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Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying:

“I have only chosen you of all the families of the earth.
    Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins.”
Do two walk together,
    unless they have agreed?
Will a lion roar in the thicket,
    when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out of his den,
    if he has caught nothing?
Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth,
    where no snare is set for him?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
    when there is nothing to catch?
Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city,
    without the people being afraid?
Does evil happen to a city,
    and Yahweh hasn’t done it?
Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing,
    unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
The lion has roared.
    Who will not fear?
The Lord Yahweh has spoken.
    Who can but prophesy?
Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod,
    and in the palaces in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
    and see what unrest is in her,
    and what oppression is among them.”
10 “Indeed they don’t know to do right,” says Yahweh,
    “Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces.”

11 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says:

“An adversary will overrun the land;
    and he will pull down your strongholds,
    and your fortresses will be plundered.”

12 Yahweh says:

“As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs,
    or a piece of an ear,
    so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch,
    and on the silken cushions of a bed.”

13 “Listen, and testify against the house of Jacob,” says the Lord Yahweh, the God of Armies.

14 “For in the day that I visit the transgressions of Israel on him,
    I will also visit the altars of Bethel;
    and the horns of the altar will be cut off,
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will strike the winter house with the summer house;
    and the houses of ivory will perish,
    and the great houses will have an end,”

says Yahweh.

Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

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

You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.(B)

Do two walk together
    unless they have made an appointment?(C)
Does a lion roar in the forest
    when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
    if it has caught nothing?(D)
Does a bird fall into a snare on the earth
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
    when it has taken nothing?
Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster befall a city
    unless the Lord has done it?(E)
Surely the Lord God does nothing
    without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.(F)
The lion has roared;
    who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken;
    who can but prophesy?(G)

Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod
    and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on Mount[a] Samaria,
    and see what great tumults are within it
    and what oppressions are in its midst.”(H)
10 They do not know how to do right, says the Lord,
    those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.(I)
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
An adversary shall surround the land
    and strip you of your defense,
    and your strongholds shall be plundered.(J)

12 Thus says the Lord: As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who live in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part[b] of a bed.(K)

13 Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,
    says the Lord God, the God of hosts:(L)
14 On the day I punish Israel for its transgressions,
    I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and the horns of the altar shall be cut off
    and fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house as well as the summer house,
    and the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses[c] shall come to an end,
            says the Lord.(M)

Footnotes

  1. 3.9 Gk Syr: Heb the mountains of
  2. 3.12 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 3.15 Or many houses