Amos 1:3-5

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Thus says the Lord,
“For three transgressions of Damascus and for four (multiplied delinquencies)
I shall not reverse its punishment or revoke My word concerning it,
Because they have threshed Gilead [east of the Jordan River] with sharp iron sledges [having spikes that crushed and shredded].^(A)

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“So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon the house of ^(a)Hazael,
And it shall devour the palaces and strongholds of ^(b)Ben-hadad (Hazael’s son).

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“I also will break the bar [of the gate] of Damascus,
And cut off and destroy the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven (Wickedness),
And the ruler who holds the scepter, from Beth-eden (Damascus);
And the people of Aram [conquered by the Assyrians] will go into exile to ^(c)Kir,”
Says the Lord.^(B)

Footnotes:

a. Amos 1:4: Hazael ruled from Damascus (842-796 b.c.) as king of Aram (Syria). He was an important official in the court of Hadadezer whom he assassinated and then succeeded.

b. Amos 1:4: Ben-hadad succeeded his father and ruled from 796-775 b.c.

c. Amos 1:5: Perhaps back to the homeland of the Arameans (Syrians). Its location is uncertain.

Cross references:

A. Amos 1:3: 2 Kings 10:32; 2 Kings 10:33

B. Amos 1:5: Ezekiel 30:17