Reminder:  The peculiar quotation marks in this chapter indicate that Amos did not inscribe this book.  The inscriber, unknown to us, is quoting Amos.

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי מוֹאָב וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־שָׂרְפוֹ עַצְמוֹת מֶלֶךְ־אֱדוֹם   2:1     לַשִּׂיד׃

Amos 2:1   “Thus says the Lord:

                      ‘Because of three transgressions of Moab,

                               even because of four,

                      I shall not restore it,

                               because they burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.’

There doesn’t seem to be any previous reference to the bones of the king of Edom being burned to lime.  Did the king of Moab do it?  Little is said by the commentators about this verse.

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵשׁ בְּמוֹאָב וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת הַקְּרִיּוֹת וּמֵת בְּשָׁאוֹן מוֹאָב בִּתְרוּעָה בְּקוֹל שׁוֹפָר׃   2:2

Amos 2:2   ‘So I shall send fire on Moab,

                               and it shall consume the fortresses of Kerioth,

                     and Moab shall die in a tumult with a blast,

                              with the sound of a shofar.’

וְהִכְרַתִּי שׁוֹפֵט מִקִּרְבָּהּ וְכָל־שָׂרֶיהָ אֶהֱרוֹג עִמּוֹ אָמַר יְהוָה׃   2:3

Amos 2:3   ‘And I shall cut off any judge from her midst

                               and slay all her princes with him,’ says the Lord.”

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי יְהוּדָה וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־מָאֳסָם אֶת־תּוֹרַת יְהוָה   2:4           וְחֻקָּיו לֹא שָׁמָרוּ וַיַּתְעוּם כִּזְבֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר־הָלְכוּ אֲבוֹתָם אַחֲרֵיהֶם׃

Amos 2:4   “Thus says the Lord:

                     ‘Because of three transgressions of Judah,

                               even because of four,

                     I shall not restore it,

                               because of their rejecting the Torah of the Lord,

                     and they did not observe His statutes,

                               as their deceptions that their fathers had gone after

                     led them astray.’

וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בִּיהוּדָה וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם׃   2:5

Amos 2:5   ‘So I shall send fire upon Judah

                               and it shall consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.’”

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־מִכְרָם בַּכֶּסֶף צַדִּיק וְאֶבְיוֹן   2:6 בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם׃

Amos 2:6   “Thus says the Lord:

                     ‘Because of three transgressions of Israel,

                               even because of four,

                     I shall not restore it,

                               because of their selling the righteous for silver

                     and the needy for sandals,

הַשֹּׁאֲפִים עַל־עֲפַר־אֶרֶץ בְּרֹאשׁ דַּלִּים וְדֶרֶךְ עֲנָוִים יַטּוּ וְאִישׁ וְאָבִיו יֵלְכוּ אֶל־הַנַּעֲרָה לְמַעַן חַלֵּל   2:7          אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי׃

Amos 2:7   panting for the dust of the earth on the head of the poor,

                              that they would turn aside the way of the humble,

                     as a man and his father would go into the same maid,

                              thereby profaning the name of My holiness,

וְעַל־בְּגָדִים חֲבֻלִים יַטּוּ אֵצֶל כָּל־מִזְבֵּחַ וְיֵין עֲנוּשִׁים יִשְׁתּוּ בֵּית אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃   2:8

Amos 2:8   and on garments taken in pledge

                              they would stretch out near every altar,

                     as they would drink wine of the fined,

                              of the house of their God.’

Because of the multiple meanings of some of the words in the first two lines -- the first four Hebrew words, that is -- the phrase can also be translated as “and by corrupt treacheries they would hold out near every altar.”  Mind you, this is not in reference to just the priests.  All the people are being indicted here, at least all those among the rich and powerful.

וְאָנֹכִי הִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי מִפְּנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר כְּגֹבַהּ אֲרָזִים גָּבְהוֹ וְחָסֹן הוּא כָּאַלּוֹנִים וָאַשְׁמִיד   2:9          פִּרְיוֹ מִמַּעַל וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מִתָּחַת׃

Amos 2:9   ‘Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them;

                               though his height was like the height of cedars

                     and he was as strong as oak trees,

                               yet I devastated his fruit from above

                     and his roots from below.’

וְאָנֹכִי הֶעֱלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וָאוֹלֵךְ אֶתְכֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־אֶרֶץ   2:10           

הָאֱמֹרִי׃

Amos 2:10   ‘I also brought you up from the land of Egypt,

                                 and led you in the wilderness forty years,

                        to possess the land of the Amorite.’

וָאָקִים מִבְּנֵיכֶם לִנְבִיאִים וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶם לִנְזִרִים הַאַף אֵין־זֹאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃   2:11

Amos 2:11   ‘And I raised up some from your children to be prophets

                                 and from your young men to be Nazirites.

                        Is this not enough, children of Israel?’ declares the Lord.”

וַתַּשְׁקוּ אֶת־הַנְּזִרִים יָיִן וְעַל־הַנְּבִיאִים צִוִּיתֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא תִּנָּבְאוּ׃   2:12

Amos 2:12   “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink,

                                 and concerning the prophets,

                       you commanded saying, ‘You not shall prophesy.’

הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵעִיק תַּחְתֵּיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּעִיק הָעֲגָלָה הַמְלֵאָה לָהּ עָמִיר׃   2:13

Amos 2:13   ‘Behold, I am making a swaying under you,

                                 as a cart would sway holding its capacity of grain swath.’

It’s uncertain as to whether this is a reference to the earthquake.  I doubt it myself.  I’m quite certain that the earthquake had already occurred.

וְאָבַד מָנוֹס מִקָּל וְחָזָק לֹא־יְאַמֵּץ כֹּחוֹ וְגִבּוֹר לֹא־יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ׃   2:14

Amos 2:14   ‘And flight shall vanish from the swift,

                                 and none of the strong shall assert his strength,

                       and none of the mighty shall save himself.’

וְתֹפֵשׂ הַקֶּשֶׁת לֹא יַעֲמֹד וְקַל בְּרַגְלָיו לֹא יְמַלֵּט וְרֹכֵב הַסּוּס לֹא יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ׃   2:15

Amos 2:15   ‘And none wielding the bow shall stand,

                                  and none swift on his feet shall escape,

                       and none riding the horse shall save himself.’

וְאַמִּיץ לִבּוֹ בַּגִּבּוֹרִים עָרוֹם יָנוּס בַּיּוֹם־הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃   2:16

Amos 2:16   ‘And any strong of heart among the mighty men

                                  shall flee naked on that day,’ declares the Lord.”

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