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Assyria is The LORD's Instrument for Destruction

And the LORD said to me, Take to yourself [³roll of papyrus ²new ¹a great], and write on it with the pen of a man concerning the swiftly [²plunder ¹made] of spoils, for it is at hand!

²And [²witnesses ³for me ¹appoint] of trustworthy men -- Uriah the priest, and Zachariah son of Barachiah.

³And I drew near to the prophetess; and [²in ³the womb ¹she conceived], and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said to me, Call his name, Quickly Despoil, Swiftly Plunder.

⁴Because before the [²knows ¹child] to call his father or mother, one shall take t he power of Damascus, and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.

⁵And the LORD proceeded to speak to me again, saying,

⁶Because [²want not ¹this people] the water of Shiloah going tranquilly, but want to have Rezin and the son of Remaliah king over them, therefore this --

⁷behold, the LORD leads against you the [⁴water ⁵of the ⁶river ¹strong ²and ³abundant], the king of the Assyrians, and his glory. And he shall ascend upon all your ravine, and shall walk upon all your wall.

⁸And he shall remove from Judea a man who shall be able [²his head ¹to lift] or able to complete anything; and [²will be ¹his camp] so as to fill the width of your place; [²be with ³us ¹God].

⁹Know, O nations, and be vanquished! Take heed until the latter end of the earth! Being strong be vanquished! For if again you should be strong, again you shall be vanquished.

¹⁰And whom ever you should consult counsel, the LORD shall efface it; and [³word ¹what ²ever] you should speak, in no way should it adhere to you; for [²is with ³us ¹God].

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Severe Perplexity

Thus says the LORD, With the strong hand they resist persuasion in the going of the way of this people, saying,

¹²Lest at any time you should say, It is hard. For all what ever [²should say ¹this people] is hard. But the fear of him in no way should you be fearful, nor should you be disturbed.

¹³The LORD of the forces -- sanctify him! and he will be your fear.

¹⁴[³even ⁴upon ⁵him ²yielding ¹You should be], he will be to you for a sanctuary; and not as a stone of stumbling for you to meet up with, nor as a rock downfall; but the houses of Jacob are in a snare, and in a hollow lying in wait in Jerusalem.

¹⁵On account of this [²shall be powerless ³among ⁴them ¹many], and shall fall, and shall be broken; and they shall approach, and [²shall be captured ¹men] being in safety.

¹⁶Then the ones [⁷apparent ⁶will be ¹setting a seal upon themselves ⁴the ⁵law ²to not ³learn].

¹⁷And one shall say, I shall wait for God, the one turning his face from the house of Jacob, and I will be yielding upon him.

¹⁸Behold, I and the children which [²gave ³to me ¹God], even they will be for signs and miracles in the house of Israel by the LORD of Hosts who dwells on mount Zion.

¹⁹And if they should say to you, Seek the ones who deliver oracles, and the ones from the earth speaking out loud, and the empty words which [²from ³the ⁴belly ¹they speak out loud]; shall not a nation [²to ³its God ¹inquire]? Why do they inquire concerning the living of the ones dead?

²⁰[³the law ¹For ⁴for ⁵a help ²he gave], that they should speak not as this saying, concerning of which there are no gifts to give for it.

²¹And shall come upon us harshly a famine; and it will be as whenever you should hunger, you shall be fretting, and [²wickedly ¹you shall speak] of the ruler and the fathers; and they shall look up into the heaven upward,

²²and [²to ³the ⁴earth ⁵below ¹they shall look], and behold, darkness, affliction and straits, and darkness so as to not see unto a time.