The Lord Will Judge His Stubborn People
1“How terrible it will be for these stubborn children of mine!”
announces the Lord.
“How terrible for those who carry out plans that did not come from me!
Their agreement with Egypt did not come from my Spirit.
So they pile up one sin on top of another.
2They go down to Egypt
without asking me for advice.
They look to Pharaoh to help them.
They ask Egypt to keep them safe.
3But looking to Pharaoh will only bring them shame.
Asking Egypt for help will bring them dishonor.
4Their officials have gone to the city of Zoan.
Their messengers have arrived in Hanes.
5But the people of Judah will be put to shame.
That’s because they are trusting in a nation that is useless to them.
Egypt will not bring them any help or advantage.
Instead, it will bring them shame and dishonor.”
6Here is a prophecy the Lord gave me about the animals in the Negev Desert.
Judah’s messengers carry their riches on the backs of donkeys.
They carry their treasures on the humps of camels.
They travel through a land of danger and suffering.
It’s a land filled with lions.
Poisonous snakes are also there.
The messengers travel to a nation
that can’t do them any good.
7They travel to Egypt, whose help is totally useless.
That’s why I call it Rahab the Do-Nothing.
8The Lord said to me, “Go now.
Write on a tablet for the people of Judah
what I am about to say.
Also write it on a scroll.
In days to come
it will be a witness that lasts forever.
9That’s because these people of Judah refuse to obey me.
They are children who tell lies.
They will not listen to what I want to teach them.
10They say to the seers,
‘Don’t see any more visions!’
They say to the prophets,
‘Don’t give us any more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things.
Prophesy things we want to hear even if they aren’t true.
11Get out of our way!
Get off our path!
Keep the Holy One of Israel away from us!’ ”
12So the Holy One of Israel speaks. He says,
“You have turned your backs on what I have said.
You have depended on telling people lies.
You have crushed others.
13Those sins are like cracks in a high wall.
They get bigger and bigger.
Suddenly the wall breaks apart.
Then it quickly falls down.
14It breaks into small pieces like a clay pot.
It breaks up completely.
Not one piece is left big enough
for taking coals from a fireplace.
Not one piece is left for dipping water out of a well.”
15The Lord and King is the Holy One of Israel. He says,
“You will find peace and rest
when you turn away from your sins and depend on me.
You will receive the strength you need
when you stay calm and trust in me.
But you do not want to do what I tell you to.
16You said, ‘No. We’ll escape on horses.’
So you will have to escape!
You said, ‘We’ll ride off on fast horses.’
So those who chase you will use faster horses!
17When one of them dares you to fight,
a thousand of you will run away.
When five of them dare you,
all of you will run away.
So few of you will be left that you will be
like a flagpole on top of a mountain.
You will be like only one banner on a hill.”
18But the Lord wants to have mercy on you.
So he will rise up to give you his tender love.
The Lord is a God who is always fair.
Blessed are all those who wait for him to act!
19People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you won’t weep anymore. When you cry out to the Lord for help, he will have mercy on you. As soon as he hears you, he’ll answer you. 20He might treat you like prisoners. You might eat the bread of trouble. You might drink the water of suffering. But he will be your Teacher. He won’t hide himself anymore. You will see him with your own eyes. 21You will hear your Teacher’s voice behind you. You will hear it whether you turn to the right or the left. It will say, “Here is the path I want you to take. So walk on it.” 22Then you will get rid of the silver statues of your gods. You won’t have anything to do with the gold statues either. All of them are “unclean.” So you will throw them away like dirty rags. You will say to them, “Get away from us!”
23The Lord will send rain on the seeds you plant in the ground. The crops that grow will be rich and plentiful. At that time your cattle will eat grass in rolling meadows. 24The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat the finest feed and crushed grain. The farmers will use pitchforks and shovels to separate it from the straw. 25At that time the towers of your enemies will fall down. Their soldiers will die. Streams of water will flow on every high mountain and hill. 26The moon will shine like the sun. And the sunlight will be seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven full days. That will happen when the Lord bandages and heals the wounds and bruises he has brought on his people.
27The Lord will come from far away
in all his power and glory.
He will show his burning anger.
Thick clouds of smoke will be all around him.
His mouth will speak angry words.
The words from his tongue will be like a destroying fire.
28His breath will be like a rushing flood
that rises up to the neck.
He’ll separate out the nations he is going to destroy.
He’ll place a bit in their jaws.
It will lead them down the road to death.
29You will sing
as you do on the night you celebrate a holy feast.
Your hearts will be filled with joy.
You will be as joyful as people playing their flutes
as they go up to the mountain of the Lord.
He is the Rock of Israel.
30The Lord will cause people to hear his powerful voice.
He will make them see his arm coming down to punish them.
It will come down with burning anger and destroying fire.
It will come down with rain, thunderstorms and hail.
31The voice of the Lord will tear the Assyrians apart.
He will strike them down with his scepter.
32He will strike them
with his club to punish them.
