Amos 3

God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel

¹Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt: ^a

²I have known only you ^b

out of all the clans of the earth;

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

³Can two walk together ^d

without agreeing to meet?

⁴Does a lion roar ^e 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 ram’s horn ^f is blown in a city,

aren’t people afraid? ^g

If a disaster ^h occurs in a city,

hasn’t the Lord done it? ⁱ

⁷Indeed, the Lord God does nothing

without revealing his counsel

to his servants the prophets. ^j

⁸A lion has roared; ^k

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken; ^l

who will not prophesy? ^m

⁹Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod ⁿ

and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:

Assemble on the mountains of Samaria, ^o

and see the great turmoil in the city

and the acts of oppression within it. ^p

¹⁰The people are incapable of doing right ^q —

this is the Lord’s declaration —

those who store up violence and destruction ^r

in their citadels.

¹¹Therefore, the Lord God says:

An enemy ^s will surround the land;

he will destroy ^t your strongholds

and plunder your citadels. ^u

¹²The Lord says:

As the shepherd snatches two legs

or a piece of an ear

from the lion’s mouth, ^v

so the Israelites who live in Samaria

will be rescued

with only the corner of a bed ^w

or the ^x cushion ^y of a couch. ^z,^aa

¹³Listen and testify ^ab against the house of Jacob —

this is the declaration of the Lord God,

the God of Armies.

¹⁴I will punish the altars of Bethel ^ac

on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;

the horns of the altar ^ad will be cut off

and fall to the ground. ^ae

¹⁵I will demolish the winter house ^af

and the summer house; ^ag

the houses inlaid with ivory ^ah will be destroyed,

and the great houses ^ai will come to an end.

This is the Lord’s declaration.