1 You are doomed! You make unjust laws that oppress my people. 2 That is how you keep the poor from having their rights and from getting justice. That is how you take the property that belongs to widows and orphans. 3 What will you do when God punishes you? What will you do when he brings disaster on you from a distant country? Where will you run to find help? Where will you hide your wealth? 4 You will be killed in battle or dragged off as prisoners. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended; his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
The Emperor of Assyria as the Instrument of God
5 The Lord said, “Assyria! I use Assyria like a club to punish those with whom I am angry. 6 I sent Assyria to attack a godless nation, people who have made me angry. I sent them to loot and steal and trample the people like dirt in the streets.”
7 But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations. 8 He boasts, “Every one of my commanders is a king! 9 I conquered the cities of Calno and Carchemish, the cities of Hamath and Arpad. I conquered Samaria and Damascus. 10 I reached out to punish those kingdoms that worship idols, idols more numerous than those of Jerusalem and Samaria. 11 I have destroyed Samaria and all its idols, and I will do the same to Jerusalem and the images that are worshiped there.”
12 But the Lord says, “When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride.”
13 The emperor of Assyria boasts, “I have done it all myself. I am strong and wise and clever. I wiped out the boundaries between nations and took the supplies they had stored. Like a bull I have trampled the people who live there. 14 The nations of the world were like a bird's nest, and I gathered their wealth as easily as gathering eggs. Not a wing fluttered to scare me off; no beak opened to scream at me!”
15 But the Lord says, “Can an ax claim to be greater than the one who uses it? Is a saw more important than the one who saws with it? A club doesn't lift up a person; a person lifts up a club.”
16 The Lord Almighty is going to send disease to punish those who are now well-fed. In their bodies there will be a fire that burns and burns. 17 God, the light of Israel, will become a fire. Israel's holy God will become a flame, which in a single day will burn up everything, even the thorns and thistles. 18 The rich forests and farmlands will be totally destroyed, in the same way that a fatal sickness destroys someone. 19 There will be so few trees left that even a child will be able to count them.
A Few Will Come Back
20 A time is coming when the people of Israel who have survived will not rely any more on the nation that almost destroyed them. They will truly put their trust in the Lord, Israel's holy God. 21 A few of the people of Israel will come back to their mighty God. 22 Even though now there are as many people of Israel as there are grains of sand by the sea, only a few will come back. Destruction is in store for the people, and it is fully deserved. 23 Yes, throughout the whole country the Sovereign Lord Almighty will bring destruction, as he said he would.
The Lord Will Punish Assyria
24 The Sovereign Lord Almighty says to his people who live in Zion, “Do not be afraid of the Assyrians, even though they oppress you as the Egyptians used to do. 25 In only a little while I will finish punishing you, and then I will destroy them. 26 I, the Lord Almighty, will beat them with my whip as I did the people of Midian at Oreb Rock. I will punish Assyria as I punished Egypt. 27 When that time comes, I will free you from the power of Assyria, and their yoke will no longer be a burden on your shoulders.”
The Invader Attacks
28 The enemy army has captured the city of Ai! They have passed through Migron! They left their supplies at Michmash! 29 They have crossed the pass and are spending the night at Geba! The people in the town of Ramah are terrified, and the people in King Saul's hometown of Gibeah have run away. 30 Shout, people of Gallim! Listen, people of Laishah! Answer, people of Anathoth! 31 The people of Madmenah and Gebim are running for their lives. 32 Today the enemy are in the town of Nob, and there they are shaking their fists at Mount Zion, at the city of Jerusalem.
33 The Lord Almighty will bring them crashing down like branches cut off a tree. The proudest and highest of them will be cut down and humiliated. 34 The Lord will cut them down as trees in the heart of the forest are cut down with an ax, as even the finest trees of Lebanon fall!
