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7-9 You should go to the Lord for help.
    He is the one who made the Pleiades and Orion.[a]
He changes darkness into the morning light.
    He changes the day into the dark night.
He calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the earth.
    His name is Yahweh!
He keeps one strong city safe,
    and he lets another strong city be destroyed.”

The Evil Things That the Israelites Did

You change justice to poison.[b]
    You throw away fairness like trash.
10 You hate those prophets, who go to public places and speak against evil,
    even though they teach good, simple truths.
11 You take unfair taxes[c] from the poor.
    You take loads of wheat from them.
You build fancy houses with cut stone,
    but you will not live in them.
You plant beautiful vineyards,
    but you will not drink the wine from them.

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 5:7 Pleiades and Orion Two well-known groups of stars (constellations).
  2. Amos 5:7 poison Literally, “wormwood,” a type of plant with bitter leaves. It could be used as a medicine, or if strong enough, as a poison.
  3. Amos 5:11 take unfair taxes The meaning of the Hebrew word here is uncertain.

With a blinding flash he destroys the stronghold
    and brings the fortified city to ruin.(A)

10 There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court(B)
    and detest the one who tells the truth.(C)

11 You levy a straw tax on the poor(D)
    and impose a tax on their grain.
Therefore, though you have built stone mansions,(E)
    you will not live in them;(F)
though you have planted lush vineyards,
    you will not drink their wine.(G)

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