TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Amos - Chapter 2

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1Thus said Hashem: For three transgressions of Moab, For four, I will not revoke it: Because he burned the bones Of the king of Edom to lime.

אכֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי מוֹאָב וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־שָׂרְפוֹ עַצְמוֹת מֶלֶךְ־אֱדוֹם לַשִּׂיד׃

2I will send down fire upon Moab, And it shall devour the fortresses of Kerioth. And Moab shall die in tumult, Amid shouting and the blare of shofarot;

בוְשִׁלַּחְתִּי־אֵשׁ בְּמוֹאָב וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת הַקְּרִיּוֹת וּמֵת בְּשָׁאוֹן מוֹאָב בִּתְרוּעָה בְּקוֹל שׁוֹפָר׃

3I will wipe out the ruler from within her And slay all her officials along with him —said Hashem.

גוְהִכְרַתִּי שׁוֹפֵט מִקִּרְבָּהּ וְכָל־שָׂרֶיהָ אֶהֱרוֹג עִמּוֹ אָמַר יְהֹוָה׃

4Thus said Hashem: For three transgressions of Yehuda, For four, I will not revoke it: Because they have spurned the Teaching of Hashem And have not observed His laws; They are beguiled by the delusions After which their fathers walked.

דכֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי יְהוּדָה וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־מָאֳסָם אֶת־תּוֹרַת יְהֹוָה וְחֻקָּיו לֹא שָׁמָרוּ וַיַּתְעוּם כִּזְבֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר־הָלְכוּ אֲבוֹתָם אַחֲרֵיהֶם׃

5I will send down fire upon Yehuda, And it shall devour the fortresses of Yerushalayim.

הוְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֵשׁ בִּיהוּדָה וְאָכְלָה אַרְמְנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם׃

6Thus said Hashem: For three transgressions of Yisrael, For four, I will not revoke it: Because they have sold for silver Those whose cause was just, And the needy for a pair of sandals.

KOH a-MAR a-do-NAI al sh'-lo-SHAH pish-AY yis-ra-AYL v'-alar-ba-AH LO a-shee-VE-nu al mikh-RAM ba-KE-sef tza-DEEK v'-ev-YON ba-a-VUR na-a-LA-yim

וכֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עַל־שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל־אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ עַל־מִכְרָם בַּכֶּסֶף צַדִּיק וְאֶבְיוֹן בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם׃

 2:6  Because they have sold for silver those whose cause was just

Rashi (1040-1105)

Amos begins his denunciation of Israel’s crimes with the statement that “they have sold for silver those whose cause was just, and the needy for a pair of sandals “. The earliest commentators took this as an allusion to the sale of Yosef by his brothers. Rashi, however, suggests an alternative explanation based on the Hebrew word for ‘shoe’, na’al (נעל), which also means ‘to lock’ or ‘close in’. According to Rashi, the rich would “close in” the property of the poor by purchasing all the land surrounding a poor person’s field, preventing him from accessing his lot. They would then compell the poor man to sell his property at heavily discounted prices, forcing him into poverty. In this way, not only did the rich take advantage of the less fortunate, but they forced them into selling their ancestral property. The crime of appropriating a person’s ancestral property, his connection to the Land of Israel, is denounced in I Kings chapter 21 and Isaiah 5:8.

7Ah,] you who trample the heads of the poor Into the dust of the ground, And make the humble walk a twisted course! Father and son go to the same girl, And thereby profane My holy name.

זהַשֹּׁאֲפִים עַל־עֲפַר־אֶרֶץ בְּרֹאשׁ דַּלִּים וְדֶרֶךְ עֲנָוִים יַטּוּ וְאִישׁ וְאָבִיו יֵלְכוּ אֶל־הַנַּעֲרָה לְמַעַן חַלֵּל אֶת־שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי׃

8They recline by every altar On garments taken in pledge, And drink in the House of their God Wine bought with fines they imposed.

חוְעַל־בְּגָדִים חֲבֻלִים יַטּוּ אֵצֶל כָּל־מִזְבֵּחַ וְיֵין עֲנוּשִׁים יִשְׁתּוּ בֵּית אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃

9Yet I Destroyed the Amorite before them, Whose stature was like the cedar's And who was stout as the oak, Destroying his boughs above And his trunk below!

טוְאָנֹכִי הִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי מִפְּנֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר כְּגֹבַהּ אֲרָזִים גָּבְהוֹ וְחָסֹן הוּא כָּאַלּוֹנִים וָאַשְׁמִיד פִּרְיוֹ מִמַּעַל וְשָׁרָשָׁיו מִתָּחַת׃

10And I Brought you up from the land of Egypt And led you through the wilderness forty years, To possess the land of the Amorite!

יוְאָנֹכִי הֶעֱלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וָאוֹלֵךְ אֶתְכֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת־אֶרֶץ הָאֱמֹרִי׃

11And I raised up Neviim from among your sons And nazirites from among your young men. Is that not so, O people of Yisrael? —says Hashem.

יאוָאָקִים מִבְּנֵיכֶם לִנְבִיאִים וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶם לִנְזִרִים הַאַף אֵין־זֹאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃

12But you made the nazirites drink wine And ordered the Neviim not to prophesy.

יבוַתַּשְׁקוּ אֶת־הַנְּזִרִים יָיִן וְעַל־הַנְּבִיאִים צִוִּיתֶם לֵאמֹר לֹא תִּנָּבְאוּ׃

13Ah, I will slow your movements As a wagon is slowed When it is full of cut grain.

יגהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי מֵעִיק תַּחְתֵּיכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר תָּעִיק הָעֲגָלָה הַמְלֵאָה לָהּ עָמִיר׃

14Flight shall fail the swift, The strong shall find no strength, And the warrior shall not save his life.

ידוְאָבַד מָנוֹס מִקָּל וְחָזָק לֹא־יְאַמֵּץ כֹּחוֹ וְגִבּוֹר לֹא־יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ׃

15The bowman shall not hold his ground, And the fleet-footed shall not escape, Nor the horseman save his life.

טווְתֹפֵשׂ הַקֶּשֶׁת לֹא יַעֲמֹד וְקַל בְּרַגְלָיו לֹא יְמַלֵּט וְרֹכֵב הַסּוּס לֹא יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ׃

16Even the most stouthearted warrior Shall run away unarmed that day —declares Hashem.

טזוְאַמִּיץ לִבּוֹ בַּגִּבּוֹרִים עָרוֹם יָנוּס בַּיּוֹם־הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהֹוָה׃