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Amos 5-9
Amplified Bible
Amos 5-9
Amplified Bible
“Seek Me that You May Live”
5 Hear this word which I take up for you as a funeral song, O house of Israel:
2
She has fallen, she will not rise again—
The virgin Israel.
She lies neglected on her land;
There is no one to raise her up.
3
For thus says the Lord God,
“The city which goes forth a thousand strong
Will have a hundred left,
And the one which goes forth a hundred strong
Will have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel,
“Seek Me [search diligently for Me and regard Me as more essential than food] so that you may live.(A)
5
“But do not resort to Bethel [to worship the golden calf]
Nor enter [idolatrous] Gilgal,
Nor cross over to Beersheba [and its idols];
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity and exile,
And Bethel will come to nothing.
6
“Seek the Lord [search diligently for Him and long for Him as your most essential need] so that you may live,
Or He will rush down like a [devouring] fire, O [a]house of Joseph,
And there will be no one to quench the flame for [idolatrous] [b]Bethel,
7
“For those [shall be consumed] who turn justice into wormwood (bitterness)
And cast righteousness down to the earth.”
8
He who made the [cluster of stars called] Pleiades and [the constellation] Orion,
Who turns deep darkness into the morning
And darkens the day into night,
Who calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the surface of the earth,
The Lord is His name.
9
It is He who causes [sudden] destruction to flash forth on the strong
So that destruction comes on the fortress.
10
They hate the one who reprimands [the unrighteous] in the [court held at the city] gate [regarding him as unreasonable and rejecting his reprimand],
And they detest him who speaks [the truth] with integrity and honesty.
11
Therefore, because you impose heavy rent on the poor
And demand a tribute (food-tax) of grain from them,
Though you have built [luxurious] houses of square stone,
You will not live in them;
You have planted beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine.
12
For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great (shocking, innumerable),
You who distress the righteous and take bribes,
And turn away from the poor in the [court of the city] gate [depriving them of justice].
13
Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character].
14
Seek (long for, require) good and not evil, that you may live;
And so may the Lord God of hosts be with you,
Just as you have said!
15
Hate evil and love good,
And establish justice in the [court of the city] gate.
Perhaps the Lord God of hosts
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph [that is, those who remain after God’s judgment].
16 Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, the Lord,
“There is wailing in all the public plazas,
And in all the streets they say, ‘Alas! Alas!’
And they call the farmers to mourning [for those who have died]
And professional mourners to wailing.
17
“And in all vineyards there is wailing,
For I will pass through your midst [in judgment],” says the Lord.(B)
18
Woe (judgment is coming) to you who desire the day of the Lord [expecting rescue from the Gentiles]!
Why would you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness (judgment) and not light [and rescue and prosperity];
19
It is as if a man runs from a lion [escaping one danger]
And a bear meets him [so he dies anyway],
Or goes home, and leans with his hand against the wall
And a snake bites him.
20
Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, instead of light,
Even very dark with no brightness in it?
21
“I hate, I despise and reject your [sacred] feasts,
And I do not take delight in your solemn assemblies.
22
“Even though you offer Me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fattened animals.
23
“Take the noise of your songs away from Me [they are an irritation]!
I shall not even listen to the melody of your harps.
24
“But let justice run down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream [flowing abundantly].
25 “Did you bring Me sacrifices and grain offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? [Certainly not!] 26 You carried along your king Sikkuth and Kayyun [your man-made gods of Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [but you brought Me none of the appointed sacrifices]. 27 Therefore, I will send you to go into exile far beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.(C)
“Those at Ease in Zion”
6 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who are at ease and carefree in Zion (Judah)
And to those on the mountain of Samaria who feel secure,
The distinguished men of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.(D)
2
Go over to Calneh [in Babylonia] and look,
And from there go [north of Damascus] to the great city of Hamath;
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are they better than these kingdoms [of yours],
Or is their territory greater than yours?
3
Do you put off the day of punishment,
Yet cause the seat of violence to come near?
