Amos 7:7-15

English Standard Version

⁷^(A)This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with ^(B)a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. ⁸And the Lord said to me, ^(C)“Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold, I am setting ^(D)a plumb line
    in the midst of my people Israel;
    ^(E)I will never again pass by them;
⁹^(F)the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
    and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
    and I will rise against ^(G)the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused

¹⁰Then Amaziah ^(H)the priest of Bethel sent to ^(I)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has ^(J)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. ¹¹For thus Amos has said,

“‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and ^(K)Israel must go into exile
away from his land.’”

¹²And Amaziah said to Amos, ^(L)“O seer, go, flee away ^(M)to the land of Judah, and ^(N)eat bread there, and prophesy there, ¹³but ^(O)never again prophesy at Bethel, for ^(P)it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

¹⁴Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, ^(Q)“I was^[a] no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but ^(R)I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. ¹⁵^(S)But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’