The Lord says to his people,“ I have destroyed other nations. I have wiped out their forts. I have left their streets deserted. No one walks along them. Their cities are destroyed. They are deserted and empty.

“我耶和华已经除灭列国的民；他们的城楼毁坏。我使他们的街道荒凉，以致无人经过；他们的城邑毁灭，以致无人，也无居民。

“我已经除灭列国，使他们的城楼荒废。我使他们街道荒凉，无人经过；他们的城镇毁坏，没有人，没有居民。

“我已经除灭列国，使他们的城楼荒废。我使他们街道荒凉，无人经过；他们的城镇毁坏，没有人，没有居民。

“我已消灭列国，摧毁他们的城楼，使他们的街道荒废，没有路人；他们的城邑沦为废墟，杳无人迹，没有居民。

我耶和华已经剪除列国，他们的城楼被毁；我已经使他们的街道荒凉，以致杳无人迹；他们的城市荒废，以致无人存留，无人居住。

我－耶和華已經除滅列國的民；他們的城樓毀壞。我使他們的街道荒涼，以致無人經過；他們的城邑毀滅，以致無人，也無居民。

「我已經除滅列國，使他們的城樓荒廢。我使他們街道荒涼，無人經過；他們的城鎮毀壞，沒有人，沒有居民。

「我已經除滅列國，使他們的城樓荒廢。我使他們街道荒涼，無人經過；他們的城鎮毀壞，沒有人，沒有居民。

「我已消滅列國，摧毀他們的城樓，使他們的街道荒廢，沒有路人；他們的城邑淪為廢墟，杳無人跡，沒有居民。

我耶和華已經剪除列國，他們的城樓被毀；我已經使他們的街道荒涼，以致杳無人跡；他們的城市荒廢，以致無人存留，無人居住。

『我剪滅了列國；他們的城角樓荒涼；我使他們的街道荒廢，全無經過的人；他們的城市被毁壞，沒有一人，沒有居民。

我曾翦滅列邦、使其堞樓闃寂、街衢荒涼、無人經之、其邑被毀、寂然無人、無居之者、

我耶和華滅列邦、毀城邑、使屋隅傾圯、逵衢荒寂、無人履之、無人居之、

主曰、我翦滅列邦、使其堞樓傾圮、使其街衢荒蕪、無人來往、其城邑盡毀、無人在、無人在或作以致無人無居民、

“ I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.

“ I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant.

“ I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin. There are no survivors— none at all.

I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant.

“ I have eliminated nations; Their corner towers are deserted. I have laid waste their streets, With no one passing by; Their cities have been laid waste, Without a person, without an inhabitant.

“ I have cut off nations, Their fortresses are devastated; I have made their streets desolate, With none passing by. Their cities are destroyed; There is no one, no inhabitant.

I have cut off nations; their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.

I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant.

I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

“ I destroyed nations; their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them. Their cities are desolate; no one lives there.

I have cut off nations. Their battlements are desolate. I have made their streets waste, so that no one passes by. Their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.

Now those things happened as examples for us. They are supposed to keep us from wanting evil things. The people of Israel wanted these evil things.

So I will send for all the nations in the north. And I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,’ announces the Lord.‘ I will bring all of them against this land and against you who live here. They will march out against all the nations that are around this land. I will set apart Judah and the nations around it in a special way to be destroyed. People will be shocked because of them. And they will make fun of them. Those nations will be destroyed forever.I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness. I will put an end to the voices of brides and grooms. The sound of grinding millstones will not be heard anymore. And lamps will not be lit anymore.This whole country will become dry and empty. And these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.

How terrible it will be for you Kerethites who live by the Mediterranean Sea! Philistia, the Lord has spoken against you. What happened to Canaan will happen to you. The Lord says,“ I will destroy you. No one will be left.”

Those things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us. That’s because we are living at the time when God’s work is being completed.

