Judgments on Israel’s Neighbors

The words of Amos, who was among the (A)sheepbreeders of (B)Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of (C)Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of (D)Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the (E)earthquake.

And he said:

“The Lord (F)roars from Zion,
And utters His voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
And the top of (G)Carmel withers.”

Judgment on the Nations

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (H)Damascus, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they have (I)threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
(J)But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael,
Which shall devour the palaces of (K)Ben-Hadad.
I will also break the gate (L)bar of Damascus,
And cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
And the one who [a]holds the scepter from [b]Beth Eden.
The people of Syria shall go captive to Kir,”
Says the Lord.

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (M)Gaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they took captive the whole captivity
To deliver them up to Edom.
(N)But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza,
Which shall devour its palaces.
I will cut off the inhabitant (O)from Ashdod,
And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon;
I will (P)turn My hand against Ekron,
And (Q)the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,”
Says the Lord God.

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (R)Tyre, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom,
And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.
10 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Tyre,
Which shall devour its palaces.”

11 Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (S)Edom, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he pursued his (T)brother with the sword,
And cast off all pity;
His anger tore perpetually,
And he kept his wrath forever.
12 But (U)I will send a fire upon Teman,
Which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.”

13 Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (V)the people of Ammon, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because they ripped open the women with child in Gilead,
That they might enlarge their territory.
14 But I will kindle a fire in the wall of (W)Rabbah,
And it shall devour its palaces,
(X)Amid shouting in the day of battle,
And a tempest in the day of the whirlwind.
15 (Y)Their king shall go into captivity,
He and his princes together,”
Says the Lord.

Judgment on Israel

Thus says the Lord:

(Z)“For three transgressions of Moab, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because he (AA)burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
But I will send a fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of (AB)Kerioth;
Moab shall die with tumult,
With shouting and trumpet sound.
And I will cut off (AC)the judge from its midst,
And slay all its princes with him,”
Says the Lord.

Judgment on Judah

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (AD)Judah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
(AE)Because they have despised the law of the Lord,
And have not kept His commandments.
(AF)Their lies lead them astray,
Lies (AG)which their fathers followed.
(AH)But I will send a fire upon Judah,
And it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of (AI)Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment,
Because (AJ)they sell the righteous for silver,
And the (AK)poor for a pair of sandals.
They [c]pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor,
And (AL)pervert the way of the humble.
(AM)A man and his father go in to the same girl,
(AN)To defile My holy name.
They lie down (AO)by every altar on clothes (AP)taken in pledge,
And drink the wine of [d]the condemned in the house of their god.

“Yet it was I who destroyed the (AQ)Amorite before them,
Whose height was like the (AR)height of the cedars,
And he was as strong as the oaks;
Yet I (AS)destroyed his fruit above
And his roots beneath.
10 Also it was (AT)I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And (AU)led you forty years through the wilderness,
To possess the land of the Amorite.
11 I raised up some of your sons as (AV)prophets,
And some of your young men as (AW)Nazirites.
Is it not so, O you children of Israel?”
Says the Lord.
12 “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,
And commanded the prophets (AX)saying,
‘Do not prophesy!’

13 “Behold,(AY) I am [e]weighed down by you,
As a cart full of sheaves [f]is weighed down.
14 (AZ)Therefore [g]flight shall perish from the swift,
The strong shall not strengthen his power,
(BA)Nor shall the mighty [h]deliver himself;
15 He shall not stand who handles the bow,
The swift of foot shall not [i]escape,
Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.
16 The most [j]courageous men of might
Shall flee naked in that day,”
Says the Lord.

Authority of the Prophet’s Message

Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:

“You(BB) only have I known of all the families of the earth;
(BC)Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion [k]cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no [l]trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
If a [m]trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
(BD)If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?

Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless (BE)He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
(BF)Who can but prophesy?

Punishment of Israel’s Sins

“Proclaim in the palaces at [n]Ashdod,
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say:
‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
See great tumults in her midst,
And the [o]oppressed within her.
10 For they (BG)do not know to do right,’
Says the Lord,
‘Who store up violence and [p]robbery in their palaces.’ ”

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“An adversary shall be all around the land;
He shall sap your strength from you,
And your palaces shall be plundered.”

12 Thus says the Lord:

“As a shepherd [q]takes from the mouth of a lion
Two legs or a piece of an ear,
So shall the children of Israel be taken out
Who dwell in Samaria—
In the corner of a bed and [r]on the edge of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,”
Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 “That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will also visit destruction on the altars of (BH)Bethel;
And the horns of the altar shall be cut off
And fall to the ground.
15 I will [s]destroy (BI)the winter house along with (BJ)the summer house;
The (BK)houses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,”
Says the Lord.

