1Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
3What will you do on the day of reckoning,
when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your riches?
4Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
God’s Judgment on Assyria
5“Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger,
in whose hand is the club of my wrath!
6I send him against a godless nation,
I dispatch him against a people who anger me,
to seize loot and snatch plunder,
and to trample them down like mud in the streets.
7But this is not what he intends,
this is not what he has in mind;
his purpose is to destroy,
to put an end to many nations.
8‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says.
9‘Has not Kalno fared like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad,
and Samaria like Damascus?
10As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols,
kingdoms whose images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria—
11shall I not deal with Jerusalem and her images
as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’ ”
12When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. 13For he says:
“ ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this,
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued10:13 Or treasures; / I subdued the mighty, their kings.
14As one reaches into a nest,
so my hand reached for the wealth of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
so I gathered all the countries;
not one flapped a wing,
or opened its mouth to chirp.’ ”
15Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it?
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
or a club brandish the one who is not wood!
16Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors;
under his pomp a fire will be kindled
like a blazing flame.
17The Light of Israel will become a fire,
their Holy One a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
his thorns and his briers.
18The splendor of his forests and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,
as when a sick person wastes away.
19And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few
that a child could write them down.
The Remnant of Israel
20In that day the remnant of Israel,
the survivors of Jacob,
will no longer rely on him
who struck them down
but will truly rely on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
21A remnant will return,10:21 Hebrew shear-jashub (see 7:3 and note); also in verse 22 a remnant of Jacob
will return to the Mighty God.
22Though your people be like the sand by the sea, Israel,
only a remnant will return.
Destruction has been decreed,
overwhelming and righteous.
23The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed upon the whole land.
24Therefore this is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:
“My people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrians,
who beat you with a rod
and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
25Very soon my anger against you will end
and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.”
26The Lord Almighty will lash them with a whip,
as when he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff over the waters,
as he did in Egypt.
27In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be broken
because you have grown so fat.10:27 Hebrew; Septuagint broken / from your shoulders
28They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;
they store supplies at Mikmash.
29They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.”
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul flees.
30Cry out, Daughter Gallim!
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!
31Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
32This day they will halt at Nob;
they will shake their fist
at the mount of Daughter Zion,
at the hill of Jerusalem.
33See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,
the tall ones will be brought low.
34He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.
1Tsoka kwa anthu amene amapanga malamulo opanda chilungamo,
kwa iwo amene amalemba zongovutitsa anzawo,
2kuwalanda anthu osauka ufulu wawo
ndi kumana chilungamo osautsidwa pakati pa anthu anga,
amalanda zinthu za akazi amasiye
ndi kubera ana amasiye.
3Kodi mudzatani pa tsiku la chilango,
pofika chiwonongeko chochokera kutali?
Kodi mudzathawira kwa yani kuti akuthandizeni?
Nanga chuma chanu mudzachisiya kuti?
4Kudzatsala nʼkungozolika mwamanyazi pakati pa anthu ogwidwa
kapena kufa pamodzi ndi ophedwa.
Komabe pa zonsezi mkwiyo wake sunawachokere,
mkono wake uli chitambasulire.
Chiweruzo cha Mulungu pa Asiriya
5“Tsoka kwa mfumu ya ku Asiriya, chikwapu cha mkwiyo wanga,
iye ndiye ndodo ya mkwiyo wanga!
6Ndidzamutuma kukalimbana ndi mtundu wosapembedza Mulungu,
ndidzamutumiza kukalimbana ndi anthu amene amandikwiyitsa Ine,
kukafunkha ndi kulanda chuma,
ndi kuwapondereza pansi ngati matope a mʼmisewu.
7Koma izi si zimene akufuna kukachita,
izi si zimene zili mʼmaganizo mwake;
cholinga chake ndi kukawononga,
kukapulula mitundu yambiri ya anthu.
8Iye akuti, ‘Kodi atsogoleri anga ankhondo si mafumu okhaokha?’
9‘Kodi Kalino sanagonjetsedwe monga Karikemesi?
Kodi Hamati sali ngati Aripadi,
nanga Samariya sali ngati Damasiko?
10Dzanja langa linakantha maufumu a anthu opembedza mafano,
mafumu amene mafano awo ndi aakulu kupambana Yerusalemu ndi Samariya;
11nanga Ine nʼkulephera kodi kuwononga Yerusalemu pamodzi ndi mafano ake
monga ndinakanthira Samariya pamodzi ndi mafano ake?’ ”
12Ambuye akadzamaliza ntchito yonse yolanga phiri la Ziyoni ndi Yerusalemu adzalanganso mfumu ya ku Asiriya chifukwa cha kudzitama ndi kunyada kwake. 13Pakuti mfumuyo ikuti,
“ ‘Ndachita zimenezi ndi dzanja langa,
ndiponso ndi nzeru zanga, chifukwa ndine wozindikira zinthu.
