Amos 3:12 (GNV)

Passage

Thus saieth the Lord, As the shephearde taketh out of the mouth of the lyon two legges, or a piece of an eare: so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus, as in a couche.

Nearby Context

Amos 3:10 For they knowe not to doe right, sayth the Lord: they store vp violence, and robbery in their palaces.

Amos 3:11 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, An aduersary shall come euen rounde about the countrey, and shall bring downe thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shalbe spoyled.

Amos 3:12 Thus saieth the Lord, As the shephearde taketh out of the mouth of the lyon two legges, or a piece of an eare: so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus, as in a couche.

Amos 3:13 Heare, and testifie in the house of Iaakob, saith the Lord God, the God of hostes.

Amos 3:14 Surely in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel vpon him, I wil also visite the altars of Beth-el, and the hornes of the altar shall be broken off, and fall to the ground.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thus", "saieth", "lord", "shephearde", "taketh", "mouth", "lyon", and "legges". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thus" and "saieth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Therefore thus saith the Lord God An..." into verse 13's "Heare and testifie in the house of...", so "thus" and "saieth" 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 "thus" and "saieth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.