Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

3 Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against youj—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:k

2 “You only have I chosenl

of all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punishm you

for all your sins.n”

3 Do two walk together

unless they have agreed to do so?

4 Does a lion roaro in the thicket

when it has no prey?p

Does it growl in its den

when it has caught nothing?

5 Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground

when no baitq is there?

Does a trap spring up from the ground

if it has not caught anything?

6 When a trumpetr sounds in a city,

do not the people tremble?

When disasters comes to a city,

has not the Lord caused it?t

7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing

without revealing his planu

to his servants the prophets.v

8 The lionw has roaredx—

who will not fear?

The Sovereign Lord has spoken—

who can but prophesy?y

9 Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdodz

and to the fortresses of Egypt:

“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;a

see the great unrest within her

and the oppression among her people.”

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

“who store up in their fortressesc

what they have plunderedd and looted.”

11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,

pull down your strongholds

and plunder your fortresses.e”

12 This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’sf mouth

only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,

so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,

with only the head of a bed

and a piece of fabrica from a couch.b g”

13 “Hear this and testifyh against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

14 “On the day I punishi Israel for her sins,

I will destroy the altars of Bethel;j

the hornsk of the altar will be cut off

and fall to the ground.

15 I will tear down the winter housel

along with the summer house;m

the houses adorned with ivoryn will be destroyed

and the mansionso will be demolished,p”

declares the Lord.q

Israel Has Not Returned to God

4 Hear this word, you cows of Bashanr on Mount Samaria,s

you women who oppress the poort and crush the needyu

and say to your husbands,v “Bring us some drinks!w”

2 The Sovereign Lord has sworn by his holiness:

“The timex will surely come

when you will be taken awayy with hooks,z

the last of you with fishhooks.a

3 You will each go straight out

through breaches in the wall,a

and you will be cast out toward Harmon,b”

declares the Lord.

4 “Go to Bethelb and sin;

go to Gilgalc and sin yet more.

Bring your sacrifices every morning,d

your tithese every three years.c f

5 Burn leavened breadg as a thank offering

and brag about your freewill offeringsh—

boast about them, you Israelites,

for this is what you love to do,”

declares the Sovereign Lord.

6 “I gave you empty stomachs in every city

and lack of bread in every town,

yet you have not returned to me,”

declares the Lord.i

7 “I also withheldj rain from you

when the harvest was still three months away.

I sent rain on one town,

but withheld it from another.k

One field had rain;

another had none and dried up.

8 People staggered from town to town for waterl

but did not get enoughm to drink,

yet you have not returnedn to me,”

declares the Lord.o

9 “Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards,

destroying them with blight and mildew.p

Locustsq devoured your fig and olive trees,r

yet you have not returneds to me,”

declares the Lord.

10 “I sent plaguest among you

as I did to Egypt.u

I killed your young menv with the sword,

along with your captured horses.

I filled your nostrils with the stenchw of your camps,

yet you have not returned to me,”x

declares the Lord.y

11 “I overthrew some of you

as I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.z

You were like a burning sticka snatched from the fire,

yet you have not returned to me,”

declares the Lord.b

12 “Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,

and because I will do this to you, Israel,

prepare to meet your God.”

13 He who forms the mountains,c

who creates the wind,d

and who reveals his thoughtse to mankind,

who turns dawn to darkness,

and treads on the heights of the earthf—

the Lord God Almighty is his name.g