Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity

Thus the Lord [a]God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (A)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The (B)end has come for My people Israel. I will [b](C)spare them no longer. [c]The (D)songs of the palace will turn to (E)wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the (F)corpses; in every place [d]they will cast them forth [e]in silence.”

Hear this, you who [f](G)trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, saying,

“When will the (H)new moon [g]be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the (I)sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [h]bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to (J)cheat with [i]dishonest scales,
So as to (K)buy the helpless for [j]money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

The Lord has (L)sworn by the (M)pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (N)never forget any of their deeds.
“Because of this will not the land (O)quake
And everyone who dwells in it (P)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (Q)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
“It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the (R)sun go down at noon
And (S)make the earth dark in [k]broad daylight.
10 “Then I will (T)turn your festivals into mourning
And all your songs into [l]lamentation;
And I will bring (U)sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it (V)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (W)for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to (X)seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.
13 “In that day the beautiful (Y)virgins
And the young men will (Z)faint from thirst.
14 As for those who swear by the [m](AA)guilt of Samaria,
Who say, ‘As your god lives, O (AB)Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of (AC)Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and (AD)not rise again.”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Amos 8:2 Lit pass him by
  3. Amos 8:3 Or They will howl the palace songs
  4. Amos 8:3 Lit he has thrown
  5. Amos 8:3 Or hush!
  6. Amos 8:4 Or snap at
  7. Amos 8:5 Lit pass by
  8. Amos 8:5 Lit ephah
  9. Amos 8:5 Lit balances of deception
  10. Amos 8:6 Lit silver
  11. Amos 8:9 Lit a day of light
  12. Amos 8:10 Or a dirge
  13. Amos 8:14 Or Ashimah

A Basket of Ripe Fruit

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(A) a basket of ripe fruit. “What do you see,(B) Amos?(C)” he asked.

“A basket(D) of ripe fruit,” I answered.

Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(E)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[a](F) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(G)

Hear this, you who trample the needy
    and do away with the poor(H) of the land,(I)

saying,

“When will the New Moon(J) be over
    that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
    that we may market(K) wheat?”(L)
skimping on the measure,
    boosting the price
    and cheating(M) with dishonest scales,(N)
buying the poor(O) with silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(P)

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(Q) “I will never forget(R) anything they have done.(S)

“Will not the land tremble(T) for this,
    and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
    it will be stirred up and then sink
    like the river of Egypt.(U)

“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,

“I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.(V)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(W) into mourning
    and all your singing into weeping.(X)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(Y)
    and shave(Z) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(AA)
    and the end of it like a bitter day.(AB)

11 “The days are coming,”(AC) declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine(AD) of hearing the words of the Lord.(AE)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.(AF)

13 “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men(AG)
    will faint because of thirst.(AH)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(AI)
    who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(AJ)
    or, ‘As surely as the god[b] of Beersheba(AK) lives’—
    they will fall,(AL) never to rise again.(AM)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
  2. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way

God’s Judgment Unavoidable

I saw the Lord standing beside the (A)altar, and He said,

“Smite the capitals so that the (B)thresholds will shake,
And (C)break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will (D)slay the rest of them with the sword;
They will (E)not have a fugitive who will flee,
Or a refugee who will escape.
“Though they dig into (F)Sheol,
From there will My hand take them;
And though they (G)ascend to heaven,
From there will I bring them down.
“Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will (H)search them out and take them from there;
And though they (I)conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the (J)serpent and it will bite them.
“And though they go into (K)captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword that it slay them,
And I will (L)set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”

The Lord [a]God of hosts,
The One who (M)touches the land so that it melts,
And (N)all those who dwell in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
The One who builds His [b](O)upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who (P)calls for the waters of the sea
And (Q)pours them out on the face of the earth,
(R)The Lord is His name.

“Are you not as the sons of (S)Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the (T)Philistines from Caphtor and the (U)Arameans from (V)Kir?
“Behold, the (W)eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will (X)destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will (Y)not totally destroy the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.
“For behold, I am commanding,
And I will (Z)shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a [c]kernel will fall to the ground.
10 “All the (AA)sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘(AB)The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’

The Restoration of Israel

11 “In that day I will (AC)raise up the fallen [d](AD)booth of David,
And wall up its (AE)breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the (AF)days of old;
12 (AG)That they may possess the remnant of (AH)Edom
And all the [e]nations who are (AI)called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.

13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the (AJ)plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the (AK)mountains will drip sweet (AL)wine
And all the hills will be dissolved.
14 “Also I will (AM)restore the [f]captivity of My people Israel,
And they will (AN)rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also (AO)plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 “I will also plant them on their land,
And (AP)they will not again be rooted out from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 9:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Amos 9:6 Or stairs
  3. Amos 9:9 Or pebble
  4. Amos 9:11 Or shelter or tabernacle
  5. Amos 9:12 Or Gentiles
  6. Amos 9:14 Or fortunes

Israel to Be Destroyed

I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:

“Strike the tops of the pillars
    so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(A) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.(B)
Though they dig down to the depths below,(C)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(D)
    from there I will bring them down.(E)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(F)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(G)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(H)
    there I will command the serpent(I) to bite them.(J)
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword(K) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
    for harm(L) and not for good.(M)(N)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(O)
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;(P)
he builds his lofty palace[a](Q) in the heavens
    and sets its foundation[b] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
    and pours them out over the face of the land—
    the Lord is his name.(R)

“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites[c]?”(S)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines(T) from Caphtor[d](U)
    and the Arameans from Kir?(V)

“Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
    are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(W) it
    from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
    the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(X)
“For I will give the command,
    and I will shake the people of Israel
    among all the nations
as grain(Y) is shaken in a sieve,(Z)
    and not a pebble will reach the ground.(AA)
10 All the sinners among my people
    will die by the sword,(AB)
all those who say,
    ‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(AC)

Israel’s Restoration

11 “In that day

“I will restore David’s(AD) fallen shelter(AE)
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins(AF)
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,(AG)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(AH)
    and all the nations that bear my name,[e](AI)
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(AJ)

13 “The days are coming,”(AK) declares the Lord,

“when the reaper(AL) will be overtaken by the plowman(AM)
    and the planter by the one treading(AN) grapes.
New wine(AO) will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,(AP)
14     and I will bring(AQ) my people Israel back from exile.[f](AR)

“They will rebuild the ruined cities(AS) and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards(AT) and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(AU)
15 I will plant(AV) Israel in their own land,(AW)
    never again to be uprooted(AX)
    from the land I have given them,”(AY)

says the Lord your God.(AZ)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  4. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
  5. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
  6. Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel

Edom Will Be Humbled

The vision of Obadiah.

Thus says the Lord [a]God concerning (A)Edom—

(B)We have heard a report from the Lord,
And an (C)envoy has been sent among the nations saying,
(D)Arise and let us go against her for battle”—
“Behold, I will make you (E)small among the nations;
You are greatly despised.
“The (F)arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of [b]the (G)rock,
In the loftiness of your dwelling place,
Who say in your heart,
(H)Who will bring me down to earth?’
“Though you (I)build high like the eagle,
Though you set your nest among the (J)stars,
From there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.
“If (K)thieves came to you,
If [c]robbers by night—
O how you will be ruined!—
Would they not steal only [d]until they had enough?
If grape gatherers came to you,
(L)Would they not leave some gleanings?
“O how Esau will be (M)ransacked,
And his hidden treasures searched out!
“All the (N)men [e]allied with you
Will send you forth to the border,
And the men at peace with you
Will deceive you and overpower you.
They who eat your (O)bread
Will set an ambush for you.
(There is (P)no understanding [f]in him.)
“Will I not on that day,” declares the Lord,
(Q)Destroy wise men from Edom
And understanding from the mountain of Esau?
“Then your (R)mighty men will be dismayed, O (S)Teman,
So that everyone may be (T)cut off from the mountain of Esau by slaughter.

10 “Because of (U)violence to your brother Jacob,
[g]You will be covered with shame,
(V)And you will be cut off forever.
11 “On the day that you (W)stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And (X)cast lots for Jerusalem—
(Y)You too were as one of them.
12 (Z)Do not [h]gloat over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And (AA)do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, (AB)do not [i]boast
In the day of their distress.
13 “Do not enter the gate of My people
In the (AC)day of their disaster.
Yes, you, do not [j]gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not (AD)loot their wealth
In the day of their disaster.
14 “Do not (AE)stand at the fork of the road
To cut down their fugitives;
And do not imprison their survivors
In the day of their distress.

