17. The holy God, who is the light of Israel, will turn into a fire, and in one day you will go up in flames, just like a thorn bush.
18. The Lord will make your beautiful forests and fertile fields slowly rot.
19. There will be so few trees that even a young child can count them.
20. A time is coming when the survivors from Israel and Judah will completely depend on the holy Lord of Israel, instead of the nation that defeated them.
21-22. There were as many people as there are grains of sand along the seashore, but only a few will survive to come back to Israel's mighty God. This is because he has threatened to destroy their nation, just as they deserve.
23. The Lord All-Powerful has promised that everyone on this earth will be punished.
24. Now the Lord God All-Powerful says to his people in Jerusalem:The Assyrians will beat you with sticks and abuse you, just as the Egyptians did. But don't be afraid of them.
25. Soon I will stop being angry with you, and I will punish them for their crimes.
26. I will beat the Assyrians with a whip, as I did the people of Midian near the rock at Oreb. And I will show the same mighty power that I used when I made a path through the sea in Egypt.
27. Then they will no longer rule your nation. All will go well for you, and your burden will be lifted.