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1 The LORD said to me, "Get a large scroll. Write 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz' on it with a pen.

2 I will send for Zechariah and the priest Uriah. They can be trusted. They will be witnesses for me. Zechariah is the son of Jeberekiah."

3 Then I went and made love to my wife, who was a prophet. She became pregnant and had a baby boy. The LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.

4 "The king of Assyria will carry off the wealth of Damascus. He will also carry away the goods that were taken from Samaria. That will happen before the boy knows how to say 'My father' or 'My mother.' "

5 The LORD continued,

6 "I am like the gently flowing stream of Siloam. But the people of Judah have turned their backs on me. They are filled with joy because of the fall of Rezin and the son of Remaliah.

7 So I am about to bring against these people the king of Assyria and his whole army. The Assyrians will be like the mighty Euphrates River when it is flooding. They will run over everything in their path.

8 They will sweep on into Judah like a flood. They will pass through Judah and reach all the way to Jerusalem. Immanuel, they will attack your land like an eagle. Their wings will spread out and cover it."

9 Sound the battle cry, you nations! But you will be torn apart. Listen, all of you lands far away! Prepare for battle! But you will be torn apart. Prepare for battle! But you will be torn apart.

10 Make your battle plans! But you won't succeed. Give your orders! But they won't be carried out. That's because God is with us.

11 The LORD put his powerful hand on me and spoke to me. He warned me not to live the way these people live. He said,

12 "People of Judah, do not agree with those who say Isaiah is guilty of treason. Do not fear what they fear. Do not be afraid.

13 I am the LORD who rules over all. You must think about me as holy. You must have respect for me. You must fear me.

14 Then I will be a holy place of safety for you. But for many people in Israel and Judah I will be a stone that causes them to trip. I will be a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem I will be a trap and a snare.

15 Many of them will trip. They will fall and be broken. They will be trapped and captured."

16 Keep safe what the LORD said to you through me. Seal up among my followers what he taught you through me.

17 I will wait for the Lord. He is turning his face away from Jacob's people. I will put my trust in him.

18 Here I am. Here are the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and reminders to Israel from the LORD who rules over all. He lives on Mount Zion.

19 Some will tell you to ask for advice from people who get messages from those who have died. Others will tell you to ask for advice from people who talk to the spirits of the dead. But those people only whisper. Their words are barely heard. So shouldn't you ask for advice from your God? Why should you get advice from dead people to help those who are alive?

20 Follow what the LORD taught you and said to you through me. People who don't speak in keeping with those words won't have any hope in the morning.

21 They will suffer and be hungry. They'll wander through the land. When they are very hungry, they will become angry. They'll look up toward heaven. They'll call down curses on their king and their God.

22 Then they will look at the earth. They'll see nothing but suffering and darkness. They'll see terrible sadness. They'll be driven into total darkness.

1 But there won't be any more sadness for those who were suffering. In the past the LORD brought shame on the land of Zebulun. He also brought shame on the land of Naphtali. But in days to come he will honor Galilee, where people from other nations live. He will honor the land along the Mediterranean Sea. And he will honor the territory east of the Jordan River.

2 The people who are now living in darkness will see a great light. They are now living in a very dark land. But a light will shine on them.

3 Lord, you will make our nation larger. You will increase their joy. They will show you how glad they are. They will be as glad as people are at harvest time. They will be as glad as soldiers are when they share the things they've taken after a battle.

4 You set Israel free from Midian long ago. In the same way, you will break the heavy yoke that weighs Israel down. You will break the wooden beams that are on their shoulders. You will break the rods of those who strike them down.

5 Every fighting man's boot that is used in battle will be burned up. So will every piece of clothes that is covered with blood. All of them will be thrown into the fire.

6 A child will be born to us. A son will be given to us. He will rule over us. And he will be called Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God. He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever and Prince Who Brings Peace.

7 The authority of his rule will continue to grow. The peace he brings will never end. He will rule on David's throne and over his kingdom. He will make the kingdom strong and secure. His rule will be based on what is fair and right. It will last forever. The LORD's great love will make sure that happens. He rules over all.

8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob's people. He will punish Israel.

9 All of the people will know about it. Ephraim's people and those who live in Samaria will know about it. Their hearts are very proud. They say,

10 "The brick buildings have fallen down. But we will rebuild them with blocks of stone. The fig trees have been chopped down. But we'll plant cedar trees in place of them."

11 In spite of that, the LORD has made Rezin's enemies stronger. He has stirred up Assyria to fight against Israel.

12 Arameans from the east have opened their mouths and swallowed Israel up. So have Philistines from the west. Even then, the LORD is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

13 But his people have not returned to the One who struck them down. They haven't turned for help to the LORD who rules over all.

14 So he will cut off from Israel heads and tails alike. In a single day he will cut off palm branches and tall grass alike. The palm branches are the people who rule over others. The tall grass is the people who bow down to them.

15 The elders and important leaders are the heads. The prophets who teach lies are the tails.

16 Those who guide the people of Israel are leading them down the wrong path. So those who follow them aren't on the right road.

17 The Lord will not be pleased with the young men. He won't take pity on widows and on children whose fathers have died. All of them are ungodly and evil. They say sinful things with their mouths. Even then, the LORD is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

18 What is evil burns like a fire. It burns up bushes and thorns. It sets the forest on fire. It sends up a huge column of smoke.

19 The LORD rules over all. When he gets angry, he will burn up the land. The people will die. Men will eat their brothers.

20 People will eat up everything they can find on their right. But they'll still be hungry. They will eat everything they can find on their left. But they won't be satisfied. So they will eat the dead bodies of their children.

21 That's what Manasseh's people will do to Ephraim. And that's what Ephraim's people will do to Manasseh. Together they will turn against Judah. Even then, the LORD is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

1 How terrible it will be for you who make laws that aren't fair! How terrible for you who write laws that make life hard for others!

2 You take away the rights of poor people. You hold back what is fair from my people who are suffering. You take for yourselves what belongs to widows. You rob children whose fathers have died.

3 What will you do on the day when the LORD punishes you? On that day trouble will come from far away. Who will you run to for help? Who will you trust your riches with?

4 All you can do is bow down in fear among the prisoners. All you can do is fall among those who have died in battle. Even then, the LORD is still angry. His hand is still raised against them.

5 The LORD says, "How terrible it will be for the people of Assyria! They are the war club that carries out my anger.

6 I will send them against the ungodly nation of Judah. I will order them to fight against my own people. They make me angry. I will order them to take their goods and carry them away. I will order them to walk on my people as if they were walking on mud.

7 But that is not what the king of Assyria plans. It is not what he has in mind. His purpose is to destroy many nations. His purpose is to put an end to them.

8 'Aren't all of my commanders kings?' he says.

9 'I took over Calno just as I took Carchemish. I took over Hamath just as I did Arpad. I took Samaria just as I did Damascus.

10 My powerful hand grabbed hold of kingdoms whose people worship statues of gods. They had more gods than Jerusalem and Samaria did.

11 I took over Samaria and its statues of gods. In the same way, I will take Jerusalem and its gods.' "

12 The Lord will finish everything he has planned to do against Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Then he'll say, "Now I will punish the king of Assyria. I will punish him because his heart and his eyes are so proud.

13 "The king of Assyria says, " 'I have used my powerful hand to take over all of those nations. I am very wise. I have great understanding. I have wiped out the borders between nations. I've taken their treasures. Like a great hero I've brought their kings under my control.

14 I've taken the wealth of the nations. It was as easy as reaching into a bird's nest. I've gathered the riches of all of those countries. It was as easy as gathering eggs that have been left in a nest. Not a single baby bird flapped its wings. Not one of them opened its mouth to chirp.' "

15 Does an ax claim to be more important than the one who swings it? Does a saw brag that it is better than the one who uses it? That would be like a stick swinging someone who picks it up! It would be like a war club waving the one who carries it!

16 So the LORD who rules over all will send a sickness. The Lord will send it on the king of Assyria's strong fighting men. It will make them weaker and weaker. The army he was so proud of will be completely destroyed. It will be as if it had been burned up in a fire.

17 The LORD is the light of Israel. He will become a fire. Israel's Holy One will become a flame. In a single day he will burn up all of Assyria's bushes. He will destroy all of their thorns.

18 He will completely destroy the beauty of their forests and rich farm lands. The Assyrian army will be like a sick man who becomes weaker and weaker.

19 It will be like the trees of their forests. So few of them will be left standing that even a child could count them.

20 In days to come, some people will still be left alive in Israel. They will be from Jacob's family line. But they won't depend any longer on the nation that struck them down. Instead, they will truly depend on the Lord. He is the Holy One of Israel.

21 The people of Jacob who are still alive will return to the Mighty God.

22 Israel, your people might be as many as the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will return. The LORD has handed down a death sentence. He will destroy his people. What he does is right.

23 The LORD who rules over all will carry out his sentence. The Lord will destroy the whole land.

24 The LORD rules over all. The Lord says, "My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian army. They beat you with rods. They lift up war clubs against you, just as the Egyptians did.

25 Very soon I will not be angry with you anymore. I will turn my anger against the Assyrians. I will destroy them."

26 The LORD who rules over all will beat them with a whip. He will strike them down as he struck Midian down at the rock of Oreb. And he will reach his wooden staff out over the waters. That's what he did in Egypt.

27 People of Zion, in days to come he will lift the heavy load of the Assyrians from your shoulders. He will remove their yokes from your necks. They will be broken because you have become so strong.

28 The Assyrian army has entered the town of Aiath. They have passed through Migron. They have stored up supplies at Micmash.

29 They have marched through the pass there. They said, "Let's camp for the night at Geba." The people of Ramah tremble with fear. Those who live in Gibeah of Saul run away.

30 Town of Gallim, cry out! Laishah, listen! Poor Anathoth!

31 The people of Madmenah are running away. Those who live in Gebim are hiding.

32 Today the Assyrians have stopped at Nob. They are shaking their fists at Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem.

33 The Assyrian soldiers are like trees in a forest. The LORD who rules over all will chop them down. The Lord will cut off their branches with his great power. He will chop the tall trees down. He will cut down even the highest ones.

34 The Mighty One will chop down the forest with his ax. He will cut down the cedar trees in Lebanon.

1 Jesse's family is like a tree that has been cut down. A new little tree will grow from its stump. From its roots a Branch will grow and produce fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on that Branch. He will help him to be wise and understanding. He will help him make wise plans and carry them out. He will help him know the LORD and have respect for him.

3 The Branch will take delight in respecting the Lord. He will not judge things only by the way they look. He won't make decisions based simply on what people say.

4 He will always do what is right when he judges those who are in need. He'll be completely fair when he makes decisions about poor people. When he commands that people be punished, it will happen. When he orders that evil people be put to death, it will take place.

5 He will put godliness on as if it were his belt. He'll wear faithfulness around his waist.

6 Wolves will live with lambs. Leopards will lie down with goats. Calves and lions will eat together. And little children will lead them around.

7 Cows will eat with bears. Their little ones will lie down together. And lions will eat straw like oxen.

8 A baby will play near a hole where cobras live. A young child will put his hand into a nest where poisonous snakes live.

9 None of those animals will harm or destroy anything or anyone on my holy mountain of Zion. The oceans are full of water. In the same way, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

10 At that time the man who is called the Root from Jesse's family line will be like a banner that brings nations together. They will come to him. And the place where he rules will be glorious.

11 At that time the Lord will reach out his hand to gather his people a second time. He will bring back those who are left alive. He'll bring them back from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt and Cush. He'll bring them from Elam, Babylonia and Hamath. He will also bring them from the islands of the Mediterranean Sea.

12 He will lift up a banner. It will show the nations that he is gathering the people of Israel. He'll bring back those who had been taken away as prisoners. He'll gather together the scattered people of Judah. He'll bring them back from all four directions.

13 Ephraim's people won't be jealous anymore. Judah's attackers will be cut off. Ephraim won't be jealous of Judah. And Judah won't attack Ephraim.

14 Together they will rush down the slopes of Philistia to the west. They'll take what belongs to the people of the east. They'll take over Edom and Moab. The people of Ammon will be under their control.

15 The LORD will dry up the Red Sea in Egypt. With his powerful hand he'll send a burning wind to sweep over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into many streams. Then people will be able to go across it wearing sandals.

16 There was a road the people of Israel used when they came up from Egypt. In the same way, there will be a wide road coming out of Assyria. It will be used by the LORD's people who are left alive there.

1 In days to come, the people of Israel will sing, "Lord, we will praise you. You were angry with us. But now your anger has turned away from us. And you have brought us comfort.

2 God, you are the one who saves us. We will trust in you. Then we won't be afraid. LORD, you give us strength. We sing about you. Lord, you have saved us."

3 People of Israel, he will save you. That will bring you joy like water that is brought up from wells.

4 In days to come, the people of Israel will sing, "Give thanks to the Lord. Worship him. Tell the nations what he has done. Announce how honored he is.

5 Sing to the Lord. He has done glorious things. Let it be known all over the world.

6 People of Zion, give a loud shout! Sing with joy! The Holy One of Israel is among you. And he is great."

1 Here is the vision about Babylonia that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw.

2 Lift up a banner on the top of a bare hill. Shout to the enemy soldiers. Wave for them to enter the gates that are used by the nobles of Babylon.

3 The LORD has set those soldiers apart to fight for him. He has sent for them to carry out his anger against Babylon. They will be happy when he wins the battle for them.

4 Listen! I hear a noise in the mountains. It sounds like a huge crowd. Listen! I hear a loud noise among the kingdoms. It sounds like nations gathering together. The LORD who rules over all is bringing an army together for war.

5 They come from lands far away. They come from the farthest places on earth. The LORD and those weapons of his anger are coming to destroy the whole country of Babylonia.

6 Cry out! The day of the LORD is near. The Mighty One is coming to destroy them.

7 Their hands won't be able to help them. Everyone's heart will melt away in fear.

8 The people will be filled with terror. Pain and suffering will grab hold of them. They will groan with pain like a woman having a baby. They'll look at one another in terror. Their faces will burn with shame.

9 The day of the LORD is coming. It will be a terrible day. The LORD's burning anger will blaze out. He will make the land dry and empty. He'll destroy the sinners in it.

10 All of the stars in the sky will stop giving their light. The sun will be darkened as soon as it rises. The moon will not shine.

11 The LORD will punish the world because it is so evil. He will punish evil people for their sins. He'll put an end to the bragging of those who are proud. He'll bring down the pride of those who don't show any pity.

12 He'll make men harder to find than pure gold. They will be harder to find than gold from Ophir.

13 He will make the heavens tremble. He'll shake the earth out of its place. The LORD who rules over all will show how angry he is. At that time his burning anger will blaze out.

14 Outsiders who live in Babylonia will scatter like antelope that are chased by a hunter. They are like sheep that don't have a shepherd. All of them will return to their own people. They will run back to their own countries.

15 Those who are captured will have spears stuck through them. Those who are caught will be killed with swords.

16 Their babies will be smashed to pieces right in front of their eyes. Their houses will be robbed. Their wives will be raped.

17 The LORD will stir up the Medes to attack the Babylonians. They aren't interested in getting silver. They don't delight in gold.

18 Instead, they will use their bows and arrows to strike the young men down. They won't even show any mercy to babies. They won't take pity on children.

19 The city of Babylon is the jewel of kingdoms. It is the glory and pride of the Babylonians. But God will destroy it just as he did Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 No one will ever live in Babylon again. No one will live there for all time to come. Arabs will never set up their tents there. Shepherds will never rest their flocks there.

21 But desert creatures will lie down there. Wild dogs will fill its houses. Owls will live there. Wild goats will jump around in it.

22 Hyenas will cry out in its forts. Wild dogs will bark in its beautiful palaces. The time for Babylon to be punished is near. Its days are numbered.

1 The LORD will show tender love toward Jacob's people. Once again he will choose Israel. He'll settle them in their own land. Outsiders will join them. They and the people of Jacob will become one people.

2 Nations will help Israel return to their own land. People from other nations will belong to Israel. They will serve them as male and female servants in the LORD's land. The Israelites will make prisoners of those who had held them as prisoners. They will rule over those who had crushed them.

3 The LORD will put an end to Israel's suffering and trouble. They won't be slaves anymore.

4 They will make fun of the king of Babylonia. They will say, "See how the one who crushed others has fallen! See how his anger has come to an end!

5 The LORD has taken away the authority of evil people. He has broken the power of rulers.

6 When they became angry, they struck nations down. Their blows never stopped. In their anger they brought nations under their control. They attacked them again and again.

7 All of the lands now enjoy peace and rest. They break out into singing.

8 Even the pine trees are glad. The cedar trees of Lebanon are happy too. They say, 'Babylon, you have fallen. Now no one comes and cuts us down.'

9 "King of Babylonia, many people in the grave are really excited about meeting you when you go down there. The spirits of the dead get up to welcome you. At one time all of them were leaders in the world. They were kings over the nations. They get up from their thrones.

10 All of them call out to you. They say, 'You have become weak, just as we are. You have become like us.'

11 Your grand show of power has been brought down to the grave. The noise of your harps has come down here along with your power. Maggots are spread out under you. Worms cover you.

12 "King of Babylonia, you thought you were the bright morning star. But now you have fallen from heaven! You once brought nations down. But now you have been thrown down to the earth!

13 You said in your heart, 'I will go up to heaven. I'll raise my throne above the stars of God. I'll sit as king on the mountain where the gods meet. I'll set up my throne on the highest slopes of the sacred mountain.

14 I will rise above the tops of the clouds. I'll make myself like the Most High God.'

15 But now you have been brought down to the grave. You have been thrown into the deepest part of the pit.

16 "Those who see you stare at you. They think about what has happened to you. They say to themselves, 'Is this the man who shook the earth? Is he the one who made kingdoms tremble with fear?

17 Did he turn the world into a desert? Did he destroy its cities? Did he refuse to let his prisoners go home?'

18 "All of the kings of the nations are buried with honor. Each of them lies in his own tomb.

19 But you have been thrown out of your tomb. You are like a branch that is cut off and thrown away. You are covered with the bodies of those who have been killed with swords. You have been tossed into a stony pit along with them. You are like a dead body that people have walked on.

20 You won't be buried like other kings. That's because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. "The children of that evil man will be killed. None of them will be left to carry on the family name.

21 So prepare a place to kill his children. Kill them because of the sins of the rulers who lived before them. They must not rise to power. They must not rule over the world. They must not cover the earth with their cities."

22 "I will rise up against them," announces the LORD who rules over all. "I will destroy Babylon. It will not be remembered anymore. No one will be left alive there. I will destroy its people and their children after them," announces the Lord.

23 "I will turn it into a place where nothing but owls can live. I will turn it into a swamp. I will sweep through it like a broom and destroy everything," announces the LORD who rules over all.

24 The LORD who rules over all has taken an oath. He has said, "You can be sure that what I have planned will happen. What I have decided will take place.

25 I will crush the Assyrians in my land. On my mountains I will walk all over them. The yokes they put on my people will be removed. The heavy load they put on their shoulders will be taken away."

26 That's how the LORD carries out his plan all over the world. That's how he reaches out his powerful hand to punish all of the nations.

27 The LORD who rules over all has planned it. Who can stop him? He has reached out his powerful hand. Who can keep him from using it?

28 A message came to me from the LORD in the year King Ahaz died. The LORD said,

29 "The rod of Assyria has struck all of you Philistines. But do not be glad that it is broken. That rod is like a snake that will produce an even more poisonous snake. It will produce a darting, poisonous serpent.

30 Even the poorest people in Israel will have plenty to eat. Those who are in need will lie down in safety. But I will destroy your families. They will die of hunger. I will kill any of them who are still left alive.

