A Call to Repentance (JOL 2:12-17)

[2:12] “But even now,” says the Lord, “repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning.

[2:13] Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough.” Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish.

[2:14] Perhaps the Lord your God will change his mind and bless you with abundant crops. Then you can offer him grain and wine.

[2:15] Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion; give orders for a fast and call an assembly!

[2:16] Gather the people together; prepare them for a sacred meeting; bring the old people; gather the children and the babies too. Even newly married couples must leave their homes and come.

[2:17] The priests, serving the Lord between the altar and the entrance of the Temple, must weep and pray: “Have pity on your people, Lord. Do not let other nations despise us and mock us by saying, ‘Where is your God?’”

God Restores Fertility to the Land (JOL 2:18-27)

[2:18] Then the Lord showed concern for his land; he had mercy on his people.

[2:19] He answered them: “Now I am going to give you grain and wine and olive oil, and you will be satisfied. Other nations will no longer despise you.

[2:20] I will remove the locust army that came from the north and will drive some of them into the desert. Their front ranks will be driven into the Dead Sea, their rear ranks into the Mediterranean. Their dead bodies will stink. I will destroy them because of all they have done to you.

[2:21] “Fields, don't be afraid, but be joyful and glad because of all the Lord has done for you.

[2:22] Animals, don't be afraid. The pastures are green; the trees bear their fruit, and there are plenty of figs and grapes.

[2:23] “Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice at what the Lord your God has done for you. He has given you the right amount of autumn rain; he has poured down the winter rain for you and the spring rain as before.

[2:24] The threshing places will be full of grain; the pits beside the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.

[2:25] I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops. It was I who sent this army against you.

[2:26] Now you will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied. You will praise the Lord your God, who has done wonderful things for you. My people will never be despised again.

[2:27] Then, Israel, you will know that I am among you and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. My people will never be despised again.

The Day of the Lord (JOL 2:28-32)

[2:28] “Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions.

[2:29] At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women.

[2:30] “I will give warnings of that day in the sky and on the earth; there will be bloodshed, fire, and clouds of smoke.

[2:31] The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

[2:32] But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, ‘Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.’”

God Will Judge the Nations (JOL 3:1-15)

[3:1] The Lord says, “At that time I will restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem.

[3:2] I will gather all the nations and bring them to the Valley of Judgment. There I will judge them for all they have done to my people. They have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided Israel, my land.

[3:3] They threw dice to decide who would get the captives. They sold boys and girls into slavery to pay for prostitutes and wine.

[3:4] “What are you trying to do to me, Tyre, Sidon, and all of Philistia? Are you trying to pay me back for something? If you are, I will quickly pay you back!

[3:5] You have taken my silver and gold and carried my rich treasures into your temples.

[3:6] You have taken the people of Judah and Jerusalem far from their own country and sold them to the Greeks.

[3:7] Now I am going to bring them out of the places to which you have sold them. I will do to you what you have done to them.

[3:8] I will let your sons and daughters be sold to the people of Judah; they will sell them to the far-off Sabeans. I, the Lord, have spoken.

[3:9] “Make this announcement among the nations: ‘Prepare for war; call your warriors; gather all your soldiers and march!

[3:10] Hammer the points of your plows into swords and your pruning knives into spears. Even the weak must fight.

[3:11] Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather in the valley.’” Send down, O Lord, your army to attack them!

[3:12] “The nations must get ready and come to the Valley of Judgment. There I, the Lord, will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.

[3:13] They are very wicked; cut them down like grain at harvest time; crush them as grapes are crushed in a full wine press until the wine runs over.”

[3:14] Thousands and thousands are in the Valley of Judgment. It is there that the day of the Lord will soon come.

[3:15] The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.

God Will Bless His People (JOL 3:16-19)

[3:16] The Lord roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem; earth and sky tremble. But he will defend his people.

[3:17] “Then, Israel, you will know that I am the Lord your God. I live on Zion, my sacred hill. Jerusalem will be a sacred city; foreigners will never conquer it again.

[3:18] At that time the mountains will be covered with vineyards, and cattle will be found on every hill; there will be plenty of water for all of Judah. A stream will flow from the Temple of the Lord, and it will water Acacia Valley.

[3:19] “Egypt will become a desert, and Edom a ruined waste, because they attacked the land of Judah and killed its innocent people. I will not spare the guilty. But Judah and Jerusalem will be inhabited forever, and I, the Lord, will live on Mount Zion.”

(AMO 1:1-2)

[1:1] These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel.

[1:2] Amos said, “The Lord roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem. The pastures dry up, and the grass on Mount Carmel turns brown.”

God's Judgment on Israel's Neighbors (AMO 1:3-2:5)

[1:3] The Lord says, “The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They treated the people of Gilead with savage cruelty.

[1:4] So I will send fire upon the palace built by King Hazael and I will burn down the fortresses of King Benhadad.

[1:5] I will smash the city gates of Damascus and remove the inhabitants of Aven Valley and the ruler of Betheden. The people of Syria will be taken away as prisoners to the land of Kir.”

[1:6] The Lord says, “The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation and sold them as slaves to the people of Edom.

[1:7] So I will send fire upon the city walls of Gaza and burn down its fortresses.

[1:8] I will remove the rulers of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. I will punish the city of Ekron, and all the Philistines who are left will die.”

[1:9] The Lord says, “The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation into exile in the land of Edom, and did not keep the treaty of friendship they had made.

[1:10] So I will send fire upon the city walls of Tyre and burn down its fortresses.”

[1:11] The Lord says, “The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They hunted down their relatives, the Israelites, and showed them no mercy. Their anger had no limits, and they never let it die.

[1:12] So I will send fire upon the city of Teman and burn down the fortresses of Bozrah.”

[1:13] The Lord says, “The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. In their wars for more territory they even ripped open pregnant women in Gilead.

[1:14] So I will send fire upon the city walls of Rabbah and burn down its fortresses. Then there will be shouts on the day of battle, and the fighting will rage like a storm.

[1:15] Their king and his officers will go into exile.”

[2:1] The Lord says, “The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They dishonored the bones of the king of Edom by burning them to ashes.

[2:2] I will send fire upon the land of Moab and burn down the fortresses of Kerioth. The people of Moab will die in the noise of battle while soldiers are shouting and trumpets are sounding.

[2:3] I will kill the ruler of Moab and all the leaders of the land.”

[2:4] The Lord says, “The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They have despised my teachings and have not kept my commands. They have been led astray by the same false gods that their ancestors served.

[2:5] So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem.”

God's Judgment on Israel (AMO 2:6-3:2)

Judah

[2:6] The Lord says, “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They sell into slavery honest people who cannot pay their debts, the poor who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals.

[2:7] They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way. A man and his father have intercourse with the same slave woman, and so profane my holy name.

[2:8] At every place of worship people sleep on clothing that they have taken from the poor as security for debts. In the temple of their God they drink wine which they have taken from those who owe them money.

[2:9] “And yet, my people, it was for your sake that I totally destroyed the Amorites, who were as tall as cedar trees and as strong as oaks.

[2:10] I brought you out of Egypt, led you through the desert for forty years, and gave you the land of the Amorites to be your own.

[2:11] I chose some of your sons to be prophets and some of your young men to be nazirites. Isn't this true, people of Israel? I, the Lord, have spoken.

[2:12] But you made the nazirites drink wine, and ordered the prophets not to speak my message.

[2:13] And now I will crush you to the ground, and you will groan like a cart loaded with grain.

[2:14] Not even fast runners will escape; strong men will lose their strength, and soldiers will not be able to save their own lives.

[2:15] Archers will not stand their ground, fast runners will not get away, and men on horses will not escape with their lives.

[2:16] On that day even the bravest soldiers will drop their weapons and run.” The Lord has spoken.

[3:1] People of Israel, listen to this message which the Lord has spoken about you, the entire nation that he brought out of Egypt:

[3:2] “Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have known and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them.”

The Prophet's Task (AMO 3:3-8)

[3:3] Do two people start traveling together without arranging to meet?

[3:4] Does a lion roar in the forest unless he has found a victim? Does a young lion growl in his den unless he has caught something?

[3:5] Does a bird get caught in a trap if the trap has not been baited? Does a trap spring unless something sets it off?

[3:6] Does the war trumpet sound in a city without making the people afraid? Does disaster strike a city unless the Lord sends it?

[3:7] The Sovereign Lord never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets.

[3:8] When a lion roars, who can keep from being afraid? When the Sovereign Lord speaks, who can keep from proclaiming his message?

The Doom of Samaria (AMO 3:9-4:3)

[3:9] Announce to those who live in the palaces of Egypt and Ashdod: “Gather together in the hills around Samaria and see the great disorder and the crimes being committed there.”

[3:10] The Lord says, “These people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don't even know how to be honest.

[3:11] And so an enemy will surround their land, destroy their defenses, and plunder their mansions.”

[3:12] The Lord says, “As a shepherd recovers only two legs or an ear of a sheep that a lion has eaten, so only a few will survive of Samaria's people, who now recline on luxurious couches.

[3:13] Listen now, and warn the descendants of Jacob,” says the Sovereign Lord Almighty.

[3:14] “On the day when I punish the people of Israel for their sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel. The corners of every altar will be broken off and will fall to the ground.

[3:15] I will destroy winter houses and summer houses. The houses decorated with ivory will fall in ruins; every large house will be destroyed.”

[4:1] Listen to this, you women of Samaria, who grow fat like the well-fed cows of Bashan, who mistreat the weak, oppress the poor, and demand that your husbands keep you supplied with liquor!

[4:2] As the Sovereign Lord is holy, he has promised, “The days will come when they will drag you away with hooks; every one of you will be like a fish on a hook.

[4:3] You will be dragged to the nearest break in the wall and thrown out.”