And the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’/But the LORD took me from my work as a shepherd and ordered me to go and prophesy to his people Israel. These sentences contrast with the preceding ones and should usually be introduced by a word like English but. In Hebrew the LORD is repeated twice here in contrast with the I in verse 14. This emphasizes the authority on which Amos acts and should come out clearly in translation. In Good News Translation this contrast would be strengthened by repeating the LORD: “I am not the kind of prophet … I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees. But the LORD took me … and the LORD ordered me….”

In some societies where keeping animals is common, there might be a similar idiom to from following the flock.

Whether or not Amos should quote the LORD directly depends on the language (see 1.2; 4.1; 7.11). One possibility here is “the LORD sent me to tell his message to his people Israel.”

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 .