Amos 1:13

1:13 This is what the Lord says:

“Because the Ammonites have committed three crimes ¹  –

make that four! ²  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ³ 

They ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women ⁴ 

so they could expand their territory.

Amos 5:8

5:8 (But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion;

he can turn the darkness into morning

and daylight ⁵  into night.

He summons the water of the seas

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name!

Amos 7:10

Amos Confronts a Priest

7:10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel ⁶  sent this message ⁷  to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel! ⁸  The land cannot endure all his prophecies. ⁹ 

Amos 8:10

8:10 I will turn your festivals into funerals, ¹⁰ 

and all your songs into funeral dirges.

I will make everyone wear funeral clothes ¹¹ 

and cause every head to be shaved bald. ¹² 

I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; ¹³ 

when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day. ¹⁴ 

Amos 9:14

9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel; ¹⁵ 

they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble ¹⁶  and settle down. ¹⁷ 

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; ¹⁸ 

they will grow orchards ¹⁹  and eat the fruit they produce. ²⁰ 

[1:13]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.

[1:13]  ² tn Heb “Because of three violations of the Ammonites, even because of four.”
On the three…four style that introduces each of the judgment oracles of chaps. 1-2 see the note on the word “four” in 1:3.

[1:13]  ³ tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.

[1:13]  ⁴ sn The Ammonites ripped open Gilead’s pregnant women in conjunction with a military invasion designed to expand their territory. Such atrocities, although repugnant, were not uncommon in ancient Near Eastern warfare.

[5:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “darkens the day into night.”

[7:10]  ⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:10]  ⁷ tn The direct object of the verb translated “sent” is elided in the Hebrew text. The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[7:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”

[7:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “words.”

[8:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “mourning.”

[8:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will place sackcloth on all waists.”

[8:10]  sn Mourners wore sackcloth (funeral clothes) as an outward expression of grief.

[8:10]  ¹² tn Heb “and make every head bald.” This could be understood in a variety of ways, while the ritual act of mourning typically involved shaving the head (although occasionally the hair could be torn out as a sign of mourning).

[8:10]  sn Shaving the head or tearing out one’s hair was a ritual act of mourning. See Lev 21:5; Deut 14:1; Isa 3:24; 15:2; Jer 47:5; 48:37; Ezek 7:18; 27:31; Mic 1:16.

[8:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “I will make it like the mourning for an only son.”

[8:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and its end will be like a bitter day.” The Hebrew preposition כְּ (kaf) sometimes carries the force of “in every respect,” indicating identity rather than mere comparison.

[9:14]  ¹⁵ tn This line can also be translated “I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel” and is a common idiom (e.g., Deut 30:3; Jer 30:3; Hos 6:11; Zeph 3:20). This rendering is followed by several modern English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, NJPS).

[9:14]  ¹⁶ tn Or “the ruined [or “desolate”] cities.”

[9:14]  ¹⁷ tn Or “and live [in them].”

[9:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “drink their wine.”

[9:14]  ¹⁹ tn Or “gardens.”

[9:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “eat their fruit.”