Amos and Amaziah

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel(A) sent a message to Jeroboam(B) king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy(C) against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.(D) 11 For this is what Amos is saying:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
    and Israel will surely go into exile,(E)
    away from their native land.’”(F)

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!(G) Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.(H) 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,(I) because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple(J) of the kingdom.(K)

14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet(L) nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.(M) 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock(N) and said to me, ‘Go,(O) prophesy(P) to my people Israel.’(Q) 16 Now then, hear(R) the word of the Lord. You say,

“‘Do not prophesy against(S) Israel,
    and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute(T) in the city,
    and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
    and you yourself will die in a pagan[a] country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,(U)
    away from their native land.(V)’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean

A Rebuke for Amaziah

10 So Amaziah priest of Bethel sent a message[a] to Jeroboam king of Israel. It said, “Amos has been conspiring against you in the very heart of the house of Israel! The land cannot bear everything he has to say, 11 because Amos is saying this:

‘By the sword will Jeroboam die,
    and Israel will surely go into exile
        far from her homeland.’”

12 So Amaziah kept saying to Amos, “Get out of here, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Live[b] there and prophesy there. 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because it’s the king’s sanctuary and a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Amos replied in answer to Amaziah,

“I am no prophet,
    nor am I a prophet’s son,
for I have been shepherding
    and picking the fruit of[c] sycamore[d] trees.

15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock and the Lord kept saying to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

16 “Very well then, hear this message from the Lord:

‘You are saying,
    “Don’t prophesy against Israel,
        and don’t preach against the house of Isaac.”
17 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord says:
    “Your wife will become a whore in the city,
        and your sons and daughters will die by the sword.
    Your land will be divided and apportioned,
        and you will die in a foreign[e] land.
    Israel will surely go into exile,
        far from its homeland.”’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:10 The Heb. lacks a message
  2. Amos 7:12 Lit. Eat
  3. Amos 7:14 The Heb. lacks the fruit of
  4. Amos 7:14 The sycamore fruit tree native to Israel bears figs
  5. Amos 7:17 Lit. in an unclean