# verses

text:
As the falling of snow in the time of harvest is good against heat, so a faithful messenger <i>refreshes</i> those that send him; for he helps the souls of his employers.


text:
<i>As</i> a club, and a dagger, and a pointed arrow, so also is a man who bears false witness against his friend.


text:
As vinegar is bad for a sore, so trouble befalling the body afflicts the heart. As a moth in a garment, and a worm in wood, so the grief of a man hurts the heart.


text:
<i>It is</i> better to dwell on a corner of the rooftop than in a house shared with a scolding woman.


text:
As if one should stop a well, and corrupt a spring of water, so is it unseemly for a righteous man to fall before an ungodly man.


text:
As a city whose walls are broken down, and which is unfortified, so is a man who does anything without counsel.


text:
As when a dog returns to his own vomit, and becomes abominable, so is a fool who returns in his wickedness to his own sin. There is a shame which leads to sin, and a shame which procures glory and grace.


text:
A lazy <i>man</i> when sent on a journey says, “<i>There is</i> a lion in the road, and <i>there are</i> murderers in the streets.”


text:
As those who need correction put forth <i>fair</i> words to men, and he that first falls in with the proposal will be overthrown;


text:
so are all that lay wait for their own friends, and when they are discovered, say, “I was only joking.”


text:
Though your enemy intreat you with a loud voice, do not believe him, for in his heart there is seven-fold wickedness.


text:
He that conceals enmity frames deceit, but being easily discerned, exposes his own sins in the public assemblies.


text:
He that digs a pit for his neighbor shall fall into it, and he that rolls a stone, rolls it upon himself.


text:
As when a bird flies down from its own nest, so is a man brought into bondage, when removed from his country.


text:
Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; better is a friend <i>that is</i> near than a brother far off.


text:
Whosoever shall bless a friend in the morning with a loud voice, shall appear not unlike one who curses him.


text:
On a stormy day drops of rain drive a man out of his house, so also does a contentious woman <i>drive a man</i> out of his own house.


text:
He that plants a fig tree shall eat of its fruits; so he that waits on his own master shall be honored.


text:
Hell and destruction are never full, neither are the eyes of men ever satisfied. He that fixes his eye is an abomination to the Lord, and the uninstructed do not restrain their tongue.


text:
Fire is the trial for silver and gold, and a man is tried by the mouth of them that praise him. The heart of the transgressor seeks after mischief, but an upright heart seeks knowledge.


text:
Though you scourge a fool, disgracing him in the midst of the council, you will <i>still</i> in no way remove his folly from him.


text:
For a man has not strength and power forever; neither does he transmit it from generation to generation.


text:
that you may have sheep’s <i>wool</i> for clothing; pay attention to the land, that you may have lambs.


text:
so they that forsake the law applaud iniquity; but they that love the law fortify themselves with a wall.


text:
He that increases his wealth by usury and <i>unjust</i> gains, gathers it for him that pities the poor.


text:
He that causes upright men to err in an evil way, himself shall fall into destruction. Transgressors also shall pass by prosperity, but shall not enter into it.


text:
He that covers his own ungodliness shall not prosper, but he that blames <i>himself</i> shall be loved.


text:
He that becomes surety for a man charged with murder shall be in exile, and not in safety. Chasten your son, and he shall love you, and give honor to your soul: he shall not obey a sinful nation.


text:
He that tills his own land shall have plenty of bread, but he that follows idleness shall have plenty of poverty.


text:
He who does not regard the persons of the righteous is not good: such a one will sell a man for a morsel of bread.


text:
An envious man makes haste to be rich, and does not know that the merciful man shall have mastery over him.


text:
He that casts off father or mother, and thinks he does not sin, the same is partaker with an ungodly man.


text:
He that gives to the poor shall not be in need, but he that turns away his eye <i>from him</i> shall be in great distress.


text:
In the places of ungodly <i>men</i> the righteous mourn, but in their destruction the righteous shall be multiplied.


text:
Better is a man of reproach than a stiff-necked man, for when the latter is suddenly set on fire, there shall be no remedy.


text:
A righteous man knows how to judge for the poor, but the ungodly does not understand knowledge, and the poor man does not have an understanding mind.


text:
When the ungodly abound, transgressions are multiplied, but when they fall, the righteous are warned.


text:
A stubborn servant will not be reproved by words: for even if he understands, still he will not obey.


text:
He who is partner with a thief hates his own soul; and so do they, having heard an oath spoken, do not tell of it.


text:
<i>Those</i> who fear and reverence men have been overthrown, but he that trusts in the Lord shall rejoice. Ungodliness causes a man to fall, but he that trusts in the Lord shall be safe.


text:
A righteous man is an abomination to an unrighteous man, and a straight course is an abomination to the sinner.


text:
Who has ascended up to heaven, and come down? Who has gathered the winds in His bosom? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has dominion of all the ends of the earth? What is His name? Or what is the name of His children?


text:
Remove vanity and falsehood far from me, and give me neither wealth nor poverty, but appoint <i>to </i>me what is needful and sufficient:


text:
lest I be filled and become false, and say, “Who sees me?” Or be poor and steal, and swear vainly by the name of God.


text:
Do not deliver a servant into the hands of his master, lest he curse you, and you be utterly destroyed.


text:
A wicked generation have teeth like swords, and grinders like cleavers, so as to destroy and devour the lowly from the earth, and the poor of them from among men.


text:
The leech had three dearly beloved daughters, and these three did not satisfy her; and the fourth was not contented so as to say, “Enough.”


text:
The grave, and the love of a woman, and the earth not filled with water; water also and fire will not say, “It is enough.”


text:
The eye that laughs to scorn a father, and dishonors the old age of a mother, let the ravens of the valleys pick it out, and let the young eagles devour it.


text:
the track of a flying eagle; and the ways of a serpent on a rock; and the paths of a ship passing through the sea; and the ways of a man in <i>his </i>youth.


text:
Such is the way of an adulterous woman, who having washed herself from what she has done, says she has done nothing amiss.


text:
or if a maid-servant should cast out her own mistress, and if a hateful woman should marry a good man.


text:
And the lizard, which supports itself by its hands, and is easily taken, and dwells in the fortresses of kings.


text:
A young lion, which is stronger than all other beasts, which does not turn away, nor fears any beast;


text:
and a rooster, which struts boldly among the hens, and the goat leading the herd; and a king addressing a nation.


text:
Churn the milk, and there shall be butter, and if you wring one’s nose, there shall come out blood; so if you use provoking language, there will come forth quarrels and strife.


text:
What will you keep, my son? What? The words of God? My firstborn son, I speak to you: what? Son of my womb? What? Son of my vows?


text:
Do not give your wealth to women, nor your understanding and your life for that which will bring sorrow. Do all things with counsel; drink wine with counsel.


text:
lest by drinking they forget wisdom, and become incapable of administering justice to the oppressed.


text:
Her husband is not anxious about those at home when he tarries anywhere abroad: for all her household are well clothed.


text:
She makes for her husband clothes of double texture, and garments for herself of fine linen and scarlet.


text:
And her husband becomes a distinguished <i>person</i> in the gates, when he sits in council with the elders of the land.


text:
She makes fine linens, and sells sashes to the Canaanites; she opens her mouth sparingly and with propriety, and controls her tongue.


text:
And her kindness to them sets up her children for them, and they grow rich, and her husband praises her.


text:
Many daughters have possessed wealth, many have acted valiantly, but you have exceeded <i>them all</i>, you have surpassed all.


text:
Charms are false, and woman’s beauty is vain: for it is a wise woman that is blessed, and let her praise the fear the Lord.


text:
arising there it proceeds southward, and goes round toward the north. The wind goes round and round, and the wind returns to its circuits.


text:
All the rivers run into the sea; and yet the sea is not filled. To the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.


text:
All things are full of labor; a man will not be able to speak <i>of them.</i> Neither shall the eye be satisfied with seeing, neither shall the ear be filled with hearing.


text:
What is that which has been? The very thing which shall be. And what is that which has been done? The very thing which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.


text:
<i>Who is he</i> that shall speak and say, “Behold, this is new?” It has already been in the ages that have passed before us.


text:
There is no remembrance of former things; neither to the things that have been last shall their memorial be with them that shall at the last <i>time</i>.


text:
And I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven, for God has given to the sons of men a burdensome task to be afflicted with.


text:
I beheld all the works that were done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.


text:
I spoke in my heart, saying, “Behold, I have attained, and acquired wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.” Also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge.


text:
And my heart knew much—wisdom, knowledge, parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.


text:
For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.


text:
<n>The Vanity of Pleasure</n> I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure.” And behold, this is also vanity.


text:
And I examined whether my heart would excite my flesh as <i>with</i> wine, (though my heart guided <i>me</i> in wisdom,) and <i>I desired</i> to lay hold of mirth, until I should see of what sort that good is, which the sons of men are to pursue under the sun, all the days of their life.


text:
I acquired servants and maidens, and servants were born to me in the house. Also I had abundant possessions of flocks and herds, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.


text:
Moreover I collected for myself both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasures of kings and provinces. I procured for myself singing men and singing women, and delights of the sons of men, a butler and female cupbearers.


text:
So I became great, and advanced beyond all that were before in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom was established to me.


text:
And whatever my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them, I did not withhold my heart from all my mirth; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my portion of all my labor.


text:
And I looked on all my works which my hands had done, and on my labor which I labored to perform, and behold, all was vanity and grasping for the wind, and there is no advantage under the sun.


text:
Then I looked back to view wisdom, and madness, and folly; for who is the man who will follow after counsel, in all things where in he employs it?


text:
The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness. And I perceived, even I, that one event shall happen to them all.


text:
And I said in my heart, “As the event of the fool is, so shall it be to me, even to me.” And to what purpose have I gained wisdom? Moreover, I said in my heart, “This is also vanity, because the fool speaks of his abundance.”


text:
For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool forever; forasmuch as now <i>in</i> the coming days all things are forgotten. And how shall the wise man die with the fool?


text:
So I hated life, because the work that was done under the sun was evil before me. For all is vanity and grasping for the wind.


text:
And I hated all of my labor which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.


text:
And who knows whether he will be wise, or a fool? And whether he will have power over all my labor in which I labored, and in which I grew wise under the sun? This is also vanity.


text:
For there is <i>such</i> a man that his labor is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; <i>yet</i> this man shall give his portion to one who has not labored for it. This is also vanity and a great evil.


text:
For it happens to a man in all his labor, and in the purpose of his heart in which he labors under the sun.


text:
For all his days <i>are</i> sorrowful, and vexation of spirit is his; in the night also his heart rests not. This is also vanity.


text:
A man has nothing good to eat, and to drink, and to show his soul <i>as</i> good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.


text:
For <i>God</i> has given wisdom, knowledge, and joy to the man who is good in His sight, but He has given to the sinner trouble, to add and to heap up, that He may give to him that is good before God; for this is also vanity and grasping for the wind.


text:
<n>Everything Has Its Time</n> To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.


text:
a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;


text:
<n>The God-Given Task</n> What advantage <i>has</i> he that works in those things in which he labors?


text:
All the things which He has made are beautiful in His time. He has also set the whole world in their heart, that man might not find out the work which God has done from the beginning, even to the end.


text:
I know that there is no good in them, except <i>for a man</i> to rejoice, and to do good in his life.


text:
Also, every man who shall eat and drink, and see good in all his labor, <i>this</i> is a gift of God.


text:
I know that whatsoever things God has done, they shall be forever. It is impossible to add to it, and it is impossible to take away from it; and God has done <i>it</i>, that <i>men</i> should fear at His presence.


text:
That which has been is now; and whatever things <i>are appointed</i> to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.


text:
And moreover I saw under the sun: <i>in</i> the place of judgment, wickedness <i>was</i> there; and in the place of righteousness, there was godliness.


text:
And I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the ungodly”; for there is a time there for every action and for every work.


text:
I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of men, “God will judge them,” and that to show that they are beasts.


text:
Also to them is the event of the sons of men, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them. As is the death of the one, so also the death of the other; and there is one breath to all; and what has the man more than the brute? Nothing; for all is vanity.


text:
And who has seen the spirit of the sons of men, whether it ascends upward? And the spirit of the beast, whether it descends downward to the earth?


text:
And I saw that there was no good, but that wherein a man shall rejoice in his works, for it is his portion, for who shall bring him to see anything of that which shall be after him?


text:
So I returned, and saw all the oppressions that were done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of them that oppressed them was power; but they had no comforter.


text:
And I praised all the dead that had already died more than the living, as many as are alive until now.


text:
Better also than both these is he who has not yet been, who has not seen all the evil work that is done under the sun.


text:
<n>The Vanity of Selfish Toil</n> And I saw all labor, and all the diligent work, that this is a man's envy from his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.


text:
There is one <i>alone</i>, and there is not a second; yes, he has neither son nor brother: yet there is no end to all his labor; neither is his eye satisfied with wealth. And for whom do I labor, and deprive my soul of good? This is also vanity, and an evil trouble.


text:
<n>The Value of a Friend</n> Two <i>are</i> better than one, <i>seeing</i> they have a good reward for their labor.


text:
For if they fall, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him that is alone when he falls, and there is not a second to lift him up.


text:
Again if two should lie together, they also have warmth. But how shall one be warmed who is <i>alone</i>?


text:
And if one should prevail against <i>him</i>, the two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord cannot easily be broken.


text:
Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, who knows not how to take heed any longer.


text:
For he shall come forth out of the house of the prisoners to reign, because <i>he</i> also that was in his kingdom has become poor.


text:
I beheld all the living who were walking under the sun, with the second youth who shall stand up in each one's place.


text:
There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; and the last shall not rejoice in him; for this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.


text:
<n>Fear God. Keep Your Vows</n> Keep your foot, whenever you go to the house of God; and <i>when you are</i> near to hear, let your sacrifice <i>be</i> better than the gift of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.


text:
Do not be hasty with your mouth, and do not let your heart be swift to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven above, and you <i>are</i> on earth; therefore let your words be few.


text:
Whenever you shall vow a vow to God, do not delay in paying it; for <i>He has</i> no pleasure in fools. Pay, therefore, whatsoever you have vowed.


text:
Do not allow your mouth to lead your flesh to sin; and do not say in the presence of God, “It was an error”; lest God be angry at your voice, and destroy the works of your hands.


text:
If you should see the oppression of the poor, and the wresting of judgment and of justice in the land, do not marvel at the matter; for <i>there is</i> a high one to watch over him that is high, and high ones over them.


text:
He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who has loved gain, in the abundance thereof. This also is vanity.


text:
In the multitude of good they are increased that eat it, and what virtue has the owner, but the right of beholding <i>it</i> with his eyes?


text:
The sleep of a servant is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.


text:
There is an infirmity which I have seen under the sun, <i>namely</i>, wealth kept for its owner to his <i>own </i>hurt.


text:
And that wealth shall perish in an evil trouble, and <i>the man</i> begets a son, and there is nothing in his hand.


text:
As he came forth naked from his mother's womb, he shall return back as he came, and he shall receive nothing for his labor, that it should go <i>with him</i> in his hand.


text:
And this is also an evil infirmity; for as he came, so also shall he return. And what is his gain, for which he labors in vain?


text:
Behold, I have seen good, that it is a fine thing <i>for a man</i> to eat and to drink, and to see good in all his labor in which he may labor under the sun; <i>all</i> the number of the days of his life which God has given to him; for it is his portion.


text:
And <i>as for</i> every man to whom God has given wealth and possessions, and has given to him power to eat thereof, and to receive his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.


text:
A man to whom God shall give wealth, and substance, and honor, and he lacks nothing for his soul of all things that he shall desire, yet God shall not give him power to eat of it, for a stranger shall devour it. This is vanity, and an evil infirmity.


text:
Though a man should father a hundred <i>children</i>, and live many years, however abundant the days of his years shall be, yet <i>if</i> his soul shall not be satisfied with good, and also he have no burial; I said, “An untimely birth is better than he.”


text:
Moreover he has not seen the sun, nor known rest. There is <i>no more rest</i> to this one than another.


text:
Though he has lived to the return of a thousand years, yet he has seen no good. Do not all go to one place?


text:
For <i>what</i> advantage has the wise man over the fool, since <i>even</i> the poor knows how to walk in the direction of life?


text:
The sight of the eyes is better than that which wanders in soul. This is also vanity, and grasping for the wind.


text:
If anything has been, its name has already been called. And it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him who is stronger than he.


text:
For who knows <i>what is</i> good for a man in his life, <i>during</i> the number of the life of the days of his vanity? And he has spent them as a shadow; for who shall tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?


text:
<n>The Value of Practical Wisdom</n> A good name is better than good oil; and the day of death than the day of birth.


text:
<i>It is</i> better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the banquet house. Since this is the end of every man, and the living man will apply good <i>warning</i> to his heart.


text:
Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart will be made better.


text:
The end of a matter is better than the beginning thereof; the patient is better than the high-minded.


text:
Do not say, “What has happened, that the former days were better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.


text:
Wisdom is good with an inheritance; and <i>there is</i> an advantage <i>by it</i> to them that see the sun.


text:
For wisdom in its shadow is as the shadow of silver, and the excellence of the knowledge of wisdom will give life to him that has it.


text:
In the day of prosperity live joyfully, and consider in the day of adversity. Consider, <i>I say</i>, God also has caused the one to agree with the other for <i>this</i> reason, that man should find nothing after him.


text:
I have seen all things in the days of my vanity; there is a just man perishing in his justice, and there is an ungodly man remaining in his wickedness.


text:
It is good for you to restrain yourself by this; also by this you shall not defile your hand; for to them that fear God all things shall come forth <i>well</i>.


text:
Also take no heed to all the words which ungodly men shall speak, lest you hear your servant cursing you.


text:
For many times he shall trespass against you, and repeatedly shall he afflict your heart; for thus also have you cursed others.


text:
I and my heart went round about to know, and to examine, and to seek wisdom, and the account <i>of things</i>, and to know the folly and trouble and madness of the ungodly man.


text:
And I find her <i>to be</i>, and I will pronounce <i>to be</i> more bitter than death, the woman which is a snare, and her heart nets, <i>who has</i> a band in her hands. <i>He that is</i> good in the sight of God shall be delivered from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.


text:
“Behold, this have I found,” said the Preacher, <i>seeking</i> by one at a time to find out the account,


text:
which my soul sought after, though I did not find; for I have found one man of a thousand; but a woman in all these I have not found.


text:
Who knows the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a saying? A man's wisdom will lighten his countenance; but a man of shameless countenance will be hated.


text:
<n>Obey Authorities for God’s Sake</n> Observe the commandment of the king, and <i>that</i> because of the word of the oath of God.


text:
Do not be hasty; you shall go forth out of his presence. Do not stand in an evil matter; for he will do whatsoever he shall please,


text:
He that keeps the commandment shall not know an evil thing; and the heart of the wise knows the time of judgment.


text:
There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; and there is no power in the day of death; and there is no discharge in the day of the battle; neither shall wickedness deliver those who are given to it.


text:
So I saw all this, and I applied my heart to every work that has been done under the sun; all the things in which man has power over man, to afflict him.


text:
<n>Death Comes to All</n> And then I saw the ungodly carried into the tombs, and <i>that</i> out of the holy place. And they departed, and were praised in the city, because they had done thus. This also is vanity.


text:
Because there is no contradiction made on the part of those who are quick to do evil, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully determined in them to do evil.


text:
He that has sinned has done evil from that time, and from long beforehand. Nevertheless I know, that it is well with them that fear God, that they may fear before Him.


text:
But it shall not be well with the ungodly, and he shall not prolong his days, <i>which are but</i> a shadow; forasmuch as he does not fear before God.


text:
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are righteous persons to whom it happens according to the doing of the ungodly; and there are ungodly men, to whom it happens according to the doing of the just. This is also vanity.


text:
Then I praised mirth, because there is no good for a man under the sun, but to eat, and drink, and be merry. And this shall attend him in his labor all the days of his life, which God has given him under the sun.


text:
On this I set my heart to know wisdom, and to perceive the trouble that was done upon the earth; even though one sees no sleep day or night.


text:
And I beheld all the works of God, that a man shall not be able to discover the work which is done under the sun. Whatever things a man shall endeavor to seek, however a man may labor to seek it, yet he shall not find it. Moreover, <i>though</i> a wise man may speak of knowing it, he shall not be able to find it; for I applied all this to my heart, and my heart has seen all this.


text:
<i>I saw</i> that the righteous, the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God. Indeed, there is no man that knows either love or hatred, <i>though</i> all are before their face.


text:
Vanity is in all. There is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good, and to the bad; both to the pure, and to the impure; both to him that sacrifices, and to him that does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; as is the swearer, even so is he that fears an oath.


text:
There is this evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all, so that the heart of the sons of men is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during their life, and after that <i>they go</i> to the dead.


text:
For who is he that has fellowship with all the living? There is hope <i>for him</i>; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.


text:
For the living will know that they shall die; but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any reward to them, for their memory is lost.


text:
Also their love and their hatred and their envy have now perished, for there is no portion for them anymore, forever in all that is done under the sun.


text:
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for now God has approved your works.


text:
And see life with the wife whom you love, all the days of the life of your vanity, which are given to you under the sun; for that is your portion in your life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.


text:
Whatsoever your hand shall find to do, do with all your might; for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Hades, where you are going.


text:
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor yet bread to the wise, nor yet wealth to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of knowledge; for time and chance will happen to them all.


text:
For surely man also does not know his time; as fish that are taken in an evil net, and as birds that are caught in a snare, even thus the sons of men are snared at an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.


text:
<n>Wisdom Superior to Folly</n> This I also saw <i>to be</i> wisdom under the sun, and it is great before me.


text:
<i>Suppose there were</i> a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it;


text:
and should find in it a poor wise man, and he should save the city through his wisdom: yet no man would remember that poor man.


text:
And I said, “Wisdom is better than power”; yet the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not listened to.


text:
Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment; <i>and</i> a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly.


text:
And whenever a fool walks down the road, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.


text:
If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, do not leave your place; for soothing will put an end to great offenses.


text:
If the ax-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength; and <i>in that case</i> skill is of no advantage to a man.


text:
If a serpent bite when there is no <i>charmer’s</i> whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.


text:
A fool moreover multiplies words. No man knows what has been, nor what will be. Who shall tell him what will come after him?


text:
Blessed are you, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.


text:
By slothful neglect a building will be brought low, and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.


text:
Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice; but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.


text:
Even in your conscience, do not curse the king; and do not curse the rich in your bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry your voice, and that which has wings shall report your speech.


text:
<n>The Value of Diligence</n> Send forth your bread upon the face of the water, for you shall find it after many days.


text:
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for you do not know what evil there shall be upon the earth.


text:
If the clouds are filled with rain, they pour <i>it</i> out upon the earth; and if a tree fall southward, or if it fall northward, in the place where the tree shall fall, there it shall be.


text:
Among whom none knows what is the way of the wind. As the bones <i>are hid</i> in the womb of a pregnant <i>woman</i>, so you shall not know the works of God, <i>even</i> all things whatsoever He shall do.


text:
In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening let not your hand be slack; for you do not know what sort shall prosper whether this or that, or whether both shall be good alike.


text:
For even if a man should live many years, <i>and</i> rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.


text:
<n>Seek God Early in Life</n> Rejoice, O young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart blameless, but not in the sight of your eyes: yet know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.


text:
Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and folly are vanity.


text:
And remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of evil come, and the years overtake <i>you</i> in which you shall say, “I have no pleasure in them.”


text:
While the sun and light are not darkened, nor the moon and the stars; nor the clouds return after the rain;


text:
in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the mighty men shall become bent, and the grinding <i>women</i> cease because they have become few, and those looking out at the windows grow dim;


text:
and they shall shut the doors in the marketplace, because of the weakness of the voice of her that grinds <i>at the mill</i>; and he shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of song shall be brought low;


text:
and they shall look up, and fears <i>shall be</i> in the way, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the locust shall increase, and the caper shall be scattered, because man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about the market.


text:
<i>Remember Him </i>before the silver cord is <i>let go</i>, or the choice gold is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel is run down to the cistern;


text:
<i>before</i> the dust also return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return to God who gave it.


text:
<n>The Whole Duty of Man</n> And because the Preacher was wise above <i>others, so it was</i> that he taught men excellent knowledge, and the ear will trace out the parables.


text:
The Preacher sought diligently to find out acceptable words, and a correct writing, <i>even</i> words of truth.


text:
The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails firmly fastened, which have been given from one shepherd by agreement.


text:
And moreover, my son, guard yourself by means of them; of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.


text:
For God will bring every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, whether good or evil.


text:
And the smell of your ointments is better than all spices: your name is ointment poured forth; therefore do the young maidens love you.


text:
They have drawn you: we will run after you, for the smell of your ointments: the king has brought me into his closet: let us rejoice and be glad in you; we will love your breasts more than wine: righteousness loves you.


text:
I am dark, but beautiful, you daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.


text:
Do not look upon me, because I am dark, because the sun has looked unfavorably upon me: my mother’s sons strove with me; they made me keeper in the vineyards; I have not kept my own vineyard.


text:
Tell me, <i>you</i> whom my soul loves, where you tend your flock, where you cause <i>them</i> to rest at noon, lest I become as one that is veiled by the flocks of your companions.


text:
If you do not know yourself, you fair one among women, go forth by the footsteps of the flocks, and feed your little goats by the shepherd’s tents.


text:
As the apple among the trees of the wood, so is my kinsman among the sons. I desired his shadow, and sat down, and his fruit was sweet in my throat.


text:
I have charged you, you daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the virtues of the field, that you do not rouse or wake my love, until he please.


text:
My kinsman is like a gazelle or a young hart on the mountains of Bethel: behold, he is behind our wall, looking through the windows, peeping through the lattices.


text:
The flowers are seen in the land; the time of pruning has arrived; the voice of the turtle dove has been heard in our land.


text:
The fig tree has put forth its young figs, the vines put forth the tender grape, they yield a smell: arise, come, my companion, my fair one, my dove; yea, come.”


text:
<i>You are</i> my dove, in the shelter of the rock, near the wall: show me your face, and cause me to hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance is beautiful.


text:
Until the day dawn, and the shadows depart, turn, my kinsman, be like to a gazelle or young hart on the mountains of the ravines.


text:
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but did not find him; I called him, but he did not hear me.


text:
I will rise now, and go about in the city, in the market places, and in the streets, and I will seek him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but I did not find him.


text:
The watchmen who go their rounds in the city found me. I <i>said</i>, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”


text:
It <i>was</i> as a little <i>while</i> after I parted from them, that I found him whom my soul loves: I held him, and did not let him go, until I brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.


text:
I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and by the virtues of the field, that you do not rouse nor awake my love, until he please.


text:
Who is this that comes up from the wilderness as pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the perfumer?


text:
They all hold a sword, being expert in war: every man has his sword upon his thigh because of fear by night.


text:
He made the pillars of it silver, the bottom of it gold, the covering of it scarlet, in the midst of it a pavement of love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.


text:
Go forth, you daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him, in the day of his wedding, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.


text:
Behold, you are fair, my companion; behold, you are fair; your eyes are doves, beside your veil: your hair is as flocks of goats, that have appeared from Gilead.


text:
Your teeth are as flocks of shorn <i>sheep</i>, that have gone up from the washing; all of them bearing twins, and there is not a barren one among them.


text:
Your lips are as a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely: like the rind of a pomegranate is your cheek without your veil.


text:
Your neck is as the tower of David, that was built for an armory: a thousand shields hang upon it, and all darts of mighty men.


text:
Until the day dawn, and the shadows depart, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.


text:
Come from Lebanon, my bride, come from Lebanon: you shall come and pass from the top of Faith, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.


text:
My sister, my spouse, you have ravished my heart; you have ravished my heart with one of your eyes, with one chain of your neck.


text:
How beautiful are your breasts, my sister, my spouse! How much more beautiful are your breasts than wine, and the smell of your garments than all spices!


text:
Your lips drop honeycomb, my spouse: honey and milk are under your tongue; and the smell of your garments is as the smell of Lebanon.


text:
Your shoots are a garden of pomegranates, with the fruit of choice berries; camphor, with spikenard:


text:
spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon; with all woods of Lebanon, myrrh, aloes, with all chief spices:


text:
Let my kinsman come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his choice berries. I have come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spices; I have eaten my bread with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; yes, brothers, drink abundantly.


text:
I sleep, but my heart is awake: the voice of my kinsman knocks at the door, <i>saying</i>, “Open, open to me, my companion, my sister, my dove, my perfect one: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.”


text:
I rose up to open to my kinsman; my hands dropped myrrh, my fingers choice myrrh, on the handles of the lock.


text:
I opened to my kinsman; my kinsman was gone: my soul failed at his speech: I sought him, but did not find him; I called him, but he did not answer me.


text:
The watchman that make their rounds in the city found me, they struck me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.


text:
I have charged you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and the virtues of the field: if you should find my kinsman, what are you to say to him? That I am wounded with love.


text:
What is your kinsman <i>more</i> than <i>another</i> kinsman, O fairest among women? What is your kinsman <i>more</i> than <i>another</i> kinsman, that you have so charged us?


text:
His cheeks are as bowls of spices pouring forth perfumes: his lips are lilies, dropping choice myrrh.


text:
His legs are marble pillars set on golden sockets: his form is as Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His throat is most sweet, and altogether desirable. This is my kinsman, and this is my companion, O daughters of Jerusalem.


text:
Where has your kinsman gone, O fairest among women? Where has your kinsman turned aside? <i>Tell us,</i> and we will seek him with you.


text:
My kinsman has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spice, to feed <i>his flock</i> in the gardens, and to gather lilies.


text:
Turn away your eyes from before me, for they have ravished me: your hair is as flocks of goats which have appeared from Gilead.


text:
Your teeth are as flocks of shorn <i>sheep</i>, that have gone up from the washing, all of them bearing twins, and there is none barren among them: your lips are as a thread of scarlet, and your speech is comely.


text:
My dove, my perfect one is one; she is the only one of her mother; she is the choice of her that bore her. The daughters saw her, and the queens will pronounce her blessed, yes, and the concubines, and they will praise her.


text:
Who is this that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, choice as the sun, terrible as <i>armies</i> set in array?


text:
I went down to the garden of nuts, to look at the fruits of the valley, to see if the vine flowered, if the pomegranates blossomed.


text:
Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, and we will look at you. What will you see in the Shulamite? She comes as bands of armies.


text:
Your steps are beautiful in shoes, O daughter of the prince: the joints of your thighs are like chains, the work of the craftsman.


text:
Your navel is as a turned bowl, not wanting liquor; your belly is as a heap of wheat set about with lilies.


text:
Your neck is as an ivory tower; your eyes are as pools in Heshbron, by the gates of the daughter of many: your nose is as the tower of Lebanon, looking toward Damascus.


text:
Your head upon you is as Carmel, and the curls of your hair like scarlet; the king is bound in the galleries.


text:
This is your greatness in your delights: you were made like a palm tree, and your breasts to cluster.


text:
I said, “I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its high boughs.” And now shall your breasts be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of your nose as apples;


text:
Let us go early into the vineyards; let us see if the vine has flowered, if the blossoms have appeared, if the pomegranates have blossomed; there will I give you my breasts.


text:
The mandrakes have given a smell, and at our doors are all kinds of choice fruits, new and old. O my kinsman, I have kept <i>them</i> for you.


text:
I would that you, O my kinsman, were he that nursed at the breasts of my mother; <i>if</i> I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised.


text:
I would take you, I would bring you into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me; I would make you to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranates.


text:
I have charged you, you daughters of Jerusalem, by the virtues of the field, that you do not stir up, nor awaken my love, until he please.


text:
Who is this that comes up all white, leaning on her kinsman? I raised you up under an apple tree; there your mother brought you forth; there she that bore you brought you forth.


text:
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave, her shafts are shafts of fire, <i>even</i> the flames thereof.


text:
Much water will not be able to quench love, and rivers shall not drown it; if a man would give all his substance for love, men would utterly despise it.


text:
Our sister is little, and has no breasts; what shall we do for our sister, in the day when she shall be spoken for?


text:
If she is a wall, let us build upon her silver bulwarks; and if she is a door, let us carve for her cedar panels.


text:
Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he leased his vineyard to keepers; everyone was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.


text:
My vineyard, even mine, is before me; Solomon <i>shall have</i> a thousand, and they that keep its fruit two hundred.


text:
You that dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice: make me hear it. Make haste, my kinsman, and be like a doe or a fawn on the mountains of spices.


text:
The vision which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw, which he saw concerning Judah, and Jerusalem, in the reign of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, who reigned over Judah.


text:
<n>The Wickedness of Judah</n> Hear, O heaven, and hearken, O earth! For the Lord has spoken, <i>saying</i>, “I have begotten and reared up children, but they have rebelled against Me.


text:
The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib; but Israel does not know Me, and the people have not regarded Me.”


text:
Alas, sinful nation, a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children; you have forsaken the Lord, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.


text:
Why should you be smitten anymore, transgressing more and more? The whole head is pained, and the whole heart sad.


text:
From the feet to the head, there is no soundness in them; neither wound, nor bruise, nor festering ulcer <i>are healed</i>; it is not possible to apply a plaister, nor oil, nor bandages.


text:
Your land is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence, and it is made desolate, overthrown by strange nations.


text:
The daughter of Zion shall be deserted as a tent in a vineyard, and as a storehouse of fruits in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.


text:
And if the Lord of Sabaoth had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and been made like Gomorrah.


text:
“Of what <i>value</i> to Me is the abundance of your sacrifices?” Says the Lord. “I am full of burnt offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats;


text:
neither shall you come <i>with these</i> to appear before Me; for who has required these things at your hands? You shall no more tread My court.


text:
Though you bring fine flour, <i>it is</i> futile; incense is an abomination to Me; I cannot bear your new moons, and your Sabbaths, and the great day;


text:
<i>your</i> fasting, and rest from work, your new moons also, and your feasts My soul hates; you have become loathsome to Me; I will no longer pardon your sins.


text:
When you stretch forth your hands, I will turn away My eyes from you; and though you make many supplications, I will not hearken to you; for your hands are full of blood.


text:
Wash, and be clean; remove your iniquities from your souls before My eyes; cease from your iniquities;


text:
learn to do well; diligently seek judgment, deliver him that is suffering wrong, plead for the orphan, and obtain justice for the widow.


text:
“And come, let us reason together,” says the Lord; “and though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as scarlet, I will make <i>them</i> white as wool.


text:
but if you be not willing, nor hearken to Me, a sword shall devour you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.”


text:
<n>The Degenerate City</n> How has the faithful city of Zion, <i>once</i> full of judgment, become a harlot! Where righteousness lodged, but now murderers.


text:
Your princes are rebellious, companions of thieves, loving bribes, seeking after rewards; not pleading for orphans, and not heeding the cause of widows.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord, the Lord of hosts, “Woe to the mighty <i>men</i> of Israel; for My wrath shall not cease against My adversaries, and I will execute judgment on My enemies.


text:
And I will bring My hand upon you, and purge you completely, and I will destroy the rebellious, and I will take away all transgressors from you.


text:
And I will establish your judges as before, and your counselors as at the beginning; and afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful mother city of Zion.”


text:
And the transgressors and the sinners shall be crushed together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be utterly consumed.


text:
For they shall be ashamed of their idols, which they delighted in, and they have been made ashamed of the gardens which they coveted.


text:
And their strength shall be as a thread of tow, and their works as sparks, and the transgressors and the sinners shall be burned up together, and there shall be none to quench <i>them</i>.


text:
<n>The Future House of God</n> The word which came to Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah, and concerning Jerusalem.


text:
For in the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be glorious, and the house of God <i>shall be</i> on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall come to it.


text:
And many nations shall go and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will tell us His way, and we will walk in it”; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.


text:
And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles; and nation shall not take up sword against nation, neither shall they learn to war anymore.


text:
<n>Judgment Pronounced on Arrogance</n> And now, O house of Jacob, come, <i>and</i> let us walk in the light of the Lord.


text:
For He has forsaken His people the house of Israel, because their land is filled as at the beginning with divinations, as the <i>land</i> of the Philistines, and many strange children were born to them.


text:
For their land is filled with silver and gold, and there was no number of their treasures; their land also is filled with horses, and there was no number of chariots.


text:
And the land is filled with abominations, <i>even</i> the works of their hands; and they have worshipped <i>the works</i> which their fingers made.


text:
Now therefore enter into the rocks, and hide yourselves in the earth, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of His might, when He shall arise to strike mightily the earth.


