Amos 3

1 Listen to the word which the Lord has spoken about you, sons of Israel, concerning the whole family that I led out of the land of Egypt, saying:

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,

2 I have known only you in such a way, out of all the families of the earth. For this reason, I will visit upon you all your iniquities.

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

3 Will two walk together, unless they have agreed to do so?

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

4 Will a lion roar in the forest, unless he has prey? Will the lion’s young cry out from his den, unless he has taken something?

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?

5 Will a bird fall into a snare on the ground, if there is no bird-catcher? Will a snare be taken away from the ground, before it has caught something?

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

6 Will the trumpet sound in a city, and the people not become frightened? Will there be disaster in a city, which the Lord has not done?

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?

7 For the Lord God does not fulfill his word, unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the prophets.

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

8 The lion will roar, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken, who will not prophesy?

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

9 Let it be heard in the buildings of Ashdod and in the buildings of the land of Egypt, and say: Gather together across the mountains of Samaria, and see the many absurdities in its midst, and those who are suffering false accusations in its inner most places.

Proclaim it to the regions among 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.

10 And they do not know how to make it right, says the Lord, storing up iniquity and plunder in their buildings.

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

11 Because of these things, thus says the Lord God: The land will be encircled and squeezed together. And your strength will be drawn away from you, and your buildings will be torn apart.

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.

12 Thus says the Lord: Just as if a shepherd had rescued two legs from the mouth of a lion, or the tip of an ear, so also will the sons of Israel be rescued, who dwell in the sick bed of Samaria, and in the cot of Damascus.

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.

13 Listen and give testimony in the house of Jacob, says the Lord God of hosts:

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

14 that in the day, when I will begin to visit the betrayals of Israel, I will visit upon him and upon the altars of Bethel. And the horns of the altars will be cut off and will fall to the ground.

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.

15 And I will strike the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and many buildings will be torn apart, says the Lord.

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.