Amos 2:11

2:11 I made some of your sons prophets

and some of your young men Nazirites. ¹ 

Is this not true, you Israelites?”

The Lord is speaking!

Amos 5:2

5:2 “The virgin ²  Israel has fallen down and will not get up again.

She is abandoned on her own land

with no one to help her get up.” ³ 

Amos 3:4-5

3:4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? ⁴ 

Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?

3:5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?

Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?

Amos 5:6

5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!

Otherwise he will break out ⁵  like fire against Joseph’s ⁶  family; ⁷ 

the fire ⁸  will consume

and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. ⁹ 

[2:11]  ¹ tn Or perhaps “religious devotees” (also in the following verse). The Hebrew term נָזִיר (nazir) refers to one who “consecrated” or “devoted” to God (see Num 6:1-21).

[5:2]  ² tn Or “young lady.” The term “Israel” is an appositional genitive.

[5:2]  ³ tn Or “with no one to lift her up.”

[3:4]  ³ tn Heb “without having prey [or “food”].”

[5:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.

[5:6]  ⁵ sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[5:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”