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Sprinkhanen

De Heer liet mij iets zien. Ik zag het vóór me als in een droom. Ik zag dat de Heer sprinkhanen maakte. Het was in de tijd dat het gras voor de koning al gemaaid was en voor de tweede keer hoog stond. Toen de sprinkhanen het laatste groen van het land opvraten, riep ik tot de Heer: "Heer, vergeef het volk alstublieft! Hoe kan Israël anders blijven bestaan? Het is maar zo klein!" Toen veranderde de Heer zijn plannen en zei: "Goed. Ik zal het niet doen."

Een grote brand

Toen liet de Heer mij weer iets zien alsof ik droomde. Ik zag dat de Heer een grote brand liet komen om het volk te straffen. Door de hitte van het vuur verdampte al het water in de diepte. Het vuur verbrandde een groot deel van het land. Toen riep ik: "Heer, houd alstublieft op! Hoe kan Israël anders blijven bestaan? Het is maar zo klein!" Toen veranderde de Heer zijn plannen en zei: "Goed. Ook dit zal Ik niet doen."

Het paslood

Toen liet de Heer mij weer iets zien alsof ik droomde. De Heer stond op een muur die loodrecht overeind stond. Hij had een paslood in zijn hand.[a] Toen vroeg de Heer mij: "Amos, wat zie je?" Ik antwoordde: "Een paslood." Toen zei de Heer: "Ik ga met mijn paslood Israël opmeten. Alles wat niet goed is, maar slecht, zal Ik weghalen. Ik zal niet langer medelijden met hen hebben. De altaren en heiligdommen in Israël zal Ik verwoesten. En Ik zal de familie van Jerobeam straffen met het zwaard."[b]

Amos wordt weggejaagd

10 Amazia, de priester van het gouden kalf in Bet-El, stuurde een boodschap naar koning Jerobeam van Israël. Hij schreef: "Amos smeedt een samenzwering tegen u. Hij stookt de mensen tegen u op. 11 Want hij zegt dat u door het zwaard zal worden gedood en dat de bewoners van Israël gevangen meegenomen zullen worden naar een ander land." 12 En tegen Amos zei Amazia: "Profeet, ga weg! Ga maar terug naar Juda. Ga daar maar je brood verdienen en profeteren. 13 Maar profeteer niet meer in Bet-El. Want dit heiligdom is van de koning. Deze tempel is van de overheid." 14 Maar Amos antwoordde hem: "Ik ben eigenlijk geen profeet. Ik ben ook geen zoon van een profeet. Ik had vee en ik verzamelde wilde vijgen. 15 Maar de Heer haalde mij bij mijn vee vandaan en zei tegen mij: 'Ik wil dat je tegen mijn volk Israël profeteert.' 16 Luister nu naar wat de Heer zegt. Jij zegt tegen mij: 'Je mag niet langer tegen Israël profeteren.' 17 Daarom zegt de Heer nu tegen jou: 'Je vrouw zal hoer worden in de stad. Je zonen en dochters zullen door het zwaard worden gedood. Je akkers zullen worden verdeeld. Jijzelf zal in een ver land sterven. En de bewoners van Israël zullen gevangen meegenomen worden naar een ander land."

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:7 Met een paslood kun je meten of iets loodrecht overeind staat. Het is in feite een ouderwets soort waterpas.
  2. Amos 7:9 Koning Jerobeam had immers de afgodendienst met de gouden kalveren bedacht. Lees 1 Koningen 12:26-29.

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings.

And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord God, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

The Lord repented for this: It shall not be, saith the Lord.

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

Then said I, O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

The Lord repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.

Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.

And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:

And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.

12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.

14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:

15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

Vision of the Locusts

Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the [a]beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings. And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said:

“O Lord God, forgive, I pray!
(A)Oh,[b] that Jacob may stand,
For he is small!”
So (B)the Lord relented concerning this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

Vision of the Fire

Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called [c]for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the [d]territory. Then I said:

“O Lord God, cease, I pray!
(C)Oh, that Jacob may stand,
For he is small!”
So the Lord relented concerning this.
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

Vision of the Plumb Line

Thus He showed me: Behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in His hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”

And I said, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said:

“Behold, (D)I am setting a plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel;
(E)I will not pass by them anymore.
(F)The [e]high places of Isaac shall be desolate,
And the [f]sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.
(G)I will rise with the sword against the house of Jeroboam.”

