12 When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he1 will punish the speech2 of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. 13 For he says:
“By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
14 My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped.”
15 oShall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!
16 Therefore the Lord God of hosts
will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors,
and under his glory a burning will be kindled,
like the burning of fire.
17 The light of Israel will become a fire,
and his Holy One a flame,
and it will burn and devour
his thorns and briers in one day.
18 The glory of his forest and of his fruitful land
the Lord will destroy, both soul and body,
and it will be as when a sick man wastes away.
19 The remnant of the trees of his forest will be so few
that a child can write them down.
The Remnant of Israel Will Return
20 In that day the premnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will qlean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21 rA remnant will return, the sremnant of Jacob, to the tmighty God. 22 For uthough your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. vDestruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. 23 For the Lord God of hosts will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth.
24 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “O my people, who dwell in Zion, wbe not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. 25 For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction. 26 And the Lord of hosts will wield against them a whip, xas when he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb. And his staff will be over the sea, and he will lift it yas he did in Egypt. 27 And in that day his zburden will depart from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck; and the yoke will be broken because of the fat.”3
33 Behold, the Lord God of hosts
will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the great in height will be hewn down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe,
and Lebanon will fall by the Majestic One.
Greeting
1 aSimeon1 Peter, a servant2 and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of bour God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 cMay grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Confirm Your Calling and Election
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him dwho called us to3 his own glory and eexcellence,4 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and fvery great promises, so that through them you may become gpartakers of the divine nature, having hescaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with ivirtue,5 and jvirtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with klove. 8 For if these qualities6 are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or lunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is mblind, having forgotten that he was ncleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,7 obe all the more diligent to pconfirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never qfall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an rentrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are sestablished tin the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this ubody,8 vto stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, was our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised xmyths when ywe made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, zbut we were eyewitnesses of his amajesty. 17 For when he received honor and bglory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, c“This is my beloved Son,9 with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a dlamp eshining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the fmorning star grises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 hFor no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but imen spoke from God as they were carried along jby the Holy Spirit.
