Authority of the Prophet’s Message
1 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying:
2 "You(Gen. 18:19; Ex. 19:5, 6; Deut. 7:6; Ps. 147:19) only have I known of all the families of the earth;
Jer. 14:10; Ezek. 20:36; Dan. 9:12; Matt. 11:22; (Rom. 2:9)Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey?
Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing?
5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it?
Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all?
6 If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
Is. 45:7If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?
7 Surely the Lord God does nothing,
Unless Gen. 6:13; 18:17; (Jer. 23:22); Dan. 9:22; (John 15:15)He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
8 A lion has roared!
Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken!
Jer. 20:9; (Mic. 3:8); Acts 4:20; 1 Cor. 9:16Who can but prophesy?
Punishment of Israel’s Sins
9 "Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod,
And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say:
‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
See great tumults in her midst,
And the oppressed within her.
10 For they Ps. 14:4; Jer. 4:22; Amos 5:7; 6:12do not know to do right,’
Says the Lord,
‘Who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.’ "
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
"An adversary shallbe all around the land;
He shall sap your strength from you,
And your palaces shall be plundered."
12 Thus says the Lord:
"As a shepherd takes from the mouth of a lion
Two legs or a piece of an ear,
So shall the children of Israel be taken out
Who dwell in Samaria—
In the corner of a bed and on the edge of a couch!
13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,"
Says the Lord God, the God of hosts,
14 "That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,
I will also visit destruction on the altars of 2 Kin. 23:15; Hos. 10:5–8, 14, 15; Amos 4:4Bethel;
And the horns of the altar shall be cut off
And fall to the ground.
15 I will destroy Jer. 36:22the winter house along with Judg. 3:20the summer house;
The 1 Kin. 22:39; Ps. 45:8houses of ivory shall perish,
And the great houses shall have an end,"
Says the Lord.