31 "Cities of Philistia, cry out for help! Scream in pain! All of you Philistines, melt away in fear! An army is coming from the north in a cloud of dust. No one in its ranks is falling behind.

32 What answer should be given to the messengers from that nation? Tell them, 'The LORD has made Zion secure. His suffering people will find safety there.' "

1 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Moab. The city of Ar in Moab is destroyed. It happened in a single night. Kir in Moab is also destroyed. It happened in a single night.

2 The people of Dibon go up to their temple to worship. They go to their high places to sob. The people of Moab cry over the cities of Nebo and Medeba. All of their heads are shaved. All of their beards have been cut off.

3 In the streets they wear black clothes. On their roofs and in the market places all of them are crying. They fall down flat with their faces toward the ground. And they sob.

4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out. Their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz. So the fighting men of Moab cry out. Their hearts are weak.

5 My heart cries out over Moab. Some who run away get as far as Zoar. Others run all the way to Eglath Shelishiyah. Others go up the road to Luhith. They are sobbing as they go. Still others travel the road to Horonaim. They sing a song of sadness because their town is being destroyed.

6 The waters at Nimrim are dried up. And so is the grass. The plants have died. Nothing green is left.

7 The people are trying to escape through the Valley of the Poplar Trees. They are carrying with them the wealth they have collected and stored up.

8 Their loud cries echo along the border of Moab. They reach as far as Eglaim. Their songs of sadness reach all the way to Beer Elim.

9 The waters of the city of Dimon are full of blood. But the LORD will bring even more trouble on Dimon. He will bring lions against those who run away from Moab. They will also attack those who remain in the land.

1 People of Moab, send lambs as a gift to the ruler of Judah. Send them from Sela. Send them across the desert. Send them to Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem.

2 The women of Moab are at the places where people go across the Arnon River. They are like birds that flap their wings when they are pushed from their nest.

3 The Moabites say to the rulers of Judah, "Give us advice. Make a decision. Cover us with your shadow. Make it like night even at noon. Hide those of us who are running away. Don't turn them over to their enemies.

4 Let those who have run away from Moab stay with you. Keep them safe from those who are trying to destroy them." Those who crush others will be destroyed. The killing will stop. The attackers will disappear from the earth.

5 A man from the royal house of David will sit on Judah's throne. He will rule with faithful love. When he judges he will do what is fair. He will be quick to do what is right.

6 We have heard all about Moab's pride. We have heard how very proud they are. They think they are so much better than others. They brag about themselves. But all of their bragging is nothing but empty words.

7 So the people of Moab cry out. All of them cry over their country. Sing a song of sadness. Sob over the men of Kir Hareseth.

8 The vineyards of Heshbon dry up. So do the vines of Sibmah. The rulers of the nations have walked all over its finest vines. Those vines once reached as far as Jazer. They spread out toward the desert. Their new growth went all the way to the Dead Sea.

9 Jazer sobs over the vines of Sibmah. And so do I. Heshbon and Elealeh, I soak you with my tears! There isn't any ripe fruit for people to shout about. There isn't any harvest to make them happy.

10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards. No one sings or shouts in the vineyards. No one stomps on grapes at the winepresses. That's because the LORD has put an end to the shouting.

11 My heart sobs over Moab like a song of sadness played on a harp. Deep down inside me I sob over Kir Hareseth.

12 Moab's people go to their high place to pray. But all they do is wear themselves out. Their god Chemosh can't help them at all.

13 That's the message the LORD has already spoken about Moab.

14 But now he says, "In exactly three years, people will look down on Moab's glory. Now Moab has many people. But by that time only a few of them will be left alive. And even they will be weak."

1 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Damascus. He said, "Damascus will not be a city anymore. Instead, all of its buildings will be knocked down.

2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted. They will be left to the flocks that lie down there. No one will make them afraid.

3 Ephraim's people will no longer have cities with high walls around them. Royal power will disappear from Damascus. Those who are left alive in Aram will be like the glory of the people of Israel," announces the LORD who rules over all.

4 "In days to come, the glory of Jacob's people will fade. Their strength will get weaker and weaker.

5 It will be as when a worker cuts and gathers grain in the Valley of Rephaim. He gathers up stalks with his arms. Only a few heads of grain are left.

6 In the same way, only a few people will be left alive. It will be as when workers knock olives off the trees. Only two or three olives are left on the highest branches. Four or five at most are left on the limbs that produce fruit," announces the Lord, the God of Israel.

7 In days to come, men will look to their Maker for help. They will turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.

8 They won't trust in the altars they made with their own hands. They won't pay any attention to the poles they used to worship the goddess Asherah. And they won't depend on the incense altars they made with their own fingers.

9 At that time the strong cities in Israel will be deserted. They will be as they were when the Israelites drove the Canaanites out of them. They will be like places that are taken over by bushes and weeds. The whole land will become dry and empty.

10 Israel, you have forgotten God, who saves you. You have not remembered the Rock, who keeps you safe. You might set out the finest plants. You might plant vines from other lands.

11 The plants might start to grow on the day you set them out. The vines might begin to bud on the morning you plant them. But even if they do, there won't be any harvest. Instead, there will be sickness and pain that won't go away.

12 How terrible it looks for us! Many nations are marching against us. The noise of their armies is like the sound of the ocean. They are making a lot of noise. It sounds like huge waves crashing on the shore.

13 It sounds like the roar of rushing waters. But when the LORD speaks out against them, they run far away. The wind blows them away like straw on the hills. A strong wind drives them along like tumbleweeds.

14 In the evening, the nations terrify us. But before morning comes, they are gone. That's what happens to those who steal our goods. That's what happens to those who take what belongs to us.

1 How terrible it will be for the land whose armies are like large numbers of flying insects! That land is along the rivers of Cush.

2 Its people send messengers on the Nile River. They travel over the water in papyrus boats. Messengers, hurry back home! Go back to your people, who are tall and have smooth skin. Everyone is afraid of them. They are warriors. Their language is different from ours. Their land is divided up by rivers.

3 Pay attention, all you people of the world! Listen, all you who live on earth! Banners will be lifted up on the mountains. And you will see them. Trumpets will be blown. And you will hear them.

4 The LORD says to me, "I will look down from heaven, where I live. I will be as quiet as summer heat in the sunshine. I will be as quiet as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."

5 A farmer cuts off new growth with pruning knives. He cuts down spreading branches and takes them away. He does it before the grapes are harvested. That's when the blooms are gone and the grapes are ripe. In the same way, the LORD will cut off the nations that are gathered against his people.

6 Their dead bodies will be left for the birds of the mountains to eat. They will be left for the wild animals. The birds will eat the dead bodies all summer long. The wild animals will eat them all through the winter.

7 At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD who rules over all. The people who are tall and have smooth skin will bring them. Everyone is afraid of those people. They are warriors. Their language is different from ours. Their land is divided up by rivers. They will bring their gifts to Mount Zion. That's where the LORD who rules over all has put his Name.

1 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Egypt. The LORD is coming to Egypt. He's riding on a cloud that moves very fast. The statues of the gods in Egypt tremble with fear because of him. The hearts of the people there melt away inside them.

2 The LORD says, "I will stir up one Egyptian against another. Relatives will fight against relatives. Neighbors will fight against one another. Cities will fight against cities. Kingdoms will fight against one another.

3 The people of Egypt will lose hope. I will keep them from doing what they plan to do. They will ask their gods for advice. They will turn to the spirits of dead people for help. They will go to people who get messages from those who have died. They will ask for advice from people who talk to the spirits of the dead.

4 I will hand the Egyptians over to a mean and unkind master. A powerful king will rule over them," announces the Lord. He is the LORD who rules over all.

5 The waters of the Nile River will dry up. The bottom of it will be cracked and dry.

6 Its waterways will stink. And the streams of Egypt will get smaller and smaller until they dry up. The tall grass that grows along the river will dry up.

7 So will the plants along the banks of the Nile. Even the planted fields along the Nile will dry up. Everything that grows there will blow away and disappear.

8 The fishermen will moan. All those who drop hooks into the Nile will sob. Those who throw their nets on the water will become very sad.

9 Those who make clothes out of flax will lose hope. So will those who weave fine linen.

10 Those who work with cloth will be unhappy. And all those who work for money will be sick at heart.

11 The officials of the city of Zoan are very foolish. Pharaoh's wise men give advice that doesn't make any sense. How can they dare to say to Pharaoh, "We're among the wise men"? How can they say to him, "We're like the advisers to the kings of long ago"?

12 Pharaoh, where are your wise men now? Let them tell you what the LORD who rules over all has planned against Egypt.

13 The officials of Zoan have become foolish. The leaders of Memphis have been lied to. The most important leaders in Egypt have led its people down the wrong path.

14 The LORD has given them a spirit that makes them feel dizzy. They make Egypt unsteady in everything it does. Egypt is like a person who drinks too much. He throws up and then walks around in the mess he's made.

15 No one in Egypt can do anything to help them. Its elders and important leaders can't help them. Its prophets and priests can't do anything. Those who rule over others can't help. And those who bow down to them can't help either.

16 In days to come, the people of Egypt will be as terrified as women. The LORD who rules over all will raise his hand against them. Then they will tremble with fear.

17 The people of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians. Everyone in Egypt who hears the name of Judah will be terrified. That's because of what the LORD who rules over all is planning to do to them.

18 At that time the people of five cities in Egypt will use the Hebrew language when they worship the LORD who rules over all. They will take an oath. And they will promise to be faithful to him. One of those cities is called The City of the Sun.

19 At that time there will be an altar to the LORD in the middle of Egypt. There will be a monument to him at its border.

20 They will remind people that the LORD who rules over all is worshiped in Egypt. The people there will cry out to the LORD because of those who treat them badly. He will send someone to stand up for them and save them. And he will set them free.

21 So the LORD will make himself known to the people of Egypt. At that time they will recognize that he is the Lord. They will worship him by bringing sacrifices and grain offerings to him. They will make promises to the Lord. And they will keep them.

22 The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague. But then he will heal them. They will turn to the Lord. And he will answer their prayers and heal them.

23 At that time there will be a wide road from Egypt to Assyria. The people of Assyria will go to Egypt. And the people of Egypt will go to Assyria. The people of Egypt and Assyria will worship the LORD together.

24 At that time Egypt, Assyria and Israel will be a blessing to the whole earth.

25 The LORD who rules over all will bless those three nations. He will say, "Let the Egyptians be blessed. They are my people. Let the Assyrians be blessed. My hands created them. And let the Israelites be blessed. They are my very own people."

1 Sargon sent his highest commander to the city of Ashdod. He attacked it and captured it. Sargon was king of Assyria.

2 Three years earlier the LORD had spoken to me. He had said, "Take off the black clothes you are wearing. And take your sandals off." So I did. I went around barefoot. I didn't have anything on but my underwear.

3 After Ashdod was captured, the LORD said, "My servant Isaiah has gone around barefoot for three years. He has not worn anything but his underwear. He is a sign and reminder to Egypt and Cush about what will happen to them.

4 "The king of Assyria will lead prisoners away from Egypt and Cush. Young people and old people alike will be taken away. Like Isaiah, they will be barefoot. They will not be wearing anything but their underwear. And their backsides will be bare. So the Egyptians will be put to shame.

5 "People trusted in Cush to help them. They bragged about what Egypt could do for them. But they will be afraid and put to shame.

6 At that time the people who live on the coast of Philistia will speak up. They will say, 'See what has happened to those we depended on! We ran to them for help. We wanted them to save us from the king of Assyria. Now how can we escape?' "

1 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Babylonia. It is known as the Desert by the Two Rivers. An attack is coming through the desert. It is coming from a land of terror. It's sweeping along like a windstorm blowing across the Negev Desert.

2 I have seen a vision about something terrible that will happen. People are turning against Babylon. Robbers are taking its goods. Elamites, attack the city! Medes, surround it! The LORD will put an end to all of the suffering Babylon has caused.

3 The vision fills my body with pain. Pains take hold of me. They are like the pains of a woman having a baby. I am shaken by what I hear. I'm terrified by what I see.

4 My heart grows weak. Fear makes me tremble. I longed for evening to come. But it brought me horror instead of rest.

5 In my vision the Babylonians set the tables. They spread the rugs out. They eat. They drink. Get up, you officers! Rub your shields with oil!

6 The Lord said to me, "Go. Put a guard on duty on Jerusalem's walls. Have him report what he sees.

7 Tell him to watch for chariots that are pulled by teams of horses. Tell him to watch for men riding on donkeys or camels. Make sure he stays awake. Make sure he stays wide awake."

8 "My master!" the guard shouts back. "Day after day I stand here on the lookout tower. Every night I stay here on duty.

9 Look! Here comes a man in a chariot! It's being pulled by a team of horses. He's calling out the news, 'Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! All of the statues of its gods lie broken in pieces on the ground!' "

10 My people, you have been crushed like grain on a threshing floor. But now I'm telling you the good news I've heard. It comes from the LORD who rules over all. He is the God of Israel.

11 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Edom. Someone is calling out to me from the land of Seir. He says, "Guard, when will the night be over? Guard, how soon will it end?"

12 The guard answers, "Morning is coming. But the night will return. If you want to ask again, come back and ask."

13 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Arabia. He told me to give orders to traders from Dedan. They were camping in the bushes of Arabia.

14 I told them to bring water for those who are thirsty. I also gave orders to those who live in Tema. I told them to bring food for those who are running away.

15 They are running away from where the fighting is heaviest. That's where the swords are ready to strike. That's where the bows are ready to shoot.

16 The Lord says to me, "In exactly one year, Kedar's grand show of power will come to an end.

17 Only a few of Kedar's soldiers who shoot arrows will be left alive." The LORD has spoken. He is the God of Israel.

1 Here is a message the LORD gave me about the Valley of Vision. People of Jerusalem, what's the matter with you? Why have all of you gone up on the roofs of your houses?

2 Why is your town so full of noise? Why is your city so full of the sound of wild parties? Those among you who died weren't killed with swords. They didn't die in battle.

3 All of your leaders have run away. They've been captured without a single arrow being shot. All those who were caught were taken away as prisoners. They ran off while your enemies were still far away.

4 So I said, "Leave me alone. Let me sob bitter tears. Don't try to comfort me. My people have been destroyed."

5 The LORD who rules over all sent the noise of battle against you. The Lord brought disorder and terror to the Valley of Vision. The walls of the city were knocked down. Cries for help were heard in the mountains.

6 Soldiers from Elam came armed with bows and arrows. They came with their chariots and horses. Soldiers from Kir got their shields ready.

7 Your rich valleys filled up with chariots. Horsemen took up their battle positions at your city gates.

8 Judah wasn't a safe place to live in anymore. When all of that happened, you depended on the weapons in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

9 You saw that the City of David had many holes in its walls. They needed to be repaired. You stored up water in the Lower Pool.

10 You picked out the weaker buildings in Jerusalem. You tore them down and used their stones to strengthen the city walls against attack.

11 You built a pool between the two walls. You used it to save the water that was running down from the Old Pool. But you didn't look to the One who made it all possible. You didn't pay any attention to the One who planned everything long ago.

12 The LORD who rules over all called out to you at that time. The Lord told you to sob and cry. He told you to tear your hair out. And he told you to put black clothes on.

13 Instead, you are enjoying yourselves at wild parties! You are killing cattle and sheep. You are eating their meat and drinking wine. You are saying, "Let's eat and drink, because tomorrow we'll die."

14 I heard the LORD who rules over all speaking. "Your sin can never be paid for as long as you people live," says the Lord.

15 The LORD who rules over all speaks. The Lord says, "Go. Speak to the head servant Shebna. He is in charge of the palace. Tell him,

16 'What are you doing here outside the city? Who allowed you to cut out a tomb for yourself here? Who said you could carve out your grave on the hillside? Who allowed you to cut out your resting place in the rock?

17 " 'Watch out, you mighty man! The LORD is about to grab hold of you. He is about to throw you away.

18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball. He will throw you into a very large country. There you will die. And there the chariots you are so proud of will remain. You bring shame on your master's family!

19 The LORD will remove you from your job. You will be brought down from your high position.

20 " 'At that time he will send for his servant Eliakim. He is the son of Hilkiah.

21 The LORD will put your robe on Eliakim. He will tie your belt around him. He will hand your authority over to him. Eliakim will be like a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah.

22 " 'The LORD will give Eliakim the key of authority in David's royal house. No one can shut what he opens. And no one can open what he shuts.

23 The LORD will set him firmly in place like a peg that is driven into a wall. He will hold a position of honor in his family.

24 The good name of his whole family will depend on him. They will be like bowls and jars hanging on a peg.

25 " 'But a new day is coming,' " announces the LORD who rules over all. " 'At that time the peg that was driven into the wall will give way. It will break off and fall down. And the heavy load hanging on it will also fall.' " The LORD has spoken.

1 Here is a message the LORD gave me about Tyre. Men in the ships of Tarshish, cry out! The city of Tyre is destroyed. Its houses and harbor are gone. That's the message you have received from the island of Cyprus.

2 People on the island of Tyre, be silent. Traders from the city of Sidon, be quiet. Those who sail on the Mediterranean Sea have made you rich.

3 Grain from Egypt came across the mighty waters. The harvest of the Nile River brought wealth to Tyre. It became the market place of the nations.

4 Sidon, be ashamed. Mighty Tyre out in the sea, be ashamed. The sea has spoken. It has said, "It's as if I had never felt labor pains or had children. It's as if I had never brought up sons or daughters. It's as if the city of Tyre had never existed.

5 The Egyptians will hear about what has happened to Tyre. They'll be very sad and troubled.

6 People of the island of Tyre, cry out! Go across the sea to Tarshish.

7 Just look at Tyre. It's no longer the old, old city that was known for its wild parties. It no longer sends its people out to settle in lands far away.

8 Tyre was a city that produced kings. Its traders were princes. They were honored all over the earth. So who planned to destroy such a city?

9 The LORD who rules over all planned to do it. He wanted to bring down all of its pride and glory. He wanted to put to shame those who were honored all over the earth.

10 People of Tarshish, spread out over your land like the waters of the Nile. There isn't anything to hold you back anymore.

11 The LORD has reached his powerful hand out over the sea. He has made its kingdoms tremble with fear. He has given a command concerning Phoenicia. He has ordered that its forts be destroyed.

12 He said, "No more wild parties for you! People of Sidon, you are now destroyed! "Leave your city. Go across the sea to Cyprus. Even there you will not find any rest."

13 Look at the land of the Babylonians. No one lives there anymore. The Assyrians have turned it into a place for desert creatures. They built their towers in order to attack it. They took everything out of its forts. They knocked all of its buildings down.

14 Men in the ships of Tarshish, cry out! Mighty Tyre is destroyed

15 A time is coming when people will forget about Tyre for 70 years. That's the length of a king's life. But at the end of those 70 years, Tyre will be like the prostitute that people sing about. They say,

16 "Forgotten prostitute, pick up a harp. Walk through the city. Play the harp well. Sing many songs. Then you will be remembered."

17 At the end of the 70 years, the LORD will punish Tyre. He will let it return to its way of life as a prostitute. It will earn its living with all of the kingdoms on the face of the earth.

18 But the money it earns will be set apart for the Lord. The money won't be stored up or kept for Tyre. Instead, it will go to those who live the way the LORD wants them to. It will pay for plenty of food and fine clothes for them.

1 The LORD is going to completely destroy everything on earth. He will twist its surface. He'll scatter those who live on it.

2 Priests and people alike will suffer. So will masters and their servants. And so will women and their female servants. Sellers and buyers alike will suffer. So will those who borrow and those who lend. And so will those who owe money and those who lend it.

3 The earth will be completely destroyed. Everything of value will be taken out of it. That's what the LORD has said.

4 The earth will dry up completely. The world will dry up and waste away. The most important people on earth will fade away.

