Amos Chapter 9

A Vision of Locusts

¹ I saw the LORD standing by the altar. He said,

      “Strike the capitals till the thresholds shake;

            shatter them on the people’s heads.

      What’s left, I’ll slay with the sword;

            no fugitive will get away or refugee escape.

         ²Though they dig down to Sheol,

            I’ll bring them up.

      Though they fly up to the sky,

            I’ll bring them down.

         ³Though they hide on top of Carmel,

            I’ll look for them and banish them.

      Though they hide on the floor of the sea,

            I’ll tell a sea serpent to bite them.

         ⁴Even if their enemies take them into exile,

            I’ll command a sword to slay them.

I’m determined to oppose them.”                                     Amos 9:1-4

 ⁵ The Lord Yahveh of Hosts—

      who touches the land

            and turns it into lava that makes the people mourn,

            and the ground floods like the Nile and goes down again;

         ⁶the One who builds upper rooms that reach into the sky

                  and lays their foundations on the earth,

            who draws up water from the sea

                  and pours it out as rain on the land—

                  his name is Yahveh.                                             

Amos 9:5-6

         ⁷“Aren’t you like Nubia to me, Israel?

Haven’t I brought Israel up from Egypt,

            the Philistines from Crete,

            the Syrians from Kir?

         ⁸I keep my eye on sinful kingdoms and destroy them;

            but I won’t completely destroy the House of Jacob.

         ⁹I’ll give the command

            to shake the House of Jacob among all nations

                  like grain in a sieve,

            but not a kernel will fall on the ground.

         ¹⁰All the sinners among my people will die by the sword

            who say, ‘Catastrophe won’t overtake us.’

A Promise of Restoration

         ¹¹At that time, I’ll rebuild David’s fallen shelter

                  and fix the breaches in its walls.

            I’ll raise it up from its ruins

                  and restore it like it was in the old days,

                  ¹²so they can possess what’s left of Edom

                  and all the nations that wear my name.”

Amos 9:7-12

¹³ The LORD says,

      “The time’s coming,

            when reaping will last till plowing

                  and grape treading will go on till sowing time,

            when new wine will drip from the mountains

                  and flow from the hills.

¹⁴ I’ll return my people Israel from captivity.

      They’ll rebuild the ruined towns and live in them,

            plant vineyards and drink their wine,

            plant gardens and eat their produce.

¹⁵ I’ll plant them in their own country;

      they won’t be uprooted again from the land

I’ve given them.”                                                        Amos 9:13-15

Version by Virgil Warren: christir.org