Amo 7 | ESV | STEP | This is what the Lord God showed me: behold , he was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout , and behold , it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings .

1 ^aThis is what the Lord God showed me: behold, ^bhe was forming locusts when the latter growth was just beginning to sprout, and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings. 2 When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said,

“O Lord God, please forgive!
^cHow can Jacob stand?
He is so small!”
3 ^dThe Lord relented concerning this:
“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

4 ^eThis is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling ^ffor a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. 5 Then I said,

“O Lord God, please cease!
^gHow can Jacob stand?
He is so small!”
6 ^hThe Lord relented concerning this:
“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

7 ⁱThis is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with ^ja plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, ^k“Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,

“Behold, I am setting ^la plumb line
in the midst of my people Israel;
^mI will never again pass by them;
9 ⁿthe high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against ^othe house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Amos Accused

10 Then Amaziah ^pthe priest of Bethel sent to ^qJeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has ^rconspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said,

“‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and ^sIsrael must go into exile
away from his land.’”

12 And Amaziah said to Amos, ^t“O seer, go, flee away ^uto the land of Judah, and ^veat bread there, and prophesy there, 13 but ^wnever again prophesy at Bethel, for ^xit is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

14 Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, ^y“I was ^{▼▼Or am; twice in this verse} no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but ^aaI was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. 15 ^abBut the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 ^acNow therefore hear the word of the Lord.

“You say, ^ad‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
and ^aedo not preach against the house of ^afIsaac.’

17 ^agTherefore thus says the Lord:

“‘Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
and your land ^ahshall be divided up with a measuring line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
and ^aiIsrael shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”