^8:2He said, “What do you see, Amos?” I replied, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end³ has come for my people Israel! I will no longer overlook their sins.⁴

^8:3The women singing in the temple⁵ will wail in that day.”

The sovereign Lord is speaking.

“There will be many corpses littered everywhere!⁶ Be quiet!”

^8:4Listen to this, you who trample⁷ the needy,

and do away with⁸ the destitute in the land.

^8:5You say,

“When will the new moon festival⁹ be over,¹⁰ so we can sell grain?

When will the Sabbath end,¹¹ so we can open up the grain bins?¹²

We’re eager¹³ to sell less for a higher price,¹⁴

and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales!¹⁵

^8:6We’re eager to trade silver for the poor,¹⁶

a pair of sandals¹⁷ for the needy!

We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!”¹⁸

^8:7The Lord confirms this oath¹⁹ by the arrogance of Jacob:²⁰

“I swear²¹ I will never forget all you have done!²²

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Footnotes

1 Heb “behold” or “look.”
2 The basket of summer fruit (also in the following verse) probably refers to figs from the summer crop, which ripens in August–September. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 115.
3 There is a wordplay here. The Hebrew word קֵץ (qets, “end”) sounds like קָיִץ (qayits, “summer fruit”). The summer fruit arrived toward the end of Israel’s agricultural year; Israel’s national existence was similarly at an end.
4 Heb “I will no longer pass over him.”
5 Or “palace” (, , ).
6 Heb “Many corpses in every place he will throw out.” The subject of the verb is probably impersonal, though many emend the active (Hiphil) form to a passive (Hophal): “Many corpses in every place will be thrown out.”
7 See the note on the word “trample” in .
8 Or “put an end to”; or “exterminate.”
9 Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.
10 Heb “pass by.”
11 The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.
12 Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.
13 Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
14 Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.
15 Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; , “dishonest scales”; “false balances.” Rigged scales may refer to bending the crossbar or shifting the center point of the scales to make the amount weighed appear heavier than it actually was, thus cheating the buyer.
16 Heb “to buy the poor for silver.” The expression trade silver for the poor refers to the slave trade.
17 See the note on the word “sandals” in .
18 Heb “The chaff of the grain we will sell.”
19 Or “swears.”
20 In an oath one appeals to something permanent to emphasize one’s commitment to the promise. Here the Lord sarcastically swears by the arrogance of Jacob, which he earlier had condemned (6:8), something just as enduring as the Lord’s own life (see 6:8) or unchanging character (see 4:2). Other suggestions include that the Lord is swearing by the land, his most valuable possession (cf. Isa 4:2; Ps 47:4 [47:5 ]); that this is a divine epithet analogous to “the Glory of Israel” (1 Sam 15:29); or that an ellipsis should be understood here, in which case the meaning is the same as that of 6:8 (“The Lord has sworn [by himself] against the arrogance of Jacob”).
21 The words “I swear” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation because a self-imprecation is assumed in oaths of this type.
22 Or “I will never forget all your deeds.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 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 upon my people Israel;

I will never again pass by them.

The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,”

declares the Lord God.

“So many dead bodies!”

“They are thrown everywhere!”

“Silence!”

Hear this, you who trample on the needy

and bring the poor of the land to an end,

saying, “When will the new moon be over,

that we may sell grain?

And the Sabbath,

that we may offer wheat for sale,

that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great

and deal deceitfully with false balances,

that we may buy the poor for silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals

and sell the chaff of the wheat?”

The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:

“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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. 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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The Lord God showed me this: a basket of summer fruit. He asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

I replied, “A basket of summer fruit.”

The Lord said to me, “The end has come for my people Israel; I will no longer spare them. In that day the temple songs will become wailing”—this is the Lord God’s declaration. “Many dead bodies, thrown everywhere! Silence!”

Hear this, you who trample on the needy

and do away with the poor of the land,

asking, “When will the New Moon be over

so we may sell grain,

and the Sabbath,

so we may market wheat?

We can reduce the measure

while increasing the price

and cheat with dishonest scales.

We can buy the poor with silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals

and even sell the chaff!”

The Lord has sworn by the Pride of Jacob:

I will never forget all their deeds.

NLTNew Living Translation

Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. In it I saw a basket filled with ripe fruit. “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.

I replied, “A basket full of ripe fruit.”

Then the Lord said, “Like this fruit, Israel is ripe for punishment! I will not delay their punishment again. In that day the singing in the temple will turn to wailing. Dead bodies will be scattered everywhere. They will be carried out of the city in silence. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Listen to this, you who rob the poor

and trample down the needy!

You can’t wait for the Sabbath day to be over

and the religious festivals to end

so you can get back to cheating the helpless.

You measure out grain with dishonest measures

and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales.

And you mix the grain you sell

with chaff swept from the floor.

Then you enslave poor people

for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals.

Now the Lord has sworn this oath

by his own name, the Pride of Israel:

“I will never forget

the wicked things you have done!

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

My Lord Yahweh showed me this, and there was a basket of summer fruit. And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” And Yahweh said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel. I will not pass by them again!” “And the songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” declares my Lord Yahweh. “The corpses are numerous; he throws them in every place. Be quiet!” Hear this, those who trample on the poor and who annihilate the afflicted of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over, so that we can sell grain? And the Sabbath, so that we can open the grain bins, that we can make the ephah small and make the shekel large, and can practice deceit with a set of scales of deceit? That we can buy the powerless with silver and the poor for the sake of a pair of sandals, and we can sell the waste of the grain?” Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds!

KJV 1900King James Version

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.

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