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: ^u

²I have known only you ^v

out of all the clans of the earth;

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

³Can two walk together ^x

without agreeing to meet? ^y

⁴Does a lion roar ^zin 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 ram’s horn ^ais blown in a city,

aren’t people afraid? ^b

If a disaster ^coccurs 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 Ashdod ⁱ

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 enemy ⁿwill surround the land;

he will destroy ^oyour 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 ^scushion ^tof a couch. ^uv

¹³Listen and testify ^wagainst the house of Jacob—

this is the declaration of the Lord God,

the God of Hosts.

¹⁴I will punish the altars of Bethel ^x

on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;

the horns of the altar ^ywill be cut off

and fall to the ground. ^z

¹⁵I will demolish the winter house ^a

and the summer house; ^b

the houses inlaid with ivory ^cwill be destroyed,

and the great houses ^dwill come to an end.

This is the Lord’s declaration.