Amos 3

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

3^jHear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

^2k“You only have I known

of all the families of the earth;

^ltherefore I will punish you

for all your iniquities.

³“Do two walk together,

unless they have agreed to meet?

⁴Does a lion roar in the forest,

when he has no prey?

Does a young lion cry out from his den,

if he has taken nothing?

⁵Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,

when there is no trap for it?

Does a snare spring up from the ground,

when it has taken nothing?

^6mIs a trumpet blown in a city,

and the people are not afraid?

ⁿDoes disaster come to a city,

unless the Lord has done it?

⁷“For the Lord God does nothing

^owithout revealing his secret

to his servants the prophets.

⁸The lion has roared;

who will not fear?

^pThe Lord God has spoken;

who can but prophesy?”

⁹Proclaim to the strongholds in ^qAshdod

and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,

and say, “Assemble yourselves on ^rthe mountains of Samaria,

and see the great tumults within her,

and ^sthe oppressed in her midst.”

¹⁰“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,

^t“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”

¹¹Therefore thus says the Lord God:

^u“An adversary shall surround the land

and bring down¹ your defenses from you,

and ^vyour strongholds shall be plundered.”

¹²Thus says the Lord: ^w“As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, ^xso shall the people of Israel ^ywho dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part² of a bed.

¹³“Hear, ^zand testify against the house of Jacob,”

declares the Lord God, ^athe God of hosts,

¹⁴“that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,

^bI will punish the altars of Bethel,

and ^cthe horns of the altar shall be cut off

and fall to the ground.

^15dI will strike ^ethe winter house along with ^fthe summer house,

and ^gthe houses of ivory shall perish,

and the great houses³ shall come to an end,”

declares the Lord.