5 The earth is polluted by its people. They haven't obeyed the laws of the Lord. They haven't done what he told them to do. They've broken the covenant that will last forever.

6 So the LORD will send a curse on the earth. Its people will pay for what they've done. They will be burned up. Very few of them will be left.

7 The vines and fresh wine will dry up completely. Those who used to have a good time will groan.

8 The happy sounds of tambourines will be gone. The noise of those who enjoy wild parties will stop. The joyful music of harps will become silent.

9 People will no longer sing as they drink wine. Beer will taste bitter to those who drink it.

10 Destroyed cities will lie empty. People will lock themselves inside their houses.

11 In the streets people will cry out for wine. All joy will turn into sadness. All happiness will be driven out of the earth.

12 All of the buildings will be knocked down. Every city gate will be smashed to pieces.

13 That's how it will be on the earth. And that's how it will be among the nations. It will be as when workers knock all but a few olives off the trees. It will be like a vine that has only a few grapes left after the harvest.

14 Those who are left alive will shout with joy. People from the west will praise the LORD because he is the King.

15 So give glory to him, you who live in the east. Honor the name of the Lord, you who are in the islands of the sea. He is the God of Israel.

16 From one end of the earth to the other we hear singing. People are saying, "Give glory to the One who always does what is right." But I said, "I feel very bad. I'm getting weaker and weaker. How terrible it is for me! People turn against one another. They can't be trusted. So they turn against each other."

17 People of the earth, terror, a pit and a trap are waiting for you.

18 Anyone who runs away from the terror will fall into the pit. Anyone who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap. The LORD will open the windows of the skies. He will flood the land. The foundations of the earth will shake.

19 The earth will be broken up. It will split open. It will be shaken to pieces.

20 The earth will be unsteady like someone who is drunk. It will sway like a tent in the wind. Its sin will weigh so heavily on it that it will fall. It will never get up again.

21 At that time the LORD will punish the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens above. He will also punish the kings on the earth below.

22 They will be brought together like prisoners in chains. They'll be locked up in prison. After many days the LORD will punish them.

23 The LORD who rules over all will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The elders of the city will be there. They will see his glory. His rule will be so glorious that the sun and moon will be too ashamed to shine.

1 LORD, you are my God. I will honor you. I will praise your name. You have been perfectly faithful. You have done wonderful things. You had planned them long ago.

2 You have turned cities into piles of trash. You have pulled down the high walls that were around them. You have destroyed our enemies' forts. They will never be rebuilt.

3 Powerful nations will honor you. Even sinful people from their cities will have respect for you.

4 Poor people have come to you for safety. You have kept needy people safe when they were in trouble. You have been a place to hide when storms came. You have been a shade from the heat of the sun. Evil people attack us. They are like a storm beating against a wall.

5 They are like the heat of the desert. You stopped the noisy shouts of our enemies. You kept them from winning the battle over us and singing about it. You are like the shadow of a cloud that cools the earth.

6 On Mount Zion the LORD who rules over all will prepare a feast for all of the nations. The best and richest foods and the finest aged wines will be served.

7 On that mountain the LORD will destroy the veil of sadness that covers all of the nations. He will destroy the gloom that is spread over everyone.

8 He will swallow up death forever. The LORD and King will wipe away the tears from everyone's face. He will remove the shame of his people from the whole earth. The LORD has spoken.

9 At that time they will say, "He is our God. We trusted in him, and he saved us. He is the Lord. We trusted in him. Let us be filled with joy because he saved us."

10 The LORD's powerful hand will keep Mount Zion safe. But he will walk all over Moab. Its people will be crushed, just as straw is crushed in animal waste.

11 They will try to swim their way out of it. They will spread their hands out in it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim. But God will bring down Moab's pride. None of their skill will help them.

12 He will pull down their high, strong walls. He will bring them down to the ground. He'll bring them right down to the dust.

1 At that time a song will be sung in the land of Judah. It will say, "We have a strong city. God's saving power surrounds it like walls and towers.

2 Open its gates so that those who do what is right can enter. They are the people who remain faithful to God.

3 Lord, you will give perfect peace to anyone who commits himself to be faithful to you. That's because he trusts in you.

4 "Trust in the LORD forever. The LORD is the Rock. The LORD will keep us safe forever.

5 He brings down those who are proud. He pulls down cities that have high walls. They fall down flat on the ground. He throws them down to the dust.

6 The feet of those who were crushed stomp on them. Those who were helpless walk all over them."

7 Lord, you are honest and fair. You guide those who do what is right. You lead them on a straight path. You make their way smooth.

8 Lord, we are living the way your laws command us to live. We are waiting for you to act. Our hearts long for you to be true to your name. That's what you are known for.

9 My heart longs for you at night. My spirit longs for you in the morning. You will come and judge the earth. Then the people of the world will learn to do what is right.

10 Grace is shown to sinful people. But they still don't learn to do what is right. They keep on doing evil even in a land where others are honest and fair. They don't have any respect for the majesty of the Lord.

11 Lord, you have raised your hand high to punish them. But they don't even see it. Let them see how much you love your people. Then they will be put to shame. Let the fire you are saving for your enemies burn them up.

12 Lord, you give us peace. You are the one who has done everything we've accomplished.

13 Lord, you are our God. Other masters besides you have ruled over us. But your name is the only one we honor.

14 Those other masters are now dead. They will never live again. Their spirits won't rise from the dead. You punished them and destroyed them. You wiped out all memory of them.

15 Lord, you have made our nation grow. You have made it larger. You have gained glory for yourself. You have increased the size of our land.

16 Lord, when your people were suffering, they came to you. When you punished them, they could barely whisper a prayer.

17 Lord, you made us like a woman who is having a baby. She groans and cries out in pain.

18 We were pregnant. We groaned with pain. But nothing was born. We didn't bring your saving power to the earth. We didn't give life to the people of the world.

19 Israel, those among you who have died will live again. Their bodies will rise from the dead. You who lie in the grave, wake up and shout with joy. The dew of the morning gives life to the earth. So the earth will give up its dead people.

20 My people, go into your houses. Shut the doors behind you. Hide yourselves for a little while. Do it until the LORD's anger is over.

21 He is coming from the place where he lives. He will punish the people of the earth for their sins. The blood that has been spilled on the earth will be brought out into the open. The ground will no longer hide those who have been killed.

1 At that time the LORD will punish Leviathan with his sword. His great, powerful and deadly sword will punish the serpent that glides through the sea. He will kill that twisting sea monster.

2 At that time the LORD will sing about his fruitful vineyard. He will say,

3 "I am the Lord. I watch over my vineyard. I water it all the time. I guard it day and night. I do it so no one can harm it.

4 I am not angry with my vineyard. I wish thorns and bushes would come up in it. Then I would march out against them in battle. I would set all of them on fire.

5 So the enemies of my people had better come to me for safety. They should make peace with me. I will say it again. They should make peace with me."

6 In days to come, Jacob's people will put down roots like a vine. Israel will bud and bloom. They will fill the whole world with fruit.

7 The LORD struck down those who struck Israel down. But he hasn't punished Israel as much. The LORD killed those who killed many of his people. But he hasn't punished his people as much.

8 The LORD will use war to punish Israel. He will make them leave their land. With a strong blast of his anger he will drive them out. It will be as if the east wind were blowing.

9 The people of Jacob will have to pay for their sin. That must happen in order for their sin to be taken away. They will make all of the altar stones like chalk. They will crush them to pieces. No poles that had been used to worship the goddess Asherah will be left standing. No incense altars will be left either.

10 Cities that have high walls around them will become empty. They will be deserted settlements. They will be like a desert. Calves will eat and lie down in them. They will strip the branches of their trees bare.

11 When their twigs are dry, they will be broken off. Then women will come and make fires with them. The people of Jacob don't understand the Lord. So the One who made them won't be concerned about them. Their Creator won't show them his favor.

12 At that time the LORD will separate Israel from other people. He will gather the Israelites together. He will gather them one by one from the Euphrates River all the way to the Wadi of Egypt.

13 At that time a loud trumpet will be blown. Those who were dying in Assyria will come and worship the Lord. So will those who were taken away to Egypt. All of them will worship the LORD on his holy mountain in Jerusalem.

1 How terrible it will be for the city of Samaria! It sits on a hill like a crown of flowers. The leaders of Ephraim are drunk. They take pride in their city. It sits above a valley that has rich soil. How terrible it will be for the glorious beauty of that fading flower!

2 The Lord will bring the strong and powerful king of Assyria against Samaria. The Lord will throw that city down to the ground with great force. It will be like a hailstorm. It will be like a wind that destroys everything. It will be like a driving rain and a flooding storm.

3 That city is like a crown. The leaders of Ephraim are drunk. They take pride in their city. But its enemies will walk all over it.

4 It sits on a hill above a rich valley. It's like a crown of flowers whose glorious beauty is fading away. But it will become like a fig that is ripe before harvest. As soon as someone sees it, he picks it and swallows it.

5 At that time the LORD who rules over all will be like a glorious crown. He will be like a beautiful wreath for those of his people who will be left alive.

6 He will help those who are fair when they judge. He will give strength to those who turn back their enemies at the city gate.

7 Israel's leaders are drunk from wine. They can't walk straight. They are drunk from beer. They are unsteady on their feet. Priests and prophets drink beer. They can't walk straight. They are mixed up from drinking too much wine. They drink too much beer. They are unsteady on their feet. The prophets see visions but don't really understand them. The priests aren't able to make good decisions.

8 They throw up. All of the tables are covered with the mess they've made. There isn't one spot on the tables that isn't smelly and dirty.

9 My people are making fun of me. They say, "Who does he think he's trying to teach? Who does he think he's explaining his message to? Is it to children who do not need their mother's milk anymore? Is it to those who have just been taken from her breast?

10 Here is how he teaches. Do this and do that. Do that and do this. Obey this rule and obey that rule. Obey that rule and obey this rule. Learn a little here and learn a little there."

11 All right then, these people won't listen to me. So God will speak to them. He will speak by using people who speak unfamiliar languages. He will speak by using the mouths of strangers.

12 He said to his people, "I am offering you a resting place. Let those who are tired rest." He continued, "I am offering you a place of peace and quiet." But they wouldn't listen.

13 So then, here is what the LORD's message will become to them. Do this and do that. Do that and do this. Obey this rule and obey that rule. Obey that rule and obey this rule. Learn a little here and learn a little there. So when they try to go forward, they'll fall back and be wounded. They'll be trapped and captured.

14 Listen to the LORD's message, you who make fun of the truth. Listen, you who rule over these people in Jerusalem.

15 You brag, "We have entered into a covenant with death. We have made an agreement with the grave. When a terrible plague comes to punish us, it can't touch us. That's because we depend on lies to keep us safe. We hide behind what isn't true."

16 So the LORD and King speaks. He says, "Look! I am laying a stone in Zion. It is a stone that has been tested. It is the most important stone for a firm foundation. The one who trusts in that stone will never be shaken.

17 I will use a measuring line to prove that you have not been fair. I will use a plumb line to prove that you have not done what is right. Hail will sweep away the lies you depend on to keep you safe. Water will flood your hiding place.

18 Your covenant with death will be called off. The agreement you made with the grave will not stand. When the terrible plague comes to punish you, you will be beaten down by it.

19 As often as it comes, it will carry you away. Morning after morning, day and night, it will come to punish you." If you understand this message, it will bring you absolute terror.

20 You will be like someone whose bed is too short to lie down on. You will be like those whose blankets are too small to wrap themselves in.

21 The LORD will rise up to judge, just as he did at Mount Perazim. He will get up to act, just as he did in the Valley of Gibeon. He'll do his work, but it will be strange work. He'll carry out his task, but it will be an unexpected one.

22 Now stop making fun of me. If you don't, your chains will become heavier. The LORD who rules over all has spoken to me. The Lord has told me he has ordered that the whole land be destroyed.

23 Listen and hear my voice. Pay attention to what I'm saying.

24 When a farmer plows in order to plant, does he plow without stopping? Does he keep on breaking up the soil and making the field level?

25 When he's made the surface even, doesn't he plant caraway seeds? Doesn't he scatter cummin? Doesn't he plant wheat in its proper place? Doesn't he plant barley where it belongs? Doesn't he plant spelt along the edge of the field?

26 His God directs him. He teaches him the right way to do his work.

27 Caraway seeds are beaten out with a rod. They aren't separated out under a threshing sled. Cummin seeds are beaten out with a stick. The wheel of a cart isn't rolled over them.

28 Grain must be ground up to make bread. A farmer separates it out. But he doesn't go on doing it forever. He drives the wheels of a threshing cart over it. But he doesn't let the horses grind it to dust.

29 All of those insights come from the LORD who rules over all. His advice is wonderful. His wisdom is glorious.

1 Jerusalem, how terrible it will be for you! Ariel, you are the city where David settled. The years will come and go. Keep on celebrating your regular feasts.

2 The LORD says, "Ariel, I will surround you. Jerusalem, I will get ready to attack you. Your people will sob. They will sing songs of sadness. I will make you like the front of an altar that is covered with blood.

3 I will be like an army that is camped against you on all sides. I will surround you with towers in order to attack you. I will build my ramps all around you and set up my ladders.

4 You will be brought down to the grave. You will speak from deep down inside the ground. Your words will be barely heard out of the dust. Your voice will sound like the voice of a ghost coming from under the ground. Your words will sound like a whisper out of the dust."

5 Jerusalem, all of your enemies will become like fine dust. Their terrifying armies will become like straw that the wind blows away. All of a sudden, in an instant,

6 the LORD who rules over all will come. He will come with thunder, earthquakes and a lot of noise. He'll bring windstorms and rainstorms with him. He'll send a blazing fire that will burn everything up.

7 Armies from all of the nations will fight against Ariel. They will attack it and its fort. They'll surround it completely. But suddenly those armies will disappear like a dream. They will vanish like a vision in the night.

8 They will be like a hungry person who dreams he is eating. But when he wakes up, he's still hungry. They will be like a thirsty person who dreams he is drinking. But when he wakes up, he is weak. His thirst hasn't been satisfied. In the same way, the armies from all of the nations that fight against Mount Zion will disappear.

9 People of Jerusalem, be shocked and amazed. Make yourselves blind so you can't see anything. Get drunk, but not from wine. Be unsteady on your feet, but not because of beer.

10 The LORD has made you fall into a deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets. He has covered the heads of your seers so they can't see.

11 For you, this whole vision is like words that are sealed up in a scroll. Suppose you give it to someone who can read. And suppose you say to him, "Please read this for us." Then he'll answer, "I can't. It's sealed up."

12 Or suppose you give the scroll to someone who can't read. And suppose you say, "Please read this for us." Then he'll answer, "I don't know how to read."

13 The Lord says, "These people worship me only with their words. They honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me. Their worship doesn't mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.

14 So once more I will shock these people with many wonderful acts. I will destroy the wisdom of those who think they are so wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart."

15 How terrible it will be for people who do everything they can to hide their plans from the LORD! They do their work in darkness. They think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"

16 They turn everything upside down. How silly they are to think that potters are like the clay they work with! Can what is made say to the one who made it, "You didn't make me"? Can the pot say to the potter, "You don't know anything"?

17 In a very short time, Lebanon will be turned into rich farm lands. The rich farm lands will seem like a forest.

18 At that time those who can't hear will hear what is read from the scroll. Those who are blind will come out of gloom and darkness. They will be able to see.

19 Those who aren't proud will once again find their joy in the Lord. And those who are in need will find their joy in the Holy One of Israel.

20 Those who don't show any pity will vanish. Those who make fun of others will disappear. All those who look for ways to do what is evil will be cut off.

21 Without any proof, they claim that a man is guilty. In court they try to trap the one who speaks up for others. By using dishonest witnesses they keep those who aren't guilty from being treated fairly.

22 Long ago the LORD saved Abraham from trouble. Now he says to Jacob's people, "You will not be ashamed anymore. Your faces will no longer grow pale with fear.

23 You will see your children living among you. I myself will give you those children. Then you will honor my name. You will recognize how holy I am. I am the Holy One of Jacob. You will have great respect for me. I am the God of Israel.

24 I will give understanding to you who find yourselves going down the wrong path. You who are always speaking against others will accept what I teach you."

1 "How terrible it will be for these stubborn children of mine!" announces the Lord. "How terrible for those who carry out plans that did not come from me! Their agreement with Egypt did not come from my Spirit. So they pile up one sin on top of another.

2 They go down to Egypt without asking me for advice. They look to Pharaoh to help them. They ask Egypt to keep them safe.

3 But looking to Pharaoh will only bring them shame. Asking Egypt for help will bring them dishonor.

4 Their officials have gone to the city of Zoan. Their messengers have arrived in Hanes.

5 But the people of Judah will be put to shame because they are trusting in a nation that is useless to them. Egypt will not bring them any help or advantage. Instead, it will bring them shame and dishonor."

6 Here is a message the LORD gave me about the animals in the Negev Desert. Judah's messengers carry their riches on the backs of donkeys. They carry their treasures on the humps of camels. They travel through a land of danger and suffering. It's a land that is filled with lions. Poisonous snakes are also there. The messengers travel to a nation that can't do them any good.

7 They travel to Egypt, whose help is totally useless. That's why I call it Rahab the Do-Nothing.

8 The LORD said to me, "Go now. Write on a tablet for the people of Judah what I am about to say. Also write it on a scroll. In days to come it will be a witness that lasts forever.

9 The people of Judah refuse to obey me. They are children who tell lies. They will not listen to what I want to teach them.

10 They say to the seers, 'Don't see any more visions!' They say to the prophets, 'Don't give us any more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy things we want to hear even if they aren't true.

11 Get out of our way! Get off our path! Keep the Holy One of Israel away from us!' "

12 So the Holy One of Israel speaks. He says, "You have turned your backs on what I have said. You have depended on telling people lies. You have crushed others.

13 Those sins are like cracks in a high wall. They get bigger and bigger. Suddenly the wall breaks apart. Then it quickly falls down.

14 It breaks into small pieces like a clay pot. It breaks up completely. Not one piece is left big enough for taking coals from a fireplace. Not one piece is left for dipping water out of a well."

15 The LORD and King is the Holy One of Israel. He says, "You will find peace and rest when you turn away from your sins and depend on me. You will receive the strength you need when you stay calm and trust in me. But you do not want to do what I tell you to.

16 You said, 'No. We'll escape on horses.' So you will have to escape! You said, 'We'll ride off on fast horses.' So those who chase you will use faster horses!

17 When one of them dares you to fight, a thousand of you will run away. When five of them dare you, all of you will run away. So few of you will be left that you will be like a flagpole on top of a mountain. You will be like only one banner on a hill."

18 But the LORD longs to show you his favor. He wants to give you his tender love. The LORD is a God who is always fair. Blessed are all those who wait for him to act!

19 People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you won't sob anymore. When you cry out to the Lord for help, he will show you his favor. As soon as he hears you, he'll answer you.

20 He might treat you like prisoners. You might eat the bread of trouble. You might drink the water of suffering. But he will be your Teacher. He won't hide himself anymore. You will see him with your own eyes.

21 You will hear your Teacher's voice behind you. You will hear it whether you turn to the right or the left. It will say, "Here is the path I want you to take. So walk on it."

22 Then you will get rid of the silver statues of your gods. You won't have anything to do with the gold statues either. All of them are "unclean." So you will throw them away like dirty rags. You will say to them, "Get away from us!"

23 The LORD will send rain on the seeds you plant in the ground. The crops that grow will be rich and plentiful. At that time your cattle will eat grass in rolling meadows.

24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat the finest feed and crushed grain. The farmers will use pitchforks and shovels to separate it from the straw.

