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Amos 7-9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Amos 7-9
Holman Christian Standard Bible
First Vision: Locusts
7 The Lord God showed me this: He was forming a swarm of locusts(A) at the time the spring crop first began to sprout—after the cutting of the king’s hay. 2 When the locusts finished eating the vegetation of the land,(B) I said, “Lord God, please forgive!(C) How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”(D)
3 The Lord relented concerning this.(E) “It will not happen,” He said.
Second Vision: Fire
4 The Lord God showed me this: The Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire.(F) It consumed the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I said, “Lord God, please stop!(G) How will Jacob survive since he is so small?”
6 The Lord relented concerning this.(H) “This will not happen either,” said the Lord God.
Third Vision: A Plumb Line
7 He showed me this: The Lord was standing there by a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. 8 The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”(I)
I replied, “A plumb line.”
Then the Lord said, “I am setting a plumb line among My people Israel;(J) I will no longer spare them:(K)
9 Isaac’s high places(L) will be deserted,
and Israel’s sanctuaries will be in ruins;(M)
I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam
with a sword.”
Amaziah’s Opposition
10 Amaziah the priest(N) of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you(O) right here in the house of Israel. The land cannot endure all his words, 11 for Amos has said this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will certainly go into exile from its homeland.’”(P)
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer!(Q) Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your living[a] and give your prophecies there, 13 but don’t ever prophesy(R) at Bethel again, for it is the king’s sanctuary(S) and a royal temple.”
14 So Amos answered Amaziah, “I was[b] not a prophet or the son of a prophet;[c](T) rather, I was[d] a herdsman,(U) and I took care of sycamore figs. 15 But the Lord took me from following the flock(V) and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’”(W)
16 Now hear the word of the Lord. You say:
17 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
Your wife will be a prostitute in the city,(Z)
your sons and daughters will fall by the sword,(AA)
and your land will be divided up
with a measuring line.
You yourself will die on pagan[e] soil,(AB)
and Israel will certainly go into exile(AC)
from its homeland.
Fourth Vision: A Basket of Summer Fruit
8 The Lord God showed me this: A basket of summer fruit. 2 He asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”(AD)
I replied, “A basket of summer fruit.”(AE)
The Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel;(AF) I will no longer spare them.(AG) 3 In that day the temple[f] songs(AH) will become wailing”(AI)—this is the Lord God’s declaration. “Many dead bodies, thrown everywhere!(AJ) Silence!”(AK)
4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy(AL)
and do away with the poor of the land,(AM)
5 asking, “When will the New Moon be over
so we may sell grain,(AN)
and the Sabbath,
so we may market wheat?(AO)
We can reduce the measure
while increasing the price[g]
and cheat with dishonest scales.(AP)
6 We can buy the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals(AQ)
and even sell the chaff!”
7 The Lord has sworn(AR) by the Pride of Jacob:[h](AS)
I will never forget all their deeds.(AT)
8 Because of this, won’t the land quake(AU)
and all who dwell in it mourn?(AV)
All of it will rise like the Nile;(AW)
it will surge and then subside
like the Nile in Egypt.(AX)
9 And in that day—
this is the declaration of the Lord God—
I will make the sun go down at noon;(AY)
I will darken the land in the daytime.(AZ)
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning(BA)
and all your songs into lamentation;(BB)
I will cause everyone[i] to wear sackcloth(BC)
and every head to be shaved.(BD)
I will make that grief
like mourning for an only son(BE)
and its outcome like a bitter day.
11 Hear this! The days are coming—
this is the declaration of the Lord God—
when I will send a famine through the land:
not a famine of bread or a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.(BF)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and roam from north to east,
seeking the word of the Lord,(BG)
but they will not find it.
13 In that day the beautiful young women,(BH)
the young men also, will faint from thirst.(BI)
14 Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria(BJ)
and say, “As your god lives, Dan,”(BK)
or “As the way[j][k] of Beer-sheba lives”(BL)—
they will fall, never to rise again.(BM)
Fifth Vision: The Lord beside the Altar
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar,(BN) and He said:
Strike the capitals of the pillars(BO)
so that the thresholds shake;
knock them down on the heads of all the people.
Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword.(BP)
None of those who flee will get away;(BQ)
none of the fugitives will escape.
2 If they dig down to Sheol,(BR)
from there My hand will take them;
if they climb up to heaven,(BS)
from there I will bring them down.
3 If they hide themselves
on the top of Carmel,
from there I will track them down(BT)
and seize them;
if they conceal themselves
from My sight on the sea floor,(BU)
from there I will command
the sea serpent to bite them.(BV)
4 And if they are driven
by their enemies into captivity,(BW)
from there I will command
the sword to kill them.(BX)
I will fix My eyes on them
for harm and not for good.(BY)
5 The Lord, the God of Hosts—
He touches the earth;(BZ)
it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn;
all of it rises like the Nile
and subsides like the Nile of Egypt.(CA)
6 He builds His upper chambers
in the heavens(CB)
and lays the foundation of His vault
on the earth.(CC)
He summons the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the face of the earth.(CD)
Yahweh is His name.(CE)
Announcement of Judgment
7 Israelites, are you not like the Cushites to Me?(CF)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Didn’t I bring Israel from the land of Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtor,[l](CG)
and the Arameans from Kir?(CH)
8 Look, the eyes of the Lord God
are on the sinful kingdom,(CI)
and I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.(CJ)
However, I will not totally destroy
the house of Jacob(CK)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
9 for I am about to give the command,
and I will shake the house of Israel(CL)
among all the nations,
as one shakes a sieve,
but not a pebble will fall to the ground.
