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Amos - Chapter 8
Translation and Transliteration of
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1This is what my God showed me: There was a basket of figs.
KOH hir-A-nee a-do-NAI e-lo-HEEM v'-hi-NAY k'-LUV KA-yitz
אכֹּ֥ה הִרְאַ֖נִי אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֖ה כְּל֥וּב קָֽיִץ׃
8:1 A basket of figs

Malbim (1809-1879)
Amos is shown a vision of a basket of figs, in Hebrew a k’luv ka-yitz (כלוב קיץ), which literally means ‘a basket of summer fruit.’ The fruits were harvested during the transition from summer to the rainy season, and brought to the Beit Hamikdash during the Sukkot holiday in the seventh month of the year. Hashem’s explanation of the vision: “The hour of doom has come for My people Yisrael; I will not pardon them again” (verse 2), is a play on words. In Hebrew, ‘summer’ is pronounced ka-yitz (קיץ), while ‘end’, or ‘hour of doom’ as it is translated here, is pronounced kaytz (קץ). The Malbim explains that the prophet is warning that just as the summer marks the end of the fruit harvest, so too the end of the kingdom of Israel is approaching.
2He said, “What do you see, Amos?” “A basket of figs,” I replied. And Hashem said to me: “The hour of doom has come for My people Yisrael; I will not pardon them again.
vai-YO-mer ma-a a-TAH ro-EH a-MOS, va-o-MAR ke-LOOV ka-YITZ, va-YO-mer a-do-NAI e-LAI, ba-A ha-KEITZ el a-MEE yis-ra-AYL, lo-o-SEEF OD a-VOR LO
בוַיֹּ֗אמֶר מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ עָמ֔וֹס וָאֹמַ֖ר כְּל֣וּב קָ֑יִץ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י בָּ֤א הַקֵּץ֙ אֶל־עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹא־אוֹסִ֥יף ע֖וֹד עֲב֥וֹר לֽוֹ׃
3And the singing women of the palace shall howl on that day—declares my God: So many corpses Left lying everywhere! Hush!”
v'-he-LEE-lo shee-ROT hay-KHAL ba-YOM ha-HU, ne-UM a-do-NAI y'-ho-VAH, RAV ha-PE-ger b'-KOL ma-KOM, hish-LIKH ha-S.
גוְהֵילִ֜ילוּ שִׁיר֤וֹת הֵיכָל֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה רַ֣ב הַפֶּ֔גֶר בְּכׇל־מָק֖וֹם הִשְׁלִ֥יךְ הָֽס׃
4Listen to this, you who devour the needy, annihilating the poor of the land,
shim-U-zot ha-sho-a-FEEM ev-YON v'-lash-BEET (a-NOY) [a-nee-YAY] a-RETZ
דשִׁמְעוּ־זֹ֕את הַשֹּׁאֲפִ֖ים אֶבְי֑וֹן וְלַשְׁבִּ֖ית (ענוי) [עֲנִיֵּי־]אָֽרֶץ׃
5saying, “If only the new moon were over, so that we could sell grain; the Shabbat, so that we could offer wheat for sale, using an efah that is too small, and a shekel that is too big, tilting a dishonest scale,
lay-MOR ma-TAI ya-a-VOR ha-KHO-desh v'-nash-BEE-ra SHE-ver v'-ha-SHA-bat v'-nif-te-KHA-ba BAR l'-ha-KTEEEN e-Fa u-l'-ha-GDEEL SHE-kel u-l-a-VET mo-Z'-nay mir-MAH
הלֵאמֹ֗ר מָתַ֞י יַעֲבֹ֤ר הַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ וְנַשְׁבִּ֣ירָה שֶּׁ֔בֶר וְהַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וְנִפְתְּחָה־בָּ֑ר לְהַקְטִ֤ין אֵיפָה֙ וּלְהַגְדִּ֣יל שֶׁ֔קֶל וּלְעַוֵּ֖ת מֹאזְנֵ֥י מִרְמָֽה׃
6and selling grain refuse as grain! We will buy the poor for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals.”
liq-NOT ba-KE-sef da-LIM v'-ev-YON ba-a-VUR na-a-LA-yim u-ma-PAL bar nash-BEER
ולִקְנ֤וֹת בַּכֶּ֙סֶף֙ דַּלִּ֔ים וְאֶבְי֖וֹן בַּעֲב֣וּר נַעֲלָ֑יִם וּמַפַּ֥ל בַּ֖ר נַשְׁבִּֽיר׃
7Hashem swears by the Pride of Yaakov: “I will never forget any of their doings.”
nish-BA a-do-NAI bi-g'-ON ya-a-KOV, im-esh-KAKH la-NE-tsakh kol-ma-a-SE-hem
זנִשְׁבַּ֥ע יְהֹוָ֖ה בִּגְא֣וֹן יַעֲקֹ֑ב אִם־אֶשְׁכַּ֥ח לָנֶ֖צַח כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם׃
8Shall 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?
ha-AL zot lo-tir-GAZ ha-A-retz v'-a-BAL kol yo-SHEV bah v'-a-la-TAH ka-OR ku-LAH v'-nig-re-SHA (v'-ni-sh'-KA-AH) [v'-ni-sh'-KE-AH] ki-OR mitz-RA-yim.