25 At that time the towers of your enemies will fall down. Their soldiers will die. Streams of water will flow on every high mountain and hill.

26 The moon will shine like the sun. And the sunlight will be seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven full days. That will happen when the LORD bandages and heals the wounds and bruises he has brought on his people.

27 The LORD will come from far away in all of his power and glory. He will show his burning anger. Thick clouds of smoke will be all around him. His mouth will speak angry words. The words from his tongue will be like a destroying fire.

28 His breath will be like a rushing flood that rises up to the neck. He'll separate out the nations he is going to destroy. He'll place a bit in their jaws. It will lead them down the road to death.

29 You will sing as you do on the night you celebrate a holy feast. Your hearts will be filled with joy. You will be as joyful as people playing their flutes as they go up to the mountain of the Lord. He is the Rock of Israel.

30 The LORD will cause people to hear his powerful voice. He will make them see his arm coming down to punish them. It will come down with burning anger and destroying fire. It will come down with rain, thunderstorms and hail.

31 The voice of the LORD will tear the Assyrians apart. He will strike them down with his mighty rod.

32 He will strike them with his rod to punish them. Each time he does, his people will celebrate with the music of harps and tambourines. He will use his powerful arm to strike the Assyrians down in battle.

33 In the Valley of Ben Hinnom, Topheth has been prepared for a long time. It has been made ready for the king of Assyria. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide. It has plenty of wood for the fire. The breath of the LORD will be like a stream of burning sulfur. It will set the wood on fire.

1 How terrible it will be for those who go down to Egypt for help! How terrible for those who depend on horses! They trust in how many chariots they have. They trust in how strong their horsemen are. But they don't look to the Holy One of Israel. They don't ask the LORD for his help.

2 He too is wise. He can bring horrible trouble. He does what he says he'll do. He'll rise up against everyone who does what is evil. He'll fight against those who help them.

3 The men of Egypt are only human. They aren't God. Their horses are only flesh and blood. They aren't spirits. The LORD will reach out his powerful hand to punish everyone. The Egyptians provide help. But they will be tripped up. The people of Judah receive the help. But they will fall down. All of them will be destroyed.

4 The LORD says to me, "A powerful lion stands over its food and growls. A lot of shepherds can be brought together to drive it away. But the lion is not frightened by their shouts. It is not upset by the noise they make. In the same way, I will come down from heaven. I will fight on Mount Zion and on its hills. Nothing will drive me away. I am the LORD who rules over all.

5 Like a bird hovering over its nest, I will guard Jerusalem. I will keep it safe. I will pass over it and save it. I am the LORD who rules over all."

6 People of Israel, return to the Lord. He's the one you have so strongly opposed.

7 The time will come when every one of you will turn your backs on your gods of silver and gold. You sinned when you made them with your own hands.

8 The LORD says, "The Assyrians will be killed with swords. But it will not be men who use them. The swords that kill them will not be used by human beings. The Assyrians will run away from those swords. But their young men will be caught and forced to work hard.

9 Their hiding places will be destroyed when terror strikes them. When their commanders see their enemy's battle flags, they will be filled with panic," announces the Lord. His fire blazes out from Mount Zion. His furnace burns in Jerusalem.

1 A king will come who will do what is right. His officials will govern fairly.

2 Each man will be like a place to get out of the wind. He will be like a place to hide from storms. He'll be like streams of water flowing in the desert. He'll be like the shadow of a huge rock in a dry and thirsty land.

3 Then the eyes of those who see won't be closed anymore. The ears of those who hear will listen to the truth.

4 The minds of thoughtless people will know and understand. Tongues that stutter will speak clearly.

5 Foolish people won't be considered noble anymore. Those who are worthless won't be highly respected.

6 A foolish person says foolish things. His mind is full of evil thoughts. He doesn't do what is right. He tells lies about the Lord. He doesn't give hungry people any food. He doesn't let thirsty people have any water.

7 The one who is worthless uses sinful methods. He makes evil plans against poor people. He destroys them with his lies. He does it even when those people are right.

8 But the man who is noble makes noble plans. And by doing noble things he succeeds.

9 You women who are so contented, pay attention to me. You who feel so secure, listen to what I have to say.

10 You feel secure now. But in a little over a year you will tremble with fear. The grape harvest will fail. There won't be any fruit.

11 So tremble, you contented women. Tremble with fear, you who feel so secure. Take your fine clothes off. Put black clothes on.

12 Beat your chests to show how sad you are. The pleasant fields have been destroyed. The fruitful vines have dried up.

13 My people's land is overgrown with thorns and bushes. Sob over all of the houses that were once filled with joy. Cry over this city that used to be full of wild parties.

14 The royal palace will be left empty. The noisy city will be deserted. The fort and lookout tower will become a dry and empty desert forever. Donkeys will enjoy being there. Flocks will eat there.

15 That will continue until the Holy Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the desert will be turned into rich farm lands. The rich farm lands will seem like a forest.

16 In the desert and the rich farm lands people will do what is right. And they will treat one another fairly.

17 Doing what is right will bring peace and rest. When my people do that, they will stay calm and trust in the LORD forever.

18 They will live in a peaceful land. Their homes will be secure. They will enjoy peace and quiet.

19 Hail might strip the forests bare. Cities might be completely destroyed.

20 But how blessed you people will be! You will plant your seeds by every stream. You will let your cattle and donkeys wander anywhere they want to.

1 How terrible it will be for you, you who destroy others! Assyria, you haven't been destroyed yet. How terrible for you, you who turn against others! Others haven't turned against you yet. When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. When you stop turning against others, others will turn against you.

2 Lord, show us your favor. We long for you to help us. Make us strong every morning. Save us when we're in trouble.

3 When the nations hear you thunder, they run away. When you rise up against them, they scatter.

4 Nations, what you have taken in battle is destroyed. It's as if young locusts had eaten it up. Like large numbers of locusts, people rush to get it.

5 The LORD is honored. He lives in heaven. He will fill Zion's people with what is fair and right.

6 He will be the firm foundation for their entire lives. He will give them all of the wisdom, knowledge and saving power they will ever need. Respect for the LORD is the key to that treasure.

7 Look! Judah's brave men cry out loud in the streets. The messengers who were sent to bring peace sob bitter tears.

8 The wide roads are deserted. No one travels on them. Our peace treaty with Assyria is broken. Those who witnessed it are looked down on. No one is respected.

9 The land is filled with sadness and wastes away. Lebanon is full of shame and dries up. The rich land of Sharon is like the Arabah Desert. The trees of Bashan and Carmel drop their leaves.

10 "Now I will take action," says the Lord. "Now I will be honored. Now I will be respected.

11 Assyria, your plans and actions are like straw. Your anger is a fire that will destroy you.

12 The nations will be burned to ashes. They will be like bushes that are cut down and set on fire.

13 "You nations far away, listen to what I have done! My people who are near, recognize how powerful I am!

14 The sinners in Zion are terrified. They tremble with fear. They say, 'Who of us can live through the LORD's destroying fire? Who of us can live through the fire that burns forever?'

15 A person must do what is right. He must be honest and tell the truth. He must not get rich by cheating others. His hands must not receive money from those who want special favors. He must not let his ears listen to plans to commit murder. He must close his eyes to even thinking about doing what is evil.

16 A person like that will be kept safe. It will be as if he were living on high mountains. It will be as if he were living in a mountain fort. He will have all of the food he needs. And he will never run out of water."

17 People of Judah, you will see the king in all of his glory and majesty. You will view his kingdom spreading far and wide.

18 You will think about what used to terrify you. You will say to yourself, "Where is that chief officer of Assyria? Where is the one who forced us to send gifts to his king? Where is the officer in charge of the towers that were used when we were attacked?"

19 You won't see those proud people anymore. They spoke a strange language. None of us could understand it.

20 Just look at Zion! It's the city where we celebrate our regular feasts. Turn your eyes toward Jerusalem. It will be a peaceful place to live in. It will be like a tent that will never be moved. Its stakes will never be pulled up. None of its ropes will be broken.

21 There the LORD will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of wide rivers and streams. No boat with oars will travel on them. No mighty ship will sail on them.

22 That's because the LORD is our judge. The LORD gives us our law. The LORD is our king. He will save us.

23 The ropes on your ship hang loose. The mast isn't very secure. The sail isn't spread out. But the LORD will strike the Assyrians down. Then a large amount of goods will be taken from them and divided up. Even people who are disabled will carry off what was taken.

24 No one living in Zion will ever say again, "I'm sick." And the sins of those who live there will be forgiven.

1 Nations, come near and listen to me! Pay attention to what I'm about to say. Let the earth and everything in it listen. Let the world and everything that comes out of it pay attention.

2 The LORD is angry with all of the nations. His anger burns against all of their armies. He will totally destroy them. He will have them killed.

3 Those who are killed won't be buried. Their dead bodies will be thrown on the ground. They will give off a very bad smell. Their blood will cover the mountains.

4 All of the stars in the heavens will vanish. The sky will be rolled up like a scroll. All of the stars in the sky will fall like dried-up leaves from a vine. They will drop like wrinkled figs from a fig tree.

5 The sword of the LORD will finish its deadly work in the sky. Then it will come down to strike Edom. He will totally destroy that nation.

6 His sword will be red with blood. It will be covered with fat. The blood will flow like the blood of lambs and goats being sacrificed. The fat will be like the fat taken from the kidneys of rams. That's because the LORD will offer a sacrifice in the city of Bozrah. He will kill many people in Edom.

7 The people and their leaders will be killed like wild oxen and young bulls. Their land will be wet with their blood. The dust will be covered with their fat.

8 That's because the LORD has set aside a day to pay Edom back. He has set aside a year to pay them back for what they did to the city of Zion.

9 The streams of Edom will be turned into tar. Its dust will be turned into blazing sulfur. Its land will become burning tar.

10 The fire will keep burning night and day. It can't be put out. Its smoke will go up forever. Edom will lie empty for all time to come. No one will ever travel through it again.

11 The desert owl and screech owl will make it their home. The great owl and the raven will build their nests there. God will use his measuring line to show how completely Edom will be destroyed. He will use his plumb line to show how empty Edom will become.

12 Edom's nobles won't have anything left there that can be called a kingdom. All of its princes will vanish.

13 Thorns will cover its forts. Bushes and weeds will cover its safest places. It will become a home for wild dogs. It will become a place where owls live.

14 Desert creatures will meet with hyenas. Wild goats will call out to each other. Night creatures will also sleep there. They will find places where they can rest.

15 Owls will make their nests and lay their eggs there. And they will hatch them. They will take care of their little ones under the shadow of their wings. Male and female falcons will also gather there.

16 Look in the scroll of the Lord. There you will read that none of those animals will be missing. Male and female alike will be there. The LORD himself has commanded it. And his Spirit will gather them together.

17 The LORD will decide what part of the land goes to each animal. Then he will give each one its share. It will belong to them forever. And they will live there for all time to come.

1 The desert and the dry ground will be glad. The dry places will be full of joy. Flowers will grow there. Like the first crocus in the spring,

2 the desert will bloom with flowers. It will be very glad and shout with joy. The glorious beauty of Lebanon will be given to it. It will be as beautiful as the rich lands of Carmel and Sharon. Everyone will see the glory of the Lord. They will see the beauty of our God.

3 Strengthen the hands of those who are weak. Help those whose knees give way.

4 Say to those whose hearts are afraid, "Be strong. Do not fear. Your God will come. He will pay your enemies back. He will come to save you."

5 Then the eyes of those who are blind will be opened. The ears of those who can't hear will be unplugged.

6 Those who can't walk will leap like a deer. And those who can't speak will shout with joy. Water will pour out in dry places. Streams will flow in the desert.

7 The burning sand will become a pool of water. The thirsty ground will become bubbling springs. In the places where wild dogs once lay down, tall grass and papyrus will grow.

8 A wide road will go through the land. It will be called The Way of Holiness. Only those who are pure and clean can travel on it. Only those who lead a holy life can use it. Evil and foolish people can't walk on it.

9 No lions will use it. No wild animals will be on it. None of them will be there. Only people who have been set free will walk on it.

10 Those the LORD has saved will return to their land. They will sing as they enter the city of Zion. Joy that lasts forever will be like beautiful crowns on their heads. They will be filled with gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing will be gone.

1 Sennacherib attacked and captured all of the cities of Judah that had high walls around them. It was in the 14th year of the rule of Hezekiah. Sennacherib was king of Assyria.

2 He sent his field commander from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. He sent him along with a large army. The commander stopped at the channel that brings water from the Upper Pool. It was on the road to the Washerman's Field.

3 Eliakim, Shebna and Joah went out to him. Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, was in charge of the palace. Shebna was the secretary. Joah, the son of Asaph, kept the records.

4 The field commander said to them, "Give Hezekiah this message. Tell him, " 'Sennacherib is the great king of Assyria. He says, "Why are you putting your faith in what your king says?

5 You say you have a military plan. You say you have a strong army. But your words don't mean anything. Who are you depending on? Why don't you want to stay under my control?

6 " ' "You are depending on Egypt. Why are you doing that? Egypt is nothing but a broken papyrus stem. Try leaning on it. It will only cut your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is just like that to everyone who depends on him.

7 " ' "Suppose you say to me, 'We are depending on the LORD our God.' Didn't Hezekiah remove your god's high places and altars? Didn't Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, 'You must worship at the altar in Jerusalem'?

8 " ' "Come on. Make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I'll give you 2,000 horses. But only if you can put riders on them!

9 You are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen. You can't drive away even the least important officer among my master's officials.

10 " ' "Besides, do you think I've come without being sent by the LORD? Have I come to attack and destroy this land without receiving a message from him? The LORD himself told me to march out against your country. He told me to destroy it." ' "

11 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah spoke to the field commander. They said, "Please speak to us in the Aramaic language. We understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew. If you do, the people who are on the wall will be able to understand you."

12 But the commander replied, "My master sent me to say these things. Are these words only for your master and you to hear? Aren't they also for the men who are sitting on the wall? They are going to suffer just like you. They'll have to eat their own waste. They'll have to drink their own urine."

13 Then the commander stood up and spoke in the Hebrew language. He called out, "Pay attention to what the great king of Assyria is telling you.

14 He says, 'Don't let Hezekiah trick you. He can't save you!

15 Don't let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord. Don't believe him when he says, "You can be sure that the LORD will save us. This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." '

16 "Don't listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, 'Make a peace treaty with me. Come over to my side. Then every one of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree. Every one of you will drink water from your own well.

17 You will do that until I come back. Then I'll take you to a land that is just like yours. It's a land that has a lot of grain and fresh wine. It has plenty of bread and vineyards.

18 " 'Don't let Hezekiah fool you. He's telling you a lie when he says, "The LORD will save us." Has the god of any nation ever saved his land from the powerful hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they saved Samaria from my power?

20 Which one of all of the gods of those countries has been able to save his land from me? So how can the LORD save Jerusalem from my power?' "

21 But the people remained silent. They didn't say anything. That's because King Hezekiah had commanded, "Don't answer him."

22 Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, went to Hezekiah. Eliakim was in charge of the palace. The secretary Shebna went with him. So did Joah, the son of Asaph. Joah kept the records. All of them went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn. They told him what the field commander had said.

1 When King Hezekiah heard what the field commander had said, he tore his clothes. He put on black clothes. Then he went into the LORD's temple.

2 Hezekiah sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, to me. He also sent the leading priests and the secretary Shebna to me. All of them were wearing black clothes.

3 They told me, "Hezekiah says, 'Today we're in great trouble. The LORD is warning us. He's bringing shame on us. Sometimes babies come to the moment when they should be born. But their mothers aren't strong enough to allow them to be born. Today we are like those mothers. We aren't strong enough to save ourselves.

4 " 'Perhaps the LORD your God will hear everything the field commander has said. His master, the king of Assyria, has sent him to make fun of the living God. Maybe the LORD your God will punish him for what he has heard him say. So pray for the remaining people who are still alive here.' "

5 King Hezekiah's officials came to me.

6 Then I said to them, "Tell your master, 'The LORD says, "Do not be afraid of what you have heard. The officers who are under the king of Assyria have spoken evil things against me.

7 Listen! I will send him news from his own country. It will upset him so much that he will return home. There I will have him cut down with a sword." ' "

8 The field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish. So the commander pulled his troops back from Jerusalem. He went to join the king. He found out that the king was fighting against Libnah.

9 During that time Sennacherib received a report. He was told that Tirhakah was marching out to fight against him. Tirhakah was king of Egypt. He was from the land of Cush. When Sennacherib heard the report, he sent messengers again to Hezekiah with a letter. It said,

10 "Tell Hezekiah, the king of Judah, 'Don't let the god you depend on trick you. He says, "Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria." But don't believe him.

11 I'm sure you have heard about what the kings of Assyria have done to all of the other countries. They have destroyed them completely. So do you think you will be saved?

12 " 'The kings who ruled before me destroyed many nations. Did the gods of those nations save them? Did the gods of Gozan, Haran or Rezeph save them? What about the gods of the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar?

13 Where is the king of Hamath? Where is the king of Arpad? Where is the king of the city of Sepharvaim? Where are the kings of Hena or Ivvah?' "

14 When Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, he read it. Then he went up to the LORD's temple. There he spread the letter out in front of the Lord.

15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. He said,

16 "LORD who rules over all, you are the God of Israel. You sit on your throne between the cherubim. You alone are God over all of the kingdoms on earth. You have made heaven and earth.

17 Listen, Lord. Hear us. Open your eyes, Lord. Look at the trouble we're in. Listen to what Sennacherib is saying. You are the living God. And he dares to make fun of you!

18 "Lord, it's true that the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and their lands.

19 They have thrown the statues of the gods of those nations into the fire. And they have destroyed them. That's because they weren't really gods at all. They were nothing but statues that were made out of wood and stone. They were made by human hands.

20 "LORD our God, save us from the powerful hand of Sennacherib. Then all of the kingdoms on earth will know that you alone are God."

21 I sent a message to Hezekiah. I said, "The LORD is the God of Israel. He says, 'You have prayed to me about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.

22 So here is the message I have spoken against him. I am telling him, " ' "You will not win the battle over Zion. Its people hate you and make fun of you. The people of Jerusalem lift up their heads proudly as you run away.

23 Who have you laughed at? Who have you spoken evil things against? Who have you raised your voice against? Who have you looked at so proudly? You have done it against me. I am the Holy One of Israel!

24 Through your messengers you have laughed at me again and again. And you have said, 'I have many chariots. With them I have climbed to the tops of the mountains. I've climbed the highest mountains in Lebanon. I've cut down its tallest cedar trees. I've cut down the best of its pine trees. I've reached its farthest mountains. I've reached its finest forests.

25 I've dug wells in strange lands. I've drunk the water from them. I've walked through all of Egypt's streams. I've dried up every one of them.'

26 " ' "But I, the Lord, say, 'Haven't you heard what I have done? Long ago I arranged for you to do all of that. In days of old I planned it. Now I have made it happen. You have turned cities with high walls into piles of stone.

27 Their people do not have any power left. They are troubled and put to shame. They are like plants in the field. They are like new green plants. They are like grass that grows on a roof. It dries up before it is completely grown.

28 " ' " 'But I know where you live. I know when you come and go. I know how very angry you are with me.

29 You roar against me and brag. And I have heard your bragging. So I will put my hook in your nose. I will put my bit in your mouth. And I will make you go home by the same way you came.' " ' "

30 The LORD said, "Hezekiah, here is a miraculous sign for you. "This year you will eat what grows by itself. Next year you will eat what grows from that. But in the third year you will plant your crops and gather them in. You will plant your grapevines and eat their fruit.

