1Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt:
2I have known only you out of all the clans of the earth; therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3Can two walk together without agreeing to meet?
4Does a lion roar in the forest when it has no prey? Does a young lion growl from its lair unless it has captured something ?
5Does 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?
6If 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?
7Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets.
8A lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who will not prophesy?
9Proclaim 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.
10The people are incapable of doing right--the LORD's declaration--those who store up violence and destruction in their citadels.
11Therefore, the Lord GOD says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels.
12The 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.
13Listen and testify against the house of Jacob--this is the declaration of the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts.
14I 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.
15I 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--the LORD's declaration.