Amos 7
1 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me. Look, he formed a locust swarm when the spring crop began to come up, and, look, it was the late crop after the king's harvest.
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.
2 When they finished eating the vegetation of the land, then I said, “Lord Yahweh, please forgive; how will Jacob survive? For he is so small.”
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?”
3 Yahweh relented concerning this. “It will not happen,” he said.
The Lord has been merciful about this. “It will not be,” said the Lord.
4 This is what the Lord Yahweh showed me: Look, the Lord Yahweh called on fire to judge. It dried the vast, deep water under the earth and would have devoured the land, also.
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.
5 But I said, “Lord Yahweh, please stop; how will Jacob survive? For he is so small.”
And I said, “Lord God, cease, I beg you. Who will raise up Jacob, for he is little?”
6 Yahweh relented concerning this, “This also will not happen,” said the Lord Yahweh.
The Lord has been merciful about this. “And even this will not be,” said the Lord God.
7 This is what he showed me: Look, the Lord stood beside a wall, with a plumb line in his hand.
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.
8 Yahweh said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Look, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel. I will spare them no longer.
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.
9 The high places of Isaac will be destroyed, the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
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.”
10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos has conspired against you in the middle of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.
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.
11 For this is what Amos said, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile away from his land.'”
For Amos says this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will be taken captive out of their own land.’”
12 Amaziah said to Amos, “Seer, go, run back to the land of Judah, and there eat bread and prophesy.
And Amaziah said to Amos, “You, seer, go out and flee into the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there.
13 But do not prophesy anymore here at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal house.”
And in Bethel, do not prophesy any longer, because it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom.”
14 Then Amos said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet nor a prophet's son. I am a herdsman, and I take care of sycamore fig trees.
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.
15 But Yahweh took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'
And the Lord took me, when I was following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
16 Now hear the word of Yahweh. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not speak against the house of Isaac.'
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.”
17 Therefore this is what Yahweh says, 'Your wife will be a prostitute in the city; your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword; your land will be measured and divided up; you will die in an unclean land, and Israel will surely go into exile from his land.'”
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.”
