Amos relates how he was called of God to be a prophet—He prophesies the captivity of Israel.

1 - Thus hath the Lord G OD 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.

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 G OD, forgive, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.

3 - The Lord repented for this: It shall not be, saith the L ORD.

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

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

6 - The Lord repented for this: This also shall not be, saith the Lord G OD.

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

8 - And the L ORD 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:

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.

10 - ¶ Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el 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.

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

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

15 - And the L ORD took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

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

17 - Therefore thus saith the L ORD ; 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.