Amos 3:1-11

New Living Translation

3 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt:

²“From among all the families on the earth,
I have been intimate with you alone.
That is why I must punish you
for all your sins.”

Witnesses against Guilty Israel

³Can two people walk together
    without agreeing on the direction?
⁴Does a lion ever roar in a thicket
    without first finding a victim?
Does a young lion growl in its den
    without first catching its prey?
⁵Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
    that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
    when there’s nothing to catch?
⁶When the ram’s horn blows a warning,
    shouldn’t the people be alarmed?
Does disaster come to a city
    unless the Lord has planned it?

⁷Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything
until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.

⁸The lion has roared—
    so who isn’t frightened?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
⁹Announce this to the leaders of Philistia^[a]
    and to the great ones of Egypt:
“Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria,
    and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel.”

¹⁰“My people have forgotten how to do right,”
    says the Lord.
“Their fortresses are filled with wealth
    taken by theft and violence.
¹¹Therefore,” says the Sovereign Lord,
    “an enemy is coming!
He will surround them and shatter their defenses.
    Then he will plunder all their fortresses.”