¹⁴ Amos answered Amaziah, “I am^[a] not a prophet, nor am I a prophet’s son; but I am a shepherd, and a trimmer of sycamore trees. ¹⁵ But the Lord took me from shepherding the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

¹⁷ Human one, I’ve made you a lookout for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from me, deliver my warning. ¹⁸ If I declare that the wicked will die but you don’t warn them, if you say nothing to warn them from their wicked ways so that they might live, they will die because of their guilt, but I will hold you accountable for their deaths. ¹⁹ If you do warn the wicked and they don’t turn from their wickedness or their wicked ways, they will die because of their guilt, but you will save your life.

²⁰ Or suppose righteous people turn away from doing the right thing. If they act dishonestly, and I make them stumble because of it, they will die because you didn’t warn them of their sin. Their righteous deeds won’t be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their deaths. ²¹ But if you do warn the righteous not to sin, and they don’t sin, they will be declared righteous. Their lives will be preserved because they heeded the warning, and you will save your life.