Amos 2:14

2:14 Fast runners will find no place to hide; ¹ 

strong men will have no strength left; ² 

warriors will not be able to save their lives.

Amos 3:2

3:2 “I have chosen ³  you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

Amos 3:10-11

3:10 “They do not know how to do what is right.” (The Lord is speaking.)

“They store up ⁴  the spoils of destructive violence ⁵  in their fortresses.

3:11 Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. ⁶ 

He will take away your power; ⁷ 

your fortresses will be looted.”

Amos 7:12

7:12 Amaziah then said to Amos, “Leave, you visionary! ⁸  Run away to the land of Judah! Earn your living ⁹  and prophesy there!

[2:14]  ¹ tn Heb “and a place of refuge will perish from the swift.”

[2:14]  ² tn Heb “the strong will not increase his strength.”

[3:2]  ³ tn Heb “You only have I known.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’) is used here in its covenantal sense of “recognize in a special way.”

[3:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “those who.”

[3:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “violence and destruction.” The expression “violence and destruction” stand metonymically for the goods the oppressors have accumulated by their unjust actions.

[3:11]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.

[7:12]  ⁸ tn Traditionally, “seer.” The word is a synonym for “prophet,” though it may carry a derogatory tone on the lips of Amaziah.

[7:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “Eat bread there.”