The Day of the Lord and the Future

15 “For the (AF)day of the Lord draws near on all the nations.
(AG)As you have done, it will be done to you.
Your (AH)dealings will return on your own head.
16 “Because just as you (AI)drank on (AJ)My holy mountain,
All the nations (AK)will drink continually.
They will drink and [k]swallow
And become as if they had never existed.
17 “But on Mount (AL)Zion there will be those who escape,
And it will be holy.
And the house of Jacob will (AM)possess their possessions.
18 “Then the house of Jacob will be a (AN)fire
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau will be as stubble.
And they will set [l]them on fire and consume [m]them,
So that there will be (AO)no survivor of the house of Esau,”
For the Lord has spoken.
19 Then those of the [n]Negev will (AP)possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the [o]Shephelah the (AQ)Philistine plain;
Also, (AR)possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin will possess Gilead.
20 And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as (AS)Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Will possess the (AT)cities of the Negev.
21 The (AU)deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the (AV)kingdom will be the Lord’s.

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Obadiah 1:3 Or Sela
  3. Obadiah 1:5 Lit devastators of the night
  4. Obadiah 1:5 Lit their sufficiency
  5. Obadiah 1:7 Lit of your covenant
  6. Obadiah 1:7 I.e. in Esau; or of it
  7. Obadiah 1:10 Lit Shame will cover you
  8. Obadiah 1:12 Lit look on
  9. Obadiah 1:12 Lit make your mouth large
  10. Obadiah 1:13 Lit look on
  11. Obadiah 1:16 Or stagger
  12. Obadiah 1:18 I.e. the people of Esau
  13. Obadiah 1:18 I.e. the people of Esau
  14. Obadiah 1:19 I.e. South country
  15. Obadiah 1:19 I.e. the foothills

Obadiah’s Vision(A)(B)

The vision(C) of Obadiah.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom(D)

We have heard a message from the Lord:
    An envoy(E) was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, let us go against her for battle”(F)

“See, I will make you small(G) among the nations;
    you will be utterly despised.
The pride(H) of your heart has deceived you,
    you who live in the clefts of the rocks[a](I)
    and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
    ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’(J)
Though you soar like the eagle
    and make your nest(K) among the stars,
    from there I will bring you down,”(L)
declares the Lord.(M)
“If thieves came to you,
    if robbers in the night—
oh, what a disaster awaits you!—
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?(N)
But how Esau will be ransacked,
    his hidden treasures pillaged!
All your allies(O) will force you to the border;
    your friends will deceive and overpower you;
those who eat your bread(P) will set a trap for you,[b]
    but you will not detect it.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “will I not destroy(Q) the wise men of Edom,
    those of understanding in the mountains of Esau?
Your warriors, Teman,(R) will be terrified,
    and everyone in Esau’s mountains
    will be cut down in the slaughter.
10 Because of the violence(S) against your brother Jacob,(T)
    you will be covered with shame;
    you will be destroyed forever.(U)
11 On the day you stood aloof
    while strangers carried off his wealth
and foreigners entered his gates
    and cast lots(V) for Jerusalem,
    you were like one of them.(W)
12 You should not gloat(X) over your brother
    in the day of his misfortune,(Y)
nor rejoice(Z) over the people of Judah
    in the day of their destruction,(AA)
nor boast(AB) so much
    in the day of their trouble.(AC)
13 You should not march through the gates of my people
    in the day of their disaster,
nor gloat over them in their calamity(AD)
    in the day of their disaster,
nor seize their wealth
    in the day of their disaster.
14 You should not wait at the crossroads
    to cut down their fugitives,(AE)
nor hand over their survivors
    in the day of their trouble.

15 “The day of the Lord is near(AF)
    for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
    your deeds(AG) will return upon your own head.
16 Just as you drank(AH) on my holy hill,(AI)
    so all the nations will drink(AJ) continually;
they will drink and drink
    and be as if they had never been.(AK)
17 But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;(AL)
    it will be holy,(AM)
    and Jacob will possess his inheritance.(AN)
18 Jacob will be a fire
    and Joseph a flame;
Esau will be stubble,
    and they will set him on fire(AO) and destroy(AP) him.
There will be no survivors(AQ)
    from Esau.”
The Lord has spoken.

19 People from the Negev will occupy
    the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
    the land of the Philistines.(AR)
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,(AS)
    and Benjamin(AT) will possess Gilead.
20 This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
    will possess the land as far as Zarephath;(AU)
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
    will possess the towns of the Negev.(AV)
21 Deliverers(AW) will go up on[c] Mount Zion
    to govern the mountains of Esau.
    And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Obadiah 1:3 Or of Sela
  2. Obadiah 1:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  3. Obadiah 1:21 Or from