Amos 5:21

5:21 “I absolutely despise ¹  your festivals!

I get no pleasure ²  from your religious assemblies!

Amos 5:24

5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,

righteous actions ³  like a stream that never dries up.

Amos 7:3

7:3 The Lord decided not to do this. ⁴  “It will not happen,” the Lord said.

Amos 7:13

7:13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel ⁵  any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here!” ⁶ 

[5:21]  ¹ tn Heb “I hate”; “I despise.”

[5:21]  ² tn Heb “I will not smell.” These verses are full of vivid descriptions of the Lord’s total rejection of Israelite worship. In the first half of this verse two verbs are used together for emphasis. Here the verb alludes to the sense of smell, a fitting observation since offerings would have been burned on the altar ideally to provide a sweet aroma to God (see, e.g., Lev 1:9, 13, 17; Num 29:36). Other senses that are mentioned include sight and hearing in vv. 22-23.

[5:24]  ³ tn Traditionally, “righteousness.”

[7:3]  ⁴ tn Or “changed his mind about this.”

[7:13]  ⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “for it is a temple of a king and it is a royal house.” It is possible that the phrase “royal house” refers to a temple rather than a palace. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 243.