Through your messengers you have laughed at me again and again. And you have said,‘ I have many chariots. With them I have climbed to the tops of the mountains. I’ve climbed the highest mountains in Lebanon. I’ve cut down its tallest cedar trees. I’ve cut down the best of its juniper trees. I’ve reached its farthest mountains. I’ve reached its finest forests.I’ve dug wells in other lands. I’ve drunk the water from them. I’ve walked through all the streams of Egypt. I’ve dried up every one of them.’“‘ “But I, the Lord, say,‘ Haven’t you heard what I have done? Long ago I arranged for you to do this. In days of old I planned it. Now I have made it happen. You have turned cities with high walls into piles of stone.

Nineveh, armies are coming to attack you. Guard the forts! Watch the roads! Get ready! Gather all your strength!Assyria once took everything of value from God’s people. Its army destroyed all their vines. But the Lord will bring back the glory of Jacob’s people. He’ll make Israel glorious again.The shields of the soldiers are red. The warriors are dressed in bright red uniforms. The metal on their chariots flashes when they are prepared for war. Their spears made out of juniper are ready to use.

I used a windstorm to scatter them among all the nations. They were strangers there. The land they left behind became dry and empty. No one could even travel through it. This is how they turned the pleasant land into a dry and empty desert.”

I’m sure you have heard about what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries. They have destroyed them completely. So do you think you will be saved?The kings who ruled before me destroyed many nations. Did the gods of those nations save them? Did the gods of Gozan, Harran or Rezeph save them? What about the gods of the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar?Where is the king of Hamath? Where is the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?’ ”

Then the angel of the Lord went into the camp of the Assyrians. He put to death 185,000 soldiers there. The people of Jerusalem got up the next morning. They looked out and saw all the dead bodies.

He sent me to Judah’s kings and officials. He told me to go to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. He wanted me to tell them they would be destroyed. Then people would be shocked because of them. They would make fun of them. They would use their name in a curse. And that’s how things still are today.Here is a list of the other kings and nations he sent me to. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt his attendants, his officials, all his peopleall the people from other lands who lived there all the kings of Uz the Philistine kings of Ashkelon, Gaza and Ekron the Philistines still living in AshdodEdom, Moab, Ammonall the kings of Tyre and Sidon the kings of the islands and other lands along the Mediterranean SeaDedan, Teman, Buz all the other places far away in the eastall the kings of Arabia all the other kings of people who live in the desertall the kings of Zimri, Elam and Mediaall the kings in the north, near and far So he sent me to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth, one after the other. They will all drink from the cup of the Lord’ s anger. After they drink, the king of Babylon will drink from it too.

