{/}Therefore this 
is the word of Yahweh, 
"The enemy shall surround 
the land; your strength 
shall be broken down and 
your strongholds 
plundered."
{I}12_{/}Yahweh says 
this, "As the shepherd 
rescues from the mouth of 
the lion a pair of legs 
or the tip of an ear, so 
shall some of you be 
saved, O Israelites of 
Samaria who loll on 
comfortable couches and 
rest on pillows of 
Damascus."
{I}13_{/}"Hear and accuse 
the nation of Jacob," 
says Yahweh, God of 
hosts, {I}14_{/}"On the 
day that I call Israel to 
account for his crimes, I 
will punish as well the 
altars of Bethel. The 
horns of the altar will 
be broken off and fall to 
the ground. {I}15_{/}Then 
I will strike the winter 
house and the summer 
house. The palaces of 
ivory shall be ruined, 
and the great house 
destroyed."
{1}4{/}

{I}1_{/}Listen to this 
word, you cows of Bashan, 
you women who live on the 
hills of Samaria, who 
oppress the weak and 
abuse the needy, who 
order your husbands, 
"Bring us something to 
drink quickly!"
{I}2_{/}Yahweh has sworn 
by his holiness, "The 
time is coming upon you 
when you will be dragged 
away with hooks, even the 
last of you with 
fishhooks. 
{I}3_{/}Through the 
breaks in the wall you 
will go out, straight 
ahead, driven out all the 
way to Hermon." It is 
Yahweh who speaks.
PREPARE TO MEET YOUR 
GOD{/}

{I}4_{/}"Come, sinners, 
to the Sanctuary in 
Bethel, go down to Gilgal 
and sin even more!
Each morning bring your 
sacrifices and on the 
third day your tithes. 
Burn leavened food for 
thanksgiving. 
{I}5_{/}Proclaim in 
public your freewill 
offering, for this is 
what makes you happy, 
people of Israel," says 
Yahweh.
{I}6_{/}"Though I have 
made your teeth clean of 
food in every city, 
though I have made your 
bread in all your 
dwellings scarce, yet you 
did not return to me," 
says Yahweh.
{I}7_{/}"Though I 
withheld rain from you 
when the harvest was 
still three months away, 
though I sent rain upon 
one town and withheld it 
from another,  
{I}8_{/}though people 
staggered from town to 
town, and found no water 
to quench their thirst, 
yet you never returned to 
me," says Yahweh.
{I}9_{/}"Though with 
blight and calamities I 
have stricken your garden 
and vineyard, though your 
fig and olive trees were 
devoured by the locusts, 
yet you never returned to 
me," says Yahweh.
{I}10_{/}"Though as in 
Egypt I sent you a 
plague, though I slew 
your young men with the 
sword along with your 
captured horses, and 
nauseated you with stench 
from your own dead, yet 
you never returned to 
me," says Yahweh.
{I}11_{/}"I overthrew 
you, a divine punishment, 
as happened to Sodom and 
Gomorrah; you were like a 
brand snatched from the 
blaze, yet you never 
returned to me," says 
Yahweh.
{I}12_{/}"Therefore I 
will deal with you in my 
own way, Israel, and 
since I will do this to 
you, prepare, Israel, to 
meet your God!"
{I}13_{/}For it is he who 
makes the thunder and 
creates the winds, and 
makes people know why he 
did, who turns dawn to 
twilight, who strides 
upon the heights of the 
earth - Yahweh, God of 
hosts, is his name.
SEEK ME AND YOU SHALL 
LIVE{/}

{1}5{/}

{I}1_{/}Listen to these 
words, this lament I 
pronounce over you, 
nation of Israel, 
{I}2_{/}"Virgin Israel is 
fallen, never to rise 
again! With none to help 
her up, abandoned, she 
lies upon her own land."
{I}3_{/}For Yahweh says 
this, "The city that went 
forth to war a thousand 
strong shall be left with 
a hundred, and that which 
went forth with a hundred 
shall be left with ten in 
Israel."
{I}4_{/}For Yahweh says 
this to the nation of 
Israel, "Seek me, that 
you may live, {I}5_{/}but 
not in Bethel nor come to 
Gilgal, nor pass through 
to Beersheba. For Gilgal 
shall be led into exile 
and Bethel brought to 
nothing."
{I}6_{/}Seek Yahweh, that 
you may live, or he will 
rush like fire on the 
nation of Joseph and no 
one will be at Bethel to 
quench the blaze.
{I}7_{/}Woe to those 
whose decrees are 
bitterness, not justice, 
who trample on the 
rights!
{I}8_{/}He who made the 
Pleiades and Orion, who 
turns dusk to dawn and 
darkens the day into 
night,  who summons the 
waters of the sea and 
pours them out upon the 
earth - Yahweh is his 
name. {I}9_{/}He makes 
destruction flash forth 
against the strong, and 
brings ruin upon the 
fortified city.
Ver [Am_5,7]{/}