text:
For the eyes of the Lord are high, but man is low; and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.


text:
For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and haughty, and upon everyone that is high and lifted up, and they shall be brought down;


text:
And every man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall fall; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.


text:
having carried <i>them</i> into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the caverns of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of His might, when He shall arise to strike mightily the earth.


text:
For in that day a man shall cast forth his silver and gold abominations, which they made, <i>in order</i> to worship vanities and bats;


text:
to enter into the caverns of the solid rock, and into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of the Lord, and by reason of the glory of His might, when He shall arise to strike mightily the earth.


text:
<n>Judgment on Judah and Israel</n> Behold now, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the mighty man and mighty woman, the strength of bread, and the strength of water,


text:
the captain of fifty also, and the honorable counselor, and the skillful artisan, and the intelligent hearer.


text:
And the people shall fall, man upon man, and <i>every</i> man upon his neighbor; the child shall insult the elder man, and the base <i>toward </i>the honorable.


text:
For a man shall lay hold of his brother, as one of his father's household, saying, “You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let my food be under your <i>power</i>.”


text:
And he shall answer in that day, and say, “I will not be your ruler; for I have no bread in my house, nor clothing; I will not be the ruler of this people.”


text:
For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah has fallen, and their tongues <i>have spoken</i> with iniquity, disobedient <i>as they are</i> towards the Lord.


text:
Wherefore now their glory has been brought low, and the shame of their countenance has withstood them, and they have proclaimed their sin as Sodom, and made it manifest.


text:
Woe to their soul, for they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying against themselves, “Let us bind the just, for he is burdensome to us; therefore shall they eat the fruits of their works.”


text:
“O My people, your exactors strip you, and extortioners rule over you; O My people, they that pronounce you blessed lead you astray, and pervert the path of your feet.”


text:
The Lord Himself shall enter into judgment with the elders of the people, and with their rulers; “but why have you set My vineyard on fire, and <i>why is</i> the spoil of the poor in your houses?


text:
Thus says the Lord, “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and have walked with an outstretched neck, and winking with their eyes, and jingling with their feet, at the same time drawing their garments in trains, and at the same time sporting with their feet;


text:
therefore the Lord will humble the chief daughters of Zion, and the Lord will expose their form in that day.”


text:
And the Lord will take away the glory of their garments, the curls and the fringes, and the crescents,


text:
and the array of glorious ornaments, and the armlets, and the bracelets, and the wreathed work, and the finger rings, and the ornaments for the right hand,


text:
and the garments with purple grounds, and the shawls to be worn in the house, and the Spartan transparent dresses,


text:
and those made of fine linen, and the purple <i>ones</i>, and the scarlet <i>ones</i>, and the fine linen, interwoven with gold and purple, and the light coverings for couches.


text:
And instead of a sweet smell there shall be dust; and instead of a sash, you shall gird yourself with a rope; and instead of a golden ornament for your head, you shall have baldness on account of your works; and instead of a tunic with a scarlet ground, you shall gird yourself with sackcloth.


text:
And your most beautiful son whom you love shall fall by the sword; and your mighty men shall fall by the sword, and shall be brought low.


text:
And the stores of your ornaments shall mourn, and you shall be left alone, and shall be leveled to the ground.


text:
And seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own bread, and wear our own clothes; only let your name be called upon us, <i>and</i> take away our reproach.”


text:
<n>TheFuture Glory of the Survivors in Zion</n> And in that day God shall shine gloriously in counsel on the earth, to exalt and glorify the remnant of Israel.


text:
And it shall be, <i>that</i> the remnant left in Zion, and the remnant left in Jerusalem, <i>even</i> all that are appointed to life in Jerusalem, shall be called holy.


text:
For the Lord shall wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Zion, and He shall purge out the blood from the midst of them, with the spirit of judgment, and the spirit of burning.


text:
And He shall come, and it shall be with regard to every place in Mount Zion, yea, all the region round about it shall a cloud overshadow by day, and <i>there shall be</i> as it were the smoke and light of fire burning by night; and upon all the glory shall be a defense.


text:
And it shall be for a shadow from the heat, and as a shelter and a hiding place from inclemency <i>of weather</i> and from rain.


text:
<n>God’s Disappointing Vineyard</n> Now I will sing to <i>my</i> Beloved a song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard. <i>My</i> Beloved had a vineyard on a high hill in a fertile place.


text:
And I made a hedge round it, and dug a trench, and planted a choice vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and dug a place for the wine vat in it; and I waited <i>for it</i> to bring forth grapes, and it brought forth thorns.


text:
And now, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and <i>every</i> man of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard.


text:
What shall I do anymore to My vineyard, that I have not done to it? Whereas I expected <i>it</i> to bring forth grapes, but it has brought forth thorns.


text:
And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard; I will take away its hedge, and it shall be for a spoil; and I will pull down its walls, and it shall be <i>left</i> to be trodden down.


text:
And I will forsake My vineyard; and it shall not be pruned, nor dug, and thorns shall come up upon it as on barren land; and I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it.


text:
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah <i>His</i> beloved plant; I expected <i>it</i> to bring forth judgment, and it brought forth iniquity; and not righteousness, but a cry.


text:
<n>Social Injustice Denounced</n> Woe <i>to them</i> that join house to house, and add field to field, that they may take away something of their neighbor's; will you dwell alone upon the land?


text:
For these things have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts; for though many houses should be built, many and fair houses shall be desolate, and there shall be no inhabitants in them.


text:
For where ten yoke of oxen plow <i>the land</i> shall yield one jar full, and he that sows six homers shall produce three measures.


text:
Woe <i>to them</i> that rise up in the morning, and follow strong drink; who wait <i>at it till</i> evening; for the wine shall inflame them.


text:
For they drink wine with harp, and psaltery, and drums, and pipes; but they do not regard the works of the Lord, and do not consider the works of His hands.


text:
Therefore my people have been taken captive, because they do not know the Lord; and there has been a multitude of dead <i>bodies</i>, because of hunger and of thirst for water.


text:
Therefore hell has enlarged its desire and opened its mouth without ceasing; and her glorious and great, and her rich and her pestilent men shall go down <i>into it</i>.


text:
And the mean man shall be brought low, and the great man shall be disgraced, and the lofty eyes shall be brought low.


text:
But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and the holy God shall be glorified in righteousness.


text:
And they that were spoiled shall be fed as bulls, and lambs shall feed on the waste places of them that are taken away.


text:
Woe <i>to them</i> that draw sins to them as with a long rope, and iniquities as with a thong of the heifer's yoke;


text:
who say, “Let him speedily hasten what he will do, that we may see <i>it</i>; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, that we may know <i>it</i>.”


text:
Woe <i>to them</i> that call evil good, and good evil; who make darkness light, and light darkness; who make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter.


text:
<n>Foreign Invasion Predicted</n> Therefore as stubble shall be burned by a coal of fire, and shall be consumed by a violent flame, their root shall be as chaff, and their flower shall go up as dust; for they rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and insulted the word of the Holy One of Israel.


text:
Therefore the Lord of hosts was greatly angered against His people, and He reached forth His hand upon them, and struck them. And the mountains were troubled, and their carcasses were as dung in the midst of the streets; yet for all this His anger has not been turned away, but His hand is yet raised.


text:
Therefore shall He lift up a signal to the nations that are afar, and shall whistle for them from the end of the earth; and behold, they are coming very quickly.


text:
They shall not hunger nor be weary, neither shall they slumber nor sleep; neither shall they loose their sashes from their loins, neither shall their sandal straps be broken.


text:
Whose arrows are sharp, and their bows bent; their horses' hoofs are counted as solid rock; their chariot wheels are as a storm.


text:
They rage as lions, and draw near as a lion's whelps; and he shall seize, and roar as a wild beast, and he shall cast <i>them</i> forth, and there shall be none to deliver them.


text:
And he shall roar on account of them in that day, as the sound of the swelling sea; and they shall look to the land, and behold, <i>there shall be</i> thick darkness in their perplexity.


text:
<n>A Vision of God in the Temple</n> And it came to pass in the year in which King Uzziah died, <i>that</i> I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full of His glory.


text:
And seraphim stood round about Him; each one had six wings; and with two they covered <i>their</i> face, and with two they covered <i>their</i> feet, and with two they flew.


text:
And one cried to the other, and they said, “Holy, holy, holy <i>is the</i> Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”


text:
And I said, “Woe is me, for I am pricked to the heart; for being a man, and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people having unclean lips; and I have seen with my eyes the King, the Lord of hosts.”


text:
Then one of the seraphim was sent to me, and he had in his hand a coal which he had taken off the altar with the tongs;


text:
and he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips, and will take away your iniquities, and will purge off your sins.”


text:
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?” And I said, “Behold, <i>here </i>am I, send me.” And He said, “Go, and say to this people,


text:
‘You shall hear indeed, but you shall not understand; and you shall see indeed, but you shall not perceive.’


text:
For the heart of this people has become dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.”


text:
And I said, “How long, O Lord?” And He said, “Until cities are deserted by reason of them not being inhabited, and the houses by reason of there being no men, and the land shall be left desolate.”


text:
And after this God shall remove the men far off, and they that are left upon the land shall be multiplied.


text:
And yet there shall be a tenth upon it, and again it shall be for a spoil, as a terebinth tree, and as an acorn when it falls out of its husk.


text:
<n>Isaiah Reassures King Ahaz</n> And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz <i>the son</i> of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Aram, and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up against Jerusalem to war against it, but they could not take it.


text:
And a message was brought to the house of David, saying, “Aram has conspired with Ephraim.” And his soul was amazed, and the soul of his people, as in a wood a tree is moved by the wind.


text:
And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz; you, and your son Jashub who is left, to the pool of the upper way of the fuller's field.


text:
And you shall say to him, ‘Take care to be quiet, and fear not, neither let your soul be disheartened because of these two smoking firebrands; for when My fierce anger is over, I will heal again.


text:
And <i>as for</i> the son of Aram, and the son of Remaliah, forasmuch as they have devised an evil counsel, <i>saying</i>,


text:
“We will go up against Judah, and having conferred with them we will turn them away to our side, and we will make the son of Tabel king over it”;


text:
But the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus <i>is</i> Rezin; and yet within sixty-five years the kingdom of Ephraim shall cease from <i>being</i> a people.


text:
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria the son of Romaliah; but if you do not believe, neither will you at all understand.”’


text:
And he said, “Hear now, O house of David; is it a little thing for you to contend with men? And how do you contend against the Lord?


text:
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Emmanuel.


text:
For before the child shall know good or evil, He <i>shall </i>refuse evil, to choose the good; and the land shall be forsaken which you are afraid of because of the two kings.


text:
But God shall bring upon you, and upon your people, and upon the house of your father, days which have never come, from the day that Ephraim took away from Judah the king of the Assyrians.”


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall call for the flies, which shall rule over a part of the river of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of the Assyrians.


text:
And they all shall enter into the clefts of the land, and into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves, and into every ravine.


text:
In that day the Lord shall shave with a hired razor the head of the king of Assyria beyond the river, and the hairs of the feet, and will remove the beard.


text:
And it shall come to pass from their drinking an abundance of milk, <i>that</i> everyone that is left on the land shall eat butter and honey.


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day, <i>for</i> every place where there shall be a thousand vines at a thousand shekels, they shall become barren land and thorns.


text:
<i>Men</i> shall enter there with arrow and bow; for all the land shall be <i>barren</i> ground and thorns.


text:
And every mountain shall be certainly plowed; and no fear shall come there; for there shall be from <i>among</i> the <i>barren</i> ground and thorns on which the cattle shall feed, and oxen shall tread.


text:
<n>Assyria Will Invade the Land</n> And the Lord said to me, “Take to yourself a volume of a great new <i>book</i>, and write in it with a man's pen concerning the making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is close at hand.


text:
And I went in to the prophetess; and she conceived, and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, “Call his name, Spoil Quickly, Plunder Speedily.


text:
For before the child shall know <i>how</i> to call <i>his</i> father or <i>his</i> mother, <i>one</i> shall take the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.”


text:
“Because this people chooses not the water of Siloam that goes softly, but wills to have Rezin, and the son of Remaliah <i>to be</i> king over you;


text:
therefore behold, the Lord shall bring upon you the water of the river, strong and abundant, <i>even</i> the king of the Assyrians, and his glory; and he shall come up over every valley of yours, and shall walk over every wall of yours;


text:
and he shall take away from Judah <i>every</i> man who shall be able to lift up his head, <i>and everyone</i> able to accomplish anything; and his camp shall fill the breadth of your land, <i>O</i> Immanuel.”


text:
Know, you Gentiles, and be conquered; listen, even to the extremity of the earth; be conquered, after you strengthened yourselves; for even if you should again strengthen yourselves, you shall again be conquered.


text:
And whatever counsel you shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nought; and whatever word you shall speak, it shall not stand among you; for God is with us.


text:
Thus says the Lord, “With a strong hand they revolt from the course of the way of this people, saying,


text:
‘Let them not say, “<i>It is</i> hard,”’ for whatsoever this people says, is hard; but do not fear their fear, neither be dismayed.”


text:
And if you shall trust in Him, He shall be to you for a sanctuary; and you shall not come against <i>Him</i> as against a stumbling stone, neither as against the falling of a rock; but the houses of Jacob are in a snare, and those who dwell in Jerusalem are in a pit.


text:
Therefore many among them shall be weak and fall, and be crushed; and they shall draw near, and men shall be taken securely.


text:
And <i>one</i> shall say, “I will wait for God, who has turned away His face from the house of Jacob, and I will trust in Him.”


text:
Behold I and the children which God has given me; and they shall be <i>for</i> signs and wonders in the house of Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion.


text:
And if they should say to you, “Seek those who have in them a divining spirit, and those that speak from out of the ground”—those that speak vain words, who speak out of their belly; shall not a nation diligently seek their God? Why do they look to the dead concerning the living?


text:
For He has given the law for a help, that they should not speak according to this word, concerning which there are no gifts to give for it.


text:
And famine shall come sorely upon you, and it shall come to pass, <i>that</i> when you shall be hungry, you shall be grieved, and you shall speak evil of the prince and of your fathers' ordinances; and they shall look up to heaven above,


text:
and they shall look on the earth below, and behold severe distress, and darkness, affliction, and anguish, and darkness so that <i>no one </i>can see; and he that is in anguish shall not be distressed only for a season.


text:
<n>The Righteous Reign of the Coming King</n> Drink this first. Act quickly, O land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, and the rest <i>that inhabit</i> the seacoast, and <i>the land</i> beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.


text:
O people walking in darkness, behold a great light; you that dwell in the region <i>and</i> shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you.


text:
The multitude of the people which you have brought down in your joy, they shall even rejoice before you as they that rejoice in harvest, and as they that divide the spoil.


text:
Because the yoke that was laid upon them has been taken away, and the rod that was on their neck; for he has broken the rod of the exactors, as in the day of Midian.


text:
For they shall compensate for every garment that has been acquired by deceit, and <i>all</i> garments with restitution; and they shall be willing, <i>even</i> if they were burned with fire.


text:
For a Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, whose government is upon His shoulder; and His name is called The Messenger of Great Counsel; for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to Him.


text:
His government shall be great, and of His peace there is no end; <i>it shall be</i> upon the throne of David, and <i>upon</i> His kingdom, to establish it, and to support <i>it</i> with judgment and with righteousness, from this time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.


text:
And all the people of Ephraim, and those that dwelt in Samaria shall know, who say in their pride and lofty heart,


text:
“The bricks are fallen down, but come, let us hew stones, and cut down sycamores and cedars, and let us build for ourselves a tower.”


text:
And God shall dash them down that rise up against Him on Mount Zion, and He shall scatter His enemies;


text:
<i>even</i> Syria from the rising of the sun, and the Greeks from the setting of the sun, who devour Israel with open mouth. For all this <i>His</i> anger is not turned away, but still <i>His</i> hand is exalted.


text:
the old man, and them that respect persons, this is the head; and the prophet teaching unlawful things, he is the tail.


text:
And they that pronounce this people blessed shall mislead them; and they mislead them that they may devour them.


text:
Therefore the Lord shall not take pleasure in their young men, neither shall He have pity on their orphans or on their widows; for they are all transgressors and wicked, and every mouth speaks unjustly. For all this <i>His</i> anger is not turned away, but <i>His</i> hand is yet exalted.


text:
And iniquity shall burn as fire, and shall be devoured by fire as dry grass; and it shall burn in the thickets of the wood, and shall devour all that is round about the hills.


text:
The whole earth is set on fire because of the fierce anger of the Lord, and the people shall be as men burned by fire; no man shall pity his brother.


text:
But <i>one</i> shall turn aside to the right hand, for he shall be hungry; and shall eat on the left, and a man shall by no means be satisfied with eating the flesh of his own arm.


text:
For Manasseh shall eat <i>the flesh</i> of Ephraim, and Ephraim <i>the flesh</i> of Manasseh; for they shall besiege Judah together. For all this <i>His</i> anger is not turned away, but <i>His</i> hand is yet exalted.


text:
perverting the cause of the poor, violently seizing the judgment of the needy ones of My people, that the widow may be a prey to them, and the orphan a spoil.


text:
And what will they do in the day of visitation? For affliction shall come to you from afar; and to whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory,


text:
that you may not fall into captivity? For all this <i>His</i> wrath is not turned away, but <i>His</i> hand is yet exalted.


text:
<n>Arrogant Assyria Also Judged</n> “Woe to the Assyrians; the rod of My wrath and anger are in their hands.


text:
I will send My wrath against a sinful nation, and I will command My people to take plunder and spoil, and to trample the cities, and to make dust out of them.


text:
But he does not mean so, neither did he devise thus in his heart; but his mind shall change, and <i>that</i> to destroy nations not a few.


text:
then shall he say, ‘Have I not taken the country above Babylon and Chalanes, where the tower was built? And have I <i>not</i> taken Arabia, and Damascus, and Samaria?’


text:
As I have taken them, I will also take all the kingdoms; howl, you idols in Jerusalem, and in Samaria.


text:
And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has finished doing all things on Mount Zion and Jerusalem, <i>that</i> I will visit upon the proud heart, <i>even</i> upon the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the boastful haughtiness of his eyes.


text:
For he said, I will act in strength, and in the wisdom of <i>my</i> understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and will spoil their strength.


text:
And I will shake the inhabited cities; and I will take with My hand all the world as a nest; and I will even take them as eggs that have been left; and there is none that shall escape Me, or contradict Me.


text:
Shall the ax glorify itself without him that chops with it? Or shall the saw lift itself up without him that uses it, as if one should lift a rod or staff? But it shall not be so;


text:
but the Lord of hosts shall send dishonor upon your honor, and burning fire shall be kindled upon your glory.


text:
And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and He shall sanctify him with burning fire, and it shall devour the wood as grass.


text:
In that day the mountains shall be consumed, and the hills, and the forests, and <i>fire</i> shall devour <i>both</i> soul and body; and he that flees shall be as one fleeing from a burning flame.


text:
<n>The Returning Remnant of Israel</n> And it shall come to pass in that day <i>that</i> the remnant of Israel shall no more join themselves with, and the saved of Jacob shall no more trust in them that injured them; but they shall trust in the Holy God of Israel, in truth.


text:
He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because the Lord will make a short work in all the world.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: “Be not afraid, My people who dwell in Zion, of the Assyrians, because he shall smite you with a rod; for I am bringing a stroke upon you, that <i>you</i> may see the way of Egypt.


text:
For yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease; but My wrath shall be against their counsel.”


text:
And God will stir up <i>enemies</i> against them, according to the stroke of Midian in the place of affliction; and His wrath shall be by the way of the sea, <i>even</i> to the way that leads to Egypt.


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day, <i>that</i> his yoke shall be taken away from your shoulder, and his fear from you, and the yoke shall be destroyed from off your shoulders.


text:
For he shall arrive at the city of Aiath, and shall pass on to Migron, and shall lay up his stores in Michmash.


text:
And he shall pass by the valley, and shall arrive at Aiath; fear shall seize upon Ramah, the city of Saul.


text:
Exhort <i>them</i> today to remain in the way; exhort, <i>beckoning</i> the mountain with your hand, the daughter of Zion, even you hills that are in Jerusalem.


text:
Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will mightily confound the glorious ones; and the haughty in pride shall be crushed, and the lofty shall be brought low;


text:
<n>The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring</n> And there shall come forth a Rod out of the root of Jesse, and a blossom shall come up from <i>his</i> root;


text:
and the Spirit of God shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill Him;


text:
the spirit of the fear of God. He shall not judge according to appearance, nor reprove according to report;


text:
but He shall judge the cause of the lowly, and shall reprove the lowly of the earth; and He shall smite the earth with the word of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He destroy the ungodly one.


text:
And the wolf shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the young calf and bull and lion shall feed together; and a little child shall lead them.


text:
And the ox and bear shall feed together; and their young shall be together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.


text:
And they shall not be hurt, nor shall they be able to destroy anyone on My holy mountain; for the whole <i>world</i> is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as much water covers the seas.


text:
And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, and He that shall arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him shall the Gentiles trust, and His rest shall be glorious.


text:
And it shall be in that day, <i>that</i> the Lord shall again show His hand, to be zealous for the remnant that is left of the people, which shall be left by the Assyrians, and <i>that</i> from Egypt, and from the country of Babylon, and from Ethiopia, and from the Elamites, and from the rising of the sun, and out of Arabia.


text:
And He shall lift up a standard for the nations, and He shall gather the lost ones of Israel, and He shall gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.


text:
And the envy of Ephraim shall be taken away, and the enemies of Judah shall perish; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not afflict Ephraim.


text:
And they shall fly in the ships of the Philistines; they shall at the same time spoil the sea, and them <i>that come</i> from the east, and Edom; and they shall lay their hands on Moab first; but the children of Ammon shall first obey <i>them</i>.


text:
And the Lord shall make desolate the sea of Egypt; and He shall lay His hand on the river with a strong wind, and He shall smite the seven channels, so that men shall pass through it dry-shod.


text:
And there shall be a passage for His people that are left in Egypt; and it shall be to Israel as the day when he came forth out of the land of Egypt.


text:
And in that day you shall say, “I <i>will</i> bless You, O Lord; for You were angry with me, but You have turned aside Your wrath, and have pitied me.”


text:
Behold, my God is my Savior; I will trust in Him, and not be afraid; for the Lord is my glory and my praise, and has become my salvation.


text:
And in that day you shall say, “Sing to the Lord, call aloud upon His name, proclaim His glorious <i>deeds</i> among the Gentiles; make mention that His name is exalted.


text:
Sing praise to the name of the Lord; for He has done great <i>things</i>; declare this in all the earth.


text:
Exalt and rejoice, you that dwell in Zion; for the Holy One of Israel is exalted in the midst of her.”


text:
“Lift up a standard on the mountain of the plain, exalt the voice to them, beckon with the hand, open <i>the gates</i>, you rulers.


text:
I give command, and I bring them; giants are coming to fulfill My wrath, rejoicing at the same time and insulting.”


text:
A voice of many nations on the mountains, <i>even</i> like <i>to that</i> of many nations; a voice of kings and nations gathered together; the Lord of hosts has given command to a war-like nation,


text:
to come from a land afar off, from the utmost foundation of heaven; the Lord and His warriors <i>are coming</i> to destroy all the world.


text:
The elders shall be troubled, and pangs shall seize them, as of a woman in labor; and they shall mourn one to another, and shall be amazed, and shall change their countenance as a flame.


text:
For behold, the day of the Lord is coming which cannot be escaped, <i>a day</i> of wrath and anger, to make the world desolate, and to destroy sinners out of it.


text:
For the stars of heaven, and Orion, and all the host of heaven, shall not give their light; and it shall be dark at sunrise, and the moon shall not give her light.


text:
“And I will command evils for the whole world, and <i>will visit</i> their sins on the ungodly; and I will destroy the pride of transgressors, and will bring low the pride of the haughty.


text:
And they that are left shall be more precious than gold tried in the fire; and a man shall be more precious than the stone that is in Ophir.”


text:
For the heaven shall be enraged, and the earth shall be shaken from her foundation, because of the fierce anger of the Lord of hosts, in the day in which His wrath shall come on.


text:
And they that are left shall be as a fleeing fawn, and as a stray sheep, and there shall be none to gather <i>them</i>; so that a man shall turn back to his people, and a man shall flee to his own land.


text:
For whosoever shall be taken shall be overcome; and they that are gathered together shall fall by the sword.


text:
And they shall dash their children before their eyes; and they shall spoil their houses, and shall take their wives.


text:
“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against you, who do not regard silver, neither have they need of gold.


text:
They shall break the bows of the young men; and they shall have no mercy on your children; nor shall their eyes spare your children.


text:
And Babylon, which is called glorious by the king of the Chaldeans, shall be as <i>when</i> God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.


text:
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall any enter into it for many generations; neither shall the Arabians pass through it; nor shall shepherds at all rest in it.


text:
But wild beasts shall rest there; and the houses shall be filled with howling; and monsters shall rest there, and demons shall dance there,


text:
and satyrs shall dwell there; and hedgehogs shall make their nests in their houses. It will come soon, and will not tarry.”


text:
<n>Mercy on Jacob</n> And the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and they shall rest on their land; and the stranger shall be added to them; yes, they shall be added to the house of Jacob.


text:
And the Gentiles shall take them, and bring them into their place; and they shall inherit them, and they shall be multiplied upon the land for servants and handmaidens; and they that took them captives shall become captives <i>to them</i>; and they that had lordship over them shall be under <i>their</i> rule.


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day, <i>that</i> the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow and vexation, <i>and from</i> your hard servitude in which you served them.


text:
And you shall take up this lamentation against the king of Babylon: “How has the extortioner ceased, and the taskmaster ceased!


text:
Having smitten a nation in wrath with an incurable plague, smiting a nation with a wrathful plague, which did not spare, he rested in quiet.


text:
the trees of Lebanon also rejoice against you, and the cedars of Lebanon, <i>saying</i>, ‘From the time that you have been laid low, no one has come up to cut us down.’


text:
Hell from beneath is provoked to meet you; all the great ones that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against you, they that have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.


text:
All shall answer and say to you, ‘You also have been taken, even as we; and you are numbered amongst us.


text:
Your glory has come down to Hades, and your great mirth; under you they shall spread corruption, and the worm shall be your covering.’


text:
<n>The Fall of Lucifer</n> “How has Lucifer, that rose of the morning, fallen from heaven! He that sent <i>orders</i> to all the nations is crushed to the earth.


text:
But you have said in your heart, ‘I will go up to heaven, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven; I will sit on a lofty mount, on the lofty mountains toward the north;


text:
They that see you shall marvel at you, and say, ‘Is this is the man that troubled the earth, that made kings to shake?


text:
Who made the whole world desolate, and destroyed its cities; he loosed not those who were in captivity.’


text:
But you shall be cast forth on the mountains, as a loathsome carcass, with many dead who have been pierced with swords, going down to the grave.


text:
As a garment defiled with blood shall not be pure, so neither shall you be pure; because you have destroyed My land, and have slain My people; you shall not endure forever; <i>you</i> <i>are</i> an evil seed.


text:
Prepare your children to be slain for the sins of their father; that they may not arise, and inherit the earth, nor fill the earth with wars.


text:
<n>Babylon Destroyed</n> “And I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will destroy their name, and remnant, and seed”; thus says the Lord.


text:
“And I will make the region of Babylon a desert, so that hedgehogs shall dwell <i>there</i>, and it shall come to nothing; and I will make it a pit of clay for destruction.”


text:
<n>Assyria Destroyed</n> Thus says the Lord of hosts: “As I have said, so it shall be; and as I have purposed, so <i>the matter</i> shall remain;


text:
<i>even</i> to destroy the Assyrians upon My land, and upon My mountains; and they shall be for trampling; and their yoke shall be taken away from them, and their glory shall be taken away from their shoulders.”


text:
This is the purpose which the Lord has purposed upon the whole earth; and this the hand that is uplifted against all the nations.


text:
“Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, because the yoke of him that struck you is broken; for out of the seed of the serpent shall come forth the young asps, and their young shall come forth <i>as </i>flying serpents,


text:
and the poor shall be fed by him, and poor men shall rest in peace; but he shall destroy your offspring with hunger, and shall destroy your remnant.


text:
Howl, you gates of cities; let the cities be troubled and cry, <i>even</i> all the Philistines; for smoke is coming from the north, and there is no <i>possibility</i> of living.”


text:
And what shall the kings of the nations answer? That the Lord has founded Zion, and by Him the poor of the people shall be saved.


text:
<n>Proclamation Against Moab</n> The word against the land of Moab. By night the land of Moab shall be destroyed; for by night the wall of the land of Moab shall be destroyed.


text:
Grieve for yourselves; for even Dibon, where your altar is, shall be destroyed; there shall you go up to weep, over Nebo of the land of Moab; howl; baldness shall be on every head, <i>and</i> all arms <i>shall be</i> wounded.


text:
Gird yourselves with sackcloth in her streets; and lament upon her roofs, and in her streets, and in her ways; howl, all of you, with weeping.


text:
For Heshbon and Elealeh have cried; their voice was heard to Jahaz; therefore the loins of the region of Moab cry aloud; her soul shall know.


text:
The heart of the region of Moab cries within her to Segor; for it is <i>as</i> a heifer of three years old; and on the Ascent of Luith they shall go up to you weeping by the way of Aroniim; she cries, “Destruction, and trembling.”


text:
Shall <i>Moab</i> even thus be delivered? “For I <i>will</i> bring the Arabians upon the valley, and they shall take it.


text:
For the cry has reached the border of the region of Moab, <i>even</i> of Eglaim; and her howling <i>has gone</i> as far as the Well of Elim.


text:
And the water of Dimon shall be filled with blood; for I will bring Arabians upon Dimon, and I will take away the descendants of Moab, and Ariel, and the remnant of Adamah.”


text:
<n>Moab Destroyed</n> “I will send as it were reptiles on the land; is <i>not</i> the mount of the daughter of Zion a desolate rock?


text:
For you shall be as a young bird taken away from a bird that has flown; <i>even</i> you shall be <i>so</i>, O daughter of Moab; and then do you, O Arnon,


text:
take farther counsel, and continually make a shelter from grief; they flee in darkness at midday; they are amazed; do not be led captive.


text:
The fugitives of Moab shall sojourn with you; they shall be to you a shelter from the face of the pursuer; for your alliance has been taken away, and the oppressing ruler has perished from off the earth.


text:
And a throne shall be established with mercy; and one shall sit upon it with truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and earnestly seeking judgments, and hastening righteousness.”


text:
We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud. I have cut off his pride; your prophecy shall not be thus, <i>no</i> not thus.


text:
Moab shall howl; for all shall howl in the land of Moab; but you shall care for them that dwell in Hareseth, and you shall not be ashamed.


text:
The plains of Heshbon shall mourn, the vine of Sibmah; swallowing up the nations, trample her vines, even to Jazer; you shall not come together; wander in the desert; they that were sent are deserted, for they have gone over to the sea.


text:
Therefore will I weep as with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; Heshbon and Elealeh have cast down your trees; for I will trample on your harvest and on your vintages, and all <i>your plants</i> shall fall.


text:
And gladness and rejoicing shall be taken away from the vineyards; and they shall not at all tread wine into the vats; for <i>the vintage</i> has ceased.


text:
And it shall be to your shame (for Moab is wearied at the altars), that he shall go in to the idols thereof to pray, but they shall by no means be able to deliver him.


text:
“And now I say, in three years, of the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be dishonored <i>with </i>all his great wealth; and he shall be left few in number, and not honored.”


text:
<n>Proclamation Against Syria and Israel</n> The word against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus shall be taken away from among cities, and shall become a ruin;


text:
abandoned forever, to <i>be</i> a fold and resting place for flocks, and there shall be none to go after them.


text:
And she shall no longer be a strong place for Ephraim to flee to, and there shall no longer be a kingdom in Damascus, or a remnant of Syrians; for you are no better than the children of Israel, <i>even</i> than their glory”; thus says the Lord of hosts.


text:
“There shall be in that day a failure of the glory of Jacob, and the riches of his glory shall be shaken.


text:
And it shall be as if one should gather standing grain, and reap the grain off the ears; and it shall be as if one should gather heads of grain in a rich valley;


text:
and <i>as if</i> there should be left stubble therein, or the berries of an olive tree, two or three on the topmost bough, or <i>as if</i> four or five should be left on their branches”; thus says the Lord, the God of Israel.


text:
In that day a man shall trust in Him that made him, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.


text:
And they shall not at all trust in their altars, nor in the works of their hands, which their fingers made; and they shall not look to the trees, nor to their abominations.


text:
In that day your cities shall be deserted, as the Amorites and the Evaens deserted <i>theirs</i>, because of the children of Israel; and they shall be desolate.


text:
Because you have forsaken God your Savior, and have not been mindful of the Lord your Helper; therefore shall you plant a false plant, and a false seed.


text:
In the day in which you shall plant you shall be deceived; but if you sow in the morning, <i>the seed</i> shall spring up for a crop in the day in which you shall obtain an inheritance, and as a man's father, you shall obtain an inheritance for your sons.


text:
Woe <i>to</i> the multitude of many nations, as the swelling sea, so shall you be confounded; and the force of many nations shall sound like water;


text:
many nations like much water, as when much water rushes violently; and they shall drive him away, and pursue him afar, as the dust of chaff when men winnow before the wind, and as a storm whirling the dust of the wheel.


text:
Toward evening, and there shall be grief; before the morning, and he shall not be. This is the portion of them that spoiled you, and the inheritance to them that robbed you of your inheritance.


text:
<n>Proclamation Against Ethiopia</n> Woe to you, you wings of the land of ships, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.


text:
He sends messengers by the sea, and paper letters on the water; for swift messengers shall go to a lofty nation, and to a strange and harsh people. Who is beyond it? A nation not looked for, and trodden down.


text:
Now all the rivers of the land shall be inhabited as an inhabited country; their land shall be as when a signal is raised from a mountain; it shall be audible as the sound of a trumpet.


text:
For thus said the Lord to me: “There shall be security in My city, as the light of noonday heat, and it shall be as a cloud of dew in the day of harvest.”


text:
Before the reaping time, when the flower has been completely formed, and the unripe grape has put forth its flower and blossomed, then shall He take away the little clusters with pruning hooks, and shall take away the small branches, and cut them off;


text:
And He shall leave <i>them</i> together to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and the fowls of the sky shall be gathered upon them, and all the beasts of the land shall come upon them.


text:
In that time shall presents be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people afflicted and peeled, and from a people great from henceforth and forever; a nation hoping and <i>yet</i> trodden down, which is in a part of a river of His land, to the place where is the name of the Lord of hosts, the Mount Zion.


text:
<n>Proclamation Against Egypt</n> The vision of Egypt. Behold, the Lord sits on a swift cloud, and shall come to Egypt. And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and their hearts shall faint within them.


text:
And the Egyptians shall be stirred up against the Egyptians; and a man shall fight against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, and law against law.


text:
And the spirit of the Egyptians shall be troubled within them. “I will frustrate their counsel; and they shall inquire of their gods and their images, and them that speak out of the earth, and them that have in them a divining spirit.


text:
And I will deliver Egypt into the hands of men, of cruel masters; and cruel kings shall rule over them”; thus says the Lord of hosts.


text:
And the Egyptians shall drink the water that is by the sea, but the river shall fail, and be dried up.


text:
And the streams shall fail, and the canals of the river; and every reservoir of water shall be dried up, in every marsh also of reed and papyrus.


text:
And all the green herbs round about the river, and everything sown by the side of the river, shall be blasted with the wind and dried up.


text:
And the fishermen shall groan, and all that cast a hook into the river shall groan; they also that cast nets, and the anglers shall mourn.


text:
And they that work at them shall be in pain, and all that brew beer shall be grieved, and be pained in their souls.


text:
And the princes of Tanis shall be fools; <i>as for</i> the king's wise counselors, their counsel shall be turned into folly; how will you say to the king, “We are sons of wise men, sons of ancient kings?”


text:
Where are your wise men now? And let them declare to you, and say, “What has the Lord of hosts purposed upon Egypt?”


text:
The princes of Tanis have failed, and the princes of Memphis are lifted up <i>with pride</i>, and they shall cause Egypt to wander by tribes.


text:
For the Lord has prepared for them a spirit of error, and they have caused Egypt to err in all their works, as one staggers who is drunken and vomits also.