4
Those who lie on [luxurious] beds of ivory
And lounge around out on their couches,
And eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall,
5
Who improvise to the sound of the harp—
Like David they have composed songs for themselves—(E)
6
Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls
And anoint themselves with the finest oils [reflecting their unrestrained celebration];
Yet they are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph (Israel).(F)
7
Therefore, they will now go into exile with the first of the captives,
And the cultic revelry and banqueting of those who lounge around [on their luxurious couches] will pass away.
8
The Lord [c]God has sworn [an oath] by Himself—the Lord God of hosts, says:
“I loathe and reject the [self-centered] arrogance of Jacob (Israel),
And I hate his palaces and citadels;
Therefore, I shall hand over the [idolatrous] city [of Samaria] with all that it contains [to the Assyrian invaders].”
9 And it shall come to pass that if there remain ten men in one house, they shall die [by the pestilence that comes with war]. 10 Then one’s uncle, or his undertaker, shall come to bring the [disease-infected] body out of the house, [to cremate it], and he will say to another in the farthest part of the house, “Is there anyone else with you?” And that one will say, “No one.” Then he will respond, “Hush! Keep quiet! For the name of the Lord is not to be mentioned [even casually, for fear that we might invoke even more punishment].”(G) 11 For behold, the Lord is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.
12
Do horses run on rocks?
Do men plow rocks with oxen? [Of course not!]
Yet you have turned justice into poison
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (bitterness),
13
You who [self-confidently] rejoice in [d]Lo-debar (Nothing),
Who say, “Have we not by our own strength taken [e]Karnaim (Strength) for ourselves?”
14
“For behold, I am going to stir up a nation against you,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord, the God of hosts,
“And they will afflict and torment you [to the entire limits of Israel] from the entrance of Hamath [in the north]
To the brook of the Arabah [in the south].”
Warning Through Visions
7 Thus the Lord God showed me [a vision], and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing. 2 And when the locusts had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said,
“O Lord God, please forgive!
How can Jacob stand,
For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?”
3
The Lord revoked this sentence.
“It shall not take place,” said the Lord.
4 Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God called for punishment with fire, and it devoured the great deep [underground sources of water] and began to consume the land. 5 Then I said,
“O Lord God, please stop!
How can Jacob stand,
For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?”
6
The Lord revoked this sentence.
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7 Thus He showed me [a vision], and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand [to determine if the wall was straight or if it needed to be destroyed].(H) 8 The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold, I am setting a plumb line [as a standard]
Among My people Israel [showing the defectiveness of the nation, requiring judgment].
I shall not spare them any longer. [The door of mercy is shut.]
9
“And the [idolatrous] high places of Isaac (Israel) will be devastated and deserted,
And the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.
Then I shall rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword [and destroy the monarchy].”
Amos Accused, Answers
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel [site of the golden calf shrine], sent word to [f]Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.(I) 11 For in this way Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, run for your life [from Israel] to the land of Judah [your own country] and eat bread and live as a prophet there! 13 But do not prophesy any longer at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal residence.”(J)
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet [by profession], nor am I a prophet’s son; I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me as I followed the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 Now therefore, listen to the word of the Lord: You say, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city [when the [g]Assyrians capture Samaria] and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided by a measuring line; you yourself shall die in an unclean and defiled [pagan] land, and Israel shall certainly go from its land into exile.’”
Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity
8 Thus the Lord God showed me [a vision], and behold, there was a basket of [overripe] summer fruit. 2 And He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer [for the nation is ripe for judgment]. 3 In that day, the songs of the palace shall turn to wailing,” says the Lord God. “There will be many dead bodies; in [sacred] silence they will throw them everywhere.”
4 Hear this, you who trample down the needy, and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the New Moon [festival] be over
So that we may sell grain,
And the Sabbath ended so that we may open the wheat market,
Making the ephah [measure] smaller and the shekel bigger [that is, selling less for a higher price]
And to cheat by falsifying the scales,
6
So that we may buy the poor [as slaves] for silver [since they are unable to support themselves]
And the [h]needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the leftovers of the wheat [as if it were a good grade of grain]?”
7
The Lord has sworn [an oath] by the pride of Jacob,
“Surely I shall never forget [nor leave unpunished] any of their [rebellious] acts.
8
“Because of this [coming judgment] will the land not quake
And everyone mourn who dwells in it?
