Amos 3

1 Hear you this word, O house of Israel, which the Lord has spoken concerning you, and against the whole family whom I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying,

以色列子民! 你們應聽從上主關於你們，即 由埃及領出來的全體民族所說的話：「

2 You especially have I known out of all the families of the earth: therefore will I take vengeance upon you for all your sins.

由世界上一切種族中，我只選擇了你們，為此，我必懲罰你們的罪惡。

3 Shall two walk together at all, if they do not know one another?

二人除非預約，豈能同行。

4 Will a lion roar out of his thicket if he has no prey? will a [lion's] whelp utter his voice at all out of his lair, if he have taken nothing?

獅子若無獵物，豈能在林中咆哮﹖幼獅除非捕到食物，豈能在洞中吼叫﹖

5 Will a bird fall on the earth without a fowler? will a snare be taken up from the earth without having taken anything?

雀鳥若無餌食，豈能落在地上﹖機楹若無所獲，豈能由地上翻起﹖

6 Shall the trumpet sound in the city, and the people not be alarmed? shall there be evil in a city which the Lord has not wrought?

如在城中吹起號角，人民豈不恐怖﹖如城裏發生災禍，豈不是上主所為﹖

7 For the Lord God will do nothing, without revealing instruction to his servants the prophets.

的確，上主若不先將自己的計劃啟示給自己的先知，什麼也不作。

8 A lion shall roar, and who will not be alarmed? the Lord God has spoken, and who will not prophesy?

獅子咆哮了，誰不害怕﹖吾主上主發了言，誰能不傳衪的話﹖」

9 Proclaim it to the regions amongst the Assyrians, and to the regions of Egypt, and say, Gather yourselves to the mountain of Samaria, and behold many wonderful things in the midst of it, and the oppression that is in it.

他們要在亞述和埃及的宮殿高處宣布說：你們應聚集在撒馬黎雅山上，觀看那裏的混亂和其中的殘暴。

10 And she knew not what things would come against her, says the Lord, [even] those that store up wrong and misery in their countries.

他們不知行正直的事──上主的斷語──只知在宮殿內積累強暴和欺壓。

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God; O Tyre, your land shall be made desolate round about [you]; and he shall bring down your strength out of you, and your countries shall be spoiled.

為此，吾主上主這樣說：「敵人要圍困此地，推翻你的堡壘，搶掠你的宮殿。

12 Thus says the Lord; As when a shepherd rescues from the mouth of a lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall be drawn forth the children of Israel who dwell in Samaria in the presence of [a foreign] tribe, and in Damascus.

上主這樣說：牧人怎樣從樣由獅子口中搶救出兩條羊腿，或一塊羊耳，以色列子民，即在 撒馬利亞斜倚在安樂椅角上，或大馬士革榻上的人，也要怎樣被救出。

13 Hear, O you priests, and testify to the house of Jacob, says the Lord God Almighty.

你們靜聽，並對雅各伯家作証──吾主上主萬軍的天主的斷語──

14 For in the day wherein I shall take vengeance of the sins of Israel upon him, I will also take vengeance on the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be broken down, and they shall fall upon the ground.

在我懲罰以色列罪惡之日，我必毀壞貝特耳的祭壇，祭壇的角必被打落在地上。

15 I will crush and strike the turreted-house upon the summer-house; and the ivory-houses shall be destroyed, and many other houses also, says the Lord.

我要破壞過冬和過夏的別墅，象牙宮也必遭毀壞，高樓大廈也必蕩然無存」──上主的斷語。