1 Bēdas tiem, kas izdod netaisnus likumus, un tiem, kas raksta smagus tiesiskus noteikumus, 2 lai grozītu tiesu nabagiem un laupītu tiesības manas tautas cietējiem, ka atraitnes aplaupa un bāreņus posta! 3 Bet ko jūs darīsit piemeklēšanas dienā un lielajā vētrā, kas jau tuvojas no tālienes? Pie kā jūs meklēsit palīgu un glābsit savu mantu? 4 Jums būs jāloka savi ceļi kopā ar gūstekņiem un jāsabrūk nokauto vidū. Tomēr Viņa dusmas joprojām nerimst, un Viņa roka ir vēl arvienu augstu pacelta. 5 Bēdas Asuram, kas ir Manas bardzības rīkste, viņam ir rokā Mana dusmu pātaga. 6 Es sūtīšu viņu pret bezdievīgu tautu un pret tautu, uz kuru Es esmu dusmīgs, lai viņš to izlaupa, sadala un samīda kā mēslus uz ielas. 7 Bet viņš tā nedomā, viņa sirds nav tā noskaņota, viņa nolūks ir iznīcināt ne mazums tautu, tās izdeldēt. 8 Jo viņš saka: "Vai visi mani zemju pārvaldnieki nav tai pašā laikā arī ķēniņi? 9 Vai Kalno nav klājies kā Karhemišai? Un vai nav Hamatai gājis kā Arpadai? Un Samarijai kā Damaskai? 10 Tā kā mana roka aizsniegusi elka dievu valstis, kuru elki bija pārāki par Jeruzālemes un Samarijas dievekļiem, - 11 vai tad es lai nedaru Jeruzālemei un tās dievekļiem tāpat, kā es darīju Samarijai un tās dievu tēliem?" 12 Bet, kad Tas Kungs būs pabeidzis visu Savu darbu Ciānas kalnā un Jeruzālemē, tad Viņš piemeklēs arī Asura ķēniņa augstprātības augļus un viņa augsti pār visu pacelto acu lepnību, 13 jo tas teica: "Ar savu roku spēku un ar savu aso prātu es to paveicu, jo es esmu gudrs. Es liku izzust tautu robežām, es piesavinājos viņu mantu un kā nesalīdzināmi pārākais nogāzu valdniekus no viņu troņiem. 14 Mana roka saņēma tautu mantu un bagātību kā putna ligzdu, un, kā izņem atstātas olas, tā es pārņēmu savā varā visu pasauli, un neviens neiedrošinājās nedz spārnus kustināt, nedz muti atplest vai arī tikai iepīkstēties." 15 Vai tad cirvis lai lielās tā priekšā, kas ar to cērt; vai zāģis lai izgāztu savas krūtis pret to, kas ar to zāģē; vai lai zizlis it kā kustinātu cilvēku, kas to pacēlis; vai lai vēzda it kā cilātu to, kas pats nebūt nav no koka! 16 Tādēļ Dievs, Tas Kungs Cebaots, sūtīs diloni Asura tuklajiem; zem viņa godības iedegsies liela liesma kā ugunsgrēks. 17 Tiešām, Israēla gaisma kļūs par uguni un viņa Svētais par liesmu, kas sadedzinās un aprīs viņa ērkšķus un čūkslājus vienā dienā. 18 Un Viņš iznīcinās viņa meža un dārzu jaukumu, iznīcinās no galotnēm līdz saknēm, tas izbeigsies tā, kā nonīkst un aiziet nāvē nedziedināmi sasirgušais. 19 Tad viņa atlikušajā mežā koku būs vairs tikai nedaudz, tā ka pat zēns tos varēs uzrakstīt. 20 Tanī dienā notiks, ka Israēla atlikušie un Jēkaba nama izglābtie nepaļausies vairs uz to, kas tos sitis un sit līdz šim, bet paļausies uzticībā uz To Kungu, uz Israēla Svēto. 21 Atlikušie atgriezīsies, kaut arī tikai nedaudzi no Jēkaba pāri palikušie, pie visuvarenā Dieva. 22 Kaut tava tauta, Israēl, skaitā būtu kā jūras smiltis, tomēr tikai neliels tās pārpalikums atgriezīsies, iznīcība ir stingri nolemta un tā izplūdīs, pieņemdamās plašumā, kā taisnības straume. 23 Jo Tas Kungs Cebaots liks piepildīties iznīcībai kā stingri noliktam sodam pa visu zemes virsu. 24 Tādēļ saka Dievs, Tas Kungs Cebaots: "Mana tauta, jūs, kas dzīvojat Ciānā, nebīstieties no Asura, ka viņš tevi sit ar rīksti un paceļ pret tevi pat savu vēzdu kā citkārt Ēģiptē, 25 jo ir atlicis tikai mazs brīdis, tad Manas dusmas ir galā, un Mana bardzība viņu iznīcinās." 26 Tad Tas Kungs Cebaots pacels rīksti pret viņu, kā Viņš sita Midiānu pie Oreba kalna, un izstieps Savu vēzdu pār jūru kā citkārt pār Ēģipti. 27 Tanī dienā novelsies viņa, Asura, nasta no taviem kamiešiem un noslīdēs viņa jūgs no tava kakla; tas sabruks aiz viņa treknuma. 28 Viņš virzās jau uz Ajatu, dodas cauri Migronai, atstāj savu mantu Mikmasā. 29 Iedami pa šauro aizas ceļu, viņi Gebā paliek pa nakti; Rama dreb, Saula Gibeja bēg. 30 Kliedziet stiprā balsī, Galimas iedzīvotāji! Klausies, Laiša, tu nabaga Anatota! 31 Madmena izklīdusi, Gebimas iedzīvotāji glābjas bēgšus. 32 Vēl šodien viņš varbūt ieņems Nobu; viņš izstiepj jau savu roku pret Ciānas kalna iedzīvotājiem, pret Jeruzālemes pakalnu. 33 Lūk, Tas Kungs, Kungs Cebaots, nocērt zarus ar briesmīgu varu: kas augsti pacēlās, tiks zemāki darīti, un augstie kritīs pavisam. 34 Viņš nocirtīs ar dzelzi meža biezokni, un Libanons kritīs no kāda varenā rokas.
