Read Amos 8.4-14. In 8.4-14 Judgment on Israel's businessmen. In this judgment speech, Amos indicts Israel's merchants for economic abuses (vv. 4-6) and announces a sentence of widespread devastation (vv. 7-14). In verse 5: The new moon and the sabbath are religious holidays (Isa 1.13; Hos 2.11) considered an annoyance by merchants who cannot make a profit during their observance. The ephah is used to measure an amount of grain by capacity, and the shekel is used to measure an amount of grain by weight. Reducing the ephah and enlarging the shekel are thus two ways merchants can cheat their customers. In verse 14: The Hebrew text rendered Ashimah here means literally "guilt," thus, "the guilt of Samaria." However, scholars have altered the Hebrew slightly to read either Ashimah, a Canaanite deity (2 Kings 17.30). Amos mention of Israel's capital, Samaria, together with one of its major religious centers, Dan, and a southern center visited by northerners, Beer-sheba (5.5), includes within God's judgment the political and religious leaders of Israel. Comments or Questions...
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