Study Desk

At that time the Lord will begin gathering his people one by one from the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt. He will separate them from others as grain is separated from chaff.

At that time the Lord All-Powerful will be like a beautiful crown, like a wonderful crown of flowers for his people who are left alive.

The Lord is trying to teach the people a lesson; he is trying to make them understand his teachings. But the people are like babies too old for breast milk, like those who no longer nurse at their mother's breast.

The Lord will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in the Valley of Gibeon. He will do his work, his strange work. He will finish his job, his strange job.

A farmer does not plow his field all the time; he does not go on working the soil.

His God teaches him and shows him the right way.

The grain is ground to make bread. People do not ruin it by crushing it forever. The farmer separates the wheat from the chaff with his cart, but he does not let his horses grind it.

The Lord wants to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is a fair God, and everyone who waits for his help will be happy.

At that time the light from the moon will be bright like the sun, and the light from the sun will be seven times brighter than now, like the light of seven days. These things will happen when the Lord bandages his broken people and heals the hurts he gave them.

Look! The Lord comes from far away. His anger is like a fire with thick clouds of smoke. His mouth is filled with anger, and his tongue is like a burning fire.

His breath is like a rushing river, which rises to the throat. He will judge the nations as if he is sifting them through the strainer of destruction. He will place in their mouths a bit that will lead them the wrong way.

The Lord will cause all people to hear his great voice and to see his powerful arm come down with anger, like a great fire that burns everything, like a great storm with much rain and hail.

When the Lord punishes Assyria with a rod, he will beat them to the music of tambourines and harps; he will fight against them with his mighty weapons.

But he is wise and can bring them disaster. He does not change his warnings. He will rise up and fight against the evil people and against those who try to help evil people.

The Egyptians are only people and are not God. Their horses are only animals and are not spirit. The Lord will stretch out his arm, and the one who helps will stumble, and the people who wanted help will fall. All of them will be destroyed together.

A fool says foolish things, and in his mind he plans evil. A fool does things that are wicked, and he says wrong things about the Lord . A fool does not feed the hungry or let thirsty people drink water.

This will continue until God pours his Spirit from above upon us. Then the desert will be like a fertile field and the fertile field like a forest.

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. You will see the land that stretches far away.

Look at the Lord 's scroll and read what is written there: None of these will be missing; none will be without its mate. God has given the command, so his Spirit will gather them together.

The king of Assyria sent out his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. When the commander came near the waterway from the upper pool on the road where people do their laundry, he stopped.