דִּבְרֵי עָמוֹס אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה בַנֹּקְדִים מִתְּקוֹעַ אֲשֶׁר חָזָה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי עֻזִּיָּה מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וּבִימֵי יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁנָתַיִם לִפְנֵי הָרָעַשׁ

These are the words of Amos, who was among the shepherdsfrom Tekoa, based upon the prophecy which he envisioned concerning Israel, as well as other nations, in the days of Uziya king of Judah, and in the days of Yorovam son of Yo’ash, king of Israel, two years before the powerful earthquake that destroyed much of the populated area of Israel. Due to its force, this earthquake was etched in the national consciousness for many generations.

וַיֹּאמַר ה' מִצִּיּוֹן יִשְׁאָג וּמִירוּשָׁלִַם יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ וְאָבְלוּ נְאוֹת הָרֹעִים וְיָבֵשׁ רֹאשׁ הַכַּרְמֶל

He said: The Lord will roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem He will project His voice, which will subsequently be heard around the world. And the pastures of the shepherds will shrivel, and the top of the Carmel will wither.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי דַמֶּשֶׂק וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־דּוּשָׁם בַּחֲרֻצוֹת הַבַּרְזֶל אֶת־הַגִּלְעָד

So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Damascus, the capital of the threatening northern kingdom of Aram, I will call it to account, but I will refrain from dispensing punishment. But for the fourth transgression, which is more severe than the others, I will not forgive it and relent; I will not withdraw My decree or My anger against it. Alternatively, this phrase means that God will not act like a judge who returns one who has been vindicated in judgment to his former status; rather, he will convict Aram and punish it: The prophet details the fourth transgression: For their threshing the Gilad with rods of iron. The last kings of Aram invaded and conquered Gilad, and subsequently terrorized and destroyed its population.

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּבֵית חֲזָאֵל וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת בֶּן־הֲדָד

Therefore, I will send fire in the house of Hazael, the Aramean army general who later became king. The house of Hazael can be understood as a general name for the kingdom and leadership of Aram. And it will consume the palaces of Ben Hadad, the Aramean ruler before Hazael.

וְשָׁבַרְתִּי בְּרִיחַ דַּמֶּשֶׂק וְהִכְרַתִּי יוֹשֵׁב מִבִּקְעַת־אָוֶן וְתוֹמֵךְ שֵׁבֶט מִבֵּית עֶדֶן וְגָלוּ עַם־אֲרָם קִירָה אָמַר ה'

I will break the bar of the city gate of Damascus, to breach the entrance before its enemies; I will eliminate inhabitants from Bikat Aven, a level area near Damascus. This is probably not the actual name of the location, but rather a name coined by the prophet based on the name of the idol worshipped by its inhabitants. Evidently, not only will Damascus be destroyed, but so will all of its surrounding villages. And the holder of the scepter, the ruler, will be removed from Beit Eden, and the people of Aram will be exiled to the Assyrian city of Kir, said the Lord. The prophet is alluding to the future exile of Aram by the kingdom of Assyria.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי עַזָּה וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־הַגְלוֹתָם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה לְהַסְגִּיר לֶאֱדוֹם

Amos delivers a second prophecy in the same form. So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Gaza, the powerful Philistine city, I will call it to account, but I will refrain from punishing it; but for the more severe fourth transgression, I will not relent. The fourth transgression is the sin committed against the nation of Israel, for their exiling of an entire exile from Judah, to deliver them to Edom. The Philistines from Gaza joined forces with the kingdom of Edom, which for many years was under the rule of Judah, occasionally rebelling against it. The Philistines were insufficiently strong to attack Judah themselves, but when a war broke out they were happy to assist the enemy forces. When soldiers from Judah fled the battle, the Philistines handed them over to the Edomites, thereby ensuring that none could escape and their exile would be complete. They will not be forgiven for this sin.

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּחוֹמַת עַזָּה וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנֹתֶיהָ

I will send fire in the wall of Gaza and it will consume not only the walls of the city, but also its palaces [armenoteha], or its large houses, fortresses, or castles. The entire city will fall into enemy hands.

