⁷ “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the ^(A)fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail.

²⁰ But God said to him, ^(A)‘Fool! ^(B)This night ^(C)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^(D)whose will they be?’

The Great Day of the Lord

4 ^[a] “For behold, ^(A)the day is coming, ^(B)burning like an oven, when ^(C)all the arrogant and ^(D)all evildoers ^(E)will be stubble. The day that is coming ^(F)shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

³⁸ He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor ^(A)with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. ³⁹ He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and ^(B)shall divide the land for a price.^[a]

¹⁹ Then he shall turn his face back toward the ^(A)fortresses of his own land, but he shall ^(B)stumble and fall, ^(C)and shall not be found.

²⁰ “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an ^(D)exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle.

¹⁸ He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape.

The Righteous Reign of the Branch