{I}10_{/}You hate him who 
reproves in court; you 
despise him who speaks 
the truth.
{I}11_{/}Because you have 
trampled on the poor and 
extorted levies on their 
grain, though you have 
built mansions of hewn 
stones you will not dwell 
in them; though you have 
planted choice 
grapevines, you shall not 
drink of their wine.
{I}12_{/}For I know the 
number of your crimes and 
how grievous are your 
sins: persecuting the 
just, taking bribes, 
turning away the needy at 
the gates. {I}13_{/}See, 
how the prudent keep 
silent at this time, for 
it is an evil time.
THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL 
BE DARKNESS{/}

{I}14_{/}Seek good and 
shun evil, that you may 
live. Then Yahweh, the 
God of hosts, as you have 
claimed, will be with 
you. 
{I}15_{/}Hate wickedness 
and love virtue, and let 
justice prevail in the 
courts; perhaps Yahweh, 
the God of hosts, will 
take pity on the remnant 
of Joseph.
{I}16_{/}Yahweh, God of 
hosts thus says: "In 
every square, wailing 
will be heard, in every 
street, cries of anguish. 
Farmers will be summoned 
to lament and 
professional mourners to 
weep noisily. 
{I}17_{/}There will be 
lamentation in every 
vineyard, for I will pass 
through your midst, says 
the Lord."
{I}18_{/}Woe to you who 
long for Yahweh's day! 
Why should you long for 
that day? It is a day of 
darkness, not of dawn, 
{I}19_{/}as if a man fled 
from a lion only to run 
into a bear; or as if he 
entered his home, rested 
his hand against the 
wall, only to be bitten 
by a viper.
{I}20_{/}The day of 
Yahweh will be darkness, 
not light, gloom without 
a glow of brightness.
{I}21_{/}"I hate, I 
reject your feasts, I 
take no pleasure when you 
assemble {I}22_{/}to 
offer me your burnt 
offerings. Your cereal 
offerings, I will not 
accept! Your offerings of 
fattened beasts, I will 
not look upon!
{I}23_{/}Away with the 
noise of your chanting, 
away with your strumming 
on harps. {I}24_{/}But 
let justice run its 
course like water, and 
righteousness be like an 
ever-flowing river.
{I}25_{/}Did you, Israel, 
bring me offerings and 
sacrifices for forty 
years, in the wilderness?
{I}26_{/}Yet now you lift 
up King Sikkuth and 
Kiyun, your idols, which 
you made yourselves. 
{I}27_{/}Therefore I will 
send you into exile 
beyond Damascus," says 
Yahweh whose name is God 
of hosts.
{1}6{/}

{I}1_{/}Woe to those 
proud people who live, 
overconfident on the hill 
of Samaria!
Woe to you, men of 
renown, from the first 
among the nations, to 
whom the people of Israel 
come!
{I}2_{/}Pass through 
Kalneh and see; from 
there go to Hamath the 
great, then go down to 
Gath of the Philistines. 
Are you better than these 
kingdoms were? Is your 
territory greater than 
theirs? {I}3_{/}You hope 
to postpone the evil day; 
in fact you bring about a 
year of violence.
{I}4_{/}You lie on beds 
inlaid with ivory and 
sprawl on your couches; 
you eat lamb from the 
flock and veal from 
calves fattened in the 
stall.
{I}5_{/}You strum on your 
harps, and like David, 
try out new musical 
instruments.
{I}6_{/}You drink wine by 
the bowlful and anoint 
yourselves with the 
finest oils, but you do 
not grieve over the ruins 
of Joseph.
{I}7_{/}Therefore you 
will be the first to go 
into exile; and the feast 
of sprawlers will be 
over.
{I}8_{/}Yahweh has sworn 
by his life, "I hate the 
proud city of Jacob, I 
hate its palaces. I will 
hand over the city and 
all that fills it."  
{I}9_{/}In those days, if 
ten people are left in 
one house, they shall 
die. {I}10_{/}Their 
kinsman will lift the 
corpses and bring the 
bones from the house; 
when he will say to his 
comrade at the back part 
of the house, "Are there 
any more?" the other will 
say, "No, but hush! We 
must not mention the name 
of Yahweh."
{I}11_{/}For this is 
Yahweh's command, 
"The great house shall 
crumble, and the small 
house fall to pieces."
{I}12_{/}Do horses run on 
craggy cliffs? Does 
anyone plow the sea with 
oxen? Well, you have 
turned the rights into a 
poisonous plant and the 
sentences of the court 
into wormwood.
{I}13_{/}You rejoice 
about unimportant matters 
when you say, "Are we not 
winners once more?" 
{I}14_{/}Yet am I 
stirring up against you, 
Israel, a nation that 
will oppress you from the 
pass of Hamath to the 
brook of the Arabah.
FIVE VISIONS{/}

