1This is the message that Yahweh gave to me, Amos. I am a ◄shepherd/man who takes care of sheep►. I am from near Tekoa town south of Jerusalem. I received this message about Israel in a vision two years before the big earthquake. It was when Uzziah was the king of Judah, and Jeroboam, the son of King Jehoash, was the king of Israel.

2This is what Yahweh said: “I will roar like a lion [MET]; when I speak from Zion Hill in Jerusalem [DOU], my voice will resemble the sound of thunder. When that happens, the pastures where you shepherds take care of your sheep will dry up, and the grass on top of Carmel Mountain will ◄wither/become brown►
because I will cause that no rain will fall.”

Yahweh will punish Syria

3This is also what Yahweh said to me: “I will punish the people of Damascus, the capital of Syria, because of the many sins that they have committed; I will not change my mind about punishing them [MTY], because the cruel things that they did to the people of the Gilead region were like [MET] people threshing grain using sledges that have ◄iron teeth/sharp iron nails► in them.

4I will cause a fire to burn the palace that King Hazael built and lived in, the fortress where his son King Ben-Hadad also lived.

5I will cause the gates of Damascus to be broken down; I will get rid of the king who rules in Aven Valley and the one who rules in Beth Eden. And the people of Syria will be captured and taken to the Kir region where they originally lived.”

Yahweh will punish Philistia

6Yahweh also said this to me: “I will punish the people of the cities in Philistia: I will punish the people of Gaza city because of the many sins that they have committed;
I will not change my mind about punishing them, because they captured large groups of people and took them to Edom and sold them to become the slaves of the people of Edom.

7I will cause a fire to completely burn the walls of Gaza and also destroy its fortresses.

8I will get rid of the king of Ashdod city and the king who rules [MTY] in Ashkelon city. I will also strike/punish the people of Ekron city, and all the people of Philistia who are still alive will be killed.”

Yahweh will punish Tyre

9Yahweh also said this to me: “I will punish the people of Tyre city because of the many sins that they have committed; I will not change my mind about punishing them, because they also captured large groups of our people and took them to Edom, disregarding the treaty of friendship that they had made with your rulers.

10So I will cause a fire to completely burn the walls of Tyre and also destroy its fortresses.”

Yahweh will punish Edom

11Yahweh also said this to me: “I will punish the people of Edom because of the many sins that they have committed; I will not change my mind about punishing them, because they pursued the people of Israel, who descended from Esau’s brother Jacob, and killed them with swords; they did not act mercifully toward them at all. They were extremely angry with the people of Israel, and they continued to be angry with them.

12I will cause a fire to burn Teman district in Edom and completely burn the fortresses of Bozrah, the biggest city in Edom.”

Yahweh will punish Ammon

13Yahweh also said this to me: “I will punish the people of Ammon because of the many sins that they have committed; I will not change my mind about punishing them, because their soldiers even ripped open the bellies of pregnant women when their army attacked the Gilead region to gain more territory.

14I will cause a fire to completely burn the walls around Rabbah city and completely burn its fortresses. During that battle, their enemies will shout loudly and the fighting will be like [MET] a fierce/raging wind/storm.

15After the battle, the king of Ammon and his officials will be ◄exiled/forced to go to another country►.”