A Vision of Locusts
1 I had a vision from the Sovereign Lord. In it I saw him create a swarm of locusts just after the king's share of the hay had been cut and the grass was starting to grow again. 2 In my vision I saw the locusts eat up every green thing in the land, and then I said, “Sovereign Lord, forgive your people! How can they survive? They are so small and weak!”
3 The Lord changed his mind and said, “What you saw will not take place.”
A Vision of Fire
4 I had another vision from the Sovereign Lord. In it I saw him preparing to punish his people with fire. The fire burned up the great ocean under the earth and started to burn up the land. 5 Then I said, “Stop, O Sovereign Lord! How can your people survive? They are so small and weak!”
6 The Lord changed his mind again and said, “This will not take place either.”
A Vision of a Plumb Line
7 I had another vision from the Lord. In it I saw him standing beside a wall that had been built with the use of a plumb line, and there was a plumb line in his hand. 8 He asked me, “Amos, what do you see?”
“A plumb line,” I answered.
Then he said, “I am using it to show that my people are like a wall that is out of line. I will not change my mind again about punishing them. 9 The places where Isaac's descendants worship will be destroyed. The holy places of Israel will be left in ruins. I will bring the dynasty of King Jeroboam to an end.”
Amos and Amaziah
10 Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent a report to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is plotting against you among the people. His speeches will destroy the country. 11 This is what he says: ‘Jeroboam will die in battle, and the people of Israel will be taken away from their land into exile.’”
12 Amaziah then said to Amos, “That's enough, prophet! Go on back to Judah and do your preaching there. Let them pay you for it. 13 Don't prophesy here at Bethel any more. This is the king's place of worship, the national temple.”
14 Amos answered, “I am not the kind of prophet who prophesies for pay. I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees. 15 But the Lord took me from my work as a shepherd and ordered me to come and prophesy to his people Israel. 16 So now listen to what the Lord says. You tell me to stop prophesying, to stop raving against the people of Israel. 17 And so, Amaziah, the Lord says to you, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your children will be killed in war. Your land will be divided up and given to others, and you yourself will die in a heathen country. And the people of Israel will certainly be taken away from their own land into exile.’”
Amosi unolakidziwa phashu
1 Eyi ndiyo mbono yandakalakidziwa ndi She Yahwe. Shule kwa mambo asinomwayigwa bushwa mu tjibaka tjegothinila, ndakabona Yahwe be thama phashu. 2 Mu mbono yangu ndakabona phashu idzedzi dzija tjimwe ne tjimwe mu shango tje mmbala we bgwelele, ngono dzikati dzopedzaja ndakati, “She Yahwe ndomukumbila zwiibhatigweni bathu benyu, dumbu banowotjila tjini wali? Batukununu kwazo abana matatabuko.”
3 Ipapo Yahwe bakashandula nkumbulo wabo, bakabe beti, “Akutjowoshingikala.”
Amosi unolakidziwa moto
4 Eyi ndiyo mbono yandakalakidziwa ndi She Yahwe: Ndakabona She Yahwe bezwilulwamisila kusumikilisa nge moto, ngono moto ukawomesa vula dzimukatikati, ukabuya ukaja shango. 5 Ipapo abe nditi, “She Yahwe tjimisani ikoku, ndomukumbila. Dumbu bathu benyu banowotjila tjini wali? Batukununu kwazo abana matatabuko.”
6 Ipapo Yahwe bakashandula nkumbulo wabo muna ikoku, bakabe beti, “Na ikokubo akutjowoshingikala,” koleba Yahwe.
Amosi unolakidziwa nsungwana
7 Eyi ndiyo mbono yandakalakidziwa ndi She Yahwe: Ndakabona She bakabhata nsungwana unoshingisiwa kutambunudza guma bali mile kubapa ne guma lakati libakiwa likatambunudziwa ne nsungwana. 8 Ngono Yahwe bakandibhuzwa beti, “Amosi unobonani?”
Ashandula nditi, “Nsungwana unoshingisiwa kutambunudza.”
Ipapo Yahwe bakabe beti, “Bona, ndolonga nsungwana unoshingisiwa kunotambunudza pakati kwe bathu bangu Baiziraela, kulakidza kuti abazotambunuka ndizo anditoshandula nkumbulo wangu kubasumikilisa. 9 Magalo apezhugwi e kunamata a Isaki anowokolomodziwa ne magalo akayengemala e Iziraela anowobe matongo. Ndowobhayana na Mambo Jeroboamu nge thumo langu.”
Amosi na Amaziya
10 Ipapo Amaziya mpirisiti we Bhetele kayisa mahwi kuna Jeroboamu mambo we Iziraela eti, “Amosi unolanganila kuliga bushe gugo mu Iziraela. Shango aingadzikitadzile matama awe. 11 Amosi unolebeleka eti, ‘Jeroboamu unowofa nge thumo, nge malebeswa Iziraela unowotapigwa kule ne shango iye.’ ”
12 Amaziya kadwa Amosi kati, “Iwe mboni, tizhila ku shango ye Juda, uwane zojiwako ne dama le Ndzimu ulisumikileko. 13 Usibe utjalebesambeli mu Bhetele ngoti bugalo gwakayengemala gwa mambo ne ng'umba iye ye kunamata ye mbuso uwe.”
14 Amosi kashandula Amaziya eti, “Imi andite ndili nlebesambeli, kene nkololo we nlebesambeli, koga ndi nlisi ne nlimi we mipaya. 15 Koga Yahwe bakanditola ndakalisa zwithuwo, bakandidwa bakati, ‘Yenda unolebesambeli ku bathu bangu Baiziraela.’ 16 Koga ngwenu unohwa dama la Yahwe ngono ube uti, ‘Usitongolebesambeli ngekwe Iziraela kakale misa kusumikila kusakanaka ngekwe ng'umba ya Isaki.’ 17 Ngono tjinoleba Yahwe etji, ‘Nkadzi uwo unowobe fukula mu nzi nkulu, bakololo ne bakololokadzi babo ibo banowobulawa nge thumo. Nnda uwo unowolizanyidziwa ukathubugwanyiwa, ngono iwe unowofila mu shango yakatemapala. Baiziraela nge malebeswa banowotapigwa kule ne shango yabo.’ ”