Learning Bible

Judgment on Moab

he Lord said:

I will punish Moab for countless crimes,

and I won't change my mind.

They made lime from the bones of the king of Edom.

²Now I will send fire to destroy the fortresses of Kerioth.

Battle shouts and trumpet blasts will be heard

as I destroy Moab ³with its king and leaders.

I, the Lord, have spoken!

Judgment on Judah

⁴The Lord said:

I will punish Judah for countless crimes,

and I won't change my mind.

They have rejected my teachings and refused to obey me.

They were led astray by the same false gods

their ancestors worshiped.

⁵Now I will send fire on Judah

and destroy the fortresses of Jerusalem.

Amos Announces the Lord's Judgment against Israel

In this section

The longest of Amos' judgment messages is against Israel, whose wealthy and powerful people are being greedy and using their power to cheat the poor.

Judgment on Israel

⁶The Lord said:

Ideas & Concepts

Justice

In modern society, justice is most often described as fairness according to the law. When people receive justice, they receive the penalty they deserve, or they are repaid for the damages done to them. In the Bible, justice is related to the Law of Moses, which the Lord gave to the people of Israel as a gift for their protection and well-being. But God's justice goes beyond simply obeying the law; it is mainly concerned with doing what is right in all relationships. Here is a modern example: A company's manufacturing process creates poisonous waste that flows into a nearby river. The company is following the law by keeping the waste flow to the limit set by the law. But that means some poisonous waste still flows into the river. This company is following the law, but is it doing all it can to protect and care for the environment and the people who use the river?

I will punish Israel for countless crimes,

and I won't change my mind.

They sell honest people for money, and the needy are sold

for the price of sandals.

⁷They smear the poor in the dirt

and push aside those who are helpless.

My holy name is dishonored, because fathers and sons

sleep with the same young women.

⁸They lie down beside altars

on clothes taken as security for loans.

And they drink wine in my temple,

wine bought with the money they received from fines.

⁹Israel, the Amorites were there when you entered Canaan.

They were tall as cedars and strong as oaks.

But I wiped them out—

I destroyed their branches and their roots.

¹⁰ I had rescued you from Egypt,

and for forty years I had led you through the desert.

Then I gave you the land of the Amorites.

¹¹I chose some of you to be prophets

and others to be Nazirites.

People of Israel, you know this is true.

I, the Lord, have spoken!

¹²But you commanded the prophets

not to speak their message,

and you pressured the Nazirites into drinking wine.

¹³And so I will crush you, just as a wagon full of grain

crushes the ground.

¹⁴No matter how fast you run, you won't escape.

No matter how strong you are, you will lose your strength

and your life.

¹⁵Even if you are an expert with a bow and arrow,

you will retreat.

And you won't get away alive,

not even if you run fast or ride a horse.

¹⁶You may be brave and strong, but you will run away,

stripped naked.

I, the Lord, have spoken!

Amos, chapter 2

Judgment on Moab

Judgment on Judah

Judgment on Israel