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About this book: Amos

Amos is a shepherd and fig farmer from the southern village of Tekoa who is sent north to speak to the prosperous kingdom of Israel. He begins by announcing judgment on the surrounding nations, then turns the same verdict on Israel and Judah themselves. His charge is not mainly about missing rituals. It is about injustice: the poor sold over small debts, courts that favor the rich, luxury built on others' hardship, and worship that is loud but disconnected from daily life. God reminds Israel that being chosen brings responsibility, not immunity. A series of visions shows locusts, fire and a plumb line, and the priest Amaziah tries to silence the prophet and send him home. Amos holds his ground. The book ends with a vision of coming disaster and then with a promise that God will rebuild David's fallen house and restore his people to their land. Christians hear in Amos a lasting demand that faith and justice belong together, and the New Testament uses the closing promise when it speaks of Gentiles joining God's people.

Author
The prophet Amos of Tekoa, a herdsman and tender of sycamore figs.
Date
Mid-eighth century BC, in the reigns of Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel, two years before a well-remembered earthquake.
Audience
The northern kingdom of Israel, gathered at its sanctuary in Bethel, and by extension Judah.

Themes

Justice for the poorWorship without hypocrisyPrivilege and responsibilityJudgment on the nationsHope of restoration

Outline

  1. 1:1–2:16Judgment on the nations, Judah and Israel
  2. 3:1–4:13Why Israel is accountable
  3. 5:1–6:14Seek God, not empty ritual or comfort
  4. 7:1–7:17Locusts, fire, a plumb line and the priest Amaziah
  5. 8:1–8:14The basket of summer fruit and a famine of the word
  6. 9:1–9:10The last vision: no escape from judgment
  7. 9:11–9:15David's house rebuilt and the land restored

Key verses

Amos 5:21-24 →Amos 3:2 →Amos 9:11-12 →
About this chapterAmos, a shepherd from Tekoa, sees the word of the Lord roaring from Zion two years before the earthquake. He begins by announcing judgment on Israel's neighbors, using a repeated pattern: for three sins, even for four, I will not relent. Damascus threshed Gilead with iron sledges; Gaza and Tyre sold whole communities to Edom; Edom pursued his brother with the sword and nursed anger forever; Ammon ripped open pregnant women in Gilead to extend its borders. Fire will fall on their fortresses. The list shows that God holds every nation accountable for cruelty and betrayal, and it is drawing steadily closer to Israel itself.

Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, sees the word of the Lord roaring from Zion two years before the earthquake. He begins by announcing judgment on Israel's neighbors, using a repeated pattern: for three sins, even for four, I will not relent. Damascus threshed Gilead with iron sledges; Gaza and Tyre sold whole communities to Edom; Edom pursued his brother with the sword and nursed anger forever; Ammon ripped open pregnant women in Gilead to extend its borders. Fire will fall on their fortresses. The list shows that God holds every nation accountable for cruelty and betrayal, and it is drawing steadily closer to Israel itself.

Themes

  • Judgment on the nations
  • Cruelty condemned
  • God's roar from Zion

Key verses

Audio Bible · Amos 1

Listen while you go about your day.

Amos 1

Berean Standard Bible15 verses · 2 min read

1These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. 2He said: “The LORD roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.” 3This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron. 4So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael to consume the citadels of Ben-hadad. 5I will break down the gates of Damascus; I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven and the one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,”says the LORD. 6This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they exiled a whole population, delivering them up to Edom. 7So I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza, to consume its citadels. 8I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,”says the Lord GOD. 9This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood. 10So I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre to consume its citadels.” 11This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly. 12So I will send fire upon Teman to consume the citadels of Bozrah.” 13This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to enlarge their territory. 14So I will kindle a fire in the walls of Rabbah to consume its citadels amid war cries on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of tempest. 15Their king will go into exile — he and his princes together,”says the LORD.
Verses in Amos 1
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Chapters of Amos

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