A Basket of Fruit
1The Lord God showed me a basket of ripe fruit 2and asked, “Amos, what do you see?”
“A basket of ripe fruit,” I replied.
Then he said,
“This is the end
for my people Israel.
I won't forgive them again.
3Instead of singing
in the temple,
they will cry and weep.
Dead bodies will be everywhere.
So keep silent!
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Israel Is Doomed
The Lord said:
4You people crush those in need
and wipe out the poor.
5You say to yourselves,
“How much longer before the end
of the New Moon Festival?
When will the Sabbath be over?
Our wheat is ready,
and we want to sell it now.
We can't wait to cheat
and charge high prices
for the grain we sell.
We will use dishonest scales
6and mix dust in the grain.
Those who are needy and poor
don't have any money.
We will make them our slaves
for the price
of a pair of sandals.”
7I, the Lord, won't forget
any of this,
though you take great pride
in your ancestor Jacob.
8Your country will tremble,
and you will mourn.
It will be like the Nile River
that rises and overflows,
then sinks back down.
9On that day, I, the Lord God,
will make the sun
go down at noon,
and I will turn daylight
into darkness.
10Your festivals and joyful singing
will turn into sorrow.
You will wear sackcloth
and shave your heads,
as you would at the death
of your only son.
It will be a horrible day.
11I, the Lord, also promise you
a terrible shortage,
but not of food and water.
You will hunger and thirst
to hear my message.
12You will search everywhere—
from north to south,
from east to west.
You will go all over the earth,
seeking a message
from me, the Lord.
But you won't find one.
13Your beautiful young women
and your young men
will faint from thirst.
14You made promises
to the goddess Ashimah
at Samaria;
you made vows to other gods
at the shrines
of Dan and Beersheba.
So now you will fall
and never get up.