Amos 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel
3 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:(A)
2 I have known only you(B)
out of all the clans of the earth;
therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.(C)
3 Can two walk together(D)
without agreeing to meet?[a]
4 Does a lion roar(E) 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(F) is blown in a city,
aren’t people afraid?(G)
If a disaster(H) occurs in a city,
hasn’t the Lord done it?(I)
7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing His counsel
to His servants the prophets.(J)
8 A lion has roared;(K)
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;(L)
who will not prophesy?(M)
9 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod(N)
and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:
Assemble on the mountains of Samaria(O)
and see the great turmoil in the city
and the acts of oppression within it.(P)
10 The people are incapable of doing right(Q)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
those who store up violence and destruction(R)
in their citadels.
11 Therefore, the Lord God says:
12 The Lord says:
As the shepherd snatches two legs
or a piece of an ear
from the lion’s mouth,(V)
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will be rescued
with only the corner of a bed(W)
or the[b] cushion[c] of a couch.[d](X)
13 Listen and testify(Y) 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(Z)
on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;
the horns of the altar(AA) will be cut off
and fall to the ground.(AB)
15 I will demolish the winter house(AC)
and the summer house;(AD)
the houses inlaid with ivory(AE) will be destroyed,
and the great houses(AF) will come to an end.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Amos 3
Lexham English Bible
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
3 Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole clan that I brought up from the land of Egypt:[a] 2 “You only have I chosen[b] of all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. 3 Do two walk together unless they have met? 4 Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey?[c] Does a fierce, young lion cry out from his den unless he has caught something? 5 Does a bird fall into a trapping net on the earth when there is no snare for it? Does a trapping net spring up from the ground unless it has certainly caught something? 6 Or is a horn blown in a city and people are not afraid? Or does a disaster occur in the city and Yahweh has not done it? 7 Surely my Lord does not do anything unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? My Lord Yahweh has spoken, who will not prophesy? 9 Proclaim to the citadel fortresses in Ashdod and the citadel fortresses in the land of Egypt and say: “Gather on the mountains of Samaria and see the great panic in her midst and the oppression in her midst!” 10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares Yahweh,[d] “those who store up violence and destruction in their citadel fortresses.” 11 Therefore, thus says my Lord Yahweh, “A foe shall surround the land and bring down your strongholds, and your citadel fortresses shall be plundered.” 12 Thus says Yahweh, “Just as the shepherd rescues two legs or a piece of an ear from the mouth of the lion, so shall the people[e] of Israel who dwell in Samaria, with the corner of a couch and the damask of a bed.” 13 “Listen and testify against the house of Jacob,” declares[f] my Lord Yahweh, the God of hosts. 14 “For on the day I punish Israel for its transgression,[g] I will also punish the altars of Bethel and the horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. 15 I will ruin the winter house as well as the summer house, and the houses of ivory will perish and the great houses shall come to an end,” declares[h] Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Amos 3:1 Hebrew “Egypt, saying”
- Amos 3:2 Literally “known”
- Amos 3:4 Literally “and there is no prey to him”
- Amos 3:10 Literally “the declaration of Yahweh”
- Amos 3:12 Literally “children”
- Amos 3:13 Literally “a declaration of”
- Amos 3:14 Literally “the transgression of Israel upon it”
- Amos 3:15 Literally “a declaration of”
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