Study Desk

Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so the Lord 's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.

And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the Lord 's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.

Because the Lord Almighty is angry, his punishment burns like a fire throughout the land and destroys the people, and it is each of us for ourselves.

The people of Manasseh and the people of Ephraim attack each other, and together they attack Judah. Yet even so the Lord 's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.

You will be killed in battle or dragged off as prisoners. Yet even so the Lord 's anger will not be ended; his hand will still be stretched out to punish.

But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations.

But the Lord says, "When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride."

The Sovereign Lord Almighty says to his people who live in Zion, "Do not be afraid of the Assyrians, even though they oppress you as the Egyptians used to do.

The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people. He will know the Lord 's will and honor him,

he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die.

He will rule his people with justice and integrity.

A day is coming when the new king from the royal line of David will be a symbol to the nations. They will gather in his royal city and give him honor.

When that day comes, the Lord will once again use his power and bring back home those of his people who are left in Assyria and Egypt, in the lands of Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, and Hamath, and in the coastlands and on the islands of the sea.

There will be a highway out of Assyria for those of his people Israel who have survived there, just as there was for their ancestors when they left Egypt.

Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing! Israel's holy God is great, and he lives among his people."

The Lord has called out his proud and confident soldiers to fight a holy war and punish those he is angry with.

Listen to the noise on the mountains—the sound of a great crowd of people, the sound of nations and kingdoms gathering. The Lord of Armies is preparing his troops for battle.

They are coming from far-off countries at the ends of the earth. In his anger the Lord is coming to devastate the whole country.

The day of the Lord is coming—that cruel day of his fierce anger and fury. The earth will be made a wilderness, and every sinner will be destroyed.

The Lord will once again be merciful to his people Israel and choose them as his own. He will let them live in their own land again, and foreigners will come and live there with them.