Israels genoprettelse
1Herren vil forbarme sig over Israels folk. De vil igen blive hans udvalgte folk. Han lader dem bosætte sig i deres eget land, og folk fra andre nationer vil slutte sig til dem og blive en del af Israels folk. 2Fremmede folk skal føre dem hjem, og Israels folk vil bruge nogle af de fremmede som slaver i deres land. Deres fangevogtere bliver taget til fange, og deres undertrykkere bliver undertrykt.
En spottesang om Babylons konge
3Når Herren befrier sit folk fra deres sorg og lidelse og det hårde slavearbejde, de blev udsat for, 4vil de håne Babylons konge med sang:
„Så er tyrannen færdig!
Hans raseri er forbi!
5Herren har knækket den ondes scepter
og brudt den gudløses herskerstav,
6han, som jagtede andre folkeslag,
slog dem i sindssygt raseri
med skånselsløse stokkeslag.
7Nu er der stilhed, nu er der fred.
Hele jorden bryder ud i sang.
8Selv cypresserne glæder sig.
Libanons cedertræer synger:
‚Du havde tænkt at fælde os!
Men det var dig selv, der faldt!’
9Hele dødsriget er på tæerne
for at møde dig, når du ankommer.
Hensovne dødninge rejser sig op,
tidligere stormænd, konger og herskere.
10Som med én mund hilser de dig:
‚Også du blev afmægtig.
Nu er du som os!’
11Din herlighed endte i dødsriget,
harpernes klang forstummede.
Dit leje er redt med råddenskab,
dit tæppe er larver og orme.
12Tænk, at du faldt fra himlen,
du strålende morgenstjerne,
at du blev kastet til jorden,
du store verdenserobrer.
13Du sagde til dig selv:
‚Jeg vil stige op til himlen,
rejse min trone højt over stjernerne,
indtage min plads blandt guderne
på bjerget i det yderste nord.
14Jeg vil stige op til de øverste himle,
komme på højde med den almægtige Gud.’
15I stedet blev du styrtet i dødsriget,
i dets allerdybeste afgrund.
16De, der ser dig der, vil undre sig:
‚Er det ham, for hvem jorden bævede,
og verdens riger rystede?
17Er det ham, som lagde verdens lande øde,
som jævnede storbyer med jorden
og aldrig satte krigsfanger fri?’
18Alle jordens andre konger
hviler værdigt i deres grave,
19mens dit lig ligger henslængt,
nedtrampet som en knækket gren
mellem andre, der blev dræbt af sværdet,
et kadaver kastet i et hul
og dækket med sten.
20Du får ingen kongelig begravelse,
fordi du hærgede dit eget land
og bragte død over dit eget folk.
Din slægt skal uddø
på grund af din ondskab.
21Dine sønner skal dræbes
som straf for din synd.
De skal ikke herske over jorden
og fylde verden med byer.”
22„Jeg vil rejse mig imod Babyloniens folk,” siger Herren, den Almægtige. „Jeg vil udrydde dem og deres børn, så der ingen efterkommere bliver. 23Jeg gør Babylon til en sumpet ødemark, et hjemsted for ugler. Jeg fejer byen væk med ødelæggelsens kost.”
Profeti om Assyriens fald
24Herren, den Almægtige, har svoret: „De tanker, jeg tænker, bliver altid ført ud i livet. De planer, jeg lægger, kommer altid til at ske. 25Jeg vil knuse den assyriske hær i mit land, nedtrampe dem på mine bjerge. Undertrykkerens åg skal fjernes fra mit folk, de skal fritages fra byrden på deres skuldre. 26Sådan er min plan for hele jorden, min magt omfatter alle folkeslag. 27Hvem kan modsætte sig mine planer? Hvem kan gøre modstand, når jeg går til angreb?”
Profeti om filistrenes land
28Følgende budskab kom i det år, kong Ahaz døde:14,28 Ca. år 716 f.Kr. Det er efter, at Nordriget i 722 blev erobret af assyrerkongen Shalmanesar V. Denne konge døde kort efter, i 721, men blev afløst af kong Sargon II, som igen blev afløst af den frygtede kong Sankerib i 705. Sankerib belejrede Jerusalem, men Herren dræbte 185.000 assyriske krigere (2.Kong. 19).
29Glæd dig ikke for tidligt, Filisterland, fordi kæppen, som slog dig, er knækket. Var kæppen en slange, så kommer der nu en giftig øgle i dens sted. 30Jeg beskytter dem, der søger ly hos mig, som en hyrde våger over sine får, mens de græsser. Men din rest vil jeg dræbe med sult, de tiloversblevne slår jeg ihjel. 31Skrig højt i byerne, filistre, klag i portene, lad angsten gribe jer, for I er dømt. En vældig støvsky nærmer sig fra nord, en hær af ivrige krigere. 32Hvad skal vi svare folkenes sendebud? At Herren har lagt en grundvold på Zions bjerg, og dér kan de ydmyge blandt hans folk søge tilflugt.
1The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Foreigners will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
2Nations will take them
and bring them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.
3On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labour forced on you, 4you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain. has ended!
5The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
the sceptre of the rulers,
6which in anger struck down peoples
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations
with relentless aggression.
7All the lands are at rest and at peace;
they break into singing.
8Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
‘Now that you have been laid low,
no-one comes to cut us down.’
9The realm of the dead below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you –
all those who were leaders in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones –
all those who were kings over the nations.
10They will all respond,
they will say to you,
‘You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.’
11All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms cover you.
12How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
16Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
‘Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17the man who made the world a wilderness,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?’
18All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.
19But you are cast out of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,
with those pierced by the sword,
those who descend to the stones of the pit.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20you will not join them in burial,
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
Let the offspring of the wicked
never be mentioned again.
21Prepare a place to slaughter his children
for the sins of their ancestors;
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.
22‘I will rise up against them,’
declares the Lord Almighty.
‘I will wipe out Babylon’s name and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,’
declares the Lord.
23‘I will turn her into a place for owls
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,’
declares the Lord Almighty.
24The Lord Almighty has sworn,
‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
25I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.’
26This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
A prophecy against the Philistines
28This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:
29Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,
its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.
30The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety.
But your root I will destroy by famine;
it will slay your survivors.
31Wail, you gate! Howl, you city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,
and there is not a straggler in its ranks.
32What answer shall be given
to the envoys of that nation?
‘The Lord has established Zion,
and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.’
