Amos 3 :: Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

I have known only you

out of all the clans of the earth;

therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Can two walk together

without agreeing to meet?

Does a lion roar in the forest

when it has no prey?

Does a young lion growl from its lair

unless it has captured something?

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?

If a ram’s horn is blown in a city,

aren’t people afraid?

If a disaster occurs in a city,

hasn’t the LORD done it?

Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing

without revealing his counsel

to his servants the prophets.

A lion has roared;

who will not fear?

The Lord GOD has spoken;

who will not prophesy?

Proclaim on the citadels in Ashdod

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.

The people are incapable of doing right —

this is the LORD’s declaration —

those who store up violence and destruction

in their citadels.

Therefore, the Lord GOD says:

An enemy will surround the land;

he will destroy your strongholds

and plunder your citadels.

The 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[fn] cushion[fn] of a couch.[fn]

Listen and testify against the house of Jacob —

this is the declaration of the Lord GOD,

the God of Armies.

I will punish the altars of Bethel

on the day I punish Israel for its crimes;

the horns of the altar will be cut off

and fall to the ground.

I will demolish the winter house

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.