How terrible it will be for you who make laws that aren’t fair! How terrible for you who write laws that make life hard for others!You take away the rights of poor people. You hold back what is fair from my people who are suffering. You take for yourselves what belongs to widows. You rob children whose fathers have died.What will you do on the day when the Lord punishes you? On that day trouble will come from far away. Who will you run to for help? Who will you trust your riches with?All you can do is bow down in fear among the prisoners. All you can do is fall among those who have died in battle. Even then, the Lord is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.The Lord says,“ How terrible it will be for the people of Assyria! They are the war club that carries out my anger.I will send them against the ungodly nation of Judah. I will order them to fight against my own people. My people make me angry. I will order Assyria to take their goods and carry them away. I will order Assyria to walk on my people as if they were walking on mud.But that is not what the king of Assyria plans. It is not what he has in mind. His purpose is to destroy many nations. His purpose is to put an end to them.‘ Aren’t all my commanders kings?’ he says.‘ I took over Kalno just as I took Carchemish. I took over Hamath just as I did Arpad. I took Samaria just as I did Damascus.My powerful hand grabbed hold of kingdoms whose people worship statues of gods. They had more gods than Jerusalem and Samaria did.I took over Samaria and its statues of gods. In the same way, I will take Jerusalem and its gods.’ ”The Lord will finish everything he has planned to do against Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Then he’ll say,“ Now I will punish the king of Assyria. I will punish him because his heart and his eyes are so proud.The king of Assyria says,“‘ By my power I have taken over all these nations. I am very wise. I have great understanding. I have wiped out the borders between nations. I’ve taken their treasures. Like a great hero I’ve brought their kings under my control.I’ve taken the wealth of the nations. It was as easy as reaching into a bird’s nest. I’ve gathered the riches of all these countries. It was as easy as gathering eggs that have been left in a nest. Not a single baby bird flapped its wings. Not one of them opened its mouth to chirp.’ ”Does an ax claim to be more important than the person who swings it? Does a saw brag that it is better than the one who uses it? That would be like a stick swinging the person who picks it up! It would be like a war club waving the one who carries it!So the Lord who rules over all will send a sickness. The Lord will send it on the king of Assyria’s strong fighting men. It will make them weaker and weaker. The army he was so proud of will be completely destroyed. It will be as if it had been burned up in a fire.The Lord is the Light of Israel. He will become a fire. Israel’s Holy One will become a flame. In a single day he will burn up all Assyria’s bushes. He will destroy all their thorns.He will completely destroy the beauty of their forests and rich farm lands. The Assyrian army will be like a sick person who becomes weaker and weaker.It will be like the trees of their forests. So few of them will be left standing that even a child could count them.In days to come, some people will still be left alive in Israel. They will be from Jacob’s family line. But they won’t depend any longer on the nation that struck them down. Instead, they will truly depend on the Lord. He is the Holy One of Israel.The people of Jacob who are still alive will return to the Mighty God.Israel, your people might be as many as the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will return. The Lord has handed down a death sentence. He will destroy his people. What he does is right.The Lord who rules over all will carry out his sentence. The Lord will destroy the whole land.The Lord rules over all. The Lord says,“ My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian army. They beat you with rods. They lift up war clubs against you, just as the Egyptians did.Very soon I will not be angry with you anymore. I will turn my anger against the Assyrians. I will destroy them.”The Lord who rules over all will beat them with a whip. He will strike them down as he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb. And he will stretch out his walking stick over the waters. That’s what he did in Egypt.People of Zion, in days to come he will help you. He will lift the heavy load of the Assyrians from your shoulders. He will remove their yokes from your necks. Their yokes will be broken because you have become so strong.The Assyrian army has entered the town of Aiath. They have passed through Migron. They have stored up supplies at Mikmash.They have marched through the pass there. They said,“ Let’s camp for the night at Geba.” The people of Ramah tremble with fear. Those who live in Gibeah of Saul run away.Town of Gallim, cry out! Laishah, listen! Poor Anathoth!The people of Madmenah are running away. Those who live in Gebim are hiding.Today the Assyrians have stopped at Nob. They are shaking their fists at Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem.The Assyrian soldiers are like trees in a forest. The Lord who rules over all will chop them down. The Lord will cut off their branches with his great power. He will chop the tall trees down. He will cut down even the highest ones.The Mighty One will chop down the forest with his ax. He will cut down the cedar trees in Lebanon.

I will completely destroy your cities. I will destroy your places of worship. The pleasant smell of your offerings will not give me any delight.

Here is a prophecy against Moab that the Lord gave me. The city of Ar in Moab is destroyed. It happened in a single night. Kir in Moab is also destroyed. It happened in a single night.The people of Dibon go up to their temple to worship. They go to their high places to weep. The people of Moab cry over the cities of Nebo and Medeba. All their heads are shaved. All their beards have been cut off.In the streets they wear the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. On their roofs and in the market places all of them are crying. They fall down flat with their faces toward the ground. And they weep.The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out. Their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. So the fighting men of Moab cry out. Their hearts are weak.My heart cries out over Moab. Some who run away get as far as Zoar. Others run all the way to Eglath Shelishiyah. Others go up the hill to Luhith. They are weeping as they go. Still others travel the road to Horonaim. They sing a song of sadness because their town is being destroyed.The waters at Nimrim are dried up. And so is the grass. The plants have died. Nothing green is left.The people are trying to escape through the Valley of the Poplar Trees. They are carrying with them the wealth they have collected and stored up.Their loud cries echo along the border of Moab. They reach as far as Eglaim. Their songs of sadness reach all the way to Beer Elim.The waters of the city of Dimon are full of blood. But the Lord will bring even more trouble on Dimon. He will bring lions against those who run away from Moab. They will also attack those who remain in the land.

