Amos 3

Chapter 3

All the Tribes Are Guilty

¹Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire ^1afamily which ²He brought up from the land of Egypt:

²“^aYou only have I ¹chosen among all the families of the earth;

Therefore I will ^2bpunish you for all your iniquities.”

³Do two men walk together unless they have made an ¹appointment?

⁴Does a ^alion roar in the forest when he has no prey?

Does a young lion ¹growl from his den unless he has captured something?

⁵Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no ¹bait in it?

Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all?

⁶If a ^atrumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble?

If a ^bcalamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?

⁷¹Surely the Lord ²God does nothing

Unless He ^areveals His secret counsel

To His servants the prophets.

⁸A ^alion has roared! Who will not fear?

The ^bLord ¹God has spoken! ^cWho can but prophesy?

⁹Proclaim on the citadels in ^aAshdod and on the citadels in the land of Egypt and say, “Assemble yourselves on the ^bmountains of Samaria and see the great tumults within her and the ^coppressions in her midst.

¹⁰“But they ^ado not know how to do what is right,” declares the Lord, “these who ^bhoard up ¹violence and devastation in their citadels.”

¹¹Therefore, thus says the Lord God,

“An ^aenemy, even one surrounding the land,

Will pull down your ¹strength from you

And your ^bcitadels will be looted.”

¹²Thus says the Lord,

“Just as the shepherd ^1asnatches from the lion’s mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear,

So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be ²snatched away—

With the ^bcorner of a bed and the ^3ccover of a couch!

¹³“Hear and ^atestify against the house of Jacob,”

Declares the Lord God, the God of hosts.

¹⁴“For on the day that I punish Israel’s transgressions,

I will also punish the altars of ^aBethel;

The horns of the altar will be cut off

And they will fall to the ground.

¹⁵“I will also smite the ^1awinter house together with the ^bsummer house;

The houses of ^2civory will also perish

And the ^dgreat houses will come to an end,”

Declares the Lord.