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AMO

Amos 7

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Read Amos Chapter 7

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1Thus 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.

2And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, O Lord GOD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

3The LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith the LORD.

4Thus 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.

5Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

6The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord GOD.

7Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.

8And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:

9And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

10Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

11For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.

12Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

13But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court.

14Then 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 sycomore fruit:

15And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

16Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.

17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Amos 7

In short

Amos reports three visions from God. In the first two, judgment comes but is stopped by his prayer. In the third, God shows him a plumb line, meaning Israel will be measured against God's standard and found unfit, with no reprieve. When a priest tells Amos to stop prophesying, Amos insists God called him and warns of coming exile.

What the text says

Verses 1-3: The Lord shows Amos a vision of grasshoppers about to eat the crops after the king has already harvested. Amos begs God to forgive, saying Jacob is too weak. God agrees and stops it.

Verses 4-6: A second vision shows fire destroying the land. Amos makes the same plea, and God stops this too.

Verses 7-9: A third vision shows the Lord standing by a wall with a plumb line in his hand. God tells Amos he will place a plumb line among Israel to measure them. This time God says "I will not again pass by them," meaning no reprieve. The high places and sanctuaries will be destroyed, and the royal house will fall by the sword.

Verses 10-13: Amaziah, the priest at Bethel, reports to the king that Amos is plotting against him. Amaziah tells Amos to leave and prophesy in Judah instead, not at Bethel, which is the king's sanctuary.

Verses 14-17: Amos replies that he was not born a prophet but was a shepherd and fruit gatherer when God called him to prophesy. He then pronounces judgment on Amaziah and Israel, saying exile is certain.

Takeaways

  • God's patience has limits; repeated refusal to change leads to judgment that cannot be stopped by prayer.
  • Amos insists he speaks because God called him, not because it is his profession or what people want to hear.
  • Those who oppose God's messenger face their own punishment.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.

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