word of the
Lord: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word
against the house of Isaac: therefore thus saith the Lord: 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
thyself shalt die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be
led away captive out of his land."*

* Amos vii. 9-17.

This prophecy, first expanded, and then written down with a purity of
diction and loftiness of thought which prove Amos to have been a master
of literary art,* was widely circulated, and gradually gained authority
as portents indicative of the divine wrath began to accumulate, such as
an earthquake which occurred two years after the incident at Bethel,* an
eclipse of the sun, drought, famine, and pestilence.*** It foretold,
in the first place, the downfall of all the surrounding
countries--Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and Judah; then,
denouncing Israel itself, condemned it to the same penalties for the
same iniquities. In vain did the latter plead its privileges as the
chosen people of Jahveh, and seek to atone for its guilt by endless
sacrifices. "I hate, I despise your feasts," declared Jahveh, "and I
will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer Me
your burnt offerings and meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither
will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away
from Me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy
viols. But let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as a
mighty stream."****

* S. Jerome describes Amos as "rusticus" and "imperitus
sermone," but modern writers are generally agreed that in
putting forward this view he was influenced by the statement
as to the peasant origin of the prophet.

** Amos i. 1; reference is made to it by the unknown prophet
whose words are preserved in Zech. xiv. 5.

*** The famine is mentioned in Amos iv. 6, the drought in
Amos iv. 7, 8, the pestilence in Amos iv. 10.

**** Amos v. 21-24.

The unfaithfulness of Israel, the corruption of its cities, the pride of
its nobles, had sealed its doom; even at that moment the avenger was at
hand on its north-eastern border, the Assyrian appointed to carry out
sentence upon it.* Then follow visions, each one of which tends
to deepen the effect of the seer's words--a cloud of locusts,**