“I sent a pestilence among you after the manner of Egypt; I killed your choice men by the sword along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up even in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
Amos 4:8 So two or three cities would wander around to another city to drink water, But would not be satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
Amos 4:9 “I struck you with scorching wind and mildew; And the gnawing locust was devouring Your many gardens and vineyards, fig trees, and olive trees; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
Amos 4:10 “I sent a pestilence among you after the manner of Egypt; I killed your choice men by the sword along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up even in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
Amos 4:11 “I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand delivered from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.
Amos 4:12 “Therefore thus I will do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel.”
The verse centers on "sent", "pestilence", "after", "manner", "egypt", "killed", "choice", and "sword". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sent" and "pestilence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 9's "I struck you with scorching wind and..." into verse 11's "I overthrew you as God overthrew Sodom...", so "sent" and "pestilence" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sent" and "pestilence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.