Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time/And so, keeping quiet in such evil times is the smart thing to do. This verse has presented numerous problems of interpretation. It does not fit into the context very clearly unless the reader sees it as balancing verse 10 (see 5.10-13). With the organization of verses 10-13 in mind, the prudent of verse 13 are those who reprove and speak the truth in verse 10. They are hated for what they say (verse 10), so they would be wise to keep quiet. Notice, however, that the people referred to here are not the people who are the center of attention in verses 10-12 but the ones whom they hate in verse 10. The attention of the passage has shifted. The connection could be made clearer by a translation such as “but those that you hate would be wise to keep silent (not to speak out) in such evil times.”

Quoted with permission from de Waard, Jan & Smalley, William A. A Handbook on Amos. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1979. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .