Amos 3:1-15 - Israel's Guilt And Punishment

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

² I have known only you
out of all the clans of the earth;
therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.
³ Can two walk together
without agreeing to meet?
⁴ Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion growl from its lair
unless it has captured something?
⁵ Does 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?
⁶ If a ram’s horn is blown in a city,
aren’t people afraid?
If a disaster occurs in a city,
hasn’t the Lord done it?
⁷ Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing His counsel
to His servants the prophets.
⁸ A lion has roared;
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
who will not prophesy?

⁹ Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod
and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:
Assemble on the mountains of Samaria
and see the great turmoil in the city
and the acts of oppression within it.
¹⁰ The people are incapable of doing right—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
those who store up violence and destruction
in their citadels.

¹¹ Therefore, the Lord God says:

An enemy will surround the land;
he will destroy your strongholds
and plunder your citadels.

¹² The Lord says:

As the shepherd snatches two legs
or a piece of an ear
from the lion’s mouth,
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will be rescued
with only the corner of a bed
or the cushion of a couch.

¹³ Listen and testify against the house of Jacob—
this is the declaration of the Lord God,
the God of Hosts.
¹⁴ I will punish the altars of Bethel
on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;
the horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
¹⁵ I will demolish the winter house
and the summer house;
the houses inlaid with ivory will be destroyed,
and the great houses will come to an end.
This is the Lord’s declaration.