How will you explain the things you have done? What will you do when your destruction comes from far away? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your riches then?
The men followed the Aramean army as far as the Jordan River. The road was full of clothes and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away as they had hurriedly left. So the messengers returned and told the king.
People who live near the sea will say, ‘Look at those countries. We trusted them to help us. We ran to them so they would save us from the king of Assyria. So how will we be able to escape?’ ”
The Lord will leave his place to punish the people of the world for their sins. The earth will show the blood of the people who have been killed; it will not cover the dead any longer.
You say, “No, we need horses to run away on.” So you will run away on horses. You say, “We will ride away on fast horses.” So those who chase you will be fast.
but they will be put to shame, because Egypt is useless to them. It will give no help and will be of no use; it will cause them only shame and embarrassment.”
The sinners in Jerusalem are afraid; those who are separated from God shake with fear. They say, “Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns on and on?”
Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where did they come from?” Hezekiah said, “They came from a faraway country—from Babylon.”
So the place of the dead wants more and more people, and it opens wide its mouth. Jerusalem’s important people and common people will go down into it, with their happy and noisy ones.
Judah, you destroyed nation, what are you doing? Why do you put on your finest dress and decorate yourself with gold jewelry? Why do you put color around your eyes? You make yourself beautiful, but it is all useless. Your lovers hate you; they want to kill you.
“When Israel saw its illness and Judah saw its wounds, Israel went to Assyria for help and sent to the great king of Assyria. But he cannot heal you or cure your wounds.
The time of punishment has come, the time to pay for sins. Let Israel know this: You think the prophet is a fool, and you say the spiritual person is crazy. You have sinned very much, and your hatred is great.
It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear, or like someone who goes into his house and puts his hand on the wall, and then is bitten by a snake.
Even the best of them is like a thornbush; the most honest of them is worse than a prickly plant. The day that your watchmen warned you about has come. Now they will be confused.
On the day that God will show his anger, neither their silver nor gold will save them. The Lord’s anger will be like a fire that will burn up the whole world; suddenly he will bring an end, yes, an end to everyone on earth.”
They will destroy you and all your people, and not one stone will be left on another. All this will happen because you did not recognize the time when God came to save you.”
The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the world, and it will swoop down like an eagle. You won’t understand their language,
People who do not believe are living all around you and might say that you are doing wrong. Live such good lives that they will see the good things you do and will give glory to God on the day when Christ comes again.