So I will continue to amaze these people by doing powerful and amazing things. Their wise men will lose their wisdom. Their wise men will not be able to understand.”
My Master will finish doing the things he planned to Jerusalem and Mount Zion. {\cf2\super [116]} Then the Lord will punish Assyria. {\cf2\super [117]} The king of Assyria is very proud. His pride made him do many bad things. So God will punish him.
The people of Egypt will be confused. The people will ask their false gods and wise men what they should do. The people will ask their wizards and magicians. But their advice will be worthless.”
The Lord will fight like he did at Mount Perazim. The Lord will be angry like he was in Gibeon Valley. {\cf2\super [262]} Then the Lord will do the things he must do. The Lord will do some strange things. But he will finish his work. His work is a stranger’s job.
False prophets {\cf2\super [397]} tell lies, but the Lord shows their lies are false. The Lord makes foolish people of the men that do magic. The Lord confuses even wise men. They think they know much, but the Lord makes them look foolish.
Lord, why are you pushing us\par away from you?\par Why are you making it hard\par for us to follow you?\par Come back to us Lord!\par We are your servants.\par Come to us and help us!\par Our families belong to you.\par
“Your sins and your fathers’ sins are all the same.” The Lord said this, “Your fathers did these sins when they burned incense {\cf2\super [469]} in the mountains. They shamed me on those hills. And I punished them first. I gave them the punishment they should have.”
At this place, I will ruin the plans of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The enemy will chase these people. And I will let the people of Judah be killed with swords in this place. And I will make their dead bodies food for the birds and wild animals.
\{The Lord answered,\} “Look at the other nations! Watch them, and you will be amazed. I will do something in your lifetime that will amaze you. \{You will have to see it to believe it.\} You would not believe it if you were told about it.
I tell you, many prophets {\cf2\super [191]} and kings wanted to see the things that you now see. But they did not see these things. And many prophets and kings wanted to hear the things that you now hear. But they did not hear these things.”
People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed those people to have their own worthless thinking. And so those people do the things that they should not do.
Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. It is like the Scriptures {\cf2\super [21]} say, “He (God) catches the wise (smart) people when they use their sneaky ways.” {\cf2\super [22]}