Amos 9

Israel to Be Destroyed

1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
"Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.

2 Though they dig down to the depths below,
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
from there I will bring them down.

3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent to bite them.

4 Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword to slay them.
"I will keep my eye on them
for harm and not for good."

5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty—
he touches the earth and it melts,
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;

6 he builds his lofty palacet in the heavens
and sets its foundationt on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land—
the Lord is his name.

7 "Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushitest?"
declares the Lord.
"Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtort
and the Arameans from Kir?

8 "Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,"
declares the Lord.

9 "For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
and not a pebble will reach the ground.

10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,
all those who say,
'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.'

Israel's Restoration

11 "In that day
I will restore David's fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild it as it used to be,

12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,t"
declares the Lord, who will do these things.

13 "The days are coming," declares the Lord,
"when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,

14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.t
"They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to 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!