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1 The Lord told me, "Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.'

2 I will gather some men to be reliable witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah."

3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she became pregnant and had a son. The Lord told me, "Name the boy Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,

4 because the king of Assyria will take away all the wealth and possessions of Damascus and Samaria before the boy learns to say 'my father' or 'my mother.'"

5 Again the Lord spoke to me, saying,

6 "These people refuse to accept the slow-moving waters of the pool of Shiloah and are terrified of Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah.

7 So I, the Lord, will bring the king of Assyria and all his power against them, like a powerful flood of water from the Euphrates River. The Assyrians will be like water rising over the banks of the river, flowing over the land.

8 That water will flow into Judah and pass through it, rising to Judah's throat. Immanuel, this army will spread its wings like a bird until it covers your whole country."

9 Be broken, all you nations, and be smashed to pieces. Listen, all you faraway countries. Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces!

10 Make your plans for the fight, but they will be defeated. Give orders to your armies, but they will be useless, because God is with us.

11 The Lord spoke to me with his great power and warned me not to follow the lead of the rest of the people. He said,

12 "People are saying that others make plans against them, but you should not believe them. Don't be afraid of what they fear; do not dread those things.

13 But remember that the Lord All-Powerful is holy. He is the one you should fear; he is the one you should dread.

14 Then he will be a place of safety for you. But for the two families of Israel, he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble, like a rock that makes them fall. He will be like a trap for the people of Jerusalem, and he will catch them in his trap.

15 Many people will fall over this rock. They will fall and be broken; they will be trapped and caught."

16 Make an agreement. Seal up the teaching while my followers are watching.

17 I will wait for the Lord to help us, the Lord who is ashamed of the family of Israel. I will wait for him.

18 I am here, and with me are the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and proofs for the people of Israel from the Lord All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion.

19 Some people say, "Ask the mediums and fortune-tellers, who whisper and mutter, what to do." But I tell you that people should ask their God for help. Why should people who are still alive ask something from the dead?

20 You should follow the teachings and the agreement with the Lord. The mediums and fortune-tellers do not speak the word of the Lord, so their words are worth nothing.

21 People will wander through the land troubled and hungry. When they become hungry, they will become angry and will look up and curse their king and their God.

22 They will look around them at their land and see only trouble, darkness, and awful gloom. And they will be forced into the darkness.

1 But suddenly there will be no more gloom for the land that suffered. In the past God made the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali hang their heads in shame, but in the future those lands will be made great. They will stretch from the road along the Mediterranean Sea to the land beyond the Jordan River and north to Galilee, the land of people who are not Israelites.

2 Before those people lived in darkness, but now they have seen a great light. They lived in a dark land, but a light has shined on them.

3 God, you have caused the nation to grow and made the people happy. And they have shown their happiness to you, like the joy during harvest time, like the joy of people taking what they have won in war.

4 Like the time you defeated Midian, you have taken away their heavy load and the heavy pole from their backs and the rod the enemy used to punish them.

5 Every boot that marched in battle and every uniform stained with blood has been thrown into the fire.

6 A child has been born to us; God has given a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.

7 Power and peace will be in his kingdom and will continue to grow forever. and over David's kingdom. He will make it strong by ruling with justice and goodness from now on and forever. because of his strong love for his people.

8 The Lord sent a message against the people of Jacob; it says that God will judge Israel.

9 Then everyone in Israel, even the leaders in Samaria, will know that God has sent it. Those people are proud and brag by saying,

10 "These bricks have fallen, but we will build again with cut stones. These small trees have been chopped down, but we will put great cedars there."

11 But the Lord has brought the enemies of Rezin against them; he has stirred up their enemies against them.

12 The Arameans came from the east and the Philistines from the west, and they ate up Israel with their armies. But the Lord was still angry; his hand was still raised to punish the people.

13 But the people did not return to the one who had struck them; they did not follow the Lord All-Powerful.

14 So the Lord cut off Israel's head and tail, taking away both the branch and stalk in one day.

15 The older leaders and important men were the head, and the prophets who speak lies were the tail.

16 Those who led the people led them in the wrong direction, and those who followed them were destroyed.

17 So the Lord is not happy with the young people, nor will he show mercy to the orphans and widows. are very evil; they all speak lies. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

18 Evil is like a small fire. First, it burns weeds and thorns. Next, it burns the larger bushes in the forest, and they all go up in a column of smoke.

19 The Lord All-Powerful is angry, so the land will be burned. The people are like fuel for the fire; no one will try to save his brother or sister.

20 People will grab something on the right, but they will still be hungry. They will eat something on the left, but they will not be filled. Then they will each turn and eat their own children.

21 The people of Manasseh will fight against the people of Ephraim, and Ephraim will fight against Manasseh. Then both of them will turn against Judah. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

1 How terrible it will be for those who make unfair laws, and those who write laws that make life hard for people.

2 They are not fair to the poor, and they rob my people of their rights. They allow people to steal from widows and to take from orphans what really belongs to them.

3 How will you explain the things you have done? What will you do when your destruction comes from far away? Where will you run for help? Where will you hide your riches then?

4 You will have to bow down among the captives or fall down among the dead bodies. But the Lord is still angry; his hand is still raised to strike down the people.

5 God says, "How terrible it will be for the king of Assyria. I use him like a rod to show my anger; in anger I use Assyria like a club.

6 I send it to fight against a nation that is separated from God. I am angry with those people, so I command Assyria to fight against them, to take their wealth from them, to trample them down like dirt in the streets.

7 But Assyria's king doesn't understand that I am using him; he doesn't know he is a tool for me. He only wants to destroy other people and to defeat many nations.

8 The king of Assyria says to himself, 'All of my commanders are like kings.

9 The city Calno is like the city Carchemish. The city Hamath is like the city Arpad. The city Samaria is like the city Damascus.

10 I defeated those kingdoms that worship idols, and those idols were more than the idols of Jerusalem and Samaria.

11 As I defeated Samaria and her idols, I will also defeat Jerusalem and her idols.'"

12 When the Lord finishes doing what he planned to Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will punish Assyria. The king of Assyria is very proud, and his pride has made him do these evil things, so God will punish him.

13 The king of Assyria says this: "By my own power I have done these things; by my wisdom I have defeated many nations. I have taken their wealth, and, like a mighty one, I have taken their people.

14 I have taken the riches of all these people, like a person reaching into a bird's nest. I have taken these nations, like a person taking eggs. Not one raised a hand or opened its mouth to stop me."

15 An ax is not better than the person who swings it. A saw is not better than the one who uses it. A stick cannot control the person who picks it up. A club cannot pick up the person!

16 So the Lord God All-Powerful will send a terrible disease upon Assyria's soldiers. like a fire burning until everything is gone.

17 God, the Light of Israel, will be like a fire; the Holy One will be like a flame. He will be like a fire that suddenly burns the weeds and thorns.

18 The fire burns away the great trees and rich farmlands, destroying everything. It will be like a sick person who wastes away.

19 The trees left standing will be so few that even a child could count them.

20 At that time some people will be left alive in Israel from the family of Jacob. They will not continue to depend on the person who defeated them. They will learn truly to depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

21 Those who are left alive in Jacob's family will again follow the powerful God.

22 Israel, your people are many, like the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be left alive to return to the Lord. God has announced that he will destroy the land completely and fairly.

23 The Lord God All-Powerful will certainly destroy this land, as he has announced.

24 This is what the Lord God All-Powerful says: "My people living in Jerusalem, don't be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and raise a stick against you, as Egypt did.

25 After a short time my anger against you will stop, and then I will turn my anger to destroying them."

26 Then the Lord All-Powerful will beat the Assyrians with a whip as he defeated Midian at the rock of Oreb. He will raise his stick over the waters as he did in Egypt.

27 Then the troubles that Assyria puts on you will be removed, and the load they make you carry will be taken away.

28 The army of Assyria will enter near Aiath. Its soldiers will walk through Migron. They will store their food in Micmash.

29 The army will go over the pass. The soldiers will sleep at Geba. The people of Ramah will be afraid, and the people at Gibeah of Saul will run away.

30 Cry out, Bath Gallim! Laishah, listen!

31 The people of Madmenah are running away; the people of Gebim are hiding.

32 This day the army will stop at Nob. They will shake their fist at Mount Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.

33 Watch! The Lord God All-Powerful with his great power will chop them down like a great tree. Those who are great will be cut down; those who are important will fall to the ground.

34 He will cut them down as a forest is cut down with an ax. will fall by the power of the Mighty One.

1 A new branch will grow from a stump of a tree; so a new king will come from the family of Jesse.

2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king. The Spirit will give him wisdom and understanding, guidance and power. the Lord.

3 This king will be glad to obey the Lord. He will not judge by the way things look or decide by what he hears.

4 But he will judge the poor honestly; he will be fair in his decisions for the poor people of the land. At his command evil people will be punished, and by his words the wicked will be put to death.

5 Goodness and fairness will give him strength, like a belt around his waist.

6 Then wolves will live in peace with lambs, and leopards will lie down to rest with goats. Calves, lions, and young bulls will eat together, and a little child will lead them.

7 Cows and bears will eat together in peace. Their young will lie down to rest together. Lions will eat hay as oxen do.

8 A baby will be able to play near a cobra's hole, and a child will be able to put his hand into the nest of a poisonous snake.

9 They will not hurt or destroy each other on all my holy mountain, because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the sea is full of water.

10 At that time the new king from the family of Jesse will stand as a banner for all peoples. The nations will come together around him, and the place where he lives will be filled with glory.

11 At that time the Lord will again reach out and take his people who are left alive in Assyria, North Egypt, South Egypt, Cush, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the islands of the sea.

12 God will raise a banner as a sign for all nations, and he will gather the people of Israel who were forced from their country. from all parts of the earth.

13 At that time Israel will not be jealous anymore, and Judah will have no more enemies. Israel will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not hate Israel.

14 But Israel and Judah will attack the Philistines on the west. Together they will take the riches from the people of the east. They will conquer Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will be under their control.

15 The Lord will dry up the Red Sea of Egypt. and dry it up with a scorching wind. He will divide it into seven small rivers so that people can walk across them with their sandals on.

16 So God's people who are left alive will have a way to leave Assyria, just like the time the Israelites came out of Egypt.

1 At that time you will say: "I praise you, Lord! You were angry with me, but you are not angry with me now! You have comforted me.

2 God is the one who saves me; I will trust him and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord gives me strength and makes me sing. He has saved me."

3 You will receive your salvation with joy as you would draw water from a well.

4 At that time you will say, "Praise the Lord and worship him. Tell everyone what he has done and how great he is.

5 Sing praise to the Lord, because he has done great things. Let all the world know what he has done.

6 Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem, because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes."

1 God showed Isaiah son of Amoz this message about Babylon:

2 Raise a flag on the bare mountain. Call out to the men. Raise your hand to signal them to enter through the gates for important people.

3 I myself have commanded those people whom I have separated as mine. I have called those warriors to carry out my anger. They rejoice and are glad to do my will.

4 Listen to the loud noise in the mountains, the sound of many people. Listen to the noise among the kingdoms, the sound of nations gathering together. his army together for battle.

5 This army is coming from a faraway land, from the edge of the horizon. to destroy the whole country.

6 Cry, because the Lord's day of judging is near; the Almighty is sending destruction.

7 People will be weak with fear, and their courage will melt away.

8 Everyone will be afraid. Pain and hurt will grab them; they will hurt like a woman giving birth to a baby. They will look at each other in fear, with their faces red like fire.

9 Look, the Lord's day of judging is coming -- a terrible day, a day of God's anger. He will destroy the land and the sinners who live in it.

10 The stars will not show their light; the skies will be dark. The sun will grow dark as it rises, and the moon will not give its light.

11 The Lord says, "I will punish the world for its evil and wicked people for their sins. I will cause proud people to lose their pride, and I will destroy the pride of those who are cruel to others.

12 People will be harder to find than pure gold; there will be fewer people than there is fine gold in Ophir.

13 I will make the sky shake, and the earth will be moved from its place by the anger of the Lord All-Powerful at the time of his burning anger.

14 "Then the people from Babylon will run away like hunted deer or like sheep who have no shepherd. Everyone will turn back to his own people; each will run back to his own land.

15 Everyone who is captured will be killed; everyone who is caught will be killed with a sword.

16 Their little children will be beaten to death in front of them. Their houses will be robbed and their wives raped.

17 "Look, I will cause the armies of Media to attack Babylon. They do not care about silver or delight in gold.

18 Their soldiers will shoot the young men with arrows; they will show no mercy on children, nor will they feel sorry for little ones.

19 Babylon is the most beautiful of all kingdoms, and the Babylonians are very proud of it. like Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 No one will ever live there or settle there again. No Arab will put a tent there; no shepherd will bring sheep there.

21 Only desert animals will live there, and their houses will be full of wild dogs. Owls will live there, and wild goats will leap about in the houses.

22 Wolves will howl within the strong walls, and wild dogs will bark in the beautiful buildings. The end of Babylon is near; its time is almost over."

1 The Lord will show mercy to the people of Jacob, and he will again choose the people of Israel. He will settle them in their own land. Then non-Israelite people will join the Israelites and will become a part of the family of Jacob.

2 Nations will take the Israelites back to their land. Then those men and women from the other nations will become slaves to Israel in the Lord's land. In the past the Israelites were their slaves, but now the Israelites will defeat those nations and rule over them.

3 The Lord will take away the Israelites' hard work and will comfort them. They will no longer have to work hard as slaves.

4 On that day Israel will sing this song about the king of Babylon: The cruel king who ruled us is finished; his angry rule is finished!

5 The Lord has broken the scepter of evil rulers and taken away their power.

6 The king of Babylon struck people in anger again and again. He ruled nations in anger and continued to hurt them.

7 But now, the whole world rests and is quiet. Now the people begin to sing.

8 Even the pine trees are happy, and the cedar trees of Lebanon rejoice. They say, "The king has fallen, so no one will ever cut us down again."

9 The place of the dead is excited to meet you when you come. It wakes the spirits of the dead, the leaders of the world. It makes kings of all nations stand up from their thrones to greet you.

10 All these leaders will make fun of you and will say, "Now you are weak, as we are. Now you are just like us."

11 Your pride has been sent down to the place of the dead. The music from your harps goes with it. Flies are spread out like your bed beneath you, and worms cover your body like a blanket.

12 King of Babylon, morning star, you have fallen from heaven, even though you were as bright as the rising sun! In the past all the nations on earth bowed down before you, but now you have been cut down.

13 You told yourself, "I will go up to heaven. I will put my throne above God's stars. I will sit on the mountain of the gods, on the slopes of the sacred mountain.

14 I will go up above the tops of the clouds. I will be like God Most High."

15 But you were brought down to the grave, to the deep places where the dead are.

16 Those who see you stare at you. They think about what has happened to you and say, "Is this the same man who caused great fear on earth, who shook the kingdoms,

17 who turned the world into a desert, who destroyed its cities, who captured people in war and would not let them go home?"

18 Every king of the earth has been buried with honor, each in his own grave.

19 But you are thrown out of your grave, like an unwanted branch. You are covered by bodies that died in battle, by bodies to be buried in a rocky pit. You are like a dead body other soldiers walk on.

20 You will not be buried with those bodies, because you ruined your own country and killed your own people. The children of evil people will never be mentioned again.

21 Prepare to kill his children, because their father is guilty. They will never again take control of the earth; they will never again fill the world with their cities.

22 The Lord All-Powerful says this: "I will fight against those people; I will destroy Babylon and its people, its children and their descendants," says the Lord.

23 "I will make Babylon fit only for owls and for swamps. destruction," says the Lord All-Powerful.

24 The Lord All-Powerful has made this promise: "These things will happen exactly as I planned them; they will happen exactly as I set them up.

25 I will destroy the king of Assyria in my country; I will trample him on my mountains. He placed a heavy load on my people, but that weight will be removed.

26 "This is what I plan to do for all the earth. And this is the hand that I have raised over all nations."

27 When the Lord All-Powerful makes a plan, no one can stop it. When the Lord raises his hand to punish people, no one can stop it.

