Amós 3

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

1 *ch. 7:16;[ch. 2:10]Hear 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:

2 *Deut. 7:6;10:15;Ps. 147:19,20;[Hos. 5:3;13:5;Mic. 2:3] "You only have I known

of all the families of the earth;

*[Matt. 10:15;11:21,22;Luke 10:13,14;12:47;Rom. 2:9]therefore I will punish you

for all your iniquities.

3 "Do two walk together,

unless they have agreed to meet?

4 Does 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?

5 Does 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?

6 *Ezek. 33:4;See Joel 2:1Is a trumpet blown in a city,

and the people are not afraid?

*[Isa. 45:7;Lam. 3:38;Mic. 1:12]Does disaster come to a city,

unless the Lord has done it?

7 "For the Lord God does nothing

*Gen. 18:17;[Jer. 15:1]without revealing his secret

to his servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared;

who will not fear?

*[Num. 22:38]The Lord God has spoken;

who can but prophesy?"

9 Proclaim to the strongholds in *ch. 1:8Ashdod

and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,

and say, "Assemble yourselves on *ch. 4:1;6:1;[1 Kgs. 16:24] the mountains of Samaria,

and see the great tumults within her,

and *Ps. 94:5,6;103:6;See 1 Kgs. 21:1-16the oppressed in her midst."

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

*[ch. 6:3;Isa. 3:14,15]; See Mic. 6:10-12"those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

*[2 Kgs. 17:5,6]; See 2 Kgs. 18:9-12"An adversary shall surround the land

and bring down*3:11 Hebrew An adversary, one who surrounds the land—he shall bring down your defenses from you,

and *[Isa. 39:6]your strongholds shall be plundered."

12 Thus says the Lord: *[Ex. 22:13] "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, *See Jer. 31:8,9so shall the people of Israel *[ch. 6:4]who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part*3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain of a bed.

13 "Hear, *[Ps. 50:7;81:8] and testify against the house of Jacob,"

declares the Lord God, *ch. 4:13;Ps. 80:4,7,14the God of hosts,

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

*[Hos. 10:15]; See 1 Kgs. 13:1-3I will punish the altars of Bethel,

and *[2 Kgs. 23:15]the horns of the altar shall be cut off

and fall to the ground.

15 *[ch. 6:11] I will strike *Jer. 36:22the winter house along with *Judg. 3:20the summer house,

and *1 Kgs. 22:39;Ps. 45:8the houses of ivory shall perish,

and the great houses*3:15 Or and many houses shall come to an end,"

declares the Lord.