The certainty of the desolation of Israel: the restoring of the tabernacle of David, and the conversion of the Gentiles to the church; which shall flourish for ever.

¹ I saw the Lord standing over an altar, and he said: “Strike the hinges, and let the lintels be shaken. For there is avarice at the head of them all, and I will execute the very last of them with the sword. There will be no escape for them. They will flee, and he who flees from among them will not be saved.¹

1. 9:1The word ‘cardinals’ in English is derived from the Latin word for hinges, ‘cardinem.’ So, ‘strike the hinges’ could be translated, or rather interpreted, as ‘strike the Cardinals.’(Conte)

² If they descend even to the underworld, from there my hand will draw them out; and if they ascend even to the sky, from there will I pull them down.

³ And if they were hiding at the top of Carmel, when searching there, I would steal them away, and if they conceal themselves from my eyes in the depths of the sea, I will command the serpent there and he will bite them.

⁴ And if they go into captivity in the sight of their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. And I will set my eyes over them for harm and not for good.”

⁵ And the Lord God of hosts, he touches the earth and it will melt. And all who dwell in it will mourn. And everyone will rise up like a river, and will flow away like the river of Egypt.

⁶ He establishes his ascension into heaven, and he has founded his bundle on the earth. He calls the waters of the ocean, and pours them over the face of the earth. The Lord is his name.¹²

1. 9:6His ascension: That is, his high throne.(Challoner)
2. 9:6His bundle: That is, his church bound up together by the bands of one faith and communion.(Challoner)

⁷ Sons of Israel, are you not like the sons of the Ethiopians to me, says the Lord? Did I not cause Israel to rise up out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Cappadocia, and the Syrians out of Cyrene?¹

1. 9:7As the children of the Ethiopians: That is, as black as they, by your iniquities.(Challoner)

⁸ Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinning kingdom, and I will wipe it from the face of the earth. Though truly, when destroying, I will not wipe away the house of Jacob, says the Lord.¹

1. 9:8Here is a typical translator’s dilemma. The verb ‘conteram’ appears three times in one verse, but ‘wipe’ works best as an English translation only in two instances; in the other instance, destroy best expresses the meaning, in context, in English. The word ‘destroy’ is overused in English translations of the Old Testament, and ‘wipe’ is a more eloquent fit, so ‘wipe’ is preferred over ‘destroy’ in the other two instances.(Conte)

⁹ For behold, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, as wheat is sifted in a sieve. And not even one small stone will fall to the ground.

¹⁰ All the sinners of my people will die by the sword. They say, “Disaster will not come near us, and it will not overcome us.”

¹¹ In that day, I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which is fallen. And I will repair the breaches in its walls, and I will restore that which collapsed. And I will rebuild it, just as in the days of antiquity,

¹² so that they may possess the remnant of Idumea and all the nations, for my name has been invoked over them, says the Lord who does this.

¹³ Behold, the days pass, says the Lord, and the plower will overtake the harvester, and the treader of grapes will overtake the sower of seed. And the mountains will drip sweetness, and every hill will be cultivated.¹

1. 9:13Shall overtake, etc: By this is meant the great abundance of spiritual blessings; which, as it were, by a constant succession, shall enrich the church of Christ.(Challoner)

¹⁴ And I will turn back the captivity of my people Israel. And they will rebuild the deserted cities and inhabit them. And they will plant vineyards and drink their wine. And they will create gardens and eat their fruits.

The Prophecy of Amos

¹⁵ And I will plant them on their own soil. And I will no longer root them out of their own land, which I have given them, says the Lord your God.