AMOS
Amos 7 ©
By three visions, the first of grasshoppers, v. 1, etc. The second of a consuming fire, 4. In regard of both which God accepts the prophet’s intercession, and the third of a plumbline or rope, 7. There is represented here, that, after much patience, God will spare Israel no longer, neither the king’s posterity, 8. The priest Amaziah complains of Amos to the king, and charges him with conspiracy and sedition, 10. Commands him to pack himself away from Bethel to Judah, 12. But Amos defends himself with God’s call, and announces the judgment of God upon Amaziah and his, 14.
THUS hath the Lord GOD 1shewed unto me; and, behold, 2he formed 3grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s 4mowings.
And it came to pass, that when 5they had made an 6end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, 7forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall 8Jacob 9arise? for he is 10small.
The LORD 11repented for this: It shall not 12be, saith the LORD.
¶Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to 13contend by 14fire, and it devoured the 15great deep, and did eat up a part.
Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.
The LORD repented for this: This also shall 16not be, saith the Lord GOD.
¶Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall 17made by a plumbline, with a 18plumbline in his hand.
And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a 19plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: 20I will not again 21pass by 22them any more:
And the high places of 23Isaac shall be desolate, and the 24sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the 25house of 26Jeroboam with the 27sword.
¶ 28Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath 29conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to 30bear all his words.
For thus Amos saith, 31Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall 32surely be led away captive out of their own land.
Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou 33seer, go, 34flee thee away into the land of 35Judah, and there 36eat bread, and prophesy there:
But 37prophesy not again 38any more at Beth-el: for it is the king’s 39chapel, and it is the king’s 40court.
¶Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an 41herdman, and a 42gatherer of 43sycomore fruit:
And the LORD took me as I followed the 44flock, and the 45LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
¶Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and 46dropa not thy word against the house of Isaac.
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an 47harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by 48line; and thou shalt die in a 49polluted land: and Israel shall 50surely go into captivity forth of his land.