Study Desk

He who made the [cluster of stars called] Pleiades and [the constellation] Orion, Who turns deep darkness into the morning And darkens the day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The LORD is His name.

For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great (shocking, innumerable), You who distress the righteous and take bribes, And turn away from the poor in the [court of the city] gate [depriving them of justice].

Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character].

Seek (long for, require) good and not evil, that you may live; And so may the LORD God of hosts be with you, Just as you have said!

Therefore, thus says the LORD God of hosts, the Lord, "There is wailing in all the public plazas, And in all the streets they say, 'Alas! Alas!' And they call the farmers to mourning [for those who have died] And professional mourners to wailing.

"And in all vineyards there is wailing, For I will pass through your midst [in judgment]," says the LORD.

"You carried along your king Sikkuth and Kayyun [your man-made gods of Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [but you brought Me none of the appointed sacrifices].

Who improvise to the sound of the harp— Like David they have composed songs for themselves—

Then one's uncle, or his undertaker, shall come to bring the [disease-infected] body out of the house, [to cremate it], and he will say to another in the farthest part of the house, "Is there anyone else with you?" And that one will say, "No one." Then he will respond, "Hush! Keep quiet! For the name of the LORD is not to be mentioned [even casually, for fear that we might invoke even more punishment]."

For behold, the LORD is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.

You who [self-confidently] rejoice in Lo-debar (Nothing), Who say, "Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim (Strength) for ourselves?"

"For behold, I am going to stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel," says the LORD, the God of hosts, "And they will afflict and torment you [to the entire limits of Israel] from the entrance of Hamath [in the north] To the brook of the Arabah [in the south]."

And when the locusts had finished eating the plants of the land, then I said, "O Lord GOD, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?"

Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, the Lord GOD called for punishment with fire, and it devoured the great deep [underground sources of water] and began to consume the land.

Then I said, "O Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?"

"For in this way Amos has said, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'"

Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Go, you seer, run for your life [from Israel] to the land of Judah [your own country] and eat bread and live as a prophet there!

"But do not prophesy any longer at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal residence."

And He said, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer [for the nation is ripe for judgment].

saying, "When will the New Moon [festival] be over So that we may sell grain, And the Sabbath ended so that we may open the wheat market, Making the ephah [measure] smaller and the shekel bigger [that is, selling less for a higher price] And to cheat by falsifying the scales,