Amos 2:15

Archers ¹  will not hold their ground; ²  fast runners will not save their lives, nor will those who ride horses. ³ 

The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.

"He who grasps the bow will not stand his ground, The swift of foot will not escape, Nor will he who rides the horse save his life.

The archers will fail to stand their ground. The swiftest soldiers won’t be fast enough to escape. Even warriors on horses won’t be able to outrun the danger.

Skilled archers won't make it. Fast runners won't make it. Chariot drivers won't make it.

And the bowman will not keep his place; he who is quick-footed will not get away safely: and the horseman will not keep his life.

those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who ride horses save their lives;

He shall not stand who handles the bow, The swift of foot shall not escape, Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.

Archers ¹  will not hold their ground; ²  fast runners will not save their lives, nor will those who ride horses. ³ 

¹ tn Heb “the one who holds the bow.”

² tn For the idiom of “holding [or “standing”] one’s ground” in battle, there is a similar phrase in Ezek 13:5; also related is the expression “to hold one’s own against” (or “to withstand”) in Judg 2:14; 2 Kgs 10:4; Dan 8:7 (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 97). Other options include “will not endure” or “will not survive.”

³ tn The last two lines read literally, “The one fast in his feet will not rescue [his life], and the rider of the horse will not rescue his life.” The phrase “his life” does double duty in the parallelism and should be understood in both lines.