Old/New Testament
Warning Through Visions
7 Thus the Lord [a]God showed me, and behold, He was forming a (A)locust-swarm [b]when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s [c]mowing. 2 And it came about, [d]when it had (B)finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“(C)Lord God, please pardon!
[e]How can Jacob stand,
For he is (D)small?”
3 The Lord [f](E)changed His mind about this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.
4 Thus the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by (F)fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the [g]farm land. 5 Then I said,
“(G)Lord God, please stop!
(H)How can Jacob stand, for he is small?”
6 The Lord [h](I)changed His mind about this.
“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing [i]by a [j]vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “(J)What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold I am about to put a (K)plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will [k](L)spare them no longer.
9 “The (M)high places of Isaac will be desolated
And the (N)sanctuaries of Israel laid waste.
Then I will (O)rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused, Answers
10 Then Amaziah, the (P)priest of Bethel, sent word to (Q)Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has (R)conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For thus Amos says, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “(S)Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! 13 But (T)no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a (U)sanctuary of the king and a royal [l]residence.”
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the (V)son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a [m]grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from [n]following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go (W)prophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 Now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You (X)shall not prophesy against Israel (Y)nor shall you [o]speak against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘Your (Z)wife will become a harlot in the city, your (AA)sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line and you yourself will die [p]upon (AB)unclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity
8 Thus the Lord [q]God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (AC)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The (AD)end has come for My people Israel. I will [r](AE)spare them no longer. 3 [s]The (AF)songs of the palace will turn to (AG)wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the (AH)corpses; in every place [t]they will cast them forth [u]in silence.”
4 Hear this, you who [v](AI)trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the (AJ)new moon [w]be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the (AK)sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [x]bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to (AL)cheat with [y]dishonest scales,
6 So as to (AM)buy the helpless for [z]money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 The Lord has (AN)sworn by the (AO)pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (AP)never forget any of their deeds.
8 “Because of this will not the land (AQ)quake
And everyone who dwells in it (AR)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (AS)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the (AT)sun go down at noon
And (AU)make the earth dark in [aa]broad daylight.
10 “Then I will (AV)turn your festivals into mourning
And all your songs into [ab]lamentation;
And I will bring (AW)sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it (AX)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (AY)for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to (AZ)seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.
13 “In that day the beautiful (BA)virgins
And the young men will (BB)faint from thirst.
14 “As for those who swear by the [ac](BC)guilt of Samaria,
Who say, ‘As your god lives, O (BD)Dan,’
And, ‘As the way of (BE)Beersheba lives,’
They will fall and (BF)not rise again.”
God’s Judgment Unavoidable
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the (BG)altar, and He said,
“Smite the capitals so that the (BH)thresholds will shake,
And (BI)break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will (BJ)slay the rest of them with the sword;
They will (BK)not have a fugitive who will flee,
Or a refugee who will escape.
2 “Though they dig into (BL)Sheol,
From there will My hand take them;
And though they (BM)ascend to heaven,
From there will I bring them down.
3 “Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,
I will (BN)search them out and take them from there;
And though they (BO)conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the (BP)serpent and it will bite them.
4 “And though they go into (BQ)captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword that it slay them,
And I will (BR)set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”
5 The Lord [ad]God of hosts,
The One who (BS)touches the land so that it melts,
And (BT)all those who dwell in it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His [ae](BU)upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth,
He who (BV)calls for the waters of the sea
And (BW)pours them out on the face of the earth,
(BX)The Lord is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of (BY)Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the (BZ)Philistines from Caphtor and the (CA)Arameans from (CB)Kir?
8 “Behold, the (CC)eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will (CD)destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will (CE)not totally destroy the house of Jacob,”
Declares the Lord.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will (CF)shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a [af]kernel will fall to the ground.
10 “All the (CG)sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘(CH)The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’
The Restoration of Israel
11 “In that day I will (CI)raise up the fallen [ag](CJ)booth of David,
And wall up its (CK)breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the (CL)days of old;
12 (CM)That they may possess the remnant of (CN)Edom
And all the [ah]nations who are (CO)called by My name,”
Declares the Lord who does this.
13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the (CP)plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the (CQ)mountains will drip sweet (CR)wine
And all the hills will be dissolved.
14 “Also I will (CS)restore the [ai]captivity of My people Israel,
And they will (CT)rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also (CU)plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 “I will also plant them on their land,
And (CV)they will not again be rooted out from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.
The Seventh Seal—the Trumpets
8 When the Lamb broke the (A)seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw (B)the seven angels who stand before God, and seven (C)trumpets were given to them.
3 (D)Another angel came and stood at the (E)altar, holding a (F)golden censer; and much (G)incense was given to him, so that he might [a]add it to the (H)prayers of all the [b]saints on the (I)golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And (J)the smoke of the incense, [c]with the prayers of the [d]saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel [e]took the censer and (K)filled it with the fire of the altar, and (L)threw it to the earth; and there followed (M)peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an (N)earthquake.
6 (O)And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.
7 The first sounded, and there came (P)hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and (Q)a third of the earth was burned up, and (R)a third of the (S)trees were burned up, and all the green (T)grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great (U)mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and (V)a third of the (W)sea became blood, 9 and (X)a third of the creatures which were in the sea [f]and had life, died; and a third of the (Y)ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded, and a great star (Z)fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a (AA)third of the rivers and on the (AB)springs of waters. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a (AC)third of the waters became (AD)wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded, and a (AE)third of the (AF)sun and a third of the (AG)moon and a (AH)third of the (AI)stars were struck, so that a (AJ)third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a (AK)third of it, and the night in the same way.
13 Then I looked, and I heard [g]an eagle flying in (AL)midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “(AM)Woe, woe, woe to (AN)those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the (AO)three angels who are about to sound!”
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