What does the chapter actually say?
Identify the explicit claims before importing later doctrine or assumptions.
AMOS • CHAPTER 3
Amos 3
Economic injustice, religious hypocrisy, judgment on Israel and the nations, prophetic conflict, and restoration.
READ THE CHAPTER
Amos 3
WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE
The complete biblical text below is stored on this website.
You do not need to leave The Bible for Smart People to read it.
1
Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying:
2
“I have only chosen you of all the families of the earth.
Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins.”
Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins.”
3
Do two walk together,
unless they have agreed?
unless they have agreed?
4
Will a lion roar in the thicket,
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out of his den,
if he has caught nothing?
when he has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out of his den,
if he has caught nothing?
5
Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth,
where no snare is set for him?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when there is nothing to catch?
where no snare is set for him?
Does a snare spring up from the ground,
when there is nothing to catch?
6
Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city,
without the people being afraid?
Does evil happen to a city,
and Yahweh hasn’t done it?
without the people being afraid?
Does evil happen to a city,
and Yahweh hasn’t done it?
7
Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing,
unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
8
The lion has roared.
Who will not fear?
The Lord Yahweh has spoken.
Who can but prophesy?
Who will not fear?
The Lord Yahweh has spoken.
Who can but prophesy?
9
Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod,
and in the palaces in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
and see what unrest is in her,
and what oppression is among them.”
and in the palaces in the land of Egypt,
and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria,
and see what unrest is in her,
and what oppression is among them.”
10
“Indeed they don’t know to do right,” says Yahweh,
“Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces.”
“Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces.”
11
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says:
“An adversary will overrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds,
and your fortresses will be plundered.”
“An adversary will overrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds,
and your fortresses will be plundered.”
12
Yahweh says:
“As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs,
or a piece of an ear,
so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch,
and on the silken cushions of a bed.”
“As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs,
or a piece of an ear,
so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch,
and on the silken cushions of a bed.”
13
“Listen, and testify against the house of Jacob,” says the Lord Yahweh, the God of Armies.
14
“For in the day that I visit the transgressions of Israel on him,
I will also visit the altars of Bethel;
and the horns of the altar will be cut off,
and fall to the ground.
I will also visit the altars of Bethel;
and the horns of the altar will be cut off,
and fall to the ground.
15
I will strike the winter house with the summer house;
and the houses of ivory will perish,
and the great houses will have an end,” says Yahweh.
and the houses of ivory will perish,
and the great houses will have an end,” says Yahweh.
PROPHETIC
Where this chapter fits
Amos uses prophetic or apocalyptic language shaped by political crisis, judgment, hope, symbolic imagery, and expectations about God's action in history.
Chapter numbers were added long after the biblical books were written.
Read this chapter together with what comes immediately before and after it.
ANCIENT TEXT, MODERN QUESTIONS
Historical claims should be compared with historical evidence.
Scientific claims should be compared with science.
Moral claims should be examined morally.
Theological claims require theological and philosophical argument.
QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
Don't skip the hard parts.
What kind of literature is this?
Narrative, poetry, prophecy, law, letters, wisdom, and apocalypse communicate differently.
What historical evidence matters?
Ask whether names, places, institutions, events, customs, and chronology can be independently investigated.
What are the strongest competing interpretations?
Compare serious Jewish, Christian, academic, and skeptical readings rather than caricatures.
CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION
You've reached the member analysis.
You can keep reading every Bible chapter on this site for free.
Membership unlocks the deeper analysis, historical context, competing interpretations, perspectives, and conclusion.
WANT TO KEEP READING FOR FREE?
Continue to Amos 4
The complete biblical text of the next chapter is free to read.
You only need membership when you want the deeper analysis and side-by-side investigation.
READ NEXT CHAPTER FREEUNLOCK THE ANALYSIS
Already a member?
Sign in to continue →