Amos 3-4
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?
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[a] cushion[b] of a couch.[c](X)
13 Listen and testify(Y) against the house of Jacob—
this is the declaration of the Lord God,
the God of Armies.
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.
Social and Spiritual Corruption
4 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan(AG)
who are on the hill of Samaria,
women who oppress the poor
and crush the needy,(AH)
who say to their husbands,
“Bring us something to drink.”(AI)
2 The Lord God has sworn(AJ) by his holiness:(AK)
Look, the days are coming[d]
when you will be taken away with hooks,(AL)
every last one of you with fishhooks.(AM)
3 You will go through breaches in the wall,(AN)
each woman straight ahead,
and you will be driven along toward Harmon.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
4 Come to Bethel and rebel;
rebel even more at Gilgal!(AO)
Bring your sacrifices every morning,(AP)
your tenths every three days.
5 Offer leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,(AQ)
and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings,(AR)
for that is what you Israelites love to do!(AS)
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
God’s Discipline and Israel’s Apostasy
6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat[e](AT) in all your cities,
a shortage of food in all your communities,
yet you did not return to me.(AU)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
7 I also withheld the rain from you(AV)
while there were still three months until harvest.
I sent rain on one city
but no rain on another.(AW)
One field received rain
while a field with no rain withered.(AX)
8 Two or three cities staggered
to another city to drink water(AY)
but were not satisfied,(AZ)
yet you did not return(BA) to me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
9 I struck you with blight and mildew;(BB)
the locust devoured(BC)
your many gardens and vineyards,
your fig trees and olive trees,(BD)
yet you did not return to me.(BE)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
10 I sent plagues like those of Egypt;(BF)
I killed your young men with the sword,(BG)
along with your captured horses.(BH)
I caused the stench of your camp
to fill your nostrils,(BI)
yet you did not return to me.(BJ)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
11 I overthrew some of you
as I[f] overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,(BK)
and you were like a burning stick
snatched from a fire,(BL)
yet you did not return to me(BM)—
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you,
and since I will do that to you,
Israel, prepare to meet your God!(BN)
13 He is here:
the one who forms the mountains,(BO)
creates the wind,(BP)
and reveals his thoughts to man,(BQ)
the one who makes the dawn out of darkness
and strides on the heights of the earth.(BR)
The Lord, the God of Armies, is his name.(BS)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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