1 The Sovereign Lord showed me a vision. I saw him preparing to send a vast swarm of locusts over the land. This was after the king’s share had been harvested from the fields and as the main crop was coming up.
2
In my vision the locusts ate every green plant in sight. Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord , please forgive us or we will not survive, for Israel 1 is so small.”
3
So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.
4 Then the Sovereign Lord showed me another vision. I saw him preparing to punish his people with a great fire. The fire had burned up the depths of the sea and was devouring the entire land.
5
Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord , please stop or we will not survive, for Israel is so small.”
6
Then the Lord relented from this plan, too. “I will not do that either,” said the Sovereign Lord .
7 Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight.
8
And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I answered, “A plumb line.”
And the Lord replied, “I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.
9
The pagan shrines of your ancestors 2 will be ruined, and the temples of Israel will be destroyed; I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to a sudden end.”