The day when God will judge people
15 The day of the Lord will come soon.
Then I will judge the people of all the nations.
You will receive punishment
in the same way that you have punished others.
You will receive the punishment that you deserve
for the wicked things that you have done.
16 You went on my holy hill and you drank there.
1:16The holy hill was Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
In the same way, people of all nations will have to drink.
They will continue to drink my punishment
until they can drink no more.
Finally, they will completely disappear.
17 But on Mount Zion, there will be people who are free again.
It will become a holy place.
Jacob's descendants will take back for themselves
the land that belongs to them.
18 Jacob's descendants will be like a hot fire.
Yes, Joseph's descendants will be like flames of fire.
1:18Joseph was a son of Jacob, the ancestor of Israel's people. Jacob's descendants and Joseph's descendants both mean God's people, the Israelites.
They will completely destroy Esau's descendants,
as a fire destroys dry grass.
None of Esau's descendants will remain.’
That is what the Lord says.
19 Israel's people from the Negev Desert
will take the mountains of Esau for themselves.
Those who live in the low hills in the west
will take the land of the Philistines for themselves.
1:19Philistines came from a country near Israel called Philistia. They were a nation of people who were powerful enemies of Israel. They lived beside the sea on the west side of Israel.
They will also take the land of Ephraim and Samaria.
1:19Ephraim and Samaria were names for the northern kingdom of Israel.
Benjamin's people will take the region of Gilead for themselves.
1:19Benjamin and Judah were the two tribes of the southern kingdom of Israel.
20 The strong group of Israel's people who have been in exile will return.
They will take the land that belonged to Canaan's people,
as far as Zarephath.
1:20Canaan is the land that God promised to give to Abraham and to his descendants. See Genesis 12:7. The people of Jerusalem who were in exile in Sepharad
will take the towns in the Negev.
21 The people who have become free
will go up to Mount Zion.
They will rule over Edom, Esau's kingdom.
Then the Lord will rule as King!
