Online Bible

Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity

Thus the Lord GOD showed me a vision, and behold, there was a basket of overripe summer fruit. 2 And He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And ^aI said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the LORD said to me, “The ^bend has come for My people Israel. I will ^cspare them no longer for the nation is ripe for judgment. 3 In that day, the ^asongs of the palace shall turn to ^bwailing,” says the Lord GOD. “There will be many ^cdead bodies; in sacred silence they will throw them everywhere.”

4 Hear this, you who ^atrample down the needy, and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying,“When will the ^aNew Moon festival be overSo that we may sell grain,And the ^bSabbath 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 priceAnd to ^ccheat by falsifying the scales,

6 So that we may ^abuy the poor as slaves for silver since they are unable to support themselvesAnd the ¹needy for a pair of sandals,And that we may sell the leftovers of the wheat as if it were a good grade of grain?”

7 The LORD has ^asworn an oath by the ^bpride of Jacob,“Surely I shall ^cnever forget nor leave unpunished any of their rebellious acts.8 “Because of this coming judgment will the land not ^aquakeAnd everyone ^bmourn who dwells in it?Indeed, all of it shall ^crise up like the Nile,And it will be tossed around from the impact of judgmentAnd afterward subside again like the Nile of Egypt.9 “It shall come about in that day,” says the Lord GOD,“That I shall cause the ^asun to go down at noon,And I shall ^bdarken the earth in broad daylight. Ezek 32:7-1010 “And I shall ^aturn your festivals and feasts into mourningAnd all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung) ;And I shall cause ^bsackcloth to be put on everyone’s ¹loinsAnd baldness on every head shaved for mourning.And I shall make that time ^clike a time of mourning for an only son who has died,And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD,“When I will send hunger over the land,Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water,But rather a hunger ^afor hearing the words of the LORD.12 “People shall stagger from sea to sea to the very ends of the earthAnd from the north even to the east;They will roam here and there to ^aseek the word of the LORD longing for it as essential for life,But they will not find it.13 “In that day the beautiful ^avirginsAnd even the vigorous young men shall ^bfaint from thirst.14 “Those who swear their oaths by the ^asin (guilt) of Samaria or Ashimah (a pagan goddess) ,Who say, ‘By the life of your god the golden calf, O ^bDan!’And swear, ‘By the life of the way of idolatrous ^cBeersheba,’They shall fall and ^dnot rise again.”

A Famine for Hearing the Words of Yahweh

Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And ^aI said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then Yahweh said to me, “The ^bend has come for My people Israel. I will ^cpass over them no longer. 3 And they will ^awail with the ^bsongs of the palace in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Many will be the ^ccorpses; in every place ¹they will cast them forth ²in silence.”

4 Hear this, you who ¹^atrample the needy, even to cause the humble of the land to cease, 5 saying,“When will the ^anew moon pass over,So that we may sell grain,And the ^bsabbath, that we may open the wheat market,To make the ¹bushel smaller and the ²shekel bigger,And to ^ccheat with a deceptive balance,

6 So as to ^abuy the poor for ¹moneyAnd the needy for a pair of sandals,And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

7 Yahweh has ^asworn by the ^blofty pride of Jacob,“Indeed, I will ^cnever forget any of their works.8 “Because of this will not the land ^atrembleAnd everyone who inhabits it ^bmourn?Indeed, all of it will ^crise up like the Nile,And it will be tossed aboutAnd subside like the Nile of Egypt.9 “And it will be in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh,“That I will make the ^asun go down at noonAnd ^bmake the earth dark in ¹broad daylight.10 “Then I will ^aoverturn your feasts into mourningAnd all your songs into ¹lamentation;And I will bring up ^bsackcloth on everyone’s loinsAnd baldness on every head.And I will make it ^clike 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 Lord Yahweh,“When I will send a famine on the land,Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,But rather ^afor hearing the words of Yahweh.12 “People will wander from sea to seaAnd from the north even to the east;They will go to and fro to ^aseek the word of Yahweh,But they will not find it.13 “In that day the beautiful ^avirginsAnd the choice men will ^bfaint from thirst.14 “As for those who swear by the ¹^aguilt of Samaria,Who say, ‘As your god lives, O ^bDan,’And, ‘As the way of ^cBeersheba lives,’They will fall and ^dnot rise again.”