Amo 3 | HCSB | STEP | Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites , against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt :

Amos 3

God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel

1 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? ^{▼▼LXX reads without meeting}
4 Does a lion roar ^f 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 ^g is blown in a city,
aren’t people afraid? ^h
If a disaster ⁱ occurs in a city,
hasn’t the Lord done it? ^j
7 Indeed, the Lord God does nothing
without revealing His counsel
to His servants the prophets. ^k
8 A lion has roared; ^l
who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken; ^m
who will not prophesy? ⁿ

9 Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod ^o
and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:
Assemble on the mountains of Samaria ^p
and see the great turmoil in the city
and the acts of oppression within it. ^q
10 The people are incapable of doing right ^r –
this is the Lord’s declaration –

those who store up violence and destruction ^s
in their citadels.

11 Therefore, the Lord God says:

An enemy ^t will surround the land;
he will destroy ^u your strongholds
and plunder your citadels. ^v

12 The Lord says:

As the shepherd snatches two legs
or a piece of an ear
from the lion’s mouth, ^w
so the Israelites who live in Samaria
will be rescued
with only the corner of a bed ^x
or the ^{▼▼Or Israelites will be rescued, those who sit in Samaria on a corner of a bed or a} cushion ^{▼▼Hb obscure} of a couch. ^{▼▼LXX, Aq, Sym, Theod, Syr, Tg, Vg read or in Damascus
,} ^ab

13 Listen and testify ^ac against the house of Jacob –
this is the declaration of the Lord God,

the God of ^{▼▼Hosts/hosts: Military forces consisting of God's angels, sometimes including the sun, moon, and stars, and occasionally, Israel}Hosts.

14 I will punish the altars of Bethel ^ae
on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;
the horns of the altar ^af will be cut off
and fall to the ground. ^ag
15 I will demolish the winter house ^ah
and the summer house; ^ai
the houses inlaid with ivory ^aj will be destroyed,
and the great houses ^ak will come to an end.

This is the Lord’s declaration.