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Amos 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Amos 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
III. Threefold Summons to Hear the Word of the Lord
Chapter 3
First Summons
1 Hear this word, Israelites, that the Lord speaks concerning you,
concerning the whole family I brought up from the land of Egypt:
2 You alone I have known,[a]
among all the families of the earth;(A)
Therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.
3 [b]Do two journey together
unless they have agreed?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest
when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
unless it has seized something?
5 Does a bird swoop down on a trap on the ground
when there is no lure for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
without catching anything?
6 Does the ram’s horn sound in a city
without the people becoming frightened?
Does disaster befall a city
unless the Lord has caused it?(B)
7 (Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.)
8 The lion has roared,
who would not fear?(C)
The Lord God has spoken,
who would not prophesy?
9 Proclaim this in the strongholds of Assyria,[c]
in the strongholds of the land of Egypt:
“Gather on the mount of Samaria,
and see the great disorders within it,
the oppressions within its midst.”[d]
10 They do not know how to do what is right—
oracle of the Lord—
Storing up in their strongholds
violence and destruction.
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
An enemy shall surround the land,
tear down your fortresses,
and pillage your strongholds.
12 Thus says the Lord:
As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion
a pair of sheep’s legs or the tip of an ear,
So shall the Israelites escape,
those who dwell in Samaria,
With the corner of a couch
or a piece of a cot.[e]
13 Hear and bear witness against the house of Jacob—
an oracle of the Lord God, the God of hosts:
14 On the day when I punish Israel for its crimes,
I will also punish the altars of Bethel;
The horns of the altar shall be broken off
and fall to the ground.[f](D)
15 I will strike the winter house
and the summer house;
The houses of ivory shall lie in ruin,
and their many rooms shall be no more—
oracle of the Lord.
Footnotes
- 3:2 You alone I have known: precisely because Israel enjoyed a special status among the nations of the world in the eyes of the Lord (but see 9:7) it was called to a high degree of fidelity to God. Because Israel has failed in this expectation, it must experience God’s punishment.
- 3:3–8 The metaphors in these sayings illustrate the principle of cause and effect, and lead up to the conclusion in v. 8.
- 3:9 Assyria: following the Greek version, the Hebrew text has “Ashod.” It is supposed that this was a copyist’s error: “Assyria” seems intended, in order to parallel “Egypt” in the next line.
- 3:9 With a keen sense of irony, Amos invites the most powerful oppressors in Israel’s memory, past and present—Egypt and Assyria—to see and marvel at the great oppression and injustice being wrought within Samaria by the people of Israel.
- 3:12 The “escape” is clearly a disaster, not a deliverance.
- 3:14 On Bethel, see also 4:4; 5:5–6; and 7:13. The prophet is condemning the religiosity and formalism of the worship by Israel’s leaders.
Amos 3
English Standard Version
Amos 3
English Standard Version
Israel's Guilt and Punishment
3 (A)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:
2 (B)“You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
(C)therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.
3 “Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
4 Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
5 Does a bird fall in 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?
6 (D)Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
(E)Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?
7 “For the Lord God does nothing
(F)without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
(G)The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?”
9 Proclaim to the strongholds in (H)Ashdod
and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on (I)the mountains of Samaria,
and see the great tumults within her,
and (J)the oppressed in her midst.”
10 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
(K)“those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.”
11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
(L)“An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down[a] your defenses from you,
and (M)your strongholds shall be plundered.”
12 Thus says the Lord: (N)“As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, (O)so shall the people of Israel (P)who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part[b] of a bed.
13 “Hear, (Q)and testify against the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord God, (R)the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
(S)I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and (T)the horns of the altar shall be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 (U)I will strike (V)the winter house along with (W)the summer house,
and (X)the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses[c] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.
Amos 3
Expanded Bible
Amos 3
Expanded Bible
Warning to Israel
3 Listen to this word that the Lord has spoken against you, ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel, against the whole family he brought out of Egypt.
2 “I have ·chosen [known; C selected for a special relationship] only you
out of all the families of the earth,
so I will punish you
for all your sins.”
3 ·Two people will not [L Can two…?] walk together
unless they have agreed ·to do so [or to meet; or on the direction].
4 ·A lion in the forest does not [L Does a lion in the forest…?] roar
unless it has caught ·an animal [L its prey];
·it does not [L does a young lion…?] growl in its den
when it has caught nothing.
5 ·A bird will not [L Does a bird…?] fall into a trap
where there is no bait;
·the trap will not [L does the trap…?] spring shut
if there is nothing to catch.
6 When a trumpet ·blows a warning [L sounds] in a city,
[L do not…?] the people tremble.
When ·trouble [disaster] comes to a city,
·the Lord has [L has not the Lord…?] caused it.
7 Before the Lord God does anything,
he tells his plans to his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared [C a symbol of coming judgment]!
Who wouldn’t be afraid?
The Lord God has spoken.
Who will not prophesy?
9 Announce this to the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of Ashdod [C a city in Philistia]
and to the ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] of Egypt:
“·Come to [Assemble yourselves on] the mountains of Samaria,
where you will see great ·confusion [chaos; tumult]
and ·people hurting others [oppression in her midst].”
10 “The people don’t know how to do what is right,” says the Lord.
“Their ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces] are filled with ·treasures they took by force from others [the spoils of violence and robbery].”
11 So this is what the Lord God says:
“An enemy will ·take over [overrun; or encircle] the land
and pull down your strongholds;
he will ·take the treasures out of [plunder] your ·strong buildings [fortresses; palaces].”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“A shepherd might save from a lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a scrap of an ear of his sheep.
In the same way only a few Israelites in Samaria will be saved—
·people who now sit on their beds
and on their couches [or only a corner of a bed or a part of a couch will be saved].”
13 “Listen and ·be witnesses [testify] against the family of Jacob [C Israel],” says the Lord God, the God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
14 “·When [L On the day] I punish Israel for their sins,
I will also destroy the altars at Bethel [C an important worship center in Israel; 1 Kin. 12:25–33].
The ·corners [L horns] of the altar will be cut off,
and they will fall to the ground.
15 I will tear down the winter house,
together with the summer house.
The houses ·decorated with [or filled with; L of] ivory will be destroyed,
and the great houses will ·come to an end [or be swept away],” says the Lord.
Amos 3
New International Version
Amos 3
New International Version
Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
3 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)
2 “You only have I chosen(C)
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish(D) you
for all your sins.(E)”
3 Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
4 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?
5 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?
6 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)
7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan(L)
to his servants the prophets.(M)
8 The lion(N) has roared(O)—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?(P)
9 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)
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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Expanded Bible (EXB)
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