Ndinachotsa malire a mitundu ya anthu,
ndinafunkha chuma chawo;
ndinagonjetsa mafumu awo monga munthu wamphamvu.
14Dzanja langa lagwira chuma cha mitundu ya anthu
ngati momwe munthu amagwirira chisa cha mbalame,
ngati momwe anthu amatolera mazira osiyidwa,
motero inenso ndinasonkhanitsa mayiko onse;
palibe mbalame imene inakupiza mapiko ake,
kapena kuyasama kukamwa kuti ilire.’ ”
15Kodi nkhwangwa ingathe kudzikuza kupambana woyigwiritsa ntchito,
kapena macheka angathe kudzikuza kupambana wowagwiritsa ntchito?
Ndiye kukhala ngati kuti chikwapu chikuzunguza munthu amene wachinyamula,
kapena ngati kuti ndodo ikuopseza amene wayinyamula!
16Nʼchifukwa chake Ambuye Yehova Wamphamvuzonse
adzatumiza matenda owondetsa kwa ankhondo amphamvu;
kunyada kwa mfumuyo kudzapsa
ndi moto wosazima.
17Mulungu, Kuwala kwa Israeli, adzakhala ngati moto,
Woyera uja wa Israeli adzakhala ngati malawi a moto.
Motowo udzawatentha ndi kuwapsereza
ngati minga ndi mkandankhuku pa tsiku limodzi.
18Ankhondo ake adzawonongedwa
ngati nkhalango yayikulu
ndi ngati nthaka yachonde.
19Mitengo yotsalira ya mʼnkhalango zake idzakhala yochepa kwambiri,
yoti ndi mwana yemwe ndi kuyiwerenga.
Aisraeli Otsala
20Tsiku limenelo otsalira a ku Israeli,
opulumuka a nyumba ya Yakobo,
sadzadaliranso anthu
amene anawakantha,
koma adzadalira Yehova,
Woyerayo wa Israeli.
21Otsalira adzabwerera, otsalira a Yakobo
adzabwerera kwa Mulungu Wamphamvu.
22Iwe Israeli, ngakhale anthu ako achuluke ngati mchenga wa ku nyanja,
otsala okha ndiwo adzabwerere.
Chiwonongeko chalamulidwa,
chidzaonetsa chilungamo chosefukira.
23Ambuye Yehova Wamphamvuzonse adzawononga ndithu dziko lonse
monga momwe analamulira.
24Nʼchifukwa chake, Ambuye Yehova Wamphamvuzonse akunena kuti,
“Inu anthu anga okhala mu Ziyoni,
musawaope Asiriya,
amene amakukanthani ndi ndodo
nakumenyani ndi zibonga monga mmene Igupto anachitira.
25Patsala pangʼonongʼono kuti mkwiyo wanga uchoke pa inu
ndipo ndidzaonetsa ukali wanga pa iwo mpaka kuwawononga.”
26Yehova Wamphamvuzonse adzawakwapula ndi chikwapu,
monga momwe anakwapulira Amidiyani ku thanthwe la Orebu;
ndipo adzatukula ndodo yake pa madzi
ndikuwalanga monga analangira Igupto pa nyanja.
27Tsiku limenelo katundu wawo adzachotsedwa pa mapewa anu,
goli lawo lidzachoka mʼkhosi mwanu;
golilo lidzathyoka
chifukwa cha kunenepa kwambiri.
28Adani alowa mu Ayati
apyola ku Migironi;
asunga katundu wawo ku Mikimasi.
29Adutsa pa mpata uja, ndipo akuti,
“Tikagona ku Geba”
Rama akunjenjemera;
Gibeya, mzinda wa Saulo ukuthawa.
30Lilani mokweza, inu anthu a ku Galimu!
Tchera khutu, iwe Laisa!
Iwe Anatoti wosauka!
31Anthu a ku Madimena akuthawa;
anthu a ku Gebimu bisalani.
32Lero lomwe lino adaniwo adzayima ku Nobu;
adzagwedeza mikono yawo,
kuopseza anthu a ku Ziyoni,
pa phiri la Yerusalemu.
33Taonani, Ambuye Yehova Wamphamvuzonse,
adzadula mwamphamvu nthambi za mitengo,
mitengo yodzikweza idzadulidwa,
mitengo yayitali idzagwetsedwa.
34Yehova adzadula ndi nkhwangwa mitengo ya mʼnkhalango yowirira;
Lebanoni adzagwa pamaso pa Wamphamvu.
