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Amos

Speaks against injustice and predicts Israel's punishment but ends with hope for restoration.

Chapter 7

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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.

*The Lord showed me this: He created grasshoppers when the plants started growing again after the king's cuttings.

2 And 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.

*Then, after they finished eating all the land's grass, I prayed to God, "Please forgive! Who will help Israel rise up? They are so weak."

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

*God changed His mind about this: It won't happen, says God.

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.

*So, the Lord God showed me this: He lit a fire that consumed the vast ocean and ate some of it.

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

*Then I asked, Lord God, please stop: who will help Israel rise up? because they are so small.

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

*God changed His mind about this: This will not happen, says the Lord.

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

*So, he showed me this: and I saw, the Lord was standing on a wall created by a plumb line, holding a plumb line in his hand.

8 And 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:

*And the Lord asked me, "Amos, what do you see?" I replied, "A plumb line." So the Lord said, "I will use a plumb line to judge my people Israel. I won't ignore their actions anymore."

9 And 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.

*Isaac's high places will be empty, and Israel's holy places will be destroyed; I will use a sword to attack Jeroboam's family.

10 Then 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.

*Then Amaziah, a priest from Bethel, told Jeroboam, the king of Israel, "Amos is secretly working against you among God's people. The land cannot handle all the things he says."

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

*So Amos says, Jeroboam will be killed with a sword, and Israel will definitely be taken as prisoners from their land.

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:

*Amaziah told Amos, "Seeing person, leave here and go to Judah's land. Eat food and speak your messages there."

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

*Don't prophesy at Bethel anymore; it's the king's church and his court.

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 sycomore fruit:

*Then Amos replied to Amaziah, saying, "I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. I was just a shepherd, taking care of sheep, and a person who collected figs from sycamore trees."

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

*And God chose me while I was with the sheep. Then God told me, "Go and share my messages with my people, Israel."

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

*Now, so listen to God's message: You say not to prophesy against Israel or speak negatively about the family of Isaac.

17 Therefore 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.

*So, God says this: Your wife will act like a prostitute, your children will be killed, your land will be split up, you'll die in a dirty place, and Israel will be taken captive from its land.

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* work in progress, there will be mistakes

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