The Jerusalem Bridge

Amos 8

עָמוֹס 8

14 verses · Hebrew with nikud, English alongside

1

כֹּ֥ה הִרְאַ֖נִי אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֖ה כְּל֥וּב קָֽיִץ׃

This is what my Sovereign GOD showed me: There was a basket of figs.

2

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ עָמ֔וֹס וָאֹמַ֖ר כְּל֣וּב קָ֑יִץ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י בָּ֤א הַקֵּץ֙ אֶל־עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹא־אוֹסִ֥יף ע֖וֹד עֲב֥וֹר לֽוֹ׃

I was asked, “What do you see, Amos?” “A basket of figs,” I replied. And GOD said to me: “The hour of doom has come for My people Israel; I will not pardon them again.

3

וְהֵילִ֜ילוּ שִׁיר֤וֹת הֵיכָל֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה רַ֣ב הַפֶּ֔גֶר בְּכׇל־מָק֖וֹם הִשְׁלִ֥יךְ הָֽס׃ {פ}

And the singing women of the palace shall howl on that day—declares the Sovereign GOD: So many corpses Left lying everywhere! Hush!”

4

שִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֖ים אֶבְי֑וֹן וְלַשְׁבִּ֖ית (ענוי) [עֲנִיֵּי־]אָֽרֶץ׃

Listen to this, you who devour the needy, annihilating the poor of the land,

5

לֵאמֹ֗ר מָתַ֞י יַעֲבֹ֤ר הַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ וְנַשְׁבִּ֣ירָה שֶּׁ֔בֶר וְהַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וְנִפְתְּחָה־בָּ֑ר לְהַקְטִ֤ין אֵיפָה֙ וּלְהַגְדִּ֣יל שֶׁ֔קֶל וּלְעַוֵּ֖ת מֹאזְנֵ֥י מִרְמָֽה׃

saying, “If only the new moon were over, so that we could sell grain; the sabbath, so that we could offer wheat for sale, using an ephah that is too small, and a shekel that is too big, tilting a dishonest scale,

6

לִקְנ֤וֹת בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙ דַּלִּ֔ים וְאֶבְי֖וֹן בַּעֲב֣וּר נַעֲלָ֑יִם וּמַפַּ֥ל בַּ֖ר נַשְׁבִּֽיר׃

and selling grain refuse as grain! We will buy the poor for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals.”

7

נִשְׁבַּ֥ע יְהֹוָ֖ה בִּגְא֣וֹן יַעֲקֹ֑ב אִם־אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח לָנֶ֖צַח כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם׃

GOD swears by the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget any of their doings.”

8

הַ֤עַל זֹאת֙ לֹא־תִרְגַּ֣ז הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָבַ֖ל כׇּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּ֑הּ וְעָלְתָ֤ה כָאֹר֙ כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְנִגְרְשָׁ֥ה (ונשקה) [וְנִשְׁקְעָ֖ה] כִּיא֥וֹר מִצְרָֽיִם׃ {פ}

Shall not the earth shake for this And all that dwell on it mourn? Shall it not all rise like the Nile And surge and subside like the Nile of Egypt?

9

וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ בַּֽצׇּהֳרָ֑יִם וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י לָאָ֖רֶץ בְּי֥וֹם אֽוֹר׃

And in that day —declares the Sovereign GOD— I will make the sun set at noon, I will darken the earth on a sunny day.

10

וְהָפַכְתִּ֨י חַגֵּיכֶ֜ם לְאֵ֗בֶל וְכׇל־שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙ לְקִינָ֔ה וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֤י עַל־כׇּל־מׇתְנַ֙יִם֙ שָׂ֔ק וְעַל־כׇּל־רֹ֖אשׁ קׇרְחָ֑ה וְשַׂמְתִּ֙יהָ֙ כְּאֵ֣בֶל יָחִ֔יד וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ כְּי֥וֹם מָֽר׃ {פ}

I will turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into dirges; I will put sackcloth on all loins And tonsures on every head. I will make the earth mourn as for an only child, All of it as on a bitter day.

11

הִנֵּ֣ה ׀ יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹא־רָעָ֤ב לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙ וְלֹא־צָמָ֣א לַמַּ֔יִם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃

A time is coming—declares the Sovereign GOD—when I will send a famine upon the land: not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of GOD.

12

וְנָעוּ֙ מִיָּ֣ם עַד־יָ֔ם וּמִצָּפ֖וֹן וְעַד־מִזְרָ֑ח יְשׁ֥וֹטְט֛וּ לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יִמְצָֽאוּ׃

People shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east to seek the word of GOD, but they shall not find it.

13

בַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא תִּ֠תְעַלַּ֠פְנָה הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת הַיָּפ֛וֹת וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים בַּצָּמָֽא׃

In that day, the beautiful maidens and the young men shall faint with thirst—

14

הַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙ בְּאַשְׁמַ֣ת שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְאָמְר֗וּ חֵ֤י אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ דָּ֔ן וְחֵ֖י דֶּ֣רֶךְ בְּאֵֽר־שָׁ֑בַע וְנָפְל֖וּ וְלֹא־יָק֥וּמוּ עֽוֹד׃ {פ}

Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria, Saying, “As your god lives, Dan,” And “As the way to Beer-sheba lives”— They shall fall to rise no more.

Hebrew text and English translation from Sefaria, under their Creative Commons licence.

These are written by Yaacov, a native Jerusalemite who teaches Hebrew, Yiddish, Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic one-to-one.