Amos 2:8

2:8 They stretch out on clothing seized as collateral;

they do so right ¹  beside every altar!

They drink wine bought with the fines they have levied;

they do so right in the temple ²  of their God! ³ 

Amos 2:15

2:15 Archers ⁴  will not hold their ground; ⁵ 

fast runners will not save their lives,

nor will those who ride horses. ⁶ 

[2:8]  ¹ tn The words “They do so right” are supplied twice in the translation of this verse for clarification.

[2:8]  ² tn Heb “house.”

[2:8]  ³ tn Or “gods.” The Hebrew term אֱלֹהֵיהֶם (’elohehem) may be translated “their gods” (referring to pagan gods), “their god” (referring to a pagan god, cf. NAB, NIV, NLT), or “their God” (referring to the God of Israel, cf. NASB, NRSV).

[2:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “the one who holds the bow.”

[2:15]  ⁵ tn For the idiom of “holding [or “standing”] one’s ground” in battle, there is a similar phrase in Ezek 13:5; also related is the expression “to hold one’s own against” (or “to withstand”) in Judg 2:14; 2 Kgs 10:4; Dan 8:7 (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 97). Other options include “will not endure” or “will not survive.”

[2:15]  ⁶ tn The last two lines read literally, “The one fast in his feet will not rescue [his life], and the rider of the horse will not rescue his life.” The phrase “his life” does double duty in the parallelism and should be understood in both lines.