Amos, Chapters 6-9

Chapter 6

A cheery little chapter about how god is going to smite everyone. In particular, the rich, people who like viol music, people who invent new instruments, and people who live in palaces in the city of Jacob, which I think might mean Jerusalem.

Chapter 7

For once, god actually puts a plan into action. First, he sends locusts, but the Jacobites repent, so he calls them off. Then he sets a fire, but again they apologise and he stops.

Then suddenly god is in front of Amos on a wall, holding a plumb line, which is a wall-building doohickey. He tells Amos he's tired of this repent-sin-repent bullshit and he's not going to halt his next attack, which will be against the house of Jeroboam.

Jeroboam gets wind that Amos is prophesying against him. Amos denies he's a prophet, and insists he was just tending his flock in the field one day when god started telling him about how all of Israel is going to hell in a handcart.

Chapter 8

Now god has a basket of summer fruit, which somehow represents the end. How he intends to do it has nothing to do with the fruit, he's going to kill them through fire, flooding, drought and famine.

Chapter 9

God is going to kill us with swords, and anyone who tries to escape will be chased down, even if he has to send a serpent to the bottom of the sea. Then he'll rebuild David's temple and return the Israelites to their homes.