Amós 2

BLIVRE · Chapter 2/9

1Assim diz o SENHOR: Por três transgressões de Moabe, e pela quarta, não desviarei [seu castigo] ; porque queimou os ossos do rei de Edom até os tornar em cal.

2Por isso meterei fogo em Moabe, que consumirá os palácios de Queriote; e Moabe morrerá em tumulto, com grito e som de trombeta.

3E exterminarei o juiz do meio dele, e matarei a todos seus príncipes com ele,diz o SENHOR.

4Assim diz o SENHOR: Por três transgressões de Judá, e pela quarta, não desviarei [seu castigo] ; porque rejeitaram a lei do SENHOR, e não guardaram seus estatutos; e foram enganados por suas mentiras, as quais seus pais seguiam.

5Por isso meterei fogo em Judá, que consumirá os palácios de Jerusalém.

6Assim diz o SENHOR: Por três transgressões de Israel, e pela quarta, não desviarei [seu castigo] ; porque vendem o justo em troca de dinheiro, e o pobre por um par de sapatos;

7Eles pisam a cabeça dos pobres no pó da terra, e distorcem o caminho dos humildes; um homem e seu pai vão a uma [mesma] moça, para profanarem o meu santo nome.

8E se deitam junto a qualquer altar com roupas tomadas em penhor, e bebem vinho tomado como multa da casa de seus deuses.

9Eu, pelo contrário, destruí diante deles os amorreus, cuja altura era como a altura dos cedros, e eram fortes como carvalhos; e destruí seu fruto acima, e suas raízes abaixo.

10Também vos fiz a vós subir da terra do Egito, e por quarenta anos vos conduzi pelo deserto, para que possuísseis a terra dos amorreus.

11E levantei [alguns] de vossos filhos para profetas, e de vossos rapazes para que fossem nazireus. Não é isto assim, filhos de Israel?Diz o SENHOR,

12Mas aos nazireus destes de beber vinho; e aos profetas mandastes, dizendo: Não profetizeis.

13Pois eis que eu vos esmagarei em vosso lugar, tal como uma carroça cheia de feixes esmaga;

14De modo que o veloz não conseguirá escapar, nem o forte conseguirá usar de sua força, nem o guerreiro livrará sua vida;

15E o que maneja o arco não subsistirá, nem o veloz de pés se livrará, nem o que monta em cavalo livrará sua vida.

16O mais corajoso entre os guerreiros fugirá nu naquele dia, diz o SENHOR.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Amos goes on to condemn Moab and finally Judah, before turning his harshest judgment on Israel, accused of selling the poor, exploiting the needy, and silencing prophets and Nazirites.

Explanation

The strategic turn comes here: after condemning six foreign nations, Amos includes Judah (for rejecting the law of the LORD) and then Israel — the true audience of the sermon. The charges against Israel are far more detailed: economic exploitation of the poor, injustice in the courts, sexual immorality disguised as religion, and even silencing the few who tried to live a consecrated life (the Nazirites). The paradox is severe: the very people God rescued from Egypt and led for forty years now oppress the weakest among their own nation. The lesson for today: spiritual privileges received in the past do not exempt anyone from present responsibility for social justice.

Fun facts

  • The Nazirites (v. 11-12) were people who took a special vow of consecration to God, including abstaining from wine (Numbers 6) — Israel corrupted them by offering them wine to drink, and silenced the prophets, showing active hostility toward authentic spiritual life.
  • 'They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes' (v. 6) describes judicial corruption: bribes as small as the price of a pair of sandals were enough to unjustly condemn the poor in court.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Amós 2:1Burning a king’s bones until they turned to lime was an extreme act of desecration, denying the dead even the right to his own grave; Moab is accused of this kind of disproportionate revenge against an already-dead king.
  2. Amós 2:2The same pattern of fire falls on Moab, accused in the previous verse of desecrating the bones of the king of Edom until they turned to lime.
  3. Amós 2:3Concludes the oracle against Moab, wiping out the country’s entire political leadership — judge and princes killed together.
  4. Amós 2:4The sequence of oracles against the neighboring nations finally reaches Judah — unlike the others, the accusation here is religious: rejecting the law of the Lord.
  5. Amós 2:5The same pattern of fire falls on Judah, including its own capital, Jerusalem, closing the circle of judged nations before Amos turns his aim to Israel.
  6. Amós 2:6Selling “the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes” describes small debts being used as an excuse to enslave poor people — social injustice becomes the central sin Amos hammers against Israel.
  7. Amós 2:7Images of extreme oppression of the poor, and a father and son sexually exploiting the same woman, probably in prostitution linked to pagan cults.
  8. Amós 2:8Clothes taken as pledges were supposed to be returned by night, according to the law (Exodus 22); here they become a rug to lie on next to the altar, and the wine they drink comes from the fines charged to the poor — abuse disguised as religion.
  9. Amós 2:9God recalls that he completely destroyed the Amorites, a people as strong as cedars, to give the land to Israel — a historical favor the people have forgotten.
  10. Amós 2:10Recalls the Exodus and the forty years in the wilderness as part of the same historical care from God, now ignored by the people.
  11. Amós 2:11God recalls that he also raised up prophets and Nazirites (people under a special vow of dedication) from within the people themselves — another sign of care that was rejected.
  12. Amós 2:12Nazirites were people who made a special vow not to drink wine (Numbers 6); deliberately giving them wine, and also telling the prophets to be silent, shows a people attacking the very few examples of faithfulness it had.
  13. Amós 2:13The image of an ox cart so full of sheaves that it creaks and sinks into the ground — this is how God is going to “press” the people under the weight of judgment.
  14. Amós 2:14Not even the fastest, the strongest, or the bravest will manage to escape the announced judgment.
  15. Amós 2:15The list continues: not archers, not runners, not horsemen will be saved — no military skill will help.
  16. Amós 2:16Even the bravest soldier will flee with nothing, dropping weapons and clothes, pure panic on the day of punishment.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.