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Yahweh Will Rise Up Against Israel

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. 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?”
Yahweh [e](E)relented concerning this.
“It shall not be,” said Yahweh.

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. Then I said,

(G)Lord Yahweh, please stop!
[g](H)How can Jacob rise up, for he is small?”
Yahweh [h](I)relented concerning this.
“This too shall not be,” said Lord Yahweh.

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. 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.
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.’”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:1 Lit at the beginning of the coming up of
  2. Amos 7:1 Or shearings
  3. Amos 7:2 Lit if
  4. Amos 7:2 Lit As who
  5. Amos 7:3 Or regretted
  6. Amos 7:4 Lit portion
  7. Amos 7:5 Lit Who
  8. Amos 7:6 Or regretted, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 35
  9. Amos 7:7 Or upon
  10. Amos 7:7 Lit tin; presumably the weight of a plumb line
  11. Amos 7:7 Lit tin; presumably the weight of a plumb line
  12. Amos 7:14 Or nipper
  13. Amos 7:15 Lit behind
  14. Amos 7:17 Or in an unclean land

The First Vision: The Locusts

This is what the Lord God showed me: I saw that he was forming a locust swarm at the time when the late crops[a] were beginning to sprout—the crops that were planted after the cuttings of hay for the king.

When the swarm had finished consuming the vegetation of the land, I said, “Lord God, please forgive! How can Jacob stand? Look, he is so small!”

The Lord changed his decree about this. “It will not happen,” said the Lord.

The Second Vision: The Fire

This is what the Lord God showed me: I saw the Lord God calling for a trial by fire, which devoured the great deep and started to consume the land.

I said, “Lord God, please stop! How can Jacob stand? Look, he is so small!”

The Lord changed his decree about this. “This will not happen,” said the Lord God.

The Third Vision: The Plumb Line

This is what he showed me: I saw the Lord standing by a wall that had been constructed with a plumb line. He had a plumb line in his hand.

The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?”

I said, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said:

    Look, I am about to set up a plumb line next to my people Israel.
    I will no longer overlook their sin.
The high places of Isaac will be desolate,
    and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined.
    I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

Amos and Amaziah

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel:[b]

Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure all of his words. 11 This is what Amos says: “Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile away from its own soil.”

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “You seer, get out of here! Flee to the land of Judah. You may eat food and prophesy there. 13 But you must never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the sanctuary of the king and the national temple.”

14 Then Amos responded to Amaziah:

I was not a prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet. Rather, I was a sheep breeder and I took care of sycamore fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from tending flocks, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

16 But now, hear the word of the Lord, you who are saying, “Do not prophesy against Israel” and “Do not preach[c] against the house of Isaac.”

17 This is what the Lord says: “Your wife will be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be parceled out with a measuring line, and as for you, you will die upon unclean soil. And Israel will certainly go into exile far away from its own soil.”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:1 The late crops are the crops that grow at the time of the last spring rain, as the rainy season is coming to an end. Since the king has already collected all the taxes for the whole year from the first cuttings, if the spring rain fails, it is the people who will come up short.
  2. Amos 7:10 Jeroboam II ruled from about 793 to 753 bc. This encounter was probably near the end of his reign.
  3. Amos 7:16 Literally drip