Each time he does, his people will celebrate
with the music of harps and tambourines.
He will use his powerful arm
to strike down the Assyrians in battle.
33In the Valley of Ben Hinnom, Topheth has been prepared for a long time.
It has been made ready for the king of Assyria.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide.
It has plenty of wood for the fire.
The breath of the Lord
will be like a stream of burning sulfur.
It will set the wood on fire.
依靠埃及徒勞無益
1耶和華說：
「我悖逆的兒女有禍了！
他們不遵行我的旨意，
按自己的計劃行事；
未經我同意，擅自與人結盟，
不斷犯罪。
2他們不求問我便去埃及，
想得到法老的保護和蔭庇。
3然而，法老的保護和蔭庇必成為他們的恥辱。
4雖然他們的官長和使臣已到瑣安和哈內斯，
5但他們必蒙羞，
因為埃及人對他們毫無用處，
沒有任何幫助和益處，
帶給他們的只有羞愧和恥辱。」
6以下是關於南地動物的預言：
他們的使臣用驢馱著財物，
用駱駝馱著珍寶，
穿過公獅、母獅、蝮蛇和飛蛇出沒的艱險之地，
前往一個對他們毫無用處的國家。
7埃及的幫助是徒然的，
所以我稱她為「沒用的海怪30·7 「海怪」希伯來文是「拉哈伯」，埃及的別名。」。
8耶和華對我說：
「現在，你去當著他們的面把這些話刻在版上，
記在書卷上，
永遠留給後世作明證。
9他們是悖逆的民族，
是說謊的兒女，
不肯聽從耶和華的教導。
10他們對先見說，
『你們不要再看異象了。』
又對先知說，
『不要再教導我們是非對錯。
給我們說些好聽的話，
講些虛幻的事吧。
11讓開！不要擋我們的路！
不要再給我們講以色列聖者的事。』
12因此，以色列的聖者說，
『因為你們藐視我的話，
依仗欺壓之能和詭詐之術，
13你們的罪惡必像一堵斷裂、凸起的高牆，
搖搖欲墜，瞬間倒塌，
14又像瓦器一樣被摔得粉碎，
找不到一塊可以用來從火爐中取炭或從水池裡舀水的碎片。』」
15主耶和華——以色列的聖者說：
「你們回轉、安息便可得到拯救；
你們安靜、信靠便可得到力量。
但你們卻不肯。
16你們說，『不，我們要騎馬奔逃。』
所以你們必奔逃。
你們又說，『我們要騎快馬逃跑。』
所以追趕你們的人必疾馳如飛。
17他們一人叱喝，
必嚇得你們千人逃跑；
他們五人叱喝，
你們必全部逃跑，
以致餘剩的人少得像山頂上的旗杆、高崗上的旗幟。」
18因此，耶和華正在等候，
準備施恩給你們，
祂必憐憫你們。
因為耶和華是公義的上帝，
等候祂的人有福了！
19住在耶路撒冷的錫安百姓啊，你們必不再哭泣。祂聽到你們的呼求後必恩待你們；祂聽見後必應允你們。 20雖然主讓你們經苦難、歷艱辛，但你們的教師必不再隱藏，你們必親眼看見你們的教師。 21不管你們向左還是向右，都會聽見背後有聲音說：「這是正路，踏上去吧！」 22你們必拋棄自己那些鍍金包銀的偶像，把它們當作污穢之物丟掉，對它們說：「去吧！」
23你們撒種，主必降雨，並使你們五穀豐登。那時，你們的牲畜必在寬闊的草場上吃草； 24耕田的牛和驢必吃用叉子和鏟子揚淨、拌上鹽的飼料。 25在你們的敵人被殺戮、城樓倒塌的日子，你們的高山岡陵上必有溪水奔流。 26耶和華包紮他百姓的創傷，醫治祂子民的傷口時，月亮必發出太陽般的光輝，太陽的光輝必增加七倍，燦爛得好像七個太陽同時發光。
27看啊，耶和華從遠方來，
伴著滾滾濃煙，
祂的怒氣如烈火，
話語充滿憤怒，舌頭好像烈焰。
28祂的氣息像淹到人頸項的洪流。
祂必像篩子一樣篩列國，
毀滅他們，並把嚼環放在列邦口中，
引他們走上歧途。
29但你們必歡唱，好像晚上慶祝節期；你們必充滿喜樂，好像人們吹著笛子登耶和華的山、到以色列磐石那裡。 30耶和華必使人聽見祂威嚴的聲音，在憤怒、烈焰、暴雨、雷轟和冰雹中讓人看見祂降罰的臂膀。 31亞述人聽見耶和華的聲音必心驚膽戰，祂必用杖擊打他們。 32耶和華的刑杖每責打他們一下，祂的子民必擊鼓彈琴。祂必在戰場上揮手擊打他們。 33焚燒之地——陀斐特早已為亞述王預備好了，那裡又寬又深，堆著許多木柴，耶和華的氣必如同一股硫磺火點燃那些木柴。
