Amos 7

1Thus the Lord God showed me; and, behold, He formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

2And if it had come to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land—so I said: O Lord God, forgive, I beseech Thee; How shall Jacob stand? for he is small.

3YHWH repented concerning this; ‘It shall not be’, saith YHWH.

4Thus the Lord God showed me; and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire; and it devoured the great deep, and would have eaten up the land.

5Then said I: O Lord God, cease, I beseech Thee; How shall Jacob stand? for he is small.

6YHWH repented concerning this; ‘This also shall not be’, saith the Lord God.

7Thus He showed me; and, behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in His hand.

8And YHWH said unto me: ‘Amos, what seest thou?’ 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 again pardon them any more;

9And 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.

10Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam 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.

11For thus Amos saith: Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’

12Also Amaziah said unto Amos: ‘O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there;

13but prophesy not again any more at Beth-el, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a royal house.’

14Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah: ‘I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdman, and a dresser of sycamore-trees;

15and YHWH took me from following the flock, and YHWH said unto me: Go, prophesy unto My people Israel.

16Now therefore hear thou the word of YHWH: Thou sayest: Prophesy not against Israel, And preach not against the house of Isaac;

17Therefore thus saith YHWH: Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, And thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, And thy land shall be divided by line; And thou thyself shalt die in an unclean land, And Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.’