Passage
The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks.
Amos 4:2 (ASV)
Nearby Context
Amos 4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, that oppress the poor, that crush the needy, that say unto their lords, Bring, and let us drink.
Amos 4:2 The Lord Jehovah hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that they shall take you away with hooks, and your residue with fish-hooks.
Amos 4:3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every one straight before her; and ye shall cast [yourselves] into Harmon, saith Jehovah.
Amos 4:4 Come to Beth-el, and transgress; to Gilgal, [and] multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, [and] your tithes every three days;
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "lord", "jehovah", "hath", "sworn", "holiness", "days", "shall", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Hear this word ye kine of Bashan..." into verse 3's "And ye shall go out at the...", so "lord" and "jehovah" belong inside that flow. In Amos context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.