Amos denounced the society of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, in vivid language, bitterly describing the decadent opulence, immorality, and smug piety of the elite who “trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth” (2.7). Amos's program, in contrast, called for “justice” and “righteousness” (5.7,24; 6.12), terms that connote social equality and concern for the disadvantaged (Isa 5.7; Mic 6.8).
