But I will show love to the people of Judah. And I will save them. I will not use bows or swords or other weapons of war to do it. I will not save them by using horses and horsemen either. Instead, I will use my own power to save them. I am the Lord their God. And I will save them.”

我却要怜悯犹大家，使他们靠耶和华他们的神得救，不使他们靠弓、刀、争战、马匹，与马兵得救。”

我却要怜悯犹大家，使他们靠耶和华—他们的上帝得救；我必不让他们靠弓、刀、战争、马匹与骑兵得救。”

我却要怜悯犹大家，使他们靠耶和华—他们的神得救；我必不让他们靠弓、刀、战争、马匹与骑兵得救。”

但我要怜悯犹大家，使他们依靠他们的上帝耶和华得到拯救，而不是依靠战弓、刀剑、马匹、骑兵和战争。”

“但我要怜恤犹大家，使他们靠耶和华他们的神得救。我要拯救他们，并不是靠弓、靠刀、靠战争，也不是靠战马、靠骑兵。”

我卻要憐憫猶大家，使他們靠耶和華－他們的神得救，不使他們靠弓、刀、爭戰、馬匹，與馬兵得救。」

我卻要憐憫猶大家，使他們靠耶和華－他們的上帝得救；我必不讓他們靠弓、刀、戰爭、馬匹與騎兵得救。」

我卻要憐憫猶大家，使他們靠耶和華－他們的神得救；我必不讓他們靠弓、刀、戰爭、馬匹與騎兵得救。」

但我要憐憫猶大家，使他們依靠他們的上帝耶和華得到拯救，而不是依靠戰弓、刀劍、馬匹、騎兵和戰爭。」

“但我要憐恤猶大家，使他們靠耶和華他們的神得救。我要拯救他們，並不是靠弓、靠刀、靠戰爭，也不是靠戰馬、靠騎兵。”

猶大家我卻要憐憫；我必憑着我永恆主他們的上帝來拯救他們；我不靠着弓、不靠着刀或爭戰、不靠着馬匹或馬兵去拯救他們。』

惟矜憫猶大家、使賴其上帝耶和華得救、不賴弓刃戰鬥、馬與騎兵、

我將矜憫猶大家、非以弓刃戰鬥車騎救援、乃以我能拯之、

我將矜憫猶大族、使之賴主其天主得救、非賴弓刃、戰爭、馬與騎卒得救、原文作我將矜憫猶大族救之以主其天主不救之以弓刃戰爭馬與騎卒

Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them— not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God, will save them.”

But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies— not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the Lord their God.”

But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the LORD their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.

But I will take pity on the house of Judah and save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”

Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, Will save them by the Lord their God, And will not save them by bow, Nor by sword or battle, By horses or horsemen.”

But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.

But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.

But I will have pity on the nation of Judah. I will deliver them by the LORD their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior’s bow, by sword, by military victory, by chariot horses, or by chariots.”

But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by Yahweh their God, and will not save them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.”

So he said to me,“ A message from the Lord came to Zerubbabel. The Lord said,‘ Your strength will not get my temple rebuilt. Your power will not do it either. Only the power of my Spirit will do it,’ says the Lord who rules over all.

That night the angel of the Lord went into the camp of the Assyrians. He put to death 185,000 people there. The people of Jerusalem got up the next morning and looked out at the camp. There were all the dead bodies!

The people of Ephraim tell me nothing but lies. Israel has not been honest with me. And Judah continues to wander away from God. They have deserted the faithful Holy One.

“ City of Zion, be full of joy! People of Jerusalem, shout! See, your king comes to you. He always does what is right. He has won the victory. He is humble and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey’s colt.I will take the chariots away from Ephraim. I will remove the war horses from Jerusalem. I will break the bows that are used in battle. Your king will announce peace to the nations. He will rule from ocean to ocean. His kingdom will reach from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.

They didn’t win the land with their swords. They didn’t gain success by their own power. Your powerful right hand and your mighty arm gave them victory. You gave them success because you loved them.You are my King and my God. You give victories to the people of Jacob.With your help we push back our enemies. By your power we walk all over them.I put no trust in my bow. My sword doesn’t bring me victory.

But the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared.He saved us. It wasn’t because of the good things we had done. It was because of his mercy. He saved us by washing away our sins. We were born again. The Holy Spirit gave us new life.God poured out the Spirit on us freely. That’s because of what Jesus Christ our Savior has done.