28 This message was given in the year that King Ahaz died:

29 Country of Philistia, don't be happy that the king who struck you is now dead. He is like a snake that will give birth to another dangerous snake. The new king will be like a quick, dangerous snake to bite you.

30 Even the poorest of my people will be able to eat safely, and people in need will be able to lie down in safety. But I will kill your family with hunger, and all your people who are left will die.

31 People near the city gates, cry out! Philistines, be frightened, because a cloud of dust comes from the north. It is an army, full of men ready to fight.

32 What shall we tell the messengers from Philistia? and that his poor people will go there for safety.

1 This is a message about Moab: In one night armies took the wealth from Ar in Moab, and it was destroyed. In one night armies took the wealth from Kir in Moab, and it was destroyed.

2 The people of Dibon go to the places of worship to cry. The people of Moab cry for the cities of Nebo and Medeba. Every head and beard has been shaved to show how sad Moab is.

3 In the streets they wear rough cloth to show their sadness. On the roofsn and in the public squares, they are crying loudly.

4 People in the cities Heshbon and Elealeh cry out loud. You can hear their voices far away in the city Jahaz. Even the soldiers are frightened; they are shaking with fear.

5 My heart cries with sorrow for Moab. Its people run away to Zoar for safety; they run to Eglath Shelishiyah. People are going up the mountain road to Luhith, crying as they go. People are going on the road to Horonaim, crying over their destruction.

6 But the water of Nimrim has dried up. The grass has dried up, and all the plants are dead; nothing green is left.

7 So the people gather up what they have saved and carry it across the Ravine of the Poplars.

8 Crying is heard everywhere in Moab. Their crying is heard as far away as the city Eglaim; it is heard as far away as Beer Elim.

9 The water of the city Dibon is full of blood, and I, the Lord, will bring even more troubles to Dibon. the enemy, but I will send lions to kill them.

1 Send the king of the land the payment he demands. to the mountain of Jerusalem.

2 The women of Moab try to cross the river Arnon like little birds that have fallen from their nest.

3 They say: "Help us. Tell us what to do. Protect us from our enemies as shade protects us from the noon sun. Hide us, because we are running for safety! Don't give us to our enemies.

4 Let those of us who were forced out of Moab live in your land. Hide us from our enemies." The robbing of Moab will stop. The enemy will be defeated; those who hurt others will disappear from the land.

5 Then a new loyal king will come; this faithful king will be from the family of David. He will judge fairly and do what is right.

6 We have heard that the people of Moab are proud and very conceited. They are very proud and angry, but their bragging means nothing.

7 So the people of Moab will cry; they will all be sad. They will moan and groan for the raisin cakes they had in Kir Hareseth.

8 But the fields of Heshbon and the vines of Sibmah cannot grow grapes; foreign rulers have destroyed the grapevines. The grapevines once spread as far as the city of Jazer and into the desert; they had spread as far as the sea.

9 I cry with the people of Jazer for the grapevines of Sibmah. I will cry with the people of Heshbon and Elealeh. There will be no shouts of joy, because there will be no harvest or ripe fruit.

10 There will be no joy and happiness in the orchards and no songs or shouts of joy in the vineyards. No one makes wine in the winepresses, because I have put an end to shouts of joy.

11 My heart cries for Moab like a harp playing a funeral song; I am very sad for Kir Hareseth.

12 The people of Moab will go to their places of worship and will try to pray. But when they go to their temple to pray, they will not be able.

13 Earlier the Lord said these things about Moab.

14 Now the Lord says, "In three years all those people and what they take pride in will be hated. (This is three years as a hired helper would count time.) There will be a few people left, but they will be weak."

1 This is a message about Damascus: "The city of Damascus will be destroyed; only ruins will remain.

2 People will leave the cities of Aroer. Flocks will wander freely in those empty towns, and there will be no one to bother them.

3 The strong, walled cities of Israel will be destroyed. The government in Damascus will end. like the glory of Israel," says the Lord All-Powerful.

4 "At that time Israel's wealth will all be gone. Israel will be like someone who has lost much weight from sickness.

5 That time will be like the grain harvest in the Valley of Rephaim. The workers cut the wheat. Then they cut the heads of grain from the plants and collect the grain.

6 That time will also be like the olive harvest, when a few olives are left. Two or three olives are left in the top branches. Four or five olives are left on full branches," says the Lord, the God of Israel.

7 At that time people will look to God, their Maker; their eyes will see the Holy One of Israel.

8 They will not trust the altars they have made, nor will they trust what their hands have made, not even the Asherah idols and altars.

9 In that day all their strong cities will be empty. They will be like the cities the Hivites and the Amorites left when the Israelites came to take the land. Everything will be ruined.

10 You have forgotten the God who saves you; you have not remembered that God is your place of safety. You plant the finest grapevines and grapevines from faraway places.

11 You plant your grapevines one day and try to make them grow, and the next day you make them blossom. But at harvest time everything will be dead; a sickness will kill all the plants.

12 Listen to the many people! Their crying is like the noise from the sea. Listen to the nations! Their crying is like the crashing of great waves.

13 The people roar like the waves, but when God speaks harshly to them, they will run away. They will be like chaff on the hills being blown by the wind, or like tumbleweeds blown away by a storm.

14 At night the people will be very frightened. Before morning, no one will be left. So our enemies will come to our land, but they will become nothing.

1 How terrible it will be for the land beyond the rivers of Cush. It is filled with the sound of wings.

2 That land sends messengers across the sea; they go on the water in boats made of reeds. Go, quick messengers, to a people who are tall and smooth-skinned, who are feared everywhere. They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations. Their land is divided by rivers.

3 All you people of the world, look! Everyone who lives in the world, look! You will see a banner raised on a mountain. You will hear a trumpet sound.

4 The Lord said to me, "I will quietly watch from where I live, like heat in the sunshine, like the dew in the heat of harvest time."

5 The time will come, after the flowers have bloomed and before the harvest, when new grapes will be budding and growing. The enemy will cut the plants with knives; he will cut down the vines and take them away.

6 They will be left for the birds of the mountains and for the wild animals. Birds will feed on them all summer, and wild animals will eat them that winter."

7 At that time a gift will be brought to the Lord All-Powerful from the people who are tall and smooth-skinned, who are feared everywhere. They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations. Their land is divided by rivers. These gifts will be brought to the place of the Lord All-Powerful, to Mount Zion.

1 This is a message about Egypt: Look, the Lord is coming on a fast cloud to enter Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before him, and Egypt's courage will melt away.

2 The Lord says, "I will cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves. People will fight with their relatives; neighbors will fight neighbors; cities will fight cities; kingdoms will fight kingdoms.

3 The Egyptians will be afraid, and I will ruin their plans. They will ask advice from their idols and spirits of the dead, from their mediums and fortune-tellers."

4 The Lord God All-Powerful says, "I will hand Egypt over to a hard master, and a powerful king will rule over them."

5 The sea will become dry, and the water will disappear from the Nile River.

6 The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will decrease and dry up. All the water plants will rot;

7 all the plants along the banks of the Nile will die. will dry up, blow away, and disappear.

8 The fishermen, all those who catch fish from the Nile, will groan and cry; those who fish in the Nile will be sad.

9 All the people who make cloth from flax will be sad, and those who weave linen will lose hope.

10 Those who weave cloth will be broken. All those who work for money will be sad.

11 The officers of the city of Zoan are fools; the wise men who advise the king of Egypt give wrong advice. How can you say to him, 'I am wise'? How can you say, 'I am from the old family of the kings'?

12 Egypt, where are your wise men? Let them show you what the Lord All-Powerful has planned for Egypt.

13 The officers of Zoan have been fooled; the leaders of Memphis have believed false things. lead that nation the wrong way.

14 The Lord has made the leaders confused. They have led Egypt to wander in the wrong ways, like drunk people stumbling in their own vomit.

15 There is nothing Egypt can do; no one there can help.

16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will be afraid of the Lord All-Powerful, because he will raise his hand to strike them down.

17 The land of Judah will bring fear to Egypt. Anyone there who hears the name Judah will be afraid, because the Lord All-Powerful has planned terrible things for them.

18 At that time five cities in Egypt will speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan, and they will promise to be loyal to the Lord All-Powerful. One of these cities will be named the City of Destruction.

19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt and a monument to the Lord at the border of Egypt.

20 This will be a sign and a witness to the Lord All-Powerful in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help, he will send someone to save and defend them. He will rescue them from those who hurt them.

21 So the Lord will show himself to the Egyptians, and then they will know he is the Lord. They will worship God and offer many sacrifices. They will make promises to the Lord and will keep them.

22 The Lord will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will come back to the Lord, and he will listen to their prayers and heal them.

23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship God together.

24 At that time Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together, which will be a blessing for the earth.

25 The Lord All-Powerful will bless them, saying, "Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, I made you. Israel, I own you. You are all blessed!"

1 Sargon king of Assyria sent a military com mander to Ashdod to attack that city. So the commander attacked and captured it.

2 Then the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, "Take the rough cloth off your body, and take your sandals off your feet." So Isaiah obeyed and walked around naked and barefoot.

3 Then the Lord said, "Isaiah my servant has walked around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign against Egypt and Cush.

4 The king of Assyria will carry away prisoners from Egypt and Cush. Old people and young people will be led away naked and barefoot, with their buttocks bare. So the Egyptians will be shamed.

5 People who looked to Cush for help will be afraid, and those who were amazed by Egypt's glory will be shamed.

6 People who live near the sea will say, 'Look at those countries. We trusted them to help us. We ran to them so they would save us from the king of Assyria. So how will we be able to escape?'"

1 This is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Disaster is coming from the desert like wind blowing in the south. It is coming from a terrible country.

2 I have seen a terrible vision. I see traitors turning against you and people taking your wealth. Elam, attack the people! Media, surround the city and attack it! I will bring an end to the pain the city causes.

3 I saw those terrible things, and now I am in pain; my pains are like the pains of giving birth. What I hear makes me very afraid; what I see causes me to shake with fear.

4 I am worried, and I am shaking with fear. My pleasant evening has become a night of fear.

5 They set the table; they spread the rugs; they eat and drink. Leaders, stand up. Prepare the shields for battle!

6 The Lord said to me, "Go, place a lookout for the city and have him report what he sees.

7 If he sees chariots and teams of horses, donkeys, or camels, he should pay very close attention."

8 Then the lookout called out, "My master, each day I stand in the watchtower watching; every night I have been on guard.

9 Look, I see a man coming in a chariot with a team of horses." The man gives back the answer, "Babylon has fallen. It has fallen! All the statues of her gods lie broken on the ground."

10 My people are crushed like grain on the threshing floor. My people, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord All-Powerful, from the God of Israel.

11 This is a message about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Edom, "Watchman, how much of the night is left? Watchman, how much longer will it be night?"

12 The watchman answers, "Morning is coming, but then night will come again. If you have something to ask, then come back and ask."

13 This is a message about Arabia: spent the night near some trees in Arabia.

14 They gave water to thirsty travelers; the people of Tema gave food to those who were escaping.

15 They were running from swords, from swords ready to kill, from bows ready to shoot, from a hard battle.

16 This is what the Lord said to me: "In one year all the glory of the country of Kedar will be gone. (This is a year as a hired helper counts time.)

17 At that time only a few of the archers, the soldiers of Kedar, will be left alive." The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

1 This is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is wrong with you people? Why are you on your roofs?

2 This city was a very busy city, full of noise and wild parties. Now your people have been killed, but not with swords, nor did they die in battle.

3 All your leaders ran away together, but they have been captured without using a bow. All you who were captured tried to run away before the enemy came.

4 So I say, "Don't look at me. Let me cry loudly. Don't hurry to comfort me about the destruction of Jerusalem."

5 The Lord God All-Powerful has chosen a special day of riots and confusion. People will trample each other in the Valley of Vision. The city walls will be knocked down, and the people will cry out to the mountain.

6 The soldiers from Elam will gather their arrows and their chariots and men on horses. Kir will prepare their shields.

7 Your nicest valleys will be filled with chariots. Horsemen will be ordered to guard the gates of the city.

8 The walls protecting Judah will fall. the weapons kept at the Palace of the Forest.

9 You saw that the walls of Jerusalem had many cracks that needed repairing. You stored up water in the lower pool.

10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you tore down houses to repair the walls with their stones.

11 You made a pool between the two walls to save water from the old pool, but you did not trust the God who made these things; you did not respect the One who planned them long ago.

12 The Lord God All-Powerful told the people to cry and be sad, to shave their heads and wear rough cloth.

13 But look, the people are happy and are having wild parties. They kill the cattle and the sheep; they eat the food and drink the wine. They say, "Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die."

14 The Lord All-Powerful said to me: "You people will die before this guilt is forgiven." The Lord God All-Powerful said this.

15 This is what the Lord God All-Powerful says: "Go to this servant Shebna, the manager of the palace.

16 Say to him, 'What are you doing here? Who said you could cut out a tomb for your self here? Why are you preparing your tomb in a high place? Why are you carving out a tomb from the rock?

17 Look, mighty one! The Lord will throw you away. He will take firm hold of you

18 and roll you tightly into a ball and throw you into another country. There you will die, and there your fine chariots will remain. You are a disgrace to your master's house.

19 I will force you out of your important job, and you will be thrown down from your important place.'

20 "At that time I will call for my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

21 I will take your robe and put it on him and give him your belt. I will hand over to him the important job you have, and he will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and the family of Judah.

22 I will put the key to the house of David around his neck. If he opens a door, no one will be able to close it; if he closes a door, no one will be able to open it.

23 He will be like an honored chair in his father's house. I will make him strong like a peg that is hammered into a strong board.

24 All the honored and important things of his family will depend on him; all the adults and little children will depend on him. They will be like bowls and jars hanging on him.

25 "At that time," says the Lord All-Powerful, "the peg hammered into the strong board will weaken. It will break and fall, and everything hanging on it will be destroyed." The Lord says this.

1 This is a message about Tyre: You trading ships, cry! The houses and harbor of Tyre are destroyed. This news came to the ships from the land of Cyprus.

2 Be silent, you who live on the island of Tyre; you merchants of Sidon, be silent. Sailors have made you rich.

3 They traveled the sea to bring grain from Egypt; the sailors of Tyre brought grain from the Nile Valley and sold it to other nations.

4 Sidon, be ashamed. Strong city of the sea, be ashamed, because the sea says: "I have not felt the pain of giving birth; I have not reared young men or women.

5 Egypt will hear the news about Tyre, and it will make Egypt hurt with sorrow.

6 You ships should return to Tarshish. You people living near the sea should be sad.

7 Look at your once happy city! Look at your old, old city! People from that city have traveled far away to live.

8 Who planned Tyre's destruction? Tyre made others rich. Its merchants were treated like princes, and its traders were greatly respected.

9 It was the Lord All-Powerful who planned this. He decided to make these proud people unimportant; he decided to disgrace those who were greatly respected.

10 Go through your land, people of Tarshish, like the Nile goes through Egypt. There is no harbor for you now!

11 The Lord has stretched his hand over the sea and made its kingdoms tremble. strong, walled cities be destroyed.

12 He said, "Sidon, you will not rejoice any longer, because you are destroyed. Even if you cross the sea to Cyprus, you will not find a place to rest."

13 Look at the land of the Babylonians; it is not a country now. Assyria has made it a place for wild animals. Assyria built towers to attack it; the soldiers took all the treasures from its cities, and they turned it into ruins.

14 So be sad, you trading ships, because your strong city is destroyed

15 At that time people will forget about Tyre for seventy years, which is the length of a king's life. After seventy years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in this song:

16 "Oh woman, you are forgotten. Take your harp and walk through the city. Play your harp well. Sing your song often. Then people will remember you."

17 After seventy years the Lord will deal with Tyre, and it will again have trade. It will be like a prostitute for all the nations of the earth.

18 The profits will be saved for the Lord. Tyre will not keep the money she earns but will give them to the people who serve the Lord, so they will have plenty of food and nice clothes.

