¹⁷“The Lord will also bring the king of Assyria against you. And he will bring him against your people and the whole royal family. That will be a time of trouble unlike any since the people of Ephraim broke away from Judah.”

¹⁸At that time the Lord will whistle for the Egyptians. They will come like flies from the streams of Egypt. He will also whistle for the Assyrians. They will come from their country like bees. ¹⁹All of them will come and camp in the deep valleys. They will camp in caves in the rocks. And they’ll camp near bushes and water holes.

²⁰At that time the Lord will use the Assyrians to punish you. Ahaz had hired them earlier from east of the Euphrates River. Now their king will be like a razor in the Lord’s hand. He will shave the hair from your head and legs. He will also shave off your beards.

²¹At that time a man will only be able to keep one young cow and two goats alive. ²²But they will give enough milk and butter to live on. Everyone who is left alive in the land will have nothing but butter and honey to eat.

²³The land used to have vineyards with 1,000 vines worth 25 pounds of silver. But soon the whole land will be covered with thorns and bushes. ²⁴Men will go there to hunt with bows and arrows. That’s because it will be covered with bushes and thorns. ²⁵All of the hills used to be plowed with hoes. But you won’t go there anymore. That’s because you will be afraid of the thorns and bushes. Cattle will be turned loose on those hills. And sheep will run there.

Read in Logos