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Warning through Visions
1This is what the Lord Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the chGod showed me, and behold, He was forming a swarm of locusts Lit at the beginning of the coming up ofwhen the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing.
2And it came about, Lit ifwhen it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,
“Lord God, please pardon!
How can Jacob stand?
For he is small.”
3The Lord relented of this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.
4So the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by fire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the Lit plot of landfarmland.
5Then I said,
“Lord God, please stop!
How can Jacob stand?
For he is small.”
6The Lord relented of this.
“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing Or onby a Lit wall of a plumb linevertical wall with a plumb line in His hand.
8And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
“Behold I am about to put a plumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will not Lit pass him byspare them any longer.
9The high places of Isaac will become deserted,
And the sanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.
Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amos Accused; Gives an Answer
10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words.
11For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’ ”
12Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there!
13But do not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal Lit houseresidence.”
14Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a Or pickergrower of sycamore figs.
15But the Lord took me from Lit behindfollowing the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’
16So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you Lit drivelprophesy against the house of Isaac.’
17Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be parceled up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die Or in an unclean landupon unclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’ ”