God’s Punishments Have Not Reformed Israel

Hear this word, you (BL)cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria,
Who oppress the (BM)poor,
Who crush the needy,
Who say to [t]your husbands, “Bring wine, let us (BN)drink!”
(BO)The Lord God has sworn by His holiness:
“Behold, the days shall come upon you
When He will take you away (BP)with fishhooks,
And your posterity with fishhooks.
(BQ)You will go out through broken walls,
Each one straight ahead of her,
And you will [u]be cast into Harmon,”
Says the Lord.

“Come(BR) to Bethel and transgress,
At (BS)Gilgal multiply transgression;
(BT)Bring your sacrifices every morning,
(BU)Your tithes every three [v]days.
(BV)Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven,
Proclaim and announce (BW)the freewill offerings;
For this you love,
You children of Israel!”
Says the Lord God.

Israel Did Not Accept Correction

“Also I gave you [w]cleanness of teeth in all your cities,
And lack of bread in all your places;
(BX)Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.

“I also withheld rain from you,
When there were still three months to the harvest.
I made it rain on one city,
I withheld rain from another city.
One part was rained upon,
And where it did not rain the part withered.
So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water,
But they were not satisfied;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.

“I(BY) blasted you with blight and mildew.
When your gardens increased,
Your vineyards,
Your fig trees,
And your olive trees,
(BZ)The locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.

10 “I sent among you a plague (CA)after the manner of Egypt;
Your young men I killed with a sword,
Along with your captive horses;
I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.

11 “I overthrew some of you,
As God overthrew (CB)Sodom and Gomorrah,
And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning;
Yet you have not returned to Me,”
Says the Lord.

12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel;
Because I will do this to you,
(CC)Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

13 For behold,
He who forms mountains,
And creates the [x]wind,
(CD)Who declares to man what [y]his thought is,
And makes the morning darkness,
(CE)Who treads the high places of the earth—
(CF)The Lord God of hosts is His name.

A Lament for Israel

Hear this word which I (CG)take up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel:

The virgin of Israel has fallen;
She will rise no more.
She lies forsaken on her land;
There is no one to raise her up.

For thus says the Lord God:

“The city that goes out by a thousand
Shall have a hundred left,
And that which goes out by a hundred
Shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

A Call to Repentance

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:

(CH)“Seek Me (CI)and live;
But do not seek (CJ)Bethel,
Nor enter Gilgal,
Nor pass over to (CK)Beersheba;
For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity,
And (CL)Bethel shall come to nothing.
(CM)Seek the Lord and live,
Lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph,
And devour it,
With no one to quench it in Bethel—
You who (CN)turn justice to wormwood,
And lay righteousness to rest in the earth!”

He made the (CO)Pleiades and Orion;
He turns the shadow of death into morning
(CP)And makes the day dark as night;
He (CQ)calls for the waters of the sea
And pours them out on the face of the earth;
(CR)The Lord is His name.
He [z]rains ruin upon the strong,
So that fury comes upon the fortress.

10 (CS)They hate the one who rebukes in the gate,
And they (CT)abhor the one who speaks uprightly.
11 (CU)Therefore, because you [aa]tread down the poor
And take grain [ab]taxes from him,
Though (CV)you have built houses of hewn stone,
Yet you shall not dwell in them;
You have planted [ac]pleasant vineyards,
But you shall not drink wine from them.
12 For I (CW)know your manifold transgressions
And your mighty sins:
(CX)Afflicting the just and taking bribes;
(CY)Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.
13 Therefore (CZ)the prudent keep silent at that time,
For it is an evil time.

14 Seek good and not evil,
That you may live;
So the Lord God of hosts will be with you,
(DA)As you have spoken.
15 (DB)Hate evil, love good;
Establish justice in the gate.
(DC)It may be that the Lord God of hosts
Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

The Day of the Lord

16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Lord, says this:

There shall be wailing in all streets,
And they shall say in all the highways,
‘Alas! Alas!’
They shall call the farmer to mourning,
(DD)And skillful lamenters to wailing.
17 In all vineyards there shall be wailing,
For (DE)I will pass through you,”
Says the Lord.

18 (DF)Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
For what good is (DG)the day of the Lord to you?
It will be darkness, and not light.
19 It will be (DH)as though a man fled from a lion,
And a bear met him!
Or as though he went into the house,
Leaned his hand on the wall,
And a serpent bit him!
20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light?
Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?

21 “I(DI) hate, I despise your feast days,
And (DJ)I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 (DK)Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
24 (DL)But let justice run down like water,
And righteousness like a mighty stream.

