Amo 7 | NASB2020 | STEP | This is what the Lord God showed me, and behold , He was forming a swarm of locusts when the spring crop began to sprout . And behold , the spring crop was after the king’s mowing .

Amos 7

Warning through Visions

1 This is what the Lord ^{▼▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch}God showed me, and behold, He was forming a ^bswarm of locusts ^{▼▼Lit at the beginning of the coming up of}when the spring crop began to sprout. And behold, the spring crop was after the king’s mowing. 2 And it came about, ^{▼▼Lit if}when it had ^efinished eating the vegetation of the land, that I said,

“ ^fLord God, please pardon!
How can Jacob stand?
For he is ^gsmall.”
3 The Lord ^hrelented of this.
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.
4 So the Lord God showed me, and behold, the Lord God was calling to contend with them by ⁱfire, and it consumed the great deep and began to consume the ^{▼▼Lit plot of land}farmland. 5 Then I said,

“ ^kLord God, please stop!
^lHow can Jacob stand?
For he is small.”
6 The Lord ^mrelented of this.
“This too shall not be,” said the Lord God.
7 So He showed me, and behold, the Lord was standing ^{▼▼Or on}by a ^{▼▼Lit wall of a plumb line}vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, “ ^pWhat do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold I am about to put a ^qplumb line
In the midst of My people Israel.
I will not ^{▼▼Lit pass him by
,} ^sspare them any longer.
9 “The ^thigh places of Isaac will become deserted,
And the ^usanctuaries of Israel will be in ruins.
Then I will ^vrise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused; Gives an Answer

10 Then Amaziah, the ^wpriest of Bethel, sent word to ^xJeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has ^yconspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is unable to endure all his words. 11 For this is what Amos says: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “ ^zGo, you seer, flee to the land of Judah; and eat bread there and do your prophesying there! 13 But ^aado not prophesy at Bethel any longer, for it is a ^absanctuary of the king and a royal ^{▼▼Lit house}residence.”

14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I the ^adson of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a ^{▼▼Or picker}grower of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from ^{▼▼Lit behind}following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go ^agprophesy to My people Israel.’ 16 So now hear the word of the Lord: you are saying, ‘You ^ahshall not prophesy against Israel ^ainor shall you ^{▼▼Lit drivel}prophesy against the house of Isaac.’ 17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘Your ^akwife will become a prostitute in the city, your ^alsons 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 land}upon ^anunclean soil. Furthermore Israel will certainly go from its land into exile.’”