Guds dom over de fjendltige nationer og løfter til Guds folk
1Ve dig, Undertrykker!33,1 Der henvises primært til Assyrien. Du har undertrykt andre, men du er aldrig selv blevet undertrykt. Du svigter dine forbundsfæller, selv om de ikke svigter dig. Nu er det din tur til at blive undertrykt og svigtet.
2Herre, vær os nådig, for vi sætter vores lid til dig. Styrk os hver morgen og red os, når vi er undergangen nær. 3Vores fjender flygter, når de hører dig komme. Når du går til angreb, spredes vores fjender for alle vinde. 4De bliver berøvet alt, som når en græshoppesværm æder alt, hvad den passerer.
5Herren er mægtig, han bor i Himlen. Han vil gøre Jerusalem til retfærdighedens og sandhedens højborg. 6Han vil give tryghed og fuld beskyttelse, visdom og kundskab. Gudsfrygt er kilden til velsignelse.
7De tapre krigere33,7 Teksten er uklar, måske „Ariels beboere”. Ariel kan også betyde „Guds løve” og bruges blandt andet om en helt. Esajas brugte det som et navn for Jerusalem i kap. 29. klynker i Jerusalems gader, fredsudsendingene vender grædende tilbage. 8Vejene er øde, for ingen tør vove sig ud. Fredstraktater annulleres, og løfter brydes, selv om de var afgivet i vidners nærvær. 9Hele Israels land er i vanskeligheder, Libanon er skamferet, Saronsletten lagt øde, Bashan og Karmel plyndret.
10Men Herren siger: „Jeg vil rejse mig og vise min mægtige styrke. 11I fjendtlige nationer får intet som helst ud af jeres anstrengelser. Jeres egen ånde bliver til ild, der brænder jer op. 12Jeres hære skal smuldre som sten, der brændes til kalk, og forgå som tjørn, der fortæres af ilden. 13Alle lande, både nær og fjern, skal høre om, hvad jeg har gjort og anerkende min magt.”
14Synderne i Jerusalem skal ryste af skræk, de gudløse råbe i rædsel: „Hvem kan holde stand over for Herrens fortærende og evige ild?” 15Det kan kun de, som handler ret og taler sandt, som nægter at udnytte og bedrage andre, som ikke tager imod bestikkelse, som nægter at lytte til planer om mord, og som overvinder fristelsen til at handle ondt. 16De får lov at bo på højene, i fæstninger på klipperne, og de skal få alt det mad og vand, de har brug for.
17Jeres øjne skal få kongen at se i al hans skønhed, og I skal se et stort og vidtstrakt land. 18Da bliver fortidens fjendtlige regenter, som krævede store skatter af jer, kun et uhyggeligt minde. 19Snart er de borte, de grusomme barbarer med det fremmedartede sprog, som I ikke forstår.
20Da vil I se Jerusalem som et sted, hvor man samles til højtidsfester. Byen skal være tryg og urokkelig. 21Herren giver os et sted med brede floder og vandstrømme, hvor ingen af fjendens mægtige skibe kan sejle. 22For Herren er vores Dommer, Hersker og Konge. Han tager sig af os og redder os. 23Fjendens reb hænger slappe, masten er ved at vælte, og sejlene er ikke spændt ud. Byttet skal deles ud mellem Guds folk, selv de lamme får del i det. 24Ingen i Israel vil længere sige: „Jeg er syg.” For Herren har tilgivet deres synder.
Trouble for Assyria and Help for God’s People
1How terrible it will be for you, you who destroy others!
Assyria, you haven’t been destroyed yet.
How terrible for you, you who turn against others!
Others haven’t turned against you yet.
When you stop destroying,
you will be destroyed.
When you stop turning against others,
others will turn against you.
2Lord, have mercy on us.
We long for you to help us.
Make us strong every morning.
Save us when we’re in trouble.
3At the roar of your army, the nations run away.
When you rise up against them, they scatter.
4Nations, what you have taken in battle is destroyed.
It’s as if young locusts had eaten it up.
Like large numbers of locusts,
people rush to get it.
5The Lord is honored. He lives in heaven.
He will make sure Zion’s people only do what is fair and right.
6He will be the firm foundation for their entire lives.
He will give them all the wisdom, knowledge and saving power they will ever need.
Respect for the Lord is the key to that treasure.
7Look! Judah’s brave men cry out loud in the streets.
The messengers who were sent to bring peace weep bitter tears.
8The wide roads are deserted.
No one travels on them.
Our peace treaty with Assyria is broken.
Those who witnessed it are looked down on.
No one is respected.
9The land dries up and wastes away.
Lebanon is full of shame and dries up.
The rich land of Sharon is like the Arabah Desert.
The trees of Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.
10“Now I will take action,” says the Lord.
“Now I will be honored.
Now I will be respected.
11Assyria, your plans and actions are like straw.
Your anger is a fire that will destroy you.
12The nations will be burned to ashes.
They will be like bushes that are cut down and set on fire.
13“You nations far away, listen to what I have done!
My people who are near, recognize how powerful I am!
14The sinners in Zion are terrified.
They tremble with fear.
They say, ‘Who of us can live through the Lord’s destroying fire?
Who of us can live through the fire that burns forever?’
15People must do what is right.
They must be honest and tell the truth.
They must not get rich by cheating others.
Their hands must not receive money from those who want special favors.
They must not let their ears listen to plans to commit murder.
They must close their eyes to even thinking about doing what is evil.
16People like that will be kept safe.
It will be as if they were living on high mountains.
It will be as if they were living in a mountain fort.
They will have all the food they need.
And they will never run out of water.”
17People of Judah, you will see the king in all his glory and majesty.
You will view his kingdom spreading far and wide.
18You will think about what used to terrify you.
You will say to yourself,
“Where is that chief officer of Assyria?
Where is the one who forced us to send gifts to his king?
Where is the officer in charge of the towers
that were used when we were attacked?”
19You won’t see those proud people anymore.
They spoke a strange language.
None of us could understand it.
20Just look at Zion! It’s the city
where we celebrate our regular feasts.
Turn your eyes toward Jerusalem.
It will be a peaceful place to live in.
It will be like a tent that will never be moved.
Its stakes will never be pulled up.
None of its ropes will be broken.
21There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
It will be like a place of wide rivers and streams.
No boat with oars will travel on them.
No mighty ship will sail on them.
22That’s because the Lord is our judge.
The Lord gives us our law.
The Lord is our king.
He will save us.
23The ropes on your ship hang loose.
The mast isn’t very secure.
The sail isn’t spread out.
But the Lord will strike down the Assyrians.
Then a large amount of goods will be taken from them and divided up.
Even people who are disabled will carry off some of it.
24No one living in Zion will ever say again, “I’m sick.”
And the sins of those who live there will be forgiven.
