Amos 8:4

THE MESSAGE

Listen to this, you who walk all over the weak, you who treat poor people as less than nothing, Who say, "When's my next paycheck coming so I can go out and live it up? How long till the weekend when I can go out and have a good time?" Who give little and take much, and never do an honest day's work. You exploit the poor, using them— and then, when they're used up, you discard them.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Hear this, you who trample on the needyand do away with the poor of the land,

Hebrew Names Version
Hear this, you who desire to swallow up the needy, And cause the poor of the land to fail,

King James Version (1611)
Heare this, O ye that swallow vp the needy, euen to make the poore of the land to faile,

King James Version
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

English Standard Version
Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end,

New American Standard Bible
Hear this, you who trample the needy, to put an end to the humble of the land,

New Century Version
Listen to me, you who walk on helpless people, you who are trying to destroy the poor people of this country, saying,

Amplified Bible
Hear this, you who trample down the needy, and do away with the poor of the land,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Heare this, O yee that swallowe vp the poore, that ye may make the needie of the lande to fayle,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,

Legacy Standard Bible
Hear this, you who trample the needy, even to cause the humble of the land to cease,

Berean Standard Bible
Hear this, you who trample on the needy, who do away with the poor of the land,

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said: You people crush those in need and wipe out the poor.

Complete Jewish Bible
Listen, you who swallow the needy and destroy the poor of the land!

Darby Translation
Hear this, ye that pant after the needy, even to cause to fail the poor of the land,

Easy-to-Read Version
Listen to me, you who trample on helpless people. You are trying to destroy the poor of this country.

George Lamsa Translation
Hear this, O you who wrong the poor, and cause the needy of the land to come to an end,

Good News Translation
Listen to this, you that trample on the needy and try to destroy the poor of the country.

Lexham English Bible
Hear this, those who trample on the poor and who annihilate the afflicted of the land,

Literal Translation
Hear this, you who swallow up the poor, even to make the humble of the land to cease,

American Standard Version
Hear this, O ye that would swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail,

Bible in Basic English
Give ear to this, you who are crushing the poor, and whose purpose is to put an end to those who are in need in the land,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Hear this, O ye that would swallow the needy, and destroy the poor of the land,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Heare this, O ye that swallow vp the poore, that ye may make the needy of the lande to fayle,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Hear now this, ye that oppress the poor in the morning, and drive the needy ones by tyranny from the earth,

English Revised Version
Hear this, O ye that would swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail,

World English Bible
Hear this, you who desire to swallow up the needy, And cause the poor of the land to fail,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Here ye this thing, whiche al to-breken a pore man, and maken nedi men of the lond for to faile;

Update Bible Version
Hear this, O you that would swallow up the needy, and cause the poor of the land to fail,

Webster's Bible Translation
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,

New English Translation
Listen to this, you who trample the needy, and do away with the destitute in the land.

New King James Version
Hear this, you who swallow up Amos 2:7)">[fn] the needy,And make the poor of the land fail,

New Living Translation
Listen to this, you who rob the poor and trample down the needy!

New Life Bible
Hear this, you who crush under foot those who are in need, to put an end to the poor of the land.

New Revised Standard
Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Hear this, ye who pant after the needy, and to make an end of the oppressed of the land:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear this, you that crush the poor, and make the needy of the land to fail,

Revised Standard Version
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy, and bring the poor of the land to an end,

Young's Literal Translation
Hear this, ye who are swallowing up the needy, To cause to cease the poor of the land,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Heare this, O ye yt oppresse the poore, and destroye the nedy in ye londe, sayenge:

Contextual Overview

⁴Listen to this, you who walk all over the weak, you who treat poor people as less than nothing, Who say, "When's my next paycheck coming so I can go out and live it up? How long till the weekend when I can go out and have a good time?" Who give little and take much, and never do an honest day's work. You exploit the poor, using them— and then, when they're used up, you discard them. ⁷ God swears against the arrogance of Jacob: "I'm keeping track of their every last sin." God's oath will shake earth's foundations, dissolve the whole world into tears. God's oath will sweep in like a river that rises, flooding houses and lands, And then recedes, leaving behind a sea of mud. ⁹"On Judgment Day, watch out!" These are the words of God , my Master. "I'll turn off the sun at noon. In the middle of the day the earth will go black. I'll turn your parties into funerals and make every song you sing a dirge. Everyone will walk around in rags, with sunken eyes and bald heads. Think of the worst that could happen —your only son, say, murdered. That's a hint of Judgment Day —that and much more.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hear: Amos 7:16, 1 Kings 22:19, Isaiah 1:10, Isaiah 28:14, Jeremiah 5:21, Jeremiah 28:15

swallow: Amos 2:6, Amos 5:11, Psalms 12:5, Psalms 14:4, Psalms 56:1, Psalms 140:12, Proverbs 30:14, Isaiah 32:6, Isaiah 32:7, Matthew 23:14, James 5:6

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:15 - General Leviticus 25:14 - General Deuteronomy 15:2 - exact it Deuteronomy 24:14 - General Job 20:18 - swallow Job 24:4 - turn Proverbs 4:17 - General Proverbs 11:26 - that withholdeth Proverbs 20:10 - both Proverbs 22:7 - rich Ecclesiastes 5:8 - regardeth Isaiah 3:15 - ye beat Jeremiah 5:27 - so are Jeremiah 17:11 - he that Jeremiah 51:34 - swallowed Ezekiel 16:49 - neither Ezekiel 18:7 - hath not Ezekiel 22:8 - General Ezekiel 22:13 - thy dishonest Ezekiel 45:10 - General Amos 4:1 - which oppress Amos 8:6 - General Micah 2:2 - they covet Micah 3:2 - pluck Luke 20:47 - devour Romans 2:21 - dost thou steal Ephesians 6:9 - ye 1 Timothy 6:9 - they James 2:6 - Do

Cross-References

Jeremiah 51:27
"Raise the signal in the land, blow the shofar-trumpet for the nations. Consecrate the nations for holy work against her. Call kingdoms into service against her. Enlist Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a field marshal against her, and round up horses, locust hordes of horses! Consecrate the nations for holy work against her— the king of the Medes, his leaders and people.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy,.... Like a man that pants after a draught of water when thirsty; and, when he has got it, greedily swallows it down at one gulp; so these rich men swallowed up the poor, their labours, gains, and profits, and persons too; got all into their own hands, and made them bondsmen and slaves to them; see Amos 2:7; these are called upon to hear this dreadful calamity threatened, and to consider what then would become of them and their ill gotten riches; and suggesting, that their oppression of the needy was one cause of this destruction of the land:

even to make the poor of the land to fail; or "cease" a; to die for want of the necessaries of life, being obliged to such hard labour; so unmercifully used, their faces ground, and pinched with necessity; and so sadly paid for their work, that they could not live by it.

a לשבות "ad cessare faciendum", Mercerus; "et facitis cessare", Munster, Drusius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Here ye this, ye that swallow - Or, better in the same sense, “that pant for the needy;” as Job says, “the hireling panteth for the evening” Job 7:2. They “panted for the poor,” as the wild beast for its prey; and “that to make the poor” or (better, as the Hebrew text,) “the meek” , those not poor only, but who, through poverty and affliction, are “poor in spirit” also, “to fail.” The land being divided among all the inhabitants, they, in order “to lay field to field” Isaiah 5:8, had to rid themselves of the poor. They did rid themselves of them by oppression of all sorts.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 8:4. Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy — Ye that bruise the poor; exact from them, and tread them under foot.