Amos 7

1 Il Signore, l’Eterno, mi diede questa visione: ecco che egli formava delle locuste al primo spuntar delle guaime: era il guaime dopo la falciatura per il re.

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 E quand’esse ebbero finito di divorare l’erba della terra, io dissi: “Signore, Eterno, deh, perdona! Come potrebbe sussistere Giacobbe piccolo com’egli è?”

[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 L’Eterno si pentì di questo: “Ciò non avverrà”; disse l’Eterno.

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

4 Il Signore, l’Eterno, mi diede questa visione: Ecco, il Signore, l’Eterno, proclamava di voler difender la sua causa mediante il fuoco; e il fuoco divorò il grande abisso, e stava per divorare l’eredità.

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 Allora io dissi: “Signore, Eterno, deh, cessa! Come potrebbe sussistere Giacobbe, piccolo com’egli è?”

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 L’Eterno si pentì di questo: “Neppur quello avverrà”, disse il Signore, l’Eterno.

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

7 Egli mi diede questa visione: Ecco, il Signore stava sopra un muro tirato a piombo, e aveva in mano un piombino.

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 E l’Eterno mi disse: “Amos, che vedi?” Io risposi: “Un piombino”. E il Signore disse: “Ecco, io pongo il piombino in mezzo al mio popolo d’Israele; io non gli userò più oltre tolleranza;

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 saranno devastati gli alti luoghi d’Isacco, i santuari d’Israele saranno distrutti, ed io mi leverò con la spada contro la casa di Geroboamo”.

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 Allora Amatsia, sacerdote di Bethel, mandò a dire a Geroboamo, re d’Israele: “Amos congiura contro di te in mezzo alla casa d’Israele; il paese non può sopportare tutte le sue parole.

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 Amos, infatti, ha detto: Geroboamo morrà di spada e Israele sarà menato in cattività lungi dal suo paese”.

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 E Amatsia disse ad Amos: “Veggente, vattene, fuggi nel paese di Giuda; mangia colà il tuo pane, e là profetizza;

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 ma a Bethel non profetar più, perché è un santuario del re e una residenza reale”.

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

14 Allora Amos rispose e disse: “Io non sono profeta, né discepolo di profeta; ero un mandriano, e coltivavo i sicomori;

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 l’Eterno mi perse di dietro al gregge, e l’Eterno mi disse: Va’, profetizza al mio popolo d’Israele.

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 Or dunque ascolta la parola dell’Eterno: Tu dici: Non profetare contro Israele, e non predicare contro la casa d’Isacco!

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

17 Perciò così parla l’Eterno: La tua moglie si prostituirà nella città, i tuoi figliuoli e le tue figliuole cadranno per la spada, il tuo paese sarà spartito con la cordicella, e tu stesso morrai su terra impura e Israele sarà certamente menato in cattività, lungi dal suo paese”.

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).’”