Amos 5:13 (DBY)

Passage

Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in this time; for it is an evil time.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:11 Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, and take from him presents of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them.

Amos 5:12 For I know how manifold are your transgressions and your sins mighty: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside [the right of] the needy in the gate.

Amos 5:13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in this time; for it is an evil time.

Amos 5:14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say.

Amos 5:15 Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "prudent", "shall", "keep", "silence", "time", and "evil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "prudent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "For I know how manifold are your..." into verse 14's "Seek good and not evil that ye...", so "therefore" and "prudent" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "prudent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.