1. These are the words of Amos. He was a shepherd from the town of Tekoa. Here is the vision he saw concerning Israel. It came to him two years before the earthquake. At that time Uzziah was king of Judah. Jeroboam was king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoash. Here are the words of Amos.
2. I said, "The Lord roars like a lion from Jerusalem. His voice sounds like thunder from Zion. The grasslands of the shepherds turn brown. The top of Mount Carmel dries up."
3. The Lord says, "The people of Damascus have sinned again and again. So I will punish them. They used threshing sleds with iron teeth to crush Gilead's people.
4. So I will send fire to destroy the palace of King Hazael. It will burn up the forts of his son Ben-Hadad.