Amos 9

1 I saw the Lord standing on the altar: and he said, Strike the mercy-seat, and the porch shall be shaken: and cut through into the heads of all; and I will kill the remnant of them with the sword: no one of them fleeing shall escape, and no one of them, striving to save himself shall be delivered.

I saw the Lord towering above the altar, and he commanded: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations may shake, bring them down on the heads of the people below. The rest of them I will slay with the sword: no one will get away, no one will escape.

2 Though they hid themselves in hell, thence shall my hand drag them forth; and though they go up to heaven, thence will I bring them down. (Sheol h7585)

If they dig down to Sheol, there will my hand take them. If they climb up to the heavens, from there will I bring them down. (Sheol h7585)

3 If they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, thence will I search [them] out and take them; and if they should go down from my presence into the depths of the sea, there will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them.

If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there will I search them out and take them. If they hide out of my sight at the bottom of the sea, there will I command the sea serpent to bite them.

4 And if they should go into captivity before the face of their enemies, there will I command the sword, and it shall kill them: and I will set mine eyes against them for evil, and not for good.

If they are taken into captivity by their enemies, there will I command the sword to slay them. I will keep my eye on them but for evil and not for good.

5 And the Lord, the Lord God Almighty, [is he] that takes hold of the land, and causes it to shake, and all that inhabit it shall mourn; and its destruction shall go up as a river, and shall descend as the river of Egypt.

It is the Lord the God of hosts, who touches the earth and it trembles, all who live on it mourn. The earth rises up like the Nile, and sinks like the Nile of Egypt.

6 [It is he] that builds his ascent up to the sky, and establishes his promise on the earth; who calls the water of the sea, and pours it out on the face of the earth; the Lord Almighty is his name.

The one who builds in the heavens, who sets the dome of the sky over the earth, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth: the Lord is his name.

7 Are not you to me as the sons of the Ethiopians, O children of Israel? says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Cappadocia, and the Syrians out of the deep?

To me, Israelites, you are just like the Cushites, says the Lord. Yes, I brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, but also the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir!

8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the kingdom of sinners, and I will cut it off from the face of the earth; only I will not utterly cut off the house of Jacob, says the Lord.

Behold the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom: I will destroy it from the face of the earth! But I will not completely destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord.

9 For I [will] give commandment, and sift the house of Israel among all the Gentiles, as [corn] is sifted in a sieve, and [yet] a fragment shall not in any wise fall upon the earth.

For behold I am about to give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations just as one shakes grain in a sieve, but not a pebble shall fall to the ground.

10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, Calamities shall certainly not draw near, nor come upon us.

All the sinners of my people, who deny that disaster will touch or befall them, will die by the sword.

11 In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and will rebuild the ruins of it, and will set up the parts thereof that have been broken down, and will build it up as in the ancient days:

On that day I will raise up the fallen house of David, I will wall up its gaps and raise up its ruins, I will rebuild it as it was long ago.

12 that the remnant of men, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, may earnestly seek [me], says the Lord who does all these things.

They will possess again the rest of Edom, and all the nations which once you ruled for me, says the Lord, who will do this.

13 Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when the harvest shall overtake the vintage, and the grapes shall ripen at seed time; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall be planted.

Listen! The days are coming, says the Lord, when the harvest is too big to reap before it is time to plough, when the grapes cannot be all trod before it is time to sow, when the mountains will run with sweet wine, and every hill will flow with it.

14 And I will turn the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities, and shall inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and shall drink the wine from them; and they shall form gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

I will bring back my people Israel, they will rebuild waste cities and inhabit them, plant vineyards and drink their wine, make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no more be plucked up from the land which I have given them, says the Lord God Almighty.

I will plant them on their own soil, and they will never again be uprooted from their land which I have given them, says the Lord your God.