Amos 5:12 (YLT)

Passage

For I have known--many <FI>are<Fi> your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

Nearby Context

Amos 5:10 They have hated a reprover in the gate, And a plain speaker they abominate.

Amos 5:11 Therefore, because of your trampling on the poor, And the tribute of corn ye take from him, Houses of hewn work ye have built, And ye do not dwell in them, Desirable vineyards ye have planted, And ye do not drink their wine.

Amos 5:12 For I have known--many <FI>are<Fi> your transgressions, And mighty your sins, Adversaries of the righteous, taking ransoms, And the needy in the gate ye turned aside.

Amos 5:13 Therefore is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it <FI>is<Fi> .

Amos 5:14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live, And it is so; Jehovah, God of Hosts, <FI>is<Fi> with you, as ye said.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "transgressions", "known--many", "mighty", "sins", "adversaries", "righteous", "taking", and "ransoms". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "transgressions" and "known--many", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Therefore because of your trampling on the..." into verse 13's "Therefore is the wise at that time...", so "transgressions" and "known--many" 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 "transgressions" and "known--many" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.