Amos 9:7-9

Easy-to-Read Version

The Lord Promises Destruction for Israel

⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Israel, you are like the Ethiopians to me.
    I brought Israel out of the land of Egypt,
    the Philistines from Caphtor,^[a]
    and the Arameans from Kir.^[b]”

⁸The Lord God is watching this sinful kingdom.
The Lord says,
“I will wipe Israel off the face of the earth,
    but I will never completely destroy Jacob’s family.
⁹I am giving the command
    to scatter the people of Israel among all nations.
But it will be like someone sifting flour.
A person shakes flour through a sifter.^[c]
    The good flour falls through, but the bad lumps are caught.

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Footnotes

Amos 9:7 Caphtor An island west of Israel, probably Crete or Cyprus.
Amos 9:7 Kir Where the Arameans came from and where the Assyrians sent them in exile. There are several places with this name.
Amos 9:9 sifter Something like a cup with a screen on its bottom. A sifter is used for removing large lumps from the good flour.