Study Desk

Listen carefully, the Lord has a strong and mighty agent [the Assyrian]; Like a tempest of hail, a disastrous storm, Like a tempest of mighty overflowing waters, He has cast it down to the earth with His hand.

And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the rich valley, Will be like the early fig before the summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand He [greedily] swallows it [and so will the Assyrians rapidly devour Samaria, Israel's capital].

In that day the LORD of hosts will become a magnificent crown And a glorious diadem to the [converted] remnant of His people,

For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be stirred up as in the Valley of Gibeon, To do His work, His unusual and incredible work, And to accomplish His work, His extraordinary work.

Does the farmer plow all day to plant seed? Does he continually dig furrows and harrow his ground [after it is prepared]?

For his God instructs [him correctly] and teaches him properly.

Bread grain is crushed fine, Indeed, the farmer does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it, He does not thresh it longer.

This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who has made His counsel wonderful and His wisdom great.

It will be as when a hungry man dreams That he is eating, But when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied; Or as when a thirsty man dreams That he is drinking, But when he awakens, in fact, he is faint And his thirst is not quenched. So will the multitude of all the nations be Who fight against Mount Zion.

Therefore, the LORD, who redeemed Abraham [from paganism] says this, concerning the house of Jacob (Israel): "Jacob will not be ashamed, nor will his face turn pale [with disappointment because of his children's degenerate behavior];

For when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My Name; They will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob And will stand in awe and reverent fear of the God of Israel.

"For his princes are at Zoan And his ambassadors arrive at Hanes [in Egypt].

On every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams of water on the day of the great slaughter (the day of the LORD), when the towers fall [and all His enemies are destroyed].

The light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days [concentrated in one], in the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted [because of their sins].

Now look, the name of the LORD comes from far away, Burning with His anger, and heavy with smoke; His lips are full of indignation, And His tongue is like a consuming fire.

His breath is like an overflowing river, Which reaches to the neck, To sift the nations back and forth in a sieve [of disaster], And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin.

And the LORD will make His majestic voice heard, And show the descending of His arm [striking] in [His] fierce anger, And in the flame of a devouring fire, In the crashing sound of heavy rain, cloudburst, and hailstones.

Yet He is also wise and will bring disaster, And does not retract His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers And against the helpers of those who do evil.

Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; And the LORD will stretch out His hand, And he (Egypt) who helps will stumble, And he (Judah) who is helped will fall, And all of them will perish together.

For so the LORD says to me, "As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, And though a large group of shepherds is called out against him He will not be terrified at their voice nor cringe at their noise, So the LORD of hosts will come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill."