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Thus hath Adonoi Hashem showed unto me; and, hinei, He formed locusts in the beginning of the springing up of the second crop; and, hinei, it was the second crop after the mowing of the melech.

And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the vegetation of ha’aretz, then I said, O Adonoi Hashem, forgive, I beseech thee; how shall Ya’akov survive? For he is katon.

Hashem relented for this; It shall not be, saith Hashem.

Thus hath Adonoi Hashem showed unto me; and, hinei, Adonoi Hashem called to punish with eish, and it devoured the tehom rabbah (great deep), and did devour the chelek (portion).

Then said I, O Adonoi Hashem, cease, I beseech thee; how shall Ya’akov survive? For he is katon.

Hashem relented for this: This also shall not be, saith Adonoi Hashem.

Thus He showed me; and, hinei, Hashem stood upon a chomah (wall) made with a plumb line, and a plumb line in His hand.

And Hashem said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb line. Then said Hashem, Hineni, I will set a plumb line in the midst of My people Yisroel; I will not again pass by them [and spare them] anymore;

And the high places of Yitzchak shall be desolate, and the mikdeshei Yisroel (i.e., heathen sanctuaries) shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the Bais Yarov‘am with the cherev.

10 Then Amatzyah the kohen of Beit-El sent to Yarov‘am Melech Yisroel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of Bais Yisroel; the land is not able to bear all his words.

11 For thus Amos saith, Yarov‘am shall die by the cherev, and Yisroel shall surely be led away into the golus out of their own land.

12 Also Amatzyah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into Eretz Yehudah, and there eat lechem, and prophesy there:

13 But prophesy not again any more at Beit-El; for it is the Mikdash Melech, and it is the Bais Mamlachah.

14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amatzyah, I was no navi, neither was I a ben navi; but I was a herder, and a dresser of sycamore-fig trees;

15 And Hashem took me as I followed the tzon, and Hashem said unto me, Go, prophesy unto My people Yisroel.

16 Now therefore hear thou the Devar Hashem: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Yisroel, and drop not thy word against the Bais Yitzchak.

17 Therefore thus saith Hashem: Thy isha shall be a zonah in the city, and thy banim and thy banot shall fall by the cherev, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in an adamah temei’ah (unclean land); and Yisroel shall surely go forth of his land into golus (exile).

Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(A) He was preparing swarms of locusts(B) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean,(C) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(D) He is so small!(E)

So the Lord relented.(F)

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(G)

This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;(H) it dried up the great deep and devoured(I) the land. Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(J)

So the Lord relented.(K)

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(L)

This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb,[a] with a plumb line[b] in his hand. And the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(M) Amos?(N)

“A plumb line,(O)” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(P)

“The high places(Q) of Isaac will be destroyed
    and the sanctuaries(R) of Israel will be ruined;
    with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.(S)

Amos and Amaziah

10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel(T) sent a message to Jeroboam(U) king of Israel: “Amos is raising a conspiracy(V) against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words.(W) 11 For this is what Amos is saying:

“‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
    and Israel will surely go into exile,(X)
    away from their native land.’”(Y)

12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer!(Z) Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.(AA) 13 Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel,(AB) because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple(AC) of the kingdom.(AD)

14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet(AE) nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees.(AF) 15 But the Lord took me from tending the flock(AG) and said to me, ‘Go,(AH) prophesy(AI) to my people Israel.’(AJ) 16 Now then, hear(AK) the word of the Lord. You say,

“‘Do not prophesy against(AL) Israel,
    and stop preaching against the descendants of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wife will become a prostitute(AM) in the city,
    and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword.
Your land will be measured and divided up,
    and you yourself will die in a pagan[c] country.
And Israel will surely go into exile,(AN)
    away from their native land.(AO)’”

Footnotes

  1. Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
  3. Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean