Fifth Vision: The Lord beside the Altar

1I saw the Lord standing beside the altar,a and He said:

Strike the capitals of the pillarsb

so that the thresholds shake;

knock them down on the heads of all the people.

Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword.c

None of those who flee will get away;d

none of the fugitives will escape.

2If they dig down to •Sheol,e

from there My hand will take them;

if they climb up to heaven,f

from there I will bring them down.

3If they hide themselves

on the top of Carmel,

from there I will track them downg

and seize them;

if they conceal themselves

from My sight on the sea floor,h

from there I will command

the sea serpent to bite them.i

4And if they are driven

by their enemies into captivity,j

from there I will command

the sword to kill them.k

I will fix My eyes on them

for harm and not for good.l

5The Lord, the GOD of •Hosts —

He touches the earth;m

it melts, and all who dwell in it mourn;

all of it rises like the Nile

and subsides like the Nile of Egypt.n

6He builds His upper chambers

in the heavenso

and lays the foundation of His vault

on the earth.p

He summons the waters of the sea

and pours them out on the face of the earth.q

•Yahweh is His name.r

Announcement of Judgment

7Israelites, are you not like the •Cushites to Me?s

This is the LORD’s declaration.

Didn’t I bring Israel from the land of Egypt,

the Philistines from Caphtor,t, u

and the Arameans from Kir?v

8Look, the eyes of the Lord GOD

are on the sinful kingdom,w

and I will destroy it

from the face of the earth.x

However, I will not totally destroy

the house of Jacoby —

this is the LORD’s declaration —

9for I am about to give the command,

and I will shake the house of Israelz

among all the nations,

as one shakes a sieve,

but not a pebble will fall to the ground.

10All the sinners among My peopleaa

who say: “Disaster will never overtakeab

or confront us,”ac

will die by the sword.

Announcement of Restoration

11In that day

I will restore the fallen boothad of David:ae

I will repair its gaps,

restore its ruins,af

and rebuild it as in the days of old,ag

12so that they may possess

the remnant of Edomah

and all the nations

that are called by My nameai, aj —

this is the LORD’s declaration —

He will do this.

13Hear this! The days are coming —

this is the LORD’s declaration —

when the plowman will overtake the reaperak

and the one who treads grapes,

the sower of seed.

The mountains will drip with sweet wine,

and all the hills will flow with it.al

14I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel.am, an

They will rebuild and occupy ruined cities,ao

plant vineyards and drink their wine,

make gardens and eat their produce.ap

15I will plant them on their land,

and they will never again be uprooted

from the land I have given them.aq

Yahweh your God has spoken.