1In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.27.1 piercing: or, crossing like a bar 2In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. 3I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. 4Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.27.4 go…: or, march against 5Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me. 6He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
7¶ Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him?27.7 as…: Heb. according to the stroke of 8In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.27.8 it shooteth…: or, thou sendest it forth27.8 he…: or, when he removeth it with 9By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.27.9 images: or, sun images 10Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof. 11When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.
12¶ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
Israel Will Be Saved
1At that time
the Lord will punish Leviathan with his sword.
His great, powerful and deadly sword will punish
the serpent that glides through the sea.
He will kill that twisting sea monster.
2At that time the Lord will sing about his fruitful vineyard. He will say,
3“I am the Lord. I watch over my vineyard.
I water it all the time.
I guard it day and night.
I do it so no one can harm it.
4I am not angry with my vineyard.
I wish thorns and bushes would come up in it.
Then I would march out against them in battle.
I would set all of them on fire.
5So the enemies of my people should come to me for safety.
They should make peace with me.
I will say it again.
They should make peace with me.”
6In days to come, Jacob’s people will put down roots like a vine.
Israel will bud and bloom.
They will fill the whole world with fruit.
7The Lord struck down those who struck down Israel.
But he hasn’t punished Israel as much.
The Lord killed those who killed many of his people.
But he hasn’t punished his people as much.
8The Lord will use war to punish Israel.
He will make them leave their land.
With a strong blast of his anger he will drive them out.
It will be as if the east wind were blowing.
9The people of Jacob will have to pay for their sin.
Here is how they will show that their sin has been removed.
They will make all the altar stones like limestone.
They will crush them to pieces.
No poles used to worship the female god named Asherah will be left standing.
No incense altars will be left either.
10Cities that have high walls around them will become empty.
They will be settlements with no one in them.
They will be like a desert.
Calves will eat and lie down in them.
They will strip bare the branches of their trees.
11When their twigs are dry, they will be broken off.
Then women will come and make fires with them.
The people of Jacob don’t understand the Lord.
So the God who made them won’t be concerned about them.
Their Creator won’t be kind to them.
12At that time the Lord will separate Israel from other people. He will gather the Israelites together one by one. He will gather them from the Euphrates River to the Wadi of Egypt. 13At that time a loud trumpet will be blown. Those who were dying in Assyria will come and worship the Lord. So will those who were taken away to Egypt. All of them will worship the Lord on his holy mountain in Jerusalem.