Here is a prophecy against Egypt that the Lord gave me. The Lord is coming to Egypt. He’s riding on a cloud that moves very fast. The statues of the gods in Egypt tremble with fear because of him. The hearts of the people there melt with fear.The Lord says,“ I will stir up one Egyptian against another. Relatives will fight against relatives. Neighbors will fight against one another. Cities will fight against cities. Kingdoms will fight against one another.The people of Egypt will lose hope. I will keep them from doing what they plan to do. They will ask their gods for advice. They will turn to the spirits of dead people for help. They will go to people who get messages from those who have died. They will ask for advice from people who talk to the spirits of the dead.I will hand the Egyptians over to a mean and unkind master. A powerful king will rule over them,” announces the Lord. He is the Lord who rules over all.The waters of the Nile River will dry up. The bottom of it will be cracked and dry.Its canals will stink. And the streams of Egypt will get smaller and smaller until they dry up. The tall grass that grows along the river will dry up.So will the plants along the banks of the Nile. Even the planted fields along the Nile will dry up. Everything that grows there will blow away and disappear.The fishermen will moan. All those who drop hooks into the Nile will weep. Those who throw their nets on the water will become very sad.Those who make clothes out of flax will lose hope. So will those who weave fine linen.Those who work with cloth will be unhappy. And all those who work for money will be sick at heart.The officials of the city of Zoan are very foolish. Pharaoh’s wise men give advice that doesn’t make any sense. How can they dare to say to Pharaoh,“ We’re among the wise men”? How can they say to him,“ We’re like the advisers to the kings of long ago”?Pharaoh, where are your wise men now? Let them tell you what the Lord who rules over all has planned against Egypt.The officials of Zoan have become foolish. The leaders of Memphis have been lied to. The most important leaders in Egypt have led its people astray.The Lord has given them a spirit that makes them feel dizzy. They make Egypt unsteady in everything it does. Egypt is like a person who drinks too much. He throws up and then walks around in the mess he’s made.No one in Egypt can do anything to help them. Its elders and important leaders can’t help them. Its prophets and priests can’t do anything. Those who rule over others can’t help. And those who bow down to them can’t help either.In days to come, the people of Egypt will become weak. The Lord who rules over all will raise his hand against them. Then they will tremble with fear.The people of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians. Everyone in Egypt who hears the name of Judah will be terrified. That’s because of what the Lord who rules over all is planning to do to them.At that time the people of five cities in Egypt will worship the Lord. He is the Lord who rules over all. They will use the Hebrew language when they worship him. They will promise to be faithful to him. One of those cities will be called the City of the Sun.At that time there will be an altar to the Lord in the middle of Egypt. There will be a monument to him at its border.They will remind people that the Lord who rules over all is worshiped in Egypt. The people there will cry out to the Lord. They will cry out because of those who treat them badly. He will send someone to stand up for them and save them. And he will set them free.So the Lord will make himself known to the people of Egypt. At that time they will recognize that he is the Lord. They will worship him by bringing sacrifices and grain offerings to him. They will make promises to the Lord. And they will keep them.The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague. But then he will heal them. They will turn to the Lord. And he will answer their prayers and heal them.At that time there will be a wide road from Egypt to Assyria. The people of Assyria will go to Egypt. And the people of Egypt will go to Assyria. The people of Egypt and Assyria will worship the Lord together.At that time Egypt, Assyria and Israel will be a blessing to the whole earth.The Lord who rules over all will bless those three nations. He will say,“ Let the Egyptians be blessed. They are my people. Let the Assyrians be blessed. My hands created them. And let the Israelites be blessed. They are my very own people.”