¹ 時に彼はわたしの耳に大声に呼ばわって言われた、「町を罰する者たちよ、おのおの滅ぼす武器をその手に持って近よれ」と。

² 見よ、北に向かう上の門の道から出て来る六人の者があった。おのおのその手に滅ぼす武器を持ち、彼らの中のひとりは亜麻布を着、その腰に物を書く墨つぼをつけていた。彼らははいって来て、青銅の祭壇のかたわらに立った。

³ ここにイスラエルの神の栄光がその座しているケルビムから立ちあがって、宮の敷居にまで至った。そして主は、亜麻布を着て、その腰に物を書く墨つぼをつけている者を呼び、

⁴ 彼に言われた、「町の中、エルサレムの中をめぐり、その中で行われているすべての憎むべきことに対して嘆き悲しむ人々の額にしるしをつけよ」。

⁵ またわたしの聞いている所で他の者に言われた、「彼のあとに従い町をめぐって、撃て。あなたの目は惜しみ見るな。またあわれむな。

⁶ 老若男女をことごとく殺せ。しかし身にしるしのある者には触れるな。まずわたしの聖所から始めよ」。そこで、彼らは宮の前にいた老人から始めた。

⁷ この時、主は彼らに言われた、「宮を汚し、死人で庭を満たせ。行け」。そこで彼らは出て行って、町の中で撃った。

⁸ さて彼らが人々を打ち殺していた時、わたしひとりだけが残されたので、ひれ伏して、叫んで言った、「ああ主なる神よ、あなたがエルサレムの上に怒りを注がれるとき、イスラエルの残りの者を、ことごとく滅ぼされるのですか」。

⁹ 主はわたしに言われた、「イスラエルとユダの家の罪は非常に大きい。国は血で満ち、町は不義で満ちている。彼らは言う、『主はこの地を捨てられた。主は顧みられない』。

¹⁰ それゆえ、わたしの目は彼らを惜しみ見ず、またあわれまない。彼らの行うところを、彼らのこうべに報いる」。

¹¹ 時に、かの亜麻布を着、物を書く墨つぼを腰につけていた人が報告して言った、「わたしはあなたがお命じになったように行いました」。

¹ For Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. The foreigner will join himself with them, and they will unite with the house of Jacob.

² The peoples will take them, and bring them to their place. The house of Israel will possess them in Yahweh's land for servants and for handmaids. They will take as captives those whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

³ It will happen in the day that Yahweh will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve,

⁴ that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!"

⁵ Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

⁶ who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.

⁷ The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out song.

⁸ Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us."

⁹ Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

¹⁰ They all will answer and ask you, "Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?"

¹¹ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you.

¹² How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!

¹³ You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north!

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!"

¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶ Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;

¹⁷ who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who didn't release his prisoners to their home?"

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house.

¹⁹ But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot.

²⁰ You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The seed of evildoers will not be named forever.

²¹ Prepare for slaughter of his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, that they not rise up and possess the earth, and fill the surface of the world with cities.

²² "I will rise up against them," says Yahweh of Armies, "and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son," says Yahweh.

²³ "I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water. I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says Yahweh of Armies.

²⁴ Yahweh of Armies has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so shall it happen; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

²⁵ that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and tread him under foot on my mountains. Then his yoke will leave them, and his burden leave their shoulders.

²⁶ This is the plan that is determined for the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

²⁷ For Yahweh of Armies has planned, and who can stop it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?"

²⁸ This burden was in the year that king Ahaz died.

²⁹ Don't rejoice, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod that struck you is broken; for out of the serpent's root an adder will emerge, and his fruit will be a fiery flying serpent.

³⁰ The firstborn of the poor will eat, and the needy will lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant will be killed.

³¹ Howl, gate! Cry, city! You are melted away, Philistia, all of you; for smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks.

³² What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people will take refuge.