But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream/Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry. This verse contrasts with the preceding one, expressed in some English translations by words like Instead, But or “No” (Moffatt). In many languages one should use an equivalent word to express the contrast.

Justice and righteousness. See 5.7. As everywhere else in Amos, human justice and righteousness are intended.

Powerful as the verse is in Hebrew and English, it may be very difficult to get an equivalent translation in many languages. There may be no direct equivalent of let … or “may…,” and it may be impossible to compare justice and righteousness to a stream. Some possibilities are “You must always be just and do right” or “It is good that justice be like….”

The everflowing stream contrasts with one that becomes dry during the dry season, so Good News Translation reads a river that never goes dry. This makes the meaning of the comparison clear and would be helpful in many geographic areas where there may even be different words for seasonal and non-seasonal streams as well as in areas in which a stream is always “everflowing.” It expresses the permanent character of righteousness in a more powerful way.

One possible way of translating this verse might be “Instead/but/on the other hand, never stop treating the poor people justly, like a great river never stops flowing; always do what is right, as surely as water always flows downward.”

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 .