The Book of the Prophet Amos 9 Vision of the ruin of the altar: promise of restoration

 The Book of the Prophet Amos 9

Vision of the ruin of the altar: promise of restoration

1 I saw the Lord standing upon the altar, and he said unto me, Strike the capital, and let the thresholds shake, and break it in pieces upon the head of them all: and I will slay with the sword every last one of them: he that fleeeth among them shall not escape, neither shall he that escapeth among them be saved.

2 Though they dig down to hell, from thence shall my hand take them: and though they climb up to heaven, from thence shall I bring them down.

3 And though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, from thence shall I search them out, and take them: and though they hide themselves from my sight in the depths of the sea, there shall I command the serpent, and it shall bite them.

4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there shall I command the sword to slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

5 For the Lord, the Lord of hosts, is he that toucheth the earth, and it melteth; and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up as the great river, and be submerged as Egypt.

6 He is he that buildeth his chambers in the heavens, and hath founded his vault upon the earth; and he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: the Lord is his name.

7 Are ye not to me, O children of Israel, as the children of the Ethiopians? saith the Lord: did I not bring up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Caphtor, and the Syrians out of Kir?

8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon this sinful kingdom; and I will destroy it from the face of the earth: but I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.

9 For behold, I will command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not a single grain will fall to the ground.

10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who said, “Evil will not come near nor overtake us.”

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

12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says the Lord, who does these things.

13 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 

14 And I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine; they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 And I will plant them in their own land, and they shall no more be uprooted from their land which I have given them, says the Lord your God.