Study Desk

But the Lord has brought the enemies of Rezin against them; he has stirred up their enemies against them.

The Arameans came from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they ate up Israel with their armies. But the Lord was still angry; his hand was still raised to punish the people.

But the people did not return to the one who had struck them; they did not follow the Lord All-Powerful.

So the Lord is not happy with the young people, nor will he show mercy to the orphans and widows. All the people are separated from God and are very evil; they all speak lies. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

People will grab something on the right, but they will still be hungry. They will eat something on the left, but they will not be filled. Then they will each turn and eat their own children.

The people of Manasseh will fight against the people of Ephraim, and Ephraim will fight against Manasseh. Then both of them will turn against Judah. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

You will have to bow down among the captives or fall down among the dead bodies. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

But Assyria's king doesn't understand that I am using him; he doesn't know he is a tool for me. He only wants to destroy other people and to defeat many nations.

Israel, your people are many, like the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be left alive to return to the Lord . God has announced that he will destroy the land completely and fairly.

But he will judge the poor honestly; he will be fair in his decisions for the poor people of the land. At his command evil people will be punished, and by his words the wicked will be put to death.

But Israel and Judah will attack the Philistines on the west. Together they will take the riches from the people of the east. They will conquer Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will be under their control.

At that time you will say: "I praise you, Lord ! You were angry with me, but you are not angry with me now! You have comforted me.

Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms, and the Babylonians are very proud of it. But God will destroy it like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Nations will take the Israelites back to their land. Then those men and women from the other nations will become slaves to Israel in the Lord 's land. In the past the Israelites were their slaves, but now the Israelites will defeat those nations and rule over them.

But now, the whole world rests and is quiet. Now the people begin to sing.

King of Babylon, morning star, you have fallen from heaven, even though you were as bright as the rising sun! In the past all the nations on earth bowed down before you, but now you have been cut down.

But you were brought down to the grave, to the deep places where the dead are.

But you are thrown out of your grave, like an unwanted branch. You are covered by bodies that died in battle, by bodies to be buried in a rocky pit. You are like a dead body other soldiers walk on.

I will destroy the king of Assyria in my country; I will trample him on my mountains. He placed a heavy load on my people, but that weight will be removed.

Even the poorest of my people will be able to eat safely, and people in need will be able to lie down in safety. But I will kill your family with hunger, and all your people who are left will die.