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.
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