Amos Accused; Gives an Answer

10 Then Amaziah, the (A)priest of Bethel, sent word to (B)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (C)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(D)Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But (E)do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a (F)sanctuary of the king and a royal [a]residence.”

14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (G)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [b]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from [c]following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go (H)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You (I)shall not prophesy against Israel (J)nor shall you [d]prophesy against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your (K)wife will become a prostitute in the city, your (L)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die [e]upon (M)unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:13 Lit house
  2. Amos 7:14 Or picker
  3. Amos 7:15 Lit behind
  4. Amos 7:16 Lit drivel
  5. Amos 7:17 Or in an unclean land

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.”’”

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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