3. But what will you do when you are fiercely attacked and punished by foreigners? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your valuables?
4. How will you escape being captured or killed? The Lord is still angry, and he isn't through with you yet!
5. The Lord says:I am furious! And I will use the king of Assyria as a club
6. to beat down you godless people. I am angry with you, and I will send him to attack you. He will take what he wants and walk on you like mud in the streets.
7. He has even bigger plans in mind, because he wants to destroy many nations.
8. The king of Assyria says:My army commanders are kings!
9. They have already captured the cities of Calno, Carchemish, Hamath, Arpad, Samaria, and Damascus.
21-22. There were as many people as there are grains of sand along the seashore, but only a few will survive to come back to Israel's mighty God. This is because he has threatened to destroy their nation, just as they deserve.
23. The Lord All-Powerful has promised that everyone on this earth will be punished.
24. Now the Lord God All-Powerful says to his people in Jerusalem:The Assyrians will beat you with sticks and abuse you, just as the Egyptians did. But don't be afraid of them.
25. Soon I will stop being angry with you, and I will punish them for their crimes.
26. I will beat the Assyrians with a whip, as I did the people of Midian near the rock at Oreb. And I will show the same mighty power that I used when I made a path through the sea in Egypt.
27. Then they will no longer rule your nation. All will go well for you, and your burden will be lifted.
28. Enemy troops have reached the town of Aiath. They have gone through Migron, and they stored their supplies at Michmash,
29. before crossing the valley and spending the night at Geba. The people of Ramah are terrified; everyone in Gibeah, the home town of Saul, has run away.
30. Loud crying can be heard in the towns of Gallim, Laishah, and sorrowful Anathoth.
31. No one is left in Madmenah or Gebim.
32. Today the enemy will camp at Nob and shake a threatening fist at Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
33. But the Lord All-Powerfulwill use his fearsome mightto bring down the tallest treesand chop off every branch.
34. With an axe, the glorious Lordwill destroy every treein the forests of Lebanon.