Amos was a shepherd and fig-tree farmer who lived near the border between Israel and Judah about 150 years after they split, before the exile. Living during the reign of Jeroboam II, one of Israel's worst kings, God called him to go to Bethel, an important city in the northern kingdom, and to speak to the people there. The book is a collection of his sermons, poems and visions, often targeting religious hypocrisy and announcing God's coming judgment.