Amos 2
1 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime:
2 But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kerioth: and Moab shall die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet:
3 And I will cut off the judge from the midst thereof, and will slay all the princes thereof with him, saith the LORD.
4 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.
6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
7 That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name:
8 And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.
9 Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath.
10 Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.
12 But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.
13 Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.
14 Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
15 Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.
16 And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Amos 2.
Why is Israel’s oracle much longer than the others?
Once the sequence reaches Israel, the accusations expand from international violence to debt, exploitation, sexual misconduct, cult practice, and rejection of prophets.
What were debt slavery and pledged garments in Amos’s world?
The chapter assumes legal and economic practices in which poor people could become vulnerable through debt and collateral. Comparing ancient law and contracts helps clarify the social accusation.
Why does Amos retell the exodus and conquest here?
The historical recital makes Israel’s past privileges part of the indictment rather than merely background history.
Sources to ExploreCurated research paths for this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
- Debt Slavery in the Ancient Near East and IsraelUniversity of Gloucestershire Research Repository
Browser-readable academic record for a major study of debt servitude and biblical release laws. The subject provides historical context for Amos’s accusation that vulnerable people were sold over small debts, although the complete study is available separately as a downloadable document.
Language & Literature2
- Amos 2: Texts in ConversationIntertextual Bible
Collects connections involving selling people for silver, sandals, exploitation of the poor, seized garments, sexual violations, the Exodus, Amorites, Nazirites, prophets, military strength, and escape. It helps readers trace how Amos draws on legal, historical, and covenant traditions.
- The Book of Amos and the Exploitation of the PoorTheTorah.com
Scholarly overview emphasizing Amos’s criticism of creditors, debt foreclosure, slavery, economic inequality, corrupt worship, and the commodification of vulnerable people. It helps readers understand why Israel receives the longest and most detailed accusation in the sequence of national oracles.
Public Discussion
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