1 Look! The Lord will destroy the earth and leave it empty; he will ruin the surface of the land and scatter its people.

2 At that time the same thing will happen to everyone: to common people and priests, to slaves and masters, to women slaves and their women masters, to buyers and sellers, to those who borrow and those who lend, to bankers and those who owe the bank.

3 The earth will be completely empty. The wealth will all be taken, because the Lord has commanded it.

4 The earth will dry up and die; the world will grow weak and die; the great leaders in this land will become weak.

5 The people of the earth have ruined it, because they do not follow God's teachings or obey God's laws or keep their agreement with God that was to last forever.

6 So a curse will destroy the earth. The people of the world are guilty, so they will be burned up; only a few will be left.

7 The new wine will be bad, and the grapevines will die. People who were happy will be sad.

8 The happy music of the tambourines will end. The happy sounds of wild parties will stop. The joyful music from the harps will end.

9 People will no longer sing while they drink their wine. The beer will taste bitter to those who drink it.

10 The ruined city will be empty, and people will hide behind closed doors.

11 People in the streets will ask for wine, but joy will have turned to sadness; all the happiness will have left.

12 The city will be left in ruins, and its gates will be smashed to pieces.

13 This is what will happen all over the earth and to all the nations. The earth will be like an olive tree after the harvest or like the few grapes left on a vine after harvest.

14 The people shout for joy. From the west they praise the greatness of the Lord.

15 People in the east, praise the Lord. People in the islands of the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

16 We hear songs from every part of the earth praising God, the Righteous One. But I said, "I am dying! I am dying! How terrible it will be for me! Traitors turn against people; with their dishonesty, they turn against people."

17 There are terrors, holes, and traps for the people of the earth.

18 Anyone who tries to escape from the sound of terror will fall into a hole. Anyone who climbs out of the hole will be caught in a trap. The clouds in the sky will pour out rain, and the foundations of the earth will shake.

19 The earth will be broken up; the earth will split open; the earth will shake violently.

20 The earth will stumble around like someone who is drunk; it will shake like a hut in a storm. Its sin is like a heavy weight on its back; it will fall and never rise again.

21 At that time the Lord will punish the powers in the sky above and the rulers on earth below.

22 They will be gathered together like prisoners thrown into a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison. After much time they will be punished.

23 The moon will be embarrassed, and the sun will be ashamed, because the Lord All-Powerful will rule as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Jerusalem's leaders will see his greatness.

1 Lord, you are my God. I honor you and praise you, because you have done amazing things. You have always done what you said you would do; you have done what you planned long ago.

2 You have made the city a pile of rocks and have destroyed her walls. The city our enemies built with strong walls is gone; it will never be built again.

3 People from powerful nations will honor you; cruel people from strong cities will fear you.

4 You protect the poor; you protect the helpless when they are in danger. You are like a shelter from storms, like shade that protects them from the heat. The cruel people attack like a rainstorm beating against the wall,

5 like the heat in the desert. But you, God, stop their violent attack. As a cloud cools a hot day, you silence the songs of those who have no mercy.

6 The Lord All-Powerful will prepare a feast on this mountain for all people. It will be a feast with all the best food and wine, the finest meat and wine.

7 On this mountain God will destroy the veil that covers all nations, the veil that stretches over all peoples;

8 he will destroy death forever. from every face. He will take away the shame of his people from the earth. The Lord has spoken.

9 At that time people will say, "Our God is doing this! We have waited for him, and he has come to save us. This is the Lord. We waited for him, so we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us."

10 The Lord will protect Jerusalem, but he will crush our enemy Moab like straw that is trampled down in the manure.

11 They will spread their arms in it like a person who is swimming. But God will bring down their pride, and all the clever things they have made will mean nothing.

12 Moab's high walls protect them, but God will destroy these walls. He will throw them down to the ground, even to the dust.

1 At that time people will sing this song in Judah: We have a strong city. God protects us with its strong walls and defenses.

2 Open the gates, and the good people will enter, those who follow God.

3 You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you.

4 So, trust the Lord always, because he is our Rock forever.

5 He will destroy the proud city, and he will punish the people living there. He will bring that high city down to the ground and throw it down into the dust.

6 Then those who were hurt by the city will walk on its ruins; those who were made poor by the city will trample it under their feet.

7 The path of life is level for those who are right with God; Lord, you make the way of life smooth for those people.

8 But, Lord, we are waiting for your way of justice. Our souls want to remember you and your name.

9 My soul wants to be with you at night, and my spirit wants to be with you at the dawn of every day. When your way of justice comes to the land, people of the world will learn the right way of living.

10 Evil people will not learn to do good even if you show them kindness. They will continue doing evil, even if they live in a good world; they never see the Lord's greatness.

11 Lord, you are ready to punish those people, but they do not see that. Show them your strong love for your people. Then those who are evil will be ashamed. Burn them in the fire you have prepared for your enemies.

12 Lord, all our success is because of what you have done, so give us peace.

13 Lord, our God, other masters besides you have ruled us, but we honor only you.

14 Those masters are now dead; their ghosts will not rise from death. You punished and destroyed them and erased any memory of them.

15 Lord, you multiplied the number of your people; you multiplied them and brought honor to yourself. You made the borders of the land wide.

16 Lord, people remember you when they are in trouble; they say quiet prayers to you when you punish them.

17 Lord, when we are with you, we are like a woman giving birth to a baby; she cries and has pain from the birth.

18 In the same way, we had pain. We gave birth, but only to wind. We don't bring salvation to the land or make new people for the world.

19 Your people have died, but they will live again; their bodies will rise from death. You who lie in the ground, wake up and be happy! The dew covering you is like the dew of a new day; the ground will give birth to the dead.

20 My people, go into your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide in your rooms for a short time until God's anger is finished.

21 The Lord will leave his place to punish the people of the world for their sins. The earth will show the blood of the people who have been killed; it will not cover the dead any longer.

1 At that time the Lord will punish Leviathan, the gliding snake. He will punish Leviathan, the coiled snake, with his great and hard and powerful sword. He will kill the monster in the sea.

2 At that time people will sing about the pleasant vineyard.

3 "I, the Lord, will care for that vineyard; I will water it at the right time. No one will hurt it, because I will guard it day and night.

4 I am not angry. If anyone builds a wall of thornbushes in war, I will march to it and burn it.

5 But if anyone comes to me for safety and wants to make peace with me, he should come and make peace with me."

6 In the days to come, the people of Jacob will be like a plant with good roots; Israel will grow like a plant beginning to bloom. Then the world will be filled with their children.

7 The Lord has not hurt his people as he hurt their enemies; his people have not been killed like those who tried to kill them.

8 He will settle his argument with Israel by sending it far away. Like a hot desert wind, he will drive it away.

9 This is how Israel's guilt will be forgiven; this is how its sins will be taken away: Israel will crush the rocks of the altar to dust, and no statues or altars will be left standing for the Asherah idols.

10 At that time the strong, walled city will be empty like a desert. Calves will eat grass there. They will lie down there and eat leaves from the branches.

11 The limbs will become dry and break off, so women will use them for firewood. The people refuse to understand, so God will not comfort them; their Maker will not be kind to them.

12 At that time the Lord will begin gathering his people one by one from the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt. He will separate them from others as grain is separated from chaff.

13 Many of my people are now lost in Assyria. Some have run away to Egypt. But at that time a great trumpet will be blown, and all those people will come and worship the Lord on that holy mountain in Jerusalem.

1 How terrible it will be for Samaria, the pride of Israel's drunken people! That beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant set on a hill above a rich valley where drunkards live.

2 Look, the Lord has someone who is strong and powerful. Like a storm of hail and strong wind, like a sudden flood of water pouring over the country, he will throw Samaria down to the ground.

3 That city, the pride of Israel's drunken people, will be trampled underfoot.

4 That beautiful crown of flowers is just a dying plant set on a hill above a rich valley. That city will be like the first fig of summer. Anyone who sees it quickly picks it and eats it.

5 At that time the Lord All-Powerful will be like a beautiful crown, like a wonderful crown of flowers for his people who are left alive.

6 Then he will give wisdom to the judges who must decide cases and strength to those who battle at the city gate.

7 But now those leaders are drunk with wine; they stumble from drinking too much beer. The priests and prophets are drunk with beer and are filled with wine. They stumble from too much beer. The prophets are drunk when they see their visions; the judges stumble when they make their decisions.

8 Every table is covered with vomit, so there is not a clean place anywhere.

9 The Lord is trying to teach the people a lesson; he is trying to make them understand his teachings. But the people are like babies too old for breast milk, like those who no longer nurse at their mother's breast.

10 So they make fun of the Lord's prophet and say: "A command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there."

11 So the Lord will use strange words and foreign languages to speak to these people.

12 God said to them, "Here is a place of rest; let the tired people come and rest. This is the place of peace." But the people would not listen.

13 So the words of the Lord will be, "A command here, a command there. A rule here, a rule there. A little lesson here, a little lesson there." They will fall back and be defeated; they will be trapped and captured.

14 So listen to the Lord's message, you who brag, you leaders in Jerusalem.

15 You say, "We have made an agreement with death; we have a contract with death. When terrible punishment passes by, it won't hurt us. Our lies will keep us safe, and our tricks will hide us."

16 Because of these things, this is what the Lord God says: "I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem, a tested stone. Everything will be built on this important and precious rock. Anyone who trusts in it will never be disappointed.

17 I will use justice as a measuring line and goodness as the standard. The lies you hide behind will be destroyed as if by hail. They will be washed away as if in a flood.

18 Your agreement with death will be erased; your contract with death will not help you. When terrible punishment comes, you will be crushed by it.

19 Whenever punishment comes, it will take you away. It will come morning after morning; it will defeat you by day and by night. Those who understand this punishment will be terrified."

20 You will be like the person who tried to sleep on a bed that was too short and with a blanket that was too narrow to wrap around himself.

21 The Lord will fight as he did at Mount Perazim. He will be angry as he was in the Valley of Gibeon. He will do his work, his strange work. He will finish his job, his strange job.

22 Now, you must not make fun of these things, or the ropes around you will become tighter. how the whole earth will be destroyed.

23 Listen closely to what I tell you; listen carefully to what I say.

24 A farmer does not plow his field all the time; he does not go on working the soil.

25 He makes the ground flat and smooth. Then he plants the dill and scatters the cumin. He plants the wheat in rows, the barley in its special place, and other wheat as a border around the field.

26 His God teaches him and shows him the right way.

27 A farmer doesn't use heavy boards to crush dill; he doesn't use a wagon wheel to crush cumin. He uses a small stick to break open the dill, and with a stick he opens the cumin.

28 The grain is ground to make bread. People do not ruin it by crushing it forever. The farmer separates the wheat from the chaff with his cart, but he does not let his horses grind it.

29 This lesson also comes from the Lord All-Powerful, who gives wonderful advice, who is very wise.

1 How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem, the city where David camped. Your festivals have continued year after year.

2 I will attack Jerusalem, and that city will be filled with sadness and crying. It will be like an altar to me.

3 I will put armies all around you, Jerusalem; I will surround you with towers and with devices to attack you.

4 You will be pulled down and will speak from the ground; I will hear your voice rising from the ground. It will sound like the voice of a ghost; your words will come like a whisper from the dirt.

5 Your many enemies will become like fine dust; the many cruel people will be like chaff that is blown away. Everything will happen very quickly.

6 The Lord All-Powerful will come with thunder, earthquakes, and great noises, with storms, strong winds, and a fire that destroys.

7 Then all the nations that fight against Jerusalem will be like a dream; all the nations that attack her will be like a vision in the night.

8 They will be like a hungry man who dreams he is eating, but when he awakens, he is still hungry. They will be like a thirsty man who dreams he is drinking, but when he awakens, he is still weak and thirsty. It will be the same way with all the nations who fight against Mount Zion.

9 Be surprised and amazed. Blind yourselves so that you cannot see. Become drunk, but not from wine. Trip and fall, but not from beer.

10 The Lord has made you go into a deep sleep. He has closed your eyes. (The prophets are your eyes.) He has covered your heads. (The seers are your heads.)

11 This vision is like the words of a book that is closed and sealed. You may give the book to someone who can read and tell that person to read it. But he will say, "I can't read the book, because it is sealed."

12 Or you may give the book to someone who cannot read and tell him to read it. But he will say, "I don't know how to read."

13 The Lord says: "These people say they love me; they show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me. The honor they show me is nothing but human rules.

14 So I will continue to amaze these people by doing more and more miracles. Their wise men will lose their wisdom; their wise men will not be able to understand."

15 How terrible it will be for those who try to hide things from the Lord and who do their work in darkness. They think no one will see them or know what they do.

16 You are confused. You think the clay is equal to the potter. You think that an object can tell the one who made it, "You didn't make me." This is like a pot telling its maker, "You don't know anything."

17 In a very short time, Lebanon will become rich farmland, and the rich farmland will seem like a forest.

18 At that time the deaf will hear the words in a book. Instead of having darkness and gloom, the blind will see.

19 The Lord will make the poor people happy; they will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 Then the people without mercy will come to an end; those who do not respect God will disappear. Those who enjoy doing evil will be gone:

21 those who lie about others in court, those who trap people in court, those who lie and take justice from innocent people in court.

22 This is what the Lord who set Abraham free says to the family of Jacob: "Now the people of Jacob will not be ashamed or disgraced any longer.

23 When they see all their children, the children I made with my hands, they will say my name is holy. They will agree that the Holy One of Jacob is holy, and they will respect the God of Israel.

24 People who do wrong will now understand. Those who complain will accept being taught."

1 The Lord said, "How terrible it will be for these stubborn children. They make plans, but they don't ask me to help them. They make agreements with other nations, without asking my Spirit. They are adding more and more sins to themselves.

2 They go down to Egypt for help without asking me about it first. They hope they will be saved by the king of Egypt; they want Egypt to protect them.

3 But hiding in Egypt will bring you only shame; Egypt's protection will only disappoint you.

4 Your officers have gone to Zoan, and your messengers have gone to Hanes,

5 but they will be put to shame, because Egypt is useless to them. It will give no help and will be of no use; it will cause them only shame and embarrassment."

6 This is a message about the animals in southern Judah: full of lions and lionesses, poisonous snakes and darting snakes. The messengers travel through there with their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasure on the backs of camels. They carry them to a nation that cannot help them,

7 to Egypt whose help is useless. So I call that country Rahab the Do-Nothing.

8 Now write this on a sign for the people, write this on a scroll, so that for the days to come this will be a witness forever.

9 These people are like children who lie and refuse to obey; they refuse to listen to the Lord's teachings.

10 They tell the seers, "Don't see any more visions!" They say to the prophets, "Don't tell us the truth! Say things that will make us feel good; see only good things for us.

11 Stop blocking our path. Get out of our way. Stop telling us about God, the Holy One of Israel."

12 So this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "You people have refused to accept this message and have depended on cruelty and lies to help you.

13 You are guilty of these things. So you will be like a high wall with cracks in it that falls suddenly and breaks into small pieces.

14 You will be like a clay jar that breaks, smashed into many pieces. Those pieces will be too small to take coals from the fire or to get water from a well."

15 This is what the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says: "If you come back to me and trust me, you will be saved. If you will be calm and trust me, you will be strong." But you don't want to do that.

16 You say, "No, we need horses to run away on." So you will run away on horses. You say, "We will ride away on fast horses." So those who chase you will be fast.

17 One enemy will make threats, and a thousand of your men will run away. Five enemies will make threats, and all of you will run from them. You will be left alone like a flagpole on a hilltop, like a banner on a hill.

18 The Lord wants to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is a fair God, and everyone who waits for his help will be happy.

19 You people who live on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will not cry anymore. The Lord will hear your crying, and he will comfort you. When he hears you, he will help you.

20 The Lord has given you sorrow and hurt like the bread and water you ate every day. He is your teacher; he will not continue to hide from you, but you will see your teacher with your own eyes.

21 If you go the wrong way -- to the right or to the left -- you will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the right way. You should go this way."

22 You have statues covered with silver and gold, but you will ruin them for further use. You will throw them away like filthy rags and say, "Go away!"