text:
But in that day the Egyptians shall be as women, in fear and in trembling because of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He shall bring upon them.


text:
And the land of the Jews shall be for a terror to the Egyptians; whosoever shall name it to them, they shall fear, because of the counsel which the Lord of hosts has purposed concerning it.


text:
<n>Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed</n> In that day there shall be five cities in Egypt speaking the language of Canaan, and swearing by the name of the Lord of hosts; one city shall be called the City of Asedek.


text:
In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the land of the Egyptians, and a pillar to the Lord by its border.


text:
And it shall be for a sign to the Lord forever in the land of Egypt; for they shall presently cry to the Lord by reason of them that afflict them, and He shall send them a man who shall save them; He shall judge and save them.


text:
And the Lord shall be known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day; and they shall offer sacrifices, and shall vow vows to the Lord, and pay <i>them</i>.


text:
And the Lord shall strike the Egyptians with a stroke, and shall completely heal them; and they shall return to the Lord, and He shall hear them, and thoroughly heal them.


text:
In that day there shall be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians shall enter into Egypt, and the Egyptians shall go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians.


text:
In that day shall Israel be third with the Egyptians and the Assyrians, blessed in the land which the Lord of hosts has blessed,


text:
saying, “Blessed be My people that are in Egypt, and that are among the Assyrians, and Israel My inheritance.”


text:
<n>The Sign Against Egypt and Ethiopia</n> In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when he was sent by Sargon king of the Assyrians, and warred against Ashdod, and took it;


text:
then the Lord spoke to Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and take the sackcloth off your loins, and loose your sandals from off your feet, and do thus, going naked and barefoot.”


text:
And the Lord said, “As My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years, there shall be three years for signs and wonders to the Egyptians and Ethiopians;


text:
for thus shall the king of the Assyrians lead the captivity of Egypt and the Ethiopians, young men and old, naked and barefoot, having the shame of Egypt exposed.


text:
And the Egyptians, being defeated, shall be ashamed of the Ethiopians, in whom they had trusted; for they were their glory.


text:
And they that dwell in this island shall say in that day, ‘Behold, we trusted to flee to them for help, who could not save themselves from the king of the Assyrians; and how shall we be saved?’”


text:
The vision of the desert. As though a whirlwind should pass through the desert, coming from a desert, <i>even</i> from such a land,


text:
<i>so</i> a fearful and a grievous vision was declared to me; he that is treacherous deals treacherously, the transgressor transgresses. The Elamites are upon me, and the ambassadors of the Persians come against me; now will I groan and comfort myself.


text:
Therefore are my loins filled with feebleness, and pangs have seized me as a travailing woman; I dealt wrongfully that I might not hear; I hastened that I might not see.


text:
For thus said the Lord to me: “Go and station a watchman for yourself, and declare whatever you shall see.”


text:
“Listen with great attention, and call Uriah to the watchtower”; the Lord has spoken. I stood continually during the day, and I stood in the camp all night;


text:
and behold, he comes riding in a chariot and pair; and he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all her images and her idols have been crushed to the ground.”


text:
Hear, you that are left, and you that are in pain, hear what things I have heard of the Lord of hosts, <i>which</i> the God of Israel has declared to us.


text:
meet the fugitives with bread, because of the multitude of the slain, and because of the multitude of them that lose their way, and because of the multitude of swords, and because of the multitude of bent bows, and because of the multitude of them that have fallen in war.


text:
For thus said the Lord to me, “Yet a year, as the year of a hireling, <i>and</i> the glory of the sons of Kedar shall fail”;


text:
and the remnant of the strong bows of the sons of Kedar shall be small; for the Lord God of Israel has spoken <i>it</i>.


text:
<n>Proclamation Against Jerusalem</n> The word of the valley of Zion. What has happened to you, that you now are all going up to the housetops, which do not help you?


text:
The city is filled with shouting; your slain are not slain with swords, nor are your dead those who have died in battle.


text:
All your princes have fled, and <i>your</i> captives are tightly bound, and the mighty <i>men</i> in you have fled far away.


text:
Therefore I said, “Let me alone, I will weep bitterly; labor not to comfort me for the breach of the daughter of my people.”


text:
For <i>it is</i> a day of trouble, and of destruction, and of treading down, and <i>there is</i> perplexity <i>sent</i> from the Lord of hosts; they wander in the valley of Zion; they wander from the least to the greatest on the mountains.


text:
And the Elamites took <i>their</i> quivers, and <i>there were</i> men mounted on horses, and <i>there was</i> a gathering for battle.


text:
And it shall be <i>that</i> your choice valleys shall be filled with chariots, and horsemen shall block up your gates.


text:
And they shall uncover the gates of Judah, and they shall look in that day on the choice houses of the city.


text:
And they shall uncover the secret places of the houses of the citadel of David; and they saw that they were many, and that one <i>had</i> turned the water of the old pool into the city;


text:
And you procured for yourselves water between the two walls within the ancient pool; but you did not look to Him that made it from the beginning, and did not regard Him that created it.


text:
And the Lord, the Lord of hosts, called in that day for weeping, and lamentation, and baldness, and for girding with sackcloth;


text:
but they engaged in joy and gladness, slaying calves, and killing sheep, so as to eat flesh, and drink wine; saying, “Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.”


text:
And these things are revealed in the ears of the Lord of hosts; for this sin shall not be forgiven you, until you die.


text:
<n>The Judgment on Shebna</n> Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Go into the chamber, to Shebna the treasurer, and say to him, ‘Why are you here?


text:
And what have you to do here, that you have hewn yourself a tomb, and made yourself a tomb on high, and have graven for yourself a dwelling in the rock?’


text:
Behold now, the Lord of hosts casts forth and will utterly destroy <i>such</i> a man, and will take away your robe and your glorious crown,


text:
and will cast you into a great and unmeasured land, and there you shall die; and He will bring your fair chariot to shame, and the house of your prince to be trodden down.


text:
and I will put on him your robe, and I will grant him your crown with power, and I will give your stewardship into his hands; and he shall be as a father to them that dwell in Jerusalem, and to them that dwell in Judah.


text:
And I will give him the glory of David; and he shall rule, and there shall be none to speak against him; and I will give him the key of the house of David <i>upon</i> his shoulder. And he shall open, and there shall be none to shut; and he shall shut, and there shall be none to open.


text:
And I will make him a ruler in a sure place, and he shall be for a glorious throne in his father's house.


text:
And everyone that is glorious in the house of his father shall trust in him, from the least to the greatest; and they shall depend upon him in that day.”


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: “The man that is fastened in the sure place shall be removed and be taken away, and shall fall; and the glory that is upon him shall be utterly destroyed; for the Lord has spoken it.”


text:
<n>Proclamation Against Tyre</n> The word concerning Tyre. Howl, you ships of Carthage; for she has perished, and <i>men</i> no longer arrive from the land of the Citians; she is led captive.


text:
To whom have the inhabitants of the island become like, the merchants of Phoenice, passing over the sea


text:
in great waters, a generation of merchants? As when the harvest is gathered in, <i>so are</i> these traders with the nations.


text:
Be ashamed, O Sidon; the sea has said, yea, the strength of the sea has said, “I have not travailed, nor brought forth, nor have I brought up young men, nor reared virgins.”


text:
Who has devised this counsel against Tyre. Is she inferior? Or has she no strength? Her merchants were the glorious princes of the earth.


text:
The Lord of hosts has purposed to bring down all the pride of the glorious ones, and to disgrace every glorious thing on the earth.


text:
And your hand prevails no more by sea, which troubled kings; the Lord of hosts has given a command concerning Canaan, to destroy the strength thereof.


text:
And <i>men</i> shall say, “You shall no longer at all continue to insult and injure the daughter of Sidon; and if you depart to the Citians, neither there shall you have rest.


text:
And <i>if you depart</i> to the land of the Chaldeans, this also is laid waste by the Assyrians, for her wall is fallen.”


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day, <i>that</i> Tyre shall be left seventy years, as the time of a king, as the time of a man; and it shall come to pass after seventy years, <i>that</i> Tyre shall be as the song of a harlot.


text:
Take a harp, go about, O city, you harlot that have been forgotten; play well on the harp, sing many <i>songs</i>, that you may be remembered.


text:
And it shall come to pass after the seventy years, <i>that</i> God will visit Tyre, and she shall be again restored to her primitive state, and she shall be a mart for all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.


text:
And her trade and her gain shall be holiness to the Lord; it shall not be gathered for them, but for those that dwell before the Lord, <i>even</i> all her trade, to eat and drink and be filled, and for a covenant <i>and</i> a memorial before the Lord.


text:
<n>Impending Judgment on the Earth</n> Behold, the Lord is about to lay waste the world, and will make it desolate, and will lay bare its surface, and scatter them that dwell in it.


text:
And the people shall be as the priest, and the servant as the master, and the maid as the mistress; the buyer shall be as the seller, the lender as the borrower, and the debtor as his creditor.


text:
The earth shall be completely laid waste, and the earth shall be utterly spoiled; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.


text:
And she has sinned by reason of her inhabitants; because they have transgressed the law, and changed the ordinances, <i>even</i> the everlasting covenant.


text:
Therefore a curse shall consume the earth, because its inhabitants have sinned; therefore the inhabitants of the earth shall be poor, and few men shall be left.


text:
They are ashamed, they have not drunk wine; strong drink has become bitter to them that drink <i>it</i>.


text:
There is a howling for the wine everywhere; all the mirth of the land has ceased, all the mirth of the land has departed.


text:
All this shall be in the land in the midst of the nations, as if one should strip an olive tree, so shall they strip them, but when the vintage is done,


text:
these shall cry aloud. But they that are left on the land shall rejoice together in the glory of the Lord; the water of the sea shall be troubled.


text:
Therefore shall the glory of the Lord be in the isles of the sea; the name of the Lord shall be glorious.


text:
O Lord God of Israel, from the ends of the earth we have heard wonderful things, <i>and there is</i> hope for the godly; but they shall say, “Woe to the despisers, that abhor the law.”


text:
And it shall come to pass, <i>that</i> he that flees from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the pit shall be caught by the snare; for windows have been opened in heaven, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken,


text:
It reels as a drunkard and one oppressed with wine, and the earth shall be shaken as a storehouse of fruits; for iniquity has prevailed upon it, and it shall fall, and shall not be able to rise.


text:
And they shall gather the multitude thereof into prisons, and they shall shut them into a stronghold; after many generations they shall be visited.


text:
And the brick shall decay, and the wall shall fall; for the Lord shall reign from out of Zion, and out of Jerusalem, and shall be glorified before <i>His</i> elders.


text:
<n>Praise to God</n> O Lord God, I will glorify You, I will sing to Your name; for You have done wonderful things, <i>even</i> an ancient <i>and</i> faithful counsel. Amen.


text:
For You have reduced cities to a heap of ruins—cities <i>made</i> strong that their foundations should not fall; the city of ungodly men shall not be built forever.


text:
For You have been a helper to every lowly city, and a shelter to them that were disheartened by reason of poverty; You shall deliver them from wicked men; <i>You have been</i> a shelter for them that thirst, and a refreshing air to injured men.


text:
<i>We were</i> as faint-hearted men thirsting in Zion, by reason of ungodly men to whom You delivered us.


text:
And the Lord of hosts shall make <i>a feast</i> for all the nations; on this mount they shall drink gladness, they shall drink wine;


text:
they shall anoint themselves with ointment in this mountain. Impart all these things to the nations; for this is <i>God’s</i> counsel upon all the nations.


text:
Death has prevailed and swallowed <i>men</i> up; but again the Lord God has taken away every tear from every face. He has taken away the reproach of <i>His</i> people from all the earth; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.


text:
And in that day they shall say, “Behold, our God in whom we have trusted, and He shall save us; this <i>is</i> the Lord; we have waited for Him, and we have exalted, and will rejoice in our salvation.”


text:
God will give rest on this mountain, and the country of Moab shall be trodden down, as they tread the floor with wagons.


text:
And He shall spread forth His hands, even as He also brings down <i>man</i> to destroy <i>him</i>; and He shall bring low his pride <i>regarding that </i>in which he has laid his hands.


text:
And He shall bring down the height of the refuge of the wall, and it shall come down, even to the ground.


text:
<n>A Song of Salvation</n> In that day they shall sing this song in the land of Judah; Behold a strong city; and He shall make salvation <i>its</i> wall and bulwark.


text:
who has humbled and brought down them that dwell on high; You shall cast down strong cities, and bring them to the ground.


text:
For the way of the Lord is judgment; we have hoped in Your name, and on the remembrance <i>of You</i>,


text:
which our soul longs for; my spirit seeks You very early in the morning, O God, for Your commandments are a light on the earth; learn righteousness, you that dwell upon the earth.


text:
For the ungodly one is put down; no one who will not learn righteousness on the earth, shall be able to do the truth; let the ungodly be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord.


text:
O Lord, Your arm is exalted, yet they did not know it; but when they know, they shall be ashamed; jealously shall seize upon an untaught nation, and now fire shall devour the adversaries.


text:
But the dead shall not see life, neither shall physicians by any means raise <i>them</i> up; therefore You have brought <i>wrath</i> upon <i>them</i>, and slain <i>them</i>, and have taken away all their males. Bring more evils upon them, O Lord;


text:
And as a woman in labor draws near to be delivered, <i>and</i> cries out in her pain; so have we been to Your beloved.


text:
We have conceived, O Lord, because of Your fear, and have been in pain, and have brought forth the breath of Your salvation, which we have wrought upon the earth; we shall not fall, but all that dwell upon the land shall fall.


text:
The dead shall rise, and those that are in the tombs shall be raised up, and those that are in the earth shall rejoice; for the dew from You is healing to them; but the land of the ungodly shall perish.


text:
Go, my people, enter into your closets, shut your door, hide yourself for a short season, until the anger of the Lord has passed away.


text:
For behold, the Lord is bringing wrath from <i>His</i> holy place on those that dwell upon the earth; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall not cover her slain.


text:
In that day God shall bring <i>His</i> holy and great and strong sword upon the dragon, even the serpent that flees, upon the dragon, the crooked serpent; He shall destroy the dragon.


text:
<n>The Restoration of Israel</n> In that day <i>there shall be</i> a fair vineyard, <i>and</i> a desire to commence <i>a song</i> concerning it.


text:
I am a strong city, a city in a siege; in vain shall I water it; for it shall be taken by night, and by day the wall shall fall.


text:
There is no woman that has not taken hold of it; who will set me to watch stubble in the field? Because of this enemy I have set her aside; therefore on this account the Lord has done all that He has appointed.


text:
they that are coming are the children of Jacob. Israel shall bud and blossom, and the world shall be filled with his fruit.


text:
Shall he himself be stricken this way, even as he has struck? And as he slew, shall he be thus slain?


text:
Fighting and reproaching he will dismiss them; did you not meditate with a harsh spirit, to slay them with a wrathful spirit?


text:
“Therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be taken away; and this is his blessing, when I have taken away his sin; when they have broken to pieces all the stones of the altars as fine dust, and their trees shall not remain, and their idols shall be cut off, as a thicket afar off.”


text:
The flock that dwelt <i>there</i> shall be left, as a deserted flock; and <i>the ground</i> shall be for a long time for pasture, and there shall flocks lie down to rest.


text:
And after a time there shall be in it no green thing because of <i>the grass</i> being parched. Come here, you woman that comes from a sight; for it is a people of no understanding; therefore He that made them shall have no pity upon them, and He that formed them shall have no mercy <i>upon them</i>.


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day <i>that</i> God shall fence <i>men</i> off from the channel of the river as far as the Brook of Egypt; but gather one by one the children of Israel.


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day <i>that</i> they shall blow the great trumpet, and the lost ones in the land of the Assyrians shall come, and the lost ones in Egypt, and shall worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.


text:
<n>Woe to Ephraim and Jerusalem</n> Woe to the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, the flower that has fallen from the glory of the top of the fertile mountain, they that are drunken without wine.


text:
Behold, the anger of the Lord is strong and severe, as descending hail where there is no shelter, violently descending; as a great body of water sweeping away the soil, He shall make rest for the land.


text:
The crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, shall be beaten down with the hands and with the feet.


text:
And the fading flower of the glorious hope on the top of the high mountain shall be as the early fig; he that sees it, before he takes it into his hand, will desire to swallow it down.


text:
In that day the Lord of hosts shall be the crown of hope, the woven <i>crown</i> of glory, to the remnant of the people.


text:
They shall be left in the spirit of judgment for judgment, and for the strength of them that hinder slaying.


text:
For these have trespassed through wine; they have erred through strong drink; the priest and the prophet are mad through strong drink, they are swallowed up by reason of wine, they have staggered through drunkenness; they have erred; this is <i>their</i> vision.


text:
To whom have we reported evils? And to whom have we reported a message? <i>Even to those </i>that are weaned from the milk, who are drawn from the breast.


text:
by reason of the contemptuous <i>words</i> of the lips, by means of another language; for they shall speak to this people, saying to them,


text:
Therefore the oracle of God shall be to them affliction on affliction, hope on hope, yet a little, <i>and</i> yet a little, that they may go and fall backward; and they shall be crushed and shall be in danger, and shall be taken.


text:
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you afflicted men, and you princes of this people that is in Jerusalem.


text:
Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with Hades, and agreements with death; if the rushing storm should pass, it shall not come upon us; we have made falsehood our hope, and by falsehood shall we be protected.”


text:
<n>A Cornerstone in Zion</n> Therefore thus says the Lord, <i>even</i> the Lord, “Behold, I lay for the foundations of Zion a costly stone, a choice cornerstone <i>and</i> precious, for its foundations; and he that believes <i>on Him</i> shall by no means be ashamed.


text:
And I will cause judgment <i>to be</i> for hope, and My compassion shall be for <i>just</i> measures, and you that trust vainly in falsehood <i>shall fall</i>; for the storm shall by no means pass by you,


text:
except it also take away your covenant of death, and your trust in Hades shall by no means stand; if the rushing storm should come upon you, you shall be beaten down by it.


text:
Whenever it shall pass by, it shall overtake you; morning by morning it shall pass by in the day, and in the night there shall be an evil hope.”


text:
Learn to hear, you that are distressed; we cannot fight, but we are ourselves too weak for you to be gathered.


text:
The Lord shall rise up as <i>against </i>a mountain of ungodly <i>men</i>, and shall be in the valley of Gibeon; He shall perform His works with wrath, <i>even</i> a work of bitterness, and His wrath shall deal strangely, and His destruction shall be strange.


text:
Therefore do not rejoice, neither let your bands be made strong; for I have heard of works finished and cut short by the Lord of hosts, which He will execute upon all the earth.


text:
Will the plowman plow all the day? Or will he prepare the seed beforehand, before he tills the ground?


text:
Does he not, when he has leveled the surface, then sow the small black poppy, or cummin, and afterward sow wheat, barley, millet, and grain in your borders?


text:
For the black poppy is not cleansed with harsh treatment, nor will a wagon wheel pass over the cummin; but the black poppy is threshed with a rod, and the cummin shall be eaten with bread;


text:
<n>Woe to Jerusalem</n> “Alas for the city of Ariel, which David besieged. Gather your fruits year by year; eat, for you shall eat with Moab.


text:
And I will compass you round about like David, and will raise a mound about you, and set up towers around you.


text:
And your words shall be brought down to the earth, and your words shall sink down to the earth, and your voice shall be as they that speak out of the earth, and your voice shall be lowered to the ground.


text:
“But the wealth of the ungodly shall be as dust from a wheel, and the multitude of them that oppress you as flying chaff, and it shall be suddenly as a moment,


text:
from the Lord of Hosts; for there shall be a visitation with thunder, and earthquake, and a loud noise, a rushing tempest, and a devouring flame of fire.


text:
And the wealth of all the nations together, as many as have fought against Ariel, and all they that war against Jerusalem, and all who are gathered against her, and they that distress her, shall be as one that dreams in sleep by night.


text:
And as men drink and eat in sleep, and when they have arisen, the dream is vain. And as a thirsty man dreams as if he drank, and having arisen is still thirsty, and his soul has desired in vain, so shall be the wealth of all the nations, as many as have fought against Mount Zion.”


text:
For the Lord has made you to drink a spirit of deep sleep; and He shall close their eyes, and <i>the eyes</i> of their prophets and of their rulers, who see secret things.


text:
And all these things shall be to you as the words of this sealed book, which if they shall give to a learned man, saying, “Read this,” he shall then say, “I cannot read <i>it</i>, for it is sealed.”


text:
And this book shall be given into the hands of a man that is unlearned, and <i>one</i> shall say to him, “Read this”; and he shall say, “I am unlearned.”


text:
And the Lord has said, “This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and they honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; and in vain do they worship Me, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men.


text:
Therefore behold, I will proceed to remove this people, and I will remove them; and I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will hide the understanding of the prudent.”


text:
Woe to them that deepen their counsel, and not by the Lord. Woe to them that take secret counsel, and whose works are in darkness, and they say, “Who has seen us? And who shall know us, or what we do?”


text:
Shall you not be counted as clay of the potter? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, “You did not form me?” Or the work to the maker, “You have not made me wisely?”


text:
<i>Is it</i> not yet a little while, and Lebanon shall be changed as the mountains of Carmel, and Carmel shall be reckoned as a forest?


text:
And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and they that are in darkness, and they that are in mist; the eyes of the blind shall see,


text:
and the poor shall rejoice with joy because of the Lord, and they that had no hope among men shall be filled with joy.


text:
The lawless man has been brought down, and the proud man has perished, and they that transgress mischievously have been utterly destroyed;


text:
and they that cause men to sin by a word; and men shall make all that reprove in the gates an offense, because they have unjustly turned aside the righteous.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the house of Jacob, whom He set apart from Abraham: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall he now change his countenance.


text:
But when their children shall have seen My works, they shall sanctify My name for My sake, and they sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.


text:
And they that erred in spirit shall know understanding, and the murmurers shall learn obedience, and the stammering tongues shall learn to speak peace.”


text:
<n>Futile Confidence in Egypt</n> “Woe to the apostate children,” says the Lord; “you have framed counsel, not by Me, and covenants not by My Spirit, to add sins to sins;


text:
<i>even</i> they that proceed to go down into Egypt, for they have not inquired of Me, that they might be helped by Pharaoh, and protected by the Egyptians.


text:
For the protection of Pharaoh shall be to you a disgrace, and <i>there shall be</i> a reproach to them that trust in Egypt.


text:
In vain shall they labor <i>in seeking</i> for a people which shall not profit them for help, but <i>shall be</i> for a shame and reproach.”


text:
The vision against the beasts of the south. In affliction and distress, <i>where are</i> the lion and lion's whelp, from there also <i>come</i> asps, and the young of flying asps,<i> there shall they be</i> who bore their wealth on donkeys and camels to a nation which shall not profit them.


text:
Now then sit down and write these words on a tablet, and in a book; for these things shall be for <i>many long</i> days, even forever.


text:
who say to the prophets, “Do not report to us”; and to them that see visions, “Do not speak <i>them</i> to us, but speak and report to us deceitful <i>things</i>;


text:
and turn us aside from this way; remove from us this path, and remove from us the oracle of Israel.”


text:
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: “Because you have refused to obey these words, and have trusted in falsehood; and because you have murmured, and been confident in this respect;


text:
therefore shall this sin be to you as a wall suddenly falling when a strong city has been taken, of which the fall is very close at hand.


text:
And its fall shall be as the breaking of an earthen vessel, <i>as</i> small fragments of a pitcher, so that you should not find among them a sherd, with which you might take up fire, and with which you should draw a little water.”


text:
Thus says the Lord, the Holy Lord of Israel; “When you shall turn and mourn, then you shall be saved; and you shall know where you were, when you trusted in vanities; <i>then</i> your strength became vain, yet you would not obey.


text:
But you said, ‘We will flee upon horses’; therefore shall you flee; and <i>you said</i>, ‘We will be aided by swift riders’; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.


text:
A thousand shall flee because of the voice of one, and many shall flee on account of the voice of five; until you are left as a signal-post upon a mountain, and as one bearing an ensign upon a hill.”


text:
<n>God Will Be Gracious</n> And the Lord will again wait, that He may pity you, and will therefore be exalted that He may have mercy upon you; because the Lord your God is a Judge; blessed are they that wait on Him.


text:
For the holy people shall dwell in Zion; and <i>whereas</i> Jerusalem has wept bitterly, <i>saying</i>, “Pity me”; He shall pity you; when He heard the voice of your cry, He listened to you.


text:
And <i>though</i> the Lord shall give you the bread of affliction and scant water, yet they that cause you to err shall no longer draw near to you; for your eyes shall see those that cause you to err,


text:
and your ears shall hear the words of them that went after you to lead you astray, who say, “This <i>is</i> the way, let us walk in it, whether to the right or to the left.”


text:
And you shall pollute the plated idols, and you shall grind to powder the gilt ones, and shall scatter them as the water of a removed <i>woman</i>, and you shall thrust them forth as dung.


text:
Then shall there be rain to the seed of your land; and the bread of the fruit of your land shall be plenteous and rich; and your cattle shall feed in that day in a fertile and spacious place.


text:
And there shall be upon every lofty mountain and upon every high hill, water running in that day, when many shall perish, and when the towers shall fall.


text:
And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold in the day when the Lord shall heal the breach of His people, and shall heal the pain of your wound.


text:
Behold, the name of the Lord comes after a <i>long</i> time, burning wrath; the word of His lips is with glory, a word full of anger, and the anger of His wrath shall devour like fire.


text:
And His breath, as rushing water in a valley, shall reach as far as the neck, and be divided, to confound the nations for <i>their</i> vain error; error also shall pursue them, and overtake them.


text:
“Must you always rejoice, and go into My holy places continually, as they that keep a feast? And must you go with a flute, as those that rejoice, into the mountain of the Lord, to the God of Israel?”


text:
And the Lord shall make His glorious voice to be heard, and the wrath of His outstretched arm, to make a display with wrath and anger and devouring flame; He shall lighten terribly, and <i>His wrath shall be</i> as water and violent hail.


text:
For by the voice of the Lord the Assyrians shall be overcome, <i>even</i> by the stroke in which He shall strike them.


text:
And it shall happen to him from every side, <i>that</i> they from whom their hope of assistance was, in which he trusted, themselves shall war against Him in turn with drums and with harps.


text:
For you shall be required before <i>your</i> time; has it been prepared for you also to reign? No, God has <i>prepared for you</i> a deep trench, wood piled, fire and much wood; the wrath of the Lord <i>shall be</i> as a trench kindled with sulphur.


text:
<n>Alliance with Egypt is Futile</n> Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, who trust in horses and chariots, for they are many; and in horses, <i>which are</i> a great multitude; and have not trusted in the Holy One of Israel, and have not sought the Lord.


text:
Therefore He has wisely brought evils upon them, and His word shall not be frustrated; and He shall rise up against the houses of wicked men, and against their vain hope,


text:
<i>even</i> an Egyptian, a man, and not God; the flesh of horses, and there is no help <i>in them</i>; but the Lord shall bring His hand upon them, and the helpers shall fail, and all shall perish together.


text:
<n>God Will Deliver Jerusalem</n> For thus said the Lord unto me: “As a lion roars, or a lion's whelp over prey which he has taken, and cry over it, until the mountains are filled with his voice, and <i>the animals</i> are awe-struck and tremble at the fierceness of his wrath; so the Lord of hosts shall descend to fight upon Mount Zion, <i>even</i> upon her mountains.


text:
As birds flying, so shall the Lord of hosts defend; He shall defend Jerusalem, and He shall rescue, and save and deliver.”


text:
For in that day men shall renounce their silver idols and <i>their</i> golden idols, which their hands have made.


text:
And the Assyrian shall fall; not the sword of a great man, nor the sword of a mean man shall devour him; neither shall he flee from the face of the sword; but the young men shall be overthrown;


text:
for they shall be compassed with rocks as with a trench, and shall be overcome; and he that flees shall be taken. Thus says the Lord: “Blessed is he that has a seed in Zion, and household friends in Jerusalem.”


text:
<n>Government with Justice Predicted</n> For behold, a righteous king shall reign, and princes shall govern with judgment.


text:
And a man shall hide his words, and be hidden, as from rushing water, and shall appear in Zion as a rushing river, glorious in a thirsty land.


text:
And the heart of the weak ones shall attend to hear, and the stammering tongues shall soon learn to speak peace.


text:
For the fool shall speak foolish words, and his heart shall meditate vanities, and to perform lawless deeds and to speak error against the Lord, to scatter hungry souls, and He will cause the thirsty souls to be empty.


text:
For the counsel of the wicked will devise iniquity, to destroy the poor with unjust words, and ruin the cause of the poor in judgment.


text:
<n>Complacent Women Warned of Disaster</n> Rise up, you rich women, and hear my voice; you confident daughters, listen to my words.


text:
Remember for a full year in pain, yet with hope; the vintage has been cut off; it has ceased, it shall by no means come again.


text:
<i>As for</i> the land of my people, the thorn and grass shall come upon <i>it</i>, and joy shall be removed from every house.


text:
<i>As for</i> the rich city, the houses are deserted; they shall abandon the wealth of the city, <i>and</i> the pleasant houses; and the villages shall be caves forever, the joy of wild donkeys, shepherds' pastures;


text:
until the Spirit shall come upon you from on high, and Carmel shall be desert, and Carmel shall be counted for a forest.


text:
<n>The Peace of God’s Reign</n> Then judgment shall abide in the wilderness, and righteousness shall dwell in Carmel.


text:
And the works of righteousness shall be peace; and righteousness shall ensure rest, and <i>the righteous</i> shall be confident forever.


text:
And His people shall inhabit a city of peace, and dwell in <i>it</i> in confidence, and they shall rest with wealth.


text:
And if the hail should come down, it shall not come upon you; and they that dwell in the forests shall be in confidence, as those in the plain country.


text:
<n>A Prophecy of Deliverance from Foes</n> Woe to those that afflict you; but no one makes you miserable; and he that deals treacherously with you does not deal treacherously; those that deal treacherously shall be taken and given up, and like a moth on a garment, so shall they be spoiled.


text:
Lord, have mercy upon us; for we have trusted in You; the descendants of the rebellious has gone to destruction, but our deliverance was in a time of affliction.


text:
By reason of the terrible sound, the nations were dismayed for fear of You, and the heathen were scattered.


text:
And now shall the spoils of Your small and great be gathered, as if one should gather locusts, so shall they mock You.


text:
They shall be delivered up to the law; our salvation is our treasure; there is wisdom and knowledge and godliness toward the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness.


text:
Behold now, these shall be terrified with fear of you; those whom you feared shall cry out because of you; messengers shall be sent, bitterly weeping, entreating for peace.


text:
For the ways of these shall be made desolate; the terror of the nations has been made to cease, and the covenant with these is taken away, and you shall by no means deem them men.


text:
The land mourns; Lebanon is ashamed; Sharon has become a marsh; Galilee shall be laid bare, and Carmel.


text:
<n>Impending Judgment on Zion</n> “Now will I arise,” says the Lord, “now will I be glorified; now will I be exalted.


text:
Now shall you see, now shall you perceive; the strength of your breath shall be vain; fire shall devour you.


text:
The sinners in Zion have departed; trembling shall seize the ungodly. Who will tell you that a fire is kindled? Who will tell you of the eternal place?


text:
He that walks in righteousness, speaking rightly, hating transgression and iniquity, and shaking his hands from gifts, stopping his ears that he should not hear the judgment of blood, shutting his eyes that he should not see injustice.


text:
He shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock; bread shall be given to him, and his water shall be sure.


text:
<n>The Land of the Majestic King</n> You shall see a king with glory; your eyes shall behold a land from afar.


text:
Your soul shall meditate terror. Where are the scribes? Where are the counselors? Where is he that numbers them that are growing up,


text:
<i>both</i> the small and great people? With whom he did not take counsel, neither did he understand <i>a people</i> of deep speech, so that a despised people should not hear, and there is no understanding to him that hears.


text:
Behold the city of Zion, our refuge; your eyes shall behold Jerusalem, a rich city, tabernacles which shall not be shaken, neither shall the pins of her tabernacle be moved forever, neither shall her cords be at all broken;


text:
for the name of the Lord is great to you; you shall have a place, <i>even</i> rivers and wide and spacious channels; you shall not go this way, neither shall a vessel with oars go <i>thereby.</i>


text:
For my God is great; the Lord our judge shall not pass me by; the Lord is our Prince, the Lord is our King; the Lord, He shall save us.


text:
Your cords are broken, for they had no strength; your food has given way, it shall not spread the sails, it shall not bear a signal, until it is given up for plunder; therefore shall many lame men take spoil.


text:
And the people dwelling among them shall by no means say, “I am in pain”; for their sin shall be forgiven them.


text:
<n>Judgment on the Nations</n> Draw near, you nations; and hearken, you princes; let the earth hear, and they that are in it; the world, and the people therein.


text:
For the wrath of the Lord is upon all nations, and <i>His</i> anger upon the number of them, to destroy them, and give them up to slaughter.


text:
And their slain shall be cast forth, and their corpses; and their stench shall come up, and the mountains shall be made wet with their blood.


text:
And all the powers of the heavens shall melt, and the sky shall be rolled up like a scroll; and all the stars shall fall like leaves from a vine, and as leaves fall from a fig tree.


text:
“My sword has been made drunk in heaven; behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and with judgment upon the people doomed to destruction.”


text:
The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is glutted with fat, with the blood of goats and lambs, and with the fat of goats and rams; for the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in Edom.


text:
And the mighty ones shall fall with them, and the rams and the bulls; and the land shall be soaked with blood, and shall be filled with their fat.


text:
And her valleys shall be turned into pitch, and her land into sulphur; and her land shall be as pitch burning night and day;


text:
and it shall never be quenched, and her smoke shall go up; it shall be made desolate throughout her generations,


text:
and for a long time birds and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens shall dwell in it; and the measuring line of desolation shall be cast over it, and satyrs shall dwell in it.


text:
And thorns shall spring up in their cities, and in her strongholds; and they shall be habitations of monsters, and a court of ostriches.


text:
And demons shall meet with satyrs, and they shall cry one to the other; there shall the satyrs rest, having found for themselves <i>a place of</i> rest.


text:
There has the hedgehog made its nest, and the earth has safely preserved its young; there have the deer met, and seen one another's faces.


text:
They passed by in <i>full</i> number, and not one of them perished; they did not seek one another; for the Lord commanded them, and His Spirit gathered them.


text:
And He shall cast lots for them, and His hand has portioned out <i>their</i> pasture, <i>saying</i>, “You shall inherit <i>the land</i> forever; they shall rest on it <i>throughout </i>all generations.”


text:
<n>The Return of the Redeemed to Zion</n> Be glad, you thirsty desert; let the wilderness rejoice, and flower as the lily.


text:
And the desert places of the Jordan shall blossom and rejoice; the glory of Lebanon has been given to it, and the honor of Carmel; and my people shall see the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of God.


text:
Comfort one another, you fainthearted; be strong, do not fear; behold, our God renders judgment, and He will render <i>it</i>; He will come and save us.


text:
Then shall the lame man leap as a deer, and the tongue of the stammerers shall speak plainly; for water has burst forth in the desert, and a channel <i>of water</i> in a thirsty land.


text:
And the dry land shall become pools, and a fountain of water shall <i>be poured</i> into the thirsty land; there shall there be a joy of birds, ready habitations and marshes.


text:
There shall be there a pure way, and it shall be called a holy way; and there shall not pass by there any unclean person, neither shall there be there an unclean way; but the dispersed shall walk on it, and they shall not go astray.


text:
And there shall be no lion there, neither shall any evil beast go up upon it, nor at all be found there; but the redeemed and gathered on the Lord's behalf shall walk in it,


text:
and shall return, and come to Zion with joy, and everlasting joy <i>shall be</i> over their head; for on their head <i>shall be</i> praise and exaltation, and joy shall take possession of them; sorrow and pain, and groaning have fled away.


text:
<n>Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem</n> Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, <i>that</i> Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians, came up against the strong cities of Judah, and took them.


text:
And the king of the Assyrians sent Rabshakeh out of Lachish to Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah with a large force; and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the way of the fuller's field.


text:
And there went forth to him Eliakim the manager, the <i>son</i> of Hilkiah, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the <i>son</i> of Asaph, the recorder.


text:
And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of the Assyrians: ‘Why are you secure?


text:
Is war carried on with counsel and <i>mere</i> words of the lips? And now on whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?


