Amos 3–4

GOD’S REASONS FOR PUNISHING ISRAEL

3Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:^ak

²I have known only you^al

out of all the clans of the earth;

therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.^am

³Can two walk together^an

without agreeing to meet?

⁴Does a lion roar^ao in the forest

when it has no prey?

Does a young lion growl from its lair

unless it has captured something?

⁵Does a bird land in a trap on the ground

if there is no bait for it?

Does a trap spring from the ground

when it has caught nothing?

⁶If a trumpet^a is blown in a city,

aren’t people afraid?^b

If a disaster^c occurs in a city,

hasn’t the Lord done it?^d

⁷Indeed, the Lord God does nothing

without revealing his counsel

to his servants the prophets.^e

⁸A lion has roared;^f

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken;^g

who will not prophesy?^h

⁹Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdodⁱ

and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:

Assemble on the mountains of Samaria,^j

and see the great turmoil in the city

and the acts of oppression within it.^k

¹⁰The people are incapable of doing right^l—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

those who store up violence and destruction^m

in their citadels.

¹¹Therefore, the Lord God says:

An enemyⁿ will surround the land;

he will destroy^o your strongholds

and plunder your citadels.^p

¹²The Lord says:

As the shepherd snatches two legs

or a piece of an ear

from the lion’s mouth,^q

so the Israelites who live in Samaria

will be rescued

with only the corner of a bed^r

or the^A cushion^B of a couch.^Cs

¹³Listen and testify^t against the house of Jacob—

this is the declaration of the Lord God,

the God of Armies.

¹⁴I will punish the altars of Bethel^u

on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;

the horns of the altar^v will be cut off

and fall to the ground.^w

¹⁵I will demolish the winter house^x

and the summer house;^y

the houses inlaid with ivory^z will be destroyed,

and the great houses^aa will come to an end.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL CORRUPTION

4Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan^ab

who are on the hill of Samaria,

women who oppress the poor

and crush the needy,^ac

who say to their husbands,

“Bring us something to drink.”^ad

²The Lord God has sworn^ae by his holiness:^af

Look, the days are coming^D

when you will be taken away with hooks,^ag

every last one of you with fishhooks.^ah

³You will go through breaches in the wall,^ai

each woman straight ahead,

and you will be driven along toward Harmon.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁴Come to Bethel and rebel;

rebel even more at Gilgal!^aj

Bring your sacrifices every morning,^ak

your tenths every three days.

⁵Offer leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,^al

and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings,^am

for that is what you Israelites love to do!^an

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

GOD’S DISCIPLINE AND ISRAEL’S APOSTASY

⁶I gave you absolutely nothing to eat^Aao

in all your cities,

a shortage of food in all your communities,

yet you did not return to me.^ap

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁷I also withheld the rain from you^aq

while there were still three months until harvest.

I sent rain on one city

but no rain on another.^ar

One field received rain

while a field with no rain withered.^a

⁸Two or three cities staggered

to another city to drink water^b

but were not satisfied,^c

yet you did not return^d to me.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁹I struck you with blight and mildew;^e

the locust devoured^f

your many gardens and vineyards,

your fig trees and olive trees,^g

yet you did not return to me.^h

This is the Lord’s declaration.

¹⁰I sent plagues like those of Egypt;ⁱ

I killed your young men with the sword,^j

along with your captured horses.^k

I caused the stench of your camp

to fill your nostrils,^l

yet you did not return to me.^m

This is the Lord’s declaration.

¹¹I overthrew some of you

as I^B overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,ⁿ

and you were like a burning stick

snatched from a fire,^o

yet you did not return to me^p—

This is the Lord’s declaration.

¹²Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you,

and since I will do that to you,

Israel, prepare to meet your God!^q

¹³He is here:

the one who forms the mountains,^r

creates the wind,^s

and reveals his thoughts to man,^t

the one who makes the dawn out of darkness

and strides on the heights of the earth.^u

The Lord, the God of Armies, is his name.^v