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Judgment on Assyria

27 See, the name of the Lord comes from far away,
    his anger burning and his burden heavy;[a]
his lips are full of indignation,
    and his tongue is like a devouring fire;(A)
28 his breath is like an overflowing stream
    that reaches up to the neck—
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction
    and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads them astray.(B)

29 You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.(C) 30 And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and tempest and hailstones.(D) 31 The Assyrian will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord when he strikes with his rod.(E) 32 And every stroke of the staff of punishment[b] that the Lord lays upon him will be to the sound of timbrels and lyres with dancing;[c] with brandished arm he will fight with him.(F) 33 For his burning place[d] has long been prepared, also for the king;[e] its pyre is made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 30.27 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 30.32 Heb mss Syr: MT foundation
  3. 30.32 Cn: Heb and with battles
  4. 30.33 Or Topheth
  5. 30.33 Or Molech

27 Look! The Lord is coming from far away,
    burning with anger,
    surrounded by thick, rising smoke.
His lips are filled with fury;
    his words consume like fire.
28 His hot breath pours out like a flood
    up to the neck of his enemies.
He will sift out the proud nations for destruction.
    He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin.

29 But the people of God will sing a song of joy,
    like the songs at the holy festivals.
You will be filled with joy,
    as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims
to Jerusalem, the mountain of the Lord
    to the Rock of Israel.
30 And the Lord will make his majestic voice heard.
    He will display the strength of his mighty arm.
It will descend with devouring flames,
    with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones.
31 At the Lord’s command, the Assyrians will be shattered.
    He will strike them down with his royal scepter.
32 And as the Lord strikes them with his rod of punishment,[a]
    his people will celebrate with tambourines and harps.
    Lifting his mighty arm, he will fight the Assyrians.
33 Topheth—the place of burning—
    has long been ready for the Assyrian king;
    the pyre is piled high with wood.
The breath of the Lord, like fire from a volcano,
    will set it ablaze.

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Footnotes

  1. 30:32 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version; Masoretic Text reads with the founded rod.