Amos 6:5

They sing ¹  to the tune of ²  stringed instruments; ³  like David they invent ⁴  musical instruments.

You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.

Who improvise to the sound of the harp, And like David have composed songs for themselves,

You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and you fancy yourselves to be great musicians, as King David was.

Woe to those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others! Woe to the playboys, the playgirls, who think life is a party held just for them!

Making foolish songs to the sound of corded instruments, and designing for themselves instruments of music, like David;

who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music;

Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, And invent for yourselves musical instruments like David;

They sing ¹  to the tune of ²  stringed instruments; ³  like David they invent ⁴  musical instruments.

¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”

² tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”

³ sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).

⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).