Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Moab,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he burned to lime
the bones of the king of Edom.
So I will send a fire upon Moab,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
and will kill all its princes with him,”
says the LORD.
Thus says the LORD:
“For three transgressions of Judah,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have rejected the law of the LORD,
and have not kept his statutes,
but their lies have led them astray,
those after which their fathers walked.
So I will send a fire upon Judah,
and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”
C0mment: Amos is heading for Israel that is the northern part of the divided kingdom but he has two more small lands to speak to before he hones in on his final country. In each case he follows his same pattern of presentation, naming something of the many failings which have resulted in this punishment. For Moab it is their cruelty to their captured enemy. For Israel it is their failure to walk in the way which has clearly shown them in their writings.
Prayer: Teach me to not use ignorance as an excuse when You have shown so clearly what You desire of us and me.
As I read it! 