Amos 7

Amos 7:1

Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.

Thus hath the Lord God shewed me the judgment, which he is about to bring upon the land; even that extreme famine, which he shall cause, through the abundance of locusts and other noisome worms, which he will send upon the earth: early therefore in the shooting up of the grass, after the first mowing thereof for the king’s use, which is wont to be sooner than the common mathe, he formed store of those hurtful vermin, and sent them upon the land.

Amos 7:2

Then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

Then I, seeing the proceedings of this famine, said, O Lord God, forgive us I beseech thee: if thou go on thus to plague us, who shall be left alive, to continue the name and generation of thy people? For even now, as it is, the number of thy people is but small.

Amos 7:3

The LORD repented for this; it shall not be, saith the LORD.

The Lord thereupon ceased from this plague; and, did, as it were, say, No; it shall not proceed; Israel shall not be quite wasted.

Amos 7:4

Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

The Lord God foreshewed me the judgment that he meant to bring upon Israel, by the sword of Tigleth Pileser, king of Assyria; represented by a fire, which should devour up the deep, and did eat up a part; signifying, that the fury and force of this king of Asshur should utterly swallow up the kingdom of Syria first, and afterwards that part of Israel which is beyond Jordan.

Amos 7:8

Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more.

As I have built up Israel by line and level, so will I also now make an exquisite destruction of it, and will lay it level

Amos 7:10

Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

Amos hath conspired against thee in Beth-el, where is the greatest confluence of thy subjects. The words of his prophecy are intolerable; for he dishearteneth the people, and works in them a mean and dishonourable opinion of thy government, and despair of their own safety.

Amos 7:12

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

And Amaziah said to Amos, What makest thou here, O thou prophet, out of thine own country: go thy ways home: take this friendly and private counsel from me; retire home closely to thy own country of Judah, and there maintain thyself, and there bestow thy pains and admonitions:

Amos 7:13

But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.

But venture not any more to vent thy prophecies in Beth-el; for thou knowest the condition of this place: it is both the king’s sanctuary, for his devotion; and the king’s court, for state: meddle not any more with prophesying here, lest thou provoke the king’s anger against thee.

Amos 7:14

Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit.

I was no prophet by my breeding and institution: I never was trained up to any such vocation; but was by my profession a herdman, and spent my time amongst my cattle; and, in that solitary life, contented myself with such wild diet, as the sycamores did afford me.

Amos 7:15

And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

And even then, when I little thought of any such matter, it pleased the Lord to take me from that homely employment, and enjoined me this task of prophesying.

Amos 7:16

And drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.

Do not let fall the menaces of judgment upon the chosen people of God.

Amos 7:17

Therefore thus saith the LORD, &c. Thou shalt die in a polluted land.

Because thou hast forbidden me to prophecy, thus saith the Lord, &c. Thou shalt die in the land of Assyria, which is polluted by detestable idolatries.