text:
Behold, you trust on this bruised staff of reed, on Egypt; <i>as soon</i> as a man leans upon it, it shall go into his hand, and pierce it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt and all that trust in him.’


text:
yet now make an agreement with my lord the king of the Assyrians, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you shall be able to set riders upon them.


text:
And how can you <i>then</i> turn to the face of the satraps? They that trust in the Egyptians for horse and rider are <i>our</i> servants.


text:
And now, Have we come up against this land to fight against it without the Lord? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”


text:
Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to him, “Speak to your servants in the Syrian language; for we understand <i>it</i>; and do not speak to us in the Jewish language; and why do you speak in the ears of the men on the wall?”


text:
And Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my lord sent me to your master or to you, to speak these words? <i>Has he</i> not <i>sent</i> me to the men that sit on the wall, that they may eat dung, and drink <i>their</i> urine together with you?”


text:
And Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewish language and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of the Assyrians:


text:
And let not Hezekiah say to you that God will deliver you, and this city will not at all be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.’


text:
Do not listen to Hezekiah. Thus says the king of the Assyrians: ‘If you wish to be blessed, come out to me; and you shall all eat <i>of</i> his own vine and his <i>own </i>fig trees, and you shall drink water out of your own cisterns;


text:
until I come and take you to a land, like your own land, a land of grain and wine, and bread and vineyards.


text:
Let not Hezekiah deceive you, saying, “God will deliver you.” Have the gods of the nations delivered each one his own land out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians?


text:
Where is the god of Hamath, and Arpad? And where is the god of Sepharvaim? Have they been able to deliver Samaria out of my hand?


text:
Which is the god of all these nations that has delivered his land out of my hand, that God should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”


text:
And they were silent, and none answered him a word, because the king had commanded that none should answer.


text:
And Eliakim the <i>son</i> of Hilkiah, the manager, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the <i>son</i> of Asaph the recorder, came in to Hezekiah, having torn their clothes, and they reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.


text:
<n>Isaiah Assures Deliverance</n> And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard <i>it, that</i> he tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went up to the house of the Lord.


text:
And he sent Eliakim the manager, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests clothed with sackcloth, to Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet. And they said to him, thus says Hezekiah:


text:
“Today is a day of affliction, and reproach, and rebuke, and anger; for the pangs have come upon the travailing <i>woman</i>, but she has not the strength to bring forth.


text:
May the Lord your God hear the words of Rabshakeh, which the king of the Assyrians has sent, to reproach the living God, even to reproach with the words which the Lord your God has heard; therefore you shall pray to your Lord for these that are left.”


text:
And Isaiah said to them, “Thus shall you say to your master, Thus says the Lord: ‘Be not afraid at the words which you have heard, in which the ambassadors of the king of the Assyrians have reproached Me.


text:
Behold, I <i>will</i> send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a report, and return to his own country, and he shall fall by the sword in his own land.”


text:
So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of the Assyrians besieging Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.


text:
And Tirhakah king of the Ethiopians went forth to attack him. And when he heard it, he turned aside, and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,


text:
Thus shall you say to Hezekiah king of Judah: “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of the Assyrians.’


text:
Have you not heard what the kings of the Assyrians have done, how they have destroyed the whole earth? And shall you be delivered?


text:
Have the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed delivered them, <i>be it</i> Gozan, Haran, or Rezeph, which are in the land of Telassar?


text:
Where are the kings of Hamath? And where <i>is the king of</i> Arpad? And where <i>is the king</i> of the city of Sepharvaim, <i>and of</i> Ivah?”


text:
And Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, and read it, and went up to the house of the Lord, and opened it before the Lord.


text:
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who sits upon the cherubim, You alone are God of every kingdom of the world; You have made heaven and earth.


text:
Incline Your ear, O Lord, hearken, O Lord; open Your eyes, O Lord, look, O Lord; and behold the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.


text:
For truly, O Lord, the kings of the Assyrians have laid waste the whole world, and the countries thereof,


text:
and have cast their idols into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; and they have cast them away.


text:
But now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hands, that every kingdom of the earth may know that You alone are God.”


text:
And Isaiah the son of Amoz was sent to Hezekiah, and said to him, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “I have heard your prayer to Me concerning Sennacherib king of the Assyrians.


text:
This is the word which God has spoken concerning him: ‘The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you, and mocked you; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.


text:
Whom have you reproached and provoked? And against whom have you lifted up your voice? And have you not lifted up your eyes on high against the Holy One of Israel?


text:
For you have reproached the Lord by messengers; for you have said, “With the multitude of chariots have I ascended to the height of mountains, and to the sides of Lebanon, and I have cropped the height of his cedars and the beauty of his cypresses, and I entered into the height of the forest region;


text:
Have you not heard of these things which I have done of old? I appointed <i>them</i> from ancient times; but now have I manifested <i>My purpose</i> of desolating nations in <i>their</i> strongholds, and them that dwell in strong cities.


text:
I weakened <i>their</i> hands, and they withered; and they became as dry grass on the housetops, and as grass.


text:
And your wrath in which you have been enraged, and your rage has come up before Me; therefore I will put a hook in your nose, and a bit in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came.’”


text:
“And this shall be a sign to you: eat this year what you have sown; and the second year that which is left; and the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.


text:
for out of Jerusalem there shall be a remnant, and the saved ones out of Mount Zion; the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.


text:
“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of the Assyrians: ‘He shall not enter into this city, nor cast a weapon against it, nor bring a shield against it, nor make a rampart around it.


text:
But by the way in which he came, by it shall he return, and shall not enter into this city,’ says the Lord,


text:
<n>Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death</n> And the angel of the Lord went forth, and killed out of the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand; and they arose in the morning and found a <i>multitude </i>of dead bodies.


text:
And while he was worshipping Nisroch his country's god in the house, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with swords; and they escaped into Armenia; and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.


text:
<n>Hezekiah’s Life Extended</n> And it came to pass at that time, <i>that</i> Hezekiah was sick, even unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Give orders concerning your house; for you shall die, and not live.’”


text:
“Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before You in truth, with a true heart, and have done that which was pleasing in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.


text:
‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, and have seen your tears; behold, I <i>will</i> add to your days fifteen years.


text:
And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians; and I will defend this city.


text:
Behold, I will turn back the shadow of the degrees <i>of the sundial</i> by ten degrees on the house of your father. I will turn back the sun the ten degrees.’” So the sun went back the ten degrees by which the shadow had gone down.


text:
<i>This was </i>the prayer of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered from his sickness:


text:
“I said in the end of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave; I shall part with the remainder of my years.


text:
I said, I shall no more see the salvation of God in the land of the living; I shall no more see the salvation of Israel on the earth; I shall no more see man.


text:
<i>My life</i> has failed from among my kindred; I have parted with the remainder of my life; it has gone forth and departed from me, as one that has pitched a tent takes it down <i>again</i>; my breath was with me as a weaver's web, when she that weaves draws near to cut off <i>the</i> thread.


text:
In that day I was given up as to a lion until the morning; so has He broken all my bones; for I was so given up from day <i>even</i> to night.


text:
As a swallow, so will I cry, and as a dove, so do I mourn; for my eyes have failed from looking to the height of heaven to the Lord, who has delivered me,


text:
“O Lord, for it was told You concerning this; and You have revived my breath; and I am comforted, and live.


text:
For You have chosen my soul, that it should not perish; and You have cast all <i>my</i> sins behind me.


text:
For they that are in the grave shall not praise You, neither shall the dead bless You, neither shall they that are in Hades hope for Your mercy.


text:
The living shall bless You, as I also <i>do</i>; for from this day shall I beget children, who shall declare Your righteousness,


text:
O God of my salvation; and I will not cease <i>from </i>blessing You with the psaltery all the days of my life before the house of God.”


text:
Now Isaiah had said to Hezekiah: “Take a cake of figs, and mash them, and apply them as a plaster, and you shall be well.”


text:
<n>The Babylonion Envoys </n> At that time Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon, sent letters and ambassadors and gifts to Hezekiah; for he had heard that he had been sick, <i>even</i> unto death, and had recovered.


text:
And Hezekiah was pleased that they came, and he showed them the house of <i>his</i> spices, and of silver, gold, myrrh, incense, ointment, and all the houses of his treasures, and all that he had in his stores. And there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, which Hezekiah did not show <i>them</i>.


text:
And Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a land afar off, from Babylon.”


text:
And Isaiah said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah said, “They have seen everything in my house; and there is nothing in my house which they have not seen, even all the <i>possessions</i> in my treasuries.”


text:
‘Behold, the days are coming when they shall take all the <i>things that are</i> in your house, and all that your fathers have gathered until this day, <i>and they </i>shall go to Babylon, and they shall not leave one thing.’” And God said,


text:
“They shall also take of your children whom you shall father, and they shall make them eunuchs in the house of the king of the Babylonians.”


text:
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord is good, which He has spoken; let there be peace and righteousness in my days.”


text:
Speak, you priests, to the heart of Jerusalem; comfort her, for her humiliation is accomplished, her sin is put away; for she has received of the Lord's hand double <i>for</i> her sins.


text:
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.


text:
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and all the crooked <i>ways</i> shall become straight, and the rough <i>places</i> smooth.


text:
And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God; for the Lord has spoken <i>it</i>.”


text:
The voice of one saying, “Proclaim”; and I said, “What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.


text:
O you that brings glad tidings to Zion, go up on the high mountain; lift up your voice with strength, you that brings glad tidings to Jerusalem; lift it up, fear not; say unto the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”


text:
Behold the Lord! The Lord is coming with strength, and <i>His</i> arm is with power; behold, His reward is with Him, and <i>His</i> work before Him.


text:
He shall tend His flock as a shepherd, and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and He shall soothe them that are with young.


text:
Who has measured the water in His hand, and the heaven with a span, and all the earth in a handful? Who has weighed the mountains in scales, and the forests in a balance?


text:
Or with whom has He taken counsel, and he has instructed Him? Or who has taught Him judgment, or who has taught Him the way of understanding;


text:
since all the nations are counted as a drop in a bucket, and as the turning of a balance, <i>and</i> shall be counted as spittle?


text:
Has not the carpenter made an image, or the goldsmith having melted gold, guilded it over, <i>and</i> made it a likeness <i>of Him</i>?


text:
For the carpenter chooses out a wood that will not rot, and will wisely inquire how he shall set up his image, and <i>that so</i> that it should not be moved.


text:
Will you not know? Will you not hear? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not known the foundations of the earth?


text:
<i>It is </i>He that comprehends the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants in it are as grasshoppers; He that set up the heaven as a chamber, and stretched <i>it</i> out as a tent to dwell in;


text:
For they shall not plant, neither shall they sow, neither shall their root be fixed in the ground; He has blown upon them, and they have withered, and a storm shall carry them away like sticks.


text:
Lift up your eyes on high, and see, who has displayed all these things? <i>Even</i> He that brings forth His host by number; He shall call them all by name by <i>means of His</i> great glory, and by the power of His might; nothing has escaped you.


text:
For do not say, O Jacob, and why have you spoken, O Israel, <i>saying</i>, “My way is hid from God, and my God has taken away <i>my</i> judgment, and has departed?”


text:
And now, have you not known? Have you not heard? The eternal God, the God that formed the ends of the earth, shall not hunger, neither shall He be weary, and there is no searching of His understanding.


text:
For the young <i>men</i> shall hunger, and the youths shall be weary, and the choice <i>men</i> shall be powerless;


text:
but they that wait on God shall renew <i>their</i> strength; they shall put forth new feathers like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.


text:
<n>Israel Assured of God’s Help</n> “Hold a feast to Me, you islands; for the princes shall renew <i>their</i> strength; let them draw near and speak together; then let them declare judgment.


text:
Who raised up righteousness from the east, <i>and</i> called it to His feet, so that it should go? <i>Who </i>shall appoint <i>it</i> as an adversary of Gentiles, and shall dismay kings, and bury their swords in the earth, and cast forth their bows and arrows as sticks?


text:
Who has performed and done these things? He has called it who called it from the generations of old; I God, the first and to <i>all</i> futurity, I AM.”


text:
“The carpenter has become strong, and the coppersmith that plates with the hammer, <i>and</i> forges also”; sometimes he will say, “It is a piece well joined”; they have fastened them with nails; they will fix them, and they shall not be moved.


text:
“But you, O Israel, are My servant Jacob, and he whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham, whom I have loved;


text:
whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, and from the high places of it I have called you, and said to you, ‘You are My servant; I have chosen you, and I have not forsaken you.’


text:
Do not fear; for I am with you; do not be led astray; for I am your God, who has strengthened you; and I have helped you, and have established you with My righteous right hand.


text:
Behold, all your adversaries shall be ashamed and confounded; for they shall be as if they were not; and all your opponents shall perish.


text:
You shall seek them, and you shall not find the men who shall insolently rage against you; for they shall be as if they were not, and they that war against you shall not be.


text:
‘Do not fear, O Jacob, <i>and you</i> Israel, few in number; <i>for </i>I have helped you,’ says your God, He that redeems you, O Israel.


text:
Behold, I have made you as new saw-shaped threshing wheels of a wagon; and you shall thresh the mountains, and beat the hills to powder, and make <i>them</i> as chaff;


text:
and you shall winnow <i>them</i>, and the wind shall carry them away, and a tempest shall scatter them; but you shall rejoice in the holy ones of Israel.


text:
“And the poor and the needy shall rejoice; for <i>when</i> they shall seek water, and there shall be none, <i>and</i> their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord God, I the God of Israel will hear, and will not forsake them;


text:
but I will open rivers on the mountains, and fountains in the midst of plains; I will make the desert pools of water, and a thirsty land watercourses.


text:
that they may see, and know, and perceive, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done these <i>works</i>, and the Holy One of Israel has displayed <i>them</i>.


text:
“Your judgment draws near,” says the Lord God; “your counsel has drawn near,” says the King of Jacob.


text:
Let them draw near, and declare to you what things shall come to pass; or tell <i>us</i> what things were of old, and we will apply <i>our</i> understanding, and we shall know what are the last and the future things;


text:
tell us, declare to us the things that are coming on at the last <i>time</i>, and we shall know that you are gods; do good, and do evil, and we shall wonder, and see at the same time


text:
“But I have raised up him that <i>comes</i> from the north, and him that <i>comes</i> from the rising of the sun; they shall be called by My name; let the princes come, and as potter's clay, and as a potter treading clay, so shall you be trodden down.


text:
For who will declare the things from the beginning, that we may know also the former things, and we will say that they are true? There is no one that speaks beforehand, nor anyone that hears your words.


text:
For from among the nations, behold, <i>there was</i> no one; and of their idols there was none to declare <i>anything</i>; and if I should ask them, ‘Where are you from?’ They could not answer Me.


text:
<n>The Servant of the Lord</n> Jacob is My servant, I will help him; Israel is My elect, My soul has accepted him; I have put My Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.


text:
A bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench; but he shall bring forth judgment to truth.


text:
He shall shine out, and shall not be discouraged, until he has set judgment on the earth; and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”


text:
Thus says the Lord God, who made the heaven, and established it; who settled the earth, and the things in it, and gives breath to the people in it, and spirit to them that tread on it:


text:
“I, the Lord God, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will strengthen you; and I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles;


text:
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring the bound and them that sit in darkness out of bonds and the prison house.


text:
I am the Lord God; that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praises to graven images.


text:
Behold, the ancient things have come to pass, and <i>so will</i> the new things which I tell you; yes, before I declare <i>them</i> they are made known to you.”


text:
Sing to the Lord a new song; you <i>who are</i> His dominion, glorify His name from the ends of the earth; you that go down to the sea, and sail upon it; the islands, and they that dwell in them.


text:
Rejoice, you wilderness, and the villages thereof, the hamlets, and the inhabitants of Kedar; the inhabitants of the rock shall rejoice, they shall shout from the top of the mountains.


text:
The Lord God of hosts shall go forth, and crush the war; He shall stir up jealousy, and shall shout mightily against His enemies.


text:
“I have been silent; shall I also always be silent and forbear; I have endured like a travailing <i>woman</i>; I will <i>now</i> amaze and wither at once.


text:
I will make desolate mountains and hills, and will dry up all their grass; and I will make the rivers islands, and dry up the pools.


text:
And I will bring the blind by a way that they did not know, and I will cause them to tread paths which they have not known; I will turn darkness into light for them, and crooked things into straight. These things will I do, and I will not forsake them.


text:
But they are turned back; be utterly ashamed, you that trust in graven <i>images</i>, who say to the molten <i>images</i>, ‘You are our gods.’


text:
And who is blind, but My servants? And <i>who is </i>deaf, but those that rule over them? Yes, the servants of God have been made blind.


text:
You have often seen, and have not taken heed; <i>your</i> ears have been opened, and you have not heard.”


text:
And I beheld, and the people were spoiled and plundered; for <i>there is</i> a snare in the secret chambers everywhere, and in the houses also, where they have hidden them; they became a spoil, and there was no one that delivered the prey, and there was none who said, “Restore.”


text:
Who <i>is there</i> among you that will give ear to these things? Hearken to the things which are coming to pass.


text:
For what did He give Jacob up to spoil, and Israel to them that plundered him? Did not God <i>do it</i> against whom they sinned? <i>And</i> they would not walk in His ways, nor obey His law.


text:
So He brought upon them the fury of His wrath; and the war, and those that burned round about them, prevailed against them; yet none of them knew <i>it</i>, neither did they take <i>it</i> to heart.


text:
<n>The Redeemer of Israel</n> And now thus says the Lord God that made you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear; for I have redeemed you, I have called you <i>by</i> your name; you are Mine.


text:
And if you pass through water, I am with you; and the rivers shall not overflow you; and if you go through the fire, you shall not be burned; the flame shall not burn you.


text:
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, that saves you; I have made Egypt and Ethiopia your ransom, and <i>have given</i> Seba for you.


text:
Since you became precious in My sight, you have become glorious, and I have loved you; and I will give men for you, and princes for your life.


text:
Do not fear; for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and will gather you from the west.


text:
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’; and to the south, ‘Do not keep them back’; bring My sons from the <i>land</i> afar off, and My daughters from the ends of the earth;


text:
<i>even</i> all who are called by My name; for I have prepared him for My glory, and I have formed him, and have made him;


text:
and I have brought forth the blind people; for <i>their</i> eyes are as if they were blind, and those that have ears are deaf.


text:
All the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them; who will declare these things? Or who will declare to you things from the beginning? Let them bring forth their witnesses, and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth.


text:
“Be My witnesses, and I <i>too am</i> a witness,” says the Lord God, “and My servant whom I have chosen; that you may know, and believe, and understand that I am <i>He</i>; before Me there was no other God, and after Me there shall be none.


text:
I have declared, and have saved; I have reproached, and there was no strange <i>god</i> among you; you are My witnesses, and I am the Lord God,


text:
even from the beginning; and there is none that can deliver out of My hands; I will work, and who shall turn it back?”


text:
Thus says the Lord God that redeems you, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sakes I will send to Babylon, and I will stir up all that flee, and the Chaldeans shall be bound in ships.


text:
who brought forth chariots and horse, and a mighty multitude; but they have laid down, and shall not rise; they are extinct, as quenched flax:


text:
Behold, I <i>will</i> do new things, which shall presently spring forth, and you shall know them; and I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the dry land;


text:
the beasts of the field shall bless Me, the owls and young ostriches; for I have given water in the wilderness, and rivers in the dry land, to give drink to My chosen race,


text:
<n>Pleading with Unfaithful Israel</n> “I have not now called you, O Jacob; neither have I made you weary, O Israel.


text:
You have not brought Me the sheep of your burnt offering; neither have you glorified Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with sacrifices, neither have I wearied you with frankincense.


text:
Neither have you purchased for Me victims for silver, neither have I desired the fat of your sacrifices; but you stood before Me in your sins, and in your iniquities.


text:
“I, <i>even</i> I, am He that blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and your sins; and I will remember <i>them </i>no more.


text:
Put Me in rememberance, and let us contend <i>together</i>; confess your transgressions first, that you may be justified.


text:
And the princes have defiled My sanctuaries; so I gave Jacob <i>to enemies</i> to destroy, and Israel to reproach.


text:
Thus says the Lord God that made you, and He that formed you from the womb: ‘You shall yet be helped; do not fear, My servant Jacob; and <i>My </i>beloved Israel, whom I have chosen.


text:
For I will give water to the thirsty that walk in a dry land; I will put My Spirit upon your descendants, and My blessings upon your children;


text:
and they shall spring up as grass between brooks, and as willows on <i>the banks of</i> running water.’


text:
One shall say, ‘I am God's’; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall write with his hand, ‘I am God's,’ and shall call himself by the name of Israel.


text:
“Thus says God, the King of Israel, and the God of hosts that delivered him: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; beside Me there is no God.


text:
Who is like Me? Let him stand, and call, and declare, and prepare for Me from the time that I made man forever; and let them tell you the things that are coming before they arrive.


text:
Do not hide yourselves, nor go astray; have you not heard from the beginning, and <i>have</i> I <i>not</i> told you? You are witnesses if there is a God beside Me.’”


text:
<n>Idolatry is Foolishness</n> But they that framed <i>false gods</i> did not then hearken; and they that engraved <i>images</i> are all vain, performing their own desires, which shall not profit them, but they shall be ashamed


text:
and all by whom they were made have withered; yes, let all the deaf be gathered from <i>among</i> men, and let them stand together; and let them be ashamed and confounded together;


text:
For the blacksmith sharpens the iron; he fashions <i>the idol</i> with an ax, and fixes it with an awl, and fashions it with the strength of his arm; and he will be hungry and weak, and will drink no water.


text:
The carpenter, having chosen a piece of wood, marks it out with a rule, and fits it with glue, and makes it as the form of a man, and as the beauty of a man, to set it up in the house.


text:
He cuts wood out of the forest, which the Lord planted, <i>even</i> a pine tree, and the rain made it grow,


text:
that it might be for men to burn; and having taken part of it he warms himself; yes, they burn part of it, and bake loaves on it; and <i>of</i> the rest they make for themselves gods, and they worship them.


text:
Half of it he burns in the fire, and with half of it he bakes loaves on the coals; and having roasted flesh on it he eats, and is satisfied, and having warmed himself he says, “I am comfortable, for I have warmed myself, and have seen the fire.”


text:
And the rest he makes a graven god, and worships and prays, saying, “Deliver me; for you are my god.”


text:
They have no understanding to perceive; for they have been blinded so that they should not see with their eyes, nor perceive with their heart.


text:
And one has not considered in his mind, nor known in his understanding, that he has burned up half of it in the fire, and baked loaves on its coals and has roasted and eaten flesh, and of the rest of it he has made an abomination, and they worship it.


text:
Know that their heart is ashes, and they err, and no one is able to deliver his soul; see, you will not say, “<i>There is a</i> lie in my right hand.”


text:
<n>Israel is not Forgotten</n> “Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel; for you are My servant; I have formed you <i>to be</i> My servant; and do not forget Me, O Israel.


text:
For behold, I have blotted your transgressions out as a cloud, and your sin as darkness; turn to Me, and I will redeem you.”


text:
Rejoice, you heavens; for God has had mercy upon Israel; sound the trumpet, you foundations of the earth; you mountains, shout <i>with</i> joy, you hills, and all the trees therein; for God has redeemed Jacob, and Israel shall be glorified.


text:
Thus says the Lord that redeems you, and who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord that performs all things; I stretched out the heaven alone, and established the earth.


text:
Who else will frustrate the tokens of those that have divining spirits, and prophecies from the heart of <i>man</i>? Turning the wise back, and making their counsel foolishness;


text:
and confirming the word of His servant, and verifying the counsel of His messengers; who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited’; and to the cities of Edom, ‘You shall be built, and her desert places shall spring forth.’


text:
Who bids Cyrus, ‘Be wise, and he shall perform all My will’; who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be built, and I will lay the foundation of My holy house.’”


text:
<n>Cyrus, God’s Instrument</n> “Thus says the Lord God to My anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might be obedient before him; and I will break through the strength of kings; I will open doors before him, and cities shall not be closed.


text:
I will go before you, and I will level mountains; I will break to pieces the bronze doors, and burst the iron bars.


text:
And I will give you the treasures of darkness, I will open to you hidden, unseen <i>treasures</i>, that you may know that I, the Lord your God, that call you by name, am the God of Israel.


text:
For the sake of My servant Jacob, and Israel My elect, I will call you by your name, and accept you; but you have not known Me.


text:
For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God beside Me; I strengthened you, and you have not known Me.


text:
That they that <i>come</i> from the east, and they that <i>come</i> from the west may know that there is no God but Me. I am the Lord God, and there is no other.


text:
I am He that prepared light, and formed darkness; who makes peace, and creates calamity; I am the Lord God, that does all these things.


text:
“Let the heavens rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain righteousness; let the earth bring forth, and blossom <i>with</i> mercy, and bring forth righteousness likewise; I am the Lord that created you.


text:
“What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the potter? Will the plowman plow the earth all day? Shall the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing that you do not work, nor have hands?’ Shall the thing formed answer Him that formed it?


text:
As though one should say to <i>his</i> father, ‘What will you beget me?’ And to his mother, ‘What are you bringing forth?’


text:
“For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, who has formed the things that are to come: Inquire of Me concerning My sons, and concerning the works of My hands, ask of Me.


text:
I have made the earth, and man upon it; with My hand I have established the heavens; I have given commandment to all the stars.


text:
I have raised him up <i>to be</i> a king with righteousness, and all his ways are right; he shall build My city, and shall turn the captivity of My people, not for ransoms, nor for rewards,” says the Lord of hosts.


text:
<n>The Lord, the Only Savior</n> Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Egypt has labored <i>for you</i>; and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall pass over to you, and shall be your servants; and they shall follow after you bound with chains, and shall pass over to you, and shall bow down to you, and they shall pray to you; for God is in you.” There is no God beside You.”


text:
All that are opposed to Him shall be ashamed and confounded, and shall walk in shame. “Dedicate yourselves to Me, you islands!”


text:
Israel is saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; they shall not be ashamed nor confounded forever.


text:
Thus says the Lord that made the heaven, the very God that created the earth, and made it; He marked it out, He did not create it in vain, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.


text:
I have not spoken in secret, nor in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek vanity’; I, even I, am the Lord, speaking righteousness, and proclaiming truth.


text:
“Assemble yourselves and come; take counsel together, you that escape from the nations. They that set up wood, <i>even</i> their graven image, have no knowledge, nor do they who pray to gods that do not save.


text:
If they will declare, let them draw near, that they may know together, who has caused these things to be heard from the beginning; then was it told you. I am God, and there is no other beside Me; a just <i>God</i> and a Savior; there is none besides Me.


text:
Turn to Me, and you shall be saved, you that <i>come</i> from the end of the earth; I am God, and there is none other.


text:
By Myself I swear, righteousness shall surely proceed out of My mouth; My words shall not be frustrated; that to Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear by God,


text:
saying, ‘Righteousness and glory shall come to Him; and all that remove them from their borders shall be ashamed.


text:
By the Lord shall they be justified, and in God shall all the descendants of the children of Israel be glorified.’”


text:
<n>Idols Cannot Save Babylon</n> Bel has fallen, Nebo is broken to pieces, their graven images have gone to the wild beasts and the cattle; you take them packed up as a burden to the weary, exhausted, hungry, and <i>at the same time</i> helpless man;


text:
“Hear Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of Israel, who are borne <i>by Me</i> from the womb, and taught <i>by Me</i> from infancy, <i>even</i> unto old age.


text:
I am <i>He</i>; and until you have grown old, I am <i>He</i>; I bear you, I have made, and I will relieve, I will take up and save you.


text:
They that furnish gold out of a purse, and silver by weight, will weigh it in a scale, and they hire a goldsmith and make idols, and bow down, and worship them.


text:
They bear it upon the shoulder, and go; and if they put it upon its place, it remains, it cannot move; and whosoever shall cry to it, it cannot hear; it cannot save him from trouble.


text:
“<i>Therefore r</i>emember these things, and groan; repent, you that have gone astray, return in your heart;


text:
declaring beforehand the latter events before they come to pass, and they are accomplished together; and I said, ‘All My counsel shall stand, and I will do all things that I have planned’;


text:
calling a bird from the east, and from a land afar off, for the things which I have planned; I have spoken, and brought <i>him</i>; I have created and made <i>him</i>; I have brought him, and prospered his way.


text:
I have brought near My righteousness, and I will not be slow with the salvation that is from Me; I have given salvation in Zion to Israel for glory.


text:
<n>The Humiliation of Babylon</n> “Come down, sit on the ground, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called tender and luxurious.


text:
Take a millstone, grind meal; remove your veil, uncover your white hairs, make bare the leg, pass through the rivers.


text:
Your shame shall be uncovered, your reproaches shall be brought to light; I will exact of you due vengeance, I will no longer deliver you to men.”


text:
“Sit down, you that are pierced with woe, go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; you shall no more be called the strength of a kingdom.


text:
I have been provoked with My people; you have defiled My inheritance; I gave them into your hand, but you did not extend mercy to them; you made the yoke of the aged man very heavy,


text:
and said, ‘I shall be a princess forever’; you did not perceive these things in your heart, nor did you remember the latter end.


text:
“But now hear these words, you luxurious one, that sits <i>at ease</i>, that is secure, that says in her heart, ‘I am, and there is not another; I shall not sit <i>as </i>a widow, neither shall I know bereavement.’


text:
But now these two things shall come upon you suddenly in one day, the loss of children and widowhood shall come suddenly upon you, for your sorcery, for the strength of your enchantments,


text:
for your trusting in wickedness; for you said, ‘I am, and there is not another’; know therefore the understanding of these things and your harlotry shall be your shame; for you said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is not another.’


text:
And destruction shall come upon you, and you shall not be aware; <i>there shall be a</i> pit, and you shall fall into it; and grief shall come upon you, and you shall not be able to be clear; and destruction shall come suddenly upon you, and you shall not know.


text:
“Stand now with your enchantments, and with the abundance of your sorcery, which you have learned from your youth; if you can be profited.


text:
You are wearied in your counsels. Let now the astrologers of the heaven stand and deliver you, let them that see the stars tell you what is about to come upon you.


text:
Behold, they all shall be burned up as sticks in the fire; neither shall they at all deliver their life from the flame. Because you have coals of fire, sit upon them;


text:
these shall be your help. You have wearied yourself with traffic from your youth; every man has wandered to his own home, but you shall have no deliverance.


text:
<n>Israel Refined for God’s Glory</n> “Hear these <i>words</i>, you house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord God of Israel, making mention <i>of it, but</i> not with truth, nor with righteousness;


text:
maintaining also the name of the holy city, and staying themselves on the God of Israel; the Lord of hosts is His name. “The former things I have already declared;


text:
and they that have proceeded out of My mouth, and it became well known; I wrought suddenly, and <i>the events</i> came to pass.


text:
And I told you of old what <i>would be</i> before it came upon you; I made it known to you, lest you should say, ‘<i>My</i> idols have done <i>it</i> for me’; and should say, ‘<i>My</i> graven and molten images have commanded me.’


text:
You have heard all this, but you have not known; yet I have made known to you the new things which hereafter shall come to pass, and you did not say,


text:
‘Now they come to pass, and not formerly’; and you did not hear of them in former days; do not say, ‘Yes, I know them.’


text:
You have neither known, nor understood, neither from the beginning have I opened your ears; for I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and would be called a transgressor even from the womb.


text:
For My own sake will I show you My wrath, and will bring before you My glorious acts, that I may not utterly destroy you.


text:
Behold, I have sold you, <i>but</i> not for silver; but I have rescued you from the furnace of affliction.


text:
For My own sake I will do <i>this</i> for you, because My name is profaned; and I will not give My glory to another.


text:
<n>God’s Ancient Plan to Redeem Israel</n> “Hear Me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I call; I am the first, and I endure forever.


text:
My hand also has founded the earth, and My right hand has fixed the sky; I will call them, and they shall stand together.


text:
And all shall be gathered, and shall hear. Who has told them these things? Out of love to you I have fulfilled your desire on Babylon, to abolish the descendants of the Chaldeans.


text:
Draw near to Me, and hear these words; from the beginning I have not spoken in secret; when it took place I was there.” And now the Lord, <i>even</i> the Lord, and His Spirit, has sent me.


text:
Thus says the Lord that delivered you, the Holy One of Israel: “I am your God, I have shown you how you should find the way in which you should walk.


text:
And if you had hearkened to My commandments, <i>then</i> would your peace have been like a river, and your righteousness as a wave of the sea.


text:
Your descendants also would have been as the sand, and the offspring of your belly as the dust of the ground; neither now shall you by any means be utterly destroyed, neither shall your name perish from before Me.”


text:
Go forth of Babylon, you that flee from the Chaldeans; utter aloud a voice of joy, and let this be made known, proclaim it to the end of the earth; say, “The Lord has delivered His servant Jacob.”


text:
And if they shall thirst, He shall lead them through the desert; He shall bring forth water to them out of the rock; the rock shall be split, and the water shall flow forth, and my people shall drink.


text:
<n>The Servant, the Light to the Gentiles</n> “Hearken to Me, you islands; and attend, you Gentiles; after a long time it shall come to pass,” says the Lord. “From my mother's womb He has called my name;


text:
and He has made my mouth as a sharp sword, and He has hid me under the shadow of His hand; He has made me as a choice shaft, and He has hid me in His quiver;


text:
Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have given my strength for vanity and for nothing; therefore is my judgment with the Lord, and my labor before my God.’”


text:
And now thus says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His own servant, to gather Jacob to Him and Israel. I shall be gathered and glorified before the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.


text:
And He said to me, “<i>It is</i> a great thing for you to be called My servant, to establish the tribes of Jacob, and to recover the dispersion of Israel; behold, I have given you for the covenant of a race, for a light of the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the end of the earth.”


text:
Thus says the Lord that delivered you, the God of Israel: “Sanctify him that despises his life, him that is abhorred by the nations that are the servants of princes; kings shall behold him, and princes shall arise, and shall worship him, for the Lord's sake; for the Holy One of Israel is faithful, and I have chosen you.”


text:
Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time have I heard you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I have formed you, and given you for a covenant of the nations, to establish the earth, and to cause to inherit the desert heritages;


text:
saying to them that are in bonds, ‘Go forth’; and <i>bidding</i> them that are in darkness, ‘show themselves.’ They shall be fed in all the ways, and in all the paths <i>shall be</i> their pasture.


text:
They shall not hunger, neither shall they thirst; neither shall the heat nor the sun strike them; but He that has mercy on them shall comfort <i>them</i>, and by fountains of waters shall He lead them.


text:
Behold, these shall come from afar; <i>and</i> these from the north and the west, and others from the land of the Persians.


text:
“Rejoice, you heavens; and let the earth be glad; let the mountains break forth <i>with</i> joy; for the Lord has had mercy on His people, and has comforted the lowly ones of His people.”


text:
<n>God Will Remember Zion</n> But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,” and, “The Lord has forgotten me.”


text:
“Will a woman forget her child, so as not to have compassion upon the offspring of her womb? But if a woman should even forget these, yet I will not forget you,” says the Lord.


text:
And you shall soon be built by those by whom you were destroyed, and they that made you desolate shall go forth from you.


text:
Lift up your eyes round about, and look on them all. Behold, they are gathered together, and have come to you. <i>As</i> I live, says the Lord, you shall clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament, and put them on, as a bride in her attire.


text:
For your deserted and marred and ruined <i>places</i> shall now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that devoured you shall be removed far from you.


text:
For your sons whom you have lost shall say in your ears, The place <i>is too</i> narrow for me; make room for me that I may dwell.


text:
And you shall say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten me these? Whereas I <i>was</i> childless, and a widow; but who has brought up these for me? And I was left alone; but from where did these come to me?’”


text:
Thus says the Lord, <i>even</i> the Lord: “Behold, I lift up My hand to the nations, and I will lift up My signal to the islands; and they shall bring your sons in <i>their</i> bosom, and shall bear your daughters on <i>their</i> shoulders.


text:
And kings shall be your nursing fathers, and their princesses your nurses, they shall bow down to you on the face of the earth, and shall lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know that I am the Lord, and they that wait on Me shall not be ashamed.


text:
“Will anyone take spoils from a giant? And if one should take <i>a man</i> captive unjustly, shall he be delivered?


text:
For thus says the Lord: ‘If one should take a giant captive, he shall take spoils, and he who takes <i>them</i> from a mighty <i>man</i> shall be delivered; for I will plead your cause, and I will deliver your children.