25 “Did(DM) you offer Me sacrifices and offerings
In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?
26 You also carried [ad]Sikkuth[ae] (DN)your king
And Chiun, your idols,
The star of your gods,
Which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into captivity (DO)beyond Damascus,”
Says the Lord, (DP)whose name is the God of hosts.

Warnings to Zion and Samaria

Woe (DQ)to you who are at (DR)ease in Zion,
And (DS)trust in Mount Samaria,
Notable persons in the (DT)chief nation,
To whom the house of Israel comes!
(DU)Go over to (DV)Calneh and see;
And from there go to (DW)Hamath the great;
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
(DX)Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory greater than your territory?

Woe to you who (DY)put far off the day of (DZ)doom,
(EA)Who cause (EB)the seat of violence to come near;
Who lie on beds of ivory,
Stretch out on your couches,
Eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall;
(EC)Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments,
And invent for yourselves (ED)musical instruments (EE)like David;
Who (EF)drink wine from bowls,
And anoint yourselves with the best ointments,
(EG)But are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
Therefore they shall now go (EH)captive as the first of the captives,
And those who recline at banquets shall be removed.

(EI)The Lord God has sworn by Himself,
The Lord God of hosts says:
“I abhor (EJ)the pride of Jacob,
And hate his palaces;
Therefore I will deliver up the city
And all that is in it.”

Then it shall come to pass, that if ten men remain in one house, they shall die. 10 And when [af]a relative of the dead, with one who will burn the bodies, picks up the [ag]bodies to take them out of the house, he will say to one inside the house, “Are there any more with you?”

Then someone will say, “None.”

And he will say, (EK)“Hold your tongue! (EL)For we dare not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For behold, (EM)the Lord gives a command:
(EN)He will break the great house into bits,
And the little house into pieces.

12 Do horses run on rocks?
Does one plow there with oxen?
Yet (EO)you have turned justice into gall,
And the fruit of righteousness into wormwood,
13 You who rejoice over [ah]Lo Debar,
Who say, “Have we not taken [ai]Karnaim for ourselves
By our own strength?”

14 “But, behold, (EP)I will raise up a nation against you,
O house of Israel,”
Says the Lord God of hosts;
“And they will afflict you from the (EQ)entrance of Hamath
To the Valley of the Arabah.”

Vision of the Locusts

Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the [aj]beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings. And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said:

“O Lord God, forgive, I pray!
(ER)Oh,[ak] that Jacob may stand,
For he is small!”
So (ES)the Lord relented concerning this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

Vision of the Fire

Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called [al]for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the [am]territory. Then I said:

“O Lord God, cease, I pray!
(ET)Oh, that Jacob may stand,
For he is small!”
So the Lord relented concerning this.
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

Vision of the Plumb Line

Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”

And I said, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said:

“Behold, (EU)I am setting a plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel;
(EV)I will not pass by them anymore.
(EW)The [an]high places of Isaac shall be desolate,
And the [ao]sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.
(EX)I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”

Amaziah’s Complaint

10 Then Amaziah the (EY)priest of (EZ)Bethel sent to (FA)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to [ap]bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said:

‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
And Israel shall surely be led away (FB)captive
From their own land.’ ”

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos:

“Go, you seer!
Flee to the land of Judah.
There eat bread,
And there prophesy.
13 But (FC)never again prophesy at Bethel,
(FD)For it is the king’s [aq]sanctuary,
And it is the royal [ar]residence.”

14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah:

“I was no prophet,
Nor was I (FE)a son of a prophet,
But I was a (FF)sheepbreeder
And a tender of sycamore fruit.
15 Then the Lord took me [as]as I followed the flock,
And the Lord said to me,
‘Go, (FG)prophesy to My people Israel.’
16 Now therefore, hear the word of the Lord:
You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
And (FH)do not [at]spout against the house of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore(FI) thus says the Lord:

(FJ)‘Your wife shall be a harlot in the city;
Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by survey line;
You shall die in a (FK)defiled land;
And Israel shall surely be led away captive
From his own land.’ ”

Vision of the Summer Fruit

Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, a basket of summer fruit. And He said, “Amos, what do you see?”

So I said, “A basket of summer fruit.”

Then the Lord said to me:

(FL)“The end has come upon My people Israel;
(FM)I will not pass by them anymore.
And (FN)the songs of the temple
Shall be wailing in that day,”
Says the Lord God
“Many dead bodies everywhere,
(FO)They shall be thrown out in silence.”

