Amos 3

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.