31 The people of Judah who are still alive will be like plants. Once more they will put down roots and produce fruit.

32 Out of Jerusalem will come those who remain. Out of Mount Zion will come those who are still left alive. My great love will make sure that happens. I rule over all.

33 "Here is a message from me about the king of Assyria. It says, " 'He will not enter this city. He will not even shoot an arrow at it. He will not come near it with a shield. He will not build a ramp in order to climb over its walls.

34 By the way that he came he will go home. He will not enter this city,' announces the Lord.

35 "I will guard this city and save it. I will do it for myself. And I will do it for my servant David."

36 Then the angel of the LORD went into the camp of the Assyrians. He put to death 185,000 soldiers there. The people of Jerusalem got up the next morning. They looked out and saw all of the dead bodies.

37 So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, took the army tents down. Then he left. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

38 One day Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch. His sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with their swords. Then they escaped to the land of Ararat. Esarhaddon became the next king after his father Sennacherib.

1 In those days Hezekiah became very sick. He knew he was about to die. I went to see him. I told him, "The LORD says, 'Put everything in order. Make out your will. You are going to die soon. You will not get well again.' "

2 Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall. He prayed to the Lord. He said,

3 "Lord, please remember how faithful I've been to you. I've lived the way you wanted me to. I've served you with all my heart. I've done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah cried bitterly.

4 A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

5 "Go and speak to Hezekiah. Tell him, 'The Lord, the God of King David, says, "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. I will add 15 years to your life.

6 And I will save you and this city from the powerful hand of the king of Assyria. I will guard this city.

7 " ' "Here is a miraculous sign from me. It will show you that I will heal you, just as I promised I would.

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

9 Here is a song of praise that was written by Hezekiah, the king of Judah. He wrote it after he was sick and had gotten well again.

10 I said, "I'm enjoying the best years of my life. Must I now go through the gates of death? Will the rest of my years be taken away from me?"

11 I said, "Lord, I'll never see you again while I'm still alive. I'll never see people anymore. I'll never again be with those who live in this world.

12 My body is like a shepherd's tent. It has been pulled down and carried off. My life is like a piece of cloth that I've rolled up. You have cut it off from the loom. In a short period of time you have brought my life to an end.

13 I waited patiently until sunrise. But like a lion you broke all of my bones. In a short period of time you have brought my life to an end.

14 I cried softly like a weak little bird. I groaned like a sad dove. My eyes grew tired as I looked up toward heaven. Lord, I'm in trouble. Please come and help me!

15 "But what can I say? You have promised to heal me. And you yourself have done it. Once I was proud and bitter. But now I will live the rest of my life free of pride.

16 Lord, people find the will to live because you keep your promises. And my spirit also finds life in your promises. You brought me back to health. You let me live.

17 I'm sure it was for my benefit that I suffered such great pain. You love me. You kept me from going down into the pit of death. You have put all of my sins behind your back.

18 People in the grave can't praise you. Dead people can't sing praise to you. Those who go down to the grave can't hope for you to be faithful to them.

19 It is those who are alive who praise you. And that's what I'm doing today. Fathers tell their children about how faithful you are.

20 "You will save me. So we will sing and play music on stringed instruments. We will sing all the days of our lives in your temple."

21 When Hezekiah was sick, I had said, "Press some figs together. Spread them on a piece of cloth. Apply them to Hezekiah's boil. Then he'll get well again."

22 At that time Hezekiah had asked me, "What will the miraculous sign be to prove I'll go up to the LORD's temple?" That's when the LORD had made the shadow go back ten steps.

1 At that time Merodach-Baladan, the king of Babylonia, sent Hezekiah letters and a gift. He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick but had gotten well again. Merodach-Baladan was the son of Baladan.

2 Hezekiah gladly received the messengers. He showed them what was in his storerooms. He showed them the silver and gold. He took them to where the spices and the fine olive oil were kept. He showed them where he kept all of his weapons. And he showed them all of his treasures. In fact, he showed them everything that was in his palace and in his whole kingdom.

3 Then I went to King Hezekiah. I asked him, "What did those men say? Where did they come from?" "They came from a land far away," Hezekiah said. "They came to me from Babylon."

4 I asked, "What did they see in your palace?" "They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "I showed them all of my treasures."

5 Then I said to Hezekiah, "Listen to the message of the LORD who rules over all. He says,

6 'You can be sure the time will come when everything in your palace will be carried off to Babylon. Everything the kings before you have stored up until this day will be taken away. There will not be anything left,' says the Lord.

7 " 'Some of the members of your family line will be taken away. They will be your own flesh and blood. They will include the children who will be born into your family line in years to come. And they will serve the king of Babylonia in his palace.' "

8 "The message the LORD has spoken through you is good," Hezekiah replied. He thought, "There will be peace and safety while I'm still living."

1 "Comfort my people," says your God. "Comfort them.

2 Speak tenderly to the people of Jerusalem. Announce to them that their hard service has been completed. Tell them that their sin has been paid for. Tell them I have punished them enough for all of their sins."

3 A messenger is calling out, "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord. Make a straight road through it for our God.

4 Every valley will be filled in. Every mountain and hill will be made level. The rough ground will be smoothed out. The rocky places will be made flat.

5 Then the glory of the LORD will appear. And everyone will see it. The LORD has spoken."

6 Another messenger says, "Cry out." And I said, "What should I cry?" "Cry out, 'All people are like grass. They don't last any longer than flowers in the field.

7 The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. That happens when the LORD makes his wind blow on them. So people are just like grass.

8 The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. But what our God says will stand forever.' "

9 Zion, you are bringing good news to your people. Go up on a high mountain and announce it. Jerusalem, you are bringing good news to them. Shout the message loudly. Shout it out loud. Don't be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah, "Your God is coming!"

10 The LORD and King is coming with power. His powerful arm will rule for him. He has set his people free. He is bringing them back as his reward. He has won the battle over their enemies.

11 He takes care of his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms. He carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have little ones.

12 Who has measured the oceans by using the palm of his hand? Who has used the width of his hand to mark off the sky? Who has measured out the dust of the earth in a basket? Who has weighed the mountains on scales? Who has weighed the hills in a balance?

13 Who can ever understand what is in the LORD's mind? Who can ever give him advice?

14 Did the LORD have to ask anyone to help him understand? Did he have to ask someone to teach him the right way? Who taught him what he knows? Who showed him how to understand?

15 The nations are only a drop in a bucket to him. He considers them as nothing but dust on the scales. He weighs the islands as if they were only fine dust.

16 Lebanon doesn't have enough trees to keep his altar fires burning. It doesn't have enough animals to sacrifice as burnt offerings to him.

17 To him, all of the nations don't amount to anything. He considers them to be worthless. In fact, they are less than nothing in his sight.

18 So who will you compare God to? Is there any other god like him?

19 Will you compare him to a statue of a god? Any skilled worker can make a statue. Then another worker covers it with gold and makes silver chains for it.

20 But someone who is too poor to bring that kind of offering will choose some wood that won't rot. Then he looks for a skilled worker. He pays the worker to make a statue of a god that won't fall over.

21 Don't you know who made everything? Haven't you heard about him? Hasn't it been told to you from the beginning? Haven't you understood it ever since the earth was made?

22 God sits on his throne high above the earth. Its people look like grasshoppers to him. He spreads the heavens out like a cover. He sets it up like a tent to live in.

23 He takes the power of princes away from them. He reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

24 They are planted. They are scattered like seeds. They put down roots in the ground. But as soon as that happens, God blows on them and they dry up. Then a windstorm sweeps them away like straw.

25 "So who will you compare me to? Who is equal to me?" says the Holy One.

26 Look up toward the sky. Who created everything you see? The LORD causes the stars to come out at night one by one. He gives each one of them a name. His power and strength are great. So none of the stars is missing.

27 Family of Jacob, why do you say, "The LORD doesn't notice our condition"? People of Israel, why do you say, "Our God doesn't pay any attention to our rightful claims"?

28 Don't you know who made everything? Haven't you heard about him? The LORD is the God who lives forever. He created everything on earth. He won't become worn out or get tired. No one will ever know how great his understanding is.

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

30 Even young people become worn out and get tired. Even the best of them trip and fall.

31 But those who trust in the LORD will receive new strength. They will fly as high as eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not grow weak.

1 The LORD says, "People who live on the islands, come and stand quietly in front of me. Let the nations gain new strength in order to state their case. Let them come forward and speak. Let us go to court and find out who is right.

2 "Who has stirred up a king from the east? Who has helped him win his battles? I hand nations over to him. I bring kings under his control. He turns them into dust with his sword. With his bow he turns them into straw blowing in the wind.

3 He hunts them down. Then he moves on unharmed. He travels so fast that his feet don't seem to touch the ground.

4 Who has made that happen? Who has carried it out? Who has created all of the people who have ever lived? I, the Lord, have done it. I was with the first of them. And I will be with the last of them."

5 The people on the islands have seen that king coming. And it has made them afraid. People tremble with fear from one end of the earth to the other. They come and gather together.

6 They help each other. They say to one another, "Be strong!"

7 One skilled worker makes a statue of a god. Another covers it with gold. The first worker says to the second, "You have done a good job." Another worker smooths out the metal with a hammer. Still another gives the statue its final shape. The third worker says to the last one, "You have done a good job." Then they nail the statue down so it won't fall over.

8 The LORD says, "People of Israel, you are my servants. Family of Jacob, I have chosen you. You are the children of my friend Abraham.

9 I gathered you from one end of the earth to the other. From the farthest places on earth I brought you together. I said, 'You are my servants.' I have chosen you. I have not turned my back on you.

10 So do not be afraid. I am with you. Do not be terrified. I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. My powerful right hand will take good care of you. I always do what is right.

11 "All those who are angry with you will be put to shame. And they will be dishonored. Those who oppose you will be destroyed. And they will vanish.

12 You might search for your enemies. But you will not find them. Those who go to war against you will completely disappear.

13 I am the LORD your God. I take hold of your right hand. I say to you, 'Do not be afraid. I will help you.'

14 Family of Jacob, you are as weak as a worm. But do not be afraid. People of Israel, there are only a few of you. But do not be afraid. I myself will help you," announces the Lord. He is the one who sets his people free. He is the Holy One of Israel.

15 He says, "I will make you into a threshing sled. It will be new and sharp. It will have many teeth. You will grind the mountains down and crush them. You will turn the hills into nothing but straw.

16 You will toss them in the air. A strong wind will catch them and blow them away. You will be glad because I will make that happen. You will praise me. I am the Holy One of Israel.

17 "Those who are poor and needy search for water. But there isn't any. Their tongues are dry because they are thirsty. But I will help them. I am the Lord. I will not desert them. I am Israel's God.

18 I will make streams flow on the bare hilltops. I will make springs come up in the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water. I will turn the dry and cracked ground into flowing springs.

19 I will make trees grow in the desert. I will plant cedar and acacia trees there. I will plant myrtle and olive trees there. I will make pine trees grow in the dry and empty desert. I will plant fir and cypress trees there.

20 Then people will see and know that my powerful hand has done it. They will consider and understand that I have created it. I am the Holy One of Israel."

21 The LORD says to the nations and their gods, "State your case." Jacob's King says to them, "Prove your case to me.

22 Show me your facts. Tell me and my people what is going to happen. Tell us what happened in the past. Then we can check it out and see if it is really true. Or announce to us the things that will take place.

23 Tell us what will happen in the days ahead. Then we will know that you are gods. Do something. It does not matter whether it is good or bad. Then we will be terrified and filled with fear.

24 But you are less than nothing. Your actions are completely worthless. I hate it when people worship you.

25 "I have stirred up a king who will come from the north. He lives in the east. He will bring honor to me. He walks all over rulers as if they were mud. He steps on them just as a potter stomps on clay.

26 Which one of you gods said those things would happen before they did? Who told us about them so we could know them? Who told us ahead of time? Who told us so we could say, 'You are right'? None of you told us about them. None of you told us ahead of time. In fact, no one heard you say anything at all.

27 I was the first to tell Zion. I said, 'Look! The people of Israel are coming back!' I sent a prophet to Jerusalem with the good news.

28 I look, but there is no one among the gods that can give me advice. None of them can answer when I ask them the simplest question.

29 So they are not really gods at all. What they do does not amount to anything. They are as useless as wind.

1 "Here is my servant. I take good care of him. I have chosen him. I am very pleased with him. I will put my Spirit on him. He will make everything right among the nations.

2 He will not shout or cry out. He will not raise his voice in the streets.

3 He will not break a bent twig. He will not put out a dimly burning flame. He will be faithful and make everything right.

4 He will not grow weak or lose hope. He will not give up until he makes everything right on the earth. The islands will put their hope in his law."

5 God created the heavens and spread them out. The LORD made the earth and everything that grows on it. He gives breath to its people. He gives life to those who walk on it. He says to his servant,

6 "I, the LORD, have chosen you to do what is right. I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you safe. You will put my covenant with the people of Israel into effect. And you will be a light for the other nations.

7 You will open eyes that can't see. You will set prisoners free. Those who sit in darkness will come out of their cells.

8 "I am the Lord. That is my name! I will not let any other god share my glory. I will not let statues of gods share my praise.

9 What I said would happen has taken place. Now I announce new things to you. Before they even begin to happen, I announce them to you."

10 Sing a new song to the Lord. Sing praise to him from one end of the earth to the other. Sing, you who sail out on the ocean. Sing, all of you creatures in it. Sing, you islands. Sing, all of you who live there.

11 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices. Let those who live in the settlements of Kedar be glad. Let the people of Sela sing with joy. Let them shout from the tops of the mountains.

12 Let them give glory to the Lord. Let them praise him in the islands.

13 The LORD will march out like a mighty warrior. He will stir up his anger like a soldier getting ready to fight. He will shout the battle cry. And he will win the battle over his enemies.

14 The LORD says, "For a long time I have kept silent. I have been calm and quiet. But now, like a woman having a baby, I cry out. I am struggling to breathe.

15 I will completely destroy the mountains and hills. I will dry up everything that grows there. I will turn rivers into dry land. I will dry up the pools.

16 Israel is blind. So I will lead them along paths they had not known before. I will guide them on roads they are not familiar with. I will turn the darkness into light as they travel. I will make the rough places smooth. Those are the things I will do. I will not desert my people.

17 Some people trust in statues of gods. They say to them, 'You are our gods.' But they will be dishonored. They will be put to shame.

18 "Israel, listen to me! You can hear, but you do not understand. Look to me! You can see, but you do not know what you are seeing.

19 The people of Israel serve me. But who is more blind than they are? Who is more deaf than the messengers I send? Who is more blind than those who have committed themselves to be faithful to me? Who is more blind than my servants?

20 Israel, you have seen many things. But you have not paid any attention to me. Your ears are open. But you do not hear anything I say."

21 The LORD wanted his people to see how great and glorious his law is. He wanted to show them that he always does what is right.

22 Enemies have carried off everything they own. All of my people are trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They themselves have become like stolen goods. No one can save them. They have been carried off. And there is no one who will say, "Send them back."

23 Family of Jacob, who among you will listen to what I'm saying? People of Israel, which one of you will pay close attention in days to come?

24 Who allowed you to be carried off like stolen goods? Who handed you over to robbers? The LORD did it! We have sinned against him. Israel, you wouldn't follow his ways. You didn't obey his law.

25 So he poured his burning anger out on you. He had many of you killed off in battle. You were surrounded by flames. But you didn't realize what was happening. Many of you were destroyed. But you didn't learn anything from it.

1 Family of Jacob, the LORD created you. People of Israel, he formed you. He says, "Do not be afraid. I will set you free. I will send for you by name. You belong to me.

2 You will pass through deep waters. But I will be with you. You will pass through the rivers. But their waters will not sweep over you. You will walk through fire. But you will not be burned. The flames will not harm you.

3 I am the LORD your God. I am the Holy One of Israel. I am the one who saves you. I will give up Egypt to set you free. I will give up Cush and Seba for you.

4 You are priceless to me. I love you and honor you. So I will trade other people for you. I will give up other nations to save your lives.

5 Do not be afraid. I am with you. I will bring your people back from the east. I will gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, 'Let them go!' And I will say to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from far away. Bring my daughters from the farthest places on earth.

7 Bring back everyone who belongs to me. I created them to bring glory to me. I formed them and made them."

8 Lead my people into court. They have eyes but can't see. Bring those who have ears but can't hear.

9 All of the nations are gathering together. All of them are coming. Which one of their gods said ahead of time that the people of Israel would return? Which of them told us anything at all about the past? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right. Then others will hear them. And they will say, "What they said is true."

10 "People of Israel, you are my witnesses," announces the Lord. "I have chosen you to be my servants. I wanted you to know me and believe in me. I wanted you to understand that I am the one and only God. Before me, there was no other god at all. And there will not be any god after me.

11 I am the one and only Lord. I am the only one who can save you.

12 I have made known what would happen. I told you about it. And I saved you. I did it. It was not some other god you worship. You are my witnesses that I am God," announces the Lord.

13 "And that is not all! I have always been God, and I always will be. No one can save people from my powerful hand. When I do something, who can undo it?"

14 The LORD sets his people free. He is the Holy One of Israel. He says, "People of Israel, I will send an army to Babylon to save you. I will cause all of the Babylonians to run away. They will try to escape in the ships they were so proud of.

15 I am your LORD and King. I am your Holy One. I created you."

16 Long ago the LORD opened a way for his people to go through the Red Sea. He made a path through the mighty waters.

17 He caused Egypt to send out its chariots and horses. He sent its entire army to its death. Its soldiers lay down there. They never got up again. They were destroyed. They were blown out like a dimly burning flame. But the LORD says,

18 "Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them.

19 I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don't you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land.

20 Even wild dogs and owls honor me. That is because I provide water in the desert for my people to drink. I cause streams to flow in the dry and empty land for my chosen ones.

21 I do it for the people I made for myself. I want them to sing praise to me.

22 "Family of Jacob, you have not prayed to me as you should. People of Israel, you have not even begun to get tired while doing it.

23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with your sacrifices. I have not loaded you down by requiring grain offerings. I have not made you tired by requiring you to burn incense.

24 But you have not bought any sweet-smelling cane for me. You have not given me the fattest parts of your animal sacrifices. Instead, you have loaded me down with your sins. You have made me tired with the wrong things you have done.

25 "I am the one who wipes out your lawless acts. I do it because of who I am. I will not remember your sins anymore.

26 But let us go to court together. Remind me of what you have done. State your case. Prove to me that you are not guilty.

27 Your father Jacob sinned. Your priests and prophets refused to obey me.

28 So I will put the high officials of your temple to shame. I will let Jacob's family be totally destroyed. And I will let people make fun of Israel.

1 "Family of Jacob, listen to me. You are my servants. People of Israel, I have chosen you.

2 I made you. I formed you when you were born as a nation. I will help you. So listen to what I am saying. Family of Jacob, do not be afraid. You are my servants. People of Israel, I have chosen you.

3 I will pour water out on the thirsty land. I will make streams flow on the dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit on your children. I will pour out my blessing on their children after them.

4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow. They will grow like poplar trees near flowing streams.

5 Some will say, 'We belong to the Lord.' Others will call themselves by Jacob's name. Still others will write on their hands, 'We belong to the Lord.' And they will be called by the name of Israel.

6 "I am Israel's King. I set them free. I am the LORD who rules over all. So listen to what I am saying. I am the First and the Last. I am the one and only God.

7 Who is like me? Let him come forward and speak boldly. Let him tell me everything that has happened since I created my people long ago. And let him tell me what has not happened yet. Let him announce ahead of time what is going to take place.

8 Do not tremble with fear. Do not be afraid. Didn't I announce everything that has happened? Didn't I tell you about it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any other God but me? No! There is no other Rock. I do not know even one."