text:
And they that afflicted you shall eat their own flesh; and they shall drink their own blood as new wine, and shall be drunk; and all flesh shall perceive that I am the Lord that delivers you, and that upholds the strength of Jacob.’”


text:
<n>The Servant, Israel’s Hope</n> Thus says the Lord: “Of what kind is your mother's bill of divorcement, by which I put her away? Or to which debtor have I sold you? Behold, you are sold for your sins, and for your iniquities have I put your mother away.


text:
Why did I come, and there was no man? <i>Why</i> did I call, and there was none to obey? Is not My hand strong to redeem? Or can I not deliver? Behold, by My rebuke I will dry up the sea, and make rivers a wilderness; and their fish shall be dried up because there is no water, and shall die of thirst.


text:
The Lord, <i>even</i> God, gives me the tongue of instruction, to know when it is fit to speak a word; He has appointed for me early, He has given me an ear to hear;


text:
I gave my back to scourges, and my cheeks to blows; and I did not turn away my face from the shame of spitting;


text:
but the Lord God became my helper; therefore I was not ashamed, but I set my face as a solid rock; and I know that I shall never be ashamed,


text:
for He that has justified me draws near. Who is he that pleads with me? Let him stand up against me at the same time; yea, who is he that pleads with me? Let him draw near to me.


text:
Behold, the Lord, the Lord will help me; who will hurt me? Behold, all you shall grow as old as a garment, and a moth shall devour you.


text:
Who is among you that fears the Lord? Let him heed the voice of His servant; you that walk in darkness, and have no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon God.


text:
Behold, you all kindle a fire, and feed a flame; walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame which you have kindled. This has happened to you for my sake; you shall lie down in sorrow.


text:
<n>The Lord Comforts Zion</n> “Listen to Me, all you that follow after righteousness, and seek the Lord; look to the solid rock, which you have hewn, and to the hole of the pit which you have dug.


text:
Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for he was alone when I called him, and blessed him, and loved him, and multiplied him.


text:
“And now I will comfort you, O Zion; and I have comforted all her desert places; and I will make her desert places as a garden, and her western places as the garden of the Lord; they shall find in her gladness and exaltation, thanksgiving and the voice of praise.


text:
“Hear Me, hear Me, My people; and you kings, listen to Me; for a law shall proceed from Me, and My judgment <i>shall be</i> for a light of the nations.


text:
My righteousness speedily draws near, and My salvation shall go forth as light, and on My arm shall the Gentiles trust; the isles shall wait for Me, and on My arm shall they trust.


text:
Lift up your eyes to the sky, and look on the earth beneath; for the sky was darkened like smoke, and the earth shall grow old like a garment, and the inhabitants shall die in like manner; but My righteousness shall not fail.


text:
“Hear Me, you that know judgment, the people in whose heart is My law; do not fear the reproach of men, and do not be overcome by their contempt.


text:
For as a garment will be devoured by time, and as wool will be devoured by a moth, <i>so shall they be consumed</i>; but My righteousness shall be forever, and My salvation for all generations.”


text:
Awake, awake, O Jerusalem, and put on the strength of your arm; awake as in the early time, as the ancient generation.


text:
Are you not <i>the One</i> that dried the sea, the water, <i>even</i> the abundance of the deep; that made the depths of the sea a way of passage for the delivered and redeemed?


text:
For by <i>the help of</i> the Lord they shall return, and come to Zion with joy and everlasting exaltation, for praise and joy shall come upon their head; pain, grief, and groaning have fled away.


text:
“I, <i>even</i> I, am He that comforts you; consider who you are, that you were afraid of mortal man, and of the son of man, who have withered as grass.


text:
And you have forgotten God who made you, who made the sky and founded the earth; and you were continually afraid because of the wrath of him that afflicted you; for <i>whereas </i>he counseled to take you away, yet now where is the wrath of him that afflicted you?


text:
for I am your God, that troubles the sea, and causes its waves to roar; the Lord of hosts is My name.


text:
I will put My words into your mouth, and I will shelter you under the shadow of My hand, with which I fixed the sky, and founded the earth; and <i>the Lord</i> shall say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”


text:
<n>God’s Fury Removed</n> Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, that have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His fury; for you have drunk out and drained the cup of calamity, the cup of wrath;


text:
and there was none to comfort you of all the children whom you bore; and there was none to take hold of your hand, not even of all the children whom you have reared.


text:
Therefore these things are against you; who shall sympathize with you in your grief? Downfall and destruction, famine and sword; who shall comfort you?


text:
Your sons are the perplexed ones, that sleep at the top of every street as a half-boiled beet; they that are full of the anger of the Lord, caused to faint by the Lord God.


text:
thus says the Lord God that judges His people: “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of calamity, the cup of My wrath; and you shall not drink it anymore.


text:
And I will give it into the hands of them that injured you, and them that afflicted you; who said to your soul, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you laid your body to the ground to them passing by outside.”


text:
<n>God Redeems Jerusalem</n> Awake, awake, O Zion; put on your strength, and put on your glory, O Jerusalem the holy city; for the uncircumcised and unclean shall pass through you no more.


text:
Shake off the dust and arise; sit down, O Jerusalem; put off the band of your neck, captive daughter of Zion.


text:
For thus says the Lord: “You have been sold for nothing; and you shall not be ransomed with silver.”


text:
Thus says the Lord: “My people went down at first to Egypt to sojourn there; and were carried away forcibly to the Assyrians.


text:
And now why are you here? Thus says the Lord: Because My people were taken for nothing, wonder and howl. Thus says the Lord: On account of you My name is continually blasphemed among the Gentiles.


text:
like beauty on the mountains—like the feet of one preaching glad tidings of peace, like one preaching good news.” For I will proclaim your salvation, saying, “O Zion, your God shall reign.”


text:
For the voice of them that guard you is exalted, and with the voice together they shall rejoice; for eyes shall look to eyes, when the Lord shall have mercy upon Zion.


text:
Let the waste places of Jerusalem break forth <i>in</i> joy together, because the Lord has had mercy upon her, and has delivered Jerusalem.


text:
And the Lord shall reveal His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation that <i>comes</i> from our God.


text:
Depart! Depart, go out from there, and touch not the unclean thing! Go out from the midst of her; separate yourselves, you that bear the vessels of the Lord.


text:
For you shall not go forth with haste, neither go by flight; for the Lord shall go first in advance of you; and the God of Israel shall be <i>the</i> <i>One</i> that brings up your rear.


text:
<n>The Suffering Servant</n> “Behold, My servant shall understand, and be exalted, and glorified exceedingly.”


text:
As many shall be amazed at You, so shall Your face be without glory from men, and Your glory <i>shall not be honored</i> by the sons of men.


text:
Thus shall many nations wonder at Him; and kings shall keep their mouths shut; for they to whom no report was brought concerning Him shall see; and they who have not heard, shall consider.


text:
We brought a report as <i>of</i> a child before Him; <i>He is</i> as a root in a thirsty land; He has no form, nor comeliness; and we saw Him, but He had no form nor beauty.


text:
But His appearance was without honor, and inferior to that of the sons of men; <i>He was</i> a man in suffering, and acquainted with the bearing of sickness, for His face has turned from <i>us</i>; He was dishonored, and not esteemed.


text:
He bears our sins, and is pained for us; yet we accounted Him to be in trouble, and in suffering, and in affliction.


text:
But He was wounded on account of our sins, and was bruised because of our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; <i>and</i> by His stripes we are healed.


text:
All we like sheep have gone astray; everyone has wandered in his way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins.


text:
And He, because of His affliction, opened not His mouth; He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth.


text:
In <i>His</i> humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth; because of the iniquities of My people He was led to death.


text:
And I will give the wicked for His burial, and the rich for His death; for He practiced no iniquity, nor craft with His mouth.


text:
The Lord also is pleased to purge Him from His stroke. If you give an offering for sin, Your soul shall see a long-lived seed;


text:
the Lord also is pleased to take away from the travail of His soul, to show Him light, and to form <i>Him</i> with understanding; to justify the just one who serves many well; and He shall bear their sins.


text:
Therefore He shall inherit many, and He shall divide the spoils of the mighty; because His soul was delivered to death; and He was numbered among the transgressors; and He bore the sins of many, and was delivered up because of their transgressions.


text:
<n>The Eternal Covenant of Peace</n> Rejoice, you barren that do not bear; break forth and cry, you that does not travail; for more are the children of the desolate than of her that has a husband; for the Lord has said,


text:
“Enlarge the place of your tent, and of your curtains; fix <i>the pins</i>, do not spare, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your pins;


text:
spread forth <i>your tent</i> yet to the right and the left; for your descendants shall inherit the Gentiles, and you shall make the desolate cities to be inhabited.


text:
“Do not fear, because you have been put to shame, neither be confounded, because you were reproached; for you shall forget your former shame, and shall no more at all remember the reproach of your widowhood.


text:
For <i>it is</i> the Lord that made you; the Lord of hosts is His name; and He that delivered you, He is the God of Israel, <i>and</i> shall be called <i>so</i> by the whole earth.


text:
The Lord has not called you as a deserted and faint-hearted woman, nor as a woman hated from <i>her</i> youth,” says your God.


text:
In a little wrath I turned away My face from you; but with everlasting mercy will I have compassion upon you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.


text:
“From the time of the water of Noah this is My <i>purpose</i>; as I swore to him at that time, <i>saying</i> of the earth, ‘I will no more be angry with you, neither when you are threatened,


text:
shall the mountains depart, nor shall your hills be removed; so neither shall My mercy fail you, nor shall the covenant of your peace be at all removed; for the Lord <i>who is</i> gracious to you has spoken <i>it</i>.’


text:
“Afflicted and outcast, you have not been comforted; behold, I <i>will</i> prepare carbuncle <i>for</i> your stones, and sapphire for your foundations;


text:
And <i>I will cause</i> all your sons <i>to be</i> taught of God, and your children <i>to be</i> in great peace.


text:
And you shall be built in righteousness; abstain from injustice, and you shall not fear; and trembling shall not come near to you.


text:
Behold, strangers shall come to you by Me, and shall sojourn with you, and shall run to you for refuge.


text:
Behold, I have created you, not as the coppersmith blowing coals, and bringing out a vessel <i>fit</i> for work; but I have created you, not for ruin, that <i>I</i> should destroy <i>you</i>.


text:
I will not allow any weapon formed against you to prosper; and every voice that shall rise up against you for judgment, you shall vanquish them all; and your adversaries shall be <i>condemned</i> thereby. There is an inheritance to them that serve the Lord, and you shall be righteous before Me,” says the Lord.


text:
<n>An Invitation to Abundant Life</n> “You that thirst, go to the water, and all that have no money, go <i>and</i> buy; and eat <i>and drink </i>wine and milk without money or price.


text:
Why do you value at the price of money, and <i>give</i> your labor for that which will not satisfy? Hearken to Me, and you shall eat of <i>all</i> that is good, and your soul shall feast itself on good things.


text:
Listen with your ears, and follow My ways; obey Me, and your soul shall live in prosperity; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the sure mercies of David.


text:
Nations which know you not shall call upon you, and peoples which are not acquainted with you shall flee to you for refuge, for the sake of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you.”


text:
let the ungodly leave his ways, and the transgressor his counsels; and let him return to the Lord, and he shall find mercy; for He shall abundantly pardon your sins.


text:
“But as the heaven is distant from the earth, so are My ways distant from your ways, and your thoughts from My mind.


text:
For as the rain shall come down, or snow from heaven, and shall not return until it has saturated the earth, and it bring forth and bud, and give seed to the sower, and bread for food;


text:
so shall My word be, whatever shall proceed out of My mouth, it shall by no means return to Me void, until all the things which I willed have been accomplished; and I will make your ways prosperous, and <i>will effect</i> My commands.


text:
For you shall go forth with joy, and shall be taught with gladness; for the mountains and the hills shall exalt to welcome you with joy, and all the trees of the field shall applaud with their branches.


text:
And instead of the bramble shall come up the cypress, and instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle; and the Lord shall be for a name, and for an everlasting sign, and shall not fail.”


text:
<n>Salvation for the Gentiles</n> Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness; for My salvation is about to come, and My mercy shall be revealed.


text:
Blessed is the man that does these things, and the man that holds by them, and keeps the Sabbaths, from profaning them, and keeps his hands from doing unrighteousness.”


text:
Let not the stranger who attaches himself to the Lord, say, “Surely the Lord will separate me from His people”; and let not the eunuch say, “I am a dry tree.”


text:
Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs: “As many as shall keep My Sabbaths, and choose the things which I take pleasure in, and take hold of My covenant;


text:
I will give to them in My house and within My walls an honorable place, better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, and it shall not fail.”


text:
“And <i>I will give it</i> to the strangers that attach themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be to Him servants and handmaids; and <i>as for</i> all that keep My Sabbaths, from profaning <i>them</i>, and that take hold of My covenant,


text:
I will bring them to My holy mountain, and gladden them in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations,”


text:
See how they are all blinded; they have not known; <i>they are</i> dumb dogs <i>that</i> will not bark; dreaming of rest, loving to slumber.


text:
Yes, they are insatiable dogs, that know not what it is to be filled, and they are wicked, having no understanding; all have followed their own ways, each according to his <i>will</i>.


text:
<n>Israel’s Futile Idolatry</n> See how the just man has perished, and no one lays <i>it</i> to heart; and righteous men are taken away, and no one considers; for the righteous has been removed out of the way of injustice.


text:
Against whom have you been rioting? And against whom have you opened your mouth, and against whom have you loosed your tongue? Are you not children of perdition? A lawless seed?


text:
That is your portion, this is your lot; and to them have you poured forth drink offerings, and to these have you offered meat offerings. Shall I not therefore be angry for these things?


text:
and behind the posts of your door did you placed your memorials. Did you think that if you should depart from Me, you would gain? You have loved those that lay with you;


text:
and you have multiplied your whoredom with them, and you have increased the number of them that are far from you, and have sent ambassadors beyond your borders, and have been debased, even to hell.


text:
You have wearied yourself with your many ways; yet you did not say, ‘I will cease to strengthen myself’; for you have done these things; therefore you have not supplicated Me.


text:
“Through dread of whom have you feared, and lied against Me, and have not remembered, nor considered Me, nor regarded Me; yea, though when I see you I pass them by, yet you have not feared Me.


text:
When you cry out, let them deliver you in your affliction; for all these the wind shall take, and the tempest shall carry <i>them</i> away; but they that cleave to Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain.”


text:
<n>Healing for the Backslider</n> And they shall say, “Clear the ways before him, and take up the stumbling blocks out of the way of My people.”


text:
Thus says the Most High, who dwells on high forever, Holy in the holies is His name, the Most High resting in the holies, and giving patience to the faint-hearted, and giving life to the broken-hearted:


text:
“I will not take vengeance on you forever, neither will I always be angry with you; for My Spirit shall go forth from Me, and I have created all breath.


text:
On account of sin for a little while I grieved him and struck him, and turned away My face from him; and he was grieved, and he went on sorrowful in his ways.


text:
peace upon peace to them that are far off, and to them that are close by”; and the Lord has said, “I will heal them.”


text:
<n>Fasting that Pleases God</n> “Cry aloud, and spare not; lift up your voice as with a trumpet, and declare to My people their sins, and to the house of Jacob their iniquities.


text:
They seek Me day by day, and desire to know My ways, as a people that had done righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of their God; they now ask of Me righteous judgment, and desire to draw near to God,


text:
saying, ‘Why have we fasted, and You did not see? <i>Why</i> have we afflicted our souls, and You did not know it?’ In fact, in the days of your fasts you find your pleasures, and all them that are under your power you wound.


text:
If you fast for quarrels and strife, and strike the lowly with <i>your</i> fists, why do you fast to Me as <i>you do</i> this day, so that your voice may be heard in crying?


text:
I have not chosen this fast, nor <i>such</i> a day for a man to afflict his soul; although you should bend down your neck as a ring, and spread under you sackcloth and ashes, neither thus shall you call a fast acceptable.


text:
“I have not chosen such a fast,” says the Lord; “but do you loose every burden of iniquity, do you untie the knots of hard bargains, set the bruised free, and cancel every unjust account?


text:
Break your bread to the hungry, and lead the unsheltered poor to your house; if you see one naked, clothe <i>him</i>, and you shall not disregard the relations of your own seed.


text:
Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall speedily spring forth; and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall surround you.


text:
Then shall you cry, and God shall hearken to you; while you are yet speaking He will say, ‘Behold, I am here.’ If you remove from you the band, and the stretching forth of the hands, and murmuring speech;


text:
and <i>if</i> you give bread to the hungry from your heart, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall your light spring up in darkness, and your darkness <i>shall be</i> as noon day;


text:
and your God shall be with you continually, and you shall be satisfied according as your soul desires; and your bones shall be made fat, and shall be as a well-watered garden, and as a fountain <i>from</i> which the water has not failed.


text:
And your old waste <i>places</i> shall be built up, and your foundations shall last through all generations; and you shall be called a repairer of breaches, and you shall cause your paths between to be in peace.


text:
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, so as not to do your pleasure on the holy days, and shall call the Sabbaths delightful, holy to God; <i>if</i> you shall not lift up your foot to work, nor speak a word in anger out of your mouth,


text:
then shall you trust on the Lord; and He shall bring you up to the good places of the land, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken this.”


text:
<n>Separated from God</n> Has the hand of the Lord no power to save? Or has He made His ear heavy, so that He should not hear?


text:
But rather, your iniquities separate between you and God, and because of your sins has He turned away <i>His</i> face from you, so as not to have mercy <i>upon you</i>.


text:
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with sins; your lips also have spoken iniquity, and your tongue meditates unrighteousness.


text:
None speaks justly, neither is there true judgment; they trust in vanities, and speak empty <i>words</i>; for they conceive trouble, and bring forth iniquity.


text:
They have hatched vipers’ eggs, and weave a spider's web; and he that is going to eat of their eggs, having broken one, has found a viper therein.


text:
Their web shall not become a garment, nor shall they at all clothe themselves with their works; for their works are works of iniquity.


text:
And their feet run to wickedness, <i>and are </i>swift to shed blood; their thoughts also are thoughts of murder; destruction and misery are in their ways;


text:
and the way of peace they do not know, neither is there judgment in their ways; for their paths by which they go are crooked, and they do not know peace.


text:
Therefore has judgment departed from them, and righteousness shall not overtake them; while they waited for light, darkness came upon them; while they waited for brightness, they walked in perplexity.


text:
They shall feel for the wall as blind <i>men</i>, and shall feel <i>for it</i> as if they had no eyes; and they shall feel at noonday as at midnight; they shall groan as dying men.


text:
They shall proceed together as a bear and as a dove; we have waited for judgment, and there is no salvation, it is gone far from us.


text:
For our iniquity is great before You, and our sins have risen up against us; for our iniquities are in us, and we know our unrighteous deeds.


text:
We have sinned, and dealt falsely, and revolted from our God; we have spoken unrighteous words, and have been disobedient; we have conceived and uttered from our heart unrighteous words.


text:
And we have turned back judgment, and righteousness has departed afar off; for truth is consumed in their ways, and they could not pass by a straight <i>path</i>.


text:
And truth has been taken away, and they have turned aside <i>their</i> mind from understanding. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.


text:
And He looked, and there was no man, and He observed, and there was none to help; so He defended them with His arm, and established <i>them</i> with <i>His</i> mercy.


text:
And He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and placed the helmet of salvation on His head; and He clothed himself with the garment of vengeance, and with His cloak,


text:
So shall they of the west fear the name of the Lord, and they <i>that come</i> from the rising of the sun <i>shall fear</i> His glorious name; for the wrath of the Lord shall come as a mighty river, it shall come with fury.


text:
“And this shall be My covenant with them,” said the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you, and the words which I have put in your mouth, shall never fail from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, for the Lord has spoken it, from this time and forevermore!”


text:
<n>The Gentiles Bless Zion</n> Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!


text:
Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and <i>there shall be</i> deep darkness on the nations; but the Lord shall appear upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.


text:
“Lift up your eyes round about, and behold your children gathered; all your sons have come from far, and your daughters shall be borne on <i>men’s</i> shoulders.


text:
Then shall you see, and fear, and be amazed in your heart; for the wealth of the sea shall come round to you, and of nations and peoples; and herds of camels shall come to you,


text:
and the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you; all from Saba shall come bearing gold, and shall bring frankincense, and they shall proclaim the salvation of the Lord.


text:
And all the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come; and acceptable sacrifices shall be offered on My altar, and My house of prayer shall be glorified.


text:
The isles have waited for Me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children from afar, and their silver and their gold with them, and <i>that</i> for the sake of the holy name of the Lord, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified.


text:
“And strangers shall build your walls, and their kings shall wait upon you; for by reason of My wrath I have struck you, and by reason of mercy I have loved you.


text:
And your gates shall be opened continually; they shall not be shut, day or night; to bring in to you the power of the Gentiles, and their kings as captives.


text:
For the nations and the kings which will not serve you shall perish; and those nations shall be made utterly desolate.


text:
And the glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with the cypress, and pine, and cedar together, to glorify My holy place.


text:
And the sons of them that afflicted you, and of them that provoked you, shall come to you in fear; and you shall be called Zion, the city of the Holy One of Israel.


text:
“Because you have become desolate and hated, and there was no helper, therefore I will make you a perpetual gladness, a joy of many generations.


text:
And you shall drink the milk of the Gentiles, and shall eat the wealth of kings; and shall know that I am the Lord that saves you and delivers you, the Holy One of Israel.


text:
“And for brass I will bring you gold, and for iron I will bring you silver, and instead of wood I will bring you brass, and instead of stones, iron; and I will make your princes peaceable, and your overseers righteous.


text:
And injustice shall no more be heard in your land, nor destruction nor misery in your coasts; but your walls shall be called Salvation, and your gates Sculptured Work.


text:
<n>God the Glory of His People</n> “And you shall no more have the sun for a light by day, nor shall the rising of the moon lighten your night; but the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and God your glory.


text:
For the sun shall no more set, nor shall the moon be eclipsed; for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be completed.


text:
Your people also shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever, preserving that which they have planted, <i>even</i> the works of their hands, for glory.


text:
The little one shall become thousands, and the least a great nation; I the Lord will gather them in <i>due</i> time.”


text:
<n>The Good News of Salvation</n> “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me; He has sent Me to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind;


text:
that there should be given to them that mourn in Zion glory instead of ashes, the oil of joy to the mourners, the garment of glory for the spirit of heaviness; and they shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory.”


text:
And they shall build the old waste places, they shall raise up those that were before made desolate, and shall renew the desert cities, <i>even</i> those that had been desolate for <i>many</i> generations.


text:
And strangers shall come and feed your flocks, and aliens <i>shall be your</i> plowmen and vinedressers.


text:
But you shall be called priests of the Lord, the ministers of God; you shall eat the strength of nations, and shall be admired because of their wealth.


text:
“For I am the Lord who loves righteousness, and hate robberies of injustice; and I will give their labor to the just, and will make an everlasting covenant with them.


text:
And their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring in the midst of peoples; everyone that sees them shall take notice of them, that they are a seed blessed of God;


text:
and they shall greatly rejoice in the Lord.” Let my soul rejoice in the Lord; for He has clothed me with the robe of salvation, and the garment of joy; He has put a turban on me as on a bridegroom, and adorned me with ornaments as a bride.


text:
And as the earth putting forth her flowers, and as a garden its seed; so shall the Lord, <i>even</i> the Lord, cause righteousness to spring forth, and exaltation before all nations.


text:
<n>Assurance of Zion’s Salvation</n> “For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as light, and My salvation burn as a torch.”


text:
And the Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and kings your glory; and one shall call you <i>by</i> a new name, which the Lord shall name.


text:
And you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.


text:
And you shall no more be called ‘Forsaken’; and your land shall no more be called ‘Desert’; for you shall be called ‘My Pleasure,’ and your land Inhabited; for the Lord has taken pleasure in you, and your land shall be inhabited.


text:
And as a young man lives with a virgin, so shall your sons dwell in <i>you</i>; and it shall come to pass <i>that</i> as a bridegroom will rejoice over a bride, so will the Lord rejoice over you.


text:
And on your walls, O Jerusalem, have I set watchmen all day and all night, who shall never cease making mention of the Lord, for there is none like You.


text:
For the Lord has sworn by His glory, and by the might of His arm, <i>saying, </i>“I will no more give your grain and your provisions to your enemies; nor shall strangers anymore drink your wine, for which you have labored.


text:
But they that have gathered them shall eat them, and they shall praise the Lord; and they that have gathered <i>the grapes</i> shall drink thereof in My holy courts.


text:
“Go through My gates, and make a way for My people; and cast the stones out of the way; lift up a standard for the Gentiles.


text:
For behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your Savior has come to you, having His reward and His work before His face.’


text:
And one shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called a city sought out, and not forsaken.”


text:
<n>Vengeance on Edom</n> Who is this that has come from Edom, <i>with</i> red garments from Bosor? Thus fair in his apparel, with mighty strength? I speak of righteousness and saving judgment.


text:
“I am full of trodden <i>grapes</i>, and of the nations there is not a man with Me; and I trampled them in My fury, and dashed them to pieces as earth, and brought down their blood to the earth.


text:
And I looked, and there was no helper; and I observed, and none upheld; therefore My arm delivered them, and My anger drew near.


text:
<n>God’s Mercy Remembered</n> I remembered the mercy of the Lord, the praises of the Lord in all things in which He recompenses us. The Lord is a good judge to the house of Israel; He deals with us according to His mercy, and according to the abundance of His righteousness.


text:
And He said, “Is it not My people?” The children surely will not be rebellious; and He became to them deliverance


text:
out of all their affliction; not an ambassador, nor a messenger, but <i>He H</i>imself saved them, because He loved them and spared them; He Himself redeemed them, and took them up, and lifted them up all the days of old.


text:
But they disobeyed, and provoked His Holy Spirit; so He turned to be an enemy, He Himself contended against them.


text:
Then he remembered the days of old, <i>saying</i>, “Where is He that brought up from the sea the shepherd of the sheep? Where is He that put His Holy Spirit in them?


text:
Who led Moses with His right hand, the arm of His glory? He forced the water <i>to separate</i> from before him, to make Himself an everlasting name.


text:
And as cattle through a plain; the Spirit came down from the Lord, and guided them; thus You led Your people, to make Yourself a glorious name.


text:
<n>A Prayer of Penitence</n> Turn from heaven, and look from Your holy habitation and <i>from</i> Your glory; where is Your zeal and Your strength? Where is the abundance of Your mercy and of Your compassions, that You have withheld Yourself from us?


text:
For You are our Father; and <i>though</i> Abraham did not know us, and Israel did not acknowledge us, yet do You, O Lord, our Father, deliver us; Your name has been upon us from the beginning.


text:
Why have You caused us to err, O Lord, from Your way? <i>And</i> have hardened our hearts, that we should not fear You? Return for Your servants' sake, for the sake of the tribes of Your inheritance,


text:
We have become as at the beginning, when You did not rule over us, and Your name was not called upon us.


text:
If you would open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from You, and they shall melt,


text:
as wax melts before the fire; and fire shall burn up the enemies, and Your name shall be manifest among the adversaries; at Your presence the nations shall be troubled,


text:
From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God besides You, and Your works which You will perform to them that wait for mercy.


text:
For <i>these blessings</i> shall happen to them that work righteousness, and they shall remember Your ways; behold, You were angry and we have sinned; therefore we have erred,


text:
and we have all become as unclean, and all our righteousness is as a filthy rag; and we have fallen as leaves because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us <i>away</i>.


text:
And there is none that calls upon Your name, or that remembers to take hold of You; for You have turned Your face away from us, and have delivered us up because of our sins.


text:
And now, O Lord, You are our Father, and we are the clay, all <i>of us</i> <i>are </i>the work of Your hands.


text:
Do not be very angry with us, and do not remember our sins forever; but now look on <i>us</i>, for we are all Your people.


text:
The house, our sanctuary, and the glory which our fathers blessed, has been burned with fire; and all our glorious things have gone to ruin.


text:
And for all these things You, O Lord, have withheld Yourself, and have been silent, and have brought us very low.


text:
<n>The Righteousness of God’s Judgment</n> “I became manifest to them that did not ask for Me; I was found by them that did not seek Me. I said, ‘Behold, I am <i>here</i>,’ to a nation who did not call on My name.


text:
I have stretched forth My hands all day long to a disobedient and gainsaying people, to them that walked in a way that was not good, but according to their sins.


text:
This is the people that provokes Me continually in My presence; they offer sacrifices in gardens, and burn incense on bricks to demons, which do not exist.


text:
They lie down to sleep in the tombs and in the caves for the sake of dreams, <i>even</i> they that eat swine's flesh, and the broth of <i>their</i> sacrifices; all their vessels are defiled;


text:
who say, ‘Depart from me, do not draw near to me, for I am pure.’ This is the smoke of My wrath, a fire burns with it continually.


text:
their sins and <i>the sins</i> of their fathers,” says the Lord, “who have burned incense on the mountains, and reproached Me on the hills; I will recompense their works into their bosom.”


text:
Thus says the Lord: “As the new wine shall be found in the cluster, and they shall say, ‘Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it’; so will I do for the sake of him that serves Me, for his sake I will not destroy <i>them</i> all.


text:
And I will lead forth the descendants <i>that came</i> of Jacob and of Judah, and they shall inherit My holy mountain; and My elect and My servants shall inherit it, and shall dwell there.


text:
And there shall be in the forest folds of flocks, and the Valley of Achor <i>shall</i> be for a resting place of herds for My people, who have sought Me.


text:
But you are they that have left Me, and forget My holy mountain, and prepare a table for the demon, and fill up the drink offering to Fortune.


text:
I will deliver you up to the sword, you shall all fall by slaughter; for I called you, and you did not listen; I spoke, and you refused to hear; and you did evil in My sight, and chose the things in which I do not delight.”


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall hunger; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall thirst; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed;


text:
behold, My servants shall exalt with joy, but you shall cry for the sorrow of your heart, and shall howl for the grief of your spirit.


text:
For you shall leave your name for a loathing to My chosen, and the Lord shall destroy you; but My servants shall be called by a new name,


text:
which shall be blessed on the earth; for they shall bless the true God; and they that swear upon the earth shall swear by the true God; for they shall forget the former affliction, it shall not come into their mind.


text:
<n>The Glorious New Creation</n> “For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall not at all remember the former, neither shall they at all come into their mind.


text:
But they shall find in her joy and exaltation; for behold, I make Jerusalem a rejoicing, and My people a joy.


text:
And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and will be glad in My people; and there shall no more be heard in her the voice of weeping, or the voice of crying.


text:
“Neither shall there be there anymore a <i>child that dies</i> untimely, or an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the youth shall be a hundred years <i>old</i>, and the sinner who dies at a hundred years shall also be accursed;


text:
and they shall build houses, and they shall dwell in <i>them</i>; and they shall plant vineyards, and shall eat its fruit.


text:
They shall by no means build, and others inhabit; and they shall by no means plant, and others eat; for as the days of the tree of life shall be the days of My people, they shall long enjoy the fruits of their labors.


text:
My elect shall not toil in vain; neither shall they beget children to be cursed; for they are a seed blessed of God, and their offspring with them.


text:
“And it shall come to pass, <i>that</i> before they call, I will listen to them; while they are yet speaking, I will say, ‘What is it?’


text:
Then wolves and lambs shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and earth <i>shall be</i> the serpent’s bread. They shall not injure nor destroy on My holy mountain,” says the Lord.


text:
<n>True Worship and False</n> Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; what kind of a house will you build for Me? And of what kind <i>is to be</i> the place of My rest?


text:
For all these things are Mine,” says the Lord; “and to whom will I have respect, but to the humble and meek, and the <i>man</i> that trembles <i>at</i> My words?


text:
“But the transgressor that sacrifices a calf to Me, is as he that kills a dog; and he that offers fine flour, as <i>one that offers</i> swine's blood; he that gives frankincense for a memorial, is as a blasphemer. Yet they have chosen their own ways, and their soul has delighted in their abominations.


text:
I also will choose their mockeries, and will recompense their sins upon them; because I called them, and they did not hearken to Me; I spoke, and they did not listen; and they did evil before Me, and chose the things in which I did not delight.”


text:
Hear the words of the Lord, you that tremble at His word; speak, our brothers, to them that hate you and abominate you, that the name of the Lord may be glorified, and may appear their joy; but they shall be ashamed.


text:
A voice of a cry from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord rendering recompense to <i>His</i> adversaries.


text:
Before she that travailed has brought forth, before the birth pains came on, she escaped <i>it</i> and brought forth a male.


text:
Who has heard such a thing? And who has seen after this manner? Has the earth travailed in one day? Or has even a nation been born at once, that Zion has travailed, and brought forth her children?


text:
“But I have raised this expectation, yet you have not remembered Me,” says the Lord. “Behold, have not I made the bearing and barren woman?” Says your God.


text:
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and all you that love her hold in her a general assembly; rejoice greatly with her, all that <i>now</i> mourn over her;


text:
that you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom; that you may drink deeply, and delight yourselves with the abundance of her glory.


text:
For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I turn toward them as a river of peace, and as a torrent bringing upon them in a flood the glory of the Gentiles; their children shall be borne upon the shoulders, and comforted on the knees.


text:
As if his mother should comfort one, so will I also comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”


text:
And you shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall thrive like grass; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to them that fear Him, and He shall threaten the disobedient.


text:
For behold, the Lord will come as fire, and His chariots as a storm, to render His vengeance with wrath, and His rebuke with a flame of fire.


text:
For with the fire of the Lord all the earth shall be judged, and all flesh with His sword; many shall be slain by the Lord.


text:
“They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the gardens, and eat swine's flesh in the porches, and the abominations, and the mouse, shall be consumed together,” says the Lord.


text:
“And I <i>know</i> their works and their imagination. I am going to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see My glory.


text:
And I will leave a sign upon them, and I will send forth them that have escaped of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Mosoch, and to Tubal, and to Greece, and to the isles afar off, to those who have not heard of My name, nor seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.


text:
And they shall bring your brothers out of all nations for a gift to the Lord with horses, and chariots, in litters <i>drawn by</i> mules with awnings, to the holy city Jerusalem,” said the Lord, “as though the children of Israel should bring their sacrifices to Me with psalms into the house of the Lord.


text:
“For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I make, remain before Me,” says the Lord, “so shall your descendants and your name continue.


text:
And it shall come to pass from month to month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, <i>that</i> all flesh shall come to worship before Me in Jerusalem,” says the Lord.


text:
“And they shall go forth, and see the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh.”


text:
The word of God which came to Jeremiah the <i>son</i> of Hilkiah, <i>one </i>of the priests who dwelt at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:


text:
as the word of God came to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.


text:
And it was in the days of Joakim, son of Josiah king of Judah, until the eleventh year of Zedekiah king of Judah, <i>even</i> until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.


text:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came forth from the womb, I sanctified you; I have ordained you a prophet to the nations.”


text:
And the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whomsoever I shall send you, and according to all <i>the words</i> that I shall command you, you shall speak.


text:
And the Lord stretched forth His hand to me, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words into your mouth.


text:
“Behold, I have appointed you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to rebuild, and to plant.”


text:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “A rod of an almond tree.”


text:
And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “A caldron on the fire; and it is facing the north.”


text:
And the Lord said to me, “From the north shall flame forth evils upon all the inhabitants of the land.


text:
For behold, I am calling together all the kingdoms of the earth from the north,” says the Lord. “And they shall come, and shall set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls round about her, and against all the cities of Judah.


text:
And I will speak to them in judgment concerning all their wickedness, because they have forsaken Me, and sacrificed to strange gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.


text:
“Gird up your loins, and stand up, and speak all <i>the words</i> that I shall command you. Do not be afraid of them, nor terrified at their presence, for I am with you, to deliver you,” says the Lord.


text:
“Behold, I have made you this day as a strong city, and as a bronze wall, strong <i>against</i> all the kings of Judah and its princes, and the people of the land.


text:
And they shall fight against you, but they shall by no means prevail against you; because I am with you, to deliver you,” says the Lord.


text:
in following the Holy One of Israel,” says the Lord. “Israel was holiness unto the Lord, <i>and</i> the firstfruits of His increase. All that devoured him shall offend; evils shall come upon them,” says the Lord.


text:
Thus says the Lord: “What trespass have your fathers found in Me, that they have revolted far from Me, and gone after vanities, and have become vain?


text:
And they did not say, ‘Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who guided us in the wilderness, in an untried and trackless land, in a land in which no man has entered, and no man has dwelt in?’


