Israel's Guilt and Punishment

Amos 3

1 j Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

2 k "You only have I known
of all the families of the earth;
l therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities.

3 "Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed to meet?
 4 Does a lion roar in the forest,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from his den,
if he has taken nothing?
 5 Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth,
when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when it has taken nothing?
 6 m Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
n Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?

7 "For the Lord God does nothing
o without revealing his secret
to his servants the prophets.
 8 The lion has roared;
who will not fear?
p The Lord God has spoken;
who can but prophesy?"

9 Proclaim to the strongholds in q Ashdod
and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt,
and say, "Assemble yourselves on r the mountains of Samaria,
and see the great tumults within her,
and s the oppressed in her midst."
 10 "They do not know how to do right," declares the Lord,
t "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."

11 Therefore thus says the Lord God:
u "An adversary shall surround the land
and bring down 1 your defenses from you,
and v your strongholds shall be plundered."

12 Thus says the Lord: w "As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, x so shall the people of Israel y who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part 2 of a bed.

13 "Hear, z and testify against the house of Jacob,"
declares the Lord God, a the God of hosts,
 14 "that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
b I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and c the horns of the altar shall be cut off
and fall to the ground.
 15 d I will strike e the winter house along with f the summer house,
and g the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses 3 shall come to an end,"
declares the Lord.

Amos 4

1 "Hear this word, h you cows of Bashan,
who are i on the mountain of Samaria,
j who oppress the poor, j who crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, 'Bring, that we may drink!'
 2 k The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
l when they shall take you away with hooks,
l even the last of you with fishhooks.
 3 m And you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead;
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,"
declares the Lord.

4 n "Come to Bethel, and transgress;
to o Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
n bring your p sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days;
 5 offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of q that which is leavened,
and proclaim r freewill offerings, publish them;
s for so you love to do, O people of Israel!"
declares the Lord God.

  1. Cross References
    Amos 7:16
    Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. "You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.
    Amos 2:10
    Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.
  2. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:6
    For you are a people holy to the Lord your God....
    Deuteronomy 10:15
    Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fath...
    Psalms 147:19 - 20
    He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and...
    Hosea 5:3
    I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from m...
    Hosea 13:5
    It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the...
    Micah 2:3
    Therefore thus says the Lord : behold, against ...
  3. Cross References
    Matthew 10:15
    Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
    Matthew 11:21 - 22
    Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
    Luke 10:13 - 14
    Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
    Luke 12:47
    And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating.
    Romans 2:9
    There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek.
  4. Cross References
    Ezekiel 33:4
    Then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
    Joel 2:1
    Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 45:7
    I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.
    Lamentations 3:38
    Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?
    Micah 1:12
    For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good, because disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.
  6. Cross References
    Genesis 18:17
    The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do.
    Jeremiah 15:1
    Then the Lord said to me, "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!
  7. Cross References
    Numbers 22:38
    Balaam said to Balak, "Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.
  8. Cross References
    Amos 1:8
    I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish," says the Lord God.
  9. Cross References
    Amos 4:1
    "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, 'Bring, that we may drink!'
    Amos 6:1
    Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!
    1 Kings 16:24
    He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.
  10. Cross References
    Psalms 94:5 - 6
    They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage.
    Psalms 103:6
    The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
    1 Kings 21:1 - 16
    Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
  11. Cross References
    Amos 6:3
    O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence?
    Isaiah 3:14 - 15
    The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: "It is you who have devoured the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
    Micah 6:10 - 12
    Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed?
  12. Cross References
    2 Kings 17:5 - 6
    Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.
    2 Kings 18:9 - 12
    In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 39:6
    Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.
  14. Cross References
    Exodus 22:13
    If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
  15. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:8 - 9
    Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
  16. Cross References
    Amos 6:4
    Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall.
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 50:7
    Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
    Psalms 81:8
    Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
  18. Cross References
    Amos 4:13
    For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth - the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!
    Psalms 80:4
    O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
    Psalms 80:7
    Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
    Psalms 80:14
    Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine.
  19. Cross References
    Hosea 10:15
    Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.
    1 Kings 13:1 - 3
    And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings.
  20. Cross References
    2 Kings 23:15
    Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah.
  21. Cross References
    Amos 6:11
    For behold, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits.
  22. Cross References
    Jeremiah 36:22
    It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him.
  23. Cross References
    Judges 3:20
    And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat.
  24. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:39
    Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
    Psalms 45:8
    Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad.
  25. Cross References
    Psalms 22:12
    Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me.
  26. Cross References
    Amos 3:9
    Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst.
    Amos 6:1
    Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes!
  27. Cross References
    Hosea 5:11
    Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.
  28. Cross References
    Hosea 5:11
    Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.
  29. Cross References
    Psalms 89:35
    Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.
  30. Cross References
    Jeremiah 16:16
    Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
    Habakkuk 1:15
    He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.
    2 Kings 19:28
    Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.
  31. Cross References
    Jeremiah 16:16
    Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
    Habakkuk 1:15
    He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.
    2 Kings 19:28
    Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.
  32. Cross References
    Ezekiel 12:5
    In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it.
    Ezekiel 12:12
    And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder at dusk, and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes.
  33. Cross References
    Amos 5:5
    But do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
    Ezekiel 20:39
    As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God : Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
    Matthew 23:32
    Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
  34. Cross References
    Amos 5:5
    But do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
    Ezekiel 20:39
    As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God : Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.
    Matthew 23:32
    Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
  35. Cross References
    Amos 5:5
    But do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.
    Hosea 4:15
    Though you play the whore, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty. Enter not into Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-aven, and swear not, "As the Lord lives.
    Hosea 9:15
    Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels.
    Hosea 12:11
    If there is iniquity in Gilead, they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls; their altars also are like stone heaps on the furrows of the field.
  36. Cross References
    Numbers 28:3 - 4
    And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the Lord : two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering.
    Jeremiah 7:21
    Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.
  37. Cross References
    Leviticus 7:13
    With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread.
  38. Cross References
    Exodus 35:29
    All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
    Leviticus 22:18
    Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord.
    Leviticus 22:21
    And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.
    Deuteronomy 12:6
    And there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
  39. Cross References
    Psalms 81:11 - 12
    But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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