וְהִכְרַתִּי יוֹשֵׁב מֵאַשְׁדּוֹד וְתוֹמֵךְ שֵׁבֶט מֵאַשְׁקְלוֹן וַהֲשִׁיבוֹתִי יָדִי עַל עֶקְרוֹן וְאָבְדוּ שְׁאֵרִית פְּלִשְׁתִּים אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים

The city of Gaza will not be punished alone: I will also eliminate inhabitants from Ashdod, also a Philistine city, and cut off the holder of the scepter, the ruler, from Ashkelon, yet another Philistine city. I will turn My hand against the Philistine city of Ekron to punish it, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish, said the Lord God. King Uziya defeated the Philistine forces, perhaps shortly after this prophecy.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי־צֹר וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־הַסְגִּירָם גָּלוּת שְׁלֵמָה לֶאֱדוֹם וְלֹא זָכְרוּ בְּרִית אַחִים

So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Tyre I will not dispense punishment, but for the fourth, I will not relent: For their delivering of an entire exile to Edom, not remembering the covenant of brothers. Although the kingdom of Tyre was not near Edom, the citizens of Tyre traded many items with foreign states, such as clothing, metals, and even human slaves. Israelite captives were sold as slaves and delivered via Tyre to other locations. Tyre and Jerusalem formerly maintained friendly relations, and a covenant had even been signed between them in the times of David and Solomon. There are no recorded disputes between the two nations over the generations. On the contrary, the kings of Israel established marital ties with the rulers of Tyre and Sidon. Since this once friendly nation turned against Israel and collaborated with its enemies, it will be punished.

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּחוֹמַת צֹר וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ

I will send a fire in the wall of Tyre and it will consume its palaces. Unlike the Philistines, no mass destruction is prophesied with regard to Tyre, but its inhabitants will also be struck.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי אֱדוֹם וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־רָדְפוֹ בַחֶרֶב אָחִיו וְשִׁחֵת רַחֲמָיו וַיִּטְרֹף לָעַד אַפּוֹ וְעֶבְרָתוֹ שְׁמָרָה נֶצַח

So said the Lord: For three transgressions of Edom I will refrain from dispensing punishment, but for the fourth, I will not relent: For his, Edom’s, who is Esau, Jacob’s brother, pursuit of his brother with the sword; he annulled his own mercy. If Edom had any pity in his heart, it had no effect on his behavior. And his wrath mauled perpetually and his fury kept forever. Edom bore a grudge against Judah because he had been subject to Judah’s control for so long. Indeed, one of the occasions when Edom rebelled was shortly after this prophecy. The Kingdom of Judah was weakened somewhat, and the Edomites took advantage and fought against it.

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בְּתֵימָן וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת בָּצְרָה

The prophet declares that Edom will be defeated: I will send a fire in Teman, a region, city, or family in the land of Edom, and it will devour the palaces of Botzra, a prominent Edomite city.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי בְנֵי־עַמּוֹן וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־בִּקְעָם הָרוֹת הַגִּלְעָד לְמַעַן הַרְחִיב אֶת־גְּבוּלָם

So said the Lord: For three transgressions of the children of Amon I will refrain from dispensing punishment, but for the fourth, I will not relent: For their cleaving of the pregnant women of the Gilad, in order to broaden their border. The children of Amon attempted to conquer the adjacent region of Gilad numerous times over the generations. They finally succeeded in invading Gilad when the Kingdom of Israel weakened, and they cruelly slaughtered its pregnant women. The purpose of such killing of innocents was to oppress the population in order to prevent any future uprising.

וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בְּחוֹמַת רַבָּה וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ בִּתְרוּעָה בְּיוֹם מִלְחָמָה בְּסַעַר בְּיוֹם סוּפָה

I will ignite a fire in the wall of Raba, the capital of Amon, and it will consume its palaces with an alarm blast on the day of war, with a tempest of war on the day of the storm. This will not be merely a minor reversal on the battlefield, but a mortal blow that will decimate the nation.

וְהָלַךְ מַלְכָּם בַּגּוֹלָה הוּא וְשָׂרָיו יַחְדָּו אָמַר ה'

Their king will go into exile, he and his princes together, said the Lord.