9 Threatenings against the Temple, 2 And against Israel. 11 The restoring of the Church.
1 I saw the Lord standing upon the [a]Altar, and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in pieces, even the [b]heads of them all, and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them, shall not flee away: and he that escapeth of them, shall not be delivered.
2 Though they dig into the hell, thence shall mine hand take them: though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down.
3 And though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence: and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the [c]serpent, and he shall bite them.
4 And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
5 And the Lord God of hosts shall touch the land, and it shall melt away, and all that dwell therein shall mourn, and it shall rise up wholly like a flood, and shall be drowned as by the flood of Egypt.
6 He buildeth his [d]spheres in the heaven, and hath laid the foundation of his globe of elements in the earth: he calleth the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the open earth: the Lord is his Name.
7 Are ye not as the Ethiopians [e]unto me, O children of Israel, saith the Lord? have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from [f]Caphtor, and Aram from Kir?
8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it clean out of the earth. Nevertheless I will not utterly [g]destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.
9 For lo, I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve: yet shall not the [h]least stone fall upon the earth.
10 But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not come, nor hasten for us.
11 In that day will I raise up the [i]Tabernacle of David, that is fallen down, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it, as in the days of old,
12 That they may possess the remnant of [j]Edom, and of all the heathen, because my Name is called upon them, saith the Lord, that doeth this.
13 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall [k]touch the mower, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed: and the mountains shall [l]drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
14 [m]And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel: and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof: they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruits of them.
15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up again out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.
Footnotes
- Amos 9:1 Which was at Jerusalem: for he appeared not in the idolatrous places of Israel.
- Amos 9:1 Both the chief of them and also the common people.
- Amos 9:3 He showeth that God will declare himself enemy unto them in all places, and that his elements and all creatures shall be enemies to destroy them.
- Amos 9:6 He declareth by the wonderful power of God, by the making of the heavens and the elements, that it is not possible for man to escape his judgments when he punisheth.
- Amos 9:7 Am I more bound to you than to the Ethiopians, or black moors? yet have I bestowed upon you greater benefits.
- Amos 9:7 Read Jer. 47:4.
- Amos 9:8 Though he destroy the rebellious multitude, yet he will ever reserve the remnant his Church to call upon his Name.
- Amos 9:9 Meaning, that none of his should perish in his wrath.
- Amos 9:11 I will send the Messiah promised, and restore by him the spiritual Israel, Acts 15:16.
- Amos 9:12 Meaning, that the very enemies as were the Edomites, and others should be joined with the Jews in one society, and body, whereof Christ should be the head.
- Amos 9:13 Signifying, that there shall be great plenty of all things, so that when one kind of fruit is ripe, another should follow, and every one in course, Lev. 26:5.
- Amos 9:13 Read Joel 3:18.
- Amos 9:14 The accomplishment thereof is under Christ, when they are planted in this Church, out of the which they can never be pulled, after they are once grafted therein.