Amos 7

1Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.footnote a

2And 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 thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.footnote b

3The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.

4Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

5Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.footnote c

6The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.

7Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.

8And the LORD 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 pass by 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 their own 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 chapel, and it is the king’s court.footnote dfootnote e

14Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:footnote f

15And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.footnote g

16Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.

17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an 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 shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

The Locusts, Fire, and Plumb Line

1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts just after the king’s harvest, as the late spring crop was coming up.footnote a 2And when the locusts had eaten every green plant in the land, I said, “Lord GOD, please forgive! How will Jacob survive, since he is so small?”

3So the LORD relented from this plan. “It will not happen,” He said.

4This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. 5Then I said, “Lord GOD, please stop! How will Jacob survive, since he is so small?”

6So the LORD relented from this plan. “It will not happen either,” said the Lord GOD.

7This is what He showed me: Behold, the Lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in His hand. 8“Amos, what do you see?” asked the LORD.
“A plumb line,” I replied.
“Behold,” said the Lord, “I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel; I will no longer spare them:

9The high places of Isaac will be deserted,and the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste;and I will rise up against the house of Jeroboamwith My sword.”

Amaziah Accuses Amos

10Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words, 11for this is what Amos has said:‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,and Israel will surely go into exile,away from their homeland.’”

12And Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah; earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13But never prophesy at Bethel again, because it is the sanctuary of the king and the temple of the kingdom.”

14“I was notfootnote b a prophet,” Amos replied, “nor was I the sonfootnote c of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees. 15But the LORD took me from following the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’

16Now, therefore, hear the word of the LORD. You say:‘Do not prophesy against Israel;do not preach against the house of Isaac.’

17Therefore this is what the LORD says:‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.Your land will be divided by a measuring line,and you yourself will die on paganfootnote dsoil.And Israel will surely go into exile,away from their homeland.’”