Amos 7-8
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Will Rise Up Against Israel
7 Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, He was forming a (A)locust-swarm [a]when the spring crop began to come up. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s [b]mowing. 2 And it happened [c]when it had (B)completed eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“(C)Lord Yahweh, please pardon!
[d]How can Jacob rise up,
For he is (D)small?”
3 Yahweh [e](E)relented concerning this.
“It shall not be,” said Yahweh.
4 Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, Lord Yahweh was calling to contend with them by (F)fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the [f]farm land. 5 Then I said,
“(G)Lord Yahweh, please stop!
[g](H)How can Jacob rise up, for he is small?”
6 Yahweh [h](I)relented concerning this.
“This too shall not be,” said Lord Yahweh.
7 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing [i]by a wall made with a [j]plumb line, and in His hand was a [k]plumb line. 8 And Yahweh said to me, “(J)What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold, I am about to put a (K)plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will (L)pass over them no longer.
9 The (M)high places of Isaac will be desolated
And the (N)sanctuaries of Israel laid waste.
Then I will (O)rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused
10 Then Amaziah, the (P)priest of Bethel, sent word to (Q)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (R)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(S)Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and there do your prophesying! 13 But (T)no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a (U)sanctuary of the king and a royal house.”
14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (V)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [l]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But Yahweh took me from [m]following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, ‘Go (W)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now, hear the word of Yahweh: you are saying, ‘You (X)shall not prophesy against Israel, (Y)nor shall you drip out words against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘Your (Z)wife will play the harlot in the city, your (AA)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be divided up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die [n]upon (AB)unclean land. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
A Famine for Hearing the Words of Yahweh
8 Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (AC)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then Yahweh said to me, “The (AD)end has come for My people Israel. I will (AE)pass over them no longer. 3 And they will (AF)wail with the (AG)songs of the palace in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Many will be the (AH)corpses; in every place [o]they will cast them forth [p]in silence.”
4 Hear this, you who [q](AI)trample the needy, even to cause the humble of the land to cease, 5 saying,
“When will the (AJ)new moon pass over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the (AK)sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [r]bushel smaller and the [s]shekel bigger,
And to (AL)cheat with a deceptive balance,
6 So as to (AM)buy the poor for [t]money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 Yahweh has (AN)sworn by the (AO)lofty pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (AP)never forget any of their works.
8 Because of this will not the land (AQ)tremble
And everyone who inhabits it (AR)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (AS)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 And it will be in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh,
“That I will make the (AT)sun go down at noon
And (AU)make the earth dark in [u]broad daylight.
10 Then I will (AV)overturn your feasts into mourning
And all your songs into [v]lamentation;
And I will bring up (AW)sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it (AX)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Lord Yahweh,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (AY)for hearing the words of Yahweh.
12 People will wander from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to (AZ)seek the word of Yahweh,
But they will not find it.
13 In that day the beautiful (BA)virgins
And the choice men will (BB)faint from thirst.
14 As for those who swear by the [w](BC)guilt of Samaria,
Who say, ‘As your god lives, O (BD)Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of (BE)Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and (BF)not rise again.”
Footnotes
- Amos 7:1 Lit at the beginning of the coming up of
- Amos 7:1 Or shearings
- Amos 7:2 Lit if
- Amos 7:2 Lit As who
- Amos 7:3 Or regretted
- Amos 7:4 Lit portion
- Amos 7:5 Lit Who
- Amos 7:6 Or regretted, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 35
- Amos 7:7 Or upon
- Amos 7:7 Lit tin; presumably the weight of a plumb line
- Amos 7:7 Lit tin; presumably the weight of a plumb line
- Amos 7:14 Or nipper
- Amos 7:15 Lit behind
- Amos 7:17 Or in an unclean land
- Amos 8:3 Lit he has thrown
- Amos 8:3 Or —hush!
- Amos 8:4 Or snap at
- Amos 8:5 Lit ephah
- Amos 8:5 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
- Amos 8:6 Lit silver
- Amos 8:9 Lit a day of light
- Amos 8:10 Or a dirge
- Amos 8:14 Or Ashimah
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