1How terrible it will be for you
who make laws that aren’t fair!
How terrible for you
who write laws that make life hard for others!
2You take away the rights of poor people.
You hold back what is fair from my people who are suffering.
You take for yourselves what belongs to widows.
You rob children whose fathers have died.
3What will you do on the day when the Lord punishes you?
On that day trouble will come from far away.
Who will you run to for help?
Who will you trust your riches with?
4All you can do is bow down in fear among the prisoners.
All you can do is fall among those who have died in battle.
Even then, the Lord is still angry.
His hand is still raised against them.
The Lord Will Judge Assyria
5The Lord says, “How terrible it will be for the people of Assyria!
They are the war club that carries out my anger.
6I will send them against the ungodly nation of Judah.
I will order them to fight against my own people.
My people make me angry.
I will order Assyria to take their goods and carry them away.
I will order Assyria to walk on my people
as if they were walking on mud.
7But that is not what the king of Assyria plans.
It is not what he has in mind.
His purpose is to destroy many nations.
His purpose is to put an end to them.
8‘Aren’t all my commanders kings?’ he says.
9‘I took over Kalno just as I took Carchemish.
I took over Hamath just as I did Arpad.
I took Samaria just as I did Damascus.
10My powerful hand grabbed hold of kingdoms
whose people worship statues of gods.
They had more gods than Jerusalem and Samaria did.
11I took over Samaria and its statues of gods.
In the same way, I will take Jerusalem and its gods.’ ”
12The Lord will finish everything he has planned to do against Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Then he’ll say, “Now I will punish the king of Assyria. I will punish him because his heart and his eyes are so proud. 13The king of Assyria says,
“ ‘By my power
I have taken over all these nations.
I am very wise.
I have great understanding.
I have wiped out the borders between nations.
I’ve taken their treasures.
Like a great hero I’ve brought their kings under my control.
14I’ve taken the wealth of the nations.
It was as easy as reaching into a bird’s nest.
I’ve gathered the riches of all these countries.
It was as easy as gathering eggs
that have been left in a nest.
Not a single baby bird flapped its wings.
Not one of them opened its mouth to chirp.’ ”
15Does an ax claim to be more important
than the person who swings it?
Does a saw brag that it is better
than the one who uses it?
That would be like a stick
swinging the person who picks it up!
It would be like a war club
waving the one who carries it!
16So the Lord who rules over all will send a sickness.
The Lord will send it on the king of Assyria’s strong fighting men.
It will make them weaker and weaker.
The army he was so proud of will be completely destroyed.
It will be as if it had been burned up in a fire.
17The Lord is the Light of Israel.
He will become a fire.
Israel’s Holy One will become a flame.
In a single day he will burn up all Assyria’s bushes.
He will destroy all their thorns.
18He will completely destroy the beauty
of their forests and rich farm lands.
The Assyrian army will be like a sick person
who becomes weaker and weaker.
19It will be like the trees of their forests.
So few of them will be left standing
that even a child could count them.
The Israelites Who Are Left Alive
20In days to come, some people will still be left alive in Israel.
They will be from Jacob’s family line.
But they won’t depend any longer on
the nation that struck them down.
Instead, they will truly depend on the Lord.
He is the Holy One of Israel.
21The people of Jacob who are still alive
will return to the Mighty God.
22Israel, your people might be as many as the grains of sand by the sea.
But only a few of them will return.
The Lord has handed down a death sentence.
He will destroy his people.
What he does is right.
23The Lord who rules over all will carry out his sentence.
The Lord will destroy the whole land.
24The Lord rules over all. The Lord says,
“My people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrian army.
They beat you with rods.
They lift up war clubs against you,
just as the Egyptians did.
25Very soon I will not be angry with you anymore.
I will turn my anger against the Assyrians.
I will destroy them.”
26The Lord who rules over all will beat them with a whip.
He will strike them down as he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb.
And he will stretch out his walking stick over the waters.
That’s what he did in Egypt.
27People of Zion, in days to come he will help you.
He will lift the heavy load of the Assyrians from your shoulders.