23 At that time the Lord will send rain for the seeds you plant in the ground, and the ground will grow food for you. The harvest will be rich and great, and you will have plenty of food in the fields for your animals.

24 Your oxen and donkeys that work the soil will have all the food they need. You will have to use shovels and pitchforks to spread all their food.

25 Every mountain and hill will have streams filled with water. These things will happen after many people are killed and the towers are pulled down.

26 At that time the light from the moon will be bright like the sun, and the light from the sun will be seven times brighter than now, like the light of seven days. These things will happen when the Lord bandages his broken people and heals the hurts he gave them.

27 Look! The Lord comes from far away. His anger is like a fire with thick clouds of smoke. His mouth is filled with anger, and his tongue is like a burning fire.

28 His breath is like a rushing river, which rises to the throat. He will judge the nations as if he is sifting them through the strainer of destruction. He will place in their mouths a bit that will lead them the wrong way.

29 You will sing happy songs as on the nights you begin a festival. You will be happy like people listening to flutes as they come to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.

30 The Lord will cause all people to hear his great voice and to see his powerful arm come down with anger, like a great fire that burns everything, like a great storm with much rain and hail.

31 Assyria will be afraid when it hears the voice of the Lord, because he will strike Assyria with a rod.

32 When the Lord punishes Assyria with a rod, he will beat them to the music of tambourines and harps; he will fight against them with his mighty weapons.

33 Tophethn has been made ready for a long time; it is ready for the king. It was made deep and wide with much wood and fire. like a stream of burning sulfur and set it on fire.

1 How terrible it will be for those people who go down to Egypt for help. They think horses will save them. They think their many chariots and strong horsemen will save them. But they don't trust God, the Holy One of Israel, or ask the Lord for help.

2 But he is wise and can bring them disaster. He does not change his warnings. He will rise up and fight against the evil people and against those who try to help evil people.

3 The Egyptians are only people and are not God. Their horses are only animals and are not spirit. The Lord will stretch out his arm, and the one who helps will stumble, and the people who wanted help will fall. All of them will be destroyed together.

4 The Lord says this to me: "When a lion or a lion's cub kills an animal to eat, it stands over the dead animal and roars. A band of shepherds may be assembled against it, but the lion will not be afraid of their yelling or upset by their noise. to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.

5 The Lord All-Powerful will defend Jerusalem like birds flying over their nests. He will defend and save it; he will 'pass over' and save Jerusalem."

6 You children of Israel, come back to the God you fought against.

7 The time is coming when each of you will stop worshiping idols of gold and silver, which you sinned by making.

8 "Assyria will be defeated by a sword, but not the sword of a person; Assyria will be destroyed, but not by a person's sword. Assyria will run away from the sword of God, but its young men will be caught and made slaves.

9 They will panic, and their protection will be destroyed. Their commanders will be terrified when they see God's battle flag," says the Lord, whose fire is in Jerusalem and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

1 A king will rule in a way that brings justice, and leaders will make fair decisions.

2 Then each ruler will be like a shelter from the wind, like a safe place in a storm, like streams of water in a dry land, like a cool shadow from a large rock in a hot land.

3 People will look to the king for help, and they will truly listen to what he says.

4 People who are now worried will be able to understand. Those who cannot speak clearly now will then be able to speak clearly and quickly.

5 Fools will not be called great, and people will not respect the wicked.

6 A fool says foolish things, and in his mind he plans evil. A fool does things that are wicked, and he says wrong things about the Lord. A fool does not feed the hungry or let thirsty people drink water.

7 The wicked person uses evil like a tool. He plans ways to take everything from the poor. He destroys the poor with lies, even when the poor person is in the right.

8 But a good leader plans to do good, and those good things make him a good leader.

9 You women who are calm now, stand up and listen to me. You women who feel safe now, hear what I say.

10 You women feel safe now, but after one year you will be afraid. There will be no grape harvest and no summer fruit to gather.

11 Women, you are calm now, but you should shake with fear. Women, you feel safe now, but you should tremble. Take off your nice clothes and put rough cloth around your waist to show your sadness.

12 Beat your breasts in grief, because the fields that were pleasant are now empty. Cry, because the vines that once had fruit now have no more grapes.

13 Cry for the land of my people, in which only thorns and weeds now grow. Cry for the city that once was happy and for all the houses that once were filled with joy.

14 The palace will be empty; people will leave the noisy city. Strong cities and towers will be empty. Wild donkeys will love to live there, and sheep will go there to eat.

15 This will continue until God pours his Spirit from above upon us. Then the desert will be like a fertile field and the fertile field like a forest.

16 Justice will be found even in the desert, and fairness will be found in the fertile fields.

17 That fairness will bring peace, and it will bring calm and safety forever.

18 My people will live in peaceful places and in safe homes and in calm places of rest.

19 Hail will destroy the forest, and the city will be completely destroyed.

20 But you will be happy as you plant seeds near every stream and as you let your cattle and donkeys wander freely.

1 How terrible it will be for you who destroy others but have not been destroyed yet. How terrible it will be for you, traitor, whom no one has turned against yet. When you stop destroying, others will destroy you. When you stop turning against others, they will turn against you.

2 Lord, be kind to us. We have waited for your help. Give us strength every morning. Save us when we are in trouble. —

3 Your powerful voice makes people run away in fear; your greatness causes the nations to run away.

4 Like locusts, your enemies will take away the things you stole in war. Like locusts rushing about, they will take your wealth.

5 The Lord is very great, and he lives in a high place. He fills Jerusalem with fairness and justice.

6 He will be your safety. He is full of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. Respect for the Lord is the greatest treasure.

7 See, brave men are crying out in the streets; those who tried to bring peace are crying loudly.

8 There is no one on the roads, no one walking in the paths. People have broken the agreements they made. They refuse to believe the proof from witnesses. No one respects other people.

9 The land is sick and dying; Lebanon is ashamed and dying. The Plain of Sharon is dry like the desert, and the trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying.

10 The Lord says, "Now, I will stand up and show my greatness. Now, I will become important to the people.

11 You people do useless things that are like hay and straw. A destructive wind will burn you like fire.

12 People will be burned until their bones become like lime; they will burn quickly like dry thornbushes."

13 You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done. You people who are near me, learn about my power.

14 The sinners in Jerusalem are afraid; those who are separated from God shake with fear. They say, "Can any of us live through this fire that destroys? Who can live near this fire that burns on and on?"

15 A person who does what is right and speaks what is right, who refuses to take money unfairly, who refuses to take money to hurt others, who does not listen to plans of murder, who refuses to think about evil --

16 this is the kind of person who will be safe. He will be protected as he would be in a high, walled city. He will always have bread, and he will not run out of water.

17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty. You will see the land that stretches far away.

18 You will think about the terror of the past: "Where is that officer? Where is the one who collected the taxes? Where is the officer in charge of our defense towers?"

19 No longer will you see those proud people from other countries, whose strange language you couldn't understand.

20 Look at Jerusalem, the city of our festivals. Look at Jerusalem, that beautiful place of rest. It is like a tent that will never be moved; the pegs that hold her in place will never be pulled up, and her ropes will never be broken.

21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One. That land is a place with streams and wide rivers, but there will be no enemy boats on those rivers; no powerful ship will sail on them.

22 This is because the Lord is our judge. The Lord makes our laws. The Lord is our king. He will save us.

23 You sailors from other lands, hear: The ropes on your boats hang loose. The mast is not held firm. The sails are not spread open. Then your great wealth will be divided. There will be so much wealth that even the crippled people will carry off a share.

24 No one living in Jerusalem will say, "I am sick." The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.

1 All you nations, come near and listen. Pay attention, you peoples! The earth and all the people in it should listen, the world and everything in it.

2 The Lord is angry with all the nations; he is angry with their armies. He will destroy them and kill them all.

3 Their bodies will be thrown outside. The stink will rise from the bodies, and the blood will flow down the mountains.

4 The sun, moon, and stars will dissolve, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll. The stars will fall like dead leaves from a vine or dried-up figs from a fig tree.

5 The Lord's sword in the sky is covered with blood. and destroy those people as an offering to the Lord.

6 The Lord's sword will be covered with blood; it will be covered with fat, with the blood from lambs and goats, with the fat from the kidneys of sheep. and much killing in Edom.

7 The oxen will be killed, and the cattle and the strong bulls. The land will be filled with their blood, and the dirt will be covered with their fat.

8 The Lord has chosen a time for punishment. He has chosen a year when people must pay for the wrongs they did to Jerusalem.

9 Edom's rivers will be like hot tar. Its dirt will be like burning sulfur. Its land will be like burning tar.

10 The fires will burn night and day; the smoke will rise from Edom forever. Year after year that land will be empty; no one will ever travel through that land again.

11 Birds and small animals will own that land, and owls and ravens will live there. God will make it an empty wasteland; it will have nothing left in it.

12 The important people will have no one left to rule them; the leaders will all be gone.

13 Thorns will take over the strong towers, and wild bushes will grow in the walled cities. It will be a home for wild dogs and a place for owls to live.

14 Desert animals will live with the hyenas, and wild goats will call to their friends. Night animals will live there and find a place of rest.

15 Owls will nest there and lay eggs. When they hatch open, the owls will gather their young under their wings. Hawks will gather with their own kind.

16 Look at the Lord's scroll and read what is written there: None of these will be missing; none will be without its mate. God has given the command, so his Spirit will gather them together.

17 God has divided the land among them, and he has given them each their portion. So they will own that land forever and will live there year after year.

1 The desert and dry land will become happy; the desert will be glad and will produce flowers. Like a flower,

2 it will have many blooms. It will show its happiness, as if it were shouting with joy. It will be beautiful like the forest of Lebanon, as beautiful as the hill of Carmel and the Plain of Sharon. Everyone will see the glory of the Lord and the splendor of our God.

3 Make the weak hands strong and the weak knees steady.

4 Say to people who are frightened, "Be strong. Don't be afraid. Look, your God will come, and he will punish your enemies. He will make them pay for the wrongs they did, but he will save you."

5 Then the blind people will see again, and the deaf will hear.

6 Crippled people will jump like deer, and those who can't talk now will shout with joy. Water will flow in the desert, and streams will flow in the dry land.

7 The burning desert will have pools of water, and the dry ground will have springs. Where wild dogs once lived, grass and water plants will grow.

8 A road will be there; this highway will be called "The Road to Being Holy." Evil people will not be allowed to walk on that road; only good people will walk on it. No fools will go on it.

9 No lions will be there, nor will dangerous animals be on that road. They will not be found there. That road will be for the people God saves;

10 the people the Lord has freed will return there. They will enter Jerusalem with joy, and their happiness will last forever. Their gladness and joy will fill them completely, and sorrow and sadness will go far away.

1 During Hezekiah's fourteenth year as king, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the strong, walled cities of Judah and captured them.

2 The king of Assyria sent out his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. When the commander came near the waterway from the upper pool on the road where people do their laundry, he stopped.

3 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah went out to meet him. Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.

4 The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah this: "'The great king, the king of Assyria, says: What can you trust in now?

5 You say you have battle plans and power for war, but your words mean nothing. Whom are you trusting for help so that you turn against me?

6 Look, you are depending on Egypt to help you, but Egypt is like a splintered walking stick. If you lean on it for help, it will stab your hand and hurt you. The king of Egypt will hurt all those who depend on him.

7 You might say, "We are depending on the Lord our God," but Hezekiah destroyed the Lord's altars and the places of worship. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship only at this one altar."

8 "'Now make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them.

9 You cannot defeat one of my master's least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and horsemen?

10 I have not come to attack and destroy this country without an order from the Lord. The Lord himself told me to come to this country and destroy it.'"

11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to us in the Aramaic language. We understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew, because the people on the city wall can hear you."

12 But the commander said, "My master did not send me to tell these things only to you and your king. He sent me to speak also to those people sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine like you."

13 Then the commander stood and shouted loudly in the Hebrew language, "Listen to what the great king, the king of Assyria says,

14 The king says you should not let Hezekiah fool you, because he can't save you.

15 Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting the Lord by saying, 'The Lord will surely save us. This city won't be handed over to the king of Assyria.'

16 "Don't listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, 'Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own well.

17 After that I will come and take you to a land like your own -- a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.'

18 "Don't let Hezekiah fool you, saying, 'The Lord will save us.' Has a god of any other nation saved his people from the power of the king of Assyria?

19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? They did not save Samaria from my power.

20 Not one of all the gods of these countries has saved his people from me. Neither can the Lord save Jerusalem from my power."

21 The people were silent. They didn't answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, "Don't answer him."

22 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes to show how upset they were. (Eliakim son of Hilkiah was the palace manager, Shebna was the royal secretary, and Joah son of Asaph was the recorder.) The three men went to Hezekiah and told him what the field commander had said.

1 When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes and put on rough cloth to show how sad he was. Then he went into the Temple of the Lord.

2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim, the palace manager, and Shebna, the royal secretary, and the older priests to Isaiah. They were all wearing rough cloth when they came to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

3 They told Isaiah, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of sorrow and punishment and disgrace, as when a child should be born, but the mother is not strong enough to give birth to it.

4 The king of Assyria sent his field commander to make fun of the living God. Maybe the Lord your God will hear what the commander said and will punish him for it. So pray for the few of us who are left alive."

5 When Hezekiah's officers came to Isaiah,

6 he said to them, "Tell your master this: The Lord says, 'Don't be afraid of what you have heard. Don't be frightened by the words the servants of the king of Assyria have spoken against me.

7 Listen! I am going to put a spirit in the king of Assyria. He will hear a report that will make him return to his own country, and I will cause him to die by the sword there.'"

8 The field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. When he went back, he found the king fighting against the city of Libnah.

9 The king received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was coming to attack him. When the king of Assyria heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

10 "Tell Hezekiah king of Judah: Don't be fooled by the god you trust. Don't believe him when he says Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.

11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done. They have completely defeated every country, so do not think you will be saved.

12 Did the gods of those people save them? My ancestors destroyed them, defeating the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and the people of Eden living in Tel Assar.

13 Where are the kings of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?"

14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Temple of the Lord. He spread the letter out before the Lord

15 and prayed to the Lord:

16 "Lord All-Powerful, you are the God of Israel, whose throne is between the gold creatures with wings, only you are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.

17 Hear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to all the words Sennacherib has said to insult the living God.

18 "It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these countries and their lands.

19 They have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire, but they were only wood and rock statues that people made. So the kings have destroyed them.

20 Now, Lord our God, save us from the king's power so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God."

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah that said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'You prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.

22 So this is what the Lord has said against Sennacherib: hate you and make fun of you; the people of Jerusalem laugh at you as you run away.

23 You have insulted me and spoken against me; you have raised your voice against me. You have a proud look on your face, which is against me, the Holy One of Israel!

24 You have sent your messengers to insult the Lord. You have said, "With my many chariots I have gone to the tops of the mountains, to the highest mountains of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its best pine trees. I have gone to its greatest heights and its best forests.

25 I have dug wells in foreign countries and drunk water there. By the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the rivers of Egypt."

26 "'King of Assyria, surely you have heard. Long ago I, the Lord, planned these things. Long ago I designed them, and now I have made them happen. I allowed you to turn those strong, walled cities into piles of rocks.

27 The people in those cities were weak; they were frightened and put to shame. They were like grass in the field, like tender, young grass, like grass on the housetop that is burned by the wind before it can grow.

28 "'I know when you rest, when you come and go, and how you rage against me.

29 Because you rage against me, and because I have heard your proud words, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. Then I will force you to leave my country the same way you came.'

30 "Then the Lord said, 'Hezekiah, I will give you this sign: This year you will eat the grain that grows wild, and the second year you will eat what grows wild from that. But in the third year, plant grain and harvest it. Plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

31 Some of the people in the family of Judah will escape. Like plants that take root, they will grow strong and have many children.

32 A few people will come out of Jerusalem alive; a few from Mount Zion will live. will make this happen.'

33 "So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: 'He will not enter this city or even shoot an arrow here. He will not fight against it with shields or build a ramp to attack the city walls.

