Bible
Amos
9 chapters · Old Testament
Amos is a shepherd and fig-tree farmer from Tekoa whom God sends to the wealthy northern kingdom of Israel. He denounces religious hypocrisy, social injustice, and the exploitation of the poor. His famous call to 'let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream' remains one of the Bible's most quoted lines. Amos insists that genuine faith must produce justice and mercy.
Amos is part of the Old Testament, one of the sixty-six books that together form the Christian Bible. It has been carefully preserved through centuries of translation and remains essential reading for understanding God's relationship with humanity. Below you can begin reading Amos in the World English Bible translation. Switch between WEB, KJV, ASV, and BSB on any chapter page to compare renderings of the original Hebrew text.
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Amos 1
1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
2 He said: “Yahweh“Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations. will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither.”
3 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron;
4 but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad.
5 I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir,” says Yahweh.
6 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom;
7 but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it will devour its palaces.
8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the LordThe word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.” Yahweh.
9 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole community to Edom, and didn’t remember the brotherly covenant;
10 but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will devour its palaces.”
11 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever;
12 but I will send a fire on Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah.”
13 Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind;
15 and their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together,” says Yahweh.
Amos 2
1 Yahweh 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;
2 but 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;
3 and I will cut off the judge from among them, and will kill all its princes with him,” says Yahweh.
4 Yahweh 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;
5 but I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”
6 Yahweh 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 shoes;
7 They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name;
8 and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their GodThe Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim). they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 Yet 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.
10 Also 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.
11 I 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!’
13 Behold,“Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection. I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain.
14 Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won’t strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;
15 neither shall he stand who handles the bow; and he who is swift of foot won’t escape; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself;
16 and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says Yahweh.
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