Amos 7 - 8
Yahweh Will Rise Up Against Israel
7Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, He was forming a alocust-swarm 1when the spring crop began to come up. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s 2mowing. 2And it happened 1when it had acompleted eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, “bLord Yahweh, please pardon!2How can Jacob rise up,For he is csmall?”
3Yahweh 1,arelented concerning this.“It shall not be,” said Yahweh.4Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, Lord Yahweh was calling to contend with them by afire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the 1farm land. 5Then I said, “aLord Yahweh, please stop!1,bHow can Jacob rise up, for he is small?”
6Yahweh 1,arelented concerning this.“This too shall not be,” said Lord Yahweh.7Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing 1by a wall made with a 2plumb line, and in His hand was a 3plumb line. 8And Yahweh said to me, “aWhat do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am about to put a bplumb lineIn the midst of My people Israel.I will cpass over them no longer.
9“The ahigh places of Isaac will be desolatedAnd the bsanctuaries of Israel laid waste.Then I will crise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”Amos Accused
10Then Amaziah, the apriest of Bethel, sent word to bJeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has cconspired 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.’” 12Then Amaziah said to Amos, “aGo, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and there do your prophesying! 13“But ano longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a bsanctuary of the king and a royal house.”
14Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the ason of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a 1grower of sycamore figs. 15“But Yahweh took me from 1following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, ‘Go aprophesy to My people Israel.’ 16“So now, hear the word of Yahweh: you are saying, ‘You ashall not prophesy against Israel, bnor shall you drip out words against the house of Isaac.’ 17“Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘Your awife will play the harlot in the city, your bsons and your daughters will fall by the sword, your land will be divided up by a measuring line, and you yourself will die 1upon cunclean land. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”
A Famine for Hearing the Words of Yahweh
8Thus Lord Yahweh showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2And he said, “What do you see, Amos?” And aI said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then Yahweh said to me, “The bend has come for My people Israel. I will cpass over them no longer. 3“And they will awail with the bsongs of the palace in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh. “Many will be the ccorpses; in every place 1they will cast them forth 2in silence.”
4Hear this, you who 1,atrample the needy, even to cause the humble of the land to cease, 5saying, “When will the anew moon pass over,So that we may sell grain,And the bsabbath, that we may open the wheat market,To make the 1bushel smaller and the 2shekel bigger,And to ccheat with a deceptive balance,
6So as to abuy the poor for 1moneyAnd the needy for a pair of sandals,And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”7Yahweh has asworn by the blofty pride of Jacob,“Indeed, I will cnever forget any of their works.8“Because of this will not the land atrembleAnd everyone who inhabits it bmourn?Indeed, all of it will crise up like the Nile,And it will be tossed aboutAnd subside like the Nile of Egypt.9“And it will be in that day,” declares Lord Yahweh,“That I will make the asun go down at noonAnd bmake the earth dark in 1broad daylight.10“Then I will aoverturn your feasts into mourningAnd all your songs into 1lamentation;And I will bring up bsackcloth on everyone’s loinsAnd baldness on every head.And I will make it clike 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 Lord Yahweh,“When I will send a famine on the land,Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,But rather afor hearing the words of Yahweh.12“People will wander from sea to seaAnd from the north even to the east;They will go to and fro to aseek the word of Yahweh,But they will not find it.13“In that day the beautiful avirginsAnd the choice men will bfaint from thirst.14“As for those who swear by the 1,aguilt of Samaria,Who say, ‘As your god lives, O bDan,’And, ‘As the way of cBeersheba lives,’They will fall and dnot rise again.”