Indeed, all of it shall rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed around [from the impact of judgment]
And [afterward] subside again like the Nile of Egypt.
9
“It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord God,
“That I shall cause the sun to go down at noon,
And I shall darken the earth in broad daylight.(K)
10
“And I shall turn your festivals and feasts into mourning
And all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung);
And I shall cause sackcloth to be put on everyone’s [i]loins
And baldness on every head [shaved for mourning].
And I shall make that time like a time of mourning for an only son [who has died],
And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.
11
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“When I will send hunger over the land,
Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the Lord.
12
“People shall stagger from sea to sea [to the very ends of the earth]
And from the north even to the east;
They will roam here and there to seek the word of the Lord [longing for it as essential for life],
But they will not find it.
13
“In that day the beautiful virgins
And [even the vigorous] young men shall faint from thirst.
14
“Those who swear [their oaths] by the sin (guilt) of Samaria or Ashimah (a pagan goddess),
Who say, ‘By the life of your god [the golden calf], O Dan!’
And [swear], ‘By the life of the way of [idolatrous] Beersheba,’
They shall fall and not rise again.”
God’s Judgment Unavoidable
9 I saw [in a vision] the Lord standing at the altar, and He said,
“Destroy the capitals (tops) of the pillars so that the thresholds will shake,
And break them on the heads of all of the people!
Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword;
They will not have a fugitive who will get away,
Or a survivor who will escape.
2
“Though they dig into [j]Sheol [to hide in the deepest pit],
From there My hand will take them [for judgment];
And though they climb up to heaven [to hide in the realm of light],
From there will I bring them down [for judgment].
3
“Though they hide on the summit of [Mount] Carmel,
I will track them down and take them from there;
And though they hide from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I shall command the serpent and it will bite them.
4
“And though they go into captivity before their enemies,
From there I shall command the sword to kill them,
And I will set My eyes against them for evil (judgment, punishment) and not for good [that is, not for correction leading to restoration].”
5
The Lord God of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler],
It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts,
And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear],
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6
It is He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens
And has established His vaulted dome (the firmament of heaven) over the earth,
He who calls to the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth—
The Lord is His name.
7
“Are you [degenerate ones] not as the [despised] sons of Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel?” says the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans (Syrians) from Kir?
8
“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful [northern] kingdom [of Israel’s ten tribes]
And I shall destroy it from the face of the earth;
But I shall not totally destroy the house of Jacob [that is, the entire nation of Israel],”
Says the Lord.
9
“For behold, I am commanding,
And I shall shake and sift the house of Israel among all nations [and cause it to tremble]
Like grain is shaken in a sieve [removing the chaff],
But not a kernel [of the faithful remnant] shall fall to the ground and be lost [from My sight].(L)
10
“All the sinners among My people will die by the sword,
Those who say [defiantly], ‘The disaster will not overtake or confront us.’
The Restoration of Israel
11
“In that day I shall raise up and restore the fallen [k]tabernacle (booth) of David,
And wall up its breaches [in the city walls];
I will also raise up and restore its ruins
And rebuild it as it was in the days of old,
12
That they may possess the remnant of Edom (ancient enemies)
And all the nations that are called by My name,”
Says the Lord who does this.(M)
13
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“When the plowman shall overtake the one who gathers the harvest,
And the one who treads the grapes [shall overtake] him who sows the seed [for the harvest continues until planting time];
When the mountains will drip sweet wine
And all the hills shall melt [that is, everything that was once barren will overflow with streams of blessing].(N)
14
“Also I shall bring back the exiles of My people Israel,
And they will rebuild the deserted and ruined cities and inhabit them:
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15
“I will also plant them on their land,
And they shall never again be uprooted from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.
Footnotes
- Amos 5:6 A reference to the ten tribes of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. The leading tribe in the north was Ephraim (descendants of Joseph’s second son).
- Amos 5:6 The center of pagan worship in the Northern Kingdom.
- Amos 6:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord.
- Amos 6:13 Lit a thing of nothing. Lo-debar and Karnaim apparently were Aramean sites that had been captured by Israel. Amos uses the meanings of these names in a play on words to rebuke Israel.
