NET Bible

Every Effect Has Its Cause

^3:1 Listen, you Israelites, to this message that the Lord is proclaiming against you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up from the land of Egypt:

^3:2 “I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.” ^3:3 Do two walk together without having met? ^3:4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something? ^3:5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait? Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something? ^3:6 If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a city, is the Lord not responsible? ^3:7 Certainly the Sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. ^3:8 A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The Sovereign Lord has spoken. Who can refuse to prophesy?

Samaria Will Fall

^3:9 Make this announcement in the fortresses of Ashdod and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt. Say this: “Gather on the hills around Samaria! Observe the many acts of violence taking place within the city, the oppressive deeds occurring in it.” ^3:10 “They do not know how to do what is right,” the Lord says. “They store up the spoils of destructive violence in their fortresses. ^3:11 Therefore,” says the Sovereign Lord, “an enemy will encircle the land. He will take away your power; your fortresses will be looted.”

^3:12 This is what the Lord says:

^3:12 “Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion’s mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be salvaged. They will be left with just a corner of a bed, and a part of a couch. ^3:13 Listen and warn the family of Jacob!” The Sovereign Lord, the God who commands armies, is speaking! ^3:14 “Certainly when I punish Israel for their covenant transgressions, I will destroy Bethel’s altars. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. ^3:15 I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. The houses filled with ivory will be ruined; the great houses will be swept away.” The Lord is speaking!