“ Israel, I have scattered you,” announces the Lord.“ I have used the power of the four winds of heaven to do it. Come quickly! Run away from the land of the north,” announces the Lord.“ Come, people of Zion! Escape, you who live in Babylon!”The Lord rules over all. His angel says to Israel,“ The Glorious One has sent me to punish the nations that have robbed you of everything. That’s because anyone who hurts you hurts those the Lord loves and guards.So I will raise my powerful hand to strike down your enemies. Their own slaves will rob them of everything. Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me.“‘ People of Zion, shout and be glad! I am coming to live among you,’ announces the Lord.‘ At that time many nations will join themselves to me. And they will become my people. I will live among you,’ says the Lord. Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.

A king isn’t saved just because his army is big. A soldier doesn’t escape just because he is very strong.

Sennacherib attacked and captured all the cities of Judah that had high walls around them. It was in the 14th year of the rule of Hezekiah. Sennacherib was king of Assyria.He sent his field commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. He sent him along with a large army. The commander stopped at the channel that brings water from the Upper Pool. It was on the road to the Washerman’s Field.Eliakim, Shebna and Joah went out to him. Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was in charge of the palace. Shebna was the secretary. Joah, the son of Asaph, kept the records.The field commander said to them,“ Give Hezekiah this message. Tell him,“‘ Sennacherib is the great king of Assyria. He says,“ Why are you putting your faith in what your king says?You say you have a military plan. You say you have a strong army. But your words don’t mean anything. Who are you depending on? Why don’t you want to stay under my control?Look, I know you are depending on Egypt. Why are you doing that? Egypt is nothing but a broken papyrus stem. Try leaning on it. It will only cut your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is just like that to everyone who depends on him.But suppose you say to me,‘ We are depending on the Lord our God.’ Didn’t Hezekiah remove your god’s high places and altars? Didn’t Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem,‘ You must worship at the altar in Jerusalem’?“‘ “Come on. Make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I’ll give you 2,000 horses. But only if you can put riders on them!You are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen. You can’t drive away even the least important officer among my master’s officials.Besides, do you think I’ve come without being sent by the Lord? Have I come to attack and destroy this land without receiving a message from him? The Lord himself told me to march out against your country. He told me to destroy it.” ’ ”Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah spoke to the field commander. They said,“ Please speak to us in the Aramaic language. We understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew. If you do, the people on the wall will be able to understand you.”But the commander replied,“ My master sent me to say these things. Are these words only for your master and you to hear? Aren’t they also for the people sitting on the wall? They are going to suffer just like you. They’ll have to eat their own waste. They’ll have to drink their own urine.”Then the commander stood up and spoke in the Hebrew language. He called out,“ Pay attention to what the great king of Assyria is telling you.He says,‘ Don’t let Hezekiah trick you. He can’t save you!Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord. Don’t believe him when he says,“ You can be sure that the Lord will save us. This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” ’“ Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says,‘ Make a peace treaty with me. Come over to my side. Then each one of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree. Each one of you will drink water from your own well.You will do that until I come back. Then I’ll take you to a land just like yours. It’s a land that has a lot of grain and fresh wine. It has plenty of bread and vineyards.“‘ Don’t let Hezekiah fool you. He’s telling you a lie when he says,“ The Lord will save us.” Have the gods of any nations ever saved their lands from the power of the king of Assyria?Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they saved Samaria from my power?Which one of all the gods of those countries has been able to save their lands from me? So how can the Lord save Jerusalem from my power?’ ”But the people remained silent. They didn’t say anything. That’s because King Hezekiah had commanded,“ Don’t answer him.”Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, went to Hezekiah. Eliakim was in charge of the palace. Shebna the secretary went with him. So did Joah, the son of Asaph. Joah kept the records. All of them went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn. They told him what the field commander had said.

“ A new day is coming,” announces the Lord.“ At that time I will raise up for David’s royal line a godly Branch. He will be a King who will rule wisely. He will do what is fair and right in the land.In his days Judah will be saved. Israel will live in safety. And the Branch will be called The Lord Who Makes Us Right With Himself.

The Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.

Here is what the Lord says to me.“ It is not enough for you as my servant to bring the tribes of Jacob back to their land. It is not enough for you to bring back the people of Israel I have kept alive. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles. Then you will make it possible for the whole world to be saved.”

God, you are the one who saves us. We will trust in you. Then we won’t be afraid. Lord, you are the one who gives us strength. You are the one who keeps us safe. Lord, you have saved us.”

She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That’s because he will save his people from their sins.”All this took place to bring about what the Lord had said would happen. He had said through the prophet,“ The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.”( Isaiah 7:14) The name Immanuel means“ God with us.”