¹This is what the Lord says:

“The heavens are my throne

and the earth is my footstool.

Where then is the house you will build for me?

Where is the place where I will rest?

²My hand made them;[#tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.]

that is how they came to be,” says the Lord .

I show special favor to the humble and contrite,

who respect what I have to say.

³The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man;[#tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggests they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices; but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.]

the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck;

the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it;

the one who offers incense also praises an idol.

They have decided to behave this way;

they enjoy these disgusting practices.

⁴So I will choose severe punishment for them;[#tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”]

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me;

they chose to do what displeases me.”

⁵Hear the word of the Lord ,

you who respect what he has to say!

Your countrymen, who hate you

and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,

say, “May the Lord be glorified,

then we will witness your joy.”

But they will be put to shame.

⁶The sound of battle comes from the city;

the sound comes from the temple!

It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.

⁷Before she goes into labor, she gives birth!

Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy!

⁸Who has ever heard of such a thing?

Who has ever seen this?

Can a country be brought forth in one day?

Can a nation be born in a single moment?

Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons!

⁹“Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?”

asks the Lord .

“Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?”

asks your God.

¹⁰Be happy for Jerusalem

and rejoice with her, all you who love her!

Share in her great joy,

all you who have mourned over her!

¹¹For you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished;[#tn Or “in order that”; ASV, NRSV “that.”; #tn Heb “you will suck and be satisfied, from her comforting breast.”]

you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts.

¹²For this is what the Lord says:

“Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river,

the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks.

You will nurse from her breast and be carried at her side;

you will play on her knees.

¹³As a mother consoles a child,[#tn Heb “like a man whose mother comforts him.”]

so I will console you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

¹⁴When you see this, you will be happy,[#tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”]

and you will be revived.

The Lord will reveal his power to his servants

and his anger to his enemies.

¹⁵For look, the Lord comes with fire,

his chariots come like a windstorm,

to reveal his raging anger,

his battle cry, and his flaming arrows.

¹⁶For the Lord judges all humanity[#tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”]

with fire and his sword;

the Lord will kill many.

¹⁷“As for those who consecrate and ritually purify themselves so they can follow their leader and worship in the sacred orchards, those who eat the flesh of pigs and other disgusting creatures, like mice – they will all be destroyed together,” says the Lord .[#tn Heb “the ones who consecrate themselves and the ones who purify themselves toward the orchards [or “gardens”] after the one in the midst.” The precise meaning of the statement is unclear, though it is obvious that some form of idolatry is in view.; #tn Heb “ones who eat the flesh of the pig and the disgusting thing and the mouse.”; #tn Heb “together they will come to an end.”]

¹⁸“I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; they will come and witness my splendor.[#tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may have suffered corruption. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, ba’ah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ’et) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (ba’) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).; #tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”]

¹⁹I will perform a mighty act among them and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, Lud (known for its archers), Tubal, Javan, and to the distant coastlands that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.[#tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).; #tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).; #sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).; #tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).; #sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).; #tn Or “islands” (NIV).]

²⁰They will bring back all your countrymen from all the nations as an offering to the Lord . They will bring them on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord , “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord ’s temple in ritually pure containers.[#tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”; #tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.; #tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.]

²¹And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord .

²²“For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord , “so your descendants and your name will remain.

²³From one month to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people will come to worship me,” says the Lord .[#tn Heb “new moon.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.; #tn Heb “all flesh” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NAB, NASB, NIV “all mankind”; NLT “All humanity.”; #tn Or “bow down before” (NASB).]

²⁴“They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, and the fire that consumes them will not die out. All people will find the sight abhorrent.”[#tn Heb “for their worm will not die.”; #tn Heb “and their fire will not be extinguished.”; #tn Heb “and they will be an abhorrence to all flesh.”sn This verse depicts a huge mass burial site where the seemingly endless pile of maggot-infested corpses are being burned.]