Amos 9

1 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar; and he said, Smite the capital, that the sills may quake; and break them in pieces over the head of all of them; and their posterity will I slay with the sword: there shall not flee away from them one that fleeth, and there shall not escape from them one that is saved.

Yahweh [showed me another vision. In the vision, ] I saw him standing next to the altar. He said, “Shake the tops of the pillars [of the temple], until they become loose and fall down, so that even the foundation will shake. Then cause the [pieces of the temple] to fall down on the people [who are inside]. I will kill with a sword anyone who [tries to] flee; no one will escape.

2 Though they were to creep down into the nether world, thence would my hand fetch them; and though they were to climb up to the heavens, thence would I bring them down; (Sheol h7585)

If they dig deep pits in the ground, or if they try to climb up to the sky [in order to escape], I will reach out and grab them. (Sheol h7585)

3 And though they were to hide themselves on the top of Carmel, thence would I search and take them out; and though they were to conceal themselves from before my eyes in the bottom of the sea, thence would I command the serpent, that he should bite them;

If they go to the top of Carmel [Mountain] to escape, I will search for them and seize them. If they [try to] hide from me at the bottom of the sea, I will command the [huge] sea monster to bite them.

4 And though they were to go into captivity before their enemies, thence would I command the sword, that it should slay them: and I will set my eye upon them for evil, and not for good.

If their enemies [capture them and] force them to go to other countries, I will command that they be killed there with swords. I am determined [IDM] to get rid of them, not to help them.”

5 And the Lord Eternal of hosts it is that toucheth the earth, and she melteth away, and all that dwell thereon shall mourn; and she riseth up like a stream wholly; and she sinketh like the stream of Egypt;

When the Commander of the armies of angels touches the earth, it melts, and all over the earth [many people die, and the others] mourn for them. [It is as though] Yahweh causes the earth repeatedly to rise and fall like [SIM] the Nile [River] rises and falls.

6 That buildeth in the heavens his steps, and hath founded his vault over the earth; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out over the face of the earth: The Lord is his name.

He builds his [beautiful] palace in heaven, and sets/causes the sky to be like a dome over the earth. He scoops up the water from the ocean and [puts it into clouds], and then empties [the clouds] onto the earth. His name is Yahweh.

7 Are ye not like the children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the Lord: have I not brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

And Yahweh says, “You people of Israel, you are certainly [RHQ] [now no more important to me] than the people of Ethiopia. I brought your [ancestors] here from Egypt, but I also brought the people of Philistia from Crete [Island], and I brought the people of Syria from the Kir [region].

8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord Eternal are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; save only that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.

I [SYN], Yahweh the Lord, have seen that you people in the kingdom [of Israel] are very sinful, so I will (destroy you/wipe you off the earth). But I will not get rid of all you descendants [MTY] of Jacob. [That is what will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.

9 For, lo, I will give the command, and I will shake about among all the nations the house of Israel, as one shaketh things in a sieve, while not the least piece falleth down upon the earth.

When I command it, [it will be as though] I will shake you Israeli people [who are living] in various nations, like [MET] [a farmer] shakes a sieve [to separate] the stone pebbles [from the grain], in order that they do not fall on the ground [with the grain].

10 By the sword shall die all the sinners of my people, who say, The evil will not come near [us], nor hasten along for our sake.

From among my people, all you sinful people who say, ‘We will not experience disasters; nothing evil will happen to us,’ will be killed by [your enemies’] swords.”

11 On that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David which is fallen; and I will close up its breaches; and its ruins will I raise up, and I will rebuild it as in days of old:

“The kingdom [over which King] David [ruled has been destroyed, like] [MET] a house that collapsed and then became ruins. But some day I will cause it to be a kingdom again. I will cause it to prosper again just like it did previously.

12 In order that they may take possession of the remnant of Edom, and of all the nations, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doth this.

When that happens, your [armies] will seize/capture the remaining part of Edom [region] again, and they will also seize the land in other nations that previously belonged to me [MTY]. I, Yahweh, have said [that I will do these things], and I will certainly cause them to happen.

13 Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when the ploughman shall come close up to the harvester, and the treader of the grapes to the one that scattereth the seed: and the mountains shall drop with sweet new wine, and all the hills shall melt away.

There will be a time [when your crops will grow very well]. Very soon after the crops are harvested, farmers will plow the ground [to plant more crops in it again], and soon after the vineyards are planted, [farmers will harvest] grapes and tread on them [to make wine]. [And because there will be a lot of] wine, [it will seem as though] wine is flowing down from the hills [DOU].

14 And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the wasted cities, and dwell therein; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink their wine; and they shall lay out gardens, and eat their fruit.

I will cause you, my Israeli people, to prosper again. You will rebuild your towns and live in them. You will plant vineyards and then drink the wine [made from the grapes that grows in them].

15 And I will plant them upon their own soil, and they shall not be pulled up any more out of their land which I have given unto them, saith the Lord thy God.

I will enable you to live [MET] in your land again, the land that I gave to [your ancestors], and never again will you be forced to leave it. [That is what will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.”