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Listen to us, O Shepherd of Israel; hear us, leader of your flock. Seated on your throne above the winged creatures,
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reveal yourself to the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your strength; come and save us!
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Bring us back, O God! Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!
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How much longer, LORD God Almighty, will you be angry with your people's prayers?
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You have given us sorrow to eat, a large cup of tears to drink.
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You let the surrounding nations fight over our land; our enemies insult us.
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Bring us back, Almighty God! Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!
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You brought a grapevine out of Egypt; you drove out other nations and planted it in their land.
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You cleared a place for it to grow; its roots went deep, and it spread out over the whole land.
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It covered the hills with its shade; its branches overshadowed the giant cedars.
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It extended its branches to the Mediterranean Sea and as far as the Euphrates River.
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Why did you break down the fences around it? Now anyone passing by can steal its grapes;
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wild hogs trample it down, and wild animals feed on it.
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Turn to us, Almighty God! Look down from heaven at us; come and save your people!
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Come and save this grapevine that you planted, this young vine you made grow so strong!
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Our enemies have set it on fire and cut it down; look at them in anger and destroy them!
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Preserve and protect the people you have chosen, the nation you made so strong.
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We will never turn away from you again; keep us alive, and we will praise you.
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Bring us back, LORD God Almighty. Show us your mercy, and we will be saved.
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These are the words of Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel, God revealed to Amos all these things about Israel.
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Amos said, "The LORD roars from Mount Zion; his voice thunders from Jerusalem. The pastures dry up, and the grass on Mount Carmel turns brown."
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The LORD says, "The people of Damascus have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They treated the people of Gilead with savage cruelty.
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So I will send fire upon the palace built by King Hazael and I will burn down the fortresses of King Benhadad.
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I will smash the city gates of Damascus and remove the inhabitants of Aven Valley and the ruler of Betheden. The people of Syria will be taken away as prisoners to the land of Kir."
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The LORD says, "The people of Gaza have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation and sold them as slaves to the people of Edom.
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So I will send fire upon the city walls of Gaza and burn down its fortresses.
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I will remove the rulers of the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. I will punish the city of Ekron, and all the Philistines who are left will die."
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The LORD says, "The people of Tyre have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They carried off a whole nation into exile in the land of Edom, and did not keep the treaty of friendship they had made.
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So I will send fire upon the city walls of Tyre and burn down its fortresses."
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The LORD says, "The people of Edom have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They hunted down their relatives, the Israelites, and showed them no mercy. Their anger had no limits, and they never let it die.
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So I will send fire upon the city of Teman and burn down the fortresses of Bozrah."
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The LORD says, "The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. In their wars for more territory they even ripped open pregnant women in Gilead.
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So I will send fire upon the city walls of Rabbah and burn down its fortresses. Then there will be shouts on the day of battle, and the fighting will rage like a storm.
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Their king and his officers will go into exile."
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The LORD says, "The people of Moab have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them. They dishonored the bones of the king of Edom by burning them to ashes.
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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.
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I will kill the ruler of Moab and all the leaders of the land."
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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.
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So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortresses of Jerusalem."
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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.
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They trample 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.
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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.
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"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.
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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.
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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.
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But you made the nazirites drink wine, and ordered the prophets not to speak my message.
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And now I will crush you to the ground, and you will groan like a cart loaded with grain.
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Not even fast runners will escape; strong men will lose their strength, and soldiers will not be able to save their own lives.
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Archers will not stand their ground, fast runners will not get away, and men on horses will not escape with their lives.
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On that day even the bravest soldiers will drop their weapons and run." The LORD has spoken.
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People of Israel, listen to this message which the LORD has spoken about you, the entire nation that he brought out of Egypt:
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"Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have known and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them."
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Do two people start traveling together without arranging to meet?
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Does a lion roar in the forest unless he has found a victim? Does a young lion growl in his den unless he has caught something?
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Does a bird get caught in a trap if the trap has not been baited? Does a trap spring unless something sets it off ?
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Does the war trumpet sound in a city without making the people afraid? Does disaster strike a city unless the LORD sends it?
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The Sovereign LORD never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets.
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When a lion roars, who can keep from being afraid? When the Sovereign LORD speaks, who can keep from proclaiming his message?
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Announce to those who live in the palaces of Egypt and Ashdod: "Gather together in the hills around Samaria and see the great disorder and the crimes being committed there."
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The LORD says, "These people fill their mansions with things taken by crime and violence. They don't even know how to be honest.
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And so an enemy will surround their land, destroy their defenses, and plunder their mansions."
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The LORD says, "As a shepherd recovers only two legs or an ear of a sheep that a lion has eaten, so only a few will survive of Samaria's people, who now recline on luxurious couches.
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Listen now, and warn the descendants of Jacob," says the Sovereign LORD Almighty.
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"On the day when I punish the people of Israel for their sins, I will destroy the altars of Bethel. The corners of every altar will be broken off and will fall to the ground.
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I will destroy winter houses and summer houses. The houses decorated with ivory will fall in ruins; every large house will be destroyed."
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In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and because he is coming to rule as King, I solemnly urge you
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to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience.
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The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear.
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They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends.
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But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances; endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and perform your whole duty as a servant of God.
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As for me, the hour has come for me to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life.
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I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith.
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And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day---and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.
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Do your best to come to me soon.
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Demas fell in love with this present world and has deserted me, going off to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
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Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he can help me in the work.
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I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
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When you come, bring my coat that I left in Troas with Carpus; bring the books too, and especially the ones made of parchment.
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Alexander the metalworker did me great harm; the Lord will reward him according to what he has done.
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Be on your guard against him yourself, because he was violently opposed to our message.
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No one stood by me the first time I defended myself; all deserted me. May God not count it against them!
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But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength, so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear; and I was rescued from being sentenced to death.
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And the Lord will rescue me from all evil and take me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
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I send greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and to the family of Onesiphorus.
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Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus in Miletus, because he was sick.
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Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia send their greetings, and so do all the other Christians.
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The Lord be with your spirit. God's grace be with you all.
