Amos 7
Expanded Bible
The Vision of Locusts
7 This is what the Lord God showed me: He was forming a swarm of locusts, after the ·king had taken his share of the first crop [L king’s harvest/mowing] and the ·second [L late] crop had just begun growing [C the second of two agricultural seasons; vegetables planted to coincide with the spring rains]. 2 When the locusts ate all the ·crops [vegetation; grass] in the country, I said, “Lord God, forgive us. How could ·Israel [L Jacob] ·live through this [L stand]? It is too small already!”
3 So the Lord ·changed his mind about this [relented]. “It will not happen,” said the Lord.
The Vision of Fire
4 This is what the Lord God showed me: [L Look; T Behold] The Lord God was calling for ·fire to come down like rain [or a judgment of fire]. It burned up the ·deep water [great deep; deep abyss] and ·was going to burn up [L consumed; devoured] the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Lord God, stop! How could ·Israel [L Jacob] ·live through this [L stand]? It is too small already.”
6 So the Lord ·changed his mind about this [relented]. “It will not happen,” said the Lord God.
The Vision of the Plumb Line
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord stood by a ·straight wall [L wall built with a plumb line], with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
I said, “A plumb line.”
Then the Lord said, “·See [T Behold], I will put a plumb line among my people Israel [C to show how crooked they are]. I will not ·look the other way [spare them; L pass by them] any longer.
9 “·The places where Isaac’s descendants worship [L The high places of Isaac; C places of pagan worship] will be destroyed,
Israel’s ·holy places [sanctuaries] will be turned into ruins,
and I will ·attack [L rise up against] King Jeroboam’s ·family [house] with the sword.”
Amaziah Speaks Against Amos
10 Amaziah, a priest at Bethel [4:4], sent this message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is ·making evil plans [conspiring] against you ·with the people of Israel [or in the very heart of Israel; L in the midst of the house of Israel]. ·He has been speaking so much that this land can’t hold all [L This land cannot bear/endure] his words. 11 This is what Amos has said:
‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and the people of Israel will be taken ·as captives [into exile]
out of their own country.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Seer [C another name for a prophet], go back right now to the land of Judah. Do your prophesying and ·earn your living [L eat bread] there, 13 but don’t prophesy anymore here at Bethel. This is the king’s ·holy place [sanctuary], and it is the ·nation’s temple [or royal palace; L house of the kingdom].”
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “·I do not make my living as a prophet, nor am I a member of a group of prophets [L I was not a prophet nor a prophet’s son/disciple]. I ·make my living as [L was] a shepherd, and ·I take care [a tender] of ·sycamore [or sycamore-fig] trees. 15 But the Lord took me away from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 So listen to the Lord’s word. You tell me,
‘Don’t prophesy against Israel,
and stop ·prophesying [preaching; spouting off; L dripping] against the ·descendants [house] of Isaac.’
17 “Because you have said this, the Lord says:
‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and daughters will ·be killed with swords [L fall by the sword].
Your land will be divided ·among themselves [L with a measuring line],
and you will die in a ·foreign [L unclean; defiled] country.
The people of Israel will definitely be taken
from their own land ·as captives [into exile].’”
Amos 7
New American Standard Bible
Warning through Visions
7 This is what the Lord [a]God showed me, and behold, He was forming a (A)swarm of locusts [b]when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing. 2 And it came about, [c]when it had (B)finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“(C)Lord God, please pardon!
How can Jacob stand?
For he is (D)small.”
3 The Lord (E)relented of this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.
4 So the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by (F)fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the [d]farmland. 5 Then I said,
“(G)Lord God, please stop!
(H)How can Jacob stand?
For he is small.”
6 The Lord (I)relented of this.
“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7 So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing [e]by a [f]vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord 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 not [g](L)spare them any longer.
9 The (M)high places of Isaac will become deserted,
And the (N)sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.
Then I will (O)rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused; Gives an Answer
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 this is what 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 to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But (T)do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a (U)sanctuary of the king and a royal [h]residence.”
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (V)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [i]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from [j]following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go (W)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You (X)shall not prophesy against Israel (Y)nor shall you [k]prophesy against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your (Z)wife will become a prostitute in the city, your (AA)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die [l]upon (AB)unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
Footnotes
- Amos 7:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Amos 7:1 Lit at the beginning of the coming up of
- Amos 7:2 Lit if
- Amos 7:4 Lit plot of land
- Amos 7:7 Or on
- Amos 7:7 Lit wall of a plumb line
- Amos 7:8 Lit pass him by
- Amos 7:13 Lit house
- Amos 7:14 Or picker
- Amos 7:15 Lit behind
- Amos 7:16 Lit drivel
- Amos 7:17 Or in an unclean land
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
