Amos 2:2-12

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.
3 I will kill the ruler of Moab and all the leaders of the land."
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.
5 So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem."
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.
7 They trample [a] 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.
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.
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. 1
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.
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.

Cross References 2

  • 1. 2.9Deuteronomy 3.8-11.
  • 2. 2.11Numbers 6.1-8.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. trample; [Hebrew unclear.]
  • [b]. nazirites: [Israelites who showed their devotion to God by taking vows not to drink wine or beer or cut their hair or touch corpses (see Nu 6.1-8).]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.