耶和华应许拯救以色列

10 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。
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。

“我必向牧人发怒,
我必惩罚这些首领[a]
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。
房角石、帐篷的橛子、战弓,
以及所有掌权者必出自犹大。
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。

“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。
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。

“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。
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。”

Footnotes

  1. 10:3 首领”希伯来文作“公山羊”。

A Bright Future for Judah and Israel

10 I, the Lord, am the one
    who sends storm clouds
and showers of rain
    to make fields produce.
So when the crops need rain,
    you should pray to me.

(A) You can't believe idols
    and fortunetellers,
or depend on the hope
you receive from witchcraft
    and interpreters of dreams.
But you have tried all of these,
and now you are like sheep
    without a shepherd.

I, the Lord All-Powerful,
    am fiercely angry
with you leaders,
    and I will punish you.
I care for my people,
    the nation of Judah,
and I will change
this flock of sheep
    into charging war horses.

From this flock will come leaders
    who will be strong
like cornerstones and tent pegs
    and weapons of war.
They will join in the fighting,
and together they will trample
    their enemies like mud.
They will fight,
because I, the Lord,
    will be on their side.
And they will crush
    the enemy cavalry.

I will strengthen
the kingdoms of Judah
    and Israel.[a]
And I will show mercy
because I am the Lord,
    their God.
I will answer their prayers
    and bring them home.
Then it will seem as though
    I had never rejected them.
Israel[b] will be like
a tribe of warriors
    celebrating with wine.
When their children see this,
they will also be happy
    because of me, the Lord.

I will give a signal
for them to come together
    because I have rescued them.
And there will be as many
    as ever before.
(B) Although I scattered my people
in distant countries,
    they won't forget me.
Once their children are raised,[c]
    they will return—
10 I will bring them home
from Egypt and Assyria,
    then let them settle
as far as Gilead and Lebanon,
until the land overflows
    with them.
11 My people will go through
    an ocean of troubles,
but I will overcome the waves
and dry up the deepest part
    of the Nile.
Assyria's great pride
    will be put down,
and the power of Egypt
    will disappear.
12 I'll strengthen my people
because of who I am,
    and they will follow me.
I, the Lord, have spoken!

Footnotes

  1. 10.6 Israel: The Hebrew text has “family of Joseph,” the ancestor of Ephraim and Manasseh, the leading tribes of the northern kingdom (Israel).
  2. 10.7 Israel: Hebrew “Ephraim” (see the note at 9.10).
  3. 10.9 Once … raised: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.