Israel to be destroyed
1I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
‘Strike the tops of the pillars
so that the thresholds shake.
Bring them down on the heads of all the people;
those who are left I will kill with the sword.
Not one will get away,
none will escape.
2Though they dig down to the depths below,
from there my hand will take them.
Though they climb up to the heavens above,
from there I will bring them down.
3Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel,
there I will hunt them down and seize them.
Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea,
there I will command the serpent to bite them.
4Though they are driven into exile by their enemies,
there I will command the sword to slay them.
‘I will keep my eye on them
for harm and not for good.’
5The Lord, the Lord Almighty –
he touches the earth and it melts,
and all who live in it mourn;
the whole land rises like the Nile,
then sinks like the river of Egypt;
6he builds his lofty palace9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. in the heavens
and sets its foundation9:6 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. on the earth;
he calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land –
the Lord is his name.
7‘Are not you Israelites
the same to me as the Cushites9:7 That is, people from the upper Nile region?’
declares the Lord.
‘Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,
the Philistines from Caphtor9:7 That is, Crete
and the Arameans from Kir?
8‘Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord
are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it
from the face of the earth.
Yet I will not totally destroy
the descendants of Jacob,’
declares the Lord.
9‘For I will give the command,
and I will shake the people of Israel
among all the nations
as grain is shaken in a sieve,
and not a pebble will reach the ground.
10All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword,
all those who say,
“Disaster will not overtake or meet us.”
Israel’s restoration
11‘In that day
‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter –
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins –
and will rebuild it as it used to be,
12so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name,9:12 Hebrew; Septuagint so that the remnant of people / and all the nations that bear my name may seek me’
declares the Lord, who will do these things.
13‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,
‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills,
14and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.9:14 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel
‘They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15I will plant Israel in their own land,
never again to be uprooted
from the land I have given them,’
says the Lord your God.
Israel rammes af Guds straf, men en rest bliver reddet
1Derpå så jeg i et syn Herren stå ved siden af alteret og give følgende befaling: „Slå på søjlehovederne, så afgudstemplet styrter sammen og murbrokkerne knuser alle i nærheden. Resten vil falde i krig. Ingen slipper bort. 2Hvis de kunne flygte ned i dødsriget, kunne jeg stadig hente dem op. Hvis de kunne stige op til himlen, kunne jeg stadig hente dem ned. 3Hvis de prøver at gemme sig i Karmelbjergets klippehuler, skal jeg nok finde dem. Hvis de kunne søge tilflugt på havets bund, ville jeg befale havuhyret at fortære dem. 4Selv hvis de føres i eksil, vil jeg give befaling om, at de skal dræbes dér. Jeg holder øje med dem overalt, men det er for at straffe dem, ikke for at redde dem.”
5Når Herren, den Almægtige, sender et jordskælv, vil alle, som bor i landet, fyldes af rædsel. Jorden vil hæve sig og synke ned igen som Egyptens flod. 6Herrens bolig har sit fundament på jorden, men den rækker ind i Himlen. Han opsamler vandet fra havet og lader det falde ned på jorden. Herren er hans navn.
7Han siger: „Israels folk, tror I, at I er bedre end kushitterne? Jeg førte jer ud af Egypten, men jeg førte også filistrene ud af Kaftor og aramæerne ud af Kir.
8Jeg har fæstet blikket på denne oprørske nation og vil fjerne den fra jordens overflade. Dog vil jeg ikke fuldstændigt udrydde Jakobs efterkommere. 9Jeg har besluttet at sigte Israels folk i deres eksil og fjerne alt det værdiløse. 10Alle selvsikre syndere skal falde for sværdet.
Davids rige skal genrejses
11Til sin tid vil jeg genopbygge Davids rige. Jeg vil udbedre skaderne, genopbygge det, som blev revet ned, og få det op at stå igen, så det bliver som før. 12Derefter skal Israels folk overtage resterne af Edom og de andre folkeslag, som også tilhører mig.” Det er Herren, der siger det, og han vil gøre det.
13Herren siger: „Engang bliver der igen fremgang og frugtbarhed, så man ikke bliver færdig med at høste, før det er tid til at pløje, og så man ikke bliver færdig med at presse druerne, før det er tid til at plante. Bjergskråningerne vil dryppe af druernes saft. 14Jeg vil sætte mit folk, Israel, fri af fangenskabet. Da skal de genopbygge deres ødelagte byer og flytte ind i dem. De skal plante vingårde og drikke vinen derfra. De skal anlægge haver og nyde frugten deraf. 15Jeg planter dem tilbage i deres land. Aldrig mere skal de rykkes op fra det land, jeg har givet dem.” Herren, Israels Gud, har talt!