text:
And I brought you to Carmel, that you should eat its fruits, and its goods; and you went in, and defiled My land, and made My heritage an abomination.


text:
The priest did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And they that held by the law did not know Me. The shepherds also sinned against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after that which did not profit.


text:
For go to the isles of Kittim, and see; and send to Kedar, and observe accurately, and see if there has ever been such a thing;


text:
if the nations have changed their gods, though they are not gods. But My people have changed their glory <i>for that</i> which will not profit them.


text:
“For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out for themselves broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water.


text:
The lions roared at him, and uttered their voice, which have made his land a wilderness; and his cities are broken down, that they should not be inhabited.


text:
“And now what have you to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Gihon? And what have you to do with the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of rivers?


text:
Your apostasy shall correct you, and your wickedness shall reprove you. Know then, and see, that your forsaking Me <i>has been</i> bitter to you,” says the Lord your God; “and I have taken no pleasure in you,” says the Lord your God.


text:
“For of old you have broken your yoke, and burst your bonds; and you have said, ‘I will not serve You, but will go upon every high hill, and under every shady tree, there will I indulge in my fornication.’


text:
Yet I planted you a fruitful vine, entirely of the right sort—how are you a strange vine turned to bitterness!


text:
Though you should wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, <i>still </i>you are stained by your iniquities before Me,” says the Lord.


text:
“How will you say, ‘I am not polluted, and have not gone after Baal?’ Behold your ways in the burial ground, and know what you have done: her voice has howled in the evening;


text:
she has extended her ways over the waters of the desert; she was hurried along by the lusts of her soul; she is given up <i>to them</i>; who will turn her back? None that seek her shall be weary; at <i>the time of</i> her humiliation they shall find her.


text:
Withdraw your foot from a rough way, and your throat from thirst: but she said ‘I will strengthen myself’—for she loved strangers, and went after them.


text:
“As is the shame of a thief when he is caught, so shall the children of Israel be ashamed; they, and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.


text:
They said to a tree, ‘You are my father’; and to a stone, ‘You have begotten me’; and they have turned <i>their</i> backs to Me, and not their faces. Yet in the time of their afflictions they will say, ‘Arise, and save us.’


text:
And where are your gods which you have made for yourself? Will they arise and save <i>you </i>in the time of your affliction? For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem they sacrificed to Baal.


text:
“Why do you speak unto Me? You all have been ungodly, and you all have transgressed against Me,” says the Lord.


text:
“In vain have I chastened your children; you did not receive correction. A sword has devoured your prophets as a destroying lion; yet you did not fear.


text:
Therefore hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, ‘Have I been a wilderness or a dry land to Israel? Why have My people said, “We will not be ruled over, and will not come to You anymore?”


text:
Will a bride forget her attire, or a virgin her ornaments? But My people have forgotten Me days without number!


text:
What fair device will you yet employ in your ways, so as to seek love? <i>It shall</i> not <i>be</i> so; moreover you have done wickedly in corrupting your ways;


text:
and in your hands have been found the blood of innocent souls; I have not found them in holes, but on every oak.


text:
Yet you said, “I am innocent: only let His wrath be turned away from me.” Behold, I <i>will</i> plead with you, in that you say, ‘I have not sinned.’


text:
For you have been so exceedingly contemptuous as to repeat your ways; but you shall be ashamed of Egypt, as you were ashamed of Assyria.


text:
For you shall go forth from here also with your hands upon your head; for the Lord has rejected your hope, and you shall not prosper in it.


text:
<n>Israel is Shameless</n> “If a man divorce his wife, and she depart from him, and become another man's, shall she return to him anymore? Shall not that woman be utterly defiled? But you have played the harlot with many shepherds, and have returned to Me,” says the Lord.


text:
Lift up your eyes <i>and look</i> straight ahead, and see where you have not been utterly defiled. You have sat for them by the wayside as a deserted crow, and have defiled the land with your fornications and your wickedness.


text:
And you retained many shepherds for a stumbling block to yourself. You had a whore's face; you became shameless toward all.


text:
Will <i>God’s anger</i> continue forever, or be preserved to the end? Behold, you have spoken and done these bad things, as you were able.”


text:
<n>A Call to Repentance</n> And the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what things the house of Israel has done to Me? They have gone on every high mountain, and under every shady tree, and have committed fornication there.


text:
And I said after she had committed all these acts of fornication, ‘Turn again to Me.’ Yet she did not return. And faithless Judah saw her faithlessness.


text:
And I saw that (for all the sins of which she was convicted, wherein the house of Israel committed adultery, and I put her away, and gave into her hands a certificate of divorce) yet faithless Judah did not fear, but went and also committed fornication herself.


text:
Go and read these words toward the north, and you shall say: ‘Return to Me, O house of Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will not set My face against you: for I am merciful,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will not be angry with you forever.


text:
Nevertheless, know your iniquity, that you have sinned against the Lord your God, and have scattered your ways to strangers under every shady tree, but you did not listen to My voice,’ says the Lord.


text:
‘Turn, you children that have revolted,’ says the Lord; ‘for I will rule over you. And I will take you, one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you in to Zion.


text:
And it shall come to pass that when you are multiplied and increased upon the land,’ says the Lord, ‘in those days they shall say no more, “The ark of the Covenant of the Holy One of Israel.” It shall not come to mind; it shall not be named; neither shall it be visited; nor shall <i>this</i> be done anymore.


text:
In those days and at that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered to it: and they shall not walk anymore after the imaginations of their evil heart.


text:
In those days the house of Judah shall come together to the house of Israel, and they shall come, together, from the land of the north, and from all the countries, to the land, which I caused their fathers to inherit.’”


text:
And I said, “So be it, Lord, for <i>You said</i> ‘I will set you among children, and will give you a choice land, the inheritance of the Almighty God of the Gentiles.’” And <i>He</i> said, “You shall call me Father; and you shall not turn away from Me.


text:
But as a wife acts treacherously against her husband, so has the house of Israel dealt treacherously against Me,” says the Lord.


text:
A voice from the lips was heard, <i>even</i> of weeping and supplication of the children of Israel; for they have dealt unrighteously in their ways, they have forgotten God, their Holy One.


text:
“Turn, you children that are given to turning, and I will heal your bruises.” Behold, we will be Your servants; for You are the Lord our God.


text:
Truly the hills and the strength of the mountains were a lying refuge; but by the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.


text:
But shame has consumed the labors of our fathers from our youth; their sheep and their calves, and their sons and their daughters.


text:
We have lain down in our shame, and our disgrace has covered us. Because we and our fathers have sinned before our God, from our youth until this day; and we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”


text:
“If Israel will return to Me,” says the Lord, “he shall return: and if he will remove his abominations out of his mouth, and fear before Me, and swear,


text:
‘The Lord lives,’ in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness,’ then shall nations bless by him, and by him they shall praise God in Jerusalem.”


text:
For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns.


text:
Circumcise yourselves to your God, and circumcise your hardness of heart, you men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth as fire, and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings.


text:
<n>An Imminent Invasion</n> “Declare in Judah, and let it be heard in Jerusalem. Say, ‘Sound the trumpet in the land’; cry aloud: say, ‘Gather yourselves together, and let us enter into the fortified cities.’


text:
Gather up <i>your wares</i> and flee to Zion. Hasten, do not delay: for I will bring evils from the north, and great destruction.


text:
The lion has gone up from his lair, he has roused <i>himself</i> to the destruction of the nations, and has gone forth out of his place, to make the land desolate; and the cities shall be destroyed, so as to be without inhabitant.


text:
For these things gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament, and howl; for the anger of the Lord has not turned away from you.


text:
And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord, “that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be amazed, and the prophets shall wonder.”


text:
And I said, “Ah, Lord God! Surely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘There shall be peace’; whereas behold, the sword has reached even to their soul.”


text:
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “<i>There is</i> a spirit of error in the wilderness: the way of the daughter of My people is not to purity, nor to holiness.


text:
<i>But</i> a spirit of full vengeance shall come upon Me; and now I declare My judgments against them.”


text:
Behold, he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a tempest. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are in misery!


text:
Cleanse your heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved; how long will your grievous thoughts be within you?


text:
For a voice of a messenger shall come from Dan, and distress out of Mount Ephraim shall be heard of.


text:
“Remind the nations: behold, they have come. Proclaim <i>it</i> in Jerusalem, that bands are approaching from a land afar off, and have uttered their voice against the cities of Judah.


text:
Your ways and your devices have brought these things upon you; this is your wickedness, for <i>it is</i> bitter, for it has reached to your heart.”


text:
I am pained in my bowels, my bowels, and the sensitive powers of my heart. My soul is in great commotion, my heart is torn. I will not be silent, for my soul has heard the sound of a trumpet, the cry of war, and of distress: it calls on destruction.


text:
For all the land is distressed. Suddenly <i>my</i> tabernacle is distressed, my curtains have been torn in two.


text:
“For the princes of My people have not known Me, they are foolish and unwise children. They are wise to do evil, but <i>how</i> to do good they have not known.”


text:
I looked upon the earth, and behold, <i>it was</i> not; and to the sky, and there was no light in it.


text:
I saw, and behold, Carmel was desert, and all the cities were burnt with fire at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of His fierce anger they were utterly destroyed.


text:
For these things let the earth mourn, and let the sky be dark above. For I have spoken, and I will not relent; I have purposed, and I will not turn back from it.


text:
The whole land has recoiled from the noise of the horseman and the bent bow; they have gone into the caves, and have hidden themselves in the groves, and have gone up upon the rocks: every city was abandoned, no man dwelt in them.


text:
And what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, and adorn yourself with golden ornaments; though you adorn your eyes with paint, your beauty <i>shall be</i> in vain. Your lovers have rejected you, they seek your life.


text:
For I have heard your groaning as the voice of a woman in travail, as of her that brings forth her first child; the voice of the daughter of Zion shall fail through weakness, and she shall lose the strength of her hands, <i>saying</i>, ‘Woe is me, for my soul faints because of the slain!’


text:
<n>The Utter Corruption of God’s People</n> “Run about in the streets of Jerusalem and see, and know, and seek in her broad places, if you can find <i>one</i>, if there is anyone that executes judgment, and seeks faithfulness, and I will pardon them,” says the Lord.


text:
O Lord, Your eyes are upon faithfulness. You have scourged them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them; but they would not receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock; and they would not return.


text:
Then I said, “It may be they are poor; for they are weak, for they do not know the way of the Lord, or the judgment of God.


text:
I will go to the rich men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of God.” But, behold, with one consent they have broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds.


text:
Therefore has a lion out of the forest smitten them, and a wolf has destroyed them, even to <i>their</i> houses, and a leopard has watched against their cities. All that go forth from them shall be hunted, for they have multiplied their ungodliness, they have strengthened themselves in their backslidings.


text:
“In what <i>way</i> shall I forgive you for these things? Your sons have forsaken Me, and sworn by them that are not gods. And I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and lodged in harlots' houses.


text:
Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord. “And shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”


text:
“Go up upon her battlements and break <i>them</i> down, but do not make a full end; leave her buttresses; for they are the Lord's.


text:
For the house of Israel have indeed dealt treacherously against Me,” says the Lord. “The house of Judah also


text:
have lied to their Lord, and they have said, ‘These things are not so; no evils shall come upon us; and we shall not see sword or famine.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord Almighty: “Because you have spoken this word, behold, I have made My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.


text:
Behold, I <i>will</i> bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel,” says the Lord; “a nation the sound of whose language you shall not understand.


text:
and they shall devour your harvest and your bread, and shall devour your sons, and your daughters. And they shall devour your sheep, and your calves, and devour your vineyards, and your fig trees, and your olive yards. And they shall utterly destroy your strong cities, in which you trusted, with the sword.


text:
“And it shall come to pass in those days,” says the Lord your God, “that I will not utterly destroy you.


text:
And it shall come to pass, when you shall say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ That you shall say to them, ‘Because you served strange gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’


text:
Hear now these things, O foolish and senseless people; who have eyes and do not see, and have ears and do not hear:


text:
Will you not fear Me?” says the Lord. “And will you not fear before Me, who has set the sand as a boundary for the sea, <i>as</i> a perpetual ordinance, and it shall not pass over it. Yes, it shall rage, but not prevail; and its waves shall roar, but not pass over it.


text:
And they have not said in their heart, ‘Let us fear now the Lord our God, who gives us the early and latter rain, according to the season of the fulfillment of the ordinance of harvest, and has preserved <i>it</i> for us.’


text:
For among My people were found ungodly men; and they have set snares to destroy men, and have caught <i>them</i>.


text:
As a snare which has been set is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore have they grown great, and become rich.


text:
They have transgressed <i>the rule of</i> judgment; they have not judged the cause of the orphan, nor have they judged the cause of the widow.


text:
Shall I not punish for these things?” says the Lord, “and shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?


text:
the prophets utter unrighteous prophecies, and the priests have clapped their hands, and My people have loved it! And what will you do for the future?


text:
<n>Impending Destruction from the North</n> “Strengthen yourselves, you children of Benjamin, <i>to flee</i> out of the midst of Jerusalem, and sound an alarm with the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a signal over Beth Haccerem; for evil threatens from the north, and a great destruction is coming.


text:
The shepherds and their flocks shall come to her; and they shall pitch <i>their</i> tents against her round about, and shall feed <i>their flocks,</i> each with his hand.”


text:
“Prepare yourselves for war against her; rise up, and let us go up against her at noon. Woe to us, for the day has gone down, and the shadows of the day fail.


text:
For thus says the Lord: “Cut down her trees, array a numerous force against Jerusalem. O false city, she is full of oppression.


text:
As a cistern cools water, so her wickedness cools her, ungodliness and misery shall be heard in her, <i>as</i> continually before her.


text:
You shall be chastened, O Jerusalem, with pain and the scourge, lest My soul depart from you; lest I make you a desert land, which shall not be inhabited.


text:
For thus says the Lord: ‘Glean, glean thoroughly as a vine the remnant of Israel: turn back <i>your hands</i> as a grape-gatherer to his basket.’


text:
“To whom shall I speak and testify, that he may hear? Behold, your ears are uncircumcised, and they shall not be able to hear. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them, they will not at all desire it.


text:
And I allowed My wrath to come to full, yet I kept <i>it</i> in, and did not utterly destroy them. I will pour it out on the children outside, and on the assembly of young men together; for man and woman shall be taken together, the old man with him that is full of days.


text:
And their houses shall be turned to others, <i>with</i> their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand upon the inhabitants of this land,” says the Lord.


text:
“For from the least of them even to the greatest they have all committed iniquity; from the priest even to the false prophet they have all dealt falsely.


text:
And they healed the breach of My people <i>imperfectly</i>, making light <i>of it</i>, and saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ and where is peace?


text:
They were ashamed because they failed; yet they were not ashamed as those who were <i>truly</i> ashamed, and they knew not their own disgrace; therefore shall they <i>utterly</i> fall when they do fall, and in the time of visitation shall they perish,” says the Lord.


text:
Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths of the Lord; and see what is the good way and walk in it, and you shall find purification for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk <i>in them</i>.’


text:
I have set watchmen over you, <i>saying</i>, ‘Hear the sound of the trumpet.’ But they said, ‘We will not hear.’


text:
Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evils upon this people, <i>even</i> the fruit of their rebellions; for they have not heeded My words, and they have rejected My law.


text:
Why do you bring Me frankincense from Sheba, and cinnamon from a land afar off? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices have not been pleasing to Me.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I <i>will</i> bring weakness upon this people, and the fathers and sons shall be weak together; the neighbor and his friend shall perish.’


text:
Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a people come from the north, and nations shall be stirred up from the end of the earth.


text:
They shall lay hold of bow and spear; <i>the people</i> are fierce, and will have no mercy; their voice is as the roaring sea; they shall array themselves for war against you as fire on horses and chariots, O daughter of Zion.’”


text:
We have heard the report of them; our hands are weakened. Anguish has seized us, the pangs as of a woman in travail.


text:
“Do not go forth into the field, and do not walk in the ways, for the sword of the enemy lingers round about.


text:
O daughter of My people, gird yourself with sackcloth; sprinkle <i>yourself</i> with ashes; make for yourself lamentation, <i>as</i> the mourning for a beloved <i>son</i>; for misery will come suddenly upon you.


text:
“I have caused you to be tried among tried nations, and you shall know Me when I have tested their way.


text:
<i>They are</i> all disobedient, walking perversely. <i>They are</i> brass and iron; they are all corrupted.


text:
The bellows have failed from the fire, the lead has failed. The silversmith works at his trade in vain; their wickedness is not consumed.


text:
Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Correct your ways and your devices, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.


text:
Trust not in yourselves with lying words, for they shall not profit you at all, saying, ‘It is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’


text:
For if you thoroughly correct your ways and your practices, and do indeed execute judgment between a man and his neighbor;


text:
and do not oppress the stranger, and the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and do not go after strange gods to your hurt;


text:
then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers of old, and forever.


text:
and you murder, and commit adultery, and steal, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and have gone after strange gods whom you do not know,


text:
so that it is evil with you; yet have you come, and stood before Me in the house which is called by My name, and you have said, ‘We have refrained from doing all these abominations.’


text:
Is My house, which is called by My name, a den of robbers in your eyes? And behold, I have seen <i>it</i>,” says the Lord.


text:
“For go to My place which is in Shiloh, where I caused My name to dwell before, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.


text:
And now, because you have done all these deeds, and I spoke to you, but you did not listen to Me; and I called you, but you did not answer.


text:
Therefore I also will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.


text:
“Therefore do not pray for this people, and do not intercede for them to be pitied. Yes, do not pray, and do not approach Me for them, for I will not listen.


text:
Their children gather wood, and their fathers kindle a fire, and their women knead dough, to make cakes to the host of heaven; and they have poured out drink offerings to strange gods, that they might provoke Me to anger.


text:
Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord. “Do they not <i>provoke</i> themselves, that their faces may be ashamed?


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, My anger and wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and upon the men, and upon the cattle, and upon every tree of their field, and upon the fruits of the land; and it shall burn, and not be quenched.’”


text:
For I did not speak to your fathers, nor did I command them in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifice;


text:
but I commanded them this thing, saying, ‘Hear My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all My ways which I shall command you, that it may be well with you.’


text:
But they did not obey Me, and their ear did not hear, instead they walked in the imaginations of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.


text:
From the day that their fathers went forth out of the land of Egypt, even until this day, and I sent to you all My servants the prophets, by day and early in the morning. Yes, I have sent <i>them</i>,


text:
but they did not listen to Me, and their ear did not hear; and they made their neck harder than their fathers.


text:
<n>Judgment on Obscene Religion</n> “This is the nation that has not heeded the voice of the Lord, nor received correction; truth has failed from their mouth.


text:
Cut off your hair, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on your lips; for the Lord has reprobated and rejected the generation that does these things.


text:
For the children of Judah have done evil before Me,” says the Lord; “they have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.


text:
And they have built the altar of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters with fire; which I did not command them <i>to do</i>, neither did I design it in My heart.


text:
“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when they shall no more say, ‘The altar of Tophet,’ and, ‘the valley of the son of Hinnom,’ but ‘The Valley of Slaughter’; and they shall bury in Tophet, for need of room.


text:
And the dead bodies of this people shall be for food to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to drive <i>them</i> away.


text:
And I will destroy out of the cities of Judah, and the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of them that make merry, and the voice of them that rejoice, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; for the whole land shall become a desolation.


text:
“At that time,” says the Lord, “they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves;


text:
and they shall spread them out to the sun, and the moon, and to all the stars, and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and to which they have held, and which they have worshipped. They shall not be mourned for, neither shall they be buried; but they shall be for an example on the face of the earth,


text:
because they chose death rather than life, even to all the remnant that are left of that family, in every place where I shall drive them out.”


text:
<n>The Peril of False Teaching </n> “For thus says the Lord: shall not he that falls arise? Or he that turns away, shall he not turn back again?


text:
Why have My people turned away with a shameless revolting, and strengthened themselves in their willfulness, and refused to return?


text:
Pay attention, and listen: will they not say, ‘There is no man that repents of his wickedness’, saying, ‘What have I done?’ The runner has failed from his course, as a tired horse in his neighing.


text:
Even the stork in the heaven knows her time, <i>also</i> the turtledove and wild swallow; the sparrows observe the times of their coming in; but My people do not know the judgments of the Lord.


text:
“How will you say, ‘We are wise,’ and, ‘the law of the Lord is with us?’ In vain have the scribes used a false pen.


text:
The wise men are ashamed, and alarmed, and taken; because they have rejected the word of the Lord; what wisdom is there in them?


text:
Therefore will I give their wives to others, and their fields to <i>new</i> inheritors; and they shall gather their fruits,” says the Lord.


text:
There are no grapes on the vines, and there are no figs on the fig trees, and the leaves have fallen off.


text:
Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the strong cities, and let us be cast out there: for God has cast us out, and made us drink water of gall, because we have sinned against Him.


text:
We shall hear the neighing of His swift horses out of Dan. The whole land quaked at the sound of the neighing of His horses; and He shall come, and devour the land and its fullness; the city, and them that dwell in it.


text:
“For behold, I send forth against you deadly serpents, which cannot be charmed, and they shall bite you


text:
Behold, <i>there is</i> a sound of the cry of the daughter of My people from a land afar off. Is not the Lord in Zion? Is there not a king there? Because they have provoked Me with their graven <i>images</i>, and with strange vanities.”


text:
For the breach of the daughter of my people I have been saddened: in my perplexity pangs have seized upon me as of a woman in travail.


text:
And is there no balm in Gilead, or is there no physician there? Why has not the healing of the daughter of my people taken place?


text:
Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? Then would I weep for this my people day and night, <i>even</i> for the slain of the daughter of my people.


text:
Who would give me a most distant lodge in the wilderness, that I might leave my people, and depart from them? For they all commit adultery, an assembly of treacherous men.


text:
“And they have bent their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not faithfulness has prevailed upon the earth; for they have gone on from evil to evil, and have not known Me,” says the Lord.


text:
“Beware, each <i>of you</i>, of his neighbor, and do not trust in your brother, for everyone will surely supplant, and every friend will walk craftily.


text:
Everyone will mock his friend; they will not speak truth; their tongue has learned to speak falsehoods; they have committed iniquity, they have not ceased, so as to return.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will try them with fire, and prove them; for I will do <i>thus</i> because of the wickedness of the daughter of My people.


text:
Their tongue is a wounding arrow; the words of their mouth are deceitful. <i>One</i> speaks peaceably to his neighbor, but in himself retains enmity.


text:
Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord. “And shall not My soul be avenged on such a people as this?


text:
Take up a lamentation for the mountains, and a mournful dirge for the paths of the wilderness, for they are desolate from a lack of men; they did not hear the sound of life from the birds of the sky, nor the cattle. They were amazed, they are gone.


text:
And I will remove the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and make it a dwelling place of dragons; and I will utterly waste the cities of Judah, so that they shall not be inhabited.”


text:
Who is the wise man, that he may understand this? And he that has the word of the mouth of the Lord <i>addressed</i> to him, let him tell you why the land has been destroyed, <i>and </i>has been ravaged by fire like a desert, so that no one passes through it.


text:
And the Lord said to me, “Because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not heeded My voice,


text:
but went after the lusts of their evil heart, and after the idols which their fathers taught them <i>to worship. </i>


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: behold, I will feed them with trouble and will cause them to drink water of gall:


text:
and I will scatter them among the nations, to them whom neither they nor their fathers knew; and I will send a sword upon them, until I have consumed them with it.”


text:
Thus says the Lord: “Call the mourning women, and let them come; and send to the wise women, and let them utter their voice;


text:
and let them take up a lamentation for you, and let your eyes pour down tears, and your eyelids drop water.


text:
For a voice of lamentation has been heard in Zion, <i>saying</i>, ‘How we have become wretched! We are greatly ashamed, for we have forsaken the land, and have abandoned our tabernacles!’”


text:
Hear the word of God, you women, and let your ears receive the words of His mouth, and teach your daughters a lamentation, and a dirge to <i>every</i> woman her neighbor.


text:
For death has come up through your windows, it has entered into our land, to destroy the infants outside, and the young men from the streets.


text:
And the carcasses of the men shall be for an example on the face of the field of your land, like grass after the mower, and there shall be none to gather <i>them</i>.


text:
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth;


text:
but let him that boasts, boast in this: that he understands and knows that I am the Lord that exercises mercy, and judgment, and righteousness upon the earth; for in these things I delight,” says the Lord.


text:
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision:


text:
on Egypt, on Idumea, on Edom, on the children of Ammon, on the children of Moab, and on everyone that shaves his face round about, <i>even</i> them that dwell in the wilderness; for all the Gentiles are uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised <i>in</i> their hearts.”


text:
<n>Idols and the True God</n> Hear the word of the Lord, which He has spoken to you, O house of Israel.


text:
Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the ways of the heathen, and do not be alarmed at the signs of the sky, for they are alarmed at them, <i>falling</i> on their faces.


text:
For the customs of the nations are vain; it is a tree cut out of the forest, the work of the carpenter, or a molten image.


text:
<i>brought</i> from Tarshish, gold will come from Uphaz, and the work of goldsmiths. <i>They are</i> all the works of craftsmen, they will clothe themselves with blue and scarlet.


text:
They must certainly be borne, for they cannot ride <i>of themselves</i>. Do not fear them, for they cannot do any evil, and there is no good in them.


text:
“Thus shall you say to them: ‘Let the gods which have not made heaven and earth perish from off the earth, and from under this sky.’”


text:
It is the Lord that made the earth by His strength, who set up the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the sky,


text:
and set abundance of waters in the sky, and brought up clouds from the ends of the earth. He made lightnings for the rain, and brought forth light out of His treasures.


text:
Every man is deprived of knowledge, every goldsmith is confounded because of his graven images; for he has cast false gods, there is no breath in them.


text:
Such is not the portion of Jacob; for He that formed all things, He is his inheritance; the Lord is His name.


text:
For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I <i>will</i> overthrow the inhabitants of this land with affliction, that your plague may be discovered.”


text:
Alas for your ruin! Your plague is grievous. And I said, “Surely this is your wound, and it has overtaken you.”


text:
Your tabernacle is in a ruinous state, it has perished; and all your curtains have been torn asunder. My children and my cattle are no more; there is no longer any place for my tent, <i>nor</i> place for my curtains.


text:
For the shepherds have become foolish, and have not sought the Lord; therefore the whole pasture has failed, and <i>the sheep</i> have been scattered.


text:
Behold, there comes a sound of a noise, and a great earthquake from the land of the north, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, and a resting place for ostriches.


text:
Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that have not known You, and upon the families that have not called upon Your name; for they have devoured Jacob, and consumed him, and have made his pasture desolate.


text:
“Hear the words of this covenant, and you shall speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


text:
And you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Cursed is the man who shall not heed the words of this covenant


text:
which I commanded your fathers, in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, “Obey My voice, and do all things that I shall command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,


text:
that I may confirm My oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing <i>with</i> milk and honey, as <i>it is</i> this day.”’” Then I answered and said, “So be it, O Lord.”


text:
And the Lord said to me, “Read these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant, and do them.’”


text:
And the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitantsof Jerusalem.


text:
They have turned <i>aside</i> to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear My words, and behold, they have gone after strange gods, to serve them. And the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I bring evils upon this people, out of which they shall not be able to come forth; and they shall cry to Me, but I will not listen to them.


text:
And the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall go, and cry to the gods to whom they burn incense; which shall not deliver them in the time of their troubles.


text:
For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have you set up altars to burn incense to Baal.


text:
“So do not pray for this people, and do not intercede for them with supplication and prayer; for I will not hear in the day in which they call upon Me, in the day of their affliction.


text:
Why has <i>My</i> beloved done abominable <i>things</i> in My house? Will prayers and holy offerings take away your wickedness from you, or shall you escape by these things?


text:
The Lord has called your name a fair olive tree, of a pleasant shade in appearance, at the noise of its being lopped, fire was kindled against it; great is the affliction <i>coming</i> upon you. Her branches have become good for nothing.


text:
And the Lord that planted you has pronounced evils against you, because of the iniquity of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, whatsoever they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”


text:
But I, as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter, did not know. Against me they devised an evil device, saying, “Come and let us put wood into his bread, and let us utterly destroy him from off the land of the living, and let his name not be remembered any more.”


text:
O Lord, <i>You </i>that judges righteously, and who tests the heart and the most secret parts, let me see Your vengeance <i>taken</i> upon them, for to You I have declared my cause.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, that seek my life, that say, “You shall not prophesy at all in the name of the Lord, but if you do, you shall die by our hands.”


text:
“Behold, I will visit them. Their young men shall die by the sword, and their sons and their daughters shall die of famine.


text:
And there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring evil upon the inhabitants of Anathoth, in the year of their visitation.


text:
<n>Jeremiah Complains to God</n> Righteous are You, O Lord, that I may make my defense to You: yet I will speak to You <i>of</i> judgments. Why <i>is it</i> that the way of the ungodly prospers? <i>And</i> <i>why </i>are all that deal very treacherously flourishing?


text:
You have planted them, and they have taken root; they have begotten children, and become fruitful; You are near to their mouth, but far from their mind.


text:
But You, O Lord, know me; You have tested my heart before You; purify them for the day of their slaughter.


text:
How long shall the land mourn, and the grass of the field wither, because the wickedness of them that dwell in it? The beasts and birds are utterly destroyed, because <i>the people</i> said, “God shall not see our ways.”


text:
Your feet run, and they cause you to faint; how will you prepare <i>to ride</i> upon horses? And you have been confident in the land of your peace? How will you do in the roaring of the Jordan?


text:
For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; and they have cried out, they are gathered together in pursuit of you. Do not trust in them, though they shall speak fair <i>words</i> to you.


text:
“I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given My beloved one into the hands of her enemies.


text:
My inheritance has become to Me as a lion in a forest; she has uttered her voice against Me; therefore have I hated her.


text:
Is not My inheritance to Me <i>like</i> a hyena’s cave, or a cave round about her? Go, gather together all the wild beasts of the field, and let them come to devour her.


text:
Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have defiled My portion, they have made My desirable portion a trackless wilderness.


text:
It is made a complete ruin: for My sake the whole land has been utterly ruined, because there is none that takes <i>the matter</i> to heart.


text:
The ravagers have come to every passage in the wilderness: for the sword of the Lord will devour from one end of the land to the other—no flesh has any peace.


text:
Sow wheat, and reap thorns; their portions shall not profit them. Be ashamed of your boasting, because of <i>your </i>reproach before the Lord.


text:
“For thus says the Lord concerning all the evil neighbors that touch My inheritance, which I have divided to My people Israel: ‘Behold, I <i>will</i> draw them away from their land, and I will cast out Judah from the midst of them.


text:
And it shall come to pass, after I have cast them out, <i>that</i> I will return and have mercy upon them, and will cause them to dwell everyone in his inheritance, and everyone in his land.


text:
And it shall be, if they will indeed learn the way of My people, to swear by My name, <i>saying</i>, “The Lord lives”; as they taught My people to swear by Baal; then shall <i>that nation</i> be built in the midst of My people.


text:
<n>Symbol of the Linen Sash </n> Thus says the Lord: “Go and procure for yourself a linen sash, and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.”


text:
“Take the sash that is around your waist, and get up, and go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.”


text:
And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take the sash from there, which I commanded you to hide there.”


text:
So I went to the river Euphrates, and dug, and took the sash out of the place where I had buried it. And behold, it was ruined, utterly good for nothing.


text:
<i>even</i> this great pride <i>of the men</i> that will not listen to My words, and have gone after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them. And they shall be as this sash, which is profitable for nothing.


text:
For as a sash clings about the waist of a man, so have I caused the house of Israel, and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me; that they might be to Me a famous people, and a praise, and a glory. But they did not listen to Me.


text:
“And you shall say to this people, ‘Every bottle shall be filled with wine. And it shall come to pass, if they shall say to you, “Shall we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?” That you shall say to them,


text:
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I <i>will</i> fill the inhabitants of this land, and their kings, the sons of David that sit upon their throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with strong drink.


text:
And I will scatter them, a man and his brother, and their fathers and their sons together. I will not have compassion,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will not spare, neither will I pity <i>to save them</i> from destruction.’”


text:
Give glory to the Lord your God, before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and you shall wait for light, and behold the shadow of death, and they shall be brought into darkness.


text:
But if you will not hear it, your soul shall weep in secret because of pride, and your eyes shall pour down tears, because the Lord's flock is sorely bruised.


text:
Say to the king and the princes, “Humble yourselves, and sit down; for your crown of glory is removed from your head.”


text:
The cities toward the south were shut up, and there was none to open <i>them.</i> Judah is removed <i>into captivity;</i> they have suffered a complete removal.


text:
Lift up your eyes, O Jerusalem, and behold them that come from the north; where is the flock that was given you, the sheep of your glory?


text:
What will you say when they shall visit you, for you have taught them lessons to rule over you; shall not pangs seize you as a woman in travail?


text:
And if you should say in your heart, “Why have these things happened to me?” Because of the abundance of your iniquity have your skirts been discovered, that your heels might be exposed.


text:
If the Ethiopian shall change his skin, or the leopard its spots, then shall you be able to do good, having learned <i>to do</i> evil.


text:
“Thus is your lot, and the reward of your disobedience to Me,” says the Lord. “As you have forgotten Me, and trusted in lies,


text:
your adultery also, and your neighing, and the looseness of your fornication. On the hills and in the fields I have seen your abominations. Woe to you, O Jerusalem, for you have not been purified so as to follow Me; how long yet <i>shall it be</i>?


text:
<n>Sword, Famine, and Pestilence</n> And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning the drought.


text:
“Judah has mourned, and her gates are emptied, and are darkened upon the earth; and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.


text:
And her nobles have sent their little ones to the water: they came to the wells, and found no water: and brought back their vessels empty.


text:
And the labors of the land failed, because there was no rain: the plowmen were ashamed; they covered their heads.


text:
The wild donkeys stood by the forests, and snuffed up the wind; their eyes failed, because there was no grass.”


text:
Our sins have risen up against us. O Lord, do for us for Your name’s sake; for our sins are many before You; for we have sinned against You.


text:
O Lord, <i>You are</i> the hope of Israel, and deliver <i>us</i> in times of trouble; why have You become as a sojourner upon the land, or as one born in the land, yet turning aside for a resting place?


text:
Will You be as a man asleep, or as a <i>strong</i> man that cannot save? Yet You are among us, O Lord, and we are called by Your name; do not forget us.


text:
Thus says the Lord to this people: “They have loved to wander, and they have not spared, therefore God has not prospered them; now will He remember their iniquity.”


text:
for though they fast, I will not hear their supplication; and though they offer burnt offerings and sacrifices, I will take no pleasure in them: for I will consume them with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence.”


text:
And I said, “Ah, Lord <i>God</i>! Behold, their prophets prophesy, and say, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall famine be among you; for I will give truth and peace on the land, and in this place.’”


text:
Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not send them, commanded them, nor spoken to them: for they prophesy to you false visions, divinations, and worthless things, and devices of their own heart.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy lies in My name, and I have not sent them, who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be upon this land’; they shall die by a grievous death, and the prophets shall be consumed by famine.


text:
And the people to whom they prophesy, they also shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem, because of the sword and famine; and there shall be none to bury them. Their wives also, and their sons, and their daughters <i>shall die thus</i>; and I will pour out their wickedness upon them.


text:
“And you shall speak this word to them: ‘Let your eyes shed tears day and night, and let them not cease; for the daughter of My people has been sorely bruised, and her plague is very grievous.


text:
If I go forth into the plain, then behold the slain by the sword! And if I enter into the city, then behold the distress of famine! For priest and prophet have gone to a land which they did not know.’”


text:
Have You utterly rejected Judah? And has Your soul departed from Zion? Why have You stricken us, and there is no healing for us? We waited for peace, but there was no prosperity; for a time of healing, and behold trouble!


text:
Refrain for Your name's sake; do not destroy the throne of Your glory. Remember, <i>O Lord</i>, <i>and </i>do not break Your covenant with us.


text:
Is there anyone among the idols of the Gentiles that can give rain? And will the sky yield His fullness <i>at their bidding</i>? Are You not He? We will even wait on You, O Lord, for You have made all these things.


text:
<n>The Lord Will Not Relent</n> And the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before My face, My soul would not be <i>favorable </i>toward them: dismiss this people, and let them go forth.


