God's judgments upon Moab, 1-3, upon Judah, 4, 5, and upon Israel, 6-8. God complains of their ingratitude, 9-16.
1 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away his punishment, 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 Kirioth. 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 of it and will slay all its princes with him," says the LORD.
4 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away their punishment, because they have despised the law of the LORD and have not kept his commandments. And their lies caused them to err, after which their fathers have walked.
5 But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem."
6 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away their punishment, because they sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of shoes.
7 They 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 to 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 I destroyed 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 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 some of your sons for prophets and some of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even so, O children of Israel?" says the LORD.
12 "But you gave the Nazarites wine to drink and commanded the prophets, saying, 'Do not prophesy.'
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 who handles the bow, and he who is swift of foot shall not deliver himself; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself.
16 And he who is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day," says the LORD.
Matthew Henry Commentary - Amos, Chapter 2[➚]
John Gill's Chapter Summary:
In this chapter the prophet foretells the calamities that should come upon the Moabites for their transgressions (verses 1-3); and the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem for their iniquities (verses 4-5); also the judgments of God that should come upon Israel, the ten tribes, for their sins, which sins are enumerated; their oppression of the poor, their lewdness and idolatry (verses 6-8); and which are aggravated by the blessings of goodness bestowed upon them, both temporal and spiritual (verses 9-12); therefore they are threatened with ruin, which would be inevitable, notwithstanding their swiftness, strength, and courage, and their skill in shooting arrows, and riding horses (verses 13-16).
[v.1] - "lime" - This may be read as "ashes."
[v.4] - Reference, Ezekiel 20:18-20; Acts 7:51.