Hear this, you who [au]swallow up the needy,
And make the poor of the land fail,

Saying:

“When will the New Moon be past,
That we may sell grain?
And (FP)the Sabbath,
That we may [av]trade wheat?
(FQ)Making the ephah small and the shekel large,
Falsifying the scales by (FR)deceit,
That we may buy the poor for (FS)silver,
And the needy for a pair of sandals—
Even sell the bad wheat?”

The Lord has sworn by (FT)the pride of Jacob:
“Surely (FU)I will never forget any of their works.
(FV)Shall the land not tremble for this,
And everyone mourn who dwells in it?
All of it shall swell like [aw]the River,
Heave and subside
(FW)Like the River of Egypt.

“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God,
(FX)“That I will make the sun go down at noon,
And I will darken the earth in [ax]broad daylight;
10 I will turn your feasts into (FY)mourning,
(FZ)And all your songs into lamentation;
(GA)I will bring sackcloth on every waist,
And baldness on every head;
I will make it like mourning for an only son,
And its end like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But (GB)of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall (GC)not find it.

13 “In that day the fair virgins
And strong young men
Shall faint from thirst.
14 Those who (GD)swear by (GE)the [ay]sin of Samaria,
Who say,
‘As your god lives, O Dan!’
And, ‘As the way of (GF)Beersheba lives!’
They shall fall and never rise again.”

The Destruction of Israel

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said:

“Strike the [az]doorposts, that the thresholds may shake,
And (GG)break them on the heads of them all.
I will slay the last of them with the sword.
(GH)He who flees from them shall not get away,
And he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.

“Though(GI) they dig into [ba]hell,
From there My hand shall take them;
(GJ)Though they climb up to heaven,
From there I will bring them down;
And though they (GK)hide themselves on top of Carmel,
From there I will search and take them;
Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
Though they go into captivity before their enemies,
From there (GL)I will command the sword,
And it shall slay them.
(GM)I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good.”

The Lord God of hosts,
He who touches the earth and it (GN)melts,
(GO)And all who dwell there mourn;
All of it shall swell like [bb]the River,
And subside like the River of Egypt.
He who builds His (GP)layers[bc] in the sky,
And has founded His strata in the earth;
Who (GQ)calls for the waters of the sea,
And pours them out on the face of the earth—
(GR)The Lord is His name.

Are you not like the [bd]people of Ethiopia to Me,
O children of Israel?” says the Lord.
“Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt,
The (GS)Philistines from (GT)Caphtor,[be]
And the Syrians from (GU)Kir?

“Behold, (GV)the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I (GW)will destroy it from the face of the earth;
Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
Says the Lord.

“For surely I will command,
And will [bf]sift the house of Israel among all nations,
As grain is sifted in a sieve;
(GX)Yet not the smallest [bg]grain shall fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners of My people shall die by the sword,
(GY)Who say, ‘The calamity shall not overtake nor confront us.’

Israel Will Be Restored

11 “On(GZ) that day I will raise up
The [bh]tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And [bi]repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 (HA)That they may possess the remnant of (HB)Edom,[bj]
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,”
Says the Lord who does this thing.

13 “Behold, (HC)the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
(HD)The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.
14 (HE)I will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
(HF)They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
15 I will plant them in their land,
(HG)And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:5 Rules
  2. Amos 1:5 Lit. House of Eden
  3. Amos 2:7 Or trample on
  4. Amos 2:8 Or those punished by fines
  5. Amos 2:13 Or tottering under
  6. Amos 2:13 Or totters
  7. Amos 2:14 Or the place of refuge
  8. Amos 2:14 Lit. save his soul or life
  9. Amos 2:15 Or save
  10. Amos 2:16 Lit. strong of his heart among the mighty
  11. Amos 3:4 Lit. give his voice
  12. Amos 3:5 Or bait or lure
  13. Amos 3:6 ram’s horn
  14. Amos 3:9 So with MT; LXX Assyria
  15. Amos 3:9 Or oppression
  16. Amos 3:10 Or devastation
  17. Amos 3:12 Or snatches
  18. Amos 3:12 Heb. uncertain, possibly on the cover
  19. Amos 3:15 Lit. strike
  20. Amos 4:1 Lit. their masters or lords
  21. Amos 4:3 Or cast them
  22. Amos 4:4 Or years, Deut. 14:28
  23. Amos 4:6 Hunger
  24. Amos 4:13 Or spirit
  25. Amos 4:13 Or His
  26. Amos 5:9 Or flashes forth destruction
  27. Amos 5:11 trample
  28. Amos 5:11 Or tribute
  29. Amos 5:11 desirable
  30. Amos 5:26 LXX, Vg. tabernacle of Moloch
  31. Amos 5:26 A pagan deity
  32. Amos 6:10 Lit. his loved one or uncle
  33. Amos 6:10 Lit. bones
  34. Amos 6:13 Lit. Nothing
  35. Amos 6:13 Lit. Horns, a symbol of strength
  36. Amos 7:1 Lit. beginning of the sprouting of
  37. Amos 7:2 Or How shall Jacob stand
  38. Amos 7:4 to contend
  39. Amos 7:4 Lit. portion
  40. Amos 7:9 Places of pagan worship
  41. Amos 7:9 Or holy places
  42. Amos 7:10 Or endure
  43. Amos 7:13 Or holy place
  44. Amos 7:13 Lit. house
  45. Amos 7:15 Lit. from behind
  46. Amos 7:16 Lit. drip
  47. Amos 8:4 Or trample on, Amos 2:7
  48. Amos 8:5 Lit. open
  49. Amos 8:8 The Nile; some Heb. mss., LXX, Tg., Syr., Vg. River (cf. 9:5); MT the light
  50. Amos 8:9 Lit. a day of light
  51. Amos 8:14 Or Ashima, a Syrian goddess
  52. Amos 9:1 Capitals of the pillars
  53. Amos 9:2 Or Sheol
  54. Amos 9:5 The Nile
  55. Amos 9:6 Or stairs
  56. Amos 9:7 Lit. sons of the Ethiopians
  57. Amos 9:7 Crete
  58. Amos 9:9 shake
  59. Amos 9:9 Lit. pebble
  60. Amos 9:11 Lit. booth; a figure of a deposed dynasty
  61. Amos 9:11 Lit. wall up its breaches
  62. Amos 9:12 LXX mankind

