Amos 9

1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar; and he said: Smite the capital, so that the thresholds shall tremble! Break them in pieces upon the heads of all of them! And their residue will I slay with the sword. He that fleeth of them shall not flee from danger, And he that escapeth of them shall not escape into safety.

I saw the Lord towering above the altar, and he commanded: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations may shake, bring them down on the heads of the people below. The rest of them I will slay with the sword: no one will get away, no one will escape.

2 Though they dig down to the under-world, Thence shall my hand take them; Though they climb up to heaven, Thence will I bring them down. (Sheol h7585)

If they dig down to Sheol, there will my hand take them. If they climb up to the heavens, from there will I bring them down. (Sheol h7585)

3 Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, There will I search for them, and take them away; Though they hide themselves from mine eyes in the bottom of the sea, There will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them.

If they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there will I search them out and take them. If they hide out of my sight at the bottom of the sea, there will I command the sea serpent to bite them.

4 Though they go into captivity before their enemies, There will I command the sword, and it shall slay them; I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

If they are taken into captivity by their enemies, there will I command the sword to slay them. I will keep my eye on them but for evil and not for good.

5 For the Lord Jehovah of hosts Is he, that toucheth the earth, and it shall melt, And all that dwell therein shall mourn; All of it shall rise in waves like a river, And shall be overflowed, as by the river of Egypt;

It is the Lord the God of hosts, who touches the earth and it trembles, all who live on it mourn. The earth rises up like the Nile, and sinks like the Nile of Egypt.

6 He that buildeth his upper rooms in the heavens, And foundeth his arch upon the earth, —That calleth the waters of the sea, And poureth them out upon the face of the earth, —Jehovah is his name.

The one who builds in the heavens, who sets the dome of the sky over the earth, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth: the Lord is his name.

7 Are ye not as the Ethiopians to me, O children of Israel? saith Jehovah. Did I not bring Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

To me, Israelites, you are just like the Cushites, says the Lord. Yes, I brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, but also the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir!

8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are upon the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet will I not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith Jehovah.

Behold the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom: I will destroy it from the face of the earth! But I will not completely destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord.

9 For, behold, I will command, And I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, As one sifteth corn with a sieve, And not a grain shall fall upon the ground.

For behold I am about to give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations just as one shakes grain in a sieve, but not a pebble shall fall to the ground.

10 But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, Who say, Evil shall not approach, nor fall upon us.

All the sinners of my people, who deny that disaster will touch or befall them, will die by the sword.

11 In that day I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David, And I will close up the breaches thereof, And raise up its ruins, And I will build it, as in the days of old.

On that day I will raise up the fallen house of David, I will wall up its gaps and raise up its ruins, I will rebuild it as it was long ago.

12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the nations, which shall be called by my name. Thus saith Jehovah, who doeth this.

They will possess again the rest of Edom, and all the nations which once you ruled for me, says the Lord, who will do this.

13 Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, That the plougher shall draw near to the reaper, And the treader of grapes to the sower of the seed; And the mountains shall drop new wine, And all the hills shall melt.

Listen! The days are coming, says the Lord, when the harvest is too big to reap before it is time to plough, when the grapes cannot be all trod before it is time to sow, when the mountains will run with sweet wine, and every hill will flow with it.

14 I will bring back the captives of my people Israel, And they shall build the desolate cities, and shall inhabit them; And they shall plant vineyards, and drink their wine; They shall also make gardens, and eat their fruit.

I will bring back my people Israel, they will rebuild waste cities and inhabit them, plant vineyards and drink their wine, make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 I will plant them in their land, And they shall no more be rooted up from the land which I have given them, Saith Jehovah, thy God.

I will plant them on their own soil, and they will never again be uprooted from their land which I have given them, says the Lord your God.