Amos 8:1–7

The Lord Gives Amos Another Vision

8The Lord and King gave me a vision. He showed me a basket of ripe fruit. ²“What do you see, Amos?” he asked.

“A basket of ripe fruit,” I replied.

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

³“The time is coming when the songs in the temple will turn to crying,” announces the Lord and King. “Many, many bodies will be thrown everywhere! So be quiet!”

⁴Listen to me, you who walk all over needy people.

You crush those who are poor in the land.

⁵You say,

“When will the New Moon Feast be over?

Then we can sell our grain.

When will the Sabbath day come to an end?

Then people can buy our wheat.”

But you don’t measure out the right amount.

You raise your prices.

You cheat others by using dishonest scales.

⁶You buy poor people to make slaves out of them.

You buy those who are in need for a mere pair of sandals.

You even sell the worthless parts of your wheat.

⁷People of Jacob, you are proud that the Lord is your God. But he has taken an oath in his own name. He says, “I will never forget anything Israel has done.