Amos 7
7
Locusts, Fire, and a Plumb Line
1This is what the Lord God showed me: he was forming locusts at the time the latter growth began to sprout (it was the latter growth after the king's mowings). 2When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,
“O Lord God, forgive, I beg you!
How can Jacob stand?
He is so small!”
3The Lord relented concerning this;
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.
4This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord God was calling for a shower of fire,#7.4 Or for a judgment by fire and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5Then I said,
“O Lord God, cease, I beg you!
How can Jacob stand?
He is so small!”
6The Lord relented concerning this;
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“See, I am setting a plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass them by;
9the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amaziah Complains to the King
10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11For thus Amos has said,
‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile
away from his land.’ ”
12And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
14Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am#7.14 Or was no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am#7.14 Or was a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
16“Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
17Therefore thus says the Lord:
‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
and your land shall be parceled out by line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’ ”
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Amos 7: NRSV
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Amos 7
7
The Vision of the Locusts
1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: He was making locusts. This was at the time the second crop began to grow, after the king’s people had cut the first crop. 2Before the locusts could eat all the grass in the country, I said, “Lord GOD, I beg you, forgive us! Jacob cannot survive! He is too small!”
3Then the Lord changed his mind about this. The Lord said, “It will not happen.”
The Vision of the Fire
4This is what the Lord GOD showed me: I saw the Lord GOD calling for judgment by fire. The fire destroyed the ocean and was beginning to eat up the land. 5But I said, “Lord GOD, stop, I beg you! Jacob cannot survive! He is too small!”
6Then the Lord changed his mind about this. The Lord GOD said, “It will not happen either.”
The Vision of the Plumb Line
7This is what the Lord showed me: He stood by a wall with a plumb line#7:7 plumb line A string with a weight on one end used to show how straight the walls of a building were. Sometimes the line was coated with paint or chalk to mark a straight line. in his hand. (The wall had been marked with a plumb line.) 8The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
I said, “A plumb line.”
Then the Lord said to me, “See, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel. I will not let their ‘crooked ways’ pass inspection anymore. 9Isaac’s high places will be destroyed. Israel’s holy places will be made into a pile of rocks. I will attack and kill Jeroboam’s#7:9 Jeroboam The king of Israel. See verse 10. family with swords.”
Amaziah Tries to Stop Amos
10Amaziah, a priest at Bethel,#7:10 Bethel A town in Israel. This name means “God’s house.” sent this message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel: “Amos is making plans against you. He is trying to make the people of Israel fight against you. He has been speaking so much that this country cannot hold all his words. 11Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and the people of Israel will be taken as prisoners out of their country.’”
12Amaziah also said to Amos, “You seer, go down to Judah and eat there.#7:12 eat there This shows that Amaziah thought that Amos was a professional prophet who prophesied to receive food or money. Do your prophesying there. 13But don’t prophesy anymore here at Bethel. This is Jeroboam’s holy place. This is Israel’s temple.”
14Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am not a professional prophet, and I am not from a prophet’s family. I raise cattle and take care of sycamore trees. 15I was a shepherd and the Lord took me from following the sheep. The Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16So listen to the Lord’s message. You tell me, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel. Don’t speak against Isaac’s family.’ 17But the Lord says, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city. Your sons and daughters will be killed with swords. Other people will take your land and divide it among themselves, and you will die in a foreign#7:17 foreign Literally, “unclean.” See “unclean” in the Word List. country. The people of Israel will definitely be taken from this country as prisoners.’”
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