Amos 3

God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel

1Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:[#Am 2:10]

2I have known only you[#Ex 19:5-6; Dt 4:32-37]

out of all the clans of the earth;

therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.

3Can two walk together[#Lv 26:23-24]

without agreeing to meet?

4Does a lion roar in the forest[#Ps 104:21; Hs 5:14; 11:10]

when it has no prey?

Does a young lion growl from its lair

unless it has captured something?

5Does 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?

6If a ram’s horn is blown in a city,[#Jr 4:5,19,21; 6:1; Hs 5:8; Zph 1:16]

aren’t people afraid?

If a disaster occurs in a city,

hasn’t the Lord done it?

7Indeed, the Lord God does nothing

without revealing His counsel

to His servants the prophets.

8A lion has roared;[#Am 1:2]

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken;

who will not prophesy?

9Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod[#1Sm 5:1; Am 1:8]

and on the citadels in the land of Egypt:

Assemble on the mountains of Samaria

and see the great turmoil in the city

and the acts of oppression within it.

10The people are incapable of doing right —[#Ps 14:4; Jr 4:22; Am 5:7; 6:12]

this is the Lord ’s declaration —

those who store up violence and destruction

in their citadels.

11Therefore, the Lord God says:

An enemy will surround the land;

he will destroy your strongholds

and plunder your citadels.

12The Lord says:

As the shepherd snatches two legs

or a piece of an ear

from the lion’s mouth,

so the Israelites who live in Samaria

will be rescued

with only the corner of a bed

or the cushion of a couch.

13Listen and testify against the house of Jacob —[#Ezk 2:7]

this is the declaration of the Lord God ,

the God of Hosts.

14I will punish the altars of Bethel[#Hs 10:5-8,14-15; Am 4:4; 5:5-6; 7:10,13]

on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;

the horns of the altar will be cut off

and fall to the ground.

15I will demolish the winter house[#Jr 36:22]

and the summer house;

the houses inlaid with ivory will be destroyed,

and the great houses will come to an end.

This is the Lord ’s declaration.

© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Published by: LifeWay Christian Resources