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa(A)—the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake,(B) when Uzziah(C) was king of Judah and Jeroboam(D) son of Jehoash[a] was king of Israel.(E)

He said:

“The Lord roars(F) from Zion
    and thunders(G) from Jerusalem;(H)
the pastures of the shepherds dry up,
    and the top of Carmel(I) withers.”(J)

Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Damascus,(K)
    even for four, I will not relent.(L)
Because she threshed Gilead
    with sledges having iron teeth,
I will send fire(M) on the house of Hazael(N)
    that will consume the fortresses(O) of Ben-Hadad.(P)
I will break down the gate(Q) of Damascus;
    I will destroy the king who is in[b] the Valley of Aven[c]
and the one who holds the scepter in Beth Eden.(R)
    The people of Aram will go into exile to Kir,(S)
says the Lord.(T)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Gaza,(U)
    even for four, I will not relent.(V)
Because she took captive whole communities
    and sold them to Edom,(W)
I will send fire on the walls of Gaza
    that will consume her fortresses.
I will destroy the king[d] of Ashdod(X)
    and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon.
I will turn my hand(Y) against Ekron,
    till the last of the Philistines(Z) are dead,”(AA)
says the Sovereign Lord.(AB)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Tyre,(AC)
    even for four, I will not relent.(AD)
Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom,
    disregarding a treaty of brotherhood,(AE)
10 I will send fire on the walls of Tyre
    that will consume her fortresses.(AF)

11 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Edom,(AG)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he pursued his brother with a sword(AH)
    and slaughtered the women of the land,
because his anger raged continually
    and his fury flamed unchecked,(AI)
12 I will send fire on Teman(AJ)
    that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah.(AK)

13 This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Ammon,(AL)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he ripped open the pregnant women(AM) of Gilead
    in order to extend his borders,
14 I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah(AN)
    that will consume(AO) her fortresses
amid war cries(AP) on the day of battle,
    amid violent winds(AQ) on a stormy day.
15 Her king[e] will go into exile,
    he and his officials together,(AR)
says the Lord.(AS)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Moab,(AT)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because he burned to ashes(AU)
    the bones of Edom’s king,
I will send fire on Moab
    that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.[f](AV)
Moab will go down in great tumult
    amid war cries(AW) and the blast of the trumpet.(AX)
I will destroy her ruler(AY)
    and kill all her officials with him,”(AZ)
says the Lord.(BA)

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Judah,(BB)
    even for four, I will not relent.
Because they have rejected the law(BC) of the Lord
    and have not kept his decrees,(BD)
because they have been led astray(BE) by false gods,[g](BF)
    the gods[h] their ancestors followed,(BG)
I will send fire(BH) on Judah
    that will consume the fortresses(BI) of Jerusalem.(BJ)

Judgment on Israel

This is what the Lord says:

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.(BK)
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.(BL)
They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.(BM)
They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.(BN)
In the house of their god
    they drink wine(BO) taken as fines.(BP)

