Amos 9

1 Then I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: Strike the tops of the Temple pillars so that the foundations shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people below. Those who survive I will kill by the sword. None of them will escape, not a single one.

I saw My Lord stationed by the altar, and he said—Smite the capital—that the sills, may tremble, Yea break them off on the head of them all, and, the last of them, with the sword, will I slay, —He that fleeth of them, shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them, shall not make good his escape.

2 Even if they dig down into Sheol, I will catch them and pull them up. Even if they climb up to heaven, I will bring them down. (Sheol h7585)

Though they break through into hades, from thence, shall my hand fetch them, —and, though they ascend the heavens, from thence, will I bring them down; (Sheol h7585)

3 Even if they hide themselves at the top of Mount Carmel, I will search for them and catch them. Even if they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, I will command the sea serpent to bite them.

And, though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, from thence, will I search for them and take them, —and, though they conceal themselves from before mine eyes at the bottom of the sea, from thence, will I command the serpent and he shall bite them;

4 Even if they are driven into exile by their enemies, I will order them put to death by the sword. I will watch them carefully—and for evil, not for good.

And, though they go into captivity before their enemies, from thence, will I command the sword, and it shall slay them, —So will I set mine eyes upon them for calamity, and not for blessing.

5 The Lord God of power touches the earth and it melts, and all who live there mourn. The earth rises up like the Nile river in flood, and then falls again.

Now, My Lord, Yahweh of hosts, is he—who toucheth the earth, and it melteth, and all that dwell therein, mourn; and it cometh up like the Nile, all of it, and subsideth like the river of Egypt:

6 The Lord builds his upper rooms in heaven, and places the foundations on the earth. He calls for the water of the seas, and pours it down as rain upon the earth—the Lord is his name!

Who buildeth, in the heavens, his upper rooms, and, as for his vault, upon the earth, hath he founded it, —who calleth to the waters of the sea, and poureth them out over the face of the land, Yahweh, is his name.

7 Aren't the Ethiopians as important to me as you, people of Israel? asks the Lord. Yes, I brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir.

Like the sons of the Ethiopians, are not ye, unto me, O sons of Israel? Demandeth Yahweh: Was it not, Israel, I brought up out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Caphtor, and the Syrians out of Kir?

8 Watch out! I'm watching this sinful kingdom. I will eradicate it from the face of the earth. Yet I will not completely destroy the descendants of Jacob.

Lo! the eyes of My Lord, Yahweh, are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the ground, —save only that I will not, utterly destroy, the house of Jacob, Declareth Yahweh.

9 See what I'm doing! I will give the command, and the people of Israel will be shaken among the nations like flour through a sieve, and nothing will fall to the ground.

For lo! I am giving command, and will sift, throughout all the nations, the house of Israel, —as grain is sifted in a sieve, yet shall there not fall a kernel, to the earth.

10 All the sinners of my people will be killed by the sword—all those who say, “Nothing bad is going to happen; no disaster will fall on us.”

By the sword, shall die all the sinners of my people, —who say, The calamity, shall not overtake and close in before us.

11 On that day I will restore the fallen kingdom of David; I will repair the broken walls, I will rebuild the ruins, and I will make it as it was in days of old.

In that day, will I raise up the pavilion of David, that is lying prostrate, —and wall up the breaches of them, and, his ruins, will I raise up, and will build it, as in the days of age-past times:

12 And they will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations that were once mine, declares the Lord. He will make this happen.

That they on whom my name hath been called, may take possession, of the residue of Edom and of all the nations, Declareth Yahweh, who executeth this.

13 Look! The time is coming, says the Lord, when the reaper will overtake the plowman, and the one who treads the grapes will overtake the one who sows the seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and flow from all the hills.

Lo! days are coming, Declareth Yahweh, that, the plowman, shall overtake, the reaper, and, he that treadeth out the grapes, him that traileth the seed, —so shall, the mountains, drip sweet wine, and, all the hills, shall melt;

14 I will bring my people back from captivity, and they will rebuild the ruined cities, and they shall live in them. They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will plant gardens and eat the fruit they produce.

And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build waste cities, and inhabit [them], and plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof, and lay out gardens, and eat the fruit thereof:

15 I will plant them in their own land, and they shall never be uprooted again from the land I have given them, declares the Lord your God.

So will I plant them upon their own soil, —and will not uproot them any more from off their own soil, which I have given to them, saith Yahweh thy God.