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Why Amos Must Prophesy

People of Israel, listen to this word that the Lord has spoken concerning you, concerning the entire family of clans that I brought up from the land of Egypt:

You alone have I chosen[a] from all the clans of the earth.
    Therefore I will inflict punishment on you for all your guilt.
Can two people walk together without agreeing to do so?
Does a lion roar in the forest if it does not have prey?
    Does a young lion growl from its den if it has not caught anything?
Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?
    Does a trap spring up from the ground when nothing has tripped it?
If a ram’s horn is sounded in a city, the people become alarmed, don’t they?
    If a disaster takes place in a city, is it not the Lord who has done it?
Certainly the Lord God does not do anything
        without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
A lion has roared! Who can avoid being terrified?
    The Lord God has spoken! Who can hold back from prophesying?

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 3:2 Literally known