“Yet I destroyed the Amorites(BQ) before them,
    though they were tall(BR) as the cedars
    and strong as the oaks.(BS)
I destroyed their fruit above
    and their roots(BT) below.
10 I brought you up out of Egypt(BU)
    and led(BV) you forty years in the wilderness(BW)
    to give you the land of the Amorites.(BX)

11 “I also raised up prophets(BY) from among your children
    and Nazirites(BZ) from among your youths.
Is this not true, people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
    and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.(CA)

13 “Now then, I will crush you
    as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.(CB)
14 The swift will not escape,(CC)
    the strong(CD) will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.(CE)
15 The archer(CF) will not stand his ground,
    the fleet-footed soldier will not get away,
    and the horseman(CG) will not save his life.(CH)
16 Even the bravest warriors(CI)
    will flee naked on that day,”
declares the Lord.

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you(CJ)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:(CK)

“You only have I chosen(CL)
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(CM) you
    for all your sins.(CN)

Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar(CO) in the thicket
    when it has no prey?(CP)
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait(CQ) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
When a trumpet(CR) sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster(CS) comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?(CT)

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan(CU)
    to his servants the prophets.(CV)

The lion(CW) has roared(CX)
    who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    who can but prophesy?(CY)

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod(CZ)
    and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;(DA)
    see the great unrest within her
    and the oppression among her people.”

10 “They do not know how to do right,(DB)” declares the Lord,
    “who store up in their fortresses(DC)
    what they have plundered(DD) and looted.”

11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
    pull down your strongholds
    and plunder your fortresses.(DE)

12 This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s(DF) mouth
    only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
    with only the head of a bed
    and a piece of fabric[i] from a couch.[j](DG)

13 “Hear this and testify(DH) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

14 “On the day I punish(DI) Israel for her sins,
    I will destroy the altars of Bethel;(DJ)
the horns(DK) of the altar will be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house(DL)
    along with the summer house;(DM)
the houses adorned with ivory(DN) will be destroyed
    and the mansions(DO) will be demolished,(DP)
declares the Lord.(DQ)

Israel Has Not Returned to God

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan(DR) on Mount Samaria,(DS)
    you women who oppress the poor(DT) and crush the needy(DU)
    and say to your husbands,(DV) “Bring us some drinks!(DW)
The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:
    “The time(DX) will surely come
when you will be taken away(DY) with hooks,(DZ)
    the last of you with fishhooks.[k]
You will each go straight out
    through breaches in the wall,(EA)
    and you will be cast out toward Harmon,[l]
declares the Lord.
“Go to Bethel(EB) and sin;
    go to Gilgal(EC) and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(ED)
    your tithes(EE) every three years.[m](EF)
Burn leavened bread(EG) as a thank offering
    and brag about your freewill offerings(EH)
boast about them, you Israelites,
    for this is what you love to do,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.

“I gave you empty stomachs in every city
    and lack of bread in every town,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(EI)

“I also withheld(EJ) rain from you
    when the harvest was still three months away.
I sent rain on one town,
    but withheld it from another.(EK)
One field had rain;
    another had none and dried up.
People staggered from town to town for water(EL)
    but did not get enough(EM) to drink,
    yet you have not returned(EN) to me,”
declares the Lord.(EO)

“Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,
    destroying them with blight and mildew.(EP)
Locusts(EQ) devoured your fig and olive trees,(ER)
    yet you have not returned(ES) to me,”
declares the Lord.

10 “I sent plagues(ET) among you
    as I did to Egypt.(EU)
I killed your young men(EV) with the sword,
    along with your captured horses.
I filled your nostrils with the stench(EW) of your camps,
    yet you have not returned to me,”(EX)
declares the Lord.(EY)

11 “I overthrew some of you
    as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.(EZ)
You were like a burning stick(FA) snatched from the fire,
    yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.(FB)

12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
    and because I will do this to you, Israel,
    prepare to meet your God.”

13 He who forms the mountains,(FC)
    who creates the wind,(FD)
    and who reveals his thoughts(FE) to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
    and treads on the heights of the earth(FF)
    the Lord God Almighty is his name.(FG)

A Lament and Call to Repentance

Hear this word, Israel, this lament(FH) I take up concerning you:

“Fallen is Virgin(FI) Israel,
    never to rise again,
deserted in her own land,
    with no one to lift her up.(FJ)

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.(FK)

This is what the Lord says to Israel:

“Seek(FL) me and live;(FM)
    do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,(FN)
    do not journey to Beersheba.(FO)
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
    and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.[n](FP)
Seek(FQ) the Lord and live,(FR)
    or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;(FS)
it will devour them,
    and Bethel(FT) will have no one to quench it.(FU)

There are those who turn justice into bitterness(FV)
    and cast righteousness(FW) to the ground.(FX)

