Listen to the loud noise in the mountains, the sound of many people. Listen to the noise among the kingdoms, the sound of nations gathering together. The Lord All-Powerful is calling his army together for battle.
He will settle arguments among the nations and will make decisions for many nations. Then they will make their swords into plows and their spears into hooks for trimming trees. Nations will no longer fight other nations, nor will they train for war anymore.
Topheth has been made ready for a long time; it is ready for the king. It was made deep and wide with much wood and fire. And the Lord’s breath will come like a stream of burning sulfur and set it on fire.
Then the angel of the Lord went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies.
The Lord will wash away the filth from the women of Jerusalem. He will wash the bloodstains out of Jerusalem and clean the city with the spirit of fairness and the spirit of fire.
A child has been born to us; God has given a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.
“The days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a good branch in David’s family. He will be a king who will rule in a wise way; he will do what is fair and right in the land.
They will hear the sound of the running horses and the noisy chariots and the rumbling chariot wheels. Parents will not help their children to safety, because they will be too weak to help.
It is like the noise of chariots rumbling over the tops of the mountains, like the noise of a roaring fire burning dry stalks. They are like a powerful army lined up for battle.
The priest will burn these parts on the altar as food. It is an offering made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. All the fat belongs to the Lord.
One man will build the Temple of the Lord, and the other will receive honor. One man will sit on his throne and rule, and the other will be a priest on his throne. And these two men will work together in peace.’
“I baptize you with water to show that your hearts and lives have changed. But there is one coming after me who is greater than I am, whose sandals I am not good enough to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.