Amos 7

Chapter 7

Warning Through Visions

¹Thus the Lord ¹God showed me, and behold, He was forming a ^alocust-swarm ²when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s ³mowing.

²And it came about, ¹when it had ^afinished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,

“^bLord God, please pardon!

²How can Jacob stand,

For he is ^csmall?”

³The Lord ^1achanged His mind about this.

“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

⁴Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by ^afire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the ¹farm land.

⁵Then I said,

“^aLord God, please stop!

^bHow can Jacob stand, for he is small?”

⁶The Lord ^1achanged His mind about this.

“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.

⁷Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing ¹by a ²vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand.

⁸The Lord said to me, “^aWhat do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold I am about to put a ^bplumb line

In the midst of My people Israel.

I will ^1cspare them no longer.

⁹“The ^ahigh places of Isaac will be desolated

And the ^bsanctuaries of Israel laid waste.

Then I will ^crise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused, Answers

¹⁰Then Amaziah, the ^apriest of Bethel, sent word to ^bJeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has ^cconspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.

¹¹“For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’ ”

¹²Then Amaziah said to Amos, “^aGo, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying!

¹³“But ^ano longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a ^bsanctuary of the king and a royal ¹residence.”

¹⁴Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the ^ason of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a ¹grower of sycamore figs.

¹⁵“But the Lord took me from ¹following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go ^aprophesy to My people Israel.’

¹⁶“Now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You ^ashall not prophesy against Israel ^bnor shall you ¹speak against the house of Isaac.’

¹⁷“Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘Your ^awife will become a harlot in the city, your ^bsons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line and you yourself will die ¹upon ^cunclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’ ”