Amos 4:12-13
12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.
13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
What does God do? He
- forms mountains
- creates the wind
- declares to humankind what he is thinking
- makes the morning darkness
- treads on the high places of the earth
The work of six days is followed by a day of rest, but the creation goes on. This passage strongly suggests Ongoing Creation — the God of Israel is creating the mountains. Translations that correctly use present tense for all five verbs (forms, creates, declares, makes, treads) include JPS Tanakh, RV, RSV, NRSV, NIV, ESV, NASB, ASV, AMP and others.
Compare Isaiah 45:18, which focuses on the Creator’s original purpose, and uses the past tense.
Translations that "correct" the present tense forms in verse 13 to formed (or created, made, . . . ) include NET, New Catholic Bible, Contemporary English Version, Easy-to-Read Version, and Good News Translation. Most of these translations follow on to use the past tense for the creation of the wind also, but the New Living Translation uses the past tense for the mountains but the present tense for the wind: "For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind." {{#setmainimage:Sutherland logo-icon.png}}
