The Lord will care for Judah
1Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to all people,
and plants of the field to everyone.
2The idols speak deceitfully,
diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
they give comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
3‘My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord Almighty will care
for his flock, the people of Judah,
and make them like a proud horse in battle.
4From Judah will come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle-bow,
from him every ruler.
5Together they10:4,5 Or ruler, all of them together. / 5 They will be like warriors in battle
trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and they will put the enemy horsemen to shame.
6‘I will strengthen Judah
and save the tribes of Joseph.
I will restore them
because I have compassion on them.
They will be as though
I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God
and I will answer them.
7The Ephraimites will become like warriors,
and their hearts will be glad as with wine.
Their children will see it and be joyful;
their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
8I will signal for them
and gather them in.
Surely I will redeem them;
they will be as numerous as before.
9Though I scatter them among the peoples,
yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
and they will return.
10I will bring them back from Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon,
and there will not be room enough for them.
11They will pass through the sea of trouble;
the surging sea will be subdued
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Assyria’s pride will be brought down
and Egypt’s sceptre will pass away.
12I will strengthen them in the Lord
and in his name they will live securely,’
declares the Lord.
耶和华应许拯救以色列
1要在春季向耶和华求雨。
祂创造雷雨，
为世人降下甘霖，
使田间长出青翠之物。
2因为神像说的是虚言，
占卜者讲的是谎话，
他们说的是假梦，
他们的安慰是空的。
所以人们如迷失的羊，
因没有牧人而受苦。
3“我必向牧人发怒，
我必惩罚这些首领10:3 “首领”希伯来文作“公山羊”。。
因为我——万军之耶和华必眷顾我的羊群犹大家，
我必使他们像战场上的骏马。
4房角石、帐篷的橛子、战弓，
以及所有掌权者必出自犹大。
5他们必像战场上的勇士，
将仇敌践踏在街上的泥土中。
他们必争战，
因为耶和华与他们同在。
他们必使敌方的骑兵蒙羞。
6“我必使犹大家强盛，
我必拯救约瑟家。
我必带他们回到故土，
因为我怜悯他们。
他们必好像从未被我抛弃一样，
因为我是他们的上帝耶和华，
我必应允他们的祷告。
7以法莲人必如勇士，
他们必心里快乐，如同喝了酒，
他们的儿女见状也必快乐，
他们必因耶和华而欢心。
8“我必吹哨聚集他们，
因为我救赎了他们，
他们必像从前一样人数众多。
9虽然我把他们分散到列国，
他们必在远方想起我，
他们及其子女必得以幸存，
并且回到故土。
10我必从埃及领他们回到故土，
从亚述招聚他们，
领他们到基列和黎巴嫩，
那里将不够他们居住。
11祂必经过苦海，
击打海浪，
尼罗河必干涸，
亚述的骄傲必扫地，
埃及的势力必灭没。
12我必让他们靠着我强盛，
他们必奉我的名行事。
这是耶和华说的。”
