GodsWord - Amos - 3

3:1  Listen to this message which I, the LORD, have spoken against you Israelites, against your whole family that I brought out of Egypt.

3:2  Out of all the families on earth, I have known no one else but you. That is why I am going to punish you for all your sins.

3:3  Do two people ever walk together without meeting first?

3:4  Does a lion roar in the forest if it has no prey? Does a young lion growl in its den unless it has caught something?

3:5  Does a bird land in a trap on the ground if there's no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has caught something?

3:6  If a ram's horn sounds an alarm in a city, won't the people be alarmed? If there is a disaster in a city, hasn't the LORD done it?

3:7  Certainly, the Almighty LORD doesn't do anything unless he first reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.

3:8  The lion has roared. Who isn't afraid? The Almighty LORD has spoken. Who can keep from prophesying?

3:9  Announce in the palaces of Ashdod and in the palaces of Egypt, "Gather together on the mountains of Samaria. See the widespread confusion and oppression in Samaria."

3:10  Those who collect profits in their palaces through violent and destructive acts don't know how to do what is right, declares the LORD.

3:11  This is what the Almighty LORD says: An enemy will surround your land, strip you of your defenses, and loot your palaces.

3:12  This is what the LORD says: As a shepherd rescues two legs or a piece of an ear out of a lion's mouth, so the Israelites living in Samaria will be rescued, having only a corner of a bed or a piece of a couch.

3:13  Listen, and testify against the descendants of Jacob, declares the Almighty LORD, the God of Armies.

3:14  On the day I punish Israel for its disobedience, I will also destroy the altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and will fall to the ground.

3:15  I will tear down winter houses as well as summer houses. Houses decorated with ivory will be destroyed. Mansions will be demolished, declares the LORD.