Amos 7

Thus the Lord God made me see, and behold, {he} was forming a locust swarm at the beginning of the coming up of the latter growth. And behold, the latter growth {was} after the mowings of the king.

And it happened, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, “Lord God, please forgive! How will Jacob stand? For he {is} small.”

God relented concerning this. “It will not be,” said God. \*

Thus the Lord God made me see, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend by fire. And it devoured the great deep and was devouring the portion.

And I said, “Lord God, please cease! How will Jacob stand? For he {is} small.”

God relented concerning this. “This also will not be,” said the Lord God. \*

Thus he made me see, and behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall of a plumb line, and in his hand {was} a plumb line.

And God said to me, “What are you seeing, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” And the Lord said, “Behold me placing a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again repeat to pass over him. \* 9 And the high places of Isaac will be deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be desolate, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” \*

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to Jeroboam, king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to contain all of his words.

For thus Amos says, ‘By the sword Jeroboam will die, and Israel, going into exile, will go into exile from upon his ground.’” \*

And Amaziah said to Amos, “Seer, go, flee for yourself to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and there you shall prophesy.

But {at} Bethel you shall not repeat to prophesy again, for it {is} a sanctuary of the king, and it {is} a house of a kingdom.” \*

And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I {am} not a prophet, and I {am} not a son of a prophet, for I {am} a herdsman, and a tender of sycamore figs.

But God took me from after the flock, and God said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ \*

And now, hear the word of God. You are saying, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel, and you shall not drip against the house of Isaac.’

Therefore, thus says God, ‘Your wife will prostitute herself in the city, and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, and your ground will be divided by the measuring line, and you, you will die on unclean ground, and Israel, going into exile, will go into exile from upon his ground.’” \*