Study Desk

But what will the messengers from that nation report about us? They will say, "The Lord made Zion strong, and his poor people went there for safety."

At that time the Egyptians will be like frightened women. They will be afraid of the Lord All-Powerful, because he will raise his arm to punish the people.

Sargon was the king of Assyria. He sent his military commander to fight against Ashdod. The commander went there and captured the city.

"What a big man you are! But the Lord will crush you. He will roll you into a small ball and throw you far away into the open arms of another country, and there you will die. "You are very proud of your chariots. But in that faraway land, your new ruler will have better chariots. And your chariots will not look important in his palace.

"I will put the key to David's house around his neck. If he opens a door, no one will be able to close it. If he closes a door, no one will be able to open it.

He will be like a favorite chair in his father's house. I will make him like a strong peg in a solid board.

All the honored and important things of his father's house will hang on him. All the adults and little children will depend on him. They will be like little dishes and big water bottles hanging on him."

The Lord raised his arm over the sea to make the kingdoms angry enough to fight against Tyre. He commanded Canaan to destroy her place of safety.

The Lord will rule as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. His Glory will be shown to the city leaders with such brightness that the moon will be embarrassed and the sun will be ashamed.

But death will be destroyed forever. And the Lord God will wipe away every tear from every face. In the past, all of his people were sad, but God will take away that sadness from the earth. All of this will happen because the Lord said it would.

Look! The Lord is coming out from his place to judge the people of the world for the bad things they have done. The earth will reveal the blood that has been spilled on it. It will no longer hide the proof of those murders.

At that time the Lord will judge Leviathan, the crooked snake. He will use his great sword, his hard and powerful sword, to punish Leviathan, that twisting, turning snake. He will kill the monster of the sea.

In the future, Jacob will take root firmly on his soil. Then Israel will sprout and bloom, and the world will be filled with his fruit."

The Lord will settle his argument with Israel by sending the people far away. He will speak harshly to Israel. His words will burn like the hot desert wind.

How will Jacob's guilt be forgiven? What will happen so his sins can be taken away? The rocks of the altar will be crushed to dust; the statues and altars for worshiping false gods will all be destroyed.

At that time the Lord will begin separating his people from others. He will begin at the Euphrates River and will gather his people from there to the River of Egypt. You people of Israel will be gathered together one by one.

At that time the Lord All-Powerful will become the "Beautiful Crown." He will be the "Wonderful Crown of Flowers" for his people who are left.

Then he will give wisdom to the judges who rule his people. He will give strength to the people who are in battles at the city gates.

The people say, "Who does he think he is trying to teach and explain his message to? Does he think we are babies who were at their mother's breast only a very short time ago?

The Lord will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in Gibeon Valley. He will do what he must do. It will be what some stranger should do, but he will finish his work. Yes, this is a stranger's job.