Amos 3

1Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

2You alone have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

3Do two walk together unless they have agreed to meet?

4Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl from its den unless it has caught something?

5Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait for it? Does a trap spring up from the ground when it has caught nothing?

6If a ram’s horn is blown in a city, do the people not tremble? If disaster comes to a city, has Yahweh not done it?

7Surely Lord Yahweh does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

8The lion has roared—who will not fear? Lord Yahweh has spoken—who will not prophesy?

9Proclaim to the fortresses in Ashdod and to the fortresses in the land of Egypt: Gather on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great turmoil within it and the oppression in its midst.

10They do not know how to do what is right, declares Yahweh, those who store up violence and destruction in their fortresses.

11Therefore this is what Lord Yahweh says: An enemy will surround the land. He will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be plundered.

12This is what Yahweh says: As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth two legs or a piece of an ear, so the people of Israel who live in Samaria will be rescued, with only the corner of a bed and part of a couch.

13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob, declares Lord Yahweh, the God of Armies.

14On the day I punish Israel for its transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.

15I will strike down the winter house along with the summer house. The houses adorned with ivory will perish, and the great houses will come to an end, declares Yahweh.