1Herren vil forbarme sig over Israels folk. De vil igen blive hans udvalgte folk. Han lader dem bosætte sig i deres eget land, og folk fra andre nationer vil slutte sig til dem og blive en del af Israels folk.2Fremmede folk skal føre dem hjem, og Israels folk vil bruge nogle af de fremmede som slaver i deres land. Deres fangevogtere bliver taget til fange, og deres undertrykkere bliver undertrykt.
En spottesang om Babylons konge
3Når Herren befrier sit folk fra deres sorg og lidelse og det hårde slavearbejde, de blev udsat for,4vil de håne Babylons konge med sang: „Så er tyrannen færdig! Hans raseri er forbi!5Herren har knækket den ondes scepter og brudt den gudløses herskerstav,6han, som jagtede andre folkeslag, slog dem i sindssygt raseri med skånselsløse stokkeslag.7Nu er der stilhed, nu er der fred. Hele jorden bryder ud i sang.8Selv cypresserne glæder sig. Libanons cedertræer synger: ‚Du havde tænkt at fælde os! Men det var dig selv, der faldt!’9Hele dødsriget er på tæerne for at møde dig, når du ankommer. Hensovne dødninge rejser sig op, tidligere stormænd, konger og herskere.10Som med én mund hilser de dig: ‚Også du blev afmægtig. Nu er du som os!’11Din herlighed endte i dødsriget, harpernes klang forstummede. Dit leje er redt med råddenskab, dit tæppe er larver og orme.12Tænk, at du faldt fra himlen, du strålende morgenstjerne, at du blev kastet til jorden, du store verdenserobrer.13Du sagde til dig selv: ‚Jeg vil stige op til himlen, rejse min trone højt over stjernerne, indtage min plads blandt guderne på bjerget i det yderste nord.14Jeg vil stige op til de øverste himle, komme på højde med den almægtige Gud.’15I stedet blev du styrtet i dødsriget, i dets allerdybeste afgrund.16De, der ser dig der, vil undre sig: ‚Er det ham, for hvem jorden bævede, og verdens riger rystede?17Er det ham, som lagde verdens lande øde, som jævnede storbyer med jorden og aldrig satte krigsfanger fri?’18Alle jordens andre konger hviler værdigt i deres grave,19mens dit lig ligger henslængt, nedtrampet som en knækket gren mellem andre, der blev dræbt af sværdet, et kadaver kastet i et hul og dækket med sten.20Du får ingen kongelig begravelse, fordi du hærgede dit eget land og bragte død over dit eget folk. Din slægt skal uddø på grund af din ondskab.21Dine sønner skal dræbes som straf for din synd. De skal ikke herske over jorden og fylde verden med byer.”22„Jeg vil rejse mig imod Babyloniens folk,” siger Herren, den Almægtige. „Jeg vil udrydde dem og deres børn, så der ingen efterkommere bliver.23Jeg gør Babylon til en sumpet ødemark, et hjemsted for ugler. Jeg fejer byen væk med ødelæggelsens kost.”
Profeti om Assyriens fald
24Herren, den Almægtige, har svoret: „De tanker, jeg tænker, bliver altid ført ud i livet. De planer, jeg lægger, kommer altid til at ske.25Jeg vil knuse den assyriske hær i mit land, nedtrampe dem på mine bjerge. Undertrykkerens åg skal fjernes fra mit folk, de skal fritages fra byrden på deres skuldre.26Sådan er min plan for hele jorden, min magt omfatter alle folkeslag.27Hvem kan modsætte sig mine planer? Hvem kan gøre modstand, når jeg går til angreb?”
Profeti om filistrenes land
28Følgende budskab kom i det år, kong Ahaz døde:[1] (2.Kong 19,1)29Glæd dig ikke for tidligt, Filisterland, fordi kæppen, som slog dig, er knækket. Var kæppen en slange, så kommer der nu en giftig øgle i dens sted.30Jeg beskytter dem, der søger ly hos mig, som en hyrde våger over sine får, mens de græsser. Men din rest vil jeg dræbe med sult, de tiloversblevne slår jeg ihjel.31Skrig højt i byerne, filistre, klag i portene, lad angsten gribe jer, for I er dømt. En vældig støvsky nærmer sig fra nord, en hær af ivrige krigere.32Hvad skal vi svare folkenes sendebud? At Herren har lagt en grundvold på Zions bjerg, og dér kan de ydmyge blandt hans folk søge tilflugt.
1For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. (2.Krøn 36,22; Salm 102,13; Zak 1,17; Zak 8,22; Ef 2,12)2And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves.[1] They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. (Es 49,22; Es 60,9; Es 60,14; Es 61,5; Es 66,20; Joel 3,8)
Israel’s Remnant Taunts Babylon
3When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve,4you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has ceased, the insolent fury[2] ceased! (Jer 51,13; Mika 2,4; Hab 2,6; Åb 18,16)5The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, (Es 9,4)6that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution. (Jer 50,23)7The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing. (Es 44,23; Es 49,13; Es 54,1; Es 55,12)8The cypresses rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.’ (Es 2,13; Es 37,24; Ez 31,16)9Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations.10All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’ (Jer 51,48)11Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.12“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! (Job 38,7; Es 24,21; Es 34,3)13You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;[3] (Jer 51,53; Dan 5,22; Amos 9,2; Matt 11,23; Luk 10,15; 2.Thess 2,4)14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’15But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. (Ez 32,23; Matt 11,23; Luk 10,15)16Those who see you will stare at you and ponder over you: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, (Jer 50,23)17who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?’ (Jer 50,33)18All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own tomb;[4]19but you are cast out, away from your grave, like a loathed branch, clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a dead body trampled underfoot. (Ez 32,20)20You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. “May the offspring of evildoers nevermore be named! (Job 18,19; Salm 21,10; Salm 109,13)21Prepare slaughter for his sons because of the guilt of their fathers, lest they rise and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.” (2.Mos 20,5; Matt 23,35)22“I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity,” declares the Lord. (1.Mos 21,23; Job 18,19; Jer 51,50; Jer 51,62)23“And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog,[5] and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts. (Es 34,11; Zef 2,14)
An Oracle Concerning Assyria
24The Lord of hosts has sworn: “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand, (Ord 19,21)25that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” (Es 9,4; Es 10,27; Es 37,36)26This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. (5.Mos 4,34)27For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? (2.Krøn 20,6; Job 9,12; Salm 33,11; Ord 21,30; Es 14,26; Dan 4,31; Dan 4,33; Dan 4,35)
An Oracle Concerning Philistia
28In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: (2.Kong 16,20; Es 13,1)29Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent’s root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent. (2.Mos 15,14; 4.Mos 21,6; Salm 60,8; Salm 87,4; Salm 108,9; Es 10,24; Es 30,6; Jer 46,22)30And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay. (Es 29,19; Zef 3,12)31Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. (Es 13,6; Es 14,29; Es 20,1; Es 24,12)32What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” (Salm 87,1; Salm 87,5; Salm 102,16; Salm 132,13; Es 28,16)