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1Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the Lord is proclaiming against you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up from the land of Egypt:[#tn Or “about.”; #tn One might expect a third person verb form (“he brought up”), since the Lord apparently refers to himself in the third person in the preceding sentence. This first person form, however, serves to connect this message to the earlier indictment (2:10) and anticipates the words of the following verse.]
2“I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”[#tn Heb “You only have I known.” The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’) is used here in its covenantal sense of “recognize in a special way.”]
3Do two walk together without having met?[#sn The rhetorical questions in vv. 3-5 expect the answer, “No, of course not!” Those in v. 6 anticipate the answer, “Yes, of course they do/he is.” They all draw attention to the principle of cause and effect and lay the logical foundation for the argument in vv. 7-8. Also note the progression from a general question in v. 3 to the “meetings” of two animals (v. 4), to that of an animal and a human trap (v. 5), to a climax with the confrontation with the Lord (v. 6). Each of these meetings is disastrous.]
4Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey?[#tn Heb “without having prey [or “food”].”]
Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?
5Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?
Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?
6If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear?[#tn Heb “If the ram’s horn is blown.”; #tn Or “tremble” (NASB, NIV, NCV); or “shake.”]
If disaster overtakes a city, is the Lord not responsible?
7Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
8A lion has roared! Who is not afraid?[#sn The roar of the lion is here a metaphor for impending judgment (see 1:2; cf. 3:4, 12). Verses 7-8 justify Amos’ prophetic ministry and message of warning and judgment. The people should expect a prophetic message prior to divine action.]
The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy?
9Make this announcement in the fortresses of Ashdod[#tn Heb “on” or “over” (also later in this verse).]
and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt.
Say this:
“Gather on the hills around Samaria!
Observe the many acts of violence taking place within the city,
the oppressive deeds occurring in it.”
10“They do not know how to do what is right.” (The Lord is speaking.)
“They store up the spoils of destructive violence in their fortresses.
11Therefore,” says the sovereign Lord , “an enemy will encircle the land.[#tc The MT reads “an enemy and around the land.” It is also possible to take the MT as an exclamation (“an enemy, and all about the land!”; see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 118; NJPS; cf. NLT).Most scholars and versions emend the text to יְסוֹבֵב (yÿsovev, Polel imperfect), “will encircle.”]
He will take away your power;
your fortresses will be looted.”
12This is what the Lord says:
“Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion’s mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be salvaged.
They will be left with just a corner of a bed,
and a part of a couch.”
13Listen and warn the family of Jacob![#tn Or “testify against.”; #tn Heb “house.”; #tn These words are spoken to either the unidentified heralds addressed at the beginning of v. 9, or to the Egyptians and Philistines (see v. 9b). Another possibility is that one is not to look for a specific addressee but rather appreciate the command simply as a rhetorical device to grab the attention of the listeners and readers of the prophetic message.]
The sovereign Lord , the God who commands armies, is speaking!
14“Certainly when I punish Israel for their covenant transgressions,[#tn Heb “in the day.”; #tn Heb “his.” With the referent “Israel” here, this amounts to a collective singular.; #tn Traditionally, “transgressions, sins,” but see the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3.]
I will destroy Bethel’s altars.
The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
15I will destroy both the winter and summer houses.[#tn Heb “the winter house along with the summer house.”sn Like kings, many in Israel’s wealthy class owned both winter and summer houses (cf. 1 Kgs 21:1,18; Jer 36:22). For a discussion of archaeological evidence relating to these structures, see P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 64-65.]
The houses filled with ivory will be ruined,
the great houses will be swept away.”
The Lord is speaking!