Amos 9

Chapter 9

A Vision of God at the Altar

1 Then I saw a vision of the Lord standing beside the altar. He said,
“Strike the tops of the Temple columns,
so that the foundation will shake.
Bring down the roof
on the heads of the people below.
I will kill with the sword those who survive.
No one will escape!2 “Even if they dig down to the place of the dead,t
I will reach down and pull them up.
Even if they climb up into the heavens,
I will bring them down.3 Even if they hide at the very top of Mount Carmel,
I will search them out and capture them.
Even if they hide at the bottom of the ocean,
I will send the sea serpent after them to bite them.4 Even if their enemies drive them into exile,
I will command the sword to kill them there.
I am determined to bring disaster upon them
and not to help them.”5 The Lord, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,
touches the land and it melts,
and all its people mourn.
The ground rises like the Nile River at floodtime,
and then it sinks again.6 The LORD’s home reaches up to the heavens,
while its foundation is on the earth.
He draws up water from the oceans
and pours it down as rain on the land.
The LORD is his name!7 “Are you Israelites more important to me
than the Ethiopians?t” asks the LORD.
“I brought Israel out of Egypt,
but I also brought the Philistines from Cretet
and led the Arameans out of Kir.8 “I, the Sovereign LORD,
am watching this sinful nation of Israel.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,t”
says the LORD.9 “For I will give the command
and will shake Israel along with the other nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
yet not one true kernel will be lost.10 But all the sinners will die by the sword—
all those who say, ‘Nothing bad will happen to us.’

A Promise of Restoration

11 “In that day I will restore the fallen houset of David.
I will repair its damaged walls.
From the ruins I will rebuild it
and restore its former glory.12 And Israel will possess what is left of Edom
and all the nations I have called to be mine.t”
The LORD has spoken,
and he will do these things.13 “The time will come,” says the LORD,
“when the grain and grapes will grow faster
than they can be harvested.
Then the terraced vineyards on the hills of Israel
will drip with sweet wine!14 I will bring my exiled people of Israel
back from distant lands,
and they will rebuild their ruined cities
and live in them again.
They will plant vineyards and gardens;
they will eat their crops and drink their wine.15 I will firmly plant them there
in their own land.
They will never again be uprooted
from the land I have given them,”
says the LORD your God.

AMOS 9

Judgment on Israel

1 I saw a vision of the [Lord]
standing by the temple altar, t
and he said,
“Shake the columns
until the tops fall loose,
and the doorposts crumble.
Then make the pieces fall
on the people below.
I will take a sword and kill
anyone who escapes.

2 “If they dig deep into the earth
or climb to the sky,
I'll reach out and get them.

3 If they escape to the peaks
of Mount Carmel,
I'll search and find them.
And if they hide from me
at the bottom of the ocean,
I'll command a sea monster
to bite them.

4 I'll send a sword to kill them,
wherever their enemies
drag them off as captives.
I'm determined to hurt them,
not to help them.”

His Name Is the [Lord]

5 When the [Lord] God All-Powerful
touches the earth, it melts,
and its people mourn.
God makes the earth rise
and then fall,
just like the Nile River.

6 He built his palace in the heavens
and let its foundations
rest on the earth.t
He scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
His name is the [Lord].

The [Lord] Is God

7 Israel, I am the [Lord] God,
and the Ethiopianst
are no less important to me
than you are.
I brought you out of Egypt,
but I also brought
the Philistines from Cretet
and the Arameans from Kir.t

8 My eyes have seen
what a sinful nation you are,
and I'll wipe you out.
But I will leave a few
of Jacob's descendants.
I, the [Lord], have spoken!

9 At my command, all of you
will be sifted like grain.
Israelites who remain faithful
will be scattered
among the nations.
And the others will be trapped
like trash in a sifter.

10 Some of you are evil,
and you deny
that you will ever get caught.
But you will be killed.

The [Lord]'s Promise //to Israel

11  t In the future, I will rebuild
David's fallen kingdom.
I will build it from its ruins
and set it up again,
just as it used to be.

12 Then you will capture Edom
and the other nations
that are mine.
I, the [Lord], have spoken,
and my words will come true.

13 You will have such a harvest
that you won't be able
to bring in all of your wheat
before plowing time.
You will have grapes left over
from season to season;
your fruitful vineyards
will cover the mountains.

14 I'll make Israel prosper again.
You will rebuild your towns
and live in them.
You will drink wine
from your own vineyards
and eat the fruit you grow.

15 I'll plant your roots deep
in the land I have given you,
and you won't ever
be uprooted again.
I, the [Lord] God, have spoken!