Old/New Testament
Amos Has Visions of Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 The Lord and King gave me a vision. He was bringing large numbers of locusts on the land. The king’s share had already been harvested. Now the later crops were coming up. 2 The locusts stripped the land clean. Then I cried out, “Lord and King, forgive Israel! How can Jacob’s people continue? They are such a weak nation!”
3 So the Lord had pity on them.
“I will let them continue for now,” he said.
4 The Lord and King gave me a second vision. He was using fire to punish his people. It dried up the deep waters. It burned the land up. 5 Then I cried out, “Lord and King, please stop! How can Jacob’s people continue? They are such a weak nation!”
6 So the Lord had pity on them.
“I will let them continue for now,” the Lord and King said.
7 Then the Lord gave me a third vision. He was standing by a wall. It had been built very straight, all the way up and down. He was holding a plumb line. 8 The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then the Lord said, “Look at what I am doing. I am hanging a plumb line next to my people Israel. It will show how crooked they are. I will no longer spare them.
9 “The high places where Isaac’s people worship other gods will be destroyed.
The other places of worship in Israel will also be torn down.
I will use my sword to attack Jeroboam’s royal family.”
Amaziah Tells Amos to Stop Prophesying
10 Amaziah was priest of Bethel. He sent a message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel. He said, “Amos is making evil plans against you right here in Israel. The people in the land can’t stand to listen to what he’s saying. 11 Amos is telling them,
“ ‘Jeroboam will be killed by a sword.
The people of Israel will be taken away as prisoners.
They will be carried off from their own land.’ ”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out of Israel, you prophet! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your living there. Do your prophesying there. 13 Don’t prophesy here at Bethel anymore. This is where the king worships. The main temple in the kingdom is located here.”
14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet. I wasn’t even the son of a prophet. I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me away from taking care of the flock. He said to me, ‘Go. Prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 Now then, listen to the Lord’s message. You say,
“ ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel.
Stop preaching against the people of Isaac.’
17 “But the Lord says,
“ ‘Your wife will become a prostitute
in the city of Bethel.
Your sons and daughters will be killed by swords.
Your land will be measured and divided up.
And you yourself will die in another country.
The people of Israel will surely be taken away as prisoners.
They will be carried off from their own land.’ ”
Amos Has a Vision of a Basket of Ripe Fruit
8 The Lord and King gave me a vision. He showed me a basket of ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.
“A basket of ripe fruit,” I replied.
Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel. I will no longer spare them.
3 “The time is coming when the songs in the temple will turn to weeping,” announces the Lord and King. “Many, many bodies will be thrown everywhere! So be quiet!”
4 Listen to me, you who walk all over needy people.
You crush those who are poor in the land.
5 You say,
“When will the New Moon feast be over?
Then we can sell our grain.
When will the Sabbath day come to an end?
Then people can buy our wheat.”
But you measure out less than the right amount.
You raise your prices.
You cheat others by using dishonest scales.
6 You buy poor people to make slaves out of them.
You buy those who are in need for a mere pair of sandals.
You even sell the worthless parts of your wheat.
7 People of Jacob, you are proud that the Lord is your God. But he has made a promise in his own name. He says, “I will never forget anything Israel has done.
8 “The land will tremble because of what will happen.
Everyone who lives in it will mourn.
So the whole land will rise like the Nile River.
It will be stirred up.
Then it will settle back down again
like that river in Egypt.”
9 The Lord and King announces,
“At that time I will make the sun go down at noon.
The earth will become dark in the middle of the day.
10 I will turn your holy feasts into times for mourning.
I will turn all your songs into weeping.
You will have to wear the clothing of sadness.
You will shave your heads.
I will make you mourn as if your only son had died.
The end of that time will be like a bitter day.”
11 The Lord and King announces,
“The days are coming
when I will send hunger through the land.
But people will not be hungry for food.
They will not be thirsty for water.
Instead, they will be hungry
to hear a message from me.
12 People will wander from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean.
They will travel from north to east.
They will look for a message from me.
But they will not find it.
13 “At that time
“the lovely young women and strong young men
will faint because they are so thirsty.
14 Some people make promises in the name of Samaria’s god.
That god has led them astray.
Others say, ‘People of Dan, you can be sure
that your god is alive.’
Still others say, ‘You can be sure
that Beersheba’s god is alive.’
But all these people will fall dead.
They will never get up again.”
Israel Will Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing next to the altar in the temple. He said to me,
“Strike the tops of the temple pillars.
Then the heavy stones at the base of the entrance will shake.
Bring everything down on the heads of everyone there.
I will kill with my swords
those who are left alive.
None of the Israelites will escape.
None will get away.
2 They might dig down deep.
But my powerful hand will take them out of there.
They might climb up to the heavens.
But I will bring them down from there.
3 They might hide on top of Mount Carmel.
But I will hunt them down
and grab them.
They might hide from me at the bottom of the ocean.
But even there I will command the serpent to bite them.
4 Their enemies might take them away
as prisoners to another country.
But there I will command Israel’s enemies
to cut them down with swords.
I will keep my eye on Israel to harm them.
I will not help them.”
5 The Lord rules over all.
The Lord touches the earth, and it melts.
Everyone who lives in it mourns.
The whole land rises like the Nile River.
Then it settles back down again
like that river in Egypt.
6 The Lord builds his palace high in the heavens.
He lays its foundation on the earth.
He sends for the waters in the clouds.
Then he pours them out on the surface of the land.
His name is the Lord.
7 “You Israelites are just like
the people of Cush to me,”
announces the Lord.
“I brought Israel up from Egypt.
I also brought the Philistines from Crete
and the Arameans from Kir.
8 “I am the Lord and King.
My eyes are watching the sinful kingdom of Israel.
I will wipe it off the face of the earth.
But I will not totally destroy the people of Jacob,”
announces the Lord.
9 “I will give an order.
I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations.
They will be like grain that is shaken through a screen.
Not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners among my people
will be killed by swords.
They say, ‘Nothing bad will ever happen to us.’
Israel Will Be Made Like New Again
11 “The time will come when I will set up
David’s fallen shelter.
I will repair its broken walls.
I will rebuild what was destroyed.
I will make it what it used to be.
12 Then my people will take control of those
who are left alive in Edom.
They will also possess all the nations
that belong to me,”
announces the Lord.
He will do all these things.
13 “The days are coming,” announces the Lord.
“At that time those who plow the land
will catch up with those who harvest the crops.
Those who stomp on grapes
will catch up with those who plant the vines.
Fresh wine will drip from the mountains.
It will flow down from all the hills.
14 I will bring my people Israel back home.
I will bless them with great success again.
They will rebuild the destroyed cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce.
They will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant Israel in their own land.
They will never again be removed
from the land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
The Seventh Seal and the Gold Cup
8 The Lamb opened the seventh seal. Then there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 I saw the seven angels who stand in front of God. Seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar. He had a shallow gold cup for burning incense. He was given a lot of incense to offer on the golden altar. The altar was in front of the throne. With the incense he offered the prayers of all God’s people. 4 The smoke of the incense rose up from the angel’s hand. The prayers of God’s people rose up together with it. The smoke and the prayers went up in front of God. 5 Then the angel took the gold cup and filled it with fire from the altar. He threw it down on the earth. There were rumblings and thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
The Trumpets
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets got ready to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet. Hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up. A third of the trees were burned up. All the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet. Something that looked like a huge mountain on fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died. A third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet. Then a great star fell from the sky. It looked like a blazing torch. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the water turned bitter. Many people died from it.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet. Then a third of the sun was struck. A third of the moon was struck. A third of the stars were struck. So a third of each of them turned dark. Then a third of the day had no light. The same thing happened to a third of the night.
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air. It called out in a loud voice, “How terrible! How terrible it will be for those living on the earth! How terrible! They will suffer as soon as the next three angels blow their trumpets!”
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