Hosea 13:16

13:16 (14:1) ¹  Samaria will be held guilty, ² 

because she rebelled against her God.

They will fall by the sword,

their infants will be dashed to the ground –

their ³  pregnant women will be ripped open.

Amos 3:11--4:3

3:11 Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. ⁴ 

He will take away your power; ⁵ 

your fortresses will be looted.”

3:12 This is what the Lord says:

“Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion’s mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear,

so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be salvaged. ⁶ 

They will be left with just a corner of a bed, ⁷ 

and a part ⁸  of a couch.”

3:13 Listen and warn ⁹  the family ¹⁰  of Jacob! ¹¹ 

The sovereign Lord, the God who commands armies, ¹²  is speaking!

3:14 “Certainly when ¹³  I punish Israel for their ¹⁴  covenant transgressions, ¹⁵ 

I will destroy ¹⁶  Bethel’s ¹⁷  altars.

The horns ¹⁸  of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.

3:15 I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. ¹⁹ 

The houses filled with ivory ²⁰  will be ruined,

the great ²¹  houses will be swept away.” ²² 

The Lord is speaking!

4:1 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan ²³  who live on Mount Samaria!

You ²⁴  oppress the poor;

you crush the needy.

You say to your ²⁵  husbands,

“Bring us more to drink!” ²⁶ 

4:2 The sovereign Lord confirms this oath by his own holy character: ²⁷ 

“Certainly the time is approaching ²⁸ 

when you will be carried away ²⁹  in baskets, ³⁰ 

every last one of you ³¹  in fishermen’s pots. ³² 

4:3 Each of you will go straight through the gaps in the walls; ³³ 

you will be thrown out ³⁴  toward Harmon.” ³⁵ 

The Lord is speaking!

Amos 6:7

6:7 Therefore they will now be the first to go into exile, ³⁶ 

and the religious banquets ³⁷  where they sprawl on couches ³⁸  will end.

Amos 9:1-4

9:1 I saw the sovereign One ³⁹  standing by the altar ⁴⁰  and he said, “Strike the tops of the support pillars, ⁴¹  so the thresholds shake!

Knock them down on the heads of all the people, ⁴² 

and I will kill the survivors ⁴³  with the sword.

No one will be able to run away; ⁴⁴ 

no one will be able to escape. ⁴⁵ 

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ⁴⁶ 

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could climb up to heaven,

I would drag them down from there.

9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,

I would hunt them down and take them from there.

Even if they tried to hide from me ⁴⁷  at the bottom of the sea,

from there ⁴⁸  I would command the Sea Serpent ⁴⁹  to bite them.

9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, ⁵⁰ 

from there ⁵¹  I will command the sword to kill them.

I will not let them out of my sight;

they will experience disaster, not prosperity.” ⁵² 

Micah 1:6-9

1:6 “I will turn Samaria ⁵³  into a heap of ruins in an open field –

vineyards will be planted there! ⁵⁴ 

I will tumble ⁵⁵  the rubble of her stone walls ⁵⁶  down into the valley,

and tear down her fortifications to their foundations. ⁵⁷ 

1:7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces;

all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. ⁵⁸ 

I will make a waste heap ⁵⁹  of all her images.

Since ⁶⁰  she gathered the metal ⁶¹  as a prostitute collects her wages,

the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.” ⁶² 

1:8 For this reason I ⁶³  will mourn and wail;

I will walk around barefoot ⁶⁴  and without my outer garments. ⁶⁵ 

I will howl ⁶⁶  like a wild dog, ⁶⁷ 

and screech ⁶⁸  like an owl. ⁶⁹ 

1:9 For Samaria’s ⁷⁰  disease ⁷¹  is incurable.

It has infected ⁷²  Judah;

it has spread to ⁷³  the leadership ⁷⁴  of my people

and has even contaminated Jerusalem! ⁷⁵ 

Micah 6:16

6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,

and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; ⁷⁶ 

you follow their policies. ⁷⁷ 

Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, ⁷⁸ 

the city’s ⁷⁹  inhabitants will be taunted derisively, ⁸⁰ 

and nations will mock all of you.” ⁸¹ 

Micah 7:13

7:13 The earth will become desolate ⁸² 

because of what its inhabitants have done. ⁸³ 

[13:16]  ¹ sn Beginning with 13:16, the verse numbers through 14:9 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 13:16 ET = 14:1 HT, 14:1 ET = 14:2 HT, etc., through 14:9 ET = 14:10 HT. Thus ch. 14 in the Hebrew Bible has 10 verses.

[13:16]  ² tn Or “must bear its guilt” (NIV similar); NLT “must bear the consequences of their guilt”; CEV “will be punished.”

[13:16]  ³ tn Heb “his.” This is a collective singular, as recognized by almost all English versions.

