Amos 9:4

Amplified Bible

"And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I shall command the sword to kill them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil (judgment, punishment) and not for good [that is, not for correction leading to restoration]."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
And if they are drivenby their enemies into captivity,from there I will commandthe sword to kill them.I will keep my eye on themfor harm and not for good.

Hebrew Names Version
Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

King James Version (1611)
And though they goe into captiuitie before their enemies, thence will I commaund the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes vpon them for euill, and not for good.

King James Version
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

English Standard Version
And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good."

New American Standard Bible
"And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword and it will kill them, And I will set My eyes against them for harm and not for good."

New Century Version
If they are captured and taken away by their enemies, I will command the sword to kill them. I will keep watch over them, but I will keep watch to give them trouble, not to do them good."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And though they goe into captiuitie before their enemies, thence wil I commande the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes vpon them for euill, and not for good.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword that it slay them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good."

Legacy Standard Bible
And though they go into captivity before their enemies,From there I will command the sword that it kill them,And I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good."

Berean Standard Bible
Though they are driven by their enemies into captivity, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix My eyes upon them for harm and not for good."

Contemporary English Version
I'll send a sword to kill them, wherever their enemies drag them off as captives. I'm determined to hurt them, not to help them."

Complete Jewish Bible
If their enemies herd them into exile, I will order the sword to kill them there. I will fix my gaze on them for harm and not for good."

Darby Translation
and though they go into captivity before their enemies, there will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Easy-to-Read Version
If they are captured and taken away by their enemies, I will command the sword, and it will kill them there. Yes, I will watch over them, but I will watch for ways to give them troubles, not for ways to do good things."

George Lamsa Translation
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them; and I will set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good;

Good News Translation
If they are taken away into captivity by their enemies, I will order them to be put to death. I am determined to destroy them, not to help them."

Lexham English Bible
And even if they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword and it will kill them, and I will fix my eyes on them for harm and not for good."

Literal Translation
And if they go into exile before their enemies, from there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. And I will set My eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

American Standard Version
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Bible in Basic English
And though they are taken away as prisoners by their attackers, even there will I give orders to the sword to put them to death: my eyes will be fixed on them for evil and not for good.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them; and I will set Mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And though they go into captiuitie before their enemies, thence wil I commaunde the sworde & it shall slay them: and I will set myne eyes vpon them for euill, and not for good.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if they should go into captivity before the face of their enemies, there will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes against them for evil, and not for good.

English Revised Version
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

World English Bible
Though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it will kill them. I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if thei schulen go awei in to caitifte bifore her enemyes, there Y schal comaunde to swerd, and it schal sle hem. And Y schal putte myn iyen on hem in to yuel, and not in to good.

Update Bible Version
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set my eyes on them for evil, and not for good.

Webster's Bible Translation
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set my eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

New English Translation
Even when their enemies drive them into captivity, from there I will command the sword to kill them. I will not let them out of my sight; they will experience disaster, not prosperity."

New King James Version
Though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I will command the sword, And it shall slay them. I will set My eyes on them for harm and not for good."

New Living Translation
Even if their enemies drive them into exile, I will command the sword to kill them there. I am determined to bring disaster upon them and not to help them."

New Life Bible
Even if they are taken away to a strange land by those who hate them, there I will have the sword kill them. I will set My eyes against them to hurt them, and not to bring good to them."

New Revised Standard
And though they go into captivity in front of their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall kill them; and I will fix my eyes on them for harm and not for good.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, though they go into captivity before their enemies, from thence, will I command the sword, and it shall slay them, - So will I set mine eyes upon them for calamity, and not for blessing.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if they go into captivity before their enemies, there will I command the sword, and it shall kill them. And I will set my eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.

Revised Standard Version
And though they go into captivity before their enemies, there I will command the sword, and it shall slay them; and I will set my eyes upon them for evil and not for good."

Young's Literal Translation
And if they go into captivity before their enemies, From thence I command the sword, And it hath slain them, And I have set Mine eye on them for evil, And not for good.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yff they go awaye before their enemies i to captyuyte, then shall I commaunde the swerde, there to slaye them. Thus wil I set myne eyes vpon them, for their harme and not for their wealth.

Contextual Overview

¹I saw [in a vision] the Lord standing at the altar, and He said, "Destroy the capitals (tops) of the pillars so that the thresholds will shake, And break them on the heads of all of the people! Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword; They will not have a fugitive who will get away, Or a survivor who will escape. ²"Though they dig into Sheol [to hide in the deepest pit], From there My hand will take them [for judgment]; And though they climb up to heaven [to hide in the realm of light], From there will I bring them down [for judgment]. ³"Though they hide on the summit of [Mount] Carmel, I will track them down and take them from there; And though they hide from My sight on the floor of the sea, From there I shall command the serpent and it will bite them. ⁴"And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I shall command the sword to kill them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil (judgment, punishment) and not for good [that is, not for correction leading to restoration]."⁵The Lord GOD of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler], It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts, And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear], And all of it rises up like the Nile And subsides like the Nile of Egypt; ⁶It is He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has established His vaulted dome (the firmament of heaven) over the earth, He who calls to the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name. ⁷"Are you [degenerate ones] not as the [despised] sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?" says the LORD. "Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans (Syrians) from Kir? ⁸"Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful [northern] kingdom [of Israel's ten tribes] And I shall destroy it from the face of the earth; But I shall not totally destroy the house of Jacob [that is, the entire nation of Israel]," Says the LORD. ⁹"For behold, I am commanding, And I shall shake and sift the house of Israel among all nations [and cause it to tremble] Like grain is shaken in a sieve [removing the chaff], But not a kernel [of the faithful remnant] shall fall to the ground and be lost [from My sight]. ¹⁰"All the sinners among My people will die by the sword, Those who say [defiantly], 'The disaster will not overtake or confront us.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

