1. The Lord God showed me that he is going to send locusts to attack your crops. It will happen after the king has already been given his share of the grain and before the rest of the grain has been harvested.
2. In my vision the locusts ate every crop in the land, and I said to the Lord, “Forgive me for asking, but how can the nation survive? It's so weak.”
3. Then the Lord felt sorry and answered, “I won't let it be destroyed.”
4. The Lord showed me that he is going to send a ball of fire to burn up everything on earth, including the sea.
5. Then I said, “Won't you please stop? How can our weak nation survive?”
6. Again the Lord felt sorry and answered, “I won't let it be destroyed.”
7. The Lord showed me a vision of himself standing beside a wall and holding a string with a weight tied to the end of it. The string and weight had been used to measure the straightness of the wall.
8. Then he asked, “Amos, what do you see?”“A measuring line,” I answered.The Lord said, “I'm using this measuring line to show that my people Israel don't measure up, and I won't forgive them any more.
9. Their sacred places will be destroyed, and I will send war against the nation of King Jeroboam.”
10. Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is plotting against you in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his message for very long.
11. Here is what he is saying:‘Jeroboam will be put to death,and the people will be takento a foreign country.’ ”
12. Then Amaziah told me, “Amos, take your visions and get out! Go back to Judah and earn your living there as a prophet.
13. Don't do any more preaching at Bethel. The king worships here at our national temple.”
14. I answered:I'm not a prophet! And I wasn't trained to be a prophet. I am a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees.