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1Hear 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.”

3Do two walk together,

unless they have agreed?

4Will 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?

5Can 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?

6Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city,

without the people being afraid?

Does evil happen to a city,

and Yahweh hasn’t done it?

7Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing,

unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.

8The lion has roared.

Who will not fear?

The Lord Yahweh has spoken.

Who can but prophesy?

9Proclaim 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.”

10“Indeed they don’t know to do right,” says Yahweh,

“Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces.”

11Therefore the Lord Yahweh says:

“An adversary will overrun the land;

and he will pull down your strongholds,

and your fortresses will be plundered.”

12Yahweh 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.”

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.

15I 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.

Biography of Jacob

Biography of Jacob

Biography | Amos 3:13 | Hershel Wayne House

Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, born immediately after Esau, and Abraham was his grandfather. He achieved the right of the firstborn by trickery, in offering his older brother, Esau, food in exchange for the birthright, who cared little for this position. He also received the blessing of firstborn from his father Jacob before his death by cunning, and with the assistance of his mother Rebekah.

After his deception of Esau, receiving the blessing from his father, Jacob escaped to his uncle Laban, who in turn deceived Jacob into working for fourteen years for the marriage of Jacob to Leah, and then his beloved Rachel. Laban also sought to deceive Jacob of wages, but God intervened to ensure he would prosper. In a time of trial, when he feared the wrath of Esau, upon returning to the land of Canaan, Jacob had an encounter with God, and his name was changed to Israel, the one who wrestles with God. Even though his early life was characterized by deception, God worked through the situation to ensure that Jacob would be the one in the line of the patriarchs, to create a great nation and ultimately fulfill His purposes in the earth, especially through the future Messiah. The Messiah would guarantee the promise of the land to Abram and a person who would rule over Abraham's descendants, but also He would bring blessings to all the people of the earth (Gen 12:1-3).

In spite of Jacob's early failure by deception, God worked through him, and finally, Jacob became a different type of man after his struggle with God. As one has said,

"Despite Jacob’s faults, God chose him to be the leader of a great nation that still bears his name today. But for this, it is unlikely that we would know much about Jacob, who appears to be in the middle of events while the key players are those around him. There is no great wisdom or bravery in Jacob to speak of, and we are tempted to see him as little more than God’s passive instrument. If we are tempted to think that, because we aren’t in the spotlight performing great acts for God, we are unimportant to Him, then we should consider the life of Jacob and know that, in spite of our failings, God can and will still use us in His plan."

For more on Jacob, see "Who was Jacob in the Bible?", https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Jacob.html