go: Leviticus 26:33, Leviticus 26:36-39, Deuteronomy 28:64, Deuteronomy 28:65, Ezekiel 5:2, Ezekiel 5:12, Zechariah 13:8, Zechariah 13:9

set: Leviticus 17:10, Deuteronomy 28:63, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Psalms 34:15, Psalms 34:16, Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 44:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 44:21 - that I may Numbers 21:6 - General 1 Kings 17:4 - I have commanded Jeremiah 12:12 - the sword Jeremiah 21:10 - I have Jeremiah 39:12 - look well to him Jeremiah 51:53 - mount Ezekiel 21:9 - A sword Amos 9:8 - the eyes Zechariah 8:10 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 9:10
and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the livestock, and the wild animals of the earth along with you, of everything that comes out of the ark—every living creature of the earth.

Genesis 9:14
"It shall come about, when I bring clouds over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the clouds,

Leviticus 3:17
'It is a permanent statute for your generations wherever you may be, that you shall not eat any fat or any blood.'"

Leviticus 7:26
'Moreover, you are not to eat any blood [of any kind], whether of bird or animal, in any of your dwelling places.

Leviticus 19:26
'You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination [using omens or witchcraft] or soothsaying.

Deuteronomy 12:16
"Only you shall not eat the blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Deuteronomy 12:23
"Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life (soul), and you shall not eat the life with the meat.

Deuteronomy 14:21
"You shall not eat anything that dies on its own. You may give it to the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) who is in your [city] gates, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner [since they are not under God's law], but you are a people holy (set apart) to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat or a lamb in its mother's milk.

Deuteronomy 15:23
"Only you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

Acts 15:20
but that we write to them that they are to abstain from anything that has been contaminated by [being offered to] idols and from sexual impurity and from [eating the meat of] what has been strangled and from [the consumption of] blood.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And though they go into captivity before their enemies,.... Alluding to the manner in which captives are led, being put before their enemies, and so carried in triumph; see Lamentations 1:5; though some think this refers to their going voluntarily into a foreign country, in order to escape danger, as Johanan the son of Kareah with the Jews went into Egypt, Jeremiah 43:5; in whom Kimchi instances:

thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them; or them that kill with the sword, as the Targum; so that though they thought by going into another country, or into an enemy's country of their own accord, to escape the sword of the enemy, or to curry favour with them, yet should not escape:

and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good: this is the true reason, why, let them be where they will, they cannot be safe, because the eyes of the omniscient God, which are everywhere, in heaven, earth, hell, and the sea, are set upon them, for their ruin and destruction; and there is no fleeing from his presence, or getting out of his sight, or escaping his hand. The Targum is,

"my Word shall be against them.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Captivity - , at least, seemed safe. The horrors of war are over. Men enslave, but do not commonly destroy those whom they have once been at the pains to carry captive. Amos describes them in their misery, as “going” willingly, gladly, “into captivity before their enemies,” like a flock of sheep. Yet “thence” too, out of “the captivity,” God would command the sword, and it should slay them. So God had forewarned them by Moses, that captivity should be an occasion, not an end, of slaughter. “I will scatter you among the pagan, and will draw out a sword after you” Leviticus 26:33. “And among these nations shalt thou find no ease - and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee, and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life” Deuteronomy 28:65-66. The book of Esther shows how cheaply the life of a whole nation was held by Eastern conquerors; and the book of Tobit records, how habitually Jews were slain and cast out unburied (Tobit 1:17; 2:3). The account also that Sennacherib (Tobit 1:18) avenged the loss of his army, and “in his wrath killed many,” is altogether in the character of Assyrian conquerors. Unwittingly he fulfilled the command of God, “I will command the sword and it shall slay them.”

I will set mine eyes upon them for evil - So David says, “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to root out the remembrance of them from off the earth” Psalms 34:15-16. The Eye of God rests on each creature which He hath made, as entirely as if He had created it alone. Every moment is passed in His unvarying sight. But, as man “sets his eye” on man, watching him and with purpose of evil, so God’s Eye is felt to be on man in displeasure, when sorrow and calamity track him and overtake him, coming he knows not how in unlooked-for ways and strange events. The Eye of God upon us is our whole hope and stay and life. It is on the Confessor in prison, the Martyr on the rack, the poor in their sufferings, the mourner in the chamber of death, for good. What when everywhere that Eye, the Source of all good, rests on His creature only for evil! “and not for good,” he adds; “not,” as is the wont and the Nature of God; “not,” as He had promised, if they were faithful; “not,” as perhaps they thought, “for good.” He utterly shuts out all hope of good. It shall be all evil, and no good, such as is hell.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 9:4. I will set mine eyes upon them for evil — I will use that very providence against them which before worked for their good. Should they look upward, they shall see nothing but the terrible lightning-like eye of a sin-avenging God.