כֹּ֤ה הִרְאַ֙נִי֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהִנֵּה֙ יוֹצֵ֣ר גֹּבַ֔י בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת עֲל֣וֹת הַלָּ֑קֶשׁ וְהִ֨נֵּה־לֶ֔קֶשׁ אַחַ֖ר גִּזֵּ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ This is what my Lord GOD showed me: He was creating [a plague of] locusts at the time when the late-sown crops were beginning to sprout—aMeaning of Heb. uncertain. The king’s reaping of fodder apparently occurred near the end of the rainy season, and whatever the locust destroyed after that could not be replaced for another year.the late-sown crops after the king’s reaping.-a
וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־כִּלָּה֙ לֶֽאֱכוֹל֙ אֶת־עֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָ֔רֶץ וָֽאֹמַ֗ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ סְֽלַֽח־נָ֔א מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י קָטֹ֖ן הֽוּא׃ When it had finished devouring the herbage in the land, I said, “O Lord GOD, pray forgive. How will Jacob survive? He is so small.”
נִחַ֥ם יְהֹוָ֖ה עַל־זֹ֑את לֹ֥א תִֽהְיֶ֖ה אָמַ֥ר יְהֹוָֽה׃ The LORD relented concerning this. “It shall not come to pass,” said the LORD.
כֹּ֤ה הִרְאַ֙נִי֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קֹרֵ֛א לָרִ֥ב בָּאֵ֖שׁ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֑ה וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ אֶת־תְּה֣וֹם רַבָּ֔ה וְאָכְלָ֖ה אֶת־הַחֵֽלֶק׃ This is what the Lord GOD showed me: Lo, my Lord GOD was summoning bEmendation yields “flaming.”to contend by-b fire which consumed the Great Deep and was consuming the fields.
וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ חֲדַל־נָ֔א מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י קָטֹ֖ן הֽוּא׃ I said, “Oh, Lord GOD, refrain! How will Jacob survive? He is so small.”
נִחַ֥ם יְהֹוָ֖ה עַל־זֹ֑את גַּם־הִיא֙ לֹ֣א תִֽהְיֶ֔ה אָמַ֖ר אֲדֹנָ֥י יֱהֹוִֽה׃ {פ}
The LORD relented concerning this. “That shall not come to pass, either,” said my Lord GOD.
כֹּ֣ה הִרְאַ֔נִי וְהִנֵּ֧ה אֲדֹנָ֛י נִצָּ֖ב עַל־חוֹמַ֣ת אֲנָ֑ךְ וּבְיָד֖וֹ אֲנָֽךְ׃ This is what He showed me: He was standing on a wall cOr “destined for the pickax”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.checked with a plumb line-c and He was holding a plumb line.dOr “pickax”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י מָֽה־אַתָּ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ עָמ֔וֹס וָאֹמַ֖ר אֲנָ֑ךְ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲדֹנָ֗י הִנְנִ֨י שָׂ֤ם אֲנָךְ֙ בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙ עַמִּ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹא־אוֹסִ֥יף ע֖וֹד עֲב֥וֹר לֽוֹ׃ And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?” “A plumb line,”dOr “pickax”; meaning of Heb. uncertain. I replied. And my Lord declared, “I am going to apply a plumb linedOr “pickax”; meaning of Heb. uncertain. to My people Israel; I will pardon them no more.
וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ בָּמ֣וֹת יִשְׂחָ֔ק וּמִקְדְּשֵׁ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ וְקַמְתִּ֛י עַל־בֵּ֥ית יָרׇבְעָ֖ם בֶּחָֽרֶב׃ {ס} The shrines of Isaac shall be laid waste, and the sanctuaries of Israel reduced to ruins; and I will turn upon the House of Jeroboam with the sword.”
וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח אֲמַצְיָה֙ כֹּהֵ֣ן בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל אֶל־יָרׇבְעָ֥ם מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר קָשַׁ֨ר עָלֶ֜יךָ עָמ֗וֹס בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹא־תוּכַ֣ל הָאָ֔רֶץ לְהָכִ֖יל אֶת־כׇּל־דְּבָרָֽיו׃ Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you within the House of Israel. The country cannot endure the things he is saying.
כִּי־כֹה֙ אָמַ֣ר עָמ֔וֹס בַּחֶ֖רֶב יָמ֣וּת יָרׇבְעָ֑ם וְיִ֨שְׂרָאֵ֔ל גָּלֹ֥ה יִגְלֶ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃ {ס} For Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall be exiled from its soil.’”
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲמַצְיָה֙ אֶל־עָמ֔וֹס חֹזֶ֕ה לֵ֥ךְ בְּרַח־לְךָ֖ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ יְהוּדָ֑ה וֶאֱכׇל־שָׁ֣ם לֶ֔חֶם וְשָׁ֖ם תִּנָּבֵֽא׃ Amaziah also said to Amos, “Seer, off with you to the land of Judah! eLit. “eat bread.”Earn your living-e there, and do your prophesying there.
וּבֵֽית־אֵ֔ל לֹא־תוֹסִ֥יף ע֖וֹד לְהִנָּבֵ֑א כִּ֤י מִקְדַּשׁ־מֶ֙לֶךְ֙ ה֔וּא וּבֵ֥ית מַמְלָכָ֖ה הֽוּא׃ But don’t ever prophesy again at Bethel; for it is a king’s sanctuary and a royal palace.”
וַיַּ֤עַן עָמוֹס֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־אֲמַצְיָ֔ה לֹא־נָבִ֣יא אָנֹ֔כִי וְלֹ֥א בֶן־נָבִ֖יא אָנֹ֑כִי כִּי־בוֹקֵ֥ר אָנֹ֖כִי וּבוֹלֵ֥ס שִׁקְמִֽים׃ Amos answered Amaziah: “I am not a prophet,fI.e., by profession. and I am not a prophet’s disciple. I am a cattle breedergMeaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “sheep breeder”; cf. the next verse and 1.1. and a tender of sycamore figs.
וַיִּקָּחֵ֣נִי יְהֹוָ֔ה מֵאַחֲרֵ֖י הַצֹּ֑אן וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלַי֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה לֵ֥ךְ הִנָּבֵ֖א אֶל־עַמִּ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ But the LORD took me away from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’
וְעַתָּ֖ה שְׁמַ֣ע דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה אַתָּ֣ה אֹמֵ֗ר לֹ֤א תִנָּבֵא֙ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְלֹ֥א תַטִּ֖יף עַל־בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂחָֽק׃ And so, hear the word of the LORD. You say I must not prophesy about the House of Israel or preach about the House of Isaac;
לָכֵ֞ן כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֗ה אִשְׁתְּךָ֞ בָּעִ֤יר תִּזְנֶה֙ וּבָנֶ֤יךָ וּבְנֹתֶ֙יךָ֙ בַּחֶ֣רֶב יִפֹּ֔לוּ וְאַדְמָתְךָ֖ בַּחֶ֣בֶל תְּחֻלָּ֑ק וְאַתָּ֗ה עַל־אֲדָמָ֤ה טְמֵאָה֙ תָּמ֔וּת וְיִ֨שְׂרָאֵ֔ל גָּלֹ֥ה יִגְלֶ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃ {פ}
but this, I swear, is what the LORD said: Your wife shall hEmendation yields “be ravished”; cf. Lam. 5.11.play the harlot-h in the town, your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided up with a measuring line. And you yourself shall die on unclean soil;iCf. Hos. 9.3 and note. for Israel shall be exiled from its soil.”
