Study Desk

The land is scorchedby the wrath of the Lord of Armies,and the people are like fuel for the fire.No one has compassion on his brother.

They carve meat on the right,but they are still hungry;they have eaten on the left,but they are still not satisfied.Each one eats the flesh of his own arm.

Manasseh is with Ephraim,and Ephraim with Manasseh;together, both are against Judah.In all this, his anger has not turned away,and his hand is still raised to strike.

There will be nothing to doexcept crouch among the prisonersor fall among the slain.In all this, his anger has not turned away,and his hand is still raised to strike.

But this is not what he intends;this is not what he plans.It is his intent to destroyand to cut off many nations.

But when the Lord finishes all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes.”

And the Lord of Armies will brandish a whip against him as he did when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the sea as he did in Egypt.

On that dayhis burden will fall from your shoulders,and his yoke from your neck.The yoke will be broken because your neck will be too large.

His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.He will not judgeby what he sees with his eyes,he will not execute justiceby what he hears with his ears,

but he will judge the poor righteouslyand execute justice for the oppressed of the land.He will strike the landwith a scepter from his mouth,and he will kill the wickedwith a command from his lips.

Righteousness will be a belt around his hips;faithfulness will be a belt around his waist.

An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit,and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.

On that day the root of Jessewill stand as a banner for the peoples.The nations will look to him for guidance,and his resting place will be glorious.

On that day the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people who survive—from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west.

The Lord will divide the Gulf of Suez.He will wave his hand over the Euphrateswith his mighty windand will split it into seven streams,letting people walk through on foot.

There will be a highway for the remnant of his peoplewho will survive from Assyria,as there was for Israelwhen they came up from the land of Egypt.

and on that day you will say:“Give thanks to the Lord; proclaim his name!Make his works known among the peoples.Declare that his name is exalted.

Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion,for the Holy One of Israel is among youin his greatness.”

They are coming from a distant land,from the farthest horizon—the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country.

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,and the earth will shake from its foundationsat the wrath of the Lord of Armies,on the day of his burning anger.