9:1 I saw the Sovereign One1 standing by the altar2 and he said, “Strike the tops of the support pillars,3 so the thresholds shake!

Knock them down on the heads of all the people,4

and I will kill the survivors5 with the sword.

No one will be able to run away;6

no one will be able to escape.7

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the subterranean world,8

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could go up to heaven,

I would bring them down from there.

9:3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,

I would hunt them down and take them from there.

Even if they tried to hide from me9 at the bottom of the sea,

from there10 I would command the Sea Serpent11 to bite them.

9:4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity,12

from there13 I will command the sword to kill them.

I will not let them out of my sight;

they will experience disaster, not prosperity.”14

9:5 The sovereign Lord who leads armies will do this.15

He touches the earth and it dissolves;16

all who live on it mourn.

The whole earth17 rises like the River Nile,18

and then grows calm19 like the Nile in Egypt.20

9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace21 in heaven

and sets its foundation supports22 on the earth.23

He summons the water of the sea

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name.

9:7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,”24 says the Lord.

“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,

but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor25 and the Arameans from Kir.26

9:8 Look, the sovereign Lord is watching27 the sinful nation,28

and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.

But I will not completely destroy the family29 of Jacob,” says the Lord.

9:9 “For look, I am giving a command

and I will shake the family of Israel together with all the nations.

It will resemble a sieve being shaken,

when not even a pebble falls to the ground.30

9:10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword,

the ones who say, ‘Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.’

The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty

9:11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut31 of David.

I will seal its32 gaps,

repair its33 ruins,

and restore it to what it was like in days gone by.34

9:12 As a result they35 will conquer those left in Edom36

and all the nations subject to my rule.”37

The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!

9:13 “Be sure of this,38 the time is39 coming,” says the Lord,

“when the plowman will catch up to the reaper40

and the one who stomps the grapes41 will overtake42 the planter.43

Juice will run down the slopes,44

it will flow down all the hillsides.45

9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel;46

they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble47 and settle down.48

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce;49

they will grow orchards50 and eat the fruit they produce.51

9:15 I will plant them on their land

and they will never again be uprooted from the52 land I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.