Amos 3:4-5

3:4 Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? ¹ 

Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something?

3:5 Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?

Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something?

Amos 5:6

5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!

Otherwise he will break out ²  like fire against Joseph’s ³  family; ⁴ 

the fire ⁵  will consume

and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. ⁶ 

[3:4]  ¹ tn Heb “without having prey [or “food”].”

[5:6]  ² tn Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.

[5:6]  ³ sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[5:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”