9 Those who make statues of gods don't amount to anything. And the statues they think so much of are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind. They don't know anything. So they will be put to shame.

10 People make statues of gods. But those gods can't do them any good.

11 People like that will be put to shame. Those who make statues of gods are mere men. Let all of them come together and state their case. They will be terrified and put to shame.

12 A blacksmith gets his tool. He uses it to shape metal over the burning coals. He uses his hammers to make a statue of a god. He forms it with his powerful arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength. He doesn't drink any water. He gets weaker and weaker.

13 A carpenter measures a piece of wood with a line. He draws a pattern on it with a marker. He cuts out a statue with sharp tools. He marks it with compasses. He shapes it into the form of a handsome man. He does all of that so he can put it in a temple.

14 He cuts down a cedar tree. Or perhaps he takes a cypress or an oak tree. It might be a tree that grew in the forest. Or it might be a pine tree he planted. And the rain made it grow.

15 Man gets wood from trees for fuel. He uses some of it to warm himself. He starts a fire and bakes bread. But he also uses some of it to make a god and worship it. He makes a statue of a god and bows down to it.

16 He burns half of the wood in the fire. He prepares a meal over it. He cooks meat over it. He eats until he is full. He also warms himself. He says, "Good! I'm getting warm. The fire is nice and hot."

17 From the rest of the wood he makes a statue. It becomes his god. He bows down and worships it. He prays to it. He says, "Save me. You are my god."

18 People like that don't even know what they are doing. Their eyes are shut so that they can't see the truth. Their minds are closed so that they can't understand it.

19 No one even stops to think about this. No one has any sense or understanding. If anyone did, he would say, "I used half of the wood for fuel. I even baked bread over the fire. I cooked meat. Then I ate it. Should I now make a statue of a god out of the wood that's left over? Should I bow down to a block of wood? The LORD would hate that."

20 That's as foolish as eating ashes! The mind of someone like that has led him down the wrong path. He can't save himself. He can't bring himself to say, "This thing I'm holding in my right hand isn't really a god at all."

21 The LORD says, "Family of Jacob, remember those things. People of Israel, you are my servants. I have made you. You are my servants. Israel, I will not forget you.

22 I will sweep your sins away as if they were a cloud. I will blow them away as if they were the morning mist. Return to me. Then I will set you free."

23 Sing with joy, you heavens! The LORD does wonderful things. Shout out loud, you earth! Burst into song, you mountains! Sing, you forests and all of your trees! The LORD sets the family of Jacob free. He shows his glory in Israel.

24 The LORD says, "People of Israel, I set you free. I formed you when you were born as a nation. "I am the Lord. I have made everything. I alone spread out the heavens. I formed the earth by myself.

25 "Some prophets are not really prophets at all. I show that their miraculous signs are fake. I make those who practice evil magic look foolish. I destroy the learning of those who think they are wise. Their knowledge does not make any sense at all.

26 I make the words of my servants the prophets come true. I carry out what my messengers say will happen. "I say about Jerusalem, 'My people will live there again.' I say about the towns of Judah, 'They will be rebuilt.' I say about their broken-down buildings, 'I will make them like new again.'

27 I say to the deep waters, 'Dry up. Let your streams become dry.'

28 I say about Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd. He will accomplish everything I want him to. He will say about Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt." And he will say about the temple, "Let its foundations be laid." '

1 "Cyrus is my anointed king. I take hold of his right hand. I give him the power to bring nations under his control. I help him strip kings of their power to go to war against him. I break city gates open so he can go through them. I say to him,

2 'I will march out ahead of you. I will make the mountains level. I will break down bronze gates. I will cut through their heavy iron bars.

3 I will give you treasures that are hidden away in dark places. I will give you riches that are stored up in secret places. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I am the God of Israel. I am sending for you by name.

4 Cyrus, I am sending for you by name. I am doing it for the good of the family of Jacob. They are my servants. I am doing it for Israel. They are my chosen people. You do not know anything about me. But I am giving you a title of honor.

5 I am the Lord. There is no other Lord. I am the one and only God. You do not know anything about me. But I will make you strong.

6 Then people will know there is no God but me. Everyone from where the sun rises in the east to where it sets in the west will know it. I am the Lord. There is no other Lord.

7 I cause light to shine. I also create darkness. I bring good times. I also create hard times. I do all of those things. I am the Lord.

8 " 'Rain down godliness, you heavens above. Let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide to receive it. Let freedom spring to life. Let godliness grow along with it. I have created all of those things. I am the Lord.' "

9 How terrible it will be for anyone who argues with his Maker! He is like a broken piece of pottery lying on the ground. Does clay say to a potter, "What are you making?" Does a pot say, "You don't have any skill"?

10 How terrible it will be for anyone who says to his father, "Why did you give me life?" How terrible for anyone who says to his mother, "Why have you brought me into the world?"

11 The LORD is the Holy One of Israel. He made them. He says to them, "Are you asking me about what will happen to my children? Are you telling me what I should do with what my hands have made?

12 I made the earth. I created man to live there. My own hands spread out the heavens. I put all of the stars in their places.

13 I will stir up Cyrus and help him win his battles. I will make all of his roads straight. He will rebuild Jerusalem. My people have been taken away from their country. But he will set them free. I will not pay him to do it. He will not receive a reward for it," says the LORD who rules over all.

14 The LORD says to the people of Jerusalem, "You will get everything Egypt produces. You will receive everything the people of Cush and the tall Sabeans get in trade. All of it will belong to you. And all of those people will walk behind you as slaves. They will be put in chains and come over to you. They will bow down to you. They will admit, 'God is with you. There is no other God.' "

15 You are a God who hides yourself. You are the God of Israel. You save us.

16 All those who make statues of gods will be put to shame. They will be dishonored. They will be led away in shame together.

17 But the LORD will save Israel. He will save them forever. They will never be put to shame or dishonored. That will be true for all time to come.

18 The LORD created the heavens. He is God. He formed the earth and made it. He set it firmly in place. He didn't create it to be empty. Instead, he formed it for people to live on. He says, "I am the Lord. There is no other Lord.

19 I have not spoken in secret. I have not spoken from a dark place. I have not said to Jacob's people, 'It is useless to look for me.' I am the Lord. I always speak the truth. I always say what is right.

20 "Come together, you people of the nations who escaped from Babylonia. Gather together and come into court. Only people who do not know anything would carry around gods that are made out of wood. They pray to gods that can't save them.

21 Tell me what will happen. State your case. Talk it over together. Who spoke long ago about what would happen? Who said it a long time ago? I did. I am the Lord. I am the one and only God. I always do what is right. I am the one who saves. There is no God but me.

22 "All of you who live anywhere on earth, turn to me and be saved. I am God. There is no other God.

23 I have made a promise with an oath in my own name. I have spoken with complete honesty. I will not take back a single word. I said, 'Everyone's knee will bow down to me. Everyone's mouth will take an oath in my name.'

24 They will say, 'The LORD always does what is right. Only he can make us strong.' " All those who have been angry with the LORD will come to him. And they will be put to shame.

25 But the LORD will help all of the people of Israel. He will make them right with himself. And they will praise him.

1 The gods Bel and Nebo are brought down in shame. The statues of them are being carried away on the backs of animals. They used to be carried around by the people who worshiped them. But now they've become a heavy load for tired animals.

2 Bel and Nebo are brought down in shame together. They aren't able to save their own statues. They themselves are carried off as prisoners.

3 The LORD says, "Family of Jacob, listen to me. Pay attention, you people of Israel who are left alive. I have taken good care of you since your life began. I have carried you since you were born as a nation.

4 I will continue to carry you even when you are old. I will take good care of you even when your hair is gray. I have made you. And I will carry you. I will take care of you. And I will save you. I am the Lord.

5 "Who will you compare me to? Who is equal to me? What am I like? Who can you compare me to?

6 Some people pour gold out of their bags. They weigh out silver on the scales. They hire someone who works with gold to make it into a god. They bow down to it and worship it.

7 They lift it up on their shoulders and carry it. They set it up in its place. And there it stands. It can't move from that spot. Someone might cry out to it. But it does not answer him. It can't save him from his troubles.

8 So remember that, you who refuse to obey me. Keep it in your minds and hearts.

9 "Remember what happened in the past. Think about what took place long ago. I am God. There is no other God. I am God. There is no one like me.

10 Before something even happens, I announce how it will end. In fact, from times long ago I announced what was still to come. I say, 'My plan will succeed. I will do anything I want to do.'

11 I will send for a man from the east to carry out my plan. From a land far away, he will come like a bird that eats dead bodies. I will bring about what I have said. I will do what I have planned.

12 Listen to me, you stubborn people. Pay attention, you who refuse to do what is right.

13 The time is almost here for me to make everything right. It is not far away. The time for me to save you will not be put off. I will save the city of Zion. I will bring honor to Israel.

1 "City of Babylon, go down and sit in the dust. Leave your throne and sit on the ground. City of the Babylonians, your life will not be comfortable and easy anymore.

2 Get millstones and grind some flour like a female slave. Take your veil off. Lift your skirts up. Make your legs bare. Wade through the streams.

3 Everyone will see your naked body. Everyone will see your shame. I will pay you back for what you did. I will not spare any of your people."

4 The one who sets us free is the Holy One of Israel. His name is The LORD Who Rules Over All.

5 The LORD says, "City of the Babylonians, go into a dark prison and sit there quietly. You will not be called the queen of kingdoms anymore.

6 I was angry with my people. I treated them as if they did not belong to me. I handed them over to you. And you did not show them any pity. You even placed heavy loads on their old people.

7 You said, 'I will continue to be queen forever!' But you did not think about what you were doing. You did not consider how things might turn out.

8 "So listen, you who love pleasure. You think you are safe and secure. You say to yourself, 'I am like a god. No one is greater than I am. I'll never be a widow. And my children will never be taken away from me.'

9 But both of those things will happen to you in a moment. They will take place on a single day. You will lose your children. And you will become a widow. That is what will happen to you. All of your evil magic and powerful spells will not save you.

10 You have felt secure in your evil ways. You have said, 'No one sees what I'm doing.' Your wisdom and knowledge lead you down the wrong path. You say to yourself, 'I am like a god. No one is greater than I am.'

11 So horrible trouble will come on you. You will not know how to use your evil magic to make it go away. Great trouble will fall on you. No amount of money can keep it away. Something terrible will happen to you all at once. You will not see it coming ahead of time.

12 "So keep on casting your magic spells. Keep on practicing your evil magic. You have been doing those things ever since you were a child. Perhaps they will help you. Maybe they will scare your enemies away.

13 All of the advice you have received has only worn you out! Let those who study the heavens come forward. They claim to know what is going to happen by watching the stars every month. So let them save you from the trouble that is coming on you.

14 They are just like straw. Fire will burn them up. They can't even save themselves from the powerful flames. They are not like coals that can warm anyone. They are not like a fire to sit by.

15 They can't do you any good. You have done business with them ever since you were a child. You have always asked them for advice. All of them are bewildered and continue in their own ways. None of them can save you."

1 People of Jacob, listen to me. You are called by the name of Israel. You come from the family line of Judah. You take oaths in the name of the Lord. You pray to Israel's God. But you aren't honest. You don't mean what you say.

2 You call yourselves citizens of the holy city of Jerusalem. You say you depend on Israel's God. His name is The LORD Who Rules Over All. He says,

3 "Long ago I told you ahead of time what would happen. I announced it and made it known. Then all of a sudden I acted. And those things took place.

4 I knew how stubborn you were. Your neck was as unbending as iron. Your forehead was as hard as bronze.

5 So I told you those things long ago. Before they happened I announced them to you. I did it so you would not be able to say, 'My statues of gods did them. My wooden and metal gods made them happen.'

6 You have heard me tell you those things. Think about all of them. Won't you admit they have taken place? "From now on I will tell you about new things that will happen. I have not made them known to you before.

7 Those things are taking place right now. They did not happen long ago. You have not heard of them before today. So you can't say, 'Oh, yes. I already knew about them.'

8 You have not heard or understood what I said. Your ears have been plugged up for a long time. I knew very well that you would turn against me. From the day you were born, you have refused to obey me.

9 For the honor of my own name I put off showing my anger. I hold it back from you so people will continue to praise me. I do not want to destroy you.

10 I have put you to the test in the furnace of suffering. I have tried to make you pure. But I did not use as much heat as it takes to make silver pure.

11 I tried to purify you for my own honor. I did it for the honor of my name. How can I let myself be dishonored? I will not give up my glory to any other god.

12 "Family of Jacob, listen to me. People of Israel, pay attention. I have chosen you. I am the First and the Last. I am the Lord.

13 With my own hand I laid the foundations of the earth. With my right hand I spread out the heavens. When I send for them, they come and stand ready to obey me.

14 "People of Israel, come together and listen to me. What other god has said ahead of time that certain things would happen? I have chosen Cyrus. He will carry out my plans against Babylon. He will use his powerful arm against the Babylonians.

15 I myself have spoken. I have chosen him to carry out my purpose. I will bring him to Babylon. He will succeed in what I tell him to do.

16 "Come close and listen to me. "From the first time I said Cyrus was coming, I did not do it in secret. When he comes, I will be there." The LORD and King has filled me with his Spirit. People of Israel, he has sent me to you.

17 The LORD is the Holy One of Israel. He sets his people free. He says to them, "I am the LORD your God. I teach you what is best for you. I direct you in the way you should go.

18 I wish you would pay attention to my commands. If you did, peace would flow over you like a river. Holiness would sweep over you like the waves of the ocean.

19 Your family would be like the sand. Your children after you would be as many as the grains of sand by the sea. It would be impossible to count them. I would always accept the members of your family line. They would never be cut off or destroyed."

20 People of Israel, leave Babylon! Hurry up and get away from the Babylonians! Here is what I want you to announce. Make it known with shouts of joy. Send the news out from one end of the earth to the other. Say, "The LORD has set Jacob's people free. They are his servants."

21 They didn't get thirsty when he led them through the deserts. He made water flow out of the rock for them. He broke the rock open, and water came out of it.

22 "There is no peace for those who are evil," says the Lord.

1 People who live on the islands, listen to me. Pay attention, you nations far away. Before I was born the LORD chose me to serve him. He appointed me by name.

2 He made my words like a sharp sword. He hid me in the palm of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow. He took good care of me and kept me safe.

3 He said to me, "You are my true servant Israel. I will show my glory through you."

4 But I said, "In spite of my hard work, I feel as if I haven't accomplished anything. I've used up all of my strength. It seems as if everything I've done is worthless. But the LORD will give me what I should receive. My God will reward me."

5 The LORD formed me in my mother's body to be his servant. He wanted me to bring the family of Jacob back to him. He wanted me to gather the people of Israel to himself. The LORD will honor me. My God will give me strength.

6 The LORD says to me, "It is not enough for you as my servant to bring the tribes of Jacob back to their land. It is not enough for you to bring back the people of Israel I have kept alive. I will also make you a light for other nations. Then you will make it possible for the whole world to be saved."

7 The LORD sets his people free. He is the Holy One of Israel. He speaks to his servant, who is looked down on and hated by the nations. He speaks to the servant of rulers. He says to him, "Kings will see you and rise up to honor you. Princes will see you and bow down to show you their respect. I am the Lord. I am faithful. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have chosen you."

8 The LORD says to his servant, "When it is time to show you my favor, I will answer your prayers. When it is time to save you, I will help you. I will keep you safe. You will put my covenant with the people of Israel into effect. Then their land will be made like new again. Each tribe will be sent back to its territory that was left empty.

9 I want you to say to the prisoners, 'Come out.' Tell those who are in their dark cells, 'You are free!' "On their way home they will eat beside the roads. They will find plenty to eat on every bare hill.

10 They will not get hungry or thirsty. The heat from the desert sun will not beat down on them. The One who shows his tender love to them will guide them. Like a shepherd, he will lead them beside springs of water.

11 I will make roads across the mountains. I will build wide roads for my people.

12 They will come from far away. Some of them will come from the north. Others will come from the west. Still others will come from Aswan in the south."

13 Shout with joy, you heavens! Be glad, you earth! Burst into song, you mountains! The LORD will comfort his people. He will show his tender love to those who are suffering.

14 But the city of Zion said, "The LORD has deserted me. The Lord has forgotten me."

15 The LORD answers, "Can a mother forget the baby who is nursing at her breast? Can she stop showing her tender love to the child who was born to her? She might forget her child. But I will not forget you.

16 I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Your walls are never out of my sight.

17 Your people will hurry back. Those who destroyed you so completely will leave you.

18 Look up. Look all around you. All of your people are getting together to come back to you. You can be sure that I live," announces the Lord. "And you can be just as sure that your people will be like decorations you will wear. Like a bride, you will wear them proudly.

19 "Zion, you were destroyed. Your land was left empty. It was turned into a dry and empty desert. But now you will be too small to hold all of your people. And those who destroyed you will be far away.

20 The children who were born during your time of sorrow will speak to you. They will say, 'This city is too small for us. Give us more space to live in.'

21 Then you will say to yourself, 'Whose children are these? I lost my children. And I couldn't have any more. My children were taken far away from me. And no one wanted them. Who brought these children up? I was left all alone. So where have these children come from?' "

22 The LORD and King continues, "I will call out to the nations. I will give a signal to them. They will bring back your sons in their arms. They will carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23 Their kings will become like fathers to you. Their queens will be like mothers who nurse you. They will bow down to you with their faces toward the ground. They will kiss the dust at your feet to show you their respect. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who put their hope in me will not be ashamed."

24 Can goods that were stolen by soldiers be taken away from them? Can prisoners be set free from the powerful Babylonians?

25 "Yes, they can," the LORD answers. "Prisoners will be taken away from soldiers. Stolen goods will be taken back from the powerful Babylonians. Zion, I will fight against those who fight against you. And I will save your people.

26 I will make those who beat you down eat the flesh of others. They will drink blood and get drunk on it as if it were wine. Then everyone on earth will know that I am the one who saves you. I am the Lord. I set you free. I am the Mighty One of Jacob."

1 The LORD says to the people in Jerusalem, "Do you think I divorced your people before you? Is that why I sent them away? If it is, show me the letter of divorce. I did not sell you into slavery to pay someone I owe. You were sold because you sinned against me. Your people were sent away because of their lawless acts.

2 When I came to save you, why didn't anyone welcome me? When I called out to you, why didn't anyone answer me? Wasn't my arm powerful enough to set you free? Wasn't I strong enough to save you? I dry up the sea with a single command. I turn rivers into a desert. Then fish rot because they do not have any water. They die because they are thirsty.

3 I make the sky turn dark. It looks as if it is dressed in black clothes."

4 The LORD and King has taught me what to say. He has taught me how to help those who are tired. He wakes me up every morning. He makes me want to listen like a good student.

5 The LORD and King has unplugged my ears. I've always obeyed him. I haven't turned away from him.

6 I let my enemies beat me on my bare back. I let them pull the hair out of my beard. I didn't turn my face away when they made fun of me and spit on me.

7 The LORD and King helps me. He won't let me be dishonored. So I've made up my mind to keep on serving him. I know he won't let me be put to shame.

8 He is near. He will prove I haven't done anything wrong. So who will bring charges against me? Let's face each other in court! Who can bring charges against me? Let him come and face me!

9 The LORD and King helps me. So who will judge me? My enemies will be like clothes that moths have eaten up. They will disappear.

10 Does anyone among you have respect for the LORD? Does anyone obey the message of the LORD's servant? Let the person who walks in the dark trust in the Lord. Let the one who doesn't have any light to guide him depend on his God.

11 But all of you sinners who light fires should go ahead and walk in their light. You who carry flaming torches should walk in their light. Here's what I'm going to do to you. I'll make you lie down in great pain.

