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 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 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 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 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;

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 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.

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 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:

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 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.

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 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?

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 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 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 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 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 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, who deny that disaster will touch or befall them, will die by the sword.

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:

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 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.

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 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;

Listen! The days are coming, says the Lord, when the harvest is too big to reap before it is time to plow, 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 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:

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 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.

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.