Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 200
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
1:9–2:4
Why are you scheming against the Lord?
He will destroy you with one blow;
he won’t need to strike twice!
His enemies, tangled like thornbushes
and staggering like drunks,
will be burned up like dry stubble in a field.
Who is this wicked counselor of yours
who plots evil against the Lord?
This is what the Lord says:
“Though the Assyrians have many allies,
they will be destroyed and disappear.
O my people, I have punished you before,
but I will not punish you again.
Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck
and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression.”
And this is what the Lord says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh:
“You will have no more children to carry on your name.
I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods.
I am preparing a grave for you
because you are despicable!”
Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains with good news!
He is bringing a message of peace.
Celebrate your festivals, O people of Judah,
and fulfill all your vows,
for your wicked enemies will never invade your land again.
They will be completely destroyed!
Your enemy is coming to crush you, Nineveh.
Man the ramparts! Watch the roads!
Prepare your defenses! Call out your forces!
Even though the destroyer has destroyed Judah,
the Lord will restore its honor.
Israel’s vine has been stripped of branches,
but he will restore its splendor.
Shields flash red in the sunlight!
See the scarlet uniforms of the valiant troops!
Watch as their glittering chariots move into position,
with a forest of spears waving above them.
The chariots race recklessly along the streets
and rush wildly through the squares.
