Amos 8-9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Fourth Vision: A Basket of Summer Fruit
8 The Lord God showed me this: A basket of summer fruit. 2 He asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”(A)
I replied, “A basket of summer fruit.”(B)
The Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel;(C) I will no longer spare them.(D) 3 In that day the temple[a] songs(E) will become wailing”(F)—this is the Lord God’s declaration. “Many dead bodies, thrown everywhere!(G) Silence!”(H)
4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy(I)
and do away with the poor of the land,(J)
5 asking, “When will the New Moon be over
so we may sell grain,(K)
and the Sabbath,
so we may market wheat?(L)
We can reduce the measure
while increasing the price[b]
and cheat with dishonest scales.(M)
6 We can buy the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals(N)
and even sell the chaff!”
7 The Lord has sworn(O) by the Pride of Jacob:[c](P)
I will never forget all their deeds.(Q)
8 Because of this, won’t the land quake(R)
and all who dwell in it mourn?(S)
All of it will rise like the Nile;(T)
it will surge and then subside
like the Nile in Egypt.(U)
9 And in that day—
this is the declaration of the Lord God—
I will make the sun go down at noon;(V)
I will darken the land in the daytime.(W)
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning(X)
and all your songs into lamentation;(Y)
I will cause everyone[d] to wear sackcloth(Z)
and every head to be shaved.(AA)
I will make that grief
like mourning for an only son(AB)
and its outcome like a bitter day.
11 Hear this! The days are coming—
this is the declaration of the Lord God—
when I will send a famine through the land:
not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.(AC)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and roam from north to east,
seeking the word of the Lord,(AD)
but they will not find it.
13 In that day the beautiful young women,(AE)
the young men also, will faint from thirst.(AF)
14 Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria(AG)
and say, “As your god lives, Dan,”(AH)
or “As the way[e][f] of Beer-sheba lives”(AI)—
they will fall, never to rise again.(AJ)
Fifth Vision: The Lord beside the Altar
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar,(AK) and He said:
Strike the capitals of the pillars(AL)
so that the thresholds shake;
knock them down on the heads of all the people.
Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword.(AM)
None of those who flee will get away;(AN)
none of the fugitives will escape.
2 If they dig down to Sheol,(AO)
from there My hand will take them;
if they climb up to heaven,(AP)
from there I will bring them down.
3 If they hide themselves
on the top of Carmel,
from there I will track them down(AQ)
and seize them;
if they conceal themselves
from My sight on the sea floor,(AR)
from there I will command
the sea serpent to bite them.(AS)
4 And if they are driven
by their enemies into captivity,(AT)
from there I will command
the sword to kill them.(AU)
I will fix My eyes on them
for harm and not for good.(AV)
5 The Lord, the God of Hosts—
He touches the earth;(AW)
it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn;
all of it rises like the Nile
and subsides like the Nile of Egypt.(AX)
6 He builds His upper chambers
in the heavens(AY)
and lays the foundation of His vault
on the earth.(AZ)
He summons the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the face of the earth.(BA)
Yahweh is His name.(BB)
Announcement of Judgment
7 Israelites, are you not like the Cushites to Me?(BC)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Didn’t I bring Israel from the land of Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtor,[g](BD)
and the Arameans from Kir?(BE)
8 Look, the eyes of the Lord God
are on the sinful kingdom,(BF)
and I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.(BG)
However, I will not totally destroy
the house of Jacob(BH)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
9 for I am about to give the command,
and I will shake the house of Israel(BI)
among all the nations,
as one shakes a sieve,
but not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners among My people(BJ)
who say: “Disaster will never overtake[h]
or confront us,”(BK)
will die by the sword.
Announcement of Restoration
11 In that day
I will restore the fallen booth(BL) of David:(BM)
I will repair its gaps,
restore its ruins,(BN)
and rebuild it as in the days of old,(BO)
12 so that they may possess
the remnant of Edom(BP)
and all the nations
that are called by My name[i](BQ)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
He will do this.
13 Hear this! The days are coming—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when the plowman will overtake the reaper(BR)
and the one who treads grapes,
the sower of seed.
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.(BS)
14 I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel.[j](BT)
They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities,(BU)
plant vineyards and drink their wine,
make gardens and eat their produce.(BV)
15 I will plant them on their land,
and they will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them.(BW)
Yahweh your God has spoken.
Footnotes
- Amos 8:3 Or palace
- Amos 8:5 Lit reduce the ephah and make the shekel great
- Amos 8:7 = the Lord or the promised land
- Amos 8:10 Lit every loin
- Amos 8:14 LXX reads god
- Amos 8:14 Or power
- Amos 9:7 Probably Crete
- Amos 9:10 Or You will not let disaster come near
- Amos 9:12 LXX reads so that the remnant of man and all the nations . . . may seek [Me]; Ac 15:17
- Amos 9:14 Or restore My people Israel from captivity
Acts 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Dispute in Antioch
15 Some men(A) came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised(B) according to the custom prescribed by Moses,(C) you cannot be saved!” 2 But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, the church arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy.(D) 3 When they had been sent on their way by the church,(E) they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, explaining in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they created great joy among all the brothers.
4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.(F) 5 But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses!”
The Jerusalem Council
6 Then the apostles and the elders assembled to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you,[a] that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving[b] the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us.(G) 9 He made no distinction between us and them,(H) cleansing their hearts by faith.(I) 10 Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks(J) that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe we are saved through the grace(K) of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”
12 Then the whole assembly fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.(L) 13 After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers, listen to me! 14 Simeon[c] has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name.(M) 15 And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:
16 After these things I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
I will rebuild its ruins
and set it up again,
17 so the rest of humanity
may seek the Lord—
even all the Gentiles
who are called by My name,
declares the Lord who does these things,
18 known from long ago.[d](N)[e]
19 Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,(O) from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”(P)
The Letter to the Gentile Believers
22 Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas,(Q) both leading men among the brothers. 23 They wrote this letter to be delivered by them:[f]
From the apostles and the elders, your brothers,
To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:(R)
Greetings.
24 Because we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us(S) and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,[g](T) 25 we have unanimously(U) decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives(V) for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth.[h] 28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—to put no greater burden on you than these necessary things:(W) 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.(X) You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.
Farewell.
The Outcome of the Jerusalem Letter
30 Then, being sent off, they went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. 31 When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and strengthened them with a long message.(Y) 33 After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace(Z) by the brothers to those who had sent them.[i][j] 35 But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch teaching and proclaiming the message of the Lord.(AA)
Paul and Barnabas Part Company
36 After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers in every town(AB) where we have preached the message of the Lord and see how they’re doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark.[k] 38 But Paul did not think it appropriate to take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. 39 There was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark(AC) with him and sailed off to Cyprus. 40 Then Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers.(AD) 41 He traveled through Syria(AE) and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Footnotes
- Acts 15:7 Other mss read us
- Acts 15:8 Other mss add them
- Acts 15:14 Simon (Peter)
- Acts 15:18 Other mss read says the Lord who does all these things. Known to God from long ago are all His works.
- Acts 15:18 Am 9:11-12; Is 45:21
- Acts 15:23 Lit Writing by their hand:
- Acts 15:24 Other mss add by saying, “Be circumcised and keep the law,”
- Acts 15:27 Lit things through word
- Acts 15:33 Other mss read the brothers to the apostles
- Acts 15:33 Other mss add v. 34: But Silas decided to stay there.
- Acts 15:37 Lit John who was called Mark
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