34 He will return to his country the same way he came, and he will not enter this city,' says the Lord.

35 'I will defend and save this city for my sake and for David, my servant.'"

36 Then the angel of the Lord went out and killed one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up early the next morning, they saw all the dead bodies.

37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria left and went back to Nineveh and stayed there.

38 One day as Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with a sword. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. So Sennacherib's son Esarhaddon became king of Assyria.

1 At that time Hezekiah became very sick; he was almost dead. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, "This is what the Lord says: Make arrangements, because you are not going to live, but die."

2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord,

3 "Lord, please remember that I have always obeyed you. I have given myself completely to you and have done what you said was right." Then Hezekiah cried loudly.

4 Then the Lord spoke his word to Isaiah:

5 "Go to Hezekiah and tell him: 'This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. So I will add fifteen years to your life.

6 I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.

7 "'The Lord will do what he says. This is the sign from the Lord to show you:

8 The sun has made a shadow go down the stairway of Ahaz, but I will make it go back ten steps.'" So the shadow made by the sun went back up the ten steps it had gone down.

9 After Hezekiah king of Judah got well, he wrote this song:

10 I said, "I am in the middle of my life. Do I have to go through the gates of death? Will I have the rest of my life taken away from me?"

11 I said, "I will not see the Lord in the land of the living again. I will not again see the people who live on the earth.

12 Like a shepherd's tent, my home has been pulled down and taken from me. I am finished like the cloth a weaver rolls up and cuts from the loom. In one day you brought me to this end.

13 All night I cried loudly. Like a lion, he crushed all my bones. In one day you brought me to this end.

14 I cried like a bird and moaned like a dove. My eyes became tired as I looked to the heavens. Lord, I have troubles. Please help me."

15 What can I say? The Lord told me what would happen and then made it happen. I have had these troubles in my soul, so now I will be humble all my life.

16 Lord, because of you, people live. Because of you, my spirit also lives; you made me well and let me live.

17 It was for my own good that I had such troubles. Because you love me very much, you did not let me die but threw my sins far away.

18 People in the place of the dead cannot praise you; those who have died cannot sing praises to you; those who die don't trust you to help them.

19 The people who are alive are the ones who praise you. They praise you as I praise you today. A father should tell his children that you provide help.

20 The Lord saved me, so we will play songs on stringed instruments in the Temple of the Lord all the days of our lives.

21 Then Isaiah said, "Make a paste from figs and put it on Hezekiah's boil. Then he will get well."

22 Hezekiah then asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign? What will show that I will go up to the Temple of the Lord?"

1 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan was king of Baby- lon. He sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and was now well.

2 Hezekiah was pleased and showed the messengers what was in his storehouses: the silver, gold, spices, expensive perfumes, his swords and shields, and all his wealth. He showed them everything in his palace and in his kingdom.

3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, "What did these men say? Where did they come from?" Hezekiah said, "They came from a faraway country -- from Babylon."

4 So Isaiah asked him, "What did they see in your palace?" Hezekiah said, "They saw everything in my palace. I showed them all my wealth."

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah: "Listen to the words of the Lord All-Powerful:

6 'In the future everything in your palace and everything your ancestors have stored up until this day will be taken away to Babylon. Nothing will be left,' says the Lord.

7 Some of your own children, those who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become servants in the palace of the king of Babylon."

8 Hezekiah told Isaiah, "These words from the Lord are good." He said this because he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."

1 Your God says, "Comfort, comfort my people.

2 Speak kindly to the people of Jerusalem and tell them that their time of service is finished, that they have paid for their sins, that the Lord has punished Jerusalem twice for every sin they did."

3 This is the voice of one who calls out: "Prepare in the desert the way for the Lord. Make a straight road in the dry lands for our God.

4 Every valley should be raised up, and every mountain and hill should be made flat. The rough ground should be made level, and the rugged ground should be made smooth.

5 Then the glory of the Lord will be shown, and all people together will see it. The Lord himself said these things."

6 A voice says, "Cry out!" Then I said, "What shall I cry out?" "Say all people are like the grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

7 The grass dies and the flowers fall when the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are like grass.

8 The grass dies and the flowers fall, but the word of our God will live forever."

9 Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, you have good news to tell. Shout out loud the good news. Shout it out and don't be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God."

10 Look, the Lord God is coming with power to rule all the people. Look, he will bring reward for his people; he will have their payment with him.

11 He takes care of his people like a shepherd. He gathers them like lambs in his arms and carries them close to him. He gently leads the mothers of the lambs.

12 Who has measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who has used his hand to measure the sky? Who has used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth and scales to weigh the mountains and hills?

13 Who has known the mind of the Lord or been able to give him advice?

14 Whom did he ask for help? Who taught him the right way? Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way to understanding?

15 The nations are like one small drop in a bucket; they are no more than the dust on his measuring scales. To him the islands are no more than fine dust on his scales.

16 All the trees in Lebanon are not enough for the altar fires, and all the animals in Lebanon are not enough for burnt offerings.

17 Compared to the Lord all the nations are worth nothing; to him they are less than nothing.

18 Can you compare God to anything? Can you compare him to an image of anything?

19 An idol is formed by a craftsman, and a goldsmith covers it with gold and makes silver chains for it.

20 A poor person cannot buy those expensive statues, so he finds a tree that will not rot. Then he finds a skilled craftsman to make it into an idol that will not fall over.

21 Surely you know. Surely you have heard. Surely from the beginning someone told you. Surely you understand how the earth was created.

22 God sits on his throne above the circle of the earth, and compared to him, people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the skies like a piece of cloth and spreads them out like a tent to sit under.

23 He makes rulers unimportant and the judges of this world worth nothing.

24 They are like plants that are placed in the ground, like seeds that are planted. As soon as they begin to grow strong, he blows on them and they die, and the wind blows them away like chaff.

25 God, the Holy One, says, "Can you compare me to anyone? Is anyone equal to me?"

26 Look up to the skies. Who created all these stars? He leads out the army of heaven one by one and calls all the stars by name. Because he is strong and powerful, not one of them is missing.

27 People of Jacob, why do you complain? People of Israel, why do you say, "The Lord does not see what happens to me; he does not care if I am treated fairly"?

28 Surely you know. Surely you have heard. The Lord is the God who lives forever, who created all the world. He does not become tired or need to rest. No one can understand how great his wisdom is.

29 He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak.

30 Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall.

31 But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired.

1 The Lord says, "Faraway countries, listen to me. Let the nations become strong. Come to me and speak; we will meet together to decide who is right.

2 "Who caused the one to come from the east? Who gives him victories everywhere he goes? The one who brought him gives nations over to him and defeats kings. He uses his sword, and kings become like dust. He uses his bow, and they are blown away like chaff.

3 He chases them and is never hurt, going places he has never been before.

4 Who caused this to happen? Who has controlled history since the beginning? I, the Lord, am the one. I was here at the beginning, and I will be here when all things are finished."

5 All you faraway places, look and be afraid; all you places far away on the earth, shake with fear. Come close and listen to me.

6 The workers help each other and say to each other, "Be strong!"

7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and the workman who smooths the metal with a hammer encourages the one who shapes the metal. He says, "This metal work is good." He nails the statue to a base so it can't fall over.

8 The Lord says, "People of Israel, you are my servants. People of Jacob, I chose you. You are from the family of my friend Abraham.

9 I took you from places far away on the earth and called you from a faraway country. I said, 'You are my servants.' I have chosen you and have not turned against you.

10 So don't worry, because I am with you. Don't be afraid, because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you; I will support you with my right hand that saves you.

11 "All those people who are angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who are against you will disappear and be lost.

12 You will look for your enemies, but you will not find them. Those who fought against you will vanish completely.

13 I am the Lord your God, who holds your right hand, and I tell you, 'Don't be afraid. I will help you.'

14 You few people of Israel who are left, do not be afraid even though you are weak as a worm. I myself will help you," says the Lord. "The one who saves you is the Holy One of Israel.

15 Look, I have made you like a new threshing board with many sharp teeth. So you will walk on mountains and crush them; you will make the hills like chaff.

16 You will throw them into the air, and the wind will carry them away; a windstorm will scatter them. Then you will be happy in the Lord; you will be proud of the Holy One of Israel.

17 "The poor and needy people look for water, but they can't find any. Their tongues are dry with thirst. But I, the Lord, will answer their prayers; I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die.

18 I will make rivers flow on the dry hills and springs flow through the valleys. I will change the desert into a lake of water and the dry land into fountains of water.

19 I will make trees grow in the desert -- cedars, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees. I will put pine, fir, and cypress trees growing together in the desert.

20 People will see these things and understand; they will think carefully about these things and learn that the Lord's power did this, that the Holy One of Israel made these things."

21 The Lord says, "Present your case." The King of Jacob says, "Tell me your arguments.

22 Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Have them tell us what happened in the beginning. Then we will think about these things, and we will know how they will turn out. Or tell us what will happen in the future.

23 Tell us what is coming next so we will believe that you are gods. Do something, whether it is good or bad, and make us afraid.

24 You gods are less than nothing; you can't do anything. Those who worship you should be hated.

25 "I have brought someone to come out of the north. I have called by name a man from the east, and he knows me. He walks on kings as if they were mud, just as a potter walks on the clay.

26 Who told us about this before it happened? Who told us ahead of time so we could say, 'He was right'? None of you told us anything; none of you told us before it happened; no one heard you tell about it.

27 I, the Lord, was the first one to tell Jerusalem that the people were coming home. the good news.

28 I look at the idols, but there is not one that can answer. None of them can give advice; none of them can answer my questions.

29 Look, all these idols are false. They cannot do anything; they are worth nothing.

1 "Here is my servant, the one I support. He is the one I chose, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him, and he will bring justice to all nations.

2 He will not cry out or yell or speak loudly in the streets.

3 He will not break a crushed blade of grass or put out even a weak flame. He will truly bring justice;

4 he will not lose hope or give up until he brings justice to the world. And people far away will trust his teachings."

5 God, the Lord, said these things. He created the skies and stretched them out. He spread out the earth and everything on it. He gives life to all people on earth, to everyone who walks on the earth.

6 The Lord says, "I, the Lord, called you to do right, and I will hold your hand and protect you. You will be the sign of my agreement with the people, a light to shine for all people.

7 You will help the blind to see. You will free those who are in prison, and you will lead those who live in darkness out of their prison.

8 "I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another; I will not let idols take the praise that should be mine.

9 The things I said would happen have happened, and now I tell you about new things. Before those things happen, I tell you about them."

10 Sing a new song to the Lord; sing his praise everywhere on the earth. Praise him, you people who sail on the seas and you animals who live in them. Praise him, you people living in faraway places.

11 The deserts and their cities should praise him. The settlements of Kedar should praise him. The people living in Sela should sing for joy; they should shout from the mountaintops.

12 They should give glory to the Lord. People in faraway lands should praise him.

13 The Lord will march out like a strong soldier; he will be excited like a man ready to fight a war. He will shout out the battle cry and defeat his enemies.

14 The Lord says, "For a long time I have said nothing; I have been quiet and held myself back. But now I will cry out and strain like a woman giving birth to a child.

15 I will destroy the hills and mountains and dry up all their plants. I will make the rivers become dry land and dry up the pools of water.

16 Then I will lead the blind along a way they never knew; I will guide them along paths they have not known. I will make the darkness become light for them, and the rough ground smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not leave my people.

17 But those who trust in idols, who say to their statues, 'You are our gods' will be rejected in disgrace.

18 "You who are deaf, hear me. You who are blind, look and see.

19 No one is more blind than my servant Israel or more deaf than the messenger I send. No one is more blind than the person I own or more blind than the servant of the Lord.

20 Israel, you have seen much, but you have not obeyed. You hear, but you refuse to listen."

21 The Lord made his teachings wonderful, because he is good.

22 These people have been defeated and robbed. They are trapped in pits or locked up in prison. Like robbers, enemies have taken them away, and there is no one to save them. Enemies carried them off, and no one said, "Bring them back."

23 Will any of you listen to this? Will you listen carefully in the future?

24 Who let the people of Jacob be carried off? The Lord allowed this to happen, because we sinned against him. We did not live the way he wanted us to live and did not obey his teaching.

25 So he became very angry with us and brought terrible wars against us. It was as if the people of Israel had fire all around them, but they didn't know what was happening. It was as if they were burning, but they didn't pay any attention.

1 Now this is what the Lord says. He created you, people of Jacob; he formed you, people of Israel. He says, "Don't be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flames hurt you.

3 This is because I, the Lord, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you, and I gave Cush and Seba to make you mine.

4 Because you are precious to me, because I give you honor and love you, I will give other people in your place; I will give other nations to save your life.

5 Don't be afraid, because I am with you. I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

6 I will tell the north: Give my people to me. people in prison. Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from faraway places.

7 Bring to me all the people who are mine, whom I made for my glory, whom I formed and made."

8 Bring out the people who have eyes but don't see and those who have ears but don't hear.

9 All the nations gather together, and all the people come together. Which of their gods said this would happen? Which of their gods can tell what happened in the beginning? Let them bring their witnesses to prove they were right. Then others will say, "It is true."

10 The Lord says, "You are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so you would know and believe me, so you would understand that I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me.

11 I myself am the Lord; I am the only Savior.

12 I myself have spoken to you, saved you, and told you these things. It was not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, and I am God," says the Lord.

13 "I have always been God. No one can save people from my power; when I do something, no one can change it."

14 This is what the Lord, who saves you, the Holy One of Israel, says: "I will send armies to Babylon for you, and I will knock down all its locked gates. The Babylonians will shout their cries of sorrow.

15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King."

16 This is what the Lord says. He is the one who made a road through the sea and a path through rough waters.

17 He is the one who defeated the chariots and horses and the mighty armies. They fell together and will never rise again. They were destroyed as a flame is put out.

18 The Lord says, "Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past.

19 Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don't you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land.

20 Even the wild animals will be thankful to me -- the wild dogs and owls. They will honor me when I put water in the desert and rivers in the dry land to give water to my people, the ones I chose.

21 The people I made will sing songs to praise me.

22 "People of Jacob, you have not called to me; people of Israel, you have become tired of me.

23 You have not brought me your sacrifices of sheep nor honored me with your sacrifices. I did not weigh you down with sacrifices to offer or make you tired with incense to burn.

24 So you did not buy incense for me; you did not freely bring me fat from your sacrifices. Instead you have weighed me down with your many sins; you have made me tired of your many wrongs.

25 "I, I am the One who forgives all your sins, for my sake; I will not remember your sins.

26 But you should remind me. Let's meet and decide what is right. Tell what you have done and show you are right.

27 Your first father sinned, and your leaders have turned against me.

28 So I will make your holy rulers unholy. I will bring destruction on the people of Jacob, and I will let Israel be insulted."

1 The Lord says, "People of Jacob, you are my servants. Listen to me! People of Israel, I chose you."

2 This is what the Lord says, who made you, who formed you in your mother's body, who will help you: "People of Jacob, my servants, don't be afraid. Israel, I chose you.

3 I will pour out water for the thirsty land and make streams flow on dry land. and my blessing on your descendants.

4 Your children will grow like a tree in the grass, like poplar trees growing beside streams of water.

5 One person will say, 'I belong to the Lord,' and another will use the name Jacob. Another will sign his name 'I am the Lord's,' and another will use the name Israel."

6 The Lord, the king of Israel, is the Lord All-Powerful, who saves Israel. This is what he says: "I am the beginning and the end. I am the only God.

7 Who is a god like me? That god should come and prove it. Let him tell and explain all that has happened since I set up my ancient people. He should also tell what will happen in the future.

8 Don't be afraid! Don't worry! I have always told you what will happen. You are my witnesses. There is no other God but me. I know of no other Rock; I am the only One."

9 Some people make idols, but they are worth nothing. People treasure them, but they are useless. Those people are witnesses for the statues, but those people cannot see. They know nothing, so they will be ashamed.

10 Who made these gods? Who made these useless idols?

11 The workmen who made them will be ashamed, because they are only human. If they all would come together, they would all be ashamed and afraid.