- Amos 6:13 Lit a pair of horns. The horns of animals were regarded as symbols of power. Amos condemns Israel for claiming that their victories were achieved without God’s help.
- Amos 7:10 Jeroboam II ruled Israel from 793-753 b.c.
- Amos 7:17 Assyria invaded Israel during the reign of Hoshea (2 Kin 17:5, 6).
- Amos 8:6 See 2:6.
- Amos 8:10 The midsection of the body between the lower ribs and the thighs.
- Amos 9:2 Hades, nether world, the place of the dead.
- Amos 9:11 Possibly referring to the Davidic kingdom.
Amos 5-9
New International Version
Amos 5-9
New International Version
A Lament and Call to Repentance
5 Hear this word, Israel, this lament(A) I take up concerning you:
2 “Fallen is Virgin(B) Israel,
never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
with no one to lift her up.(C)”
3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:
“Your city that marches out a thousand strong
will have only a hundred left;
your town that marches out a hundred strong
will have only ten left.(D)”
4 This is what the Lord says to Israel:
“Seek(E) me and live;(F)
5 do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(G)
do not journey to Beersheba.(H)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[a](I)”
6 Seek(J) the Lord and live,(K)
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(L)
it will devour them,
and Bethel(M) will have no one to quench it.(N)
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(R)
who turns midnight into dawn(S)
and darkens day into night,(T)
who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(U)
9 With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
and brings the fortified city to ruin.(V)
10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(W)
and detest the one who tells the truth.(X)
11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(Y)
and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(Z)
you will not live in them;(AA)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
you will not drink their wine.(AB)
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.(AC)
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(AD)
and deprive the poor(AE) of justice in the courts.(AF)
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet(AG) in such times,
for the times are evil.(AH)
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.(AI)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(AJ) love good;(AK)
maintain justice in the courts.(AL)
Perhaps(AM) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(AN)
on the remnant(AO) of Joseph.
16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailing(AP) in all the streets(AQ)
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(AR) will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(AS) in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through(AT) your midst,”
says the Lord.(AU)
The Day of the Lord
18 Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!(AV)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(AW)
That day will be darkness,(AX) not light.(AY)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,(AZ)
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.(BA)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(BB) not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(BC)
21 “I hate,(BD) I despise your religious festivals;(BE)
your assemblies(BF) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(BG) and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.(BH)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.(BI)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.(BJ)
24 But let justice(BK) roll on like a river,
righteousness(BL) like a never-failing stream!(BM)
25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(BN) and offerings
forty years(BO) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
the pedestal of your idols,(BP)
the star of your god[b]—
which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(BQ) beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(BR)
Woe to the Complacent
6 Woe to you(BS) who are complacent(BT) in Zion,
and to you who feel secure(BU) on Mount Samaria,(BV)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
to whom the people of Israel come!(BW)
2 Go to Kalneh(BX) and look at it;
go from there to great Hamath,(BY)
and then go down to Gath(BZ) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(CA) your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of disaster
and bring near a reign of terror.(CB)
4 You lie on beds adorned with ivory
and lounge on your couches.(CC)
You dine on choice lambs
and fattened calves.(CD)
5 You strum away on your harps(CE) like David
and improvise on musical instruments.(CF)
6 You drink wine(CG) by the bowlful
and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve(CH) over the ruin of Joseph.(CI)
7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(CJ)
your feasting and lounging will end.(CK)
The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel
8 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(CL)—the Lord God Almighty declares:
“I abhor(CM) the pride of Jacob(CN)
and detest his fortresses;(CO)
I will deliver up(CP) the city
and everything in it.(CQ)”
9 If ten(CR) people are left in one house, they too will die. 10 And if the relative who comes to carry the bodies out of the house to burn them[c](CS) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(CT) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”
11 For the Lord has given the command,
and he will smash(CU) the great house(CV) into pieces
and the small house into bits.(CW)
12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
Does one plow the sea[d] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(CX)
and the fruit of righteousness(CY) into bitterness(CZ)—
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[e]
and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[f] by our own strength?(DA)”
14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nation(DB) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamath(DC) to the valley of the Arabah.(DD)”
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(DE) He was preparing swarms of locusts(DF) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean,(DG) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(DH) He is so small!(DI)”
3 So the Lord relented.(DJ)
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(DK)
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;(DL) it dried up the great deep and devoured(DM) the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(DN)”
6 So the Lord relented.(DO)
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(DP)
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[g] with a plumb line[h] in his hand. 8 And the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(DQ) Amos?(DR)”
