Amos 9

1 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.

I saw the Lord standing over an altar, and he said: “Strike the hinges, and let the lintels be shaken. For there is avarice at the head of them all, and I will execute the very last of them with the sword. There will be no escape for them. They will flee, and he who flees from among them will not be saved.

2 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)

If they descend even to the underworld, from there my hand will draw them out; and if they ascend even to the sky, from there will I pull them down. (Sheol h7585)

3 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;

And if they were hiding at the top of Carmel, when searching there, I would steal them away, and if they conceal themselves from my eyes in the depths of the sea, I will command the serpent there and he will bite them.

4 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.

And if they go into captivity in the sight of their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. And I will set my eyes over them for harm and not for good.”

5 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:

And the Lord God of hosts, he touches the earth and it will melt. And all who dwell in it will mourn. And everyone will rise up like a river, and will flow away like the river of Egypt.

6 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.

He establishes his ascension into heaven, and he has founded his bundle on the earth. He calls the waters of the ocean, and pours them over the face of the earth. The Lord is his name.

7 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?

Sons of Israel, are you not like the sons of the Ethiopians to me, says the Lord? Did I not cause Israel to rise up out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Cappadocia, and the Syrians out of Cyrene?

8 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.

Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinning kingdom, and I will wipe it from the face of the earth. Though truly, when destroying, I will not wipe away the house of Jacob, says the Lord.

9 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.

For behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, as wheat is sifted in a sieve. And not even one small stone will fall to the ground.

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

All the sinners of my people will die by the sword. They say, “Disaster will not come near us, and it will not overcome us.”

11 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:

In that day, I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which is fallen. And I will repair the breaches in its walls, and I will restore that which collapsed. And I will rebuild it, just as in the days of antiquity,

12 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.

so that they may possess the remnant of Idumea and all the nations, for my name has been invoked over them, says the Lord who does this.

13 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;

Behold, the days pass, says the Lord, and the plower will overtake the harvester, and the treader of grapes will overtake the sower of seed. And the mountains will drip sweetness, and every hill will be cultivated.

14 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:

And I will turn back the captivity of my people Israel. And they will rebuild the deserted cities and inhabit them. And they will plant vineyards and drink their wine. And they will create gardens and eat their fruits.

15 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.

And I will plant them on their own soil. And I will no longer root them out of their own land, which I have given them, says the Lord your God.