2:1 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem
2:2 In the future
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure
as the most important of mountains,
and will be the most prominent of hills.
All the nations will stream to it,
2:3 many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of the God of Jacob,
so
and
For Zion will be the center for moral instruction;
the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem.
2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
2:5 O descendants
come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light.
2:6 Indeed, O Lord,
the descendants of Jacob.
For diviners from the east are everywhere;
they consult omen readers like the Philistines do.
Plenty of foreigners are around.
2:7 Their land is full of gold and silver;
there is no end to their wealth.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.
2:8 Their land is full of worthless idols;
they worship
what their own fingers have fashioned.
2:9 Men bow down to them in homage,
they lie flat on the ground in worship.
Don’t spare them!
2:10 Go up into the rocky cliffs,
hide in the ground.
Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord,
from his royal splendor!
2:11 Proud men will be brought low,
arrogant men will be humiliated;
the Lord alone will be exalted
in that day.
2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment,
for
for all who are proud – they will be humiliated;
2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,
that are so high and mighty,
for all the oaks of Bashan;
2:14 for all the tall mountains,
for all the high hills,
2:15 for every high tower,
for every fortified wall,
2:16 for all the large ships,
for all the impressive
2:17 Proud men will be humiliated,
arrogant men will be brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted
in that day.
2:18 The worthless idols will be completely eliminated.
2:19 They
and into holes in the ground,
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord
and his royal splendor,
when he rises up to terrify the earth.
2:20 At that time
their silver and gold idols,
which they made for themselves to worship,
into the caves where rodents and bats live,
2:21 so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs
and the openings under the rocky overhangs,
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord
and his royal splendor,
when he rises up to terrify the earth.
2:22 Stop trusting in human beings,
whose life’s breath is in their nostrils.
For why should they be given special consideration?
3:1 Look, the sovereign Lord who commands armies
is about to remove from Jerusalem
every source of security, including
all the food and water,
3:2 the mighty men and warriors,
judges and prophets,
omen readers and leaders,
3:3 captains of groups of fifty,
the respected citizens,
advisers and those skilled in magical arts,
and those who know incantations.
3:4 The Lord says,
malicious young men
3:5 The people will treat each other harshly;
men will oppose each other;
neighbors will fight.
Youths will proudly defy the elderly
and riffraff will challenge those who were once respected.
3:6 Indeed, a man will grab his brother
right in his father’s house
‘You own a coat –
you be our leader!
This heap of ruins will be under your control.’
3:7 At that time
‘I am no doctor,
I have no food or coat in my house;
don’t make me a leader of the people!’”
3:8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,
Judah falls,
for their words and their actions offend the Lord;
they rebel against his royal authority.
3:9 The look on their faces
like the people of Sodom they openly boast of their sin.
Too bad for them!
For they bring disaster on themselves.
3:10 Tell the innocent
for they will be rewarded for what they have done.
3:11 Too bad for the wicked sinners!
For they will get exactly what they deserve.
3:12 Oppressors treat my
creditors rule over them.
My people’s leaders mislead them;
they give you confusing directions.
3:13 The Lord takes his position to judge;
he stands up to pass sentence on his people.
3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment
on the leaders of his people and their officials.
He says,
You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor.
3:15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”
The sovereign Lord who commands armies
3:16 The Lord says,
“The women
They walk with their heads high
and flirt with their eyes.
They skip along
and the jewelry on their ankles jingles.
3:17 So
the Lord will make the front of their heads bald.”
3:18
3:24 A putrid stench will replace the smell of spices,
a rope will replace a belt,
baldness will replace braided locks of hair,
a sackcloth garment will replace a fine robe,
and a prisoner’s brand will replace beauty.
3:25 Your
your strong men will die in battle.
3:26 Her gates will mourn and lament;
deprived of her people, she will sit on the ground.
4:1 Seven women will grab hold of
one man at that time.
They will say, “We will provide
we will provide
but let us belong to you
take away our shame!”
4:2 At that time
the crops given by the Lord will bring admiration and honor;
the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delight
to those who remain in Israel.
4:3 Those remaining in Zion,
will be called “holy,”
all in Jerusalem who are destined to live.
4:4 At that time
he will rinse the bloodstains from Jerusalem’s midst,
as he comes to judge
and to bring devastation.
4:5 Then the Lord will create
over all of Mount Zion
and over its convocations
a cloud and smoke by day
and a bright flame of fire by night;
indeed a canopy will accompany the Lord’s glorious presence.
4:6 By day it will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat,
as well as safety and protection from the heavy downpour.