1 The LORD says, "Listen to me, you who want to do what is right. Pay attention, you who look to me. Consider the rock you were cut out of. Think about the rock pit you were dug from.

2 Consider Abraham. He is the father of your people. Think about Sarah. She is your mother. When I chose Abraham, he did not have any children. But I blessed him and gave him many of them.

3 You can be sure that I will comfort Zion's people. I will look with loving concern on all of their destroyed buildings. I will make their deserts like Eden. I will make their dry and empty land like my very own garden. Joy and gladness will be there. People will sing and give thanks to me.

4 "Listen to me, my people. Pay attention, my nation. My law will go out to the nations. I make everything right. That will be a guiding light for them.

5 The time for me to set you free is near. I will soon save you. My powerful arm will make everything right among the nations. The islands will put their hope in me. They will wait for my powerful arm to act.

6 Look up toward the heavens. Then look at the earth. The heavens will vanish like smoke. The earth will wear out like clothes. Those who live there will die like flies. But I will save you forever. My saving power will never end.

7 "Listen to me, you who know what is right. Pay attention, you who have my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid when mere people make fun of you. Do not be terrified when they laugh at you.

8 They will be like clothes that moths have eaten up. They will be like wool that worms have chewed up. But my saving power will last forever. I will save you for all time to come."

9 Wake up! Lord, wake up! Dress your powerful arm with strength as if it were your clothes. Wake up, just as you did in the past. Wake up, as you did long ago. Didn't you cut Rahab to pieces? Didn't you stab that sea monster to death?

10 Didn't you dry up the Red Sea? Didn't you dry up those deep waters? You made a road on the bottom of that sea. Then those who were set free went across.

11 Those the LORD has saved will return to their land. They will sing as they enter the city of Zion. Joy that lasts forever will be like beautiful crowns on their heads. They will be filled with gladness and joy. Sorrow and sighing will be gone.

12 The LORD says to his people, "I comfort you because of who I am. Why are you afraid of mere men? They are only human beings. They are like grass that dries up.

13 How can you forget me? I made you. I spread out the heavens. I laid the foundations of the earth. Why are you terrified every day? Is it because those who are angry with you are crushing you? Is it because they are trying to destroy you? Their anger can't harm you anymore.

14 You prisoners who are so afraid will soon be set free. You will not die in your prison cells. You will not go without food.

15 I am the LORD your God. I stir up the ocean. I make its waves roar. My name is The LORD Who Rules Over All.

16 I have put my words in your mouth. I have kept you safe in the palm of my hand. I set the heavens in place. I laid the foundations of the earth. I say to Zion, 'You are my people.' "

17 Wake up, Jerusalem! Wake up! Get up! The LORD has handed you the cup of his burning anger. And you have drunk from it. That cup makes men unsteady on their feet. And you have drunk from it to the very last drop.

18 None of the children who were born to you are left to guide you. None of the children you brought up are left to lead you by the hand.

19 Nothing but trouble has come to you. You have been wiped out and destroyed. And you have suffered hunger and war. No one feels sorry for you. No one can comfort you.

20 Your children have fainted. They lie helpless at every street corner. They are like antelope that have been caught in a net. They have felt the full force of the LORD's burning anger. Jerusalem, your God had to warn them strongly.

21 So listen to me, you suffering people of Jerusalem. You have been made drunk, but not by drinking wine.

22 Your LORD and King speaks. He is your God. He stands up for his people. He says, "I have taken from you the cup of my burning anger. It made you unsteady on your feet. But you will never drink from that cup again.

23 Instead, I will give it to those who made you suffer. They said to you, 'Fall down flat on the ground. Then we can walk all over you.' And that is exactly what you did. You made your back like a street to be walked on."

1 Wake up! Zion, wake up! Dress yourself with strength as if it were your clothes. Holy city of Jerusalem, put on your clothes of glory. Those who haven't been circumcised will never enter you again. Neither will those who are "unclean."

2 Get up, Jerusalem! Shake off your dust. Take your place on your throne. Captured people of Zion, remove the chains from your neck.

3 The LORD says, "When you were sold as slaves, no one paid anything for you. Now no one will pay any money to set you free."

4 The LORD and King continues, "Long ago my people went down to Egypt. They lived there for a while. Later, Assyria crushed them without any reason.

5 "Now look at what has happened to them," announces the Lord. "Once again my people have been taken away. And no one paid anything for them. Those who rule over them brag about it," announces the Lord. "All day long without stopping, people speak evil things against my name.

6 So the day will come when my people will really know the meaning of my name. They will know what kind of God I am. They will know that I told them ahead of time they would return to their land. They will know that it was I."

7 What a beautiful sight it is to see messengers coming with good news! How beautiful to see them coming down from the mountains with a message about peace! How wonderful it is when they bring the good news that we are saved! How wonderful when they say to Zion, "Your God rules!"

8 Listen! Those on guard duty are shouting out the message. With their own eyes they see the LORD returning to Zion. So they shout with joy.

9 Burst into songs of joy together, you broken-down buildings in Jerusalem. The LORD has comforted his people. He has set Jerusalem free.

10 The LORD will use the power of his holy arm to save his people. All of the nations will see him do it. Everyone from one end of the earth to the other will see it.

11 You who carry the articles that belong to the LORD's temple, leave Babylon! Leave it! Get out of there! Don't touch anything that isn't pure and clean. Come out of Babylon and be pure.

12 But this time you won't have to leave in a hurry. You won't have to rush away. The LORD will go ahead of you and lead you. The God of Israel will follow behind you and guard you.

13 The LORD says, "My servant will act wisely and accomplish his task. He will be highly honored. He will be greatly respected.

14 Many people were shocked when they saw him. He was so scarred that he did not look like a man at all. His body was so twisted that he did not look like a human being anymore.

15 But many nations will be surprised when they see what he has done. Kings will be so amazed that they will not be able to say anything. They will understand things they were never told about. They will know the meaning of things they never heard about."

1 Who has believed what we've been saying? Who has seen the LORD's saving power?

2 His servant grew up like a tender young plant. He grew like a root coming up out of dry ground. He didn't have any beauty or majesty that made us notice him. There wasn't anything special about the way he looked that drew us to him.

3 Men looked down on him. They didn't accept him. He knew all about sorrow and suffering. He was like someone people turn their faces away from. We looked down on him. We didn't have any respect for him.

4 He suffered the things we should have suffered. He took on himself the pain that should have been ours. But we thought God was punishing him. We thought God was wounding him and making him suffer.

5 But the servant was pierced because we had sinned. He was crushed because we had done what was evil. He was punished to make us whole again. His wounds have healed us.

6 All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own way. And the LORD has placed on his servant the sins of all of us.

7 He was beaten down and made to suffer. But he didn't open his mouth. He was led away like a sheep to be killed. Lambs are silent while their wool is being cut off. In the same way, he didn't open his mouth.

8 He was arrested and sentenced to death. Then he was taken away. He was cut off from this life. He was punished for the sins of my people. Who among those who were living at that time could have understood those things?

9 He was given a grave with those who were evil. But his body was buried in the tomb of a rich man. He was killed even though he hadn't harmed anyone. And he had never lied to anyone.

10 The LORD says, "It was my plan to crush him and cause him to suffer. I made his life a guilt offering to pay for sin. But he will see all of his children after him. In fact, he will continue to live. My plan will be brought about through him.

11 After he suffers, he will see the light that leads to life. And he will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what he will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins.

12 So I will give him a place of honor among those who are great. He will be rewarded just like others who win the battle. That is because he was willing to give his life as a sacrifice. He was counted among those who had committed crimes. He took the sins of many people on himself. And he gave his life for those who had done what is wrong."

1 "Jerusalem, sing! You are now like a woman who never had a child. Burst into song! Shout with joy! You who have never had labor pains, you are now all alone. But you will have more children than a woman who still has a husband," says the Lord.

2 "Make a large area for your tent. Spread out its curtains. Go ahead and make your tent wider. Make its ropes longer. Drive the stakes down deeper.

3 You will spread out to the right and the left. Your children after you will drive out the nations that are now living in your land. They will settle down in the deserted cities of those nations.

4 "Do not be afraid. You will not be put to shame anymore. Do not be afraid of being dishonored. People will no longer make fun of you. You will forget the time when you suffered as slaves in Egypt. You will no longer remember the shame of being a widow in Babylonia.

5 I made you. I am now your husband. My name is The LORD Who Rules Over All. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have set you free. I am the God of the whole earth.

6 You were like a wife who was deserted. And her heart was broken. You were like a wife who married young. And her husband sent her away. But now I am calling you to come back," says your God.

7 "For a brief moment I left you. But because I love you so much, I will bring you back.

8 For a moment I turned my face away from you. I was very angry with you. But I will show you my loving concern. My faithful love will continue forever," says the Lord. He is the one who set you free.

9 "During Noah's time I took an oath and made a promise. I said I would never cover the earth with water again. In the same way, I have promised not to be angry with you. I will never punish you again.

10 The mountains might shake. The hills might be removed. But my faithful love for you will never be shaken. And my covenant that promises peace to you will never be broken," says the Lord. He shows you his loving concern.

11 "Suffering city, you have been beaten by storms. You have not been comforted. I will rebuild you with turquoise stones. I will rebuild your foundations with sapphires.

12 I will line the top of your city wall with rubies. I will make your gates out of gleaming jewels. And I will make all of your walls out of precious stones.

13 I will teach all of your children. And they will enjoy great peace.

14 When you do what is right, you will be made secure. Your leaders will not be mean to you. You will not have anything to be afraid of. You will not be terrified anymore. Terror will not come near you.

15 People might attack you. But I will not be the cause of it. Those who attack you will give themselves up to you.

16 "I created blacksmiths. They fan the coals into flames of fire. They make weapons that are fit for their work. I also created those who destroy others.

17 But no weapon that is used against you will succeed. People might bring charges against you. But you will prove that they are wrong. Those are the things I do for my servants. I make everything right for them," announces the Lord.

1 "Come, all of you who are thirsty. Come and drink the water I offer to you. You who do not have any money, come. Buy and eat the grain I give you. Come and buy wine and milk. You will not have to pay anything for it.

2 Why spend money on what is not food? Why work for what does not satisfy you? Listen carefully to me. Then you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the richest food there is.

3 Listen and come to me. Pay attention to me. Then you will live. I will make a covenant with you that will last forever. I will give you my faithful love. I promised it to David.

4 I made him a witness to the nations. He became a leader and commander over them.

5 You too will send for nations you do not know. Even though they do not know you, they will hurry and come to you. That is what I will do. I am the LORD your God. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have honored you."

6 Turn to the LORD before it's too late. Call out to him while he's still ready to help you.

7 Let the one who is evil stop doing evil things. And let him quit thinking evil thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord. The LORD will show him his tender love. Let him turn to our God. He is always ready to forgive.

8 "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. And your ways are not like my ways," announces the Lord.

9 "The heavens are higher than the earth. And my ways are higher than your ways. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

10 The rain and the snow come down from the sky. They do not return to it without watering the earth. They make plants come up and grow. The plants produce seeds for farmers. They also produce food for people to eat.

11 The words I speak are like that. They will not return to me without producing results. They will accomplish what I want them to. They will do exactly what I sent them to do.

12 "My people, you will leave Babylonia with joy. You will be led out of it in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song as you go. And all of the trees in the fields will clap their hands.

13 Pine trees will grow where there used to be bushes that had thorns on them. And myrtle trees will grow where there used to be thorns. That will bring me great fame. It will be a lasting reminder of what I can do. It will not be forgotten."

1 The LORD says, "Do what is fair and right. I will soon come and save you. Soon everyone will know that what I do is right.

2 Blessed is the man who does what I want him to. He is faithful in keeping the Sabbath day. He does not misuse it. He does not do what is evil on that day."

3 Suppose an outsider wants to follow the Lord. Then he shouldn't say, "The LORD won't accept me as one of his people." And a eunuch shouldn't say, "I'm like a dry tree that doesn't bear any fruit."

4 The LORD says, "Suppose some eunuchs keep my Sabbath days. They choose to do what pleases me. And they are faithful in keeping my covenant.

5 Then I will set up a monument in the area of my temple. Their names will be written on it. That will be better for them than having sons and daughters. The names of the eunuchs will be remembered forever. They will never be forgotten.

6 "Suppose outsiders want to follow me and serve me. They want to love me and worship me. They keep the Sabbath day and do not misuse it. And they are faithful in keeping my covenant.

7 Then I will bring them to my holy mountain of Zion. I will give them joy in my house. They can pray there. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices on my altar. My house will be called a house where people from all nations can pray."

8 The LORD and King will gather those who were taken away from their homes in Israel. He announces, "I will gather them to myself. And I will gather others to join them."

9 Come, all of you enemy nations! Come like wild animals. Come and destroy like animals in the forest.

10 Israel's prophets are blind. They don't know the Lord. All of them are like watchdogs that can't even bark. They just lie around and dream. They love to sleep.

11 They are like dogs that love to eat. They never get enough. They are like shepherds who don't have any understanding. All of them do as they please. They only look for what they can get for themselves.

12 "Come!" they shout. "Let's get some wine! Let's drink all the beer we can! Tomorrow we'll do the same thing. And that will be even better than today."

1 Those who are right with God die. And no one really cares about it. Men who are faithful to the LORD are swept away by trouble. And no one understands why that happens to those who do what is right.

2 Those who lead honest lives will enjoy peace and rest when they die.

3 The LORD says, "Come here, you children of women who practice evil magic! You are children of prostitutes and those who commit adultery.

4 Who are you making fun of? Who are you laughing at? Who are you sticking your tongue out at? You are people who refuse to obey me. You are just a bunch of liars!

5 You burn with sinful longing among the oak trees. You worship your gods by having sex under every green tree. You sacrifice your children in the valleys. You also do it under the cliffs.

6 You have chosen some of the smooth stones in the valleys to be your gods. You have joined yourselves to them. You have even poured out drink offerings to them. You have given grain offerings to them. So why should I take pity on you?

7 You have made your bed to have sex on a very high hill. You went up there to offer your sacrifices.

8 You have set up statues to remind you of your gods. You have put them behind your doors and doorposts. You deserted me. You invited other lovers into your bed. You climbed into it and welcomed them. You made a deal with them. And you looked at their naked bodies.

9 You went to the god Molech with olive oil. You took a lot of perfume along with you. You sent your messengers to places far away. You even sent them down to the place of the dead.

10 All of your efforts wore you out. But you would not say, 'It's hopeless.' You received new strength. So you did not give up.

11 "Who are you so afraid of that you have not been true to me? You have not remembered me. You do not even care about me. I have not punished you for a long time. That is why you are not afraid of me.

12 You have not done what is right or good. I will let everyone know about it. And that will not be of any benefit to you.

13 Go ahead and cry out for help to all of the statues of your gods. See if they can save you! The wind will carry them off. Just a puff of air will blow them away. But anyone who comes to me for safety will receive the land. He will possess my holy mountain of Zion."

14 A messenger says, "Build up the road! Build it up! Get it ready! Remove anything that would keep my people from coming back."

15 The One who is highly honored lives forever. His name is holy. He says, "I live in a high and holy place. But I also live with anyone who turns away from his sins. I live with anyone who is not proud. I give new life to him. I give it to anyone who turns away from his sins.

16 I will not find fault with my people forever. I will not always be angry with them. If I were, I would cause their spirits to grow weak. The very breath of life would go out of the people I created.

17 I was very angry with them. They always longed for more and more of everything. So I punished them for that sin. I turned my face away from them because I was angry. But they kept on wanting their own way.

18 I have seen what they have done. But I will heal them. I will guide them. And I will comfort them just as I did before.

19 Then the people of Israel who are sorry for their sins will praise me. I will give perfect peace to those who are far away and those who are near. And I will heal them," says the Lord.

20 But those who are evil are like the rolling sea. It never rests. Its waves toss up mud and sand.

21 "There is no peace for those who are evil," says my God.

1 The LORD told me, "Shout out loud. Do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Tell my people that they have refused to obey me. Tell the family of Jacob how much they have sinned.

2 Day after day they worship me. They seem ready and willing to know how I want them to live. They act as if they were a nation that does what is right. They act as if they have not turned away from my commands. They claim to want me to give them fair decisions. They seem ready and willing to come near and worship me.

3 'We have gone without food,' they say. 'Why haven't you noticed it? We have made ourselves suffer. Why haven't you paid any attention to us?' "On the day when you fast, you do as you please. You take advantage of all of your workers.

4 When you fast, it ends in arguing and fighting. You hit one another with your fists. That is an evil thing to do. The way you are now fasting keeps your prayers from being heard in heaven.

5 Do you think that is the way I want you to fast? Is it only a time for a man to make himself suffer? Is it only for people to bow their heads like tall grass that is bent by the wind? Is it only for people to lie down on black cloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast? Do you think I can accept that?

6 "Here is the way I want you to fast. "Set free those who are held by chains without any reason. Untie the ropes that hold people as slaves. Set free those who are crushed. Break every evil chain.

7 Share your food with hungry people. Provide homeless people with a place to stay. Give naked people clothes to wear. Provide for the needs of your own family.

8 Then the light of my blessing will shine on you like the rising sun. I will heal you quickly. I will march out ahead of you. And my glory will follow behind you and guard you. That is because I always do what is right.

9 You will call out to me for help. And I will answer you. You will cry out. And I will say, 'Here I am.' "Get rid of the chains you use to hold others down. Stop pointing your finger at others as if they had done something wrong. Stop saying harmful things about them.

10 Work hard to feed hungry people. Satisfy the needs of those who are crushed. Then my blessing will light up your darkness. And the night of your suffering will become as bright as the noonday sun.

11 I will always guide you. I will satisfy your needs in a land that is baked by the sun. I will make you stronger. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water. You will be like a spring whose water never runs dry.

12 Your people will rebuild the cities that were destroyed long ago. And you will build again on the old foundations. You will be called The One Who Repairs Broken Walls. You will be called The One Who Makes City Streets Like New Again.

13 "Do not work on the Sabbath day. Do not do just anything you want to on my holy day. Make the Sabbath a day you can enjoy. Honor my holy day. Do not work on it. Do not do just anything you want to. Do not talk about things that are worthless.

14 Then you will find your joy in me. I will give you control over the most important places in the land. And you will enjoy all of the good things in the land I gave your father Jacob." The LORD has spoken.

1 People of Israel, the LORD's arm is not too weak to save you. His ears aren't too deaf to hear your cry for help.

2 But your sins have separated you from your God. They have caused him to turn his face away from you. So he won't listen to you.

3 Your hands and fingers are stained with blood. You are guilty of committing murder. Your mouth has told lies. Your tongue says evil things.

4 People aren't fair when they present their cases in court. They aren't honest when they state their case. They depend on weak arguments. They tell lies. They plan to make trouble. Then they carry it out.

5 The plans they make are like the eggs of poisonous snakes. Anyone who eats those eggs will die. When one of them is broken, a snake comes out.

6 Those people weave their evil plans together like a spider's web. But the webs they make can't be used as clothes. They can't cover themselves with what they make. Their acts are evil. They do things to harm others.

7 They are always in a hurry to sin. They run quickly to murder those who aren't guilty. Their thoughts are evil. They leave a trail of suffering and pain.

8 They don't know how to live at peace with others. What they do isn't fair. They lead twisted lives. No one who lives like that will enjoy peace and rest.

9 We aren't being treated fairly. We haven't been set free yet. The God who always does what is right hasn't come to help us. We look for light. But we see nothing but darkness. We look for brightness. But we walk in deep shadows.

10 Like blind people we feel our way along the wall. We are like those who can't see. At noon we trip and fall as if the sun had already set. Compared to those who are healthy, we are like dead people.

