Witnesses against Israel

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

2“Only you have I knowna

from all the families of the earth;

therefore I will punish you

for all your iniquities.”

3Can two walk together

without agreeing where to go?b

4Does a lion roar in the forest

when he has no prey?

Does a young lion growl in his den

if he has caught nothing?

5Does a bird land in a snare

where no bait has been set?

Does a trap spring from the ground

when it has nothing to catch?

6If a ram’s horn sounds in a city,

do the people not tremble?

If calamity comes to a city,

has not the LORD caused it?

7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing

without revealing His plan

to His servants the prophets.

8The lion has roared—

who will not fear?

The Lord GOD has spoken—

who will not prophesy?

9Proclaim to the citadels of Ashdod

and to the citadels of Egypt:

“Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;

see the great unrest in the city

and the acts of oppression in her midst.”

10“For they know not how to do right,”

declares the LORD.

“They store up violence and destruction

in their citadels.”

11Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

“An enemyc will surround the land;

he will pull down your strongholds

and plunder your citadels.”

12This is what the LORD says:

“As the shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion

two legs or a piece of an ear,

so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be rescued

having just the corner of a bed

or the cushion of a couch.d

13Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,

declares the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts.

14On the day I punish Israel for their transgressions,

I will visit destruction on the altars of Bethel;

the horns of the altar will be cut off,

and they will fall to the ground.

15I will tear down the winter house

along with the summer house;

the houses of ivory will also perish,

and the great houses will come to an end,”

declares the LORD.