Amos 3

Witnesses Against Israel

1 Hear this word the LORD spoken against you, people of Israel, against the whole family I brought up from Egypt.

2 “Out of all the families on earth, you are the only one I chose. That is why I am going to punish you for all your sins.”

3 Do two people walk together if they not in agreement,

4 Does a lion roar in the forest if it got no prey, Does a young lion cry out from its den if it did not catch something,

5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground if there is no snare, Does a trap snap shut if it caught nothing,

6 When a trumpet blows in a city, do not the people get scared, When disaster hits a city, did not the LORD allow it,

7 The LORD God does not do anything without revealing His plans to His servants the prophets.

8 The lion has roared, who would not be afraid, The LORD God has spoken, who can keep quiet,

Israel’s Guilt Exposed

9 Announce this in the strongholds of Ashdod and in the strongholds of Egypt. Say, “Gather around the hills of Samaria and see the chaos inside her, see the oppression going on in her.”

10 They do not know how to do right, says the LORD. They store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.

11 So this is what the LORD God says: “An enemy will surround the land, pull down your defenses, and loot your strongholds.”

12 This is what the LORD says: “Like a shepherd rescues two legs or a piece of an ear from a lion’s mouth, that is all that will be left of the people of Israel who live in Samaria, just fragments of couches and pieces of beds.”

Judgment on the Houses of Israel

13 Hear this and testify against the house of Jacob, says the LORD God, the God of armies.

14 “On the day I punish Israel for their sins, I will also tear down the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.

15 I will tear down the winter house along with the summer house. The ivory houses will be destroyed, and the big fancy houses will come to an end,” says the LORD.