1 Then I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and he said: Strike the tops of the Temple pillars so that the foundations shake, and shatter them on the heads of all the people below. Those who survive I will kill by the sword. None of them will escape, not a single one. 2 Even if they dig down into Sheol, I will catch them and pull them up. Even if they climb up to heaven, I will bring them down. 3 Even if they hide themselves at the top of Mount Carmel, I will search for them and catch them. Even if they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, I will command the sea serpent to bite them. 4 Even if they are driven into exile by their enemies, I will order them put to death by the sword. I will watch them carefully—and for evil, not for good. 5 The Lord God of power touches the earth and it melts, and all who live there mourn. The earth rises up like the Nile River in flood, and then falls again. 6 The Lord builds his upper rooms in heaven, and places the foundations on the earth. He calls for the water of the seas, and pours it down as rain upon the earth—the Lord is his name! 7 Aren't the Ethiopians as important to me as you, people of Israel? asks the Lord. Yes, I brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir. 8 Watch out! I'm watching this sinful kingdom. I will eradicate it from the face of the earth. Yet I will not completely destroy the descendants of Jacob. 9 See what I'm doing! I will give the command, and the people of Israel will be shaken among the nations like flour through a sieve, and nothing will fall to the ground. 10 All the sinners of my people will be killed by the sword—all those who say, “Nothing bad is going to happen; no disaster will fall on us.” 11◆ On that day I will restore the fallen kingdom of David; I will repair the broken walls, I will rebuild the ruins, and I will make it as it was in days of old. 12◆ And they will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations that were once mine, declares the Lord. He will make this happen. 13 Look! The time is coming, says the Lord, when the reaper will overtake the plowman, and the one who treads the grapes will overtake the one who sows the seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and flow from all the hills. 14 I will bring my people back from captivity, and they will rebuild the ruined cities, and they shall live in them. They shall plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will plant gardens and eat the fruit they produce. 15 I will plant them in their own land, and they shall never be uprooted again from the land I have given them, declares the Lord your God.
Amos 9 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (15)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 68:21; Amos 3:14; John 1:18; Revelation 1:17; Isaiah 6:1
- 2 Jeremiah 51:53; Psalm 139:7–10; Obadiah 4; Luke 10:18; Ezekiel 28:13–16
- 3 Jeremiah 16:16; Jeremiah 23:23–24; Job 34:22; Isaiah 27:1; Psalm 139:9–11
- 4 Leviticus 26:33; Jeremiah 21:10; Jeremiah 44:11; Ezekiel 5:12; Leviticus 17:10
- 5 Amos 8:8; Psalm 46:6; Micah 1:3–4; Isaiah 64:1; Revelation 20:11
- 6 Amos 5:8; Psalm 104:3; Amos 4:13; Psalm 104:13; Jeremiah 5:22
- 7 Jeremiah 47:4; Deuteronomy 2:23; 2 Kings 16:9; Amos 1:5; Jeremiah 13:23
- 8 Jeremiah 30:11; Amos 9:4; Jeremiah 44:27; Jeremiah 5:10; Proverbs 5:21
- 9 Luke 22:31; Deuteronomy 28:64; Leviticus 26:33; Isaiah 30:28
- 10 Amos 6:3; Isaiah 33:14; Matthew 13:49–50; Matthew 3:10–12; Amos 6:1
- 11 Acts 15:15–17; Jeremiah 33:14–16; Isaiah 16:5; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Psalm 80:12
- 12 Isaiah 43:7; Isaiah 65:1; Acts 15:17; Jeremiah 14:9; Isaiah 63:19
- 13 Joel 3:18; John 4:35; Leviticus 26:5; Isaiah 55:13; Isaiah 35:1–2
- 14 Isaiah 61:4; Jeremiah 30:3; Jeremiah 30:18; Ezekiel 28:26; Jeremiah 31:28
- 15 Jeremiah 24:6; Ezekiel 37:25; Isaiah 60:21; Ezekiel 34:28; Joel 3:20
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- Amos 9:12 and Acts 15:17: “the remnant of Edom” or “the rest of mankind”?
In the Hebrew text of Amos 9:12, restored Israel will “possess the remnant of Edom.” In the Septuagint, “the remnant of men” will “seek” the Lord. At the Council of Jerusalem St James quotes the Greek form to show that God intended Gentiles to belong to his people (Acts 15:16–17). The two readings differ by letters that look and sound alike in Hebrew.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… David, which is fallen down; and I will build the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, among whom my name has been invoked, saith the Lord, doing these things. Known from eternity is His work to God.
… thereof: and I will raise up his ruins, and will build them up again as in the days of old: that the residue of men may inquire for me, and all the nations upon whom my name is invoked, saith the Lord that doeth this." Chapter 29 — What Things are Predicted by Isaiah Concerning Christ and the Church The …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
There is a certain proud serpent in the sea, of which another passage of Scripture speaks, "I will command the serpent, and he shall bite him;" and again, "There is that Leviathan, whom Thou hast made to mock him," whose head He bruises above the water.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)