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Assyria Is God’s Instrument
10 Woe to those who (A)enact evil statutes
And to those who constantly record [a]unjust decisions,
2 So as (B)to [b]deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of their rights,
So (C)that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the [c]orphans.
3 Now (D)what will you do in the (E)day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come (F)from afar?
(G)To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your [d]wealth?
4 Nothing remains but to crouch [e]among the (H)captives
Or fall [f]among the (I)slain.
(J)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away
And His hand is still stretched out.
5 Woe to (K)Assyria, the (L)rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is (M)My indignation,
6 I send it against a (N)godless nation
And commission it against the (O)people of My fury
To capture booty and (P)to seize plunder,
And to [g]trample them down like (Q)mud in the streets.
7 Yet it (R)does not so intend,
Nor does [h]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [i]its purpose to destroy
And to cut off [j]many nations.
8 For it says, “Are not my princes [k]all kings?
9 “Is not (S)Calno like (T)Carchemish,
Or (U)Hamath like Arpad,
Or (V)Samaria like (W)Damascus?
10 “As my hand has reached to the (X)kingdoms of the idols,
Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
11 Shall I not [l]do to Jerusalem and her images
Just as I have done to Samaria and (Y)her idols?”
12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His (Z)work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will [m]punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and (AA)the pomp of [n]his haughtiness.” 13 For (AB)he has said,
“By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this,
For I have understanding;
And I (AC)removed the boundaries of the peoples
And plundered their treasures,
And like a mighty man I brought down [o]their inhabitants,
14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a (AD)nest,
And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth;
And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.”
15 Is the (AE)axe to (AF)boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like (AG)a [p]club wielding those who lift it,
Or like (AH)a rod lifting him who is not wood.
16 Therefore the Lord, the [q]God of hosts, will send a (AI)wasting disease among his (AJ)stout warriors;
And under his (AK)glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame.
17 And the (AL)light of Israel will become a fire and his (AM)Holy One a flame,
And it will (AN)burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day.
18 And He will (AO)destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body,
And it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 And the (AP)rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number
That a child could write them down.
A Remnant Will Return
20 Now in that day the (AQ)remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob (AR)who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly (AS)rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
21 A (AT)remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the (AU)mighty God.
22 For (AV)though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A (AW)destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
23 For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, (AX)the Lord [r]God of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord [s]God of hosts, “O My people who dwell in (AY)Zion, (AZ)do not fear the Assyrian [t]who (BA)strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. 25 For in a very (BB)little while (BC)My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” 26 The Lord of hosts will (BD)arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of (BE)Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His (BF)staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up (BG)the way He did in Egypt. 27 So it will be in that day, that [u]his (BH)burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because (BI)of fatness.
28 He has come against Aiath,
He has passed through (BJ)Migron;
At (BK)Michmash he deposited his (BL)baggage.
29 They have gone through (BM)the pass, saying,
“(BN)Geba will be our lodging place.”
(BO)Ramah is terrified, and (BP)Gibeah of Saul has fled away.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of (BQ)Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah and [v]wretched (BR)Anathoth!
31 Madmenah has fled.
The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.
32 Yet today he will halt at (BS)Nob;
He (BT)shakes his fist at the mountain of the [w](BU)daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the [x]God of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash;
Those also who are (BV)tall in stature will be cut down
And those who are lofty will be abased.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And (BW)Lebanon will fall [y]by the Mighty One.
Righteous Reign of the Branch
11 Then a (BX)shoot will spring from the (BY)stem of Jesse,
And a (BZ)branch from (CA)his roots will bear fruit.
2 The (CB)Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of (CC)wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and (CD)strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes (CE)see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 But with (CF)righteousness He will judge the (CG)poor,
And decide with fairness for the (CH)afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the (CI)rod of His mouth,
And with the (CJ)breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
5 Also (CK)righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And (CL)faithfulness the belt about His waist.
6 And the (CM)wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion [z]and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7 Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the (CN)lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9 They will (CO)not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the (CP)earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
10 Then in that day
The (CQ)nations will resort to the (CR)root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a [aa](CS)signal for the peoples;
And His (CT)resting place will be [ab]glorious.
The Restored Remnant
11 Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again recover the second time with His hand
The (CU)remnant of His people, who will remain,
From (CV)Assyria, (CW)Egypt, Pathros, Cush, (CX)Elam, Shinar, Hamath,
And from the [ac](CY)islands of the sea.
12 And He will lift up a (CZ)standard for the nations
And (DA)assemble the banished ones of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.
13 Then the (DB)jealousy of Ephraim will depart,
And those who harass Judah will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
And Judah will not harass Ephraim.
14 They will (DC)swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the (DD)west;
Together they will (DE)plunder the sons of the east;
[ad]They will possess (DF)Edom and (DG)Moab,
And the sons of Ammon will be [ae]subject to them.
15 And the Lord will [af](DH)utterly destroy
The tongue of the [ag]Sea of Egypt;
And He will (DI)wave His hand over the [ah](DJ)River
With His scorching wind;
And He will strike it into seven streams
And make men walk over [ai]dry-shod.
16 And there will be a (DK)highway from Assyria
For the (DL)remnant of His people who will be left,
Just as there was for Israel
In (DM)the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.
11 I have become (A)foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for (B)in no respect was I inferior to the [a]most eminent apostles, even though (C)I am a nobody. 12 The [b](D)signs [c]of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by [d]signs and wonders and [e]miracles. 13 For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that (E)I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me (F)this wrong!
14 Here (G)for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I (H)will not be a burden to you; for I (I)do not seek what is yours, but (J)you; for (K)children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but (L)parents for their children. 15 I will (M)most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If (N)I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But be that as it may, I (O)did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I (P)took you in by deceit. 17 (Q)Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? 18 I (R)urged (S)Titus to go, and I sent (T)the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not [f]conduct ourselves [g]in the same (U)spirit and walk (V)in the same steps?
19 All this time [h]you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, (W)it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and (X)all for your upbuilding, (Y)beloved. 20 For I am afraid that perhaps (Z)when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be (AA)strife, jealousy, (AB)angry tempers, (AC)disputes, (AD)slanders, (AE)gossip, (AF)arrogance, (AG)disturbances; 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have (AH)sinned in the past and not repented of the (AI)impurity, [i]immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.
Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.
For the choir director; according to [a]Jonath elem rehokim. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has [d](A)trampled upon me;
[e]Fighting all day long he (B)oppresses me.
2 My foes have [f](C)trampled upon me all day long,
For [g]they are many who (D)fight proudly against me.
3 [h]When I am (E)afraid,
[i]I will (F)put my trust in You.
4 (G)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(H)What can mere [j]man do to me?
5 All day long they [k](I)distort my words;
All their [l](J)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [m](K)attack, they lurk,
They (L)watch my [n]steps,
As they have (M)waited to take my [o]life.
7 Because of wickedness, [p](N)cast them forth,
In anger (O)put down the peoples, O God!
8 You (P)have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my (Q)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (R)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (S)turn back (T)in the day when I call;
This I know, [q]that (U)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [r]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your (V)vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have (W)delivered my soul from death,
[s]Indeed (X)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (Y)walk before God
In the (Z)light of the [t]living.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.