1 The Lord said:
Israel, I promise
that someday all
your tribes
will again be my people,
and I will be
your God.
2 In the desert I was kind
to those who escaped
death.
I gave them peace,
and when the time
is right,
I’ll do the same for you.
I, the Lord, have
spoken.
3 Some time ago, the Lord appeared
to me and told me to say:
Israel, I will always love you;
that’s why I’ve been so patient
and kind.
4 You
are precious to me,
and so I will rebuild
your nation.
Once again you will dance for joy
and play your
tambourines.
5 You will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria
and enjoy the
grapes.
6 Someday those who guard
the hill country
of Ephraim
will shout, “Let’s go to Zion
and worship the Lord our God.”
7 The Lord says:
Celebrate and sing for Israel,
the greatest of
nations.
Offer praises and shout,
“Come and
rescue
your people, Lord!
Save what’s left of Israel.”
8 I, the Lord, will bring
my people back from Babylonia
and everywhere
else on earth.
The blind and the lame
will be there.
Expectant mothers
and women about
to give birth
will come and be part
of that great
crowd.
9 They will weep and pray
as I bring them
home.
I will lead them
to streams of
water.
They will walk on a level road
and not stumble.
I am a father to Israel,
my favorite children.
10 Listen to me, you nations
nearby or across
the sea.
I scattered the people of Israel,
but I will gather
them again.
I will protect them like a shepherd
guarding a flock;
11 I will rescue them from enemies
who could overpower
them.
12 My people will come
to Mount Zion
and celebrate;
their faces will glow
because of my
blessings.
I’ll give them grain, grapes,
and olive oil,
as well as sheep
and cattle.
Israel will be prosperous
and grow like a garden
with plenty of
water.
13 Young women and young men,
together with the elderly,
will celebrate
and dance,
because I will comfort them
and turn their sorrow
into happiness.
14 I will bless my people
with more food
than they need,
and the priests will enjoy
the choice cuts
of meat.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
15 In Ramah a voice is heard,
crying and weeping
loudly.
Rachel mourns for her children
and refuses to be comforted,
because they are
dead.
16 But I, the Lord, say
to dry your tears.
Someday your children
will come home
from the enemy’s
land.
Then all you have done for them
will be greatly
rewarded.
17 So don’t lose hope.
I, the Lord, have
spoken.
18 The people of Israel moan
and say to me,
“We were like wild bulls,
but you, Lord, broke us,
and we learned
to obey.
You are our God—
please let us
come home.
19 When we were young,
we strayed and
sinned,
but then we realized
what we had done.
We are ashamed and disgraced
and want to return
to you.”
20 People of Israel,
you are my own dear children.
Don’t I love
you best of all?
Though I often make threats,
I want you to be near me,
so I will have
mercy on you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
21 With rock piles and signposts,
mark the way home,
my
dear people.
It is the same road
by which you left.
22 Will you ever decide
to be faithful?
I will make sure that someday
things will be
different,
as different as a woman
protecting a man.
23 The Lord All-Powerful, the God of
Israel, said:
I promise to set the people of Judah free
and to lead them back to their hometowns. And when I do, they
will once again say,
“We pray that the Lord
will bless his
home,
the sacred hill in Jerusalem
where his temple
stands.”
24 The people will live in Jerusalem
and in the towns of Judah. Some will be farmers, and others will
be shepherds. 25 Those who feel tired and worn out will find new
life and energy, 26 and when they sleep, they will wake up refreshed.
27 Someday, Israel and Judah will be my
field where my people and their livestock will grow. 28
In the past, I took care to uproot them, to tear them down, and
to destroy them. But when that day comes, I will take care to
plant them and help them grow. 29 No longer will anyone go around
saying,
“Sour grapes eaten by parents
leave a sour taste in the mouths
of their children.”
30 When that day comes, only those who eat sour grapes will get the sour taste, and only those who sin will be put to death.
31 The Lord said:
The time will surely come when I will
make a new agreement with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 It
will be different from the agreement I made with their ancestors
when I led them out of Egypt. Although I was their God, they broke
that agreement.
33 Here is the new agreement that I, the
Lord, will make with the people of Israel:
“I will write my laws
on their hearts
and minds.
I will be their God,
and they will
be my people.
34 “No longer will they have to
teach one another to obey me. I, the Lord, promise that all of
them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive
their sins and forget the evil things they have done.”
35 I am the Lord All-Powerful.
I command the sun
to give light
each day,
the moon and stars
to shine at night,
and ocean waves
to roar.
36 I will never forget
to give those
commands,
and I will never let Israel
stop being a nation.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
37 Can you measure the heavens?
Can you explore
the depths of
the earth?
That’s how hard it would be
for me to reject Israel forever,
even though they
have sinned.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
38 The Lord said:
Someday, Jerusalem will truly belong to
me. It will be rebuilt with a boundary line running from Hananel
Tower to Corner Gate. 39 From there, the boundary will go in a
straight line to Gareb Hill, then turn toward Goah. 40 Even that
disgusting Hinnom Valley will be sacred to me, and so will the
eastern slopes that go down from Horse Gate into Kidron Valley.
Jerusalem will never again be destroyed.
The Contemporary English Version, c1995 by the American Bible
Society.
Selected texts provided for use with the Amos: Hypertext Bible Commentary