And I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?” declares the Lord.

“But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’

“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there,

but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet's son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.

But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. “You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’