Amos 1:3
Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:
Amos 1:3 belongs to a series of judgments pronounced on the wicked nations surrounding Israel, reaching beyond Judah and Israel themselves. It was spoken through Amos in Israel about 800-750 B.C., and its vivid threshing imagery reflects his work as a herdsman. The formula for three transgressions and for four means repeated wrongdoing grown to fullness, for which God will not turn away punishment.
The specific offense charged is Damascus violently threshing Gilead with threshing instruments of iron. By condemning the surrounding nations, the prophecy warns Judah and Israel to return to God. With its surrounding verses, it foretells the Lord's coming judgment when fire will destroy the wicked.
The same pattern applies afterward: the United States suffers the consequences of its fullness of oppression, perjury, double-dealing, and breach of contract.