10. Wicked people hate those who speak out concerning right and wrong, who speak out against those who do wrong, the man who "reproves" and "speaks with integrity."
11. Amos identifies one of the sins that the people of Israel commit: they impose heavy rent on the poor and take their grain from them.
God will punish them by depriving them of their fine homes. Israel will be defeated and conquered and the evil-doers will not enjoy the wine made from their vineyards.
I am not sure what the poor are renting from the wealthy--a place to live? the land on which they labor? Probably the latter and that's what Amos means by the tribute of grain. Perhaps the poor need to rent the land from the wealthy and even give them a share of the produce.
In any case, it sounds like the wealthy are taking advantage of the situation and charging a higher rent than is right and demanding more of the produce than is right.
12. It sounds like those who are in power are taking bribes from the wealthy and not defending the rights of the poor people as they should.
Perhaps that's what it means to "distress the righteous" and "to turn aside the poor in the gate"--to rule against them, not to give them justice when they have been cheated or taken advantage of.
13. Amos says that in times like this, it is better to say nothing. If people are doing wrong and the authorities are doing nothing about it, but are actually helping along and making a profit from the wrongdoing, then there is nothing that an honest man can say that would make a difference.
As Amos says, it is "an evil time."
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