The Vision of Locusts
7 This is what the Lord God showed me: He was forming a swarm of locusts, after the ·king had taken his share of the first crop [L king’s harvest/mowing] and the ·second [L late] crop had just begun growing [C the second of two agricultural seasons; vegetables planted to coincide with the spring rains]. 2 When the locusts ate all the ·crops [vegetation; grass] in the country, I said, “Lord God, forgive us. How could ·Israel [L Jacob] ·live through this [L stand]? It is too small already!”
3 So the Lord ·changed his mind about this [relented]. “It will not happen,” said the Lord.
The Vision of Fire
4 This is what the Lord God showed me: [L Look; T Behold] The Lord God was calling for ·fire to come down like rain [or a judgment of fire]. It burned up the ·deep water [great deep; deep abyss] and ·was going to burn up [L consumed; devoured] the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Lord God, stop! How could ·Israel [L Jacob] ·live through this [L stand]? It is too small already.”
6 So the Lord ·changed his mind about this [relented]. “It will not happen,” said the Lord God.
The Vision of the Plumb Line
7 This is what he showed me: The Lord stood by a ·straight wall [L wall built with a plumb line], with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
I said, “A plumb line.”
Then the Lord said, “·See [T Behold], I will put a plumb line among my people Israel [C to show how crooked they are]. I will not ·look the other way [spare them; L pass by them] any longer.
9 “·The places where Isaac’s descendants worship [L The high places of Isaac; C places of pagan worship] will be destroyed,
Israel’s ·holy places [sanctuaries] will be turned into ruins,
and I will ·attack [L rise up against] King Jeroboam’s ·family [house] with the sword.”
Amaziah Speaks Against Amos
10 Amaziah, a priest at Bethel [4:4], sent this message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is ·making evil plans [conspiring] against you ·with the people of Israel [or in the very heart of Israel; L in the midst of the house of Israel]. ·He has been speaking so much that this land can’t hold all [L This land cannot bear/endure] his words. 11 This is what Amos has said:
‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and the people of Israel will be taken ·as captives [into exile]
out of their own country.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Seer [C another name for a prophet], go back right now to the land of Judah. Do your prophesying and ·earn your living [L eat bread] there, 13 but don’t prophesy anymore here at Bethel. This is the king’s ·holy place [sanctuary], and it is the ·nation’s temple [or royal palace; L house of the kingdom].”
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “·I do not make my living as a prophet, nor am I a member of a group of prophets [L I was not a prophet nor a prophet’s son/disciple]. I ·make my living as [L was] a shepherd, and ·I take care [a tender] of ·sycamore [or sycamore-fig] trees. 15 But the Lord took me away from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 So listen to the Lord’s word. You tell me,
‘Don’t prophesy against Israel,
and stop ·prophesying [preaching; spouting off; L dripping] against the ·descendants [house] of Isaac.’
17 “Because you have said this, the Lord says:
‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and daughters will ·be killed with swords [L fall by the sword].
Your land will be divided ·among themselves [L with a measuring line],
and you will die in a ·foreign [L unclean; defiled] country.
The people of Israel will definitely be taken
from their own land ·as captives [into exile].’”