Amos 8
1This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. 2“What do you see, Amos?” he asked.“A basket of ripe fruit,” I answered.Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. 3“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing. Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!” 4Hear this, you who trample the needyand do away with the poor of the land, 5saying,“When will the New Moon be overthat we may sell grain,and the Sabbath be endedthat we may market wheat?”—skimping on the measure,boosting the priceand cheating with dishonest scales, 6buying the poor with silverand the needy for a pair of sandals,selling even the sweepings with the wheat. 7The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done. 8“Will not the land tremble for this,and all who live in it mourn?The whole land will rise like the Nile;it will be stirred up and then sinklike the river of Egypt. 9“In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,“I will make the sun go down at noonand darken the earth in broad daylight. 10I will turn your religious festivals into mourningand all your singing into weeping.I will make all of you wear sackclothand shave your heads.I will make that time like mourning for an only sonand the end of it like a bitter day. 11“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,“when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water,but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. 12People will stagger from sea to seaand wander from north to east,searching for the word of the Lord,but they will not find it. 13“In that day“the lovely young women and strong young menwill faint because of thirst. 14Those who swear by the sin of Samaria—who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’or, ‘As surely as the god of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to rise again.”
Study Context for Amos 8
As you study Amos 8, keep in mind the overarching themes of this old testament book: Justice, Judgment, Righteousness. Observe how the specific events or teachings in this chapter contribute to the book's broader message.
JusticeJudgmentRighteousness
Observation: What does Amos 8 reveal about the character and nature of God? What does it reveal about humanity?
Application: How does the truth presented in this chapter change how you should live, think, or pray today?
Study introductions and prompts are supplementary aids, not Scripture. They do not replace prayerful reading, the authority of Scripture, a faithful local church, or pastoral care.
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