[3:11]  ⁴ tc The MT reads “an enemy and around the land.” It is also possible to take the MT as an exclamation (“an enemy, and all about the land!”; see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 118; NJPS; cf. NLT).Most scholars and versions emend the text to יְסוֹבֵב (yÿsovev, Polel imperfect), “will encircle.”

[3:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “He will bring down your power from you.” Some emend the text to read “Your power will be brought down from you.” The shift, however, from an active to a passive sense also appears at 3:14 (“I will destroy Bethel’s altars. The horns of the altar will be cut off.”) The pronouns (“your…you”) are feminine singular, indicating that the personified city of Samaria is addressed here. Samaria’s “power” here is her defenses and/or wealth.

[3:12]  ⁶ sn The verb translated salvaged, though often used in a positive sense of deliverance from harm, is here employed in a sarcastic manner. A shepherd would attempt to salvage part of an animal to prove that a predator had indeed killed it. In this way he could prove that he had not stolen the missing animal and absolve himself from any responsibility to repay the owner (see Exod 22:12-13).

[3:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “with a corner of a bed.”

[3:12]  ⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word דְּמֶשֶׁק (dÿmesheq), which occurs only here, is uncertain. If not emended, it is usually related to the term ַדּמֶּשֶׂק (dammeseq) and translated as the “Damask linens” of the bed (cf. NASB “the cover”) or as “in Damascus” (so KJV, NJB, NIV). The differences in spelling (Damascus is spelled correctly in 5:27), historical considerations, and the word order make both of these derivations unlikely. Many emendations have been proposed (e.g., “a part from the foot [of a bed],” based on a different division of the Hebrew letters (cf. NEB, NRSV); “on the edge,” based on a Hebrew term not attested in the Bible (NKJV). Some suggest a resemblance to an Akkadian term which means “sideboard [of a bed],” which is sometimes incorrectly rendered “headboard” (NJPS; see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 121-22). Most likely another part of a bed or couch is in view, but it is difficult to be more specific.

[3:13]  ⁹ tn Or “testify against.”

[3:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:13]  ¹¹ tn These words are spoken to either the unidentified heralds addressed at the beginning of v. 9, or to the Egyptians and Philistines (see v. 9b). Another possibility is that one is not to look for a specific addressee but rather appreciate the command simply as a rhetorical device to grab the attention of the listeners and readers of the prophetic message.

[3:13]  ¹² tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”

[3:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “in the day.”

[3:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his.” With the referent “Israel” here, this amounts to a collective singular.

[3:14]  ¹⁵ tn Traditionally, “transgressions, sins,” but see the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3.

[3:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “punish” (so NASB, NRSV).

[3:14]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[3:14]  ¹⁸ sn The horns of an ancient altar projected upwards from the four corners and resembled an animal’s horns in appearance. Fugitives could seek asylum by grabbing hold of these corners (see Exod 21:14; 1 Kgs 1:50; 2:28). When the altar’s horns were cut off, there would be no place of asylum left for the Lord’s enemies.

[3:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the winter house along with the summer house.”

[3:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “houses of ivory.” These houses were not made of ivory, but they had ivory panels and furniture decorated with ivory inlays. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 139-48.

[3:15]  ²¹ tn Or “many,” cf. NAB “their many rooms.”

[3:15]  ²² tn The translation assumes the form is from the Hebrew verb סָפָה (safah, “to sweep away”) rather than סוּף (suf, “to come to an end”), which is the choice of most versions. Either option effectively communicates the destruction of the structures.

[4:1]  ²³ sn The expression cows of Bashan is used by the prophet to address the wealthy women of Samaria, who demand that their husbands satisfy their cravings. The derogatory language perhaps suggests that they, like the livestock of Bashan, were well fed, ironically in preparation for the coming slaughter. This phrase is sometimes cited to critique the book’s view of women.

[4:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the ones who” (three times in this verse).

[4:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “their.”

[4:1]  ²⁶ sn Some commentators relate this scene to the description of the marzeah feast of 6:3-6, in which drinking played a prominent part (see the note at 6:6).

[4:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “swears by his holiness.”

[4:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Look, certainly days are coming upon you”; NRSV “the time is surely coming upon you.”

[4:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “one will carry you away”; NASB “they will take you away.”

[4:2]  ³⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “baskets” is uncertain. The translation follows the suggestion of S. M. Paul (Amos [Hermeneia], 128), who discusses the various options (130-32): “shields” (cf. NEB); “ropes”; “thorns,” which leads to the most favored interpretation, “hooks” (cf. NASB “meat hooks”; NIV, NRSV “hooks”); “baskets,” and (derived from “baskets”) “boats.” Against the latter, it is unlikely that Amos envisioned a deportation by boat for the inhabitants of Samaria! See also the note on the expression “fishermen’s pots” later in this verse.

[4:2]  ³¹ tn Or “your children”; KJV “your posterity.”

