7
1 Thus hath Adonoi Hashem showed unto me; and, hinei, He formed locusts in the beginning of the springing up of the second crop; and, hinei, it was the second crop after the mowing of the melech. 2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the vegetation of ha'aretz, then I said:
O Adonoi Hashem, forgive, I beseech thee;
how shall Ya'akov survive? For he is katon.
3 Hashem relented for this:
It shall not be, saith Hashem.
4 Thus hath Adonoi Hashem showed unto me; and, hinei, Adonoi Hashem called to punish with eish, and it devoured the tehom rabbah (great deep), and did devour the chelek (portion). 5 Then said I:
O Adonoi Hashem, cease, I beseech thee;
how shall Ya'akov survive? For he is katon.
6 Hashem relented for this:
This also shall not be, saith Adonoi Hashem.
7 Thus He showed me; and, hinei, Hashem stood upon a chomah (wall) made with a plumb line, and a plumb line in His hand. 8 And Hashem said unto me: Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb line. Then said Hashem:
Hineni, I will set a plumb line
in the midst of My people Yisroel;
I will not again pass by them* anymore;
9 And the high places of Yischak shall be desolate,
and the mikdeshei Yisroel† shall be laid waste;
and I will rise against the Bais Yarov'am with the cherev.
10 Then Amatzyah the kohen of Beit-El sent to Yarov'am Melech Yisroel, saying: Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of Bais Yisroel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos saith:
Yarov'am shall die by the cherev,
and Yisroel shall surely be led away
into the golus out of their own land.
12 Also Amatzyah said unto Amos: O thou seer, go, flee thee away into Eretz Yehudah, and there eat lechem, and prophesy there, 13 But prophesy not again any more at Beit-El; for it is the Mikdash Melech, and it is the Bais Mamlachah.
14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amatzyah: I was no navi, neither was I a ben navi; but I was a herder, and a dresser of sycamore-fig trees; 15 And Hashem took me as I followed the tzon, and Hashem said unto me: Go, prophesy unto My people Yisroel. 16 Now therefore hear thou the Devar Hashem: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Yisroel, and drop not thy word against the Bais Yischak.
17 Therefore thus saith Hashem:
Thy isha shall be a zonah in the city,
and thy banim and thy banot shall fall by the cherev,
and thy land shall be divided by line;
and thou shalt die in an adamah temei'ah (unclean land);
and Yisroel shall surely go forth of his land into golus (exile).
* 7:8 and spare them † 7:9 i.e., heathen sanctuaries