1<\/sup>Listen to the word which the Lord has spoken about you, sons of Israel, concerning the whole family that I led out of the land of Egypt, saying:<\/span> <\/p>\n 2<\/sup>I have known only you in such a way, out of all the families of the earth. For this reason, I will visit upon you all your iniquities.<\/span> <\/p>\n 3<\/sup>Will two walk together, unless they have agreed to do so?<\/span> <\/p>\n 4<\/sup>Will a lion roar in the forest, unless he has prey? Will the lion’s young cry out from his den, unless he has taken something?<\/span> <\/p>\n 5<\/sup>Will a bird fall into a snare on the ground, if there is no bird-catcher? Will a snare be taken away from the ground, before it has caught something?<\/span> <\/p>\n 6<\/sup>Will the trumpet sound in a city, and the people not become frightened? Will there be disaster in a city, which the Lord has not done?<\/span> <\/p>\n 7<\/sup>For the Lord God does not fulfill his word, unless he has revealed his secret to his servants the prophets.<\/span> <\/p>\n 8<\/sup>The lion will roar, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken, who will not prophesy?<\/span> <\/p>\n 9<\/sup>Let it be heard in the buildings of Ashdod and in the buildings of the land of Egypt, and say: Gather together across the mountains of Samaria, and see the many absurdities in its midst, and those who are suffering false accusations in its inner most places.<\/span> <\/p>\n 10<\/sup>And they do not know how to make it right, says the Lord, storing up iniquity and plunder in their buildings.<\/span> <\/p>\n 11<\/sup>Because of these things, thus says the Lord God: The land will be encircled and squeezed together. And your strength will be drawn away from you, and your buildings will be torn apart.<\/span> <\/p>\n 12<\/sup>Thus says the Lord: Just as if a shepherd had rescued two legs from the mouth of a lion, or the tip of an ear, so also will the sons of Israel be rescued, who dwell in the sick bed of Samaria, and in the cot of Damascus.<\/span> <\/p>\n 13<\/sup>Listen and give testimony in the house of Jacob, says the Lord God of hosts:<\/span> <\/p>\n 14<\/sup>that in the day, when I will begin to visit the betrayals of Israel, I will visit upon him and upon the altars of Bethel. And the horns of the altars will be cut off and will fall to the ground.<\/span> <\/p>\n 15<\/sup>And I will strike the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and many buildings will be torn apart, says the Lord.<\/span> <\/p>\n