חהַ֤עַל זֹאת֙ לֹא־תִרְגַּ֣ז הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאָבַ֖ל כׇּל־יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּ֑הּ וְעָלְתָ֤ה כָאֹר֙ כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְנִגְרְשָׁ֥ה (ונשקה) [וְנִשְׁקְעָ֖ה] כִּיא֥וֹר מִצְרָֽיִם׃
9And in that day —declares my God— I will make the sun set at noon, I will darken the earth on a sunny day.
v'-ha-YA ba-YOM ha-HU n'-UM a-do-NAI y'-ho-VAH v'-he-ve-EE ha-SHE-mesh ba-tzo-ho-RA-yim v'-ha-kha-sha-TEE la-A-retz b'-YOM or
טוְהָיָ֣ה ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהֵבֵאתִ֥י הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ בַּֽצׇּהֳרָ֑יִם וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י לָאָ֖רֶץ בְּי֥וֹם אֽוֹר׃
10I 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 it mourn as for an only child, All of it as on a bitter day.
v'-ha-fakh-TEE kha-GEY-khem l'-AY-vel v'-kol shi-RAY-khem l'-kee-NAH v'-ha-a-LAY-tee al kol mot-NAY-yim sak v'-al kol rosh kor-KHAH v'-sam-TEE-ha k'-AY-vel ya-KHEED v'-a-kha-ree-TAH k'-YOM mar.
יוְהָפַכְתִּ֨י חַגֵּיכֶ֜ם לְאֵ֗בֶל וְכׇל־שִֽׁירֵיכֶם֙ לְקִינָ֔ה וְהַעֲלֵיתִ֤י עַל־כׇּל־מׇתְנַ֙יִם֙ שָׂ֔ק וְעַל־כׇּל־רֹ֖אשׁ קׇרְחָ֑ה וְשַׂמְתִּ֙יהָ֙ כְּאֵ֣בֶל יָחִ֔יד וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ כְּי֥וֹם מָֽר׃
11A time is coming—declares my 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 Hashem.
hi-NEH ya-MEEM ba-EEM, n'-UM a-do-NAI y'-ho-VAH, v'-hish-la-KH'-tee ra-AV ba-A-retz, lo ra-AV la-LE-khem, v'-lo tza-MA la-MA-yim, ki im lish-MO-a et div-RAY y'-ho-VAH.
יאהִנֵּ֣ה ׀ יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֗ים נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹא־רָעָ֤ב לַלֶּ֙חֶם֙ וְלֹֽא־צָמָ֣א לַמַּ֔יִם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃
12Men shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east to seek the word of Hashem, but they shall not find it.
v'-NA-u mi-YAM ad-YAM u-mi-TZA-fon v'-ad-miz-RAKH ye-SHO-t'-tu l'-ba-KAYSH et d'-var a-do-NAI v'-lo yim-TZA-u
יבוְנָעוּ֙ מִיָּ֣ם עַד־יָ֔ם וּמִצָּפ֖וֹן וְעַד־מִזְרָ֑ח יְשׁ֥וֹטְט֛וּ לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יִמְצָֽאוּ׃
13In that day, the beautiful maidens and the young men shall faint with thirst—
ba-YOM ha-HU tit-a-LAF-nah ha-be-tu-LOT ha-ya-FOT v'-ha-ba-KHU-rim ba-tza-MA
יגבַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֜וּא תִּ֠תְעַלַּ֠פְנָה הַבְּתוּלֹ֧ת הַיָּפ֛וֹת וְהַבַּחוּרִ֖ים בַּצָּמָֽא׃
14Those who swear by the guilt of Shomron, Saying, “As your god lives, Dan,” And “As the way to Be'erSheva lives”— They shall fall to rise no more.
ha-nish-BA-eem b'-ash-MAT sho-M'-ron v'-a-M'-RU khay e-lo-HE-kha DAN v'-khay DE-rekh b'-AYR sha-VA v'-na-F'-lu v'-lo ya-KU-mu OD.
ידהַנִּשְׁבָּעִים֙ בְּאַשְׁמַ֣ת שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְאָמְר֗וּ חֵ֤י אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ דָּ֔ן וְחֵ֖י דֶּ֣רֶךְ בְּאֵֽר־שָׁ֑בַע וְנָפְל֖וּ וְלֹא־יָק֥וּמוּ עֽוֹד׃