Amos 3:1
Context3:1 Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the Lord is proclaiming against 1 you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up 2 from the land of Egypt:
Amos 8:5
Context8:5 You say,
“When will the new moon festival 3 be over, 4 so we can sell grain?
When will the Sabbath end, 5 so we can open up the grain bins? 6
We’re eager 7 to sell less for a higher price, 8
and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! 9


[3:1] 2 tn One might expect a third person verb form (“he brought up”), since the
[8:5] 3 sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.
[8:5] 5 tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.
[8:5] 6 tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.
[8:5] 7 tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:5] 8 tn 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.
[8:5] 9 tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”