[4:2]  ³² tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression translated “in fishermen’s pots” is uncertain. The translation follows that of S. M. Paul (Amos [Hermeneia], 128), who discusses the various options (132-33): “thorns,” understood by most modern interpreters to mean (by extension) “fishhooks” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV); “boats,” but as mentioned in the previous note on the word “baskets,” a deportation of the Samaritans by boat is geographically unlikely; and “pots,” referring to a container used for packing fish (cf. NEB “fish-baskets”). Paul (p. 134) argues that the imagery comes from the ancient fishing industry. When hauled away into exile, the women of Samaria will be like fish packed and transported to market.

[4:3]  ³³ tn Heb “and [through the] breaches you will go out, each straight ahead.”

[4:3]  ³⁴ tn The Hiphil verb form has no object. It may be intransitive (F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos [AB], 425), though many emend it to a Hophal.

[4:3]  ³⁵ tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Many understand it as a place name, though such a location is not known. Some (e.g., H. W. Wolff, Joel and Amos [Hermeneia[, 204) emend to “Hermon” or to similarly written words, such as “the dung heap” (NEB, NJPS), “the garbage dump” (NCV), or “the fortress” (cf. NLT “your fortresses”).

[6:7]  ³⁶ tn Heb “they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.”

[6:7]  ³⁷ sn Religious banquets. This refers to the מַרְזֵחַ (marzeakh), a type of pagan religious banquet popular among the upper class of Israel at this time and apparently associated with mourning. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 137-61; J. L. McLaughlin, The “Marzeah” in the Prophetic Literature (VTSup). Scholars debate whether at this banquet the dead were simply remembered or actually venerated in a formal, cultic sense.

[6:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “of the sprawled out.” See v. 4.

[9:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “the Lord.” The Hebrew term translated “sovereign One” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:1]  ⁴⁰ sn The altar is perhaps the altar at Bethel.

[9:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the capitals.” The Hebrew singular form is collective.

[9:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “cut them off on the head of all of them.” The translation assumes the objective suffix on the verb refers to the tops of the pillars and that the following prepositional phrase refers to the people standing beneath. Another option is to take this phrase as referring to the pillars, in which case one could translate, “Knock all the tops of the pillars off.”

[9:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the remnant of them.” One could possibly translate, “every last one of them” (cf. NEB “to the last man”). This probably refers to those who survive the collapse of the temple, which may symbolize the northern kingdom.

[9:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “a fugitive belonging to them will not run away.”

[9:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “a survivor belonging to them will not escape.”

[9:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “from before my eyes.”

[9:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:3]  ⁴⁹ sn If the article indicates a definite serpent, then the mythological Sea Serpent, symbolic of the world’s chaotic forces, is probably in view. See Job 26:13 and Isa 27:1 (where it is also called Leviathan). Elsewhere in the OT this serpent is depicted as opposing the Lord, but this text implies that even this powerful enemy of God is ultimately subject to his sovereign will.

[9:4]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Even if they go into captivity before their enemies.”

[9:4]  ⁵¹ tn Or perhaps simply, “there,” if the מ (mem) prefixed to the adverb is dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem).

[9:4]  ⁵² tn Heb “I will set my eye on them for disaster, not good.”

[1:6]  ⁵³ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[1:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”

[1:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”

[1:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “her stones.” The term stones is a metonymy for the city walls whose foundations were constructed of stone masonry.

[1:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “I will uncover her foundations.” The term “foundations” refers to the lower courses of the stones of the city’s outer fortification walls.

[1:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and all her prostitute’s wages will be burned with fire.”

[1:7]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).

[1:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[1:7]  ⁶¹ tn No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.

[1:7]  ⁶² tn Heb “for from a prostitute’s wages she gathered, and to a prostitute’s wages they will return.” When the metal was first collected it was comparable to the coins a prostitute would receive for her services. The metal was then formed into idols, but now the Lord’s fiery judgment would reduce the metal images to their original condition.

[1:8]  ⁶³ tn The prophet is probably the speaker here.

[1:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “stripped.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is unclear. It may refer to walking barefoot (see 2 Sam 15:30) or to partially stripping oneself (see Job 12:17-19).

[1:8]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “naked.” This probably does not refer to complete nudity, but to stripping off one’s outer garments as an outward sign of the destitution felt by the mourner.

[1:8]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “I will make lamentation.”

[1:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”

[1:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “[make] a mourning.”

[1:8]  ⁶⁹ tn Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[1:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁷¹ tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.

[1:9]  ⁷² tn Heb “come to.”

[1:9]  ⁷³ tn Or “reached.”

[1:9]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.

[1:9]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line.

[6:16]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”

[6:16]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”

[6:16]  ⁷⁸ tn The Hebrew term שַׁמָּה (shammah) can refer to “destruction; ruin,” or to the reaction it produces in those who witness the destruction.

[6:16]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:16]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.

[6:16]  ⁸¹ tc The translation assumes an emendation of the MT’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”).

[7:13]  ⁸² tn Or “will be ruined.”

[7:13]  ⁸³ tn Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”