« | Amos 8 | » |
1 This is what the Lord showed me: I saw a basket of summer fruit.
2 He said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the Lord said to me, "The end has come to my people Israel. I will not ignore their sins anymore.
3 Their temple songs will become funeral songs." This is what the Lord God said. "There will be dead bodies everywhere. In silence, people will take out the dead bodies and throw them onto the pile. "
4 Listen to me, you who trample on helpless people. You are trying to destroy the poor of this country.
5 You merchants say, "When will the New Moon be over so that we can sell grain? When will the Sabbath be over so that we can bring out more wheat to sell? We can raise the price and make the measure smaller. We can fix the scales and cheat the people.
6 The poor cannot pay their loans, so we will buy them as slaves. We will buy those helpless people for the price of a pair of sandals. Oh, and we can sell the wheat that was spilled on the floor."
7 The Lord made a promise. He used his name, "Pride of Jacob," and made this promise: "I will never forget what those people did.
8 There will be an earthquake that will shake the whole land because of what they did. Everyone living there will cry for those who died. The land will be tossed around. The whole land will rise and fall like the Nile River in Egypt."
9 The Lord also said, "At that time I will make the sun set at noon and make the land dark on a clear day.
10 I will change your festivals into days of crying for the dead. All your songs will be songs of sadness for dead people. I will put mourning clothes on every body and baldness on every head. I will cause there to be mourning everywhere, like that for an only son who died. It will be a very bitter end."
11 The Lord God says: "Look, the days are coming when I will cause a famine in the land. The people will not be hungry for bread. They will not be thirsty for water. No, they will be hungry for words from the Lord.
12 The people will wander around the country, from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the north part of the country to the east. They will go back and forth looking for a message from the Lord, but they will not find it.
13 At that time the beautiful young men and women will become weak from thirst.
14 They made promises by the sin of Samaria, They said, 'Dan, as surely as your god lives, we promise —.' And they said, 'As surely as the god of Beersheba lives, we promise —.' But they will fall and never get up again."
The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)
The Easy-To-Read Version (ERV) is a Bible translation specifically designed to be accessible and comprehensible for people with limited reading skills or those for whom English is a second language. Originally published in 1987 by the World Bible Translation Center, the ERV was initially developed to serve the deaf community, using a simplified vocabulary and straightforward sentence structures. The goal of the ERV is to make the scriptures understandable to a wide range of readers, ensuring that everyone can grasp the essential messages of the Bible without being hindered by complex language or archaic terms.
One of the defining characteristics of the ERV is its commitment to clarity and simplicity. The translators employed a thought-for-thought translation philosophy, focusing on conveying the meaning of the original texts in plain, everyday English. This approach ensures that readers can easily comprehend the Bible’s teachings and narratives, making it a valuable resource for children, new Christians, and those with limited literacy skills. The ERV avoids technical theological terms and instead uses language that is commonly spoken, making it accessible for personal study and public reading alike.
The ERV also pays careful attention to the cultural and contextual nuances of the original manuscripts. The translators sought to present the Bible’s messages in a way that is relevant and meaningful to contemporary readers while maintaining faithfulness to the original texts. This cultural sensitivity helps bridge the gap between ancient scriptures and modern readers, allowing them to connect more deeply with the biblical stories and teachings. Additionally, the ERV includes helpful footnotes and cross-references that provide further explanation and context, enhancing the reader’s understanding of the text.
Despite its strengths, the ERV has faced some criticism from those who prefer more traditional or literal translations. Critics argue that the simplified language and thought-for-thought approach can sometimes result in a loss of depth and richness found in the original texts. Some theologians believe that the ERV’s emphasis on accessibility may lead to oversimplification of complex theological concepts. Nonetheless, the Easy-To-Read Version remains a highly valuable translation for its target audience, offering a clear and approachable rendition of the Bible that helps people of all backgrounds engage with and understand the scriptures.