Amós 9

¹ I saw the Lord standing upon theWhich was at Jerusalem: for he did not appear in the idolatrous places of Israel.altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in theBoth the most important of them, and also the common people.head, all of them; 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 digge into the hel, thence shal mine hande take them: though they clime vp to heauen, thence will I bring them downe.

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 theHe shows that God will declare himself as an enemy to them in all places, and that his elements and all his creatures will be enemies to destroy them.serpent, and he shall bite them:

⁴ And though they goe into captiuitie before their enemies, thence wil I commande the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes vpon them for euill, and not for good.

⁵ And the Lord God of hosts shall touch the land, and it shall melt away, & al that dwel therein shall mourne, and it shall rise vp wholy like a flood, and shall bee drowned as by the flood of Egypt.

⁶ [It is] he that buildeth hisHe declares 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 punishes.stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; 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 as children of the EthiopiansAm I more bound to you than to the Ethiopians, or other people? Yet I have bestowed upon you greater benefits.unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines fromRead (Jer_47:4).Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?

⁸ Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD [are] upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterlyThough he destroys the rebellious multitude, yet he will always reserve the remnant of his Church to call upon his name.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 theMeaning that none of his own would perish in his wrath.least grain fall upon the earth.

¹⁰ But all the sinners of my people shall dye by the sword, which say, The euill shal not come, nor hasten for vs.

¹¹ In that day will I raise up theI will send the promised Messiah, and restore by him the spiritual Israel; (Act_15:16).tabernacle of David that is fallen, 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 ofMeaning, the very enemies (as were the Edomites) and others would be united with the Jews in one society and body, of which Christ would be the head.Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

¹³ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shallSignifying, that there will be great abundance of all things, so that when one type of fruit is ripe, another would follow, and every one in order; (Lev_26:5).overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shallRead (Joe_3:18).drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

¹⁴ The accomplishment of this is under Christ, when they are planted in this Church, out of which they can never be pulled, after they have once been grafted into it.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 fruit of them.

¹⁵ And I wil plant them vpon their land, and they shall no more bee pulled vp againe out of their lande, which I haue giuen them, sayeth the Lord thy God.