10 All the sinners among My people(CM)
who say: “Disaster will never overtake[m]
or confront us,”(CN)
will die by the sword.
Announcement of Restoration
11 In that day
I will restore the fallen booth(CO) of David:(CP)
I will repair its gaps,
restore its ruins,(CQ)
and rebuild it as in the days of old,(CR)
12 so that they may possess
the remnant of Edom(CS)
and all the nations
that are called by My name[n](CT)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
He will do this.
13 Hear this! The days are coming—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when the plowman will overtake the reaper(CU)
and the one who treads grapes,
the sower of seed.
The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
and all the hills will flow with it.(CV)
14 I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel.[o](CW)
They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities,(CX)
plant vineyards and drink their wine,
make gardens and eat their produce.(CY)
15 I will plant them on their land,
and they will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them.(CZ)
Yahweh your God has spoken.
Footnotes
- Amos 7:12 Lit Eat bread
- Amos 7:14 Or am
- Amos 7:14 = a prophet’s disciple or a member of a prophetic guild
- Amos 7:14 Or am
- Amos 7:17 Lit unclean
- Amos 8:3 Or palace
- Amos 8:5 Lit reduce the ephah and make the shekel great
- Amos 8:7 = the Lord or the promised land
- Amos 8:10 Lit every loin
- Amos 8:14 LXX reads god
- Amos 8:14 Or power
- Amos 9:7 Probably Crete
- Amos 9:10 Or You will not let disaster come near
- Amos 9:12 LXX reads so that the remnant of man and all the nations . . . may seek [Me]; Ac 15:17
- Amos 9:14 Or restore My people Israel from captivity
Amos 7-9
New International Version
Amos 7-9
New International Version
Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line
7 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. 2 When they had stripped the land clean,(C) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?(D) He is so small!(E)”
3 So the Lord relented.(F)
“This will not happen,” the Lord said.(G)
4 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. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!(J)”
6 So the Lord relented.(K)
“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.(L)
7 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. 8 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)
9 “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)’”
A Basket of Ripe Fruit
8 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:(AP) a basket of ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see,(AQ) Amos?(AR)” he asked.
“A basket(AS) of ripe fruit,” I answered.
Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.(AT)
3 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[d](AU) Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!(AV)”
5 saying,
“When will the New Moon(AY) be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market(AZ) wheat?”(BA)—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating(BB) with dishonest scales,(BC)
6 buying the poor(BD) with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.(BE)
7 The Lord has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob:(BF) “I will never forget(BG) anything they have done.(BH)
8 “Will not the land tremble(BI) for this,
and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
it will be stirred up and then sink
like the river of Egypt.(BJ)
9 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.(BK)
10 I will turn your religious festivals(BL) into mourning
and all your singing into weeping.(BM)
I will make all of you wear sackcloth(BN)
and shave(BO) your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son(BP)
and the end of it like a bitter day.(BQ)
11 “The days are coming,”(BR) declares the Sovereign Lord,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine(BS) of hearing the words of the Lord.(BT)
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.(BU)
13 “In that day
“the lovely young women and strong young men(BV)
will faint because of thirst.(BW)
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria(BX)—
who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’(BY)
or, ‘As surely as the god[e] of Beersheba(BZ) lives’—
they will fall,(CA) never to rise again.(CB)”
Israel to Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
“Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads(CC) of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.(CD)
2 Though they dig down to the depths below,(CE)
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,(CF)
from there I will bring them down.(CG)
3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,(CH)
there I will hunt them down and seize them.(CI)
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,(CJ)
there I will command the serpent(CK) to bite them.(CL)
4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword(CM) to slay them.
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,(CQ)
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;(CR)
6 he builds his lofty palace[f](CS) in the heavens
and sets its foundation[g] on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.(CT)
7 “Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites[h]?”(CU)
declares the Lord.
“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines(CV) from Caphtor[i](CW)
and the Arameans from Kir?(CX)
8 “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy(CY) it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.(CZ)
9 “For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain(DA) is shaken in a sieve,(DB)
and not a pebble will reach the ground.(DC)
10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,(DD)
all those who say,
‘Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’(DE)
Israel’s Restoration
11 “In that day
“I will restore David’s(DF) fallen shelter(DG)—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins(DH)—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,(DI)
12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom(DJ)
and all the nations that bear my name,[j](DK)”
declares the Lord, who will do these things.(DL)
13 “The days are coming,”(DM) declares the Lord,
“when the reaper(DN) will be overtaken by the plowman(DO)
and the planter by the one treading(DP) grapes.
New wine(DQ) will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,(DR)
14 and I will bring(DS) my people Israel back from exile.[k](DT)
“They will rebuild the ruined cities(DU) and live in them.
They will plant vineyards(DV) and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.(DW)
15 I will plant(DX) Israel in their own land,(DY)
never again to be uprooted(DZ)
from the land I have given them,”(EA)
says the Lord your God.(EB)
Footnotes
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 7:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain; also in verse 8.
- Amos 7:17 Hebrew an unclean
- Amos 8:3 Or “the temple singers will wail
- Amos 8:14 Hebrew the way
- Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Amos 9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Amos 9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region
- Amos 9:7 That is, Crete
- Amos 9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me
- Amos 9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
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