Amos 7

1 These things the Lord God has revealed to me. And behold, the locust was formed at the beginning of the germination during the latter rains, and behold, the latter rains came after the thundering of the king.

Thus has the Lord GOD showed to me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, see, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

2 And it happened, when they had finally eaten all the grass in the land, that I said, “Lord God, be gracious, I beg you. Who will raise up Jacob, for he is little?”

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 you: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

3 The Lord has been merciful about this. “It will not be,” said the Lord.

The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, says the LORD.

4 These things the Lord God has revealed to me. And behold, the Lord God called for judgment unto fire, and it devoured the manifold abyss, and it consumed simultaneously in every direction.

Thus has the Lord GOD showed to me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

5 And I said, “Lord God, cease, I beg you. Who will raise up Jacob, for he is little?”

Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech you: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

6 The Lord has been merciful about this. “And even this will not be,” said the Lord God.

The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, says the Lord GOD.

7 These things the Lord revealed to me. And behold, the Lord was standing near a plastered wall, and in his hand was a mason’s trowel.

Thus he showed me: and, behold, the LORD stood on a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.

8 And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A mason’s trowel.” And the Lord said, “Behold, I will place the trowel in the midst of my people Israel. I will no longer plaster over them.

And the LORD said to me, Amos, what see you? And I said, A plumb line. Then said the LORD, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:

9 And the heights of the idol will be demolished, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be desolate. And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

10 And Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying: “Amos has rebelled against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to withstand all his sermons.

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

11 For Amos says this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will be taken captive out of their own land.’”

For thus Amos says, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “You, seer, go out and flee into the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there.

Also Amaziah said to Amos, O you seer, go, flee you away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

13 And in Bethel, do not prophesy any longer, because it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom.”

But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.

14 And Amos responded, and he said to Amasias, “I am not a prophet, and I am not the son of a prophet, but I am a herdsman plucking from wild fig trees.

Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdsman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

15 And the Lord took me, when I was following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”

And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

16 And now, hear the word of the Lord: You say, “You will not prophesy about Israel, and you will not rain your words upon the house of the idol.”

Now therefore hear you the word of the LORD: You say, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not your word against the house of Isaac.

17 Because of that, the Lord says this: “Your wife will fornicate in the city, and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, and your soil will be measured with a string. And you will die on polluted land, and Israel will be taken into captivity out of their land.”

Therefore thus says the LORD; Your wife shall be an harlot in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided by line; and you shall die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.