God’s Reasons for Punishing Israel
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 —
this is 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 Armies.
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.
This is the Lord’s declaration.