Fifth vision: fall of the sanctuary
1 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said, “Strike the top of the columns, so that the beams shake and the roof falls down on the heads of them all. Those who are left I will slay with the sword; not one shall flee, not one shall escape.
2 Though they dig down to the nether world, my hand will take them from there; though they climb up to heaven, I will bring them down from there;
3 Though they hide on the top of Carmel, I will search them out there and take them; though they hide from me in the depths of the sea, I will bid the sea serpent bite them.
4 When they are led into captivity by their enemies, there I will command the sword to slay them.
For I have set my eye upon them, not for help but for harm.”
5 When Yahweh of hosts touches the earth, it melts and all who dwell on it mourn. The earth rises up and heaves like the Nile and settles back again like the river of Egypt.
6 He has built heaven, his upper room, and established the dome of the sky over the earth. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them upon the face of the earth: Yahweh is his name.
7 And now Yahweh says, “Are you Israelites more to me than the Ethio pians? Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt as I brought the Philistines from Caphtor and Aram from Kir?
8 My eyes are upon your sinful kingdom. I wanted to destroy it from the face of the earth, but I cannot do away completely with the nation of Jacob,” says Yahweh.
9 “This is what I have ordered: I will sift the nation of Israel among the nations as one sifts with a sieve, let ting no pebble pass through.
10 All sinners among my people shall die, those who say, ‘Evil will not reach or overtake us.’
11 On that day I shall restore the fallen hut of David and wall up its breaches and raise its ruined walls and so build it as in days of old.
12 They shall conquer the rem nant of Edom and the neighboring nations upon which my name has been called.” Thus says Yahweh, the one who will do this.
13 Yahweh says also, “The days are coming when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes overtake the sower. The mountains shall drip sweet wine and all the hills shall melt.
14 I shall bring back the exiles of my people Israel; they will rebuild the desolate cities and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will have orchards and eat their fruit.
15 I shall plant them in their own country and they shall never again be rooted up from the land which I have given them,” says Yahweh your God.
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Comments Amos, Chapter 9
• 9.8 Following the threats of 9:1-6, verses 9-10 give the assurance which is never lacking in the prophet’s words: God will not completely destroy Israel, but will leave a remnant to fulfill his promises.
• 11. In 9:11-14 – written after the exile of Israel – we have the promise of the future re -uniting of the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, into a single people of God. The apostle James will refer to this promise to show that God wills to extend the salvation earned by Jesus to all the nations and not only to Israel (see Acts 15:16). Notice that James quotes this text in a different form from what it is here. This is due to the fact that the apostles were using the Greek translation of the bible, which many times changed the meaning, not to be unfaithful to the primitive text but rather be cause, in the course of time, the Jews had a better understanding of the will of God. For example, here Amos is speaking about Israel “conquering the nations” which, at the time, seemed to be a great favor from God. The Jews who later translated the Bible into other lan guages spoke of the “nations seeking God” because, in the meantime, the prophets had meditated deeply on God’s plan.