12 One workman uses tools to heat iron, and he works over hot coals. With his hammer he beats the metal and makes a statue, using his powerful arms. But when he becomes hungry, he loses his power. If he does not drink water, he becomes tired.

13 Another workman uses a line and a compass to draw on the wood. Then he uses his chisels to cut a statue and his calipers to measure the statue. In this way, the workman makes the wood look exactly like a person, and this statue of a person sits in the house.

14 He cuts down cedars or cypress or oak trees. Those trees grew by their own power in the forest. Or he plants a pine tree, and the rain makes it grow.

15 Then he burns the tree. He uses some of the wood for a fire to keep himself warm. He also starts a fire to bake his bread. But he uses part of the wood to make a god, and then he worships it! He makes the idol and bows down to it!

16 The man burns half of the wood in the fire. He uses the fire to cook his meat, and he eats the meat until he is full. He also burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says, "Good! Now I am warm. I can see because of the fire's light."

17 But he makes a statue from the wood that is left and calls it his god. He bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god. Save me!"

18 Those people don't know what they are doing. They don't understand! It is as if their eyes are covered so they can't see. Their minds don't understand.

19 They have not thought about these things; they don't understand. They have never thought to themselves, "I burned half of the wood in the fire and used the hot coals to bake my bread. I cooked and ate my meat. And I used the wood that was left to make this hateful thing. I am worshiping a block of wood!"

20 He doesn't know what he is doing; his confused mind leads him the wrong way. He cannot save himself or say, "This statue I am holding is a false god."

21 "People of Jacob, remember these things! People of Israel, remember you are my servants. I made you, and you are my servants. So Israel, I will not forget you.

22 I have swept away your sins like a big cloud; I have removed your sins like a cloud that disappears into the air. Come back to me because I saved you."

23 Skies, sing for joy because the Lord did great things! Earth, shout for joy, even in your deepest parts! Sing, you mountains, with thanks to God. Sing, too, you trees in the forest! He showed his glory when he saved Israel.

24 This is what the Lord says, who saved you, who formed you in your mother's body: "I, the Lord, made everything, stretching out the skies by myself and spreading out the earth all alone.

25 I show that the lying prophets' signs are false; I make fools of those who do magic. I confuse even wise men; they think they know much, but I make them look foolish.

26 I make the messages of my servants come true; I make the advice of my messengers come true. I say to Jerusalem, 'People will live in you again!' I say to the towns of Judah, 'You will be built again!' I say to Jerusalem's ruins, 'I will repair you.'

27 I tell the deep waters, 'Become dry! I will make your streams become dry!'

28 I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will do all that I want him to do. He will say to Jerusalem, "You will be built again!" He will tell the Temple, "Your foundations will be rebuilt."' "

1 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus, his appointed king: "I hold your right hand and will help you defeat nations and take away other kings' power. I will open doors for you so city gates will not stop you.

2 I will go before you and make the mountains flat. I will break down the bronze gates of the cities and cut through their iron bars.

3 I will give you the wealth that is stored away and the hidden riches so you will know I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

4 I do these things for my servants, the people of Jacob, and for my chosen people, the Israelites. Cyrus, I call you by name, and I give you a title of honor even though you don't know me.

5 I am the Lord. There is no other God; I am the only God. I will make you strong, even though you don't know me,

6 so that everyone will know there is no other God. From the east to the west they will know I alone am the Lord.

7 I made the light and the darkness. I bring peace, and I cause troubles. I, the Lord, do all these things.

8 "Sky above, make victory fall like rain; clouds, pour down victory. Let the earth receive it, and let salvation grow, and let victory grow with it. I, the Lord, have created it.

9 "How terrible it will be for those who argue with the God who made them. They are like a piece of broken pottery among many pieces. The clay does not ask the potter, 'What are you doing?' The thing that is made doesn't say to its maker, 'You have no hands.'

10 How terrible it will be for the child who says to his father, 'Why are you giving me life?' How terrible it will be for the child who says to his mother, 'Why are you giving birth to me?'"

11 This is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker, says: "You ask me about what will happen. You question me about my children. You give me orders about what I have made.

12 I made the earth and all the people living on it. With my own hands I stretched out the skies, and I commanded all the armies in the sky.

13 I will bring Cyrus to do good things, and I will make his work easy. He will rebuild my city and set my people free without any payment or reward. The Lord All-Powerful says this."

14 The Lord says, "The goods made in Egypt and Cush and the tall people of Seba will come to you and will become yours. The Sabeans will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down before you and pray to you, saying, 'God is with you, and there is no other God.'"

15 God and Savior of Israel, you are a God that people cannot see.

16 All the people who make idols will be put to great shame; they will go off together in disgrace.

17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord, and that salvation will continue forever. Never again will Israel be put to shame.

18 The Lord created the heavens. He is the God who formed the earth and made it. He did not want it to be empty, but he wanted life on the earth. "I am the Lord. There is no other God.

19 I did not speak in secret or hide my words in some dark place. to look for me in empty places. I am the Lord, and I speak the truth; I say what is right.

20 "You people who have escaped from other nations, gather together and come before me; come near together. People who carry idols of wood don't know what they are doing. They pray to a god who cannot save them.

21 Tell these people to come to me. Let them talk about these things together. Who told you long ago that this would happen? Who told about it long ago? I, the Lord, said these things. There is no other God besides me. I am the only good God. I am the Savior. There is no other God.

22 "All people everywhere, follow me and be saved. I am God. There is no other God.

23 I will make a promise by my own power, and my promise is true; what I say will not be changed. I promise that everyone will bow before me and will promise to follow me.

24 People will say about me, 'Goodness and power come only from the Lord.'" Everyone who has been angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.

25 But with the Lord's help, the people of Israel will be found to be good, and they will praise him.

1 Bel and Nebo bow down. Their idols are carried by animals. The statues are only heavy loads that must be carried; they only make people tired.

2 These gods will all bow down. They cannot save themselves but will all be carried away like prisoners.

3 "Family of Jacob, listen to me! All you people from Israel who are still alive, listen! I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from your birth.

4 Even when you are old, I will be the same. Even when your hair has turned gray, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you. I will carry you and save you.

5 "Can you compare me to anyone? No one is equal to me or like me.

6 Some people are rich with gold and weigh their silver on the scales. They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god. Then they bow down and worship it.

7 They put it on their shoulders and carry it. They set it in its place, and there it stands; it cannot move from its place. People may yell at it, but it cannot answer. It cannot save them from their troubles.

8 "Remember this, and do not forget it! Think about these things, you who turn against God.

9 Remember what happened long ago. Remember that I am God, and there is no other God. I am God, and there is no one like me.

10 From the beginning I told you what would happen in the end. A long time ago I told you things that have not yet happened. When I plan something, it happens. What I want to do, I will do.

11 I am calling a man from the east to carry out my plan; he will come like a hawk from a country far away. I will make what I have said come true; I will do what I have planned.

12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, who are far from what is right.

13 I will soon do the things that are right. I will bring salvation soon. and bring glory to Israel."

1 The Lord says, "City of Babylon, go down and sit in the dirt. People of Babylon, sit on the ground. You are no longer the ruler. You will no longer be called tender or beautiful.

2 You must use large stones to grind grain into flour. Remove your veil and your nice skirts. Uncover your legs and cross the rivers.

3 People will see your nakedness; they will see your shame. I will punish you; I will punish every one of you."

4 Our Savior is named the Lord All-Powerful; he is the Holy One of Israel.

5 "Babylon, sit in darkness and say nothing. You will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.

6 I was angry with my people, so I rejected those who belonged to me. I gave them to you, but you showed them no mercy. You even made the old people work very hard.

7 You said, 'I will live forever as the queen.' But you did not think about these things or consider what would happen.

8 "Now, listen, you lover of pleasure. You think you are safe. You tell yourself, 'I am the only important person. I will never be a widow or lose my children.'

9 Two things will happen to you suddenly, in a single day. You will lose your children and your husband. These things will truly happen to you, in spite of all your magic, in spite of your powerful tricks.

10 You do evil things, but you feel safe and say, 'No one sees what I do.' Your wisdom and knowledge have fooled you. You say to yourself, 'I am God, and no one is equal to me.'

11 But troubles will come to you, and you will not know how to stop them. Disaster will fall on you, and you will not be able to keep it away. You will be destroyed quickly; you will not even see it coming.

12 "Keep on using your tricks and doing all your magic that you have used since you were young. Maybe they will help you; maybe you will be able to scare someone.

13 You are tired of the advice you have received. So let those who study the sky -- those who tell the future by looking at the stars and the new moons -- let them save you from what is about to happen to you.

14 But they are like straw; fire will quickly burn them up. They cannot save themselves from the power of the fire. They are not like coals that give warmth nor like a fire that you may sit beside.

15 You have worked with these people, and they have been with you since you were young, but they will not be able to help you. Everyone will go his own way, and there will be no one left to save you."

1 The Lord says, "Family of Jacob, listen to me. You are called Israel, and you come from the family of Judah. and praise the God of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.

2 You call yourselves people of the holy city, and you depend on the God of Israel, who is named the Lord All-Powerful.

3 Long ago I told you what would happen. I said these things and made them known; suddenly I acted, and these things happened.

4 I knew you were stubborn; your neck was like an iron muscle, and your head was like bronze.

5 So a long time ago I told you about these things; I told you about them before they happened so you couldn't say, 'My idols did this, and my wooden and metal statues made these things happen.'

6 "You heard and saw everything that happened, so you should tell this news to others. Now I will tell you about new things, hidden things that you don't know yet.

7 These things are happening now, not long ago; you have not heard about them before today. So you cannot say, 'We already knew about that.'

8 But you have not heard me; you have not understood. Even long ago you did not listen to me. I knew you would surely turn against me; you have fought against me since you were born.

9 But for my own sake I will be patient. People will praise me for not becoming angry and destroying you.

10 I have made you pure, but not by fire, as silver is made pure. I have purified you by giving you troubles.

11 I do this for myself, for my own sake. I will not let people speak evil against me, and I will not let some god take my glory.

12 "People of Jacob, listen to me. People of Israel, I have called you to be my people. I am God; I am the beginning and the end.

13 I made the earth with my own hands. With my right hand I spread out the skies. When I call them, they come together before me."

14 All of you, come together and listen. None of the gods said these things would happen. to attack the Babylonians; he will carry out his wishes against Babylon.

15 "I have spoken; I have called him. I have brought him, and I will make him successful.

16 Come to me and listen to this. From the beginning I have spoken openly. From the time it began, I was there." Now, the Lord God has sent me with his Spirit.

17 This is what the Lord, who saves you, the Holy One of Israel, says: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to do what is good, who leads you in the way you should go.

18 If you had obeyed me, you would have had peace like a full-flowing river. Good things would have flowed to you like the waves of the sea.

19 You would have had many children, as many as the grains of sand. They would never have died out nor been destroyed."

20 My people, leave Babylon! Tell this news with shouts of joy to the people; spread it everywhere on earth. Say, "The Lord has saved his servants, the people of Jacob."

21 They did not become thirsty when he led them through the deserts. He made water flow from a rock for them. He split the rock, and water flowed out.

22 "There is no peace for evil people," says the Lord.

1 All of you people in faraway places, listen to me. Listen, all you nations far away. Before I was born, the Lord called me to serve him. The Lord named me while I was still in my mother's body.

2 He made my tongue like a sharp sword. He hid me in the shadow of his hand. He made me like a sharp arrow. He hid me in the holder for his arrows.

3 He told me, "Israel, you are my servant. I will show my glory through you."

4 But I said, "I have worked hard for nothing; I have used all my power, but I did nothing useful. But the Lord will decide what my work is worth; God will decide my reward."

5 The Lord made me in the body of my mother to be his servant, to lead the people of Jacob back to him so that Israel might be gathered to him. The Lord will honor me, and I will get my strength from my God.

6 Now he told me, "You are an important servant to me to bring back the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the people of Israel who are left alive. But, more importantly, I will make you a light for all nations to show people all over the world the way to be saved."

7 The Lord who saves you is the Holy One of Israel. He speaks to the one who is hated by the people, to the servant of rulers. This is what he says: "Kings will see you and stand to honor you; great leaders will bow down before you, because the Lord can be trusted. He is the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

8 This is what the Lord says: "At the right time I will hear your prayers. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you, and you will be the sign of my agreement with the people. You will bring back the people to the land and give the land that is now ruined back to its owners.

9 You will tell the prisoners, 'Come out of your prison.' You will tell those in darkness, 'Come into the light.' The people will eat beside the roads, and they will find food even on bare hills.

10 They will not be hungry or thirsty. Neither the hot sun nor the desert wind will hurt them. and guide them by springs of water.

11 I will make my mountains into roads, and the roads will be raised up.

12 Look, people are coming to me from far away, from the north and from the west, from Aswan in southern Egypt."

13 Heavens and earth, be happy. Mountains, shout with joy, because the Lord comforts his people and will have pity on those who suffer.

14 But Jerusalem said, "The Lord has left me; the Lord has forgotten me."

15 The Lord answers, "Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you.

16 See, I have written your name on my hand. Jerusalem, I always think about your walls.

17 Your children will soon return to you, and the people who defeated you and destroyed you will leave.

18 Look up and look around you. All your children are gathering to return to you." The Lord says, "As surely as I live, your children will be like jewels that a bride wears proudly.

19 "You were destroyed and defeated, and your land was made useless. But now you will have more people than the land can hold, and those people who destroyed you will be far away.

20 Children were born to you while you were sad, but they will say to you, 'This place is too small for us. Give us a bigger place to live.'

21 Then you will say to yourself, 'Who gave me all these children? I was sad and lonely, defeated and separated from my people. So who reared these children? I was left all alone. Where did all these children come from?'"

22 This is what the Lord God says: "See, I will lift my hand to signal the nations; I will raise my banner for all the people to see. Then they will bring your sons back to you in their arms, and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23 Kings will teach your children, and daughters of kings will take care of them. They will bow down before you and kiss the dirt at your feet. Then you will know I am the Lord. Anyone who trusts in me will not be disappointed."

24 Can the wealth a soldier wins in war be taken away from him? Can a prisoner be freed from a powerful soldier?

25 This is what the Lord says: "The prisoners will be taken from the strong soldiers. What the soldiers have taken will be saved. I will fight your enemies, and I will save your children.

26 I will force those who trouble you to eat their own flesh. Their own blood will be the wine that makes them drunk. Then everyone will know I, the Lord, am the One who saves you; I am the Powerful One of Jacob who saves you."

1 This is what the Lord says: "People of Israel, you say I divorced your mother. Then where is the paper that proves it? Or do you think I sold you to pay a debt? Because of the evil things you did, I sold you. Because of the times she turned against me, your mother was sent away.

2 I came home and found no one there; I called, but no one answered. Do you think I am not able to save you? Do I not have the power to save you? Look, I need only to shout and the sea becomes dry. I change rivers into a desert, and their fish rot because there is no water; they die of thirst.

3 I can make the skies dark; I can make them black like clothes of sadness."

4 The Lord God gave me the ability to teach so that I know what to say to make the weak strong. Every morning he wakes me. He teaches me to listen like a student.

5 The Lord God helps me learn, and I have not turned against him nor stopped following him.

6 I offered my back to those who beat me. I offered my cheeks to those who pulled my beard. I won't hide my face from them when they make fun of me and spit at me.

7 The Lord God helps me, so I will not be ashamed. I will be determined, and I know I will not be disgraced.

8 He shows that I am innocent, and he is close to me. So who can accuse me? If there is someone, let us go to court together. If someone wants to prove I have done wrong, he should come and tell me.

9 Look! It is the Lord God who helps me. So who can prove me guilty? Look! All those who try will become useless like old clothes; moths will eat them.

10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? That person may walk in the dark and have no light. and depend on his God.

11 But instead, some of you want to light your own fires and make your own light. So, go, walk in the light of your fires, and trust your own light to guide you. But this is what you will receive from me: You will lie down in a place of pain.

1 The Lord says, "Listen to me, those of you who try to live right and follow the Lord. Look at the rock from which you were cut; look at the stone quarry from which you were dug.

2 Look at Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your ancestors. Abraham had no children when I called him, but I blessed him and gave him many descendants.

