Yahweh Will Redeem Judah and Israel
Ask arain from Yahweh at the time of the late rain—
Yahweh who bmakes the storm clouds;
And He will give them cshowers of rain, the plant in the field to each man.
2 For the ateraphim speak wickedness,
And the bdiviners behold false visions
And speak cworthless dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people journey like dsheep;
They are afflicted because there is no shepherd.
3 “My aanger burns against the shepherds,
And I will visit punishment upon the male goats;
For Yahweh of hosts has bvisited His flock, the house of Judah,
And will make them like His splendid horse in battle.
4 From them will come the acornerstone,
From them the tent peg,
From them the bow of bbattle,
From them every good taskmaster, all of them together.
5 And they will be as mighty men,
aTreading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle;
And they will battle, for Yahweh will be with them;
And the briders on horses will be put to shame.
6 I will amake the house of Judah mighty,
And I will bsave the house of Joseph,
And I will ccause them to return,
Because I have had dcompassion on them;
And they will be as though I had enot rejected them,
For I am Yahweh their God, and I will fanswer them.
7 And Ephraim will be like a mighty man,
And their heart will be glad as if from wine;
Indeed, their achildren will see it and be glad;
Their heart will rejoice in Yahweh.
8 I will awhistle for them to gather them together,
For I have redeemed them;
And they will be as bnumerous as they cwere before.
9 And I will sow them among the peoples,
And they will aremember Me in far countries,
And they with their children will live and turn back.
10 Then I will cause them to areturn from the land of Egypt
And gather them from Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of bGilead and Lebanon
Until cno room can be found for them.
11 And they will pass through the asea of distress,
And He will strike the waves in the sea,
So that all the depths of the bNile will dry up;
And the pride of cAssyria will be brought down,
And the scepter of dEgypt will depart.
12 And I will amake them mighty in Yahweh,
And in His name bthey will walk,” declares Yahweh.