“A plumb line,(DS)” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(DT)
9 “The high places(DU) of Isaac will be destroyed
and the sanctuaries(DV) of Israel will be ruined;
with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.(DW)”
Amos and Amaziah
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel(DX) sent a message to Jeroboam(DY) king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy(DZ) against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.(EA) 11 For this is what Amos is saying:
“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and Israel will surely go into exile,(EB)
away from their native land.’”(EC)
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!(ED) Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.(EE) 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,(EF) because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple(EG) of the kingdom.(EH)”
14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet(EI) nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.(EJ) 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock(EK) and said to me, ‘Go,(EL) prophesy(EM) to my people Israel.’(EN) 16 Now then, hear(EO) the word of the Lord. You say,
“‘Do not prophesy against(EP) Israel,
and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wife will become a prostitute(EQ) in the city,
and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
and you yourself will die in a pagan[i] country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,(ER)
away from their native land.(ES)’”
A Basket of Ripe Fruit
8 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(ET) a basket of ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see,(EU) Amos?(EV)” he asked.
“A basket(EW) of ripe fruit,” I answered.
Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(EX)
3 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[j](EY) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(EZ)”
5 saying,
“When will the New Moon(FC) be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market(FD) wheat?”(FE)—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating(FF) with dishonest scales,(FG)
6 buying the poor(FH) with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(FI)
7 The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(FJ) “I will never forget(FK) anything they have done.(FL)
8 “Will not the land tremble(FM) for this,
and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
it will be stirred up and then sink
like the river of Egypt.(FN)
9 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.(FO)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(FP) into mourning
and all your singing into weeping.(FQ)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(FR)
and shave(FS) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(FT)
and the end of it like a bitter day.(FU)
11 “The days are coming,”(FV) declares the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine(FW) of hearing the words of the Lord.(FX)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.(FY)
13 “In that day
“the lovely young women and strong young men(FZ)
will faint because of thirst.(GA)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(GB)—
who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(GC)
or, ‘As surely as the god[k] of Beersheba(GD) lives’—
they will fall,(GE) never to rise again.(GF)”
Israel to Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
“Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(GG) of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.(GH)
2 Though they dig down to the depths below,(GI)
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(GJ)
from there I will bring them down.(GK)
3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(GL)
there I will hunt them down and seize them.(GM)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(GN)
there I will command the serpent(GO) to bite them.(GP)
4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword(GQ) to slay them.
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(GU)
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;(GV)
6 he builds his lofty palace[l](GW) in the heavens
and sets its foundation[m] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(GX)
7 “Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites[n]?”(GY)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines(GZ) from Caphtor[o](HA)
and the Arameans from Kir?(HB)
8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(HC) it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(HD)
9 “For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain(HE) is shaken in a sieve,(HF)
and not a pebble will reach the ground.(HG)
10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,(HH)
all those who say,
‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(HI)
Israel’s Restoration
11 “In that day
“I will restore David’s(HJ) fallen shelter(HK)—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins(HL)—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,(HM)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(HN)
and all the nations that bear my name,[p](HO)”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(HP)
13 “The days are coming,”(HQ) declares the Lord,
“when the reaper(HR) will be overtaken by the plowman(HS)
and the planter by the one treading(HT) grapes.
New wine(HU) will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,(HV)
14 and I will bring(HW) my people Israel back from exile.[q](HX)
“They will rebuild the ruined cities(HY) and live in them.
They will plant vineyards(HZ) and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(IA)
15 I will plant(IB) Israel in their own land,(IC)
never again to be uprooted(ID)
from the land I have given them,”(IE)
says the Lord your God.(IF)
Footnotes
- Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
- Amos 5:26 Or lifted up Sakkuth your king / and Kaiwan your idols, / your star-gods; Septuagint lifted up the shrine of Molek / and the star of your god Rephan, / their idols
- Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
- Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
- Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
- Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
- Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean
- Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
- Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
- Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
- Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
- Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
- Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
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