In the days of Amos all seemed to be fine, especially for the northern kingdom!

No enemy was in the area, the trade prospered, the borders of the country were wide. Yet, the picture was totally different. This is the period of time when the morals is just a word on the paper, this is the time when the society was rotten and the rich people saw themselves and only themselves.

One of the most famous prophecies in the book of Amos is in chapter 2. For me, every time When I am reading the sins of Israel, I remind to myself what I must not do in my life as an individual and what I must teach my pupils at school no to as well.

Let us look at the verses as written in Amos 2:6-8

“כֹּה, אָמַר יְהוָה,

עַל-שְׁלֹשָׁה פִּשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל-אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ:

עַל-מִכְרָם בַּכֶּסֶף צַדִּיק,

וְאֶבְיוֹן בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם.

הַשֹּׁאֲפִים עַל-עֲפַר-אֶרֶץ בְּרֹאשׁ דַּלִּים,

וְדֶרֶךְ עֲנָוִים יַטּוּ;

וְאִישׁ וְאָבִיו, יֵלְכוּ אֶל-הַנַּעֲרָה, לְמַעַן חַלֵּל, אֶת-שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי.

וְעַל-בְּגָדִים חֲבֻלִים יַטּוּ, אֵצֶל כָּל-מִזְבֵּחַ;

וְיֵין עֲנוּשִׁים יִשְׁתּוּ, בֵּית אֱלֹהֵיהֶם“

“Thus saith the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not reverse it:

Because they sell the righteous for silver,

And the needy for a pair of shoes;

That pants after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor,

And turn aside the way of the humble;

And a man and his father go unto the same maid, to profane My holy name

And they lay themselves down beside every altar upon clothes taken in pledge,

And in the house of their God they drink the wine of them that have been fined.”

What we need to remember?

We won’t judge the righteous people without ethics, we won’t sell or buy slaves, we won’t have slaves in our world, we won’t trample the poor people, and we won’t take the money of the poor people and drink on the account of them!

These are few good advices for the year to come!

Main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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