Amos 8

Amos receives his fourth vision: a basket of summer fruit, which symbolizes that Israel's end is imminent—like ripe fruit, the time for harvest (judgment) is at hand. God declares He will punish Israel for their deceitful business practices, such as cheating the poor with false balances and weights. Amos predicts a great famine, not of bread or water, but a desperate famine of hearing the words of the Lord. The people will wander aimlessly, seeking God's word, but they will not find it.