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Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel—against the entire family I rescued from Egypt:

“From among all the families on the earth,
    I have been intimate with you alone.
That is why I must punish you
    for all your sins.”

Witnesses against Guilty Israel

Can two people walk together
    without agreeing on the direction?
Does a lion ever roar in a thicket
    without first finding a victim?
Does a young lion growl in its den
    without first catching its prey?
Does a bird ever get caught in a trap
    that has no bait?
Does a trap spring shut
    when there’s nothing to catch?
When the ram’s horn blows a warning,
    shouldn’t the people be alarmed?
Does disaster come to a city
    unless the Lord has planned it?

Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything
    until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.

The lion has roared—
    so who isn’t frightened?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
    so who can refuse to proclaim his message?

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Israel’s Guilt and Punishment

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] “You only have I chosen[b] of all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. Do two walk together unless they have met? 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? 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? 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? Surely my Lord does not do anything unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? My Lord Yahweh has spoken, who will not prophesy?

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Footnotes

  1. Amos 3:1 Hebrew “Egypt, saying”
  2. Amos 3:2 Literally “known”
  3. Amos 3:4 Literally “and there is no prey to him”