Amos 7:7-15

Contemporary English Version

A Vision of a Measuring Line

⁷ The Lord showed me a vision of himself standing beside a wall and holding a string with a weight tied to the end of it. The string and weight had been used to measure the straightness of the wall. ⁸ Then he asked, “Amos, what do you see?”

“A measuring line,” I answered.

The Lord said, “I'm using this measuring line to show that my people Israel don't measure up, and I won't forgive them any more. ⁹ Their sacred places will be destroyed, and I will send war against the nation of King Jeroboam.”^[a]

Amos and Amaziah

¹⁰ Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is plotting against you in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his message for very long. ¹¹ Here is what he is saying:

¹² Then Amaziah told me, “Amos, take your visions and get out! Go back to Judah and earn your living there as a prophet. ¹³ Don't do any more preaching at Bethel. The king worships here at our national temple.”

¹⁴ I answered:

I'm not a prophet! And I wasn't trained to be a prophet. I am a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees. ¹⁵ But the Lord told me to leave my herds and preach to the people of Israel.