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10 Beware, those who enact unjust policies;[a]
those who are always instituting unfair regulations,[b]
2 to keep the poor from getting fair treatment,
and to deprive[c] the oppressed among my people of justice,
so they can steal what widows own,
and loot what belongs to orphans.[d]
3 What will you do on judgment day,[e]
when destruction arrives from a distant place?
To whom will you run for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?
4 You will have no place to go, except to kneel with the prisoners,
or to fall among those who have been killed.[f]
Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again.[g]
The Lord Turns on Arrogant Assyria
5 “Beware, Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger,[h]
a cudgel with which I angrily punish.[i]
6 I sent him[j] against a godless[k] nation,
I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry,[l]
to take plunder and to carry away loot,
to trample them down[m] like dirt in the streets.
7 But he does not agree with this;
his mind does not reason this way,[n]
for his goal is to destroy,
and to eliminate many nations.[o]
8 Indeed,[p] he says:
‘Are not my officials all kings?
9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish?
Hamath like Arpad?
Samaria like Damascus?[q]
10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols,[r]
whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem’s or Samaria’s.
11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols,
so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.”[s]
12 But when[t] the Lord[u] finishes judging[v] Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then he[w] will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays.[x] 13 For he says:
“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,
by my strategy that I devised.
I invaded the territory of nations,[y]
and looted their storehouses.
Like a mighty conqueror,[z] I brought down rulers.[aa]
14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,
as one gathers up abandoned eggs,
I gathered up the whole earth.
There was no wing flapping,
or open mouth chirping.”[ab]
15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it,
or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it?[ac]
As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it,
or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!
16 For this reason[ad] the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will make his healthy ones emaciated.[ae]
His majestic glory will go up in smoke.[af]
17 The Light of Israel[ag] will become a fire,
their Holy One[ah] will become a flame;
it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s[ai] briers
and his thorns in one day.
18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard
will be completely destroyed,[aj]
as when a sick man’s life ebbs away.[ak]
19 There will be so few trees left in his forest,
a child will be able to count them.[al]
20 At that time[am] those left in Israel, those who remain of the family[an] of Jacob, will no longer rely on a foreign leader that abuses them.[ao] Instead they will truly[ap] rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.[aq] 21 A remnant will come back, a remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.[ar] 22 For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as[as] the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back.[at] Destruction has been decreed;[au] just punishment[av] is about to engulf you.[aw] 23 The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land.[ax]
24 So[ay] here is what the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of Assyria, even though they beat you with a club and lift their cudgel against you as Egypt did.[az] 25 For very soon my fury[ba] will subside, and my anger will be directed toward their destruction.” 26 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is about to beat them[bb] with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb.[bc] He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt.[bd]
27 At that time[be]
the Lord will remove their burden from your shoulders,[bf]
and their yoke from your neck;
the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large.[bg]
28 [bh] They[bi] attacked[bj] Aiath,
moved through Migron,
depositing their supplies at Micmash.
29 They went through the pass,
spent the night at Geba.
Ramah trembled,
Gibeah of Saul ran away.
30 Shout out, daughter of Gallim!
Pay attention, Laishah!
Answer her, Anathoth![bk]
31 Madmenah flees,
the residents of Gebim have hidden.
32 This very day, standing in Nob,
they shake their fist at Daughter Zion’s mountain[bl]—
at the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Look, the Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies
is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power.[bm]
The tallest trees[bn] will be cut down,
the loftiest ones will be brought low.
34 The thickets of the forest will be chopped down with an ax,
and mighty Lebanon will fall.[bo]
An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace
11 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s[bp] root stock,
a bud will sprout[bq] from his roots.
2 The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him[br]—
a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,[bs]
a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,[bt]
a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.[bu]
3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.[bv]
He will not judge by mere appearances,[bw]
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.[bx]
4 He will treat the poor fairly,[by]
and make right decisions[bz] for the downtrodden of the earth.[ca]
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,[cb]
and order the wicked to be executed.[cc]
5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.[cd]
6 A wolf will reside[ce] with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together,[cf]
as a small child leads them along.
7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together.[cg]
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
8 A baby[ch] will play
over the hole of a snake;[ci]
over the nest[cj] of a serpent
an infant[ck] will put his hand.[cl]
9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain.[cm]
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea.[cn]
Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited
10 At that time[co] a root from Jesse[cp] will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance,[cq] and his residence will be majestic. 11 At that time[cr] the Lord[cs] will again lift his hand[ct] to reclaim[cu] the remnant of his people[cv] from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros,[cw] Cush,[cx] Elam, Shinar,[cy] Hamath, and the seacoasts.[cz]
12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;
he will gather Israel’s dispersed people[da]
and assemble Judah’s scattered people
from the four corners of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end,[db]
and Judah’s hostility[dc] will be eliminated.
Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,
and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down[dd] on the Philistine hills to the west;[de]
together they will loot the people of the east.
They will take over Edom and Moab,[df]
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
15 The Lord will divide[dg] the gulf[dh] of the Egyptian Sea;[di]
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River[dj] and send a strong wind;[dk]
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams,[dl]
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people,[dm]
just as there was for Israel,
when[dn] they went up from the land of Egypt.
The Signs of an Apostle
11 I have become a fool. You yourselves forced me to do it, for I should have been commended by you. For I lack nothing in comparison[a] to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12 Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great perseverance[b] by signs and wonders and powerful deeds.[c] 13 For how[d] were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice! 14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have[e] to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives![f] If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit! 17 I have not taken advantage of you through anyone I have sent to you, have I?[g] 18 I urged Titus to visit you[h] and I sent our[i] brother along with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he?[j] Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit? Did we not behave in the same way?[k] 19 Have you been thinking all this time[l] that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up.[m] 20 For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me[n] not what you wish. I am afraid that[o] somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition,[p] slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 21 I am afraid that[q] when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I will grieve for[r] many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.
Psalm 56[a]
For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style;[b] a prayer[c] of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath.[d]
56 Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me.[e]
All day long hostile enemies[f] are tormenting me.[g]
2 Those who anticipate my defeat[h] attack me all day long.
Indeed,[i] many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.[j]
3 When[k] I am afraid,
I trust in you.
4 In God—I boast in his promise[l]—
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can mere men[m] do to me?[n]
5 All day long they cause me trouble;[o]
they make a habit of plotting my demise.[p]
6 They stalk[q] and lurk;[r]
they watch my every step,[s]
as[t] they prepare to take my life.[u]
7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape.[v]
In your anger[w] bring down the nations,[x] O God.
8 You keep track of my misery.[y]
Put my tears in your leather container.[z]
Are they not recorded in your scroll?[aa]
9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help;[ab]
I know that God is on my side.[ac]
10 In God—I boast in his promise[ad]—
in the Lord—I boast in his promise[ae]—
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can mere men[af] do to me?[ag]
12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God;[ah]
I will give you the thank offerings you deserve,[ai]
13 when you deliver[aj] my life from death.
You keep my feet from stumbling,[ak]
so that I might serve[al] God as I enjoy life.[am]
6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person,[a]
do not crave his delicacies;
7 for he is[b] like someone who has calculated the cost[c] in his mind.[d]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you;
8 you will vomit up[e] the little bit you have eaten,
and will have wasted your pleasant words.[f]
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