[1] Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt: [2] I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. [3] Can two walk together without agreeing to meet? [4] 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? [5] 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? [6] 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? [7] Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets. [8] A lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who will not prophesy? [9] 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. [10] The people are incapable of doing right- this is the LORD's declaration- those who store up violence and destruction in their citadels. [11] Therefore, the Lord GOD says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels. [12] 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 cushion of a couch. [13] Listen and testify against the house of Jacob- this is the declaration of the Lord GOD, the God of Armies. [14] 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. [15] 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.
