A basket of ripe fruit

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. ‘What do you see, Amos?’ he asked.

‘A basket 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.

‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[a] Many, many bodies – flung everywhere! Silence!’

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

saying,

‘When will the New Moon be over
    that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
    that we may market wheat?’–
skimping on the measure,
    boosting the price
    and cheating with dishonest scales,
buying the poor with silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals,
    selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: ‘I will never forget anything they have done.

‘Will not the land tremble 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.

‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord,

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

11 ‘The days are coming,’ 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 of hearing the words of the Lord.
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.

13 ‘In that day

‘the lovely young women and strong young men
    will faint because of thirst.
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria –
    who say, “As surely as your god lives, Dan”,
    or, “As surely as the god[b] of Beersheba lives”–
    they will fall, never to rise again.’

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 of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.
Though they dig down to the depths below,
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
    from there I will bring them down.
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
    there I will command the serpent to bite them.
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword to slay them.

‘I will keep my eye on them
    for harm and not for good.’

The Lord, the Lord Almighty –
he touches the earth and it melts,
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;
he builds his lofty palace[c] in the heavens
    and sets its foundation[d] 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.

‘Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites?’[e]
declares the Lord.
‘Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines from Caphtor[f]
    and the Arameans from Kir?

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

Israel’s restoration

11 ‘In that day

‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter –
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins –
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
    and all the nations that bear my name,’[g]
declares the Lord, who will do these things.

13 ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,

‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman
    and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,
14     and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.[h]

‘They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant Israel in their own land,
    never again to be uprooted
    from the land I have given them,’

says the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:3 Or ‘the temple singers will wail
  2. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
  3. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  4. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  6. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
  7. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
  8. Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel

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)

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(AN) of all the people;
    those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
    none will escape.(AO)
Though they dig down to the depths below,(AP)
    from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(AQ)
    from there I will bring them down.(AR)
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(AS)
    there I will hunt them down and seize them.(AT)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(AU)
    there I will command the serpent(AV) to bite them.(AW)
Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
    there I will command the sword(AX) to slay them.

“I will keep my eye on them
    for harm(AY) and not for good.(AZ)(BA)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(BB)
    and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
    then sinks like the river of Egypt;(BC)
he builds his lofty palace[c](BD) in the heavens
    and sets its foundation[d] 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.(BE)

“Are not you Israelites
    the same to me as the Cushites[e]?”(BF)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
    the Philistines(BG) from Caphtor[f](BH)
    and the Arameans from Kir?(BI)

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

Israel’s Restoration

11 “In that day

“I will restore David’s(BQ) fallen shelter(BR)
    I will repair its broken walls
    and restore its ruins(BS)
    and will rebuild it as it used to be,(BT)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(BU)
    and all the nations that bear my name,[g](BV)
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(BW)

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

“when the reaper(BY) will be overtaken by the plowman(BZ)
    and the planter by the one treading(CA) grapes.
New wine(CB) will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,(CC)
14     and I will bring(CD) my people Israel back from exile.[h](CE)

“They will rebuild the ruined cities(CF) and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards(CG) and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(CH)
15 I will plant(CI) Israel in their own land,(CJ)
    never again to be uprooted(CK)
    from the land I have given them,”(CL)

says the Lord your God.(CM)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
  2. Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
  3. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  4. Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  5. Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
  6. Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
  7. Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
  8. Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.

And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.

And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

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

Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.

Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.

Though they dig into hell, thence shall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down:

And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them:

And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

And the Lord God of hosts is he that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood; and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.

It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.

Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.

For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.

13 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.