1. This is the Lord's message for his rebellious people:“You follow your own plansinstead of mine;you make treatieswithout asking me,and you keep on sinning.
2. You trust Egypt for protection.So you refuse my adviceand send messengers to Egyptto beg their king for help.
3. “You will be disappointed,completely disgracedfor trusting Egypt.
4. The king's power reachesfrom the city of Zoanas far south as Hanes.
5. But Egypt can't protect you,and to trust that nationis useless and foolish.”
6. This is a messageabout the animalsof the Southern Desert:you people carry treasureson donkeys and camels.You travel to a feeble nationthrough a troublesome desertfilled with lionsand flying fiery dragons.
7. Egypt can't help you!That's why I call that nationa helpless monster.
8. The Lord told me to write down his message for his people, so that it would be there for ever.
9. They have turned against the Lord and can't be trusted. They have refused his teaching
10. and have said to his messengers and prophets:Don't tell us what God has shown you and don't preach the truth. Just say what we want to hear, even if it's false.
11. Stop telling us what God has said! We don't want to hear any more about the holy God of Israel.
12. Now this is the answerof the holy God of Israel:“You rejected my message,and you trust in violenceand lies.
13. This sin is like a crackthat makes a high wallquickly crumble
14. and shatterlike a crushed bowl.There's not a piece leftbig enough to carry hot coalsor to scoop up water.”
15. The holy Lord God of Israelhad told all of you,“I will keep you safeif you turn back to meand calm down.I will make you strongif you quietly trust me.”Then you stubbornly
16. said,“No! We will safely escapeon speedy horses.”But those who chase youwill be even faster.
17. As few as five of them,or even one, will be enoughto chase a thousand of you.Finally, all that will be leftwill be a few survivorsas lonely as a flag poleon a barren hill.
18. The Lord God is waitingto show how kind he isand to have pity on you.The Lord always does right;he blesses those who trust him.
19. People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry any more. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come.
20. The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you.
21. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.”
22. Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like rubbish; you will throw them away like filthy rags.
23. The Lord will send rain to water the seeds you have planted—your fields will produce more crops than you need, and your cattle will graze in open pastures.
24. Even the oxen and donkeys that plough your fields will be fed the finest grain.
25. On that day people will be slaughtered and towers destroyed, but streams of water will flow from high hills and towering mountains.
26. Then the Lord will bandage his people's injuries and heal the wounds he has caused. The moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven days all at once.
27. The Lord is comingfrom far awaywith his fiery angerand thick clouds of smoke.His angry words flame uplike a destructive fire;
28. he breathes out a floodthat comes up to the neck.He sifts the nationsand destroys them.Then he puts a bridlein every foreigner's mouthand leads them to doom.
29. The Lord's people will sing as they do when they celebrate a religious festival at night. The Lord is Israel's mighty rock, and his people will be as happy as they are when they follow the sound of flutes to the mountain where he is worshipped.
30. The Lord will get furious. His fearsome voice will be heard, his arm will be seen ready to strike, and his anger will be like a destructive fire, followed by thunderstorms and hailstones.
31. When the Assyrians hear the Lord's voice and see him striking with his iron rod, they will be terrified.
32. He will attack them in battle, and each time he strikes them, it will be to the music of tambourines and harps.
33. Long ago the Lord got a place ready for burning the body of the dead king. The place for the fire is deep and wide, the wood is piled high, and the Lord will start the fire by breathing out flaming sulphur.