A paraphrasticall explication of the twelve minor prophets. Viz. Hoseah. Joel. Amos. Obadiah. Jonah. Micah. Nahum. Habakkuk. Zephaniah. Haggai. Zechariah. Malachi. / By Da. Stokes. D.D.

CHAP. VII.

1 THus hath the Lord God shewed unto me, and behold, he formed grashoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth: and lo, it was the latter growth af∣ter the Kings mowings.

2 And it came to passe that when they had made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said; O Lord God, forgive I be∣seech thee, by whom shall Iacob arise? for he is small.

3 The Lord repented for this. It shall not be, saith the Lord.

4 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me, and behold, the Lord God called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.

5 Then said I, O Lord, cease, I bseeech thee, by whom shall Iacob arise? for he is small.

6 The Lord repented for this. This also shall not be, saith the Lord God.

7 Thus he shewed me, and behold, The Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand.

8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumb-line. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel, I will not again passe by them any more.

9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the Sanctuaries of Is∣rael shall be laid wast: and I will rise against the house of Ieroboum with the sword.

10 Then Amaziah the Priest of Beth-el sent to

Ieroboam King of Israel, saying; Amos hath conspi∣red against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his word.

11 For thus Amos saith, Ieroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive, out of their own land.

12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou Seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Iudah, and there eat bread, and pro∣phesie there.

13 But prophesie not a∣gain any more at Bethel: for it is the Kings chap∣pel, and it is the kings court.

14 Then answered A∣mos, and said to Amaziah, I was no Prophet, neither was I a prophets son, but I was an herdsman, and a gatherer of Sycomore fruit.

15 And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesie unto my peo∣ple Israel.

16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord, Thou sayest, Prophesie not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.

17 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 shalt die in a polluted land, and Israel shall surely go into captivi∣ty forth of his land.