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1. Judgment on Israel's Neighbors

¹ The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash was king of Israel.

² He said:

   “The LORD roars from Zion
   and thunders from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
   and the top of Carmel withers.”

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

³ This is what the LORD says:

   “For three sins of Damascus,
   even for four, I will not relent.
Because she threshed Gilead
   with sledges having iron teeth,
⁴ I will send fire on the house of Hazael
   that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
⁵ I will break down the gate of Damascus;
   I will destroy the king who is in Or the inhabitants of the Valley of Aven Aven means wickedness.
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.
   The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,” says the LORD.

⁶ This is what the LORD says:

   “For three sins of Gaza,
   even for four, I will not relent.
Because she took captive whole communities
   and sold them to Edom,
⁷ I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
   that will consume her fortresses.
⁸ I will destroy the king Or inhabitants of Ashdod
   and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand against Ekron,
   till the last of the Philistines are dead,” says the Sovereign LORD.

⁹ This is what the LORD says:

   “For three sins of Tyre,
   even for four, I will not relent.
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
   disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,
¹⁰ I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
   that will consume her fortresses.”

¹¹ This is what the LORD says:

   “For three sins of Edom,
   even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword
   and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
   and his fury flamed unchecked,
¹² I will send fire on Teman
   that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.”

¹³ This is what the LORD says:

   “For three sins of Ammon,
   even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead
   in order to extend his borders,
¹⁴ I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah
   that will consume her fortresses
amid war cries on the day of battle,
   amid violent winds on a stormy day.
¹⁵ Her king Or / Molek will go into exile,
   he and his officials together,” says the LORD.

Now follows a denunciation of punishment, — that God would send a fire on the wall of Gaza, to devour its palaces. And it hence appears that Gaza was a splendid town, and sumptuously built; and for this reason the Prophet speaks of its palaces. He shows, at the same time, that neither strength nor wealth would prevent God from executing the punishment which the Gazites deserved. He names also other cities of Palestine, even Ascalon and Azdod, or Azotus, and Ecron. These cities the Philistine then possessed. The Prophet then intimates, that wheresoever they might flee, there would be no safe place for them; for the Lord would expose as a prey to enemies, not only Gaza, but also all the other cities. We may conclude that Ascalon was the first city; for there was the royal residence, though Gaza was the capital of the whole nation; it might yet be that the pleasantness of its situation, and other attractions, might have induced the king to reside there, though it was not the metropolis; Him then who holds the scepter I will cut off from Ascalon. He at last concludes, that all the remnants of Palestine would be destroyed. Now, whenever God denounces destruction on the Jews, he ever gives some hope, and says that the remnant would be saved: but here the Prophet declares that whatever remained of that nation would be destroyed; for God purposed to destroy them altogether, and also their very name.