1 ① These are the words of Amos, one of the sheep-breeders of Tekoa, and the visions which he saw concerning Israel during the reign of Uzziah, King of Judah and Jeroboam, son of Jehoash, King of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2He said,
“Yahweh roars from Zion,
his voice thunders from Jerusalem.
The pastures of the shepherds are scorched
and the choicest farmland is dried up.”
3Yahweh says this, “Because Damascus has sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. Because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron, 4I will send fire upon the people of Hazael that shall devour the strongholds of Benhadad. I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven and him who holds the scepter from Betheden. 5I shall break the protective crossbar of Damascus.”
Condemnation of several nations
6Yahweh says this, “Because Gaza has sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. Because they carried a whole people into captivity to deliver them over to Edom, 7I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza and it will devour her strongholds. 8I will cut off the ruler from Ashdod, and him that holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says Yahweh.
9Yahweh says this, “Because Tyre has sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. Because they delivered over to Edom a whole people and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood, 10I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre and it shall devour her palaces.”
11Yahweh says this, “Because Edom has sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. Because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, because his anger rages forever and his wrath is always wild, 12I will send fire upon Teman and it shall devour the strongholds of Bozrah.”
13Yahweh says this, “Because the Amonites have sinned, not once but three times and even more, I will not relent. Because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border, 14I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah and it shall devour her strongholds. Then there will be war cry and battle; then storm winds will blow. 15Their king will go into exile, he and his princes with him,” says Yahweh.
- Am 1,1 Jonah refuses to obey the call from Yahweh: perhaps because he does not feel responsible for the salvation of the hated Ninevites. He is asleep while the sailors, good pagans, are trying to save the boat. (Though this is not a religious work, it does interest the pious Jonah too.) Jonah delights in thinking about the punishment that God is going to inflict on the pagans of Nineveh. He complains of God's mercy toward the Ninevites, because his own reputation will suffer from this. God guides the world according to a broad and generous vision. Because he created everyone, he feels responsible for everyone and wants to save humans and cattle (4,11) Regardless of their race or religion. The story of Jonah soon became popular, and Jesus would mention it: - The Ninevites' conversion (Lk 11:30). - The comparison with the three days that Jonah spent in the fish's belly (Mt 12:40).