3 So the Lord will comfort Jerusalem; he will show mercy to those who live in her ruins. He will change her deserts into a garden like Eden; he will make her empty lands like the garden of the Lord. People there will be very happy; they will give thanks and sing songs.

4 "My people, listen to me; my nation, pay attention to me. I will give the people my teachings, and my decisions will be like a light to all people.

5 I will soon show that I do what is right. I will soon save you. I will use my power and judge all nations. All the faraway places are waiting for me; they wait for my power to help them.

6 Look up to the heavens. Look around you at the earth below. The skies will disappear like clouds of smoke. The earth will become useless like old clothes, and its people will die like flies. But my salvation will continue forever, and my goodness will never end.

7 "You people who know what is right should listen to me; you people who follow my teachings should hear what I say. Don't be afraid of the evil things people say, and don't be upset by their insults.

8 Moths will eat those people as if they were clothes, and worms will eat them as if they were wool. But my goodness will continue forever, and my salvation will continue from now on."

9 Wake up, wake up, and use your strength, powerful Lord. Wake up as you did in the old times, as you did a long time ago. With your own power, you cut Rahab into pieces and killed that sea monster.

10 You dried up the sea and the waters of the deep ocean. You made the deepest parts of the sea into a road for your people to cross over and be saved.

11 The people the Lord has freed will return and enter Jerusalem with joy. Their happiness will last forever. They will have joy and gladness, and all sadness and sorrow will be gone far away.

12 The Lord says, "I am the one who comforts you. So why should you be afraid of people, who die? Why should you fear people who die like the grass?

13 Have you forgotten the Lord who made you, who stretched out the skies and made the earth? Why are you always afraid of those angry people who trouble you and who want to destroy? But where are those angry people now?

14 People in prison will soon be set free; they will not die in prison, and they will have enough food.

15 I am the Lord your God, who stirs the sea and makes the waves roar. My name is the Lord All-Powerful.

16 I will give you the words I want you to say. I will cover you with my hands and protect you. I made the heavens and the earth, and I say to Jerusalem, 'You are my people.'"

17 Awake! Awake! Get up, Jerusalem. The Lord was very angry with you; your punishment was like wine in a cup. The Lord made you drink that wine; you drank the whole cup until you stumbled.

18 Jerusalem had many people, but there was not one to lead her. Of all the people who grew up there, no one was there to guide her.

19 Troubles came to you two by two, but no one will feel sorry for you. There was ruin and disaster, great hunger and fighting. No one can comfort you.

20 Your people have become weak. They fall down and lie on every street corner, like animals caught in a net. and have heard God's angry shout.

21 So listen to me, poor Jerusalem, you who are drunk but not from wine.

22 Your God will defend his people. "The punishment I gave you is like a cup of wine. You drank it and could not walk straight. But I am taking that cup of my anger away from you, and you will never be punished by my anger again.

23 I will now give that cup of punishment to those who gave you pain, who told you, 'Bow down so we can walk over you.' They made your back like dirt for them to walk on; you were like a street for them to travel on."

1 Wake up, wake up, Jerusalem! Become strong! Be beautiful again, holy city of Jerusalem. will not enter you again.

2 Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner. Now shake off the dust and stand up. Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner. Now free yourself from the chains around your neck.

3 This is what the Lord says: "You were not sold for a price, so you will be saved without cost."

4 This is what the Lord God says: "First my people went down to Egypt to live. Later Assyria made them slaves.

5 "Now see what has happened," says the Lord. "Another nation has taken away my people for nothing. This nation who rules them makes fun of me," says the Lord. "All day long they speak against me.

6 This has happened so my people will know who I am, and so, on that future day, they will know that I am the one speaking to them. It will really be me."

7 How beautiful is the person who comes over the mountains to bring good news, who announces peace and brings good news, who announces salvation and says to Jerusalem, "Your God is King."

8 Listen! Your guards are shouting. They are all shouting for joy! They all will see with their own eyes when the Lord returns to Jerusalem.

9 Jerusalem, your buildings are destroyed now, but shout and rejoice together, because the Lord has comforted his people. He has saved Jerusalem.

10 The Lord will show his holy power to all the nations. Then everyone on earth will see the salvation of our God.

11 You people, leave, leave; get out of Babylon! Touch nothing that is unclean. You men who carry the Lord's things used in worship, leave there and make yourselves pure.

12 You will not be forced to leave Babylon quickly; you will not be forced to run away, because the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will guard you from behind.

13 The Lord says, "See, my servant will act wisely. People will greatly honor and respect him.

14 Many people were shocked when they saw him. His appearance was so changed he did not look like a man; his form was changed so much they could barely tell he was human.

15 But now he will surprise many nations. Kings will be amazed and shut their mouths. They will see things they had not been told about him, and they will understand things they had not heard."

1 Who would have believed what we heard? Who saw the Lord's power in this?

2 He grew up like a small plant before the Lord, like a root growing in a dry land. He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him; there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.

3 He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. People would not even look at him. He was hated, and we didn't even notice him.

4 But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us. We saw his suffering and thought God was punishing him.

5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds.

6 We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way. for all the evil we have done.

7 He was beaten down and punished, but he didn't say a word. He was like a lamb being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut; he never opened his mouth.

8 Men took him away roughly and unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. He was put to death; he was punished for the sins of my people.

9 He was buried with wicked men, and he died with the rich. He had done nothing wrong, and he had never lied.

10 But it was the Lord who decided to crush him and make him suffer. The Lord made his life a penalty offering, but he will still see his descendants and live a long life. He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.

11 "After his soul suffers many things, he will see life and be satisfied. My good servant will make many people right with God; he will carry away their sins.

12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people, and he will share in all things with those who are strong. He willingly gave his life and was treated like a criminal. But he carried away the sins of many people and asked forgiveness for those who sinned."

1 The Lord says, "Sing, Jerusalem. You are like a woman who never gave birth to children. Start singing and shout for joy. You never felt the pain of giving birth, but you will have more children than the woman who has a husband.

2 Make your tent bigger; stretch it out and make it wider. Do not hold back. Make the ropes longer and its stakes stronger,

3 because you will spread out to the right and to the left. Your children will take over other nations, and they will again live in cities that once were destroyed.

4 "Don't be afraid, because you will not be ashamed. Don't be embarrassed, because you will not be disgraced. You will forget the shame you felt earlier; you will not remember the shame you felt when you lost your husband.

5 The God who made you is like your husband. His name is the Lord All-Powerful. The Holy One of Israel is the one who saves you. He is called the God of all the earth.

6 You were like a woman whose husband left her, and you were very sad. You were like a wife who married young and then her husband left her. But the Lord called you to be his," says your God.

7 God says, "I left you for a short time, but with great kindness I will bring you back again.

8 I became very angry and hid from you for a time, but I will show you mercy with kindness forever," says the Lord who saves you.

9 The Lord says, "This day is like the time of Noah to me. I promised then that I would never flood the world again. In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you or punish you again.

10 The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end," says the Lord who shows mercy to you.

11 "You poor city. Storms have hurt you, and you have not been comforted. But I will rebuild you with turquoise stones, and I will build your foundations with sapphires.

12 I will use rubies to build your walls and shining jewels for the gates and precious jewels for all your outer walls.

13 All your children will be taught by the Lord, and they will have much peace.

14 I will build you using fairness. You will be safe from those who would hurt you, so you will have nothing to fear. Nothing will come to make you afraid.

15 I will not send anyone to attack you, and you will defeat those who do attack you.

16 "See, I made the blacksmith. He fans the fire to make it hotter, and he makes the kind of tool he wants. In the same way I have made the destroyer to destroy.

17 So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you. You will show that those who speak against you are wrong. These are the good things my servants receive. Their victory comes from me," says the Lord.

1 The Lord says, "All you who are thirsty, come and drink. Those of you who do not have money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

2 Why spend your money on something that is not real food? Why work for something that doesn't really satisfy you? Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies.

3 Come to me and listen; listen to me so you may live. I will make an agreement with you that will last forever. I will give you the blessings I promised to David.

4 I made David a witness of my power for all nations, a ruler and commander of many nations.

5 You will call for nations that you don't yet know. And these nations that do not know you will run to you because of the Lord your God, because of the Holy One of Israel who honors you."

6 So you should look for the Lord before it is too late; you should call to him while he is near.

7 The wicked should stop doing wrong, and they should stop their evil thoughts. They should return to the Lord so he may have mercy on them. They should come to our God, because he will freely forgive them.

8 The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways.

9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

10 Rain and snow fall from the sky and don't return without watering the ground. They cause the plants to sprout and grow, making seeds for the farmer and bread for the people.

11 The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do.

12 "So you will go out with joy and be led out in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.

13 Large cypress trees will grow where thornbushes were. Myrtle trees will grow where weeds were. These things will be a reminder of the Lord's promise, and this reminder will never be destroyed."

1 This is what the Lord says: "Give justice to all people, and do what is right, because my salvation will come to you soon. Soon everyone will know that I do what is right.

2 The person who obeys the law about the Sabbath will be blessed, and the person who does no evil will be blessed."

3 Foreigners who have joined the Lord should not say, "The Lord will not accept me with his people." The eunuch should not say, "Because I cannot have children, the Lord will not accept me."

4 This is what the Lord says: "The eunuchs should obey the law about the Sabbath and do what I want and keep my agreement.

5 If they do, I will make their names remembered within my Temple and its walls. It will be better for them than children. I will give them a name that will last forever, that will never be forgotten.

6 Foreigners will join the Lord to worship him and love him, to serve him, to obey the law about the Sabbath, and to keep my agreement.

7 I will bring these people to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. The offerings and sacrifices they place on my altar will please me, because my Temple will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations."

8 The Lord God says -- he who gathers the Israelites that were forced to leave their country: "I will bring together other people to join those who are already gathered."

9 All you animals of the field, all you animals of the forest, come to eat.

10 The leaders who are to guard the people are blind; they don't know what they are doing. All of them are like quiet dogs that don't know how to bark. They lie down and dream and love to sleep.

11 They are like hungry dogs that are never satisfied. They are like shepherds who don't know what they are doing. They all have gone their own way; all they want to do is satisfy themselves.

12 They say, "Come, let's drink some wine; let's drink all the beer we want. And tomorrow we will do this again, or, maybe we will have an even better time."

1 Those who are right with God may die, but no one pays attention. Good people are taken away, but no one understands. Those who do right are being taken away from evil

2 and are given peace. find rest in death.

3 "Come here, you magicians! Come here, you sons of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!

4 Of whom are you making fun? Whom are you insulting? At whom do you stick out your tongue? You turn against God, and you are liars.

5 You have sexual relations under every green tree to worship your gods. You kill children in the ravines and sacrifice them in the rocky places.

6 You take the smooth rocks from the ravines as your portion. You pour drink offerings on them to worship them, and you give grain offerings to them. Do you think this makes me want to show you mercy?

7 You make your bed on every hill and mountain, and there you offer sacrifices.

8 You have hidden your idols behind your doors and doorposts. You have left me, and you have uncovered yourself. You have pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. You have made an agreement with those whose beds you love, and you have looked at their nakedness.

9 You use your oils and perfumes to look nice for Molech. You have sent your messengers to faraway lands; you even tried to send them to the place of the dead.

10 You were tired from doing these things, but you never gave up. You found new strength, so you did not quit.

11 "Whom were you so afraid of that you lied to me? You have not remembered me or even thought about me. I have been quiet for a long time. Is that why you are not afraid of me?

12 I will tell about your 'goodness' and what you do, and those things will do you no good.

13 When you cry out for help, let the gods you have gathered help you. The wind will blow them all away; just a puff of wind will take them away. But the person who depends on me will receive the land and own my holy mountain."

14 Someone will say, "Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way! Make the way clear for my people."

15 And this is the reason: God lives forever and is holy. He is high and lifted up. He says, "I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are sad and humble. I give new life to those who are humble and to those whose hearts are broken.

16 I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, because then human life would grow weak. Human beings, whom I created, would die.

17 I was angry because they were dishonest in order to make money. I punished them and turned away from them in anger, but they continued to do evil.

18 I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them. I will guide them and comfort them and those who felt sad for them. They will all praise me.

19 I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near, and I will heal them," says the Lord.

20 But evil people are like the angry sea, which cannot rest, whose waves toss up waste and mud.

21 "There is no peace for evil people," says my God.

1 The Lord says, "Shout out loud. Don't hold back. Shout out loud like a trumpet. Tell my people what they have done against their God; tell the family of Jacob about their sins.

2 They still come every day looking for me and want to learn my ways. They act just like a nation that does what is right, that obeys the commands of its God. They ask me to judge them fairly. They want God to be near them.

3 They say, 'To honor you we had special days when we gave up eating, but you didn't see. We humbled ourselves to honor you, but you didn't notice.'" But the Lord says, "You do what pleases yourselves on these special days, and you are unfair to your workers.

4 On these special days when you do not eat, you argue and fight and hit each other with your fists. You cannot do these things as you do now and believe your prayers are heard in heaven.

5 This kind of special day is not what I want. This is not the way I want people to be sorry for what they have done. I don't want people just to bow their heads like a plant and wear rough cloth and lie in ashes to show their sadness. This is what you do on your special days when you do not eat, but do you think this is what the Lord wants?

6 "I will tell you the kind of special day I want: Free the people you have put in prison unfairly and undo their chains. Free those to whom you are unfair and stop their hard labor.

7 Share your food with the hungry and bring poor, homeless people into your own homes. When you see someone who has no clothes, give him yours, and don't refuse to help your own relatives.

8 Then your light will shine like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your God will walk before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will answer. You will cry out, and he will say, 'Here I am.' "If you stop making trouble for others, if you stop using cruel words and pointing your finger at others,

10 if you feed those who are hungry and take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness, and you will be bright like sunshine at noon.

11 The Lord will always lead you. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands and give strength to your bones. You will be like a garden that has much water, like a spring that never runs dry.

12 Your people will rebuild the old cities that are now in ruins; you will rebuild their foundations. You will be known for repairing the broken places and for rebuilding the roads and houses.

13 "You must obey God's law about the Sabbath and not do what pleases yourselves on that holy day. and honor it as the Lord's holy day. You should honor it by not doing whatever you please nor saying whatever you please on that day.

14 Then you will find joy in the Lord, and I will carry you to the high places above the earth. I will let you eat the crops of the land your ancestor Jacob had." The Lord has said these things.

1 Surely the Lord's power is enough to save you. He can hear you when you ask him for help.

2 It is your evil that has separated you from your God. Your sins cause him to turn away from you, so he does not hear you.

3 With your hands you have killed others, and with your fingers you have done wrong. With your lips you have lied, and with your tongue you say evil things.

4 People take each other to court unfairly, and no one tells the truth in arguing his case. They accuse each other falsely and tell lies. They cause trouble and create more evil.

5 They hatch evil like eggs from poisonous snakes. If you eat one of those eggs, you will die, and if you break one open, a poisonous snake comes out. People tell lies as they would spin a spider's web.

6 The webs they make cannot be used for clothes; you can't cover yourself with those webs. The things they do are evil, and they use their hands to hurt others.

7 They eagerly run to do evil, and they are always ready to kill innocent people. They think evil thoughts. Everywhere they go they cause ruin and destruction.

8 They don't know how to live in peace, and there is no fairness in their lives. They are dishonest. Anyone who lives as they live will never have peace.

9 Fairness has gone far away; goodness is nowhere to be found. We wait for the light, but there is only darkness now. We hope for a bright light, but all we have is darkness.

10 We are like the blind feeling our way along a wall. We feel our way as if we had no eyes. In the brightness of day we trip as if it were night. We are like dead men among the strong.

11 All of us growl like the bears. We call out sadly like the doves. We look for justice, but there isn't any. We want to be saved, but salvation is far away.

12 We have done many wrong things against our God; our sins show we are wrong. We know we have turned against God; we know the evil things we have done:

13 sinning and rejecting the Lord, turning away from our God, planning to hurt others and to disobey God, planning and speaking lies.

