| Holman Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1Listen to this message that the LORD has spoken against you, Israelites, against the entire clan that I brought from the land of Egypt: | 1Listen, you Israelites, to this message which the LORD is proclaiming against you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up 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. | 2"I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins." |
| 3Can two walk together without agreeing to meet? | 3Do two walk together without having met? |
| 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? | 4Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught 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? | 5Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait? Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something? |
| 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? | 6If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a city, is the LORD not responsible? |
| 7Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets. | 7Certainly the sovereign LORD does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. |
| 8A lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who will not prophesy? | 8A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The sovereign LORD has spoken! Who can refuse to 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. | 9Make this announcement in the fortresses of Ashdod and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt. Say this: "Gather on the hills around Samaria! Observe the many acts of violence taking place within the city, the oppressive deeds occurring in it." |
| 10The people are incapable of doing right-- this is the LORD's declaration-- those who store up violence and destruction in their citadels. | 10"They do not know how to do what is right." (The LORD is speaking.) "They store up the spoils of destructive violence in their fortresses. |
| 11Therefore, the Lord GOD says: An enemy will surround the land; he will destroy your strongholds and plunder your citadels. | 11Therefore," says the sovereign LORD, "an enemy will encircle the land. He will take away your power; your fortresses will be looted." |
| 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. | 12This is what the LORD says: "Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion's mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be salvaged. They will be left with just a corner of a bed, and a part of a couch." |
| 13Listen and testify against the house of Jacob-- this is the declaration of the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts. | 13Listen and warn the family of Jacob! The sovereign LORD, the God who commands armies, is speaking! |
| 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. | 14"Certainly when I punish Israel for their covenant transgressions, I will destroy Bethel's altars. 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. | 15I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. The houses filled with ivory will be ruined, the great houses will be swept away." The LORD is speaking! |
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