New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of King Uzziah of Judah and in the days of King Jeroboam son of Joash of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
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The Message of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa, that he received on behalf of Israel. It came to him in visions during the time that Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II son of Joash was king of Israel, two years before the big earthquake. Swallowing the Same Old Lies
2 And he said: The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither, and the top of Carmel dries up.
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The Message: God roars from Zion, shouts from Jerusalem! The thunderclap voice withers the pastures tended by shepherds, shrivels Mount Carmel's proud peak.
3 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.
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God's Message: "Because of the three great sins of Damascus - make that four - I'm not putting up with her any longer. She pounded Gilead to a pulp, pounded her senseless with iron hammers and mauls.
4 So I will send a fire on the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.
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For that, I'm setting the palace of Hazael on fire. I'm torching Ben-hadad's forts.
5 I will break the gate bars of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and the one who holds the scepter from Beth-eden; and the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir, says the Lord.
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I'm going to smash the Damascus gates and banish the crime king who lives in Sin Valley, the vice boss who gives orders from Paradise Palace. The people of the land will be sent back to where they came from - to Kir." God's Decree.
6 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they carried into exile entire communities, to hand them over to Edom.
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God's Message: "Because of the three great sins of Gaza - make that four - I'm not putting up with her any longer. She deported whole towns and then sold the people to Edom.
7 So I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, fire that shall devour its strongholds.
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For that, I'm burning down the walls of Gaza, burning up all her forts.
8 I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish, says the Lord God.
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I'll banish the crime king from Ashdod, the vice boss from Ashkelon. I'll raise my fist against Ekron, and what's left of the Philistines will die." God's Decree.
9 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they delivered entire communities over to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of kinship.
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God's Message: "Because of the three great sins of Tyre - make that four - I'm not putting up with her any longer. She deported whole towns to Edom, breaking the treaty she had with her kin.
10 So I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, fire that shall devour its strongholds.
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For that, I'm burning down the walls of Tyre, burning up all her forts."
11 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity; he maintained his anger perpetually, and kept his wrath forever.
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God's Message: "Because of the three great sins of Edom - make that four - I'm not putting up with her any longer. She hunts down her brother to murder him. She has no pity, she has no heart. Her anger rampages day and night. Her meanness never takes a timeout.
12 So I will send a fire on Teman, and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.
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For that, I'm burning down her capital, Teman, burning up the forts of Bozrah."
13 Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead in order to enlarge their territory.
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God's Message: "Because of the three great sins of Ammon - make that four - I'm not putting up with her any longer. She ripped open pregnant women in Gilead to get more land for herself.
14 So I will kindle a fire against the wall of Rabbah, fire that shall devour its strongholds, with shouting on the day of battle, with a storm on the day of the whirlwind;
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For that, I'm burning down the walls of her capital, Rabbah, burning up her forts. Battle shouts! War whoops! with a tornado to finish things off!
15 then their king shall go into exile, he and his officials together, says the Lord.
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The king has been carted off to exile, the king and his princes with him."
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.