11 All of us growl like hungry bears. We cry like sad doves. We want the LORD to do what is fair and save us. But he doesn't do it. We long for him to set us free. But the time for that seems far away.

12 That's because we've done so many things he considers wrong. Our sins prove that we are guilty. The wrong things we've done are always troubling us. We admit that we have sinned.

13 We've refused to obey the Lord. We've made evil plans against him. We've turned our backs on our God. We've stirred up trouble and refused to follow him. We've told lies that came from our own minds.

14 So people stop others from doing what is fair. They keep them from doing what is right. No one tells the truth in court anymore. No one is honest there.

15 In fact, truth can't be found anywhere. Those who refuse to do evil are attacked. The LORD sees that people aren't treating others fairly. That makes him unhappy.

16 He sees that there is no one who helps his people. He is shocked that no one stands up for them. So he will use his own powerful arm to save them. He has the strength to do it because he is holy.

17 He will put the armor of holiness on his chest. He'll put the helmet of salvation on his head. He'll pay people back for the wrong things they do. He'll wrap himself in anger as if it were a coat.

18 He will pay his enemies back for what they have done. He'll pour his anger out on them. He'll punish those who attack him. He'll give the people in the islands what they have coming to them.

19 People in the west will show respect for the LORD's name. People in the east will worship him because of his glory. The LORD will come like a rushing river that was held back. His breath will drive it along.

20 "I set my people free. I will come to Mount Zion. I will come to those in Jacob's family who turn away from their sins," announces the Lord.

21 "Here is the covenant I will make with them," says the Lord. "My Spirit is on you. I have put my words in your mouth. They will never leave your mouth. And they will never leave the mouths of your children or their children after them. That will be true for all time to come," says the Lord.

1 "People of Jerusalem, get up. Shine, because your light has come. My glory will shine on you.

2 Darkness covers the earth. Thick darkness spreads over the nations. But I will rise and shine on you. My glory will appear over you.

3 Nations will come to your light. Kings will come to the brightness of your new day.

4 "Look up. Look all around you. All of your people are getting together to come back to you. Your sons will come from far away. Your daughters will be carried like little children.

5 Then your face will glow with joy. Your heart will beat fast because you are so happy. Wealth from across the ocean will be brought to you. The riches of the nations will come to you.

6 Herds of young camels will cover your land. They will come from Midian and Ephah. They will also come from Sheba. They'll carry gold and incense. And people will shout praises to me.

7 All of Kedar's flocks will be gathered to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve as your sacrifices. I will accept them as offerings on my altar. That is how I will bring honor to my glorious temple.

8 "Whose ships are these that sail along like clouds? They fly like doves to their nests.

9 People from the islands are coming to me. The ships of Tarshish are out in front. They are bringing your children back from far away. Your children are bringing their silver and gold with them. They are coming to honor me. I am the LORD your God. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have honored you.

10 "People from other lands will rebuild your walls. Their kings will serve you. When I was angry with you, I struck you. But now I will show you my tender love.

11 Your gates will always stand open. They will never be shut, day or night. Then people can bring you the wealth of the nations. Their kings will come along with them.

12 The nation or kingdom that will not serve you will be destroyed. It will be completely wiped out.

13 "Lebanon's glorious trees will be brought to you. Its pines, firs and cypress trees will be brought. They will be used to make my temple beautiful. And I will bring glory to the place where my throne is.

14 The children of those who crush you will come and bow down to you. All those who hate you will kneel down at your feet. Jerusalem, they will call you The City of the Lord. They will name you Zion, the City of the Holy One of Israel.

15 "You have been deserted and hated. No one even travels through you. But I will make you into something to be proud of forever. You will be a place of joy for all time to come.

16 You will get everything you need from kings and nations. You will be like children who are nursing at their mother's breasts. Then you will know that I am the one who saves you. I am the Lord. I set you free. I am the Mighty One of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold. In place of iron I will give you silver. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze. In place of stones I will give you iron. I will make peace govern you. I will make godliness rule over you.

18 People will no longer harm one another in your land. They will not wipe out or destroy anything inside your borders. You will call your walls Salvation. And you will name your gates Praise.

19 You will not need the light of the sun by day anymore. The bright light of the moon will no longer have to shine on you. I will be your light forever. My glory will shine on you. I am the LORD your God.

20 Your sun will never set again. Your moon will never lose its light. I will be your light forever. Your days of sorrow will come to an end.

21 Then all of your people will do what is right. The land will belong to them forever. They will be like a young tree I have planted. My hands have created them. They will show how glorious I am.

22 The smallest family among you will become a tribe. The smallest tribe will become a mighty nation. I am the Lord. When it is the right time, I will act quickly."

1 The Spirit of the LORD and King is on me. The LORD has anointed me to tell the good news to poor people. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts have been broken. He has sent me to announce freedom for those who have been captured. He wants me to set prisoners free from their dark prisons.

2 He has sent me to announce the year when he will set his people free. He wants me to announce the day when he will pay his enemies back. Our God has sent me to comfort all those who are sad.

3 He wants me to help those in Zion who are filled with sorrow. I will put beautiful crowns on their heads in place of ashes. I will anoint them with oil to give them gladness instead of sorrow. I will give them a spirit of praise in place of a spirit of sadness. They will be like oak trees that are strong and straight. The LORD himself will plant them in the land. That will show how glorious he is.

4 They will rebuild the places that were destroyed long ago. They will repair the buildings that have been broken down for many years. They will make the destroyed cities like new again. They have been broken down for a very long time.

5 Outsiders will serve you by taking care of your flocks. People from other lands will work in your fields and vineyards.

6 You will be called priests of the Lord. You will be named workers for our God. You will enjoy the wealth of nations. You will brag about getting their riches.

7 Instead of being put to shame my people will receive a double share of wealth. Instead of being dishonored they will be glad to be in their land. They will receive a double share of riches there. And they'll be filled with joy that will last forever.

8 The LORD says, "I love those who do what is right. I hate it when people steal and do other sinful things. So I will be faithful to those who do what is right. And I will bless them. I will make a covenant with them that will last forever.

9 Their children after them will be famous among the nations. Their families will be praised by people everywhere. All those who see them will agree that I have blessed them."

10 The people of Jerusalem will say, "We take great delight in the Lord. We are joyful because we belong to our God. He has dressed us with salvation as if it were our clothes. He has put robes of godliness on us. We are like a groom who is dressed up for his wedding. We are like a bride who decorates herself with her jewels.

11 The soil makes the young plant come up. A garden causes seeds to grow. In the same way, the LORD and King will make godliness grow. And all of the nations will praise him."

1 The LORD says, "For the good of Zion I will not keep silent. For Jerusalem's benefit I will not remain quiet. I will not keep silent until its people's godliness shines like the sunrise. I will not remain quiet until they are saved and shine like a blazing torch.

2 Jerusalem, the nations will see that I have made everything right for you. All of their kings will see your glory. You will be called by a new name. I myself will give it to you.

3 You will be like a glorious crown in my strong hand. You will be like a royal crown in my powerful hand.

4 People will not call you Deserted anymore. They will no longer name your land Empty. Instead, you will be called The One the LORD Delights In. Your land will be named The Married One. I will take delight in you. And your land will be like a bride.

5 As a young man gets married to a young woman, your people will marry you. As a groom is happy with his bride, I will be full of joy over you."

6 Jerusalem, I have stationed guards on your walls. They must never be silent day or night. You who call out to the LORD must not give yourselves any rest.

7 And don't give him any rest until he makes Jerusalem secure. Don't give him any peace until people all over the earth praise that city.

8 The LORD has taken an oath and made a promise. He has lifted up his right hand and mighty arm. He has promised, "I will never give your grain to your enemies for food again. Outsiders will never again drink the fresh wine you have worked so hard for.

9 Instead, those who gather the grain will eat it themselves. And they will praise me. Those who gather grapes to make the wine will enjoy it. They will drink it in the courtyards of my temple."

10 Go out through your gates, people of Jerusalem! Go out! Prepare the way for the rest of your people to return. Build up the road! Build it up! Remove the stones. Raise a banner over the city for the nations to see.

11 The LORD has announced a message from one end of the earth to the other. He has said, "Tell the people of Zion, 'Look! Your Savior is coming! He is bringing his people back as his reward. He has won the battle over their enemies.' "

12 They will be called The Holy People. The LORD will set them free. And Jerusalem will be named The City the LORD Cares About. It won't be deserted anymore.

1 Who is this man coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? His clothes are stained bright red. Who is he? He is dressed up in all of his glory. He is marching toward us with great strength. The LORD answers, "It is I. I have won the battle. I am mighty. I have saved my people."

2 Why are your clothes red? They look as if you have been stomping on grapes in a winepress.

3 The LORD answers, "I have been stomping on the nations as if they were grapes. No one was there to help me. I walked all over the nations because I was angry. That is why I stomped on them. Their blood splashed all over my clothes. So my clothes were stained bright red.

4 I decided it was time to pay Israel's enemies back. The year for me to set my people free had come.

5 I looked around, but no one was there to help me. I was shocked that no one gave me any help. So I used my own powerful arm to save my people. I had the strength to do it because I was angry.

6 I walked all over the nations because I was angry with them. I made them drink from the cup of my burning anger. I poured their blood out on the ground."

7 I will talk about the kind things the LORD has done. I'll praise him for everything he's done for us. He has done many good things for the nation of Israel. That's because he loves us and is very kind to us.

8 In the past he said, "They are my people. They will not turn against me." So he saved them.

9 When they suffered, he suffered with them. He sent his angel to save them. He set them free because he is loving and kind. He lifted them up and carried them. He did it again and again in days long ago.

10 But they refused to obey him. They made his Holy Spirit sad. So he turned against them and became their enemy. He himself fought against them.

11 Then his people remembered what he did long ago. They recalled the days of Moses and his people. They asked, "Where is the One who brought Israel through the Red Sea? Moses led them as the shepherd of his flock. Where is the One who put his Holy Spirit among them?

12 He used his glorious and powerful arm to help Moses. He parted the waters of the sea in front of them. That mighty act made him famous forever.

13 He led them through that deep sea. Like a horse in open country, they didn't trip and fall.

14 Like cattle that are taken down to the flatlands, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord." That's how he guided his people. So he made a glorious name for himself.

15 Lord, look down from heaven. Look down from your holy and glorious throne. Where is your great love for us? Where is your power? Why don't you show us your tender love and concern?

16 You are our Father. Abraham might not accept us as his children. Jacob might not recognize us as his family. But you are our Father, Lord. Your name is The One Who Always Sets Us Free.

17 Lord, why do you let us wander away from you? Why do you let us become so stubborn that we don't respect you? Come back and help us. We are the tribes that belong to you.

18 For a little while your holy people possessed the land. But now our enemies have torn your temple down.

19 We are like people you never ruled over. We are like those who don't belong to you.

1 I wish you would open up your heavens and come down to us! I wish the mountains would tremble when you show your power!

2 Be like a fire that causes twigs to burn. It also makes water boil. So come down and make yourself known to your enemies. Cause the nations to shake with fear when they see your power!

3 Long ago you did some wonderful things we didn't expect. You came down, and the mountains trembled when you showed your power.

4 No one's ears have ever heard of a God like you. No one's eyes have ever seen a God who is greater than you. No God but you acts for the good of those who trust in him.

5 You come to help those who enjoy doing what is right. You help those who thank you for teaching them how to live. But when we continued to disobey you, you became angry with us. So how can we be saved?

6 All of us have become like someone who is "unclean." All of the good things we do are like polluted rags to you. All of us are like leaves that have dried up. Our sins sweep us away like the wind.

7 No one prays to you. No one asks you for help. You have turned your face away from us. You have let us waste away because we have sinned so much.

8 Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay. You are the potter. Your hands made all of us.

9 Don't be so angry with us, Lord. Don't remember our sins anymore. Please show us your favor. All of us belong to you.

10 Your sacred cities have become a desert. Even Zion is a desert. Jerusalem is a dry and empty place.

11 Our people used to praise you in our holy and glorious temple. But now it has been burned down. Everything we treasured has been destroyed.

12 Lord, won't you help us even after everything that's happened? Will you keep silent and punish us more than we can stand?

1 The LORD says, "I made myself known to those who were not asking for me. I was found by those who were not trying to find me. I spoke to a nation that did not pray to me. 'Here I am,' I said. 'Here I am.'

2 All day long I have held out my hands to welcome a stubborn nation. They lead sinful lives. They go where their evil thoughts take them.

3 They are always making me very angry. They do it right in front of me. They offer sacrifices in the gardens of other gods. They burn incense on altars that are made out of bricks.

4 They sit among the graves. They spend their nights talking to the spirits of the dead. They eat the meat of pigs. Their cooking pots hold soup that has 'unclean' meat in it.

5 They say, 'Keep away! Don't come near us! We are too sacred for you!' Those people are like smoke in my nose. They are like a fire that keeps burning all day.

6 "I will judge them. I have even written it down. I will not keep silent. Instead, I will pay them back for all of their sins.

7 I will punish them for their sins and the sins of their people before them," says the Lord. "They burned sacrifices on the mountains. They disobeyed me by worshiping other gods on the hills. So I will really punish them for all of the sins they have committed."

8 The LORD says, "Sometimes juice is still left in grapes that have been crushed. So people say, 'Don't destroy them. Some good juice is still left in them.' That is what I will do for the good of those who serve me. I will not destroy all of my people.

9 I will give children to the families of Jacob and Judah. They will possess my entire land. My chosen people will be given all of it. Those who serve me will live there.

10 Their flocks will eat in the rich grasslands of Sharon. Their herds will rest in the Valley of Achor. That is what I will do for my people who follow me.

11 "But some of you have deserted me. You no longer worship on my holy mountain of Zion. You spread a table for the god that is called Good Fortune. You offer bowls of mixed wine to the god named Fate.

12 So I will make it your fate to be killed with swords. Each of you will die a horrible death. That is because I called out to you, but you did not answer me. I spoke to you, but you did not listen. You did what is evil in my sight. You chose to do what does not please me."

13 So the LORD and King says, "Those who serve me will have food to eat. But you will be hungry. My servants will have plenty to drink. But you will be thirsty. Those who serve me will be full of joy. But you will be put to shame.

14 My servants will sing with joy in their hearts. But you will cry out because of the great pain in your hearts. You will cry because your spirits are sad.

15 My chosen ones will use your names when they call down curses on others. I am your LORD and King. I will put you to death. But I will give new names to those who serve me.

16 They will ask me to bless their land. They will do it in my name. I am the God of truth. They will take oaths and make promises in their land. They will do it in my name. I am the God of truth. The troubles of the past will be forgotten. They will be hidden from my eyes.

17 "I will create new heavens and a new earth. The things that have happened before will not be remembered. They will not even enter your minds.

18 So be glad and full of joy forever because of what I will create. I will cause others to take delight in Jerusalem. They will be filled with joy when they see its people.

19 And I will be full of joy because of Jerusalem. I will take delight in my people. Sobbing and crying will not be heard there anymore.

20 "Babies in Jerusalem will no longer live only a few days. Old people will not fail to live for a very long time. Those who live to the age of 100 will be thought of as still being young when they die. Those who die before they are 100 will be considered as having been under God's curse.

21 My people will build houses and live in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

22 They will no longer build houses only to have others live in them. They will no longer plant crops only to have others eat them. My people will live to be as old as trees. My chosen ones will enjoy for a long time the things they have worked for.

23 Their work will not be worthless anymore. They will not have children who are sure to face sudden terror. Instead, I will bless them. I will also bless their children after them.

24 Even before they call out to me, I will answer them. While they are still speaking, I will hear them.

25 Wolves and lambs will eat together. Lions will eat straw like oxen. Serpents will not bite anyone. They will eat nothing but dust. None of those animals will harm or destroy anything or anyone on my holy mountain of Zion," says the Lord.

1 The LORD says, "Heaven is my throne. The earth is under my control. So how could you ever build a house for me? Where would my resting place be?

2 Didn't my powerful hand make everything? That is how all things were created," announces the Lord. "The person I value is not proud. He is sorry for the wrong things he has done. He has great respect for what I say.

3 But others are not like that. They sacrifice bulls to me, but at the same time they kill people. They offer lambs to me, but they also sacrifice dogs to other gods. They bring grain offerings to me, but they also offer pig's blood to other gods. They burn incense to me, but they also worship statues of gods. They have chosen to go their own way. They take delight in things I hate.

4 So I have also made a choice. I will make them suffer greatly. I will bring on them what they are afraid of. When I called out to them, no one answered me. When I spoke to them, no one listened. They did what is evil in my sight. They chose to do what displeases me."

5 Listen to the word of the Lord. Listen, you who tremble with fear when he speaks. He says, "Some of your own people hate you. They turn their backs on you because you are faithful to me. They make fun of you and say, 'Let the LORD show his glory by saving you. Then we can see how happy you are.' But they will be put to shame.

6 Hear the loud sounds coming from the city! Listen to the noise coming from the temple! I am the one who is causing it. I am paying my enemies back for everything they have done.

7 "Zion is like a woman who has a baby before she goes into labor. She has a son even before her labor pains begin.

8 Who has ever heard of anything like that? Who has ever seen such a thing? Can a country be born in a day? Can a nation be created in a moment? But as soon as Zion goes into labor, her people increase their numbers.

9 Zion, would I bring you to the moment of birth and not let it happen?" says the Lord. "Would I close up a mother's body when it is time for her baby to be born?" says your God.

10 "Be glad along with Jerusalem, all you who love her. Be filled with joy because of her. Take great delight in her, all you who sob over her.

11 You will nurse at her comforting breasts. And you will be satisfied. You will drink until you are full. And you will delight in her rich and plentiful supply."

12 The LORD continues, "I will cause peace to flow over her like a river. I will make the wealth of nations sweep over her like a flooding stream. You will nurse and be carried in her arms. You will play on her lap.

13 As a mother comforts her child, I will comfort you. You will find comfort in Jerusalem."

14 When you see that happen, your hearts will be filled with joy. Just as grass grows quickly, you will succeed. The LORD will show his power to those who serve him. But he will pour out his anger on his enemies.

15 The LORD will judge them with fire. His chariots are coming like a windstorm. He will pour out his burning anger on his enemies. It will blaze out like flames of fire.

16 The LORD will bring everyone into court. He will use fire and his sword to punish those he finds guilty. He will put many people to death.

17 "Some people set themselves apart and make themselves pure. They do it so they can go into the gardens to worship other gods. They do what the worship leader tells them to do. They eat the meat of pigs and rats. They also eat other things I hate. All of those people will come to a horrible end," announces the Lord.

18 "They have done many evil things. And they plan to do even more. So I will come and gather the people of every nation and language. They will see my glory when I act.

19 "I will do a miracle among them. I will send to the nations some of those who are left alive. I will send some of them to the people of Tarshish, Libya and Lydia, who are famous for using bows. I will send others to Tubal and Greece. And I will send still others to islands far away. The people who live there have not heard about my fame. They have not seen my glory. Those I send will tell the nations about my glory when I act.

20 "And they will bring back all of the people of Israel from all of those nations. They will bring them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem. My people will ride on horses, mules and camels. They will come in chariots and wagons," says the Lord. "Those messengers will bring my people as an offering to me. They will bring them to my temple, just as the Israelites bring their grain offerings in bowls that are 'clean.'

21 And I will choose some of them to be priests and Levites," says the Lord.

22 "I will make new heavens and a new earth. And they will last forever," announces the Lord. "In the same way, your name and your children after you will last.

23 Everyone will come and bow down to me. They will do it at every New Moon Feast and on every Sabbath day," says the Lord.

24 "When they go out of Jerusalem, they will see the dead bodies of those who refused to obey me. The worms that eat the bodies will not die. The fire that burns them will not be put out. It will make everyone sick just to look at them."

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