The Bible

 

Amos 7

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1 These things the Lord God shewed to me: and behold the locust was formed in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter rain, and lo, it was the latter rain after the king's mowing.

2 And it came to pass, that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, I said: O Lord God, be merciful, I beseech thee: who shall raise up Jacob, for he is very little?

3 The Lord had pity upon this: It shall not be, said The Lord.

4 These things the Lord God shewed to me: and behold the Lord called for judgment unto fire, and it devoured the great deep, and ate up a part at the same time.

5 And I said: O Lord God, cease, I beseech thee, who shall raise up Jacob, for he is a little one?

6 The Lord had pity upon this. Yea this also shall not be, said The Lord God.

7 These things the Lord shewed to me: and behold the Lord was standing upon a plastered wall, and in his hand a mason's trowel.

8 And the Lord said to me: What seest thou, Amos? And I said: A mason's trowel. And the Lord said: Behold, I will lay down the trowel in the midst of my people Israel. I will plaster them over no more.

9 And the high places of the idol shall be thrown down, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste: and I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

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

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

12 And Amasias said to Amos: Thou seer, go, flee away into the land of Juda: and eat bread there, and prophesy there.

13 But prophesy not again any more in Bethel: because it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom.

14 And Amos answered and said to Amasias: I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet: but I am a herdsman plucking wild figs.

15 And the Lord took me when I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

16 And now hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, thou shalt not prophesy against Israel, and thou shalt not drop thy word upon the house of the idol.

17 Therefore thus saith the Lord: Thy wife shall play the harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be measured by a line: and thou shalt die in a polluted land, and Israel shall go into captivity out of their land.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms #207

  
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207. Internal Meaning of Amos, Chapter 7

1 The church grew from externals to externals. (3)

2-6 When externals were lost, there was a restoration. (3)

7-9 When inmosts were reached, all things were destroyed, because they were contrary to God, (3, 1)

10-13 and contrary to all things of doctrine; (3)

14-16 so that there was no longer any doctrine. (3)

17 The church with all things pertaining to it will perish. (3)

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Amos 7

Study

   

1 Thus the Lord Yahweh showed me: and behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and behold, it was the latter growth after the king's harvest.

2 It happened that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, "Lord Yahweh, forgive, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small."

3 Yahweh relented concerning this. "It shall not be," says Yahweh.

4 Thus the Lord Yahweh showed me and behold, the Lord Yahweh called for judgment by fire; and it dried up the great deep, and would have devoured the land.

5 Then I said, "Lord Yahweh, stop, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small."

6 Yahweh relented concerning this. "This also shall not be," says the Lord Yahweh.

7 Thus he showed me and behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.

8 Yahweh said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more.

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

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

11 For Amos says, 'Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.'"

12 Amaziah also said to Amos, "You seer, go, flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

13 but don't prophesy again any more at Bethel; for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house!"

14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdsman, and a farmer of sycamore figs;

15 and Yahweh took me from following the flock, and Yahweh said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'

16 Now therefore listen to the word of Yahweh: 'You say, Don't prophesy against Israel, and don't preach against the house of Isaac.'

17 Therefore thus says Yahweh: 'Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided by line; and you yourself shall die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.'"