text:
And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where shall we go forth?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: As many as are for death, to death; and as many as are for famine, to famine; and as many as are for the sword, to the sword; and as many as are for captivity, to captivity.’


text:
And I will punish them with four kinds <i>of death</i>,” says the Lord; “the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, the wild beasts of the earth, and the birds of the sky to devour and destroy.


text:
And I will deliver them up for distress to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for all that he did in Jerusalem.


text:
“Who will spare you, O Jerusalem? And who will fear for you? Or who will turn back <i>to ask</i> about your welfare?


text:
You have turned away from Me,” says the Lord; “you will go back. Therefore I will stretch out My hand, and I will destroy you, and will spare them no more.


text:
And I will completely scatter them; in the gates of My people they are bereaved of children. They have destroyed My people because of their iniquities.


text:
Their widows have been multiplied more than the sand of the sea. I have brought young men against the mother, <i>and</i> distress at noonday. I have suddenly cast trembling and anxiety upon her.


text:
She that bore seven is spent; her soul has fainted under trouble; her sun has gone down while it is yet noon; she is ashamed and disgraced. I will give the remnant of them to the sword before their enemies.”


text:
Woe is me, <i>my</i> mother! You have born me as some man of strife, and at variance with the whole earth. I have not helped <i>others</i>, nor has anyone helped me; my strength has failed among them that curse me.


text:
Be it so, O Lord, in their prosperity; surely I stood before You in the time of their calamities, and in the time of their affliction, for <i>their</i> good against the enemy.


text:
Yes, I will give your treasures for a spoil as a recompense, because of all your sins, and <i>that</i> in all your borders.


text:
And I will enslave you to your enemies round about, in a land which you have not known; for a fire has been kindled out of My wrath; it shall burn upon you.”


text:
O Lord, remember me, and visit me, and vindicate me before them that persecute me. Do not bear long with them; know how I have met with reproach for Your sake, from those who nullify Your words.


text:
Consume them, and Your word shall be to me for the joy and gladness of my heart. For Your name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty.


text:
I have not sat in the assembly of them as they mocked, but I feared because of Your power. I sat alone, for I was filled with bitterness.


text:
Why do those that grieve me prevail against me? My wound is severe; when shall I be healed? It has indeed become to me as deceitful water that has no faithfulness.


text:
<n>The Lord Reassures Jeremiah</n> Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you will return, then will I restore you, and you shall stand before My face. And if you will bring forth the precious from the worthless, you shall be as My mouth; and they shall return to you; but you shall not return to them.


text:
And I will make you to this people as a strong bronze wall; and they shall fight against you, but they shall by no means prevail against you.


text:
For I am with you, to save you, and to deliver you out of the hand of wicked <i>men</i>; and I will ransom you out of the hand of pestilent <i>men</i>.


text:
<n>Jeremiah’s Celibacy and Message</n> “And you shall not take a wife,” says the Lord God of Israel.


text:
For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that have born them, and their fathers that have begotten them in this land:


text:
‘They shall die a grievous death. They shall not be lamented <i>over</i>, nor buried; they shall be for an example on the face of the earth; and they shall be for the wild beasts of the land, and for the birds of the sky. They shall fall by the sword, and shall be consumed with famine.’


text:
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not enter into their mourning feast, and do not go to lament, nor mourn for them, for I have removed My peace from this people.


text:
They shall not bewail them, nor make cuttings for them, and they shall not shave themselves <i>for them.</i>


text:
And there shall be no bread broken in mourning for them in consolation over the dead; they shall not give one to drink a cup for consolation over his father or his mother.


text:
For thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I <i>will</i> make the voice of joy to cease out of this place before your eyes, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.


text:
“And it shall come to pass, when you report to this people all these words, and they shall say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all these evils against us? What is our unrighteousness? And what is our sin which we have sinned before the Lord our God?’


text:
Then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers forsook Me,’ says the Lord, ‘and went after strange gods and served them, and worshipped them, and forsook Me, and did not keep My law.’


text:
(And you sinned worse than your fathers—for behold, you walk everyone after the lusts of your own evil heart, so as not to listen to Me).


text:
Therefore I will cast you off from this good land into a land which neither you nor your fathers have known. And you shall serve their other gods, who shall have no mercy upon you.


text:
<n>God Will Restore Israel</n> “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when they shall no more say, ‘The Lord lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt’;


text:
but, ‘The Lord lives, who brought up the house of Israel from the land of the north, and from all countries in which they were thrust out.’ And I will restore them to their own land, which I gave to their fathers.


text:
“Behold, I <i>will</i> send many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send many hunters, and they shall hunt them upon every mountain, and upon every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.


text:
And I will recompense double for their iniquity and their sins, whereby they have profaned My land with the carcasses of their abominations, and with their iniquities, whereby they have trespassed against My inheritance.”


text:
O Lord, You are my strength and my help, and my refuge in days of evil. To You the Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, “How worthless <i>were the</i> idols <i>which</i> our fathers procured for themselves, and there is no help in them.”


text:
“Therefore behold, I will at this time manifest My hand to them, and will make known to them My power; and they shall know that My name is the Lord.”


text:
<n>Judah’s Sin and Punishment</n> “Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and will lean his arm of flesh upon him, while his heart departs from the Lord.


text:
And he shall be as the wild tamarisk in the desert. he shall not see when good comes; but he shall dwell in barren <i>places</i>, and in the wilderness, in a salty land which is not inhabited.


text:
And he shall be as a thriving tree by the waters, and he shall cast forth his root toward a moist place. He shall not fear when heat comes, and there shall be shady branches upon him; he shall not fear in a year of drought, and he shall not fail to bear fruit.


text:
I, the Lord, search the hearts, and test the mind, to give to everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruits of his doings.


text:
“The partridge utters her voice; she gathers <i>eggs</i> which she did not lay. <i>So is a man</i> gaining his wealth unjustly: in the midst of his days <i>his riches</i> shall leave him, and at his latter end he will be a fool.”


text:
O Lord, the hope of Israel, let all that have left You be ashamed, let them that have revolted be written on the earth, because they have forsaken the fountain of life, the Lord.


text:
<n>Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance</n> Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. Save me, and I shall be saved; for You are my boast.


text:
But I have not been weary of following You, nor have I desired the day of man. You know the <i>words</i> that proceed out of my lips; <i>they</i> are before Your face.


text:
Let them that persecute me be ashamed, but let me not be ashamed. Let them be alarmed, but let me not be alarmed. Bring upon them the evil day, crush them with double destruction.


text:
<n>Hallow the Sabbath Day</n> Thus says the Lord: “Go and stand in the gates of the children of your people, by which the kings of Judah enter, and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem.


text:
And you shall say to them: ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judea, and all Jerusalem, <i>all</i> who go in at these gates:


text:
thus says the Lord: “Take heed to your souls, and take up no burdens on the Sabbath day, and do not go forth <i>through</i> the gates of Jerusalem;


text:
and carry forth no burdens out of your houses on the Sabbath day, and you shall do no work. Sanctify the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.


text:
But they would not obey, and would not listen, but stiffened their neck more than their fathers <i>did</i>, so as not to hear Me, and not to receive correction.


text:
“And it shall come to pass, if you will hearken to Me,” says the Lord, “to carry in no burdens through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, and to sanctify the Sabbath day, so as to do no work <i>upon it</i>,


text:
that there shall enter through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, and riding on their chariots and horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city shall be inhabited forever.


text:
And <i>men</i> shall come out of the cities of Judah, and from round about Jerusalem, and out of the land of Benjamin, and out of the plain country, and from the hill country, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, incense, manna, and frankincense, and bringing praise to the house of the Lord.


text:
But it shall come to pass, that if you will not listen to Me and sanctify the Sabbath day, to bear no burdens, nor go in <i>with them by</i> the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then will I kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the streets of Jerusalem, and shall not be quenched.”


text:
And the vessel which he was making with his hands fell <i>apart.</i> So he made it into another vessel, as it seemed good to him.


text:
“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? Behold, as the clay <i>is in</i> the potter’s<i> hand</i>, so are you in My hands.


text:
<i>If</i> I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation, or upon a kingdom, to cut them off, and to destroy <i>them</i>;


text:
and that nation turn from all their sins, then will I relent of the disasters which I purposed to do to them.


text:
And <i>if</i> I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation and kingdom, to rebuild and to plant <i>it</i>;


text:
and they do evil before Me, so as not to heed My voice, then will I relent of the good which I spoke of, to do it to them.


text:
“And now, say to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ‘Behold, I prepare disasters against you, and devise a plan against you: let everyone turn now from his evil way, and amend your practices.’”


text:
And they said, “We will act like men, for we will pursue our perverse ways, and we will every one perform the lusts of his evil heart.”


text:
<n>God’s Warning Rejected</n> Therefore thus says the Lord: “Inquire now among the nations, who has heard such horrible things as <i>what </i>the virgin of Israel has done?


text:
Will fertilizing streams fail <i>to flow</i> from a rock, or snow <i>fail</i> from Lebanon? Will water violently impelled by the wind turn aside?


text:
For My people have forgotten Me, they have offered incense in vain, and they fail in their ways, <i>leaving</i> the ancient tracks, to enter upon impassable paths;


text:
to make their land a desolation, and a perpetual hissing. All that go through it shall be amazed, and shall shake their heads.


text:
I will scatter them before their enemies like an east wind. I will show them the day of their destruction.”


text:
<n>Jeremiah Persecuted</n> Then they said, “Come, and let us devise a plan against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us attack him with the tongue, and we will hear all his words.”


text:
Forasmuch as evil is rewarded for good; for they have spoken words against my soul, and they have hidden the punishment they <i>meant</i> for me. Remember that I stood before Your face, to speak good concerning them, to turn away Your wrath from them.


text:
Therefore deliver up their sons to famine, and gather them to the power of the sword. Let their women be childless and widows, and let their men be cut off by death, and their young men fall by the sword in war.


text:
Let there be a cry in their houses: You shall bring upon them robbers suddenly— for they have formed a plan to take me, and have hidden snares for me.


text:
And You, O Lord, know all their deadly counsel against me: provide no atonement for their iniquities, and do not blot out their sins from before You. Let their weakness come before You; deal with them in the time of Your wrath.


text:
<n>The Broken Earthen Bottle</n> Then the Lord said to me, “Go and get an earthen bottle, the work of the potter, and you shall bring <i>some</i> of the elders of the people, and of the priests.


text:
And you shall go forth to the burial place of the sons of their children, which is at the entrance of the Potsherd Gate; and proclaim there all these words which I shall speak to you.


text:
And you shall say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they that enter in by these gates. Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I <i>will</i> bring such a catastrophe upon this place, that the ears of everyone that hears it shall tingle.


text:
“Because they forsook Me, and profaned this place, and burned incense in it to strange gods, which they and their fathers did not know; and the kings of Judah have filled this place with innocent blood,


text:
and built high places for Baal, to burn their children in the fire, which things I did not command, neither did I design <i>them</i> in My heart.


text:
Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when this place shall no more be called Tophet, or the fall and burial place of the son of Hinnom, but the burial place of slaughter.


text:
And I will destroy the counsel of Judah and the counsel of Jerusalem in this place; and I will cast them down with the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives. And I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth.


text:
And I will bring this city to desolation and <i>make it</i> a hissing: everyone that passes by it shall scowl, and hiss because of all her plagues.


text:
And they shall eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat, everyone the flesh of his neighbor in the blockade, and in the siege with which their enemies shall besiege them.


text:
and you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus will I break in pieces this people, and this city, even as an earthen vessel is broken in pieces which cannot be mended again.


text:
Thus will I do to this place,” says the Lord, “and to the inhabitants of it, that this city may be given up, as one that is falling to ruin.


text:
And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be as a ruinous place, because of their uncleanness in all the houses, in which they burnt incense upon their roofs to all the host of heaven, and poured <i>out </i>drink offerings to strange gods.”’”


text:
And Jeremiah came from Tophet, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord's house. And said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord:


text:
‘Behold I bring upon this city, and upon all the cities belonging to it, and upon the villages of it, all the doom which I have spoken against it, because they have hardened their neck, <i>that they might not</i> hearken to My commands.’”


text:
<n>The Word of God to Pashur</n> Now Pashur the son of Immer, the priest, who also had been appointed chief of the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words.


text:
And he struck him, and cast him into the dungeon which was by the gate of the upper house that was set apart, which was by the house of the Lord.


text:
And Pashur brought Jeremiah out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah said to him, “<i>The Lord</i> has not called your name Pashur, but Exile.


text:
For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I <i>will</i> give you up to captivity with all your friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see <i>it</i>. And I will give you and all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, and they shall carry them captives, and cut them to pieces with swords.


text:
And I will give all the strength of this city, and all the labors of it, and all the treasures of the king of Judah, into the hands of his enemies, and they shall bring them to Babylon.


text:
And you and all who live in your house shall go into captivity, and you shall die in Babylon, and there you and all your friends shall be buried, to whom you have prophesied lies.’”


text:
<n>Jeremiah’s Unpopular Ministry</n> You have deceived me, O Lord, and I have been deceived. You have been strong, and have prevailed. I have become a laughing stock, I am continually mocked every day.


text:
For I will laugh with my bitter speech, I will call upon rebellion and misery; for the word of the Lord has become a reproach to me and a mockery all my days.


text:
Then I said, “I will by no means name the name of the Lord, and I will no longer speak in His name.” But it was a burning fire flaming in my bones, and I am utterly weakened on all sides, and cannot bear <i>up</i>.


text:
For I have heard the reproach of many gathering round, <i>saying</i>, “Conspire, and let us conspire together against him, <i>even</i> all his friends. Watch his intentions, if perhaps he shall be deceived, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall be avenged on him.”


text:
But the Lord was with me as a mighty man of war; therefore they persecuted <i>me</i>, but could not perceive <i>anything against me. </i>They were greatly confounded, for they did not perceive their disgrace, which shall never be forgotten.


text:
O Lord, <i>You </i>who tests the righteous, <i>and </i>who understands the mind and heart, let me see Your vengeance upon them: for to You I have revealed my cause.


text:
Sing to the Lord, sing praises to Him: for He has rescued the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.


text:
Cursed be the man who brought the glad tidings to my father, saying, “A male child has been born to you.”


text:
Let that man rejoice as the cities which the Lord overthrew in wrath, and did not repent: let him hear crying in the morning, and loud lamentation at noon;


text:
because he did not slay me in the womb, and my mother did not become my tomb, and her womb always enlarged with me.


text:
Why is it that I came forth from the womb to see troubles and distresses, and my days are spent in shame?


text:
<n>Jeremiah’s Doom is Sealed</n> The word that came from the Lord to Jeremiah, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashur, the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,


text:
“Inquire of the Lord for us, for the king of Babylon has risen up against us. Perhaps the Lord will do according to all His wonderful works, and <i>the king</i> shall depart from us.”


text:
‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I <i>will</i> turn back the weapons of war with which you fight against the Chaldeans that have besieged you from outside the wall, and I will gather them into the midst of this city.


text:
And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, with wrath and great anger.


text:
And I will strike all the inhabitants of this city, <i>both</i> men and cattle, with grievous pestilence, and they shall die.


text:
And after this,” says the Lord, “I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people that are left in this city from the pestilence, and from the famine, and from the sword, into the hands of their enemies that seek their lives, and they shall cut them in pieces with the edge of the sword. I will not spare them, and I will not have compassion upon them.”’


text:
“And you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I have set before you the way of life, and the way of death.


text:
He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by famine; but he that goes forth to defect to the Chaldeans that have besieged you shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.


text:
For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good: it shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall consume it with fire.”’


text:
O house of David, thus says the Lord: “Administer judgment in the morning, and act rightly, and rescue the spoiled one from the hand of him that wrongs him, lest My anger be kindled like fire, and it burn, and there be none to quench <i>it</i>.


text:
“Behold, I am against you that dwell in the valley of Sor; in the plain country, <i>even against</i> them that say, ‘Who shall alarm us? Or who shall enter into our dwellings?’


text:
Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and you shall speak this word <i>to him </i>there,


text:
and you shall say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David; you, your house, your people, and those that go in at these gates.


text:
Thus says the Lord: “Execute judgment and justice, rescue the spoiled out of the hand of him that wrongs him; and do not oppress the stranger, the orphan, or widow, and do not sin, and shed no innocent blood in this place.


text:
For if you will indeed perform this word, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, and riding on chariots and horses; they, their servants, and their people.


text:
But if you will not perform these words, by Myself have I sworn,” says the Lord, “that this house shall be <i>brought</i> to desolation.”’”


text:
For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are Gilead to Me, <i>and</i> the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a desert, <i>even</i> cities that shall not be inhabited;


text:
and I will bring upon you a destroying man, and his axe; and they shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast <i>them</i> into the fire.


text:
And nations shall pass through this city, and each shall say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?’


text:
And they shall say, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped strange gods, and served them.’”


text:
Weep not for the dead, nor lament for him: weep bitterly for him that goes away; for he shall return no more, nor see his native land.


text:
<n>Message to the Sons of Josiah</n> For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, who reigns in the place of Josiah his father, who has gone forth out of this place: “He shall not return here anymore.


text:
But in that place where I have carried him captive, there shall he die, and shall see this land no more.”


text:
“<i>Woe to</i> him that builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and gives him nothing for his work.


text:
You have built for yourself a well-proportioned house, <i>with </i>airy chambers, fitted with windows, and paneled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.


text:
Shall you reign because you are provoked with your father Ahaz? They shall not eat, and they shall not drink: it is better for you to execute justice and righteousness.


text:
They did not understand, they did not judge the cause of the afflicted, nor the cause of the poor—is not this your not knowing Me?” says the Lord.


text:
“Behold, your eyes are not good, nor your heart, but <i>they go</i> after your covetousness, and after the innocent blood to shed it, and after acts of injustice and slaughter, to commit them.”


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, even concerning this man: “They shall not lament for him, <i>saying</i>, ‘Ah brother!’ Neither shall they weep for him, <i>saying</i>, ‘Alas Lord.’


text:
He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey; he shall be dragged roughly along and cast outside the gate of Jerusalem.


text:
“Go up to Lebanon and cry; and utter your voice to Bashan, and cry aloud to the extremity of the sea: for all your lovers are destroyed.


text:
I spoke to you on <i>occasion of</i> your trespass, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This <i>has been</i> your way from your youth, you have not listened to My voice.


text:
The wind shall tend all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go into captivity; for then shall you be ashamed and disgraced because of all your lovers.


text:
O inhabitant of Lebanon, making your nest in the cedars, you shall groan heavily, when pangs as of a travailing woman have come upon you.


text:
<n>Message to Jeconiah</n> “<i>As</i> I live,” says the Lord, “though Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet ring upon My right hand, yet would I pluck you off;


text:
and I will deliver you into the hands of them that seek you life, before whom you are afraid, into the hands of the Chaldeans.


text:
And I will cast you out, and your mother that bore you, into a land where you were not born; and there you shall die.


text:
Jeconiah is dishonored as a good for nothing vessel; for he is thrown out and cast forth into a land which he did not know.


text:
Write this man down as childless; for by no means shall his descendants ever grow up to sit on the throne of David, <i>or be as</i> a prince yet in Judah.”


text:
<n>Restoration After Exile</n> Woe to the shepherds that destroy and scatter the sheep of their pasture!


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord against them that tend My people: “You have scattered My sheep, and driven them out, and you have not visited them: behold, I <i>will</i> take vengeance upon you according to your evil practices.


text:
And I will gather in the remnant of My people in every land, where I have driven them out, and will set them in their pasture; and they shall increase and be multiplied.


text:
And I will raise up shepherds to them, who shall feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be alarmed,” says the Lord.


text:
<n>The Righteous Branch of David</n> “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and understand, and shall execute judgment and righteousness on the earth.


text:
In his days both Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell securely. And this is His name, which the Lord shall call Him, Josedek among the prophets.


text:
“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when they shall no more say, ‘The Lord lives, who brought up the house of Israel out of the land of Egypt’;


text:
but, ‘The Lord lives, who has gathered the whole seed of Israel from the north land, and from all the countries where He had driven them out, and has restored them into their own land.’”


text:
<n>False Prophets of Hope Denounced</n> My heart is broken within me; all my bones are shaken. I have become as a broken down man, and as a man overcome with wine, because of the Lord, and because of the excellence of His glory.


text:
For because of these things the land mourns; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course has become evil, and so <i>also</i> their strength.


text:
Therefore let their way be slippery and dark to them, and they shall be tripped up and fall in it; for I will bring evils upon them, in the year of their visitation.


text:
And in the prophets of Samaria I have seen lawless deeds; they prophesied by Baal, and led My people Israel astray.


text:
Also in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen horrible things: as they committed adultery, and walked in lies, and strengthened the hands of many, that they should not return each from his evil way. They have all become to Me as Sodom, and its inhabitants as Gomorrah.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will feed them with pain, and give them bitter water to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem has defilement gone forth <i>into</i> all the land.’”


text:
Thus says the Lord Almighty: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets, for they frame a vain vision for themselves; they speak from their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord.


text:
They say to them that reject the word of the Lord, ‘There shall be peace to you’; and to all that walk after their own lusts, and to everyone that walks in the error of his heart, they have said, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’”


text:
Behold, <i>there is</i> an earthquake from the Lord, and anger proceeds to a convulsion, it shall come violently upon the ungodly.


text:
And the Lord's wrath shall return no more, until He has accomplished it, and until He has established it, according to the purpose of His heart. At the end of the days they shall understand it.


text:
But if they had stood in My counsel, and if they had hearkened to My words, then would they have turned My people from their evil practices.


text:
Shall anyone hide himself in secret places, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” Says the Lord.


text:
“I have heard what the prophets say, what they prophesy in My name, saying falsely, ‘I have seen a night vision.’


text:
How long shall <i>these things</i> be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, when they prophesy the purposes of their own heart?


text:
Who devise that <i>men</i> may forget My law by their dreams, which they have told everyone to his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name in <i>the worship of</i> Baal.


text:
The prophet who has a dream, let him tell his dream; and <i>he</i> in whom is My word <i>spoken</i> to him, let him tell My word truly. What is the chaff to the wheat? So are My words,” says the Lord.


text:
“Behold, I am therefore against the prophets,” says the Lord God, “that steal My words everyone from his neighbor.


text:
Therefore behold, I am against the prophets that prophesy false dreams, and have not told them <i>truly</i>, and have caused My people to err by their lies, and by their errors; yet I did not send them, nor have I commanded them. Therefore, they shall not profit this people at all.


text:
“And if this people, or the priest, or the prophet, should ask, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden,’ and I will dash you down,” says the Lord.


text:
“<i>As for</i> the prophet and the priests and the people, who shall say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ I will even take vengeance on that man, and on his house.


text:
Thus shall you say everyone to his neighbor, and everyone to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ And, ‘What has the Lord said?’


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord our God: “Because you have spoken this word, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ and I sent to you, saying, you shall not say, ‘The burden of the Lord’;


text:
therefore behold, I <i>will</i> seize and dash you down and the city which I gave to you and your fathers.


text:
And I will bring upon you an everlasting reproach, and everlasting disgrace, which shall not be forgotten.”


text:
<n>The Good and the Bad Figs</n> The Lord showed me two baskets of figs, lying in front of the temple of the Lord, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried Jeconiah son of Joakim king of Judah captive, <i>along </i>with the princes, the craftsmen, the prisoners, and the rich men out of Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.


text:
The one basket was <i>full</i> of very good figs, as the early figs; and the other basket was <i>full</i> of very bad figs, which could not be eaten, for they were so bad.


text:
And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, for they are so bad.”


text:
“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge the Jews that have been carried away captive, whom I have sent forth out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for good.


text:
And I will fix My eyes upon them for good, and I will restore them into this land for good; and I will build them up, and not pull them down, and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.


text:
And I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be to Me a people, and I will be to them a God: for they shall turn to Me with all their heart.


text:
‘And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad’; thus says the Lord: ‘So will I deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his nobles, and the remnant of Jerusalem, them that are left in this land, and those that dwell in the land of Egypt.


text:
And I will cause them to be dispersed into all the kingdoms of the earth, and they shall be for a reproach, and a proverb, and an <i>object of</i> hatred, and a curse, in every place where I have driven them out.


text:
And I will send against them famine, and pestilence, and the sword, until they are consumed from off the land which I have given them.’”


text:
<n>Seventy Years of Desolation</n> The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah;


text:
“In the thirteenth year of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah, even until this day for twenty-three years, I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking,


text:
and I sent to you My servants the prophets, sending them early; (but you would not listen, nor incline your ear to hear) saying,


text:
‘Turn, everyone of you, from his evil way, and from your evil practices, and you shall dwell in the land which I gave to you and your fathers, forever and ever.


text:
Do not go after strange gods, to serve them, and to worship them, lest you provoke Me by the works of your hands, to do you harm.’


text:
behold I <i>will</i> send and take a family from the north, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants of it, and against all the nations round about it. And I will utterly destroy them, and make them a horror, and a hissing, and an everlasting reproach.


text:
And I will destroy from <i>among</i> them the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the scent of ointment, and the light of a candle.


text:
‘And when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will take vengeance on that nation, and will make them a perpetual desolation.


text:
And I will bring upon that land all My words which I have spoken against it, <i>even</i> all things that are written in this book.’”


text:
<n>The Cup of God’s Wrath</n> “Thus said the Lord God of Israel: ‘Take the cup of this unmixed wine from My hand, and you shall cause all the nations to drink, to whom I send you.


text:
Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings of Judah, and his princes, to make them a desert place, a desolation, and a hissing.


text:
and all the mixed multitude, and all the kings of the Philistines, <i>namely</i> Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,


text:
and all the kings from the north, the far and the near, each one with his brother, and all the kingdoms which are on the face of the earth.


text:
“And you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Lord Almighty: “Drink, and be drunk; and you shall vomit and fall, and shall by no means rise, because of the sword which I send among you.”’


text:
And it shall come to pass, when they refuse to take the cup out of your hand, to drink it, that you shall say, ‘Thus said the Lord: “You shall surely drink.


text:
For I am beginning to afflict the city which is called by My name, and you shall by no means be held guiltless: for I am calling a sword upon all that dwell upon the earth.”


text:
“And you shall prophesy against them these words, and shall say: ‘The Lord shall speak from on high, from His sanctuary He will utter His voice. He will pronounce a declaration on His place; and these shall answer like men gathering grapes. And destruction is coming on them that dwell on the earth,


text:
<i>even</i> upon <i>the extreme</i> part of the earth; for the Lord <i>has</i> a controversy with the nations, He is pleading with all flesh, and the ungodly are given to the sword,” says the Lord.


text:
“Thus said the Lord: ‘Behold, evils are proceeding from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind goes forth from the end of the earth.


text:
And the slain of the Lord shall be in the day of the Lord from <i>one</i> end of the earth even to the <i>other</i> end of the earth. They shall not be buried; they shall be as dung on the face of the earth.


text:
“Howl, O you shepherds, and cry; lament, you rams of the flock: for your days have been completed for slaughter, and you shall fall as the choice rams.


text:
A voice of the crying of the shepherds, and a moaning of the sheep and the rams: for the Lord has destroyed their pastures.


text:
<n>Jeremiah’s Prophecies in the Temple</n> In the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah, there came this word from the Lord:


text:
“Thus said the Lord: ‘Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and you shall declare to all the Jews, and to all that come to worship in the house of the Lord, all the words which I commanded you to speak to them; do not leave out one word.


text:
Perhaps they will listen, and turn from their evil ways; then I will cease from the evils which I purpose to do to them, because of their evil practices.’


text:
And you shall say, ‘Thus said the Lord: “If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My statutes which I set before you,


text:
to listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I sent to you early in the morning; yes, I sent them, but you did not listen to Me;


text:
then will I make this house as Shiloh, and I will make <i>this</i> city a curse to all the nations of all the earth.”’”


text:
And the priests, and the false prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.


text:
And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had ceased speaking all that the Lord had ordered him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the false prophets and all the people grabbed hold of him, saying,


text:
“You shall surely die, because you have prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be as Shiloh, and this city shall be made quite destitute of inhabitants.’” And all the people assembled against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.


text:
And the princes of Judah heard this word, and they went up out of the house of the king to the house of the Lord, and sat in the entrance of the new gate.


text:
Then the priests and the false prophets said to the princes and to all the people, “The judgment of death <i>is due</i> to this man, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”


text:
Then Jeremiah spoke to the princes, and to all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city, all the words which you have heard.


text:
And now amend your ways and your works, and listen to the voice of the Lord, and the Lord shall relent from the doom which He has pronounced against you.


text:
But be certain of this: that if you kill me, you shall bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon its inhabitants; for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”


text:
Then the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the false prophets; “Judgment of death is not <i>due</i> to this man; for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”


text:
“Micah the Moreshite lived in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah, ‘Thus says the Lord; Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become a desolation, and the mountain of the house shall be a thicket of trees.’


text:
Did Hezekiah and all Judah in any way kill him? Was it not that they feared the Lord, and they made supplication before the Lord, and the Lord relented from the doom which He <i>had</i> pronounced against them? But we have wrought great evil against our own souls.”


text:
And there was <i>another</i> man prophesying in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah, of Kirjath Jearim; and he prophesied concerning this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.


text:
And King Jehoiakim and all the princes heard all his words, and sought to kill him; and Urijah heard <i>it</i> and went to Egypt.


text:
and they brought him out, and brought him into the king; and he struck him with the sword, and cast him into the tomb of the children of his people.


text:
Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, to prevent his being delivered into the hands of the people, or from being killed.


text:
and you shall send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hands of their messengers that come to meet them at Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.


text:
And you shall commission them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Thus shall you say to your masters:


text:
“I have made the earth by My great power, and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to whomsoever it shall seem <i>good</i> in My eyes.


text:
I have given the earth to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to serve him, and the wild beasts of the field to labor for him.


text:
“And the nation and kingdom, all that shall not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, with sword and famine will I visit them,” says the Lord, “until they are consumed by his hand.


text:
And do not listen to your false prophets, nor to them that divine to you, nor to them that foretell events by dreams to you, nor to your soothsayers, nor your sorcerers, that say, ‘You shall by no means work for the king of Babylon’;


text:
But the nation which shall put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, I will even leave it upon its land, and it shall serve him, and dwell in it.”’”


text:
I spoke also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Put your neck into <i>the yoke</i>, and serve the king of Babylon.”


text:
for I did not send them, says the Lord; “and they prophesy <i>in</i> My name unjustly, that I might destroy you, and you should perish, and your prophets, who unrighteously prophesy lies to you.


text:
“I spoke to you, and to all this people, and to the priests, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall return from Babylon’—for they prophesy unrighteous <i>words</i> to you.


text:
If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is in them, let them meet Me, for thus has the Lord spoken.”


text:
<n>Hananiah Opposes Jeremiah and Dies</n> And it came to pass in the fourth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month, <i>that</i> Hananiah the false prophet, the son of Azur, from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying,


text:
<i>with</i> Jeconiah, and the captivity of Judah; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”


text:
Then Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah in the sight of all the people, and in the sight of the priests that stood in the house of the Lord,


text:
and Jeremiah said, “May the Lord indeed do thus; may He confirm your word which you prophesy, to return the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the captivity, out of Babylon to this place.


text:
Nevertheless hear the word of the Lord which I speak in your ears, and in the ears of all the people:


text:
The prophets that were before me and before you of old, also prophesied over much country, and against great kingdoms, concerning war.


text:
<i>As for</i> the prophet that has prophesied for peace, when the word has come <i>to pass</i>, they shall know the prophet whom the Lord has truly sent.”


text:
Then Hananiah took the yokes from the neck of Jeremiah in the sight of all the people, and broke them to pieces.


text:
And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus said the Lord: Thus will I break the yoke of the king of Babylon from the necks of all the nations.” And Jeremiah went his way.


text:
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah had broken the yokes off his neck, saying,


text:
“Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken the yokes of wood, but I will make yokes of iron in their place.


text:
For thus said the Lord: I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all the nations, that they may serve the king of Babylon.’”


text:
And Jeremiah said to Hananiah, “The Lord has not sent you; and you have caused this people to trust in unrighteousness.


text:
Therefore thus said the Lord: ‘Behold, I <i>will</i> cast you off from the face of the earth—this year you shall die!’”


text:
<n>Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon</n> And these are the words of the book which Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the false prophets, even an epistle to Babylon for the captivity, and to all the people:


text:
(after the departure of Jeconiah the king, <i>with</i> the queen, the eunuchs, every freeman and bondsman, and craftsman, out of Jerusalem)


text:
by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to <i>Nebuchadnezzar</i> king of Babylon, to Babylon) saying,


text:
“Thus said the Lord God of Israel concerning the captivity which I caused to be carried away from Jerusalem:


text:
and take for yourselves wives, and bear sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and be multiplied, and not diminished.


text:
And seek the peace of the land into which I have carried you captive, and you shall pray to the Lord for the people: for in its peace you shall <i>have</i> peace.’


text:
‘For thus says the Lord: Let not the false prophets that are among you persuade you, and let not your diviners persuade you, and do not heed the dreams which you dream.


text:
‘For thus said the Lord: When seventy years shall be on the verge of being accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and I will confirm My words to you, to bring back your people to this place.


text:
And I will devise for you a plan of peace, and not evil, to bestow upon you these <i>good things</i>.


text:
“Thus says the Lord concerning Ahab <i>the son of Kolaiah</i>, and concerning Zedekiah: Behold, I <i>will</i> deliver them into the hands of the king of Babylon; and he shall slay them in your sight.


text:
And they shall make of them a curse in all the captivity of Judah in Babylon, saying, ‘The Lord do to you as He did to Zedekiah, and as He did to Ahab, whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire’;


text:
because of the iniquity which they have done in Israel, and <i>because</i> they committed adultery with the wives of their fellow citizens, and spoke a word in My name, which I did not command them <i>to speak</i>, and I am witness,” says the Lord.


text:
‘The Lord has made you priest in the place of Jehoida the priest, to be ruler in the house of the Lord over every prophet, and to every madman, and you shall put them in prison, and into the dungeon.


text:
Did he not send for this purpose? For in the course of this month he sent to you to Babylon, saying, “It is far off: build houses, and inhabit <i>them</i>; plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.”’”


text:
“Send to the captivity, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in iniquity,


text:
therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will visit Shemaiah and his family; and there shall not be a man of them in the midst of you to see the good which I will do for <i>My</i> people; they shall not see <i>it</i>.’”


text:
<n>Restoration Promised for Israel and Judah</n> The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,


text:
For behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will bring back the captivity of My people Israel and Judah; and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall be masters over it,” says the Lord.


text:
Ask, and see if a male has ever born a child? And <i>ask</i> concerning the fear, why they shall hold their loins, and <i>look for</i> safety; for I have seen every man, and his hands are on his loins; <i>their</i> faces have turned pale.


text:
For that day is great, and there is none like it; and it is a time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.


text:
In that day, said the Lord, I will break the yoke off their neck, and will burst their bonds, and they shall no longer serve strangers.


text:
There is none to judge your cause; you have been painfully treated for healing, there is no help for you.


text:
All your friends have forgotten you; they shall not ask <i>about you</i> at all, for I have struck you with the stroke of the enemy, <i>even</i> severe correction. Your sins have abounded above all your iniquity.


text:
Your sins have abounded beyond the multitude of your iniquities, <i>therefore</i> they have done these things to you.


text:
Therefore all that devour you shall be eaten, and all your enemies shall eat all their <i>own</i> flesh. And they that spoil you shall become a spoil, and I will give up to be plundered all that have plundered you.


text:
For I will bring about your healing, I will heal you of your grievous wound, says the Lord; for you are called Dispersed: she is your prey, for no one seeks after her.”


text:
“Thus said the Lord: Behold, I will turn the captivity of Jacob, and will have pity upon his prisoners; and the city shall be built upon her hill, and the people shall settle after their manner.


text:
And there shall go forth from them singers, <i>even</i> the sound of men making merry, and I will multiply them, and they shall by no means be diminished.


text:
And their sons shall go in as before, and their testimonies shall be established before Me, and I will visit those that afflict them.


text:
And their mighty ones shall be over them, and their prince shall proceed of themselves; and I will gather them, and they shall return to Me; for who is this that has set his heart to return to Me?” says the Lord.


text:
For the wrathful anger of the Lord has gone forth, <i>even</i> a whirlwind of anger has gone forth: it shall come upon the ungodly.


text:
The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until He shall execute <i>it</i>, and until He shall establish the purpose of His heart. In the latter days you shall know these things.


