58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!
Yell as loud as a trumpet!
Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; 1
confront Jacob’s family with their sin! 2
8:1 Sound the alarm! 3
An eagle 4 looms over the temple of the Lord!
For they have broken their covenant with me, 5
and have rebelled against my law.
3:6 If an alarm sounds 6 in a city, do people not fear? 7
If disaster overtakes a 8 city, is the Lord not responsible? 9
3:7 Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
3:8 A lion has roared! 10 Who is not afraid?
The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy? 11
1 tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”
2 tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
3 tn Heb “A horn unto your gums!”; NAB “A trumpet to your lips!”
4 tn Or perhaps “A vulture.” Some identify the species indicated by the Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) as the griffon vulture (cf. NEB, NRSV).
5 tn Heb “my covenant” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “the covenant I made with them.”
6 tn Heb “If the ram’s horn is blown.”
7 tn Or “tremble” (NASB, NIV, NCV); or “shake.”
8 tn Heb “is in”; NIV, NCV, NLT “comes to.”
9 tn Heb “has the
10 sn The roar of the lion is here a metaphor for impending judgment (see 1:2; cf. 3:4, 12). Verses 7-8 justify Amos’ prophetic ministry and message of warning and judgment. The people should expect a prophetic message prior to divine action.
11 sn Who can refuse to prophesy? When a message is revealed, the prophet must speak, and the news of impending judgment should cause people to fear.