Study Desk

They think they are so smart. They think they are very intelligent.

So bad things will happen to them. Their descendants will be destroyed completely, just as fire burns straw and leaves. Their descendants will be like plants with rotten roots, whose flowers have all blown away like dust in the wind. Those people refused to obey the teachings of the Lord All-Powerful. They hated the message from the Holy One of Israel.

So the Lord became angry with his people, and he raised his hand to punish them. Even the mountains shook with fear. Dead bodies were left in the streets like garbage. And he is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing his people.

The sound was so loud that it caused the frame around the door to shake, and the Temple was filled with smoke.

Then I heard the Lord's voice, saying, "Who can I send? Who will go for us?" So I said, "Here I am. Send me!"

Ephraim depends on its capital Samaria, and Samaria is led by Remaliah's son. So you have no reason to fear. Believe this, or you will not survive."

If you people would respect him, he would be a safe place for you. But you don't respect him, so he is like a stone that you stumble over. He is a rock that makes both families of Israel fall. He has become a trap that all the people of Jerusalem will fall into.

The Lord said, "Write this agreement. Tie it up and seal it so that it cannot be changed. Give these teachings to my followers for safekeeping."

So all the people in Ephraim, including the ruler in Samaria, learned their lesson. Those people are very proud and boastful now. They say,

So the Lord cut off Israel's head and tail. He took away the branch and the stalk in one day.

Their guides are leading them the wrong way, so those who follow them will be destroyed.

All of them are evil. So the Lord is not happy with the young men, and he will not show mercy to their widows and orphans. That is because they are evil hypocrites. They tell lies. The Lord has punished them, but he is not finished yet. He is still angry, and his arm is raised to continue punishing his people.

The Lord All-Powerful was angry, so the land was burned. The people were fuel for the fire. No one showed any compassion to anyone else.

People looked to the right and grabbed whatever they could, but they were still hungry. They grabbed whatever was on their left, but still they were not satisfied. So they turned on themselves and began to eat the bodies of their own children.

When the Lord finishes doing what he planned to Jerusalem and Mount Zion, he will punish Assyria. The king of Assyria is very proud. His pride made him do many bad things, so God will punish him.

With my own hands I have taken the riches of all these people—like someone taking eggs from a bird's nest. A bird often leaves its nest and eggs, and there is nothing to protect the nest. There is no bird to chirp and fight with its wings and beak, so anyone can come take the eggs. And there is no one to stop me from taking all the people on earth."

But Assyria doesn't understand this. So the Lord God All-Powerful will send a terrible disease against him. He will lose his wealth and power like a sick man losing weight. Then Assyria's glory will be destroyed. It will be like a fire burning until everything is gone.

There will be a few trees left standing in the forest—so few that even a child could count them.

Just as the Lord divided the Red Sea near Egypt, he will raise his arm in anger over the Euphrates River and hit it. It will divide into seven small rivers. They will be so small that the people can walk across with their sandals on.

People of Zion, shout about these things! The Holy One of Israel is with you in a powerful way. So sing and be happy!