For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins/I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. Many languages make no difference between sins and crimes. One possibility: “I know how bad your crimes/sins are and how often you do them.”

You who afflict the righteous/you persecute good men. On righteous, see 2.6b. This is an accusation of being harsh and unfair to the ordinary, powerless person, who has done nothing wrong.

Who takes a bribe/take bribes. Every language has its ways of expressing the idea of a bribe: “take money under the table,” “expect presents,” etc.

Turn aside the needy in the gate/keep the poor from getting justice in the courts. Good News Translation is a correct, meaningful translation of the Hebrew. In some languages, however, this injustice to the poor is expressed in a way very similar to that of the Hebrew; for example: “you overthrow the poor in the palaver house.”

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 .