He will remove their yokes from your necks.
Their yokes will be broken
because you have become so strong.
28The Assyrian army has entered the town of Aiath.
They have passed through Migron.
They have stored up supplies at Mikmash.
29They have marched through the pass there. They said,
“Let’s camp for the night at Geba.”
The people of Ramah tremble with fear.
Those who live in Gibeah of Saul run away.
30Town of Gallim, cry out!
Laishah, listen!
Poor Anathoth!
31The people of Madmenah are running away.
Those who live in Gebim are hiding.
32Today the Assyrians have stopped at Nob.
They are shaking their fists
at Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem.
33The Assyrian soldiers are like trees in a forest.
The Lord who rules over all
will chop them down.
The Lord will cut off their branches
with his great power.
He will chop the tall trees down.
He will cut down even the highest ones.
34The Mighty One will chop down the forest with his ax.
He will cut down the cedar trees in Lebanon.
1Wonnue, wɔn a wɔhyɛ mmara a ɛmfa ne kwan mu,
wɔn a wɔhyɛ mmara dennen a ɛde nhyɛso ba,
2de siw ahiafo ahofadi ho kwan,
de atɛntrenee bɔ me nkurɔfo a wɔhyɛ wɔn so no atirimɔden.
Wɔma akunafo yɛ amanehunufo
na wɔbɔ ayisaa korɔn.
3Dɛn na mobɛyɛ wɔ akontaabu da no,
bere a amanehunu fi akyirikyiri reba?
Hena nkyɛn na mubeguan akɔpɛ mmoa?
Ɛhefa na mubegyaw mo ahode?
4Ɛrenka mo hwee sɛ mobɛfra nneduafo mu
anaasɛ mobɛtotɔ wɔ atɔfo mu.
Nanso eyinom nyinaa akyi no ne bo nnwoo ɛ,
na ne nsa da so wɔ soro.
Asiria Atemmu A Efi Onyankopɔn
5“Nnome nka Asiriani no, mʼabufuw abaa,
nea okura mʼabufuwhyew pema no!
6Mesoma no akɔ ɔman a wonnim Onyankopɔn so
migya no kwan ma wakɔ nnipa a wɔhyɛ me abufuw so
sɛ wonkogye akorɔnne abran so na wonhuam afowde,
na wontiatia wɔn so sɛ dɔte wɔ mmɔnten so.
7Nanso ɛnyɛ eyi ne nea ɔpɛ sɛ ɔyɛ
ɛnyɛ eyi ne nea ɛwɔ nʼadwene mu;
ne botae ne sɛ ɔbɛsɛe,
sɛ ɔde aman bebree bɛba wɔn awiei.
8Na obisa se, ‘Ahemfo nyinaa nyɛ mʼasahene ana?
9Kalno nyɛɛ sɛ Karkemis ana?
Hamat nte sɛ Arpad
na Samaria nte sɛ Damasko ana?
10Sɛnea migyee ahoni ahenni ahorow abran so,
ahenni a wɔn nsɛsode sen nea ɛwɔ Yerusalem ne Samaria no.
11Merentumi ne Yerusalem ne ne nsɛsode nni,
sɛnea me ne Samaria ne nʼahoni dii no?’ ”
12Sɛ Awurade wie nʼadwuma a etia Bepɔw Sion ne Yerusalem nyinaa a, ɔbɛka se, “Mɛtwe Asiriahene aso wɔ ne komapirim ne nʼani a ɛnsɔ ade no ho. 13Efisɛ ɔka se,
“ ‘Mede mʼahoɔden na ayɛ eyi,
na mifi me nyansa mu, efisɛ mewɔ nimdeɛ.
Mesɛee aman aman ahye,
mefow wɔn ademude;
mebrɛɛ wɔn ahemfo ase te sɛ ɔbran.
14Sɛnea obi teɛ ne nsa hyɛ berebuw mu no,
saa ara nso na mɛteɛ me nsa wɔ amanaman no ahonyade so;
sɛnea wɔtase nkesua a wɔagyaw hɔ no,
saa ara na mɛboaboa amanaman no nyinaa ano;
obiara ammɔ ne ntaban mu,
na wammue nʼano ansu.’ ”
15Abonnua ma ne ho so tra nea ɔtow,
anaasɛ ɔwan hoahoa ne ho kyɛn nea ɔde no yɛ adwuma ana?