Amaziah’s Complaint

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

‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
And Israel shall surely be led away (K)captive
From their own land.’ ”

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos:

“Go, you seer!
Flee to the land of Judah.
There eat bread,
And there prophesy.
13 But (L)never again prophesy at Bethel,
(M)For it is the king’s [h]sanctuary,
And it is the royal [i]residence.”

14 Then Amos answered, and said to Amaziah:

“I was no prophet,
Nor was I (N)a son of a prophet,
But I was a (O)sheepbreeder
And a tender of sycamore fruit.
15 Then the Lord took me [j]as I followed the flock,
And the Lord said to me,
‘Go, (P)prophesy to My people Israel.’
16 Now therefore, hear the word of the Lord:
You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
And (Q)do not [k]spout against the house of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore(R) thus says the Lord:

(S)‘Your wife shall be a harlot in the city;
Your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword;
Your land shall be divided by survey line;
You shall die in a (T)defiled land;
And Israel shall surely be led away captive
From his own land.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:1 Lit. beginning of the sprouting of
  2. Amos 7:2 Or How shall Jacob stand
  3. Amos 7:4 to contend
  4. Amos 7:4 Lit. portion
  5. Amos 7:9 Places of pagan worship
  6. Amos 7:9 Or holy places
  7. Amos 7:10 Or endure
  8. Amos 7:13 Or holy place
  9. Amos 7:13 Lit. house
  10. Amos 7:15 Lit. from behind
  11. Amos 7:16 Lit. drip

Warning Visions

(A)This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, (B)he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's mowings. When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

“O Lord God, please forgive!
    (C)How can Jacob stand?
    He is so small!”
(D)The Lord relented concerning this:
    “It shall not be,” said the Lord.

(E)This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling (F)for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said,

“O Lord God, please cease!
    (G)How can Jacob stand?
    He is so small!”
(H)The Lord relented concerning this:
    “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

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

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

Amos Accused

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

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

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, (T)“O seer, go, flee away (U)to the land of Judah, and (V)eat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but (W)never again prophesy at Bethel, for (X)it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, (Y)“I was[a] no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but (Z)I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 (AA)But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 (AB)Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.

“You say, (AC)‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
    and (AD)do not preach against the house of (AE)Isaac.’

17 (AF)Therefore thus says the Lord:

“‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
    and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
    and your land (AG)shall be divided up with a measuring line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
    and (AH)Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:14 Or am; twice in this verse

Warning Visions

This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, he is going to form locusts at the beginning of the sprouting of the second crop, and look, after the mowings of the king. And then when they[a] finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?” Yahweh relented concerning this. “It will not be,” said Yahweh. This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, my Lord Yahweh was going to call for a legal case with fire, and it devoured the great deep and it ate up the plots of ground. Then I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?” Yahweh also relented concerning this. “This also will not be,” said my Lord Yahweh. This is what he showed me: Behold, my Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plummet, and a plummet was in his hand. And Yahweh said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “A plummet.” And my Lord said, “Look, I am going to set a plummet in the midst of my people, Israel. I will not pass them by again. The high places of Isaac shall become desolate and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amaziah’s Opposition

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam the king of Israel, saying, “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 For this Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go into exile away from his land.’” 12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee to the land of Judah and earn food there and prophesy there!” 13 But do not prophesy again at Bethel, because this is a sanctuary of a king and this is a temple of a kingdom.” 14 And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet and I am not a son of a prophet, but I am a herdsman and I am one taking care of sycamore trees. 15 And Yahweh took me from following behind the sheep and goats and Yahweh said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel! 16 And so then, hear the word of Yahweh! You are saying, ‘You must not prophesy against Israel and you must not preach against the house of Isaac!’ 17 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword and your land will be divided with a line, and you[b] will die in an unclean land and Israel will surely go into exile from this land.’”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:2 Hebrew “he/it”
  2. Amos 7:17 Emphatic second person pronoun