{1}7{/}

{I}1_{/}This is what 
Yahweh showed me. He was 
forming a swarm of 
locusts just as the late 
sowing began to come up. 
It was the second growth 
which follows the king's 
mowing. {I}2_{/}When they 
were about to finish 
devouring all the crops 
of the land, I said, 
"Yahweh, forgive! How 
shall Jacob survive, 
small as he is?" 
{I}3_{/}Yahweh repented 
and said, "It shall not 
happen."
{I}4_{/}This is what 
Yahweh showed me: he was 
calling for burning heat. 
It consumed the great 
deep and was consuming  
the land. {I}5_{/}I said, 
"Yahweh, stop! How shall 
Jacob survive small as he 
is?" {I}6_{/}Yahweh 
relented and said, "This 
too shall not happen."
{I}7_{/}This is what 
Yahweh showed me. He was 
standing beside a wall 
with a plumb line in his 
hand. {I}8_{/}The Lord 
asked me, "Amos, what do 
you see?" And I answered, 
"A plumb line." Then the 
Lord said, "Behold, I am 
measuring my people 
Israel with a plumb line. 
I will forgive them no 
more. {I}9_{/}The high 
places of Isaac are to be 
made desolate, and the 
sanctuaries of Israel 
laid waste. For I will 
arise, sword in hand, 
against the family of 
Jeroboam."
CONFLICT WITH THE PRIEST 
AMAZIAH{/}

{I}10_{/}Amaziah, the 
priest of Bethel, then 
sent word to King 
Jeroboam of Israel, "Amos 
is conspiring against you 
in the very center of 
Israel; what he 
says{I}_{/}goes too far. 
{I}11_{/}These are his 
very words: Jeroboam 
shall die by the sword 
and Israel shall be 
exiled from its land."
{I}12_{/}Amaziah then 
said to Amos, "Off with 
you, seer, go back to the 
land of Judah. Earn your 
bread there by 
prophesying. {I}13_{/}But 
never again prophesy at 
Bethel for it is a king's 
sanctuary and a national 
shrine."
{I}14_{/}Amos replied to 
Amaziah, "I am not a 
prophet or one of the 
fellow-prophets. I am a 
breeder of sheep and a 
dresser of sycamore 
trees. {I}15_{/}But 
Yahweh took me from 
shepherding the flock and 
said to me: Go,  and from 
me, tell my people 
Israel.
{I}16_{/}Now hear the 
word of Yahweh, you who 
say: No more prophecy 
against Israel, no more 
insults against the 
family of Isaac! 
{I}17_{/}This is what 
Yahweh says:
Your wife shall be made a 
harlot in the city, your 
sons and daughters shall 
fall by the sword, your 
land shall be divided up 
and given to others, and 
you yourself shall die in 
a foreign land, for 
Israel shall be driven 
far from its land."
FOURTH VISION: THE BASKET 
OF RIPE FRUIT{/}