Ayɛ te sɛnea abaa tumi dannan nea ɔmaa no so,
anaasɛ poribaa tumi hinhim nea ɔnyɛ dua!
16Afei Awurade, Asafo Awurade,
de ɔyaredɔm bɛbɔ nʼakofo ahoɔdenfo no;
ne kɛseyɛ mu wobefita ogya mu ama adɛw
te sɛ gyaframa.
17Israel Hann no bɛdan ogya.
Wɔn Kronkronni no bɛyɛ ogya a ɛdɛw;
ɔde da koro bɛhyew na wasɛe
ne nsɔe ne nnɛnkyɛnse.
18Ne kwae ne nʼasasebere anuonyam no,
ɛbɛsɛe pasapasa
te sɛ ɔyarefo a ɔrefɔn.
19Nnua a ɛbɛka wɔ ne kwae mu bɛyɛ kakraa bi
a abofra betumi akyerɛ ne dodow.
Israel Nkaefo
20Da no, Israel nkae,
Yakob fifo a wɔbɛka no,
remfa wɔn ho nto no so bio
nea ɔbɔɔ wɔn hwee fam no;
na mmom wɔde wɔn ho bɛto Awurade so nokware mu,
Israel Kronkronni no.
21Nkae bi bɛsan aba, Yakob nkae bi
bɛsan aba Otumfo Onyankopɔn no nkyɛn.
22Israel, ɛwɔ mu sɛ wo nkurɔfo dɔɔso sɛ mpoano nwea de,
nanso nkae bi pɛ na wɔbɛsan.
Wɔahyɛ ɔsɛe ho mmara dennen
a ebebunkam so na ɛteɛ.
23Awurade, Asafo Awurade de ɔsɛe
a wɔahyɛ ho mmara ketee na ɛbɛba asase no so nyinaa.
24Enti sɛɛ na Awurade, Asafo Awurade se,
“Me nkurɔfo a mote Sion,
munnsuro Asiriafo no,
wɔn a wɔde mmaa hwe mo
na wɔma kontibaa so tia mo, sɛnea Misraim yɛe no.
25Ɛrenkyɛ koraa mʼabufuw a etia mo no ano bedwo
na mʼanibere bɛkɔ wɔn sɛe so.”
26Asafo Awurade de mpire bɛhwe wɔn,
sɛnea ɔbɔɔ Midian hwee fam wɔ Oreb Ɔbotan ho no;
na ɔbɛteɛ ne pema wɔ nsu no so,
sɛnea ɔyɛɛ wɔ Misraim no.
27Da no wobeyi wɔn adesoa no afi wɔn mmati so
wɔn konnua afi wo kɔn mu;
wobubu konnua no
efisɛ woayɛ ɔbran yiye.
28Wɔhyɛn Ayat;
wɔfa Migron;
na wɔkora wɔn nneɛma wɔ Mikmas.
29Wɔfaa ɔtempɔn no so, na wɔka se,
“Yɛbɛwɛn wɔ Geba anadwo yi.”
Rama ho popo;
Saulo kurow Gibea nso guan.
30Teɛ mu, Galim Babea!
Tie, Laisa!
Anatot Mmɔborɔni!
31Madmena reguan;
Gebimfo kɔtetɛw.
32Nnɛ ara wobegyina wɔ Nob;
wobehim wɔn nsa
wɔ Ɔbabea Sion bepɔw no so,
wɔ Yerusalem koko no so.
33Hwɛ, Awurade, Asafo Awurade no,
ɔde tumi kɛse betwitwa dua mman no.
Wobebubu nnua atenten no agu fam
nea ɛwowaree no bɛba fam.
34Ɔde abonnua betwitwa kwaedɔtɔ agu fam
Lebanon bɛhwe ase wɔ Ɔkɛse no anim.
