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The Prophet Amos

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- Chapter 8 -

1
These things the Lord has revealed to me. And behold, a hook to draw down fruit.
2
And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A hook to draw down fruit.” And the Lord said to me, “The end has come for my people Israel. I will no longer pass through them.”
3
And the hinges of the temple will creak in that day, says the Lord God. Many will die. Silence will be thrown away in all places.
4
Hear this, you who crush the poor and who make those in need of land to do without.(a)
5
You say, “When will the first day of the month be over, so we can sell our wares, and the Sabbath, so we can open the grain: in order that we may decrease the measure, and increase the price, and substitute deceitful scales,(b)
6
in order that we may possess the destitute with money, and the poor for a pair of shoes, and may sell even the refuse of the grain?”
7
The Lord has sworn by the arrogance of Jacob: I will not forget, even to the end, all their works.
8
Will not the earth shudder over this, and all its inhabitants mourn, and all rise up like a river, and be cast out, and flow away like the river of Egypt?
9
And it will be in that day, says the Lord God, that the sun will decline at midday, and I will cause the earth to become dark on the day of light.(c)
10
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your hymns into lamentation. And I will put sackcloth over every one of your backs, and baldness on every head. And I will begin it like the mourning for an only-begotten son, and complete it like a bitter day.
11
Behold, the days pass, says the Lord, and I will send a famine on the earth: not a famine of bread, nor of thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord.
12
And they will move even from sea to sea, and from the North all the way to the East. They will wander around seeking the word of the Lord, and they will not find it.
13
In that day, beautiful virgins, and young men, will fail because of thirst.
14
They swear by the offense of Samaria, and they say, “As your God lives, Dan,” and “The way of Beer-sheba lives.” And they will fall, and they will not rise up any more.

Footnotes

(a)8:4 An alternate translation would be ‘the needy of the land.’ But this translation is less convincing than ‘those in need of (or destitute of) land,’ because adding ‘of the land’ to ‘the needy’ does not add nearly as much meaning as ‘those in need of land.’(Conte)
(b)8:5 The word ‘mensis’ in this context does not mean ‘month,’ instead it refers to the first day of the month, which in ancient Israel was considered holy, like the Sabbath, and on which one could not work, buy, or sell. The word ‘siclum’ literally means ‘shekel,’ but the meaning is that the price would increase.(Conte)
(c)8:9 Here is a reference to the Three Days of Darkness. This event seems to be mentioned often in the Old Testament, probably because of its foreshadowing during the plagues that God sent on Egypt through Moses. It is called the day of light, even though it is darkness, because the faithful will have light despite the darkness and because this terror of darkness will open the eyes of the world to the light.(Conte)
1
Thus the Lord GOD showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit.
2
He said, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The end has come on my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more.
3
The songs of the temple will be wailing in that day,” says the Lord GOD. “The dead bodies will be many. In every place they will throw them out with silence.
4
Hear this, you who desire to swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail,
5
saying, ‘When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may market wheat, making the ephah(a) small, and the shekel (b) large, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit;
6
that we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the sweepings with the wheat?’”
7
The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Surely I will never forget any of their works.
8
Won’t the land tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it? Yes, it will rise up wholly like the River; and it will be stirred up and sink again, like the River of Egypt.
9
It will happen in that day,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.
10
I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will make you wear sackcloth on all your bodies, and baldness on every head. I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.
11
Behold, the days come,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the LORD’s words.
12
They will wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they will run back and forth to seek the LORD’s word, and will not find it.
13
In that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst.
14
Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, ‘As your god, Dan, lives,’ and, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives,’ they will fall, and never rise up again.”

Footnotes

(a)8:5 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel
(b)8:5 a normal shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
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