(NLT)
Amos
3
:
1
Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel and Judah--against the entire family I rescued from Egypt:
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
2
"From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins."
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
3
Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
4
Does a lion ever roar in a thicket without first finding a victim? Does a young lion growl in its den without first catching its prey?
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Amos
3
:
5
Does a bird ever get caught in a trap that has no bait? Does a trap spring shut when there's nothing to catch?
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Amos
3
:
6
When the ram's horn blows a warning, shouldn't the people be alarmed? Does disaster come to a city unless the LORD has planned it?
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
7
Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
8
The lion has roared--so who isn't frightened? The Sovereign LORD has spoken--so who can refuse to proclaim his message?
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
9
Announce this to the leaders of Philistia and to the great ones of Egypt: "Take your seats now on the hills around Samaria, and witness the chaos and oppression in Israel."
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
10
"My people have forgotten how to do right," says the LORD. "Their fortresses are filled with wealth taken by theft and violence.
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Amos
3
:
11
Therefore," says the Sovereign LORD, "an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses."
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
12
This is what the LORD says: "A shepherd who tries to rescue a sheep from a lion's mouth will recover only two legs or a piece of an ear. So it will be for the Israelites in Samaria lying on luxurious beds, and for the people of Damascus reclining on couches.
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
13
"Now listen to this, and announce it throughout all Israel," says the Lord, the LORD God of Heaven's Armies.
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
14
"On the very day I punish Israel for its sins, I will destroy the pagan altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground.
(NLT)
Amos
3
:
15
And I will destroy the beautiful homes of the wealthy--their winter mansions and their summer houses, too--all their palaces filled with ivory," says the LORD.