Version: King James Version (public domain)
Amos
The prophet of social justice
Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, denounces wealth built on exploiting the poor and religious worship without justice.
Historical context
He is considered the earliest of the writing prophets; his line about justice was quoted by Martin Luther King Jr.
Explanation
Best-known passages
- “Let judgment run down as waters” (ch. 5)
- The prophet’s visions (ch. 7–9)
- A famine of hearing the word (ch. 8)