First Vision: Locusts

The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts(A) at the time the spring crop first began to sprout—after the cutting of the king’s hay. When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land,(B) I said, “Lord God, please forgive!(C) How will Jacob survive since he is so small?” (D)

The Lord relented concerning this.(E) “It will not happen,” he said.

Second Vision: Fire

The Lord God showed me this: The Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire.(F) It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. Then I said, “Lord God, please stop!(G) How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”

The Lord relented concerning this.(H) “This will not happen either,” said the Lord God.

Third Vision: A Plumb Line

He showed me this: The Lord was standing there by a vertical wall with a plumb line in his hand. The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” (I)

I replied, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said, “I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel;(J) I will no longer spare them:(K)

Isaac’s high places(L) will be deserted,
and Israel’s sanctuaries will be in ruins;(M)
I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam
with a sword.”

Amaziah’s Opposition

10 Amaziah the priest(N) of Bethel sent word to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you(O) right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words, 11 for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’”(P)

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer!(Q) Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living[a] and give your prophecies there, 13 but don’t ever prophesy(R) at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary(S) and a royal temple.”

14 So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was[b] not a prophet or the son of a prophet;[c](T) rather, I was[d] a herdsman,(U) and I took care of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock(V) and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”(W)

16 Now hear the word of the Lord. You say:

Do not prophesy(X) against Israel;
do not preach(Y) against the house of Isaac.

17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:

Your wife will be a prostitute in the city,(Z)
your sons and daughters will fall by the sword,(AA)
and your land will be divided up
with a measuring line.
You yourself will die on pagan[e] soil,(AB)
and Israel will certainly go into exile(AC)
from its homeland.

Footnotes

  1. 7:12 Lit Eat bread
  2. 7:14 Or am
  3. 7:14 = a prophet’s disciple or a member of a prophetic guild
  4. 7:14 Or am
  5. 7:17 Lit unclean

各种灾祸的异象

以下是主耶和华让我看见的异象:看啊,祂造了一大群蝗虫。那时,王室的作物已经收割,第二季作物刚开始发苗。 蝗虫吃尽地上的青苗时,我说:“主耶和华啊,求你赦免!雅各那么弱小,他怎么受得了呢?” 于是,耶和华心生怜悯,说:“我不降这灾了。”

以下是主耶和华让我看见的异象:看啊,主耶和华降下审判的大火。大火烧干了深海,正在吞噬土地。 那时,我说:“主耶和华啊,求你停止吧!雅各那么弱小,他怎么受得了呢?” 于是,耶和华心生怜悯,说:“我也不降这灾了。”

以下是祂让我看见的异象:看啊,主站在一道按照准绳建造的墙边,手里拿着准绳。 耶和华对我说:“阿摩司,你看见什么?”我答道:“一条准绳。”主说:“我要在我的以色列子民中吊起准绳,量度他们,我不会再饶恕他们。 以撒子孙的丘坛必遭毁坏,以色列的庙宇必成废墟,我要用刀攻击耶罗波安王朝。”

阿摩司被逐

10 伯特利的祭司亚玛谢派人告诉以色列王耶罗波安:“阿摩司在以色列家图谋背叛你,我们国家无法容忍他的言论。 11 因为阿摩司这样说,‘耶罗波安将丧身刀下,以色列人必被掳去,远离家乡。’”

12 亚玛谢对我说:“先见啊,走吧!逃回犹大去吧!你要在那里挣吃的,在那里说预言。 13 不可再在伯特利说预言,这里是王的圣所,是国庙。”

14 我答道:“我本不是先知,也不是先知的门徒。我只是一个牧人,也替人看护桑树。 15 但耶和华不再让我看守羊群,祂对我说,‘去!向我的以色列子民说预言。’ 16 亚玛谢啊,你说,‘不要说攻击以色列的预言,不要传讲攻击以撒子孙的信息。’现在你要听耶和华对你说的话。 17 耶和华说,‘你的妻子必在这城里沦为妓女,你的儿女必丧身刀下,你的田地必被人丈量、瓜分,你自己必死在异乡[a]。以色列人必被掳去,远离家乡。’”

Footnotes

  1. 7:17 异乡”希伯来文是“不洁之地”,指不信上帝的国家。