He who made the Pleiades and Orion,(FY)
    who turns midnight into dawn(FZ)
    and darkens day into night,(GA)
who calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.(GB)
With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.(GC)

10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(GD)
    and detest the one who tells the truth.(GE)

11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(GF)
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(GG)
    you will not live in them;(GH)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.(GI)
12 For I know how many are your offenses
    and how great your sins.(GJ)

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes(GK)
    and deprive the poor(GL) of justice in the courts.(GM)
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet(GN) in such times,
    for the times are evil.(GO)

14 Seek good, not evil,
    that you may live.(GP)
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
    just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil,(GQ) love good;(GR)
    maintain justice in the courts.(GS)
Perhaps(GT) the Lord God Almighty will have mercy(GU)
    on the remnant(GV) of Joseph.

16 Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, says:

“There will be wailing(GW) in all the streets(GX)
    and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers(GY) will be summoned to weep
    and the mourners to wail.
17 There will be wailing(GZ) in all the vineyards,
    for I will pass through(HA) your midst,”
says the Lord.(HB)

The Day of the Lord

18 Woe to you who long
    for the day of the Lord!(HC)
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?(HD)
    That day will be darkness,(HE) not light.(HF)
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
    only to meet a bear,(HG)
as though he entered his house
    and rested his hand on the wall
    only to have a snake bite him.(HH)
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness,(HI) not light—
    pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?(HJ)

21 “I hate,(HK) I despise your religious festivals;(HL)
    your assemblies(HM) are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings(HN) and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them.(HO)
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
    I will have no regard for them.(HP)
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
    I will not listen to the music of your harps.(HQ)
24 But let justice(HR) roll on like a river,
    righteousness(HS) like a never-failing stream!(HT)

25 “Did you bring me sacrifices(HU) and offerings
    forty years(HV) in the wilderness, people of Israel?
26 You have lifted up the shrine of your king,
    the pedestal of your idols,(HW)
    the star of your god[o]
    which you made for yourselves.
27 Therefore I will send you into exile(HX) beyond Damascus,”
    says the Lord, whose name is God Almighty.(HY)

Woe to the Complacent

Woe to you(HZ) who are complacent(IA) in Zion,
    and to you who feel secure(IB) on Mount Samaria,(IC)
you notable men of the foremost nation,
    to whom the people of Israel come!(ID)
Go to Kalneh(IE) and look at it;
    go from there to great Hamath,(IF)
    and then go down to Gath(IG) in Philistia.
Are they better off than(IH) your two kingdoms?
    Is their land larger than yours?
You put off the day of disaster
    and bring near a reign of terror.(II)
You lie on beds adorned with ivory
    and lounge on your couches.(IJ)
You dine on choice lambs
    and fattened calves.(IK)
You strum away on your harps(IL) like David
    and improvise on musical instruments.(IM)
You drink wine(IN) by the bowlful
    and use the finest lotions,
    but you do not grieve(IO) over the ruin of Joseph.(IP)
Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile;(IQ)
    your feasting and lounging will end.(IR)

The Lord Abhors the Pride of Israel

The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself(IS)—the Lord God Almighty declares:

“I abhor(IT) the pride of Jacob(IU)
    and detest his fortresses;(IV)
I will deliver up(IW) the city
    and everything in it.(IX)

If ten(IY) 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[p](IZ) asks anyone who might be hiding there, “Is anyone else with you?” and he says, “No,” then he will go on to say, “Hush!(JA) We must not mention the name of the Lord.”

11 For the Lord has given the command,
    and he will smash(JB) the great house(JC) into pieces
    and the small house into bits.(JD)

12 Do horses run on the rocky crags?
    Does one plow the sea[q] with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison(JE)
    and the fruit of righteousness(JF) into bitterness(JG)
13 you who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar[r]
    and say, “Did we not take Karnaim[s] by our own strength?(JH)

14 For the Lord God Almighty declares,
    “I will stir up a nation(JI) against you, Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
    from Lebo Hamath(JJ) to the valley of the Arabah.(JK)

Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(JL) He was preparing swarms of locusts(JM) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean,(JN) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(JO) He is so small!(JP)

So the Lord relented.(JQ)

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(JR)

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;(JS) it dried up the great deep and devoured(JT) the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(JU)

So the Lord relented.(JV)

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(JW)

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[t] with a plumb line[u] in his hand. And the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(JX) Amos?(JY)

“A plumb line,(JZ)” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(KA)

“The high places(KB) of Isaac will be destroyed
    and the sanctuaries(KC) of Israel will be ruined;
    with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.(KD)

Amos and Amaziah

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel(KE) sent a message to Jeroboam(KF) king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy(KG) against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.(KH) 11 For this is what Amos is saying:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
    and Israel will surely go into exile,(KI)
    away from their native land.’”(KJ)

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!(KK) Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.(KL) 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,(KM) because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple(KN) of the kingdom.(KO)

14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet(KP) nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.(KQ) 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock(KR) and said to me, ‘Go,(KS) prophesy(KT) to my people Israel.’(KU) 16 Now then, hear(KV) the word of the Lord. You say,

“‘Do not prophesy against(KW) Israel,
    and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute(KX) 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[v] country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,(KY)
    away from their native land.(KZ)’”

A Basket of Ripe Fruit

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(LA) a basket of ripe fruit. “What do you see,(LB) Amos?(LC)” he asked.

“A basket(LD) 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.(LE)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[w](LF) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(LG)

Hear this, you who trample the needy
    and do away with the poor(LH) of the land,(LI)

saying,

“When will the New Moon(LJ) be over
    that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
    that we may market(LK) wheat?”(LL)
skimping on the measure,
    boosting the price
    and cheating(LM) with dishonest scales,(LN)
buying the poor(LO) with silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(LP)

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(LQ) “I will never forget(LR) anything they have done.(LS)

“Will not the land tremble(LT) 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.(LU)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.(LV)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(LW) into mourning
    and all your singing into weeping.(LX)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(LY)
    and shave(LZ) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(MA)
    and the end of it like a bitter day.(MB)

11 “The days are coming,”(MC) 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(MD) of hearing the words of the Lord.(ME)
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.(MF)

13 “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men(MG)
    will faint because of thirst.(MH)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(MI)
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(MJ)
    or, ‘As surely as the god[x] of Beersheba(MK) lives’—
    they will fall,(ML) never to rise again.(MM)

Israel to Be Destroyed

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(MN) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.(MO)
Though they dig down to the depths below,(MP)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(MQ)
    from there I will bring them down.(MR)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(MS)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(MT)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(MU)
    there I will command the serpent(MV) to bite them.(MW)
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword(MX) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
    for harm(MY) and not for good.(MZ)(NA)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(NB)
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;(NC)
he builds his lofty palace[y](ND) in the heavens
    and sets its foundation[z] 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.(NE)

“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites[aa]?”(NF)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines(NG) from Caphtor[ab](NH)
    and the Arameans from Kir?(NI)

“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
    are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(NJ) it
    from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
    the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(NK)
“For I will give the command,
    and I will shake the people of Israel
    among all the nations
as grain(NL) is shaken in a sieve,(NM)
    and not a pebble will reach the ground.(NN)
10 All the sinners among my people
    will die by the sword,(NO)
all those who say,
    ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(NP)

Israel’s Restoration

11 “In that day

“I will restore David’s(NQ) fallen shelter(NR)
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins(NS)
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,(NT)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(NU)
    and all the nations that bear my name,[ac](NV)
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(NW)

13 “The days are coming,”(NX) declares the Lord,

“when the reaper(NY) will be overtaken by the plowman(NZ)
    and the planter by the one treading(OA) grapes.
New wine(OB) will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,(OC)
14     and I will bring(OD) my people Israel back from exile.[ad](OE)

“They will rebuild the ruined cities(OF) and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards(OG) and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(OH)
15 I will plant(OI) Israel in their own land,(OJ)
    never again to be uprooted(OK)
    from the land I have given them,”(OL)

says the Lord your God.(OM)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 1:1 Hebrew Joash, a variant of Jehoash
  2. Amos 1:5 Or the inhabitants of
  3. Amos 1:5 Aven means wickedness.
  4. Amos 1:8 Or inhabitants
  5. Amos 1:15 Or / Molek
  6. Amos 2:2 Or of her cities
  7. Amos 2:4 Or by lies
  8. Amos 2:4 Or lies
  9. Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  10. Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.
  11. Amos 4:2 Or away in baskets, / the last of you in fish baskets
  12. Amos 4:3 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew (see Septuagint) out, you mountain of oppression
  13. Amos 4:4 Or days
  14. Amos 5:5 Hebrew aven, a reference to Beth Aven (a derogatory name for Bethel); see Hosea 4:15.
  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
  16. Amos 6:10 Or to make a funeral fire in honor of the dead
  17. Amos 6:12 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text plow there
  18. Amos 6:13 Lo Debar means nothing.
  19. Amos 6:13 Karnaim means horns; horn here symbolizes strength.
  20. Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  21. Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
  22. Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean
  23. Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
  24. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
  25. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  26. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  27. Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  28. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
  29. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
  30. Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel