^7:1The sovereign Lord showed me this: I saw¹ him making locusts just as the crops planted late² were beginning to sprout. (The crops planted late sprout after the royal harvest.³) ^7:2When they had completely consumed the earth’s vegetation, I said,

“Sovereign Lord, forgive Israel!⁴

How can Jacob survive?⁵

He is too weak!”⁶

^7:3The Lord decided not to do this.⁷ “It will not happen,” the Lord said.

^7:4The sovereign Lord showed me this: I saw⁸ the sovereign Lord summoning a shower of fire.⁹ It consumed the great deep and devoured the fields.

^7:5I said, “Sovereign Lord, stop!

How can Jacob survive?¹⁰

He is too weak!”¹¹

^7:6The Lord decided not to do this.¹² The sovereign Lord said, “This will not happen either.”

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Footnotes

1 Heb “behold” or “look.”
2 The crops planted late (consisting of vegetables) were planted in late January-early March and sprouted in conjunction with the spring rains of March–April. For a discussion of the ancient Israelite agricultural calendar, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 31–44.
3 Or “the mowings of the king.” This royal harvest may refer to an initial mowing of crops collected as taxes by the royal authorities.
4 “Israel” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 Heb “stand” (so , , , ).
6 Heb “small.”
7 Or “changed his mind about this.”
8 Heb “behold” or “look.”
9 The Hebrew appears to read, “summoning to contend with fire,” or “summoning fire to contend,” but both are problematic syntactically (H. W. Wolff, Joel and Amos [Hermeneia], ; S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], ). Many emend the text to לרבב אשׁ, “(calling) for a shower of fire,” though this interpretation is also problematic (see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos [], ).
10 Heb “stand.”
11 Heb “small.”
12 Or “changed his mind about this.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

“O Lord God, please forgive!

How can Jacob stand?

He is so small!”

The Lord relented concerning this:

“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said,

“O Lord God, please cease!

How can Jacob stand?

He is so small!”

The Lord relented concerning this:

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

NIVNew International Version (2011)

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!”

So the Lord relented.

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts at the time the spring crop first began to sprout—after the cutting of the king’s hay. When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”

The Lord relented concerning this. “It will not happen,” he said.

The Lord God showed me this: The Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. Then I said, “Lord God, please stop! How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”

The Lord relented concerning this. “This will not happen either,” said the Lord God.

NLTNew Living Translation

The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up. In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”

So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.

Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”

Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign Lord.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, he is going to form locusts at the beginning of the sprouting of the second crop, and look, after the mowings of the king. And then when they finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?” Yahweh relented concerning this. “It will not be,” said Yahweh. This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, my Lord Yahweh was going to call for a legal case with fire, and it devoured the great deep and it ate up the plots of ground. Then I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?” Yahweh also relented concerning this. “This also will not be,” said my Lord Yahweh.

KJV 1900King James Version

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said,

O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee:

By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

The Lord repented for this:

It shall not be, saith the Lord.

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part. Then said I,

O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee:

By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

The Lord repented for this:

This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.

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