Amos 5:12

5:12 Certainly ¹  I am aware of ²  your many rebellious acts ³ 

and your numerous sins.

You ⁴  torment the innocent, you take bribes,

and you deny justice to ⁵  the needy at the city gate. ⁶ 

Amos 9:7

9:7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,” ⁷  says the Lord.

“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,

but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor ⁸  and the Arameans from Kir. ⁹ 

[5:12]  ¹ tn Or “for.”

[5:12]  ² tn Or “I know” (so most English versions).

[5:12]  ³ tn Or “transgressions,” “sins.” See the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3 and on the phrase “covenant violations” in 2:4.

[5:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “Those who.”

[5:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “turn aside.” They “turn aside” the needy by denying them the justice they deserve at the city gate (where legal decisions were made, and therefore where justice should be done).

[5:12]  ⁶ sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate, where the town elders met.

[9:7]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text has a rhetorical question, “Are you children of Israel not like the Cushites to me?” The rhetorical question has been converted to an affirmative statement in the translation for clarity. See the comment at 8:8.

[9:7]  ⁸ sn Caphtor may refer to the island of Crete.

[9:7]  ⁹ tn The second half of v. 7 is also phrased as a rhetorical question in the Hebrew text, “Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?” The translation converts the rhetorical question into an affirmation for clarity.