9TH CHAPTER

The Lord Will Sift Israel out of All the Nations

1  I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: 

Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations shake. 

Cut off everyone’s head. 

I will kill with a sword all who are left. 

None of them will be able to get away. 

None of them will be able to escape. 

2  Even if they dig their way into Sheol, 

my hand will take them from there. 

Even if they go up to heaven, 

I will bring them down from there. 

3  Even if they hide on top of Mount Carmel, 

I will look for them and take them from there. 

Even if they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, 

I will command a sea snake to bite them. 

4  Even if they go into exile ahead of their enemies, 

I will command a sword to kill them. 

I will keep my eyes on them 

so that I can bring disaster on them and not help them. 

5  The Almighty Lord of Armies touches the earth. 

It quakes, and all who live on it mourn. 

All of it rises like the Nile 

and sinks like Egypt’s river. 

6  The one who builds stairs up to heaven 

and sets their foundation on the earth, 

the one who calls for the water in the sea 

and pours it over the face of the earth— 

His name is the Lord. 

7  You people of Israel are like the people from Sudan, says the Lord. 

Didn’t I bring Israel from Egypt? 

Didn’t I bring the Philistines from Crete and the Arameans from Kir? 

8  I, the Almighty Lord, have my eyes on this sinful kingdom. 

I will wipe it off the face of the earth. 

But I won’t totally destroy the descendants of Jacob, declares the Lord. 

9  I’m going to give the order. 

I will sift the nation of Israel out of all the nations 

as if I were using a sieve. 

Not one pebble will fall to the ground. 

10  All the sinners among my people are thinking, 

“Destruction will not catch up to us or run into us.” 

In spite of this, they will be killed with swords. 

The Lord Will Restore His People

11  On that day I will set up David’s fallen tent. 

I will repair the holes in it. 

I will restore its ruined places. 

I will rebuild them as they were a long time ago. 

12  They will capture the few survivors of Edom 

and all the other nations that were under my authority, 

declares the Lord, who will do these things. 

13  The days are going to come, declares the Lord, 

when the one who plows will catch up to the one who harvests, 

and the one who stomps on grapes will catch up to the one who plants. 

New wine will drip from the mountains 

and flow from all the hills. 

14  I will restore my people Israel. 

They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. 

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine from them. 

They will plant gardens and eat their fruit. 

15  I will plant the people of Israel in their land, 

and they won’t be uprooted again from the land that I gave them, 

says the Lord your God.