{1}8{/}

{I}1_{/}Yahweh showed me 
a basket of ripe fruit 
{I}2_{/}and asked, "Amos, 
what do you see?" I 
replied, "A basket of 
ripe fruit."
Then Yahweh said to me, 
"My people Israel is ripe 
for destruction; I will 
no longer forgive them. 
{I}3_{/}The songs of the 
palace will become 
wailings on that day, 
says the Lord. Heaps of 
corpses everywhere, all 
cast out in silence."
{I}4_{/}Hear this, you 
who trample on the needy 
to do away with the weak 
of the land. {I}5_{/}You 
who say, "When will the 
new moon or the sabbath 
feast be over that we may 
open the store and sell 
our grain? Let us lower 
the measure and raise the 
price; let us cheat and 
tamper with the scales, 
{I}6_{/}and even sell the 
refuse with the whole 
grain. We will buy up the 
poor for money and the 
needy for a pair of 
sandals."
{I}7_{/}Yahweh, the pride 
of Jacob, has sworn by 
himself, "I shall never 
forget their deeds."
{I}8_{/}Shall not the 
land tremble because of 
this, and all who dwell 
in it mourn, while it 
rises up and heaves like 
the Nile and  settles 
back again like the river 
of Egypt?
{I}9_{/}Yahweh says, "On 
that day I will make the 
sun go down at noon and 
darken the earth in broad 
daylight.
{I}10_{/}I will turn your 
festivals into mourning 
and all your singing into 
wailing. Everyone will 
mourn, covered with 
sackcloth and every head 
will be shaved. I will 
make them mourn as for an 
only son and bring their 
day to a bitter end."
{I}11_{/}Yahweh says, 
"Days are coming when I 
will send famine upon the 
land, not hunger for 
bread or thirst for 
water, but for hearing 
the word of Yahweh.
{I}12_{/}Men will stagger 
from sea to sea, wander 
to and fro, from north to 
east, searching for the 
word of Yahweh, but they 
will not find it.
{I}13_{/}On that day, 
fair virgins and strong 
young men will faint from 
thirst, {I}14_{/}all the 
young people who swore by 
the god of Samaria and 
said: Long life to the 
god of Dan, long life to 
the god of Bersheba! They 
shall fall, never to rise 
again."
FIFTH VISION: FALL OF THE 
SANCTUARY{/}

{1}9{/}

{I}1_{/}I saw the Lord 
standing by the altar, 
and he said, "Strike the 
top of the columns, so 
that the beams shake and 
the roof falls down on 
the heads of them  all. 
Those who are left I will 
slay with the sword; not 
one shall flee, not one 
shall escape.
{I}2_{/}Though they dig 
down to the netherworld, 
my hand will take them 
from there; though they 
climb up to heaven, I 
will bring them down from 
there;
{I}3_{/}Though they hide 
on the top of Carmel, I 
will search them out 
there and take them; 
though they hide from me 
in the depths of the sea, 
I will bid the sea 
serpent bite them.
{I}4_{/}When they are led 
into captivity by their 
enemies, there I will 
command the sword to slay 
them.
For I have set my eye 
upon them, not for help 
but for harm."
{I}5_{/}When Yahweh of 
hosts touches the earth, 
it melts and all who 
dwell on it mourn. The 
earth rises up and heaves 
like the Nile and settles 
back again like the river 
of Egypt.
{I}6_{/}He has built 
heaven, his upper room, 
and established the dome 
of the sky over the 
earth. He summons the 
waters of the sea and 
pours them upon the face 
of the earth: Yahweh is 
his name.
{I}7_{/}And now Yahweh 
says, "Are you Israelites 
more to me than the 
Ethiopians? Did I not 
bring Israel up from the 
land of Egypt as I 
brought the Philistines 
from Caphtor and Aram 
from Kir? 
{I}8_{/}My eyes are upon 
your sinful kingdom. I 
wanted to destroy it from 
the face of the earth, 
but I cannot do away 
completely with the 
nation of Jacob," says 
Yahweh.
{I}9_{/}"This is what I 
have ordered: I will sift 
the nation of Israel 
among the nations as one 
sifts with a sieve, 
letting no pebble pass 
through. {I}10_{/}All 
sinners among my people 
shall die, those who say, 
'Evil will not reach or 
overtake us.'
{I}11_{/}On that day I 
shall restore the fallen 
hut of David and wall up 
its breaches and raise 
its ruined walls and so 
build it as in days of 
old.
{I}12_{/}They shall 
conquer the remnant of 
Edom and the neighboring 
nations upon which my 
name has been called." 
Thus says Yahweh, the one 
who will do this.
{I}13_{/}Yahweh says 
also, "The days are 
coming when the plowman 
will overtake the reaper 
and the treader of grapes 
overtake the sower. The 
mountains shall drip 
sweet wine and all the 
hills shall melt.
{I}14_{/}I shall bring 
back the exiles of my 
people Israel; they will 
rebuild the desolate 
cities and dwell in them. 
They will plant vineyards 
and drink their wine; 
they will have orchards 
and eat their fruit. 
{I}15_{/}I shall plant 
them in their own country 
and they shall never 
again be rooted up from 
the land which I have 
given them," says Yahweh 
your God.

