2 And it came about, when it had finished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said, |Lord GOD, please pardon! How can Jacob stand, For he is small?|
3 The LORD changed His mind about this. |It shall not be,| said the LORD.
4 Thus 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 farm land.
5 Then I said, |Lord GOD, please stop! How can Jacob stand, for he is small?|
6 The LORD changed His mind about this. |This too shall not be,| said the Lord GOD.
7 Thus He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand.
8 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 spare them no longer.
9 |The high places of Isaac will be desolated And the sanctuaries of Israel laid waste. Then I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.|
10 Then 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.
11 |For thus Amos says, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'|
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, |Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying!
13 |But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.|
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, |I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.
15 |But the LORD took me from following the flock and the LORD said to me, 'Go prophesy to My people Israel.'
16 |Now hear the word of the LORD: you are saying, You shall not prophesy against Israel nor shall you speak against the house of Isaac.'
17 |Therefore, thus says the LORD, Your wife will become a harlot 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 upon unclean soil. Moreover, Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.'|
