A Child Has Been Born

A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.

God Will Punish Israel

The Lord had warned the people of Israel,

to beat down you godless people. I am angry with you, and I will send him to attack you. He will take what he wants and walk on you like mud in the streets.

The gods of Jerusalem and Samaria are weaker than the gods of those powerful nations. And I will destroy Jerusalem, together with its gods and idols, just as I did Samaria.

The holy God, who is the light of Israel, will turn into a fire, and in one day you will go up in flames, just like a thornbush.

There were as many people as there are grains of sand along the seashore, but only a few will survive to come back to Israel's mighty God. This is because he has threatened to destroy their nation, just as they deserve.

Now the Lord God All-Powerful says to his people in Jerusalem: The Assyrians will beat you with sticks and abuse you, just as the Egyptians did. But don't be afraid of them.

God's People Will Come Back Home

The time is coming when one of David's descendants will be the signal for the people of all nations to come together. They will follow his advice, and his own nation will become famous.

A Song of Praise

At that time you will say, “I thank you, Lord! You were angry with me, but you stopped being angry and gave me comfort.

I trust you to save me, Lord God, and I won't be afraid. My power and my strength come from you, and you have saved me.”

Sing, people of Zion! Celebrate the greatness of the holy Lord of Israel. God is here to help you.

Then you will make fun of the King of Babylonia by singing this song: That cruel monster is done for! He won't attack us again.

Now all the world is at peace; its people are celebrating with joyful songs.

You said to yourself, “I'll climb to heaven and place my throne above the highest stars. I'll sit there with the gods far away in the north.

I'll be above the clouds, just like God Most High.”

We will slaughter your sons to make them pay for the crimes of their ancestors. They won't take over the world or build cities anywhere on this earth.

or joyful and happy times, while bringing in the crops. Singing and shouting are gone from the vineyards. There are no joyful shouts where grapes were pressed. God has silenced them all.

It will be like an olive tree beaten with a stick, leaving two or three olives or maybe four or five on the highest or most fruitful branches. The Lord God of Israel has promised this.

At that time the people will turn and trust their Creator, the holy God of Israel.

They have built altars and places for burning incense to their goddess Asherah, and they have set up sacred poles for her. But they will stop worshiping at these places.

Israel, you have forgotten the God who saves you, the one who is the mighty rock where you find protection. You plant the finest flowers to honor a foreign god.

God Defends His People

The nations are a noisy, thunderous sea.

But even if they roar like a fearsome flood, God will give the command to turn them back. They will be like dust, or like a tumbleweed blowing across the hills in a windstorm.

Before the blossoms can turn into grapes, God will cut off the sprouts and hack off the branches.

Then I said, “My people, you have suffered terribly, but I have a message for you from the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel.”