Amos 1:2-10

Amos said: “YAHWEH comes roaring out of Zion; from Jerusalem he comes with his thunderous voice. The shepherds’ lush pastures are dried up, and the trees on top of Mount Carmel wither.” Here is the message of YAHWEH: “For the three terrible crimes of the people of Damascus— no, make that four — I will not turn back my wrath. For they have treated the people of Gilead with savage cruelty, running over them with a threshing sledge equipped with iron teeth. So I will send fire down on the dynasty of Hazael to devour the royal palaces defended by Ben-Hadad. I will smash the city gates of Damascus, I will cut down the ruler who sits in the Valley of Wickedness, the one who holds the royal scepter in the Paradise of Pleasure. And the people of Syria will go back to where they came from—to Kir,” declares YAHWEH. Here is the message of YAHWEH: “For the three terrible crimes of the people of Gaza— no, make that four— I will not turn back my wrath. They have deported an entire community of exiles as slaves to Edom. I will send fire down on the walls of Gaza to consume its fortresses. I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will strike my blows against the city of Ekron, and what’s left of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord YAHWEH. YAHWEH says this: “For the three terrible crimes of the people of Tyre— no, make that four— I will not turn back my wrath. For they deported entire people groups into exile in the land of Edom. In so doing, they broke the covenant of brotherhood. So I will send fire down on the city walls of Tyre to devour her fortresses.”