14 So we have driven away justice, and we have kept away from what is right. Truth is not spoken in the streets; what is honest is not allowed to enter the city.

15 Truth cannot be found anywhere, and people who refuse to do evil are attacked. The Lord looked and could not find any justice, and he was displeased.

16 He could not find anyone to help the people, and he was surprised that there was no one to help. So he used his own power to save the people; his own goodness gave him strength.

17 He covered himself with goodness like armor. He put the helmet of salvation on his head. He put on the clothes of punishment and wrapped himself in the coat of his strong love.

18 The Lord will pay back his enemies for what they have done. He will show his anger to those who were against him; he will punish the people in faraway places as they deserve.

19 Then people from the west will fear the Lord, and people from the east will fear his glory. fast-flowing river, driven by the breath of the Lord.

20 "Then a Savior will come to Jerusalem and to the people of Jacob who have turned from sin," says the Lord.

21 The Lord says, "This is my agreement with these people: My Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you or your children or your grandchildren, now and forever."

1 "Jerusalem, get up and shine, because your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines on you.

2 Darkness now covers the earth; deep darkness covers her people. But the Lord shines on you, and people see his glory around you.

3 Nations will come to your light; kings will come to the brightness of your sunrise.

4 "Look around you. People are gathering and coming to you. Your sons are coming from far away, and your daughters are coming with them.

5 When you see them, you will shine with happiness; you will be excited and full of joy, because the wealth of the nations across the seas will be given to you; the riches of the nations will come to you.

6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels from Midian and Ephah. bringing gold and incense, and they will sing praises to the Lord.

7 All the sheep from Kedar will be given to you; the sheep from Nebaioth will be brought to you. They will be pleasing sacrifices on my altar, and I will make my beautiful Temple more beautiful.

8 "The people are returning to you like clouds, like doves flying to their nests.

9 People in faraway lands are waiting for me. The great trading ships will come first, bringing your children from faraway lands, and with them silver and gold. This will honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who does wonderful things for you.

10 "Jerusalem, foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. When I was angry, I hurt you, but now I want to be kind to you and comfort you.

11 Your gates will always be open; they will not be closed day or night so the nations can bring their wealth to you, and their kings will be led to you.

12 The nation or kingdom that doesn't serve you will be destroyed; it will be completely ruined.

13 "The great trees of Lebanon will be given to you: its pine, fir, and cypress trees together. You will use them to make my Temple beautiful, and I will give much honor to this place where I rest my feet.

14 The people who have hurt you will bow down to you; those who hated you will bow down at your feet. They will call you The City of the Lord, Jerusalem, city of the Holy One of Israel.

15 "You have been hated and left empty with no one passing through. But I will make you great from now on; you will be a place of happiness forever and ever.

16 You will be given what you need from the nations, like a child drinking milk from its mother. Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who saves you. You will know that the Powerful One of Jacob protects you.

17 I will bring you gold in place of bronze, silver in place of iron, bronze in place of wood, iron in place of rocks. I will change your punishment into peace, and you will be ruled by what is right.

18 There will be no more violence in your country; it will not be ruined or destroyed. and your gates Praise.

19 The sun will no longer be your light during the day nor will the brightness from the moon be your light, because the Lord will be your light forever, and your God will be your glory.

20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will never be dark, because the Lord will be your light forever, and your time of sadness will end.

21 All of your people will do what is right. They will receive the earth forever. They are the plant I have planted, the work of my own hands to show my greatness.

22 The smallest family will grow to a thousand. The least important of you will become a powerful nation. I am the Lord, and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly."

1 The Lord God has put his Spirit in me, because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free, and to tell the prisoners they are released.

2 He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness and the time when our God will punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad

3 and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem. I will give them a crown to replace their ashes, and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow, and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness. Then they will be called Trees of Goodness, trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness.

4 They will rebuild the old ruins and restore the places destroyed long ago. They will repair the ruined cities that were destroyed for so long.

5 My people, foreigners will come to tend your sheep. People from other countries will tend your fields and vineyards.

6 You will be called priests of the Lord; you will be named the servants of our God. You will have riches from all the nations on earth, and you will take pride in them.

7 Instead of being ashamed, my people will receive twice as much wealth. Instead of being disgraced, they will be happy because of what they receive. They will receive a double share of the land, so their happiness will continue forever.

8 "I, the Lord, love justice. I hate stealing and everything that is wrong. I will be fair and give my people what they should have, and I will make an agreement with them that will continue forever.

9 Everyone in all nations will know the children of my people, and their children will be known among the nations. Anyone who sees them will know that they are people the Lord has blessed."

10 The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God. He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels.

11 The earth causes plants to grow, and a garden causes the seeds planted in it to grow. goodness and praise come from all the nations.

1 Because I love Jerusalem, I will continue to speak for her; for Jerusalem's sake I will not stop speaking until her goodness shines like a bright light, until her salvation burns bright like a flame.

2 Jerusalem, the nations will see your goodness, and all kings will see your glory. Then you will have a new name, which the Lord himself will give you.

3 You will be like a beautiful crown in the Lord's hand, like a king's crown in your God's hand.

4 You will never again be called the People that God Left, nor your land the Land that God Destroyed. You will be called the People God Loves, and your land will be called the Bride of God, because the Lord loves you. And your land will belong to him as a bride belongs to her husband.

5 As a young man marries a woman, so your children will marry your land. As a man rejoices over his new wife, so your God will rejoice over you.

6 Jerusalem, I have put guards on the walls to watch. They must not be silent day or night. needs in prayer should never be quiet.

7 You should not stop praying to him until he builds up Jerusalem and makes it a city all people will praise.

8 The Lord has made a promise, and by his power he will keep his promise. He said, "I will never again give your grain as food to your enemies. I will not let your enemies drink the new wine that you have worked to make.

9 The person who gathers food will eat it, and he will praise the Lord. The person who gathers the grapes will drink the wine in the courts of my Temple."

10 Go through, go through the gates! Make the way ready for the people. Build up, build up the road! Move all the stones off the road. Raise the banner as a sign for the people.

11 The Lord is speaking to all the faraway lands: "Tell the people of Jerusalem, 'Look, your Savior is coming. He is bringing your reward to you; he is bringing his payment with him.'"

12 His people will be called the Holy People, the Saved People of the Lord, and Jerusalem will be called the City God Wants, the City God Has Not Rejected.

1 Who is this coming from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red? Who is this dressed in fine clothes and marching forward with his great power? He says, "I, the Lord, speak what is right. I have the power to save you."

2 Someone asks, "Why are your clothes bright red as if you had walked on the grapes to make wine?"

3 The Lord answers, "I have walked in the winepress alone, and no one among the nations helped me. I was angry and walked on the nations and crushed them because of my anger. Blood splashed on my clothes, and I stained all my clothing.

4 I chose a time to punish people, and the time has come for me to save.

5 I looked around, but I saw no one to help me. I was surprised that no one supported me. So I used my own power to save my people; my own anger supported me.

6 While I was angry, I walked on the nations. In my anger I punished them and poured their blood on the ground."

7 I will tell about the Lord's kindness and praise him for everything he has done. and for his goodness to the people of Israel. He has shown great mercy to us and has been very kind to us.

8 He said, "These are my people; my children will not lie to me." So he saved them.

9 When they suffered, he suffered also. He sent his own angel to save them. Because of his love and kindness, he saved them. Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.

10 But they turned against him and made his Holy Spirit very sad. So he became their enemy, and he fought against them.

11 But then his people remembered what happened long ago, in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him. Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea, with the leaders of his people? Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit among them,

12 who led Moses by the right hand with his wonderful power, who divided the water before them to make his name famous forever,

13 who led the people through the deep waters? Like a horse walking through a desert, the people did not stumble.

14 Like cattle that go down to the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave the people a place to rest. Lord, that is the way you led your people, and by this you won for yourself wonderful fame.

15 Lord, look down from the heavens and see; look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven. Where is your strong love and power? Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?

16 You are our father. Abraham doesn't know we are his children, and Israel doesn't recognize us. Lord, you are our father. You are called "the one who has always saved us."

17 Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways? Why do you make us stubborn so that we don't honor you? For our sake come back to us, your servants, who belong to you.

18 Your people had your Temple for a while, but now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.

19 We have become like people you never ruled over, like those who have never worn your name.

1 Tear open the skies and come down to earth so that the mountains will tremble before you.

2 Like a fire that burns twigs, like a fire that makes water boil, let your enemies know who you are. Then all nations will shake with fear when they see you.

3 You have done amazing things we did not expect. You came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

4 From long ago no one has ever heard of a God like you. No one has ever seen a God besides you, who helps the people who trust you.

5 You help those who enjoy doing good, who remember how you want them to live. But you were angry because we sinned. For a long time we disobeyed, so how can we be saved?

6 All of us are dirty with sin. All the right things we have done are like filthy pieces of cloth. All of us are like dead leaves, and our sins, like the wind, have carried us away.

7 No one worships you or even asks you to help us. That is because you have turned away from us and have let our sins destroy us.

8 But Lord, you are our father. We are like clay, and you are the potter; your hands made us all.

9 Lord, don't continue to be angry with us; don't remember our sins forever. Please, look at us, because we are your people.

10 Your holy cities are empty like the desert. Jerusalem is like a desert; it is destroyed.

11 Our ancestors worshiped you in our holy and wonderful Temple, but now it has been burned with fire, and all our precious things have been destroyed.

12 When you see these things, will you hold yourself back from helping us, Lord? Will you be silent and punish us beyond what we can stand?

1 The Lord says, "I made myself known to people who were notlooking for me. I was found by those who were not asking me for help. I said, 'Here I am. Here I am,' to a nation that was not praying to me.

2 All day long I stood ready to accept people who turned against me, but the way they continue to live is not good; they do anything they want to do.

3 Right in front of me they continue to do things that make me angry. They offer sacrifices to their gods in their gardens, and they burn incense on altars of brick.

4 They sit among the graves and spend their nights waiting to get messages from the dead. They eat the meat of pigs, and their pots are full of soup made from meat that is wrong to eat.

5 But they tell others, 'Stay away, and don't come near me. I am too holy for you.' These people are like smoke in my nose. Like a fire that burns all the time, they continue to make me angry.

6 "Look, it is written here before me. I will not be quiet; instead, I will repay you in full. I will punish you for what you have done.

7 I will punish you for your sins and your ancestors' sins," says the Lord. "They burned incense to gods on the mountains and shamed me on those hills. So I will punish them as they should be punished for what they did."

8 This is what the Lord says: "When there is juice left in the grapes, people do not destroy them, because they know there is good left in them. So I will do the same thing to my servants -- I will not completely destroy them.

9 I will leave some of the children of Jacob, and some of the people of Judah will receive my mountain. I will choose the people who will live there; my servants will live there.

10 Then the Plain of Sharon will be a field for flocks, and the Valley of Achor will be a place for herds to rest. They will be for the people who want to follow me.

11 "But as for you who left the Lord, who forgot about my holy mountain, who worship the god Luck, who hold religious feasts for the god Fate,

12 I decide your fate, and I will punish you with my sword. You will all be killed, because I called you, but you refused to answer. I spoke to you, but you wouldn't listen. You did the things I said were evil and chose to do things that displease me."

13 So this is what the Lord God says: "My servants will eat, but you evil people will be hungry. My servants will drink, but you evil people will be thirsty. My servants will be happy, but you evil people will be shamed.

14 My servants will shout for joy because of the goodness of their hearts, but you evil people will cry, because you will be sad. You will cry loudly, because your spirits will be broken.

15 Your names will be like curses to my servants, and the Lord God will put you to death. But he will call his servants by another name.

16 People in the land who ask for blessings will ask for them from the faithful God. And people in the land who make a promise will promise in the name of the faithful God, because the troubles of the past will be forgotten. I will make those troubles go away.

17 "Look, I will make new heavens and a new earth, and people will not remember the past or think about those things.

18 My people will be happy forever because of the things I will make. I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy, and I will make her people a delight.

19 Then I will rejoice over Jerusalem and be delighted with my people. There will never again be heard in that city the sounds of crying and sadness.

20 There will never be a baby from that city who lives only a few days. And there will never be an older person who doesn't have a long life. A person who lives a hundred years will be called young, and a person who dies before he is a hundred will be thought of as a sinner.

21 In that city those who build houses will live there. Those who plant vineyards will get to eat their grapes.

22 No more will one person build a house and someone else live there. One person will not plant a garden and someone else eat its fruit. My people will live a long time, as trees live long. My chosen people will live there and enjoy the things they make.

23 They will never again work for nothing. They will never again give birth to children who die young. All my people will be blessed by the Lord; they and their children will be blessed.

24 I will provide for their needs before they ask, and I will help them while they are still asking for help.

25 Wolves and lambs will eat together in peace. Lions will eat hay like oxen, and a snake on the ground will not hurt anyone. They will not hurt or destroy each other on all my holy mountain," says the Lord.

1 This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? Do I need a place to rest?

2 My hand made all things. All things are here because I made them," says the Lord. "These are the people I am pleased with: those who are not proud or stubborn and who fear my word.

3 But those people who kill bulls as a sacrifice to me are like those who kill people. Those who kill sheep as a sacrifice are like those who break the necks of dogs. Those who give me grain offerings are like those who offer me the blood of pigs. Those who burn incense are like those who worship idols. These people choose their own ways, not mine, and they love the terrible things they do.

4 So I will choose their punishments, and I will punish them with what they fear most. This is because I called to them, but they did not listen. I spoke to them, but they did not hear me. They did things I said were evil; they chose to do things I did not like."

5 You people who obey the words of the Lord, listen to what he says: "Your brothers hated you and turned against you because you followed me. Your brothers said, 'Let the Lord be honored so we may see you rejoice,' but they will be punished.

6 Listen to the loud noise coming from the city; hear the noise from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies, giving them the punishment they should have.

7 "A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain; she does not give birth to a son before the pain starts.

8 No one has ever heard of that happening; no one has ever seen that happen. In the same way no one ever saw a country begin in one day; no one has ever heard of a new nation beginning in one moment. just as soon as she feels the birth pains.

9 In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born," says the Lord. "If I cause you the pain, I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation," says your God.

10 "Jerusalem, rejoice. All you people who love Jerusalem, be happy. should now feel happy with her.

11 You will take comfort from her and be satisfied, as a child is nursed by its mother. You will receive her good things and enjoy her wealth."

12 This is what the Lord says: "I will give her peace that will flow to her like a river. The wealth of the nations will come to her like a river overflowing its banks. Like babies you will be nursed and held in my arms and bounced on my knees.

13 I will comfort you as a mother comforts her child. You will be comforted in Jerusalem."

14 When you see these things, you will be happy, and you will grow like the grass. The Lord's servants will see his power, but his enemies will see his anger.

15 Look, the Lord is coming with fire and his armies with clouds of dust. He will punish those people with his anger; he will punish them with flames of fire.

16 The Lord will judge the people with fire, and he will destroy many people with his sword; he will kill many people.

17 "These people make themselves holy and pure to go to worship their gods in their gardens. Following each other into their special gardens, they eat the meat of pigs and rats and other hateful things. But they will all be destroyed together," says the Lord.

18 "I know they have evil thoughts and do evil things, so I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people, and they will come together and see my glory.

19 "I will put a mark on some of the people, and I will send some of these saved people to the nations: to Tarshish, Libya, Lud (the land of archers), Tubal, Greece, and all the faraway lands. These people have never heard about what I have done nor seen my glory. So the saved people will tell the nations about my glory.

20 And they will bring all your fellow Israelites from all nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem. Your fellow Israelites will come on horses, donkeys, and camels and in chariots and wagons. They will be like the grain offerings that the people bring in clean containers to the Temple," says the Lord.

21 "And I will choose even some of these people to be priests and Levites," says the Lord.

22 "I will make new heavens and the new earth, which will last forever," says the Lord. "In the same way, your names and your children will always be with me.

23 All people will come to worship me every Sabbath and every New Moon," says the Lord.

24 "They will go out and see the dead bodies of the people who sinned against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fires that burn them will never stop, and everyone will hate to see those bodies."

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