Amos 7

1 Thus did the Lord Eternal show unto me: and, behold, he was forming locusts in the beginning of the sprouting up of the latter groweth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings [was over].

Yahweh our God showed me [in a vision] that he was going to send locusts [to destroy our crops]. It was going to happen right after the king’s share of the hay had been harvested/cut and before the rest of the hay was ready to be harvested.

2 And it came to pass, when they had made an end of eating up the herbs of the earth, that I said, O Lord Eternal, forgive, I beseech thee: how should Jacob be able to endure, since he is so small!

[And in the vision I saw] those locusts come, and they ate everything that was green. Then I cried out, “Yahweh our Lord, please forgive us! We Israeli people are very helpless; (how will we be able to survive [RHQ]?/we will not be able to survive!)”

3 The Lord bethought himself of this: It shall not be, said the Lord.

So Yahweh changed his mind and said, “That will not happen.”

4 Thus did the Lord Eternal show unto me: and, behold, the Lord Eternal called forth the punishment by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and consumed the ploughed field.

Then this is what Yahweh our Lord showed me [in another vision]: He was calling to a fire to [come and] punish [his people]. [In the vision I saw that] the fire dried up the ocean and also burned [everything on] the land.

5 Then said I, O Lord Eternal, forbear, I beseech thee: how should Jacob be able to endure, since he is so small!

Then I cried out again, “Yahweh our Lord, I plead with you, please stop this! We Israeli people are very helpless; how will we be able to survive [RHQ]?”

6 The Lord bethought himself of this: Also this shall not be, said the Lord Eternal.

So Yahweh changed his mind again, and said, “That also will not happen.”

7 Thus he showed unto me: and, behold, the Lord was standing upon a wall [made] by a plumbline, and in his hand was a plumbline.

Then Yahweh showed me [another vision]. I saw him standing beside a wall. [It was very straight because] it had been built using a (plumb line/cord with a weight on one end to determine if walls are vertically straight). Yahweh had the plumb line in his hand.

8 And the Lord said unto me, What dost thou see, 'Amos? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel; I will not farther indulge them any more.

Yahweh asked me, “Amos, what do you see?” I replied, “A plumb line.” Then Yahweh said, “Look, I am going to use a plumb line among my Israeli people, [to show that they are like a wall that is not straight]. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.

9 And the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid in ruins: and I will rise up against the house of Jerobo'am with the sword.

The places on hills where [the descendants of] [MTY] Isaac worship [idols] will be destroyed. And the other important shrines in Israel will also be destroyed. And I will enable [your enemies] to attack your people with swords and they will get rid of [King] Jeroboam and all his descendants.”

10 Then sent Amazyah, the priest of Beth-el, to Jerobo'am the king of Israel, saying, 'Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

Then Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, sent [a message] to Jeroboam, the King of Israel. In the message he said, “Amos is plotting against you among the Israeli people [MTY]. [I am worried that] the people of this country will not be able to refute his words.

11 For thus hath 'Amos said, By the sword shall Jerobo'am die, and Israel shall surely be led away into exile out of their own land.

This is what he is saying: ‘Jeroboam will soon be killed by [someone using] a sword, and the people of Israel will be (exiled/forced to leave their land and go to another country).’”

12 And Amazyah said unto 'Amos, Seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and eat there [thy] bread, and there prophesy;

Then Amaziah [came to me and] said, “You prophet, get out of here! Go back to the country of Judah! Earn money to [buy food to be able] to live there, and do your prophesying there!

13 But at Beth-el prophesy not farther any more; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal residence.

Do not prophesy any more here at Bethel, because this is where the national temple, the king’s temple, is!”

14 Then answered 'Amos, and said to Amazyah, I am no prophet, nor am I a prophet's son; but I am a herdman, and a gatherer of wild figs;

I replied to Amaziah, “I was [previously] not a prophet, and my father was not a prophet; I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.

15 But the Lord hath taken me away from behind the flocks, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

But Yahweh took me away from taking care of my sheep, and he said to me, ‘Go to Israel and prophesy to my people there!’

16 And now hear thou the word of the Lord, Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and preach not against the house of Isaac.

You said to me, ‘Do not prophecy saying terrible things will happen to [the people of] Israel; stop saying those things!’

17 Therefore thus hath said the Lord, Thy wife will play the harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided out by the line; and thou shalt die in an unclean land; and Israel shall surely be led forth into exile out of their land.

Therefore listen to what Yahweh says about you: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in this city, and your sons and daughters will be killed by [your enemies’] swords. Others will measure your land and divide it up [among themselves]; and you yourself will die in a foreign country. And the people of Israel will certainly be forced to leave their country and go (into exile/to live in another country).’”