He reproveth the house of Israel of ingratitude. 11 For the which God will punish them.

Hear this word that the Lord pronounceth against you, O children of Israel, even against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,

You [a]only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit you for all your iniquities.

Can two walk together except they be [b]agreed?

Will a [c]lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? or will a lion’s whelp cry out of his den, if he hath taken nothing?

[d]Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no fowler is? or will he take up the [e]snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?

Or [f]shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people be not afraid? or shall there [g]be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he [h]revealeth his secret unto his servants the Prophets.

The lion hath roared: who will not be afraid? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but [i]prophesy?

Proclaim in the palaces at [j]Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria: so behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.

10 For they know not to do right, saith the Lord: they store up violence, and robbery [k]in their palaces.

11 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, An adversary shall come even round about the country, and shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled.

12 Thus saith the Lord, As the shepherd taketh [l]out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear: so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed: and in [m]Damascus, as in a couch.

13 Hear, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God, the God of hosts.

14 Surely in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be broken off, and fall to the ground.

15 And I will smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall be consumed, saith the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Amos 3:2 I have only chosen you to be mine among all other people, and yet you have forsaken me.
  2. Amos 3:3 Hereby the Prophet signifieth that he speaketh not of himself, but as God guideth and moveth him, which is called the agreement between God and his Prophets.
  3. Amos 3:4 Will God threaten by his Prophet, except there be some great occasion?
  4. Amos 3:5 Can anything come without God’s providence?
  5. Amos 3:5 Shall his threatenings be in vain?
  6. Amos 3:6 Shall the Prophets threaten God’s judgments and the people not be afraid?
  7. Amos 3:6 Doth any adversity come without God’s appointment? Isa. 45:7.
  8. Amos 3:7 God dealeth not with the Israelites, as he doeth with other people: for he ever warneth them before of his plagues by his Prophets.
  9. Amos 3:8 Because the people ever murmured against the Prophets, he showeth that God’s Spirit moved them so to speak as they did.
  10. Amos 3:9 He calleth the strangers, as the Philistines and Egyptians, to be witness of God’s judgments against the Israelites for their cruelty and oppression.
  11. Amos 3:10 The fruit of their cruelty and theft appeareth by their great riches, which they have in their houses.
  12. Amos 3:12 When the lion hath satiate his hunger, the shepherd findeth a leg or a rip of an ear, to show that the sheep have been worried.
  13. Amos 3:12 Where they thought to have had a sure hold, and to have been in safety.

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel

Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you(A)—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:(B)

“You only have I chosen(C)
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(D) you
    for all your sins.(E)

Do two walk together
    unless they have agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar(F) in the thicket
    when it has no prey?(G)
Does it growl in its den
    when it has caught nothing?
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
    when no bait(H) is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
    if it has not caught anything?
When a trumpet(I) sounds in a city,
    do not the people tremble?
When disaster(J) comes to a city,
    has not the Lord caused it?(K)

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan(L)
    to his servants the prophets.(M)

The lion(N) has roared(O)
    who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    who can but prophesy?(P)

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod(Q)
    and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;(R)
    see the great unrest within her
    and the oppression among her people.”

10 “They do not know how to do right,(S)” declares the Lord,
    “who store up in their fortresses(T)
    what they have plundered(U) and looted.”

11 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“An enemy will overrun your land,
    pull down your strongholds
    and plunder your fortresses.(V)

12 This is what the Lord says:

“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s(W) mouth
    only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
    with only the head of a bed
    and a piece of fabric[a] from a couch.[b](X)

13 “Hear this and testify(Y) against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

14 “On the day I punish(Z) Israel for her sins,
    I will destroy the altars of Bethel;(AA)
the horns(AB) of the altar will be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house(AC)
    along with the summer house;(AD)
the houses adorned with ivory(AE) will be destroyed
    and the mansions(AF) will be demolished,(AG)
declares the Lord.(AH)

Footnotes

  1. Amos 3:12 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  2. Amos 3:12 Or Israelites be rescued, / those who sit in Samaria / on the edge of their beds / and in Damascus on their couches.