text:
<n>The Joyful Return of the Exiles</n> “At that time, says the Lord, I will be a God to the family of Israel, and they shall be to Me a people.


text:
Thus says the Lord: I found him warm in the wilderness with them that were slain with the sword: therefore go and do not destroy Israel.”


text:
The Lord appeared to him from afar, <i>saying</i>, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you.


text:
For I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel. You shall yet take your timbrel, and go forth with the party of them that make merry.


text:
For it is a day when those that plead on the mountains of Ephraim shall call, <i>saying</i>, ‘Arise, and go up to Zion to the Lord your God.’”


text:
“For thus says the Lord to Jacob: Rejoice, and exult over the head of the nations: make proclamation, and praise. Say, ‘The Lord has delivered His people, the remnant of Israel.’


text:
Behold, I bring them from the north, and I will gather them from the end of the earth to the feast of the Passover: and <i>the people</i> shall beget a great multitude, and they shall return there.


text:
They went forth with weeping, and I will bring them back with consolation, causing them to lodge by the channels of waters in a straight way, and they shall not err in it: for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.


text:
“Hear the words of the Lord, you nations, and proclaim <i>them</i> to the islands afar off. Say, ‘He that scattered Israel will also gather him, and keep him as one that feeds his flock.’


text:
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, He has rescued him out of the hand of them <i>that were</i> stronger than he.


text:
And they shall come, and shall rejoice in the mount of Zion, and shall come to the good things of the Lord, to a land of wheat, and wine, and fruits, and cattle, and sheep. And their soul shall be as a fruitful tree; and they shall hunger no more.


text:
Then shall the virgins rejoice in the assembly of youth, and the old men shall rejoice; and I will turn their mourning into joy, and will make them merry.


text:
I will expand and cheer with wine the soul of the priests, the sons of Levi, and My people shall be satisfied with My good things. Thus says the Lord.”


text:
A voice was heard in Ramah, <i>that </i>of lamentation, and of weeping, and wailing— Rachel would not cease weeping for her children, because they are not.


text:
“Thus says the Lord: Let your voice cease from weeping, and your eyes from your tears; for your work shall be rewarded, and they shall return from the land of <i>your</i> enemies.


text:
“I have heard the sound of Ephraim lamenting, <i>and saying</i>, ‘You have chastened me, and I was chastened; I as a calf was not <i>willingly</i> taught: turn me, and I shall turn; for You <i>are</i> the Lord my God.


text:
For after my captivity I repented, and after I knew, I groaned for the day of shame, and showed You that I bore reproach from my youth.’


text:
Ephraim is a beloved son, a pleasing child to Me: for because My words are in him, I will surely remember him. Therefore I made haste <i>to help</i> him. I will surely have mercy upon him, says the Lord.”


text:
“Prepare yourself, O Zion; execute vengeance. Look to your ways; return, O virgin of Israel, by the way in which you went, return mourning to your cities.


text:
How long, O disgraced daughter, will you turn away? For the Lord has created safety for a new plantation. Men shall go about in safety.


text:
For thus says the Lord: “They shall yet speak this word in the land of Judah, and in its cities, when I shall turn his captivity: ‘Blessed be the Lord on His righteous holy mountain!’


text:
And there shall be inhabitants in the cities of Judah, and in all his land, together with the farmers, and <i>the shepherd</i> shall go forth with the flock.


text:
“Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and the seed of beast.


text:
And it shall come to pass, that as I watched over them, to pull down, and to afflict, so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, says the Lord.


text:
In those days they shall certainly not say, ‘The fathers ate a sour grape, and the children's teeth were set on edge.’


text:
But everyone shall die in his own sin; and the teeth of him that eats the sour grape shall be set on edge.


text:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah.


text:
Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not abide in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.


text:
For this is My covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: after those days, says the Lord, I will surely put My laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts. And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.


text:
And no more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ For all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins I will remember no more.”


text:
Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the moon and the stars for a light by night, and <i>makes</i> a roaring in the sea, so that its waves roar: the Lord Almighty is His name:


text:
“If these ordinances cease from before Me, says the Lord, then shall the family of Israel cease to be a nation before Me forever.


text:
Though the sky should be raised to a <i>greater</i> height, says the Lord, and though the ground of the earth should be sunk <i>lower</i> beneath, yet I will not cast off the family of Israel, says the Lord, for all that they have done.


text:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.


text:
And the measurement of it shall proceed in front of them as far as the hills of Gareb, and it shall be compassed with a circular wall of choice stones.


text:
And all the Asaremoth, even to the Brook Kidron, as far as the corner of the Horse Gate eastward, shall be holiness to the Lord; and it shall not fail anymore, and shall not be destroyed forever.”


text:
<n>Jeremiah Buys a Field</n> The word that came from the Lord to Jeremiah in the tenth year of King Zedekiah, this is the eighteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.


text:
And the army of the king of Babylon had made a rampart against Jerusalem; and Jeremiah was kept in the court of the prison, which is in the king's house.


text:
For King Zedekiah<i> had</i> shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I <i>will</i> give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;


text:
and Zedekiah shall by no means be delivered out of the hand of the Chaldeans, for he shall certainly be given up into the hands of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak to his mouth, and his eyes shall look upon his eyes;


text:
“Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallom your father's brother is coming to you, saying, ‘Buy my field that is in Anathoth: for you <i>have</i> the right of redemption, to buy <i>it</i>.’”


text:
So Hanamel the son of Shallom my father's brother came to me into the court of the prison, and said, “Buy my field that is in the land of Benjamin, in Anathoth: for you <i>have</i> a right to buy it, and you are the elder.” So I knew that it was the word of the Lord.


text:
And I bought the field of Hanamel the son of my father's brother, and I weighed him seventeen shekels of silver.


text:
And I wrote <i>it</i> in a book, and sealed <i>it</i>, and took the testimony of witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.


text:
and I gave it to Baruch son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my father's brother's son, and in the sight of the men that stood by and wrote in the book of the purchase, and in the sight of the Jews that were in the court of the prison.


text:
“Take this book of the purchase, and the book that has been read; and you shall put it into an earthen vessel, that it may remain many days.


text:
And I prayed to the Lord after I had given the book of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, saying,


text:
“O great Lord! You have made the heaven and the earth by Your great power, and with Your high and outstretched arm; nothing can be hidden from You;


text:
granting mercy to thousands, and recompensing the sins of the fathers into the bosoms of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God;


text:
the Lord of great counsel, and mighty in deeds, the Great Almighty God, and Lord of great name. Your eyes are upon the ways of the children of men, to give to everyone according to his way;


text:
who has wrought signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even to this day, and in Israel, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and You made for Yourself a name, as it is this day;


text:
and You brought out Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great sights.


text:
and they went in, and took it; but they did not heed Your voice, and did not walk in Your ordinances. They did none of the things which You commanded them, and they caused all these calamities to come upon them.


text:
Behold, a multitude has come against the city, to take it; and the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans that fight against it, by the power of the sword, and the famine. As You have spoken, so has it happened.


text:
And You have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money’; and I wrote a book, and sealed <i>it</i>, and took the testimony of witnesses: and the city was given into the hands of the Chaldeans.”


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it:


text:
and the Chaldeans shall come to war against this city, and they shall burn this city with fire, and shall burn down the houses where they burnt incense on its roofs to Baal, and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me.


text:
For this city was <i>obnoxious</i> to My anger and My wrath, from the day that they built it, even to this day; that I should remove it from My presence,


text:
because of all the wickedness of the children of Israel and Judah, which they have done to provoke Me, they and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.


text:
And they turned their backs to Me, and not their faces; though I taught them early in the morning, but they listened no more to receive instructions,


text:
And they built to Baal the altars that are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer their sons and their daughters to King Moloch; which things I did not command them, neither came it into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.


text:
“And now thus has the Lord God of Israel said concerning this city, of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by famine, and banishment’:


text:
“Behold, I <i>will</i> gather them out of every land, where I have scattered them in My anger, and My wrath, and great fury; and I will bring them back into this place, and will cause them to dwell safely:


text:
And I will give them another way, and another heart, to fear Me continually, and <i>that</i> for good to them and their children after them.


text:
And I will make with them an everlasting covenant, which I will by no means turn away from them, and I will put My fear into their heart, that they may not depart from Me.


text:
And I will visit <i>them</i> to do them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, and with all My heart, and with all <i>My</i> soul.


text:
“For thus says the Lord: As I have brought upon this people all these great evils, so will I bring upon them all the good things which I pronounced upon them.


text:
And there shall yet be fields bought in the land, of which you say, ‘It shall be destitute of man and beast; and they are delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans.’


text:
And they shall buy fields for money, and you shall write a book, and seal <i>it</i>, and shall take the testimony of witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south: for I will turn their captivity.”


text:
<n>Healing After Punishment</n> And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, when he was yet bound in the court of the prison, saying,


text:
Cry out to Me, and I will answer you, and I will declare to you great and mighty things, which you know not.


text:
For thus says the Lord concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the king of Judah, which have been pulled down for mounds and fortifications,


text:
to fight against the Chaldeans, and to fill it with the corpses of men, whom I struck down in My anger and My wrath, and turned away My face from them, for all their wickedness:


text:
‘Behold, I bring upon her healing and a cure, and I will show <i>Myself</i> to them, and will heal her, and make both peace and security.


text:
And I will turn the captivity of Judah, and the captivity of Israel, and will build them, even as before.


text:
And I will cleanse them from all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me, and I will not remember their sins by which they have sinned against Me, and revolted from Me.


text:
And it shall be for joy and praise, and for glory to all the people of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I will do. And they shall fear and be provoked for all the good things and for all the peace which I will bring upon them.


text:
Thus says the Lord: There shall yet be heard in this place, of which you say, It is destitute of men and cattle, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, <i>the places</i> that have been made desolate for lack of men and cattle,


text:
the voice of gladness, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of men saying, ‘Give thanks to the Lord Almighty; for the Lord is good; for His mercy <i>endures</i> forever.’ And they shall bring gifts into the house of the Lord, for I will turn all the captivity of that land as before,’ says the Lord.


text:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: There shall yet be in this place, that is desolate of man and beast, and in all its cities, resting places for shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.


text:
In the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the <i>cities</i> round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall yet pass under the hand of him that numbers <i>them</i>,” says the Lord.


text:
<n>Death in Captivity Predicted for Zedekiah</n> The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord (now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the country of his dominion, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah), saying,


text:
“Thus says the Lord: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah, and you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it, and shall burn it with fire.


text:
And you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall certainly be taken, and shall be given into his hands; and your eyes shall see his eyes, and you shall enter into Babylon.


text:
You shall die in peace; and as they wept for your fathers that reigned before you, so shall they weep for you, <i>saying</i>, “Alas, lord!” And they shall lament for you down to the grave; for I have spoken the word, says the Lord.’”


text:
And the army of the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem, and against the cities of Judah, and against Lachish, and against Azekah; for these fortified cities were left among the cities of Judah.


text:
<n>Treacherous Treatment of Slaves</n> <i>This is </i>the word that came from the Lord to Jeremiah, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with the people, to proclaim a release:


text:
That every man should set his servant free, and every man his maidservant, the Hebrew man and Hebrew woman, that no one from Judah should be in bondage.


text:
Then all the nobles, and all the people who had entered into the covenant, <i>engaging</i> to set free everyone of his male and female slaves, <i>changed their minds</i>,


text:
“Thus says the Lord: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,


text:
‘When six years are accomplished, you shall set free your brother the Hebrew, who shall be sold to you; for he shall serve you six years, and <i>then</i> you shall let him go free.’ But they did not listen to Me, nor incline their ear.


text:
And this day they turned to do that which was right in My sight, to proclaim everyone the release of his neighbor; and they had made a covenant before Me, in the house which is called by My name.


text:
But you turned and profaned My name, to bring back everyone his servant, and everyone his maid, whom you had set free <i>and</i> at their own disposal, to be to you male and female slaves.


text:
Therefore thus said the Lord: You have not listened to Me, to proclaim a release everyone to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim a release to you, to the sword, and to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will give you up to dispersion <i>among</i> all the kingdoms of the earth.


text:
And I will give the men that have transgressed My covenant, who have not kept My covenant, which they made before Me, the calf which they prepared to sacrifice with it,


text:
I will even give them to their enemies, and their carcasses shall be food for the birds of the sky and for the wild beasts of the earth.


text:
And I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, and their princes, into the hands of their enemies, and the host of the king of Babylon <i>shall come upon</i> them that run away from them.


text:
Behold, I <i>will</i> give command, says the Lord, and will bring them back to this land; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire, and the cities of Judah; and I will make them desolate without inhabitants.”


text:
<n>The Rechabites Commended</n> The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, saying,


text:
“Go to the house of the Rechabites, and you shall bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the courts, and give them wine to drink.”


text:
So I brought forth Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers, and his sons, and all the family of the Rechabites.


text:
And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Ananias, the son of Godolias, a man of God, who dwells near the house of the princes that are over the house of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, who kept the court.


text:
But they said, “We will by no means drink wine, for our father Jonadab the son of Rechab commanded us, saying, ‘You shall by no means drink wine, <i>neither</i> you, nor your sons, forever.


text:
Neither shall you build houses, nor sow any seed, nor shall you have a vineyard; for you shall dwell in tents all your days, that you may live many days upon the land in which you sojourn.’


text:
And we heeded the voice of Jonadab our father, so as to drink no wine all our days—we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters;


text:
But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.


text:
And it came to pass, when Nebuchadnezzar came up against the land, that we said we would come in; and we entered into Jerusalem, for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Assyrians; and we dwelt there.”


text:
“Thus says the Lord: Go, and say to the men of Judah, and to them that dwell in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not receive correction, and listen to My words?


text:
The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the word which he commanded his children, that they should drink no wine; and they have not drunk; but I spoke to you early, and you would not listen.


text:
And I sent to you My servants the prophets, saying, ‘Turn, everyone from his evil way, and amend your practices, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell upon the land which I gave to you and to your fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ears, and you would not listen.


text:
But the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command of their father; but this people have not obeyed Me.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I <i>will</i> bring upon Judah and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evils which I pronounced against them.”


text:
“Therefore thus says the Lord: Since the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have obeyed the command of their father, to do as their father commanded them,


text:
there shall never lack a man of the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab to stand before My face while the earth remains.”


text:
<n>The Scroll Read in the Temple</n> In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,


text:
“Take a scroll of a book, and write upon it all the words which I spoke to you against Jerusalem, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day when I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah king of Judah, even to this day.


text:
Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the evils which I purpose to do to them; that they may turn from their evil way; and <i>so</i> I will be merciful to their iniquities and their sins.”


text:
So Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah. And he wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which He had spoken to him, on a roll of a book.


text:
So you shall read this scroll in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord, on the day of fasting; and in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities, you shall read to them.


text:
Perhaps their supplication will come before the Lord, and they will turn from their evil way; for great is the wrath and the anger of the Lord, which He has pronounced against this people.”


text:
And Baruch did according to all that Jeremiah commanded him—reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.


text:
And it came to pass in the eighth year of King Jehoiakim, in the ninth month, that all the people in Jerusalem and the house of Judah proclaimed a fast before the Lord.


text:
And Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the house of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, in the entrance of the new gate of the house of the Lord, and in the ears of all the people.


text:
And Michaiah the son of Gemariah the son of Shaphan heard all the words of the Lord, <i>read </i>from out of the book.


text:
And he went down to the king's house, into the house of the scribe. And behold, there were sitting there all the princes, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Jonathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.


text:
And Michaiah reported to them all the words which he had heard Baruch reading in the ears of the people.


text:
And all the princes sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll in which you read in the ears of the people, and come.” So Baruch took the scroll, and went down to them.


text:
And it came to pass, when they heard all the words, <i>that</i> they took counsel each with his neighbor, and said, “Let us by all means tell the king all these words.”


text:
And Baruch said, “Jeremiah told me from his <i>own</i> mouth all these words, and I wrote them in a book.”


text:
And they went in to the king into the court, and gave the scroll <i>to one</i> to keep in the house of Elishama; and they told the king all these words.


text:
And the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll. And he took it out of the house of Elishama, and Jehudi read <i>the scroll </i>in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes who stood round the king.


text:
And it came to pass when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut them off with a penknife, and cast <i>them</i> into the fire that was on the hearth, until the whole scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.


text:
And the king and his servants that heard all these words did not seek <i>the Lord</i>, and did not tear their clothes.


text:
And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch and Jeremiah, but they were hidden.


text:
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after the king had burnt the scroll, <i>and</i> all the words which Baruch had written by the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,


text:
“Again take another scroll, and write all the words that were on the scroll which King Jehoiakim has burned.


text:
And you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have burned this scroll, saying, “Why have you written in here, saying, ‘The king of Babylon shall certainly come in, and destroy this land, and man and beast shall fail from off it?’”


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall not have <i>a man</i> to sit on the throne of David, and his carcass shall be cast out in the heat by day, and in the frost by night.


text:
And I will visit him, and his family, and his servants; and I will bring upon him, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the land of Judah, all the evils which I spoke of to them; and they did not heed.”


text:
And Baruch took another scroll, and wrote upon it by the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim had burned. And there were yet more words added to it like the former.


text:
<n>Zedekiah’s Vain Hope</n> And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed to reign over Judah.


text:
And he and his servants and the people of the land would not listen to the words of the Lord, which He spoke by Jeremiah.


text:
And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now for us to the Lord.”


text:
Now Jeremiah came and went through the midst of the city, for they <i>had</i> not put him into the house of the prison.


text:
And Pharaoh’s army had come forth out of Egypt; and the Chaldeans heard the report of them, and they went up from Jerusalem.


text:
“Thus says the Lord: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent to you, to seek Me: ‘Behold, the army of Pharaoh which has come forth to help you shall return to the land of Egypt.


text:
And the Chaldeans themselves shall turn again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.


text:
For thus says the Lord: Do not assume in your hearts, saying, ‘The Chaldeans will certainly depart from us’: for they shall not depart.


text:
And though you should strike the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there should be left a few wounded <i>men</i>, these should rise up each in his place, and burn this city with fire.”


text:
<n>Jeremiah Imprisoned</n> And it came to pass, when the army of the Chaldeans had gone up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,


text:
that Jeremiah went forth from Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to buy <i>some property</i> from there among the people.


text:
And he was in the gate of Benjamin, and <i>there was</i> a man there with whom he lodged, Irajah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he caught Jeremiah, saying, “You are fleeing to the Chaldeans!”


text:
And he said, “<i>That’s a </i>lie! I am not fleeing to the Chaldeans!” But he would not listen to him. So Irajah caught Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.


text:
And the princes were very angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and sent him into the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had turned <i>his house </i>into a prison.


text:
Then Zedekiah sent, and called him. And the king asked him secretly, saying, “Is there a word from the Lord?” And he said, “There is. You shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”


text:
And Jeremiah said to the king, “How have I wronged you, or your servants, or this people, that you have put me in prison?


text:
And where are your prophets who prophesied to you saying, ‘The king of Babylon shall not come against this land?’


text:
Now therefore, my lord the king, let my supplication come before your face; and why do you send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe? And by no means let me die there.”


text:
Then the king commanded, and they cast him into the prison, and gave him a loaf a day out of the place where they bake, until the bread failed out of the city. So Jeremiah continued in the court of the prison.


text:
<n>Jeremiah in the Cistern</n> And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, heard the words which Jeremiah spoke to the people, saying,


text:
“Thus says the Lord: He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by famine. But he that goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; and his life shall be to him as a found treasure, and he shall live.


text:
For thus says the Lord: This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, and they shall take it.”


text:
And they said to the king, “Let that man be slain, for he weakens the hands of the fighting men that are left in the city, and the hands of all the people, speaking to them according to these words; for this man does not prophesy peace to this people, but evil.”


text:
And they cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison; and they let him down into the pit: and there was no water in the pit, but mire. And he was in the mire.


text:
<n>Jeremiah Rescued my Ebed-Melech</n> And Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian heard (now he was in the king's household) that they <i>had</i> put Jeremiah into the dungeon; and the king was in the Gate of Benjamin.


text:
“You have wrought evil in what you have done to slay this man with hunger, for there is no more bread in the city.”


text:
And the king commanded Ebed-Melech, saying, “Take with you thirty men from here, and bring him up out of the dungeon, lest he die.”


text:
So Ebed-Melech took the men and went into the underground <i>part of the</i> king's house, and took from there old rags and old ropes, and threw them down to Jeremiah into the dungeon.


text:
And they pulled him up with the ropes, and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.


text:
<n>Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah Again</n> Then the king sent, and called <i>Jeremiah</i> to himself into the house of Aselisel, which was in the house of the Lord. And the king said to him, “I will ask you a question, and I pray you hide nothing from me.”


text:
And Jeremiah said to the king, “If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will by no means listen to me.”


text:
And the king swore to him, saying, “<i>As</i> the Lord lives, who gave us this soul, I will not slay you, neither will I give you into the hands of these men.”


text:
And Jeremiah said to him, Thus says the Lord: “If you will indeed go forth to the captains of the king of Babylon, your soul shall live, and this city shall certainly not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house.


text:
But if you will not go forth, <i>then</i> this city shall be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall by no means escape.”


text:
And the king said to Jeremiah, “I consider the Jews that have gone over to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hands, and they mock me.”


text:
And Jeremiah said, “They shall by no means deliver you up. Hear the word of the Lord which I speak to you; and it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.


text:
And behold, all the women that are left in the house of the king of Judah were brought forth to the princes of the king of Babylon. And they said, “The men who were at peace with you have deceived you, and will prevail against you; and they shall cause your foot to slide and fail, they have turned back from you.


text:
And they shall bring forth your wives and your children to the Chaldeans; and you shall by no means escape, for you shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned.”


text:
Then the king said to him, “Let no man know <i>any</i> of these words, and certainly you shall not die.


text:
And if the princes shall hear that I have spoken to you, and they come to you, and say to you, ‘Tell us, what did the king say to you? Do not hide <i>it</i> from us, and we will by no means kill you, and what did the king say to you?’


text:
Then you shall say to them, ‘I brought my supplication before the presence of the king, that he would not send me back into the house of Jonathan, that I should die there.’”


text:
And all the princes came to Jeremiah, and asked him. And he told them according to all these words which the king had commanded him. And they were silent, because the word of the Lord was not heard.


text:
<n>The Fall of Jerusalem</n> And it came to pass in the ninth month of Zedekiah king of Judah, <i>that</i> Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, he and all his army, and they besieged it.


text:
And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated.


text:
And all the leaders of the king of Babylon went in, and sat in the middle gate, Marganasar, Samagoth, Nabusachar, Nabusaris, Nagargas, Naserrabamath, and the rest of the leaders of the king of Babylon,


text:
and they sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. And they brought him out, and he sat in the midst of the people.


text:
“Go and say to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus said the Lord God of Israel: Behold, I <i>will</i> bring My words upon this city for evil, and not for good.


text:
But I will save you in that day, and I will by no means deliver you into the hands of the men before whom you are afraid.


text:
For I will surely save you, and you shall by no means fall by the sword; and you shall find your life, because you trusted in Me, says the Lord.’”


text:
<n>Jeremiah with Gedaliah the Governor</n> The word that came from the Lord to Jeremiah, after that Nabuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go out of Ramah, when he had taken him in chains in the midst of the captivity of Judah, <i>even</i> those who were carried to Babylon.


text:
And the chief captain of the guard took him, and said to him, “The Lord your God has pronounced all these evils upon this place;


text:
Behold, I have loosed you from the chains that were upon your hands. If it seems good to you to go with me to Babylon, then will I set my eyes upon you.


text:
But if not, depart. Return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed governor in the land of Judah, and dwell with him in the midst of the people in the land of Judah. Or go to wherever places seems good in your sight to go.” And the captain of the guard made him presents, and let him go.


text:
And all the leaders of the army that were in the country, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah <i>governor</i> in the land, and they committed to him the men and their wives whom <i>Nebuchadnezzar had</i> not taken to Babylon.


text:
And there came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of a Maachathite, they and their men.


text:
And Gedaliah swore to them and to their men, saying, “Do not be afraid before the children of the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.


text:
And behold, I dwell in your presence at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans who shall come against you. And gather grapes, and fruits, and oil, and put <i>them</i> into your vessels, and dwell in the cities which you have obtained possession of.”


text:
And all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and those <i>that were</i> in Edom, and those <i>that were</i> in all <i>the rest of</i> the country, heard that the king of Babylon <i>had</i> granted a remnant to Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.


text:
And they came to Gedaliah into the land of Judah, to Mizpah, and gathered grapes, and very much summer fruit, and oil.


text:
And Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the leaders of the army, who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah at Mizpah,


text:
and said to him, “Do you indeed know that King Baalis son of Ammon has sent Ismael to you, to kill you?” But Gedaliah did not believe them.


text:
And Johanan said to Gedaliah secretly in Mizpah, “I will go now and kill Ishmael, and let no man know <i>it</i>; lest he kill you, and all the Jews that are gathered to you be dispersed, and the remnant of Judah perish.”


text:
<n>Insurrection Against Gedaliah</n> Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama of the royal family came, and ten men with him, to Gedaliah, at Mizpah. And they ate bread there together.


text:
And Ishmael rose up, and the ten men that were with him, and killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed <i>governor</i> over the land,


text:
that there came men from Shechem, and from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes torn, and beating their breasts, and <i>they had</i> manna and frankincense in their hands, to bring into the house of the Lord.


text:
And Ishmael went out to meet them; <i>and</i> they went on and wept. And he said to them, “Come in to Gedaliah.”


text:
And it came to pass, when they had entered into the midst of the city, <i>that</i> he killed them <i>and cast them</i> into a pit.


text:
But ten men were found there, and they said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have treasures in the field, wheat and barley, honey and oil.” So he passed by, and did not kill them in the midst of their brothers.


text:
Now the pit into which Ishmael cast all whom he killed is the great pit, which King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ismael filled this with the slain.


text:
And Ishmael brought back all the people that were left in Mizpah, and the king's daughter, whom the captain of the guard had committed in charge to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And he went away beyond the children of Ammon.


text:
And Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the leaders of the army that were with him, heard of all the evil deeds which Ishmael had done.


text:
And they brought all their army, and went to fight against him, and found him near much water in Gibeon.


text:
And it came to pass, that when all the people that were with Ishmael saw Johanan, and the leaders of the army that were with him,


text:
And Johanan, and all the leaders of the army that were with him, took all the remnant of the people, whom he had brought back from Ishmael, mighty men in war, and the women, and the other <i>property</i>, and the eunuchs, whom they had brought back from Gibeon;


text:
and they departed, and dwelt in Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go into Egypt, for fear of the Chaldeans;


text:
for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed in the land.


text:
<n>Jeremiah Advises Survivors Not to Migrate</n> Then all the leaders of the army came, and Johanan, and Azarias the son of Maasaiah, and all the people great and small,


text:
to Jeremiah the prophet, and said to him, “Let now our supplication come before your face, and pray to the Lord your God for this remnant; for we are left <i>but a </i>few out of many, as your eyes see.


text:
And let the Lord your God declare to us the way in which we should walk, and the thing which we should do.”


text:
And Jeremiah said to them, “I have heard <i>you. </i>Behold, I will pray for you to the Lord our God, according to your words; and it shall come to pass, <i>that</i> whatsoever word the Lord God shall answer, I will declare to you; I will not hide anything from you.”


text:
And they said to Jeremiah, “Let the Lord be between us for a just and faithful witness, if we do not according to every word which the Lord shall send to us.


text:
And whether <i>it be</i> good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, because we shall obey the voice of the Lord our God.”


text:
And he called Johanan, and the leaders of the army, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,


text:
If you will indeed dwell in this land, I will build you, and will not pull <i>you</i> down, and I will plant you, and by no means pluck you up; for I have ceased from the calamities which I brought upon you.


text:
Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not fear him, says the Lord. For I am with you, to deliver you, and save you out of their hand.


text:
“and we will go into the land of Egypt, and we shall see no war, and shall not hear the sound of a trumpet, and we shall not hunger for bread; and there we will dwell”—


text:
If you set your face toward Egypt, and go in there to dwell; then it shall be <i>that</i> the sword in which you fear shall find you in the land of Egypt, and the famine in which you have regard, shall overtake you in Egypt; and there you shall die.


text:
And all the men, and all the strangers who have set their face toward the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall be consumed by the sword, and by the famine; and there shall not one of them escape from the evils which I bring upon them.


text:
“For thus says the Lord: As My wrath has dropped upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall My wrath drop upon you, when you have entered into Egypt. And you shall be a desolation, and under the power of others, and a curse and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.”


text:
Thus says the Lord concerning you the remnant of Judah: “Do not go into Egypt.” And now know this for certain,


text:
that you have wrought wickedness in your hearts, when you sent for me, saying, “Pray for us to the Lord; and according to all that the Lord shall speak to you we will do.”


text:
Now therefore you shall perish by the sword and by famine, in the place in which you desire to dwell.


text:
<n>Jeremiah Taken to Egypt</n> And it came to pass, when Jeremiah ceased speaking to the people all the words of the Lord, <i>for</i> which the Lord had sent him to them,


text:
that Azariah son of Hoshaiah spoke, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the men who had spoken to Jeremiah, saying, “You speak falsely! The Lord has not sent you to us, saying, ‘Do not go into Egypt, to dwell there.


text:
But Baruch the son of Neriah sets you against us, that you may deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans, to kill us, and that we should be carried away captive to Babylon.”


text:
So Johanan, and all the leaders of the army, and all the people, refused to obey the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah.


text:
And Johanan, and all the leaders of the army, took all the remnant of Judah, who had returned to dwell in the land;


text:
the mighty men, and the women, and the children that were left, and the daughters of the king, and the people which Nebuzaradan had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.


text:
And they came into Egypt, for they would not obey the voice of the Lord, and they entered into Tahpanhes.


text:
“Take for yourself large stones, and hide them in the entrance, at the gate of the house of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah.


text:
And you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I <i>will</i> send, and will bring Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall place his throne upon these stones which you have hidden, and he shall lift up weapons against them.


text:
And he shall enter in, and strike the land of Egypt, <i>and deliver</i> to death <i>those appointed </i>for death; and to captivity <i>those appointed</i> for captivity; and to the sword <i>those appointed</i> for the sword.


text:
And he shall kindle a fire in the houses of their gods, and shall burn them, and shall carry them away captives; and shall search the land of Egypt, as a shepherd searches his garment; and he shall go forth in peace.


text:
And he shall break to pieces the pillars of Heliopolis that are in On, and shall burn their houses with fire.”


text:
<n>Denunciation of Persistent Idolatry</n> The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt, and for those settled in Migdol and in Tahpanhes, and in the land of Pathura, saying,


text:
“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: You have seen all the evils which I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon the cities of Judah; and behold, they are desolate without inhabitants,


text:
because of their wickedness which they have done to provoke Me, <i>by</i> going to burn incense to other gods, whom you did not know.


text:
Yet I sent to you My servants the prophets early in the morning; and I sent, saying, ‘Do not do this abominable thing which I hate.’


text:
But they would not listen to Me, and would not incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn incense to strange gods.


text:
So My anger and My wrath fell <i>upon them</i>, and was kindled in the gates of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they became a desolation and a waste, as it is this day.


text:
And now thus says the Lord Almighty: Why do you commit <i>these</i> great evils against your souls, to cut off man and woman from you, infant and suckling from the midst of Judah, to the end that not one of you should be left;


text:
by provoking Me with the works of your hands, to burn incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, into which you entered to dwell there, that you might be cut off, and that you might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?


text:
Have you forgotten the sins of your fathers, and the sins of the kings of Judah, and the sins of your princes, and the sins of your wives, which they did in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?


text:
And have not ceased even to this day, and they have not kept My ordinances, which I set before their fathers.


text:
to destroy all the remnant that are in Egypt; and they shall fall by the sword, and by famine, and shall be consumed, small and great; and they shall be for a reproach, and for destruction, and for a curse.


text:
And I will visit them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have visited Jerusalem, with sword and with famine.


text:
And there shall not one be preserved of the remnant of Judah that sojourn in the land of Egypt, to return to the land of Judah, to which they hope in their hearts to return. They shall not return, but only they that escape.”


text:
Then all the men that knew that their wives burned incense, and all the women, a great multitude, and all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,


text:
“<i>As for</i> the word which you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you.


text:
For we will surely perform every word that shall proceed out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour drink offerings to her, as we and our fathers have done, and our kings and princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem. And <i>so</i> we were filled with bread, and were well, and saw no evils.


text:
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, we have all been brought low, and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.


text:
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured drink offerings to her, did we make cakes to her, and pour drink offerings to her, without our husbands?”


text:
Then Jeremiah answered all the people, the mighty men, and the women, and all the people that returned him <i>these</i> words for an answer, saying,


text:
“Did not the Lord remember the incense which you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem—you, and your fathers, and your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land? Did it not enter into His heart?


text:
And the Lord could no longer bear <i>you</i>, because of the wickedness of your doings, and because of your abominations which you wrought; and so your land became a desolation and a waste, and a curse, as it is this day.


text:
Because of your burning incense, and <i>because</i> of the things in which you sinned against the Lord. And you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, and you have not walked in His ordinances, and in His law, and in His testimonies; and so these evils have come upon you.”


text:
Thus says the Lord God of Israel: You women have spoken with your mouth, and you have fulfilled <i>it</i> with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour drink offerings to her.’ Full well did you keep to your vows, and you have indeed performed <i>them</i>.


text:
Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all <i>you </i>Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the Lord, My name shall no longer be in the mouth of every Jew to say, ‘The Lord lives,’ in all the land of Egypt.


text:
For I have watched over them, to hurt them, and not to do them good. And all the Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt shall perish by sword and by famine, until they are utterly consumed.


text:
And they that escape the sword shall return to the land of Judah few in number, and the remnant of Judah, who have continued in the land <i>of</i> Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose word shall stand.


text:
Thus said the Lord: Behold, I <i>will</i> give Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemy, and into the hands of one that seeks his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and who sought his life.”


text:
<n>A Word of Comfort to Baruch</n> The word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in the book by the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.


text:
“Seeing that you have said, ‘Alas! alas! For the Lord has laid a grievous trouble upon me; I lay down in groaning, <i>and </i>I find no rest.’


text:
Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I pull down those whom I have built up, and I pluck up those whom I have planted.


text:
And will you seek great things for yourself? Seek <i>them</i> not. For behold, I bring evil upon all flesh, says the Lord; but I will give <i>to you</i> your life for a prize in every place that you go.”


text:
<n>Judgment of Egypt</n> In the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah, there came this word concerning the nations.


text:
For Egypt, against the power of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, who was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim king of Judah:


text:
and harness the horses. Mount, you horsemen, and stand ready in your helmets; advance the spears, and put on your breastplates.


text:
Why do they fear, and turn back? Even their mighty men shall be slain; they have utterly fled, and being hemmed in they have not rallied, says the Lord.


text:
Let not the swift flee, and let not the mighty man escape to the north. Those at the Euphrates have become feeble, and they have fallen.


text:
The waters of Egypt shall come up like a river. And he said, ‘I will go up, and will cover the earth, and will destroy its inhabitants.’


text:
Mount the horses, prepare the chariots; go forth, you warriors of the Ethiopians, and Libyans armed with shields; and mount, you Libyans, bend the bow.


text:
And that day <i>shall be</i> to the Lord our God a day of vengeance, to take vengeance on His enemies. And the sword of the Lord shall devour, and be glutted, and be drunken with their blood; for the Lord <i>has</i> a sacrifice from the land of the north at the River Euphrates.


text:
Go up to Gilead, and take balm for the virgin daughter of Egypt. In vain have you multiplied your medicines; there is no help for you.


text:
The nations have heard your voice, and the land has been filled with your cry; for the warriors have fainted fighting, one against another, <i>and</i> both have fallen together.”


text:
<n>Babylonia Will Strike Egypt</n> The words which the Lord spoke by Jeremiah, concerning the coming of the king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt.


text:
“Proclaim <i>it</i> at Migdol, and declare <i>it</i> at Memphis. Say, ‘Stand up, and prepare; for the sword has devoured your yew tree.’


text:
Why has Apis fled from you? Your choice calf has not remained; for the Lord has utterly weakened him.


text:
And your multitude has fainted and fallen; and each one has said to his neighbor, ‘Let us arise, and return into our country to our people, from the Grecian sword.’


text:
<i>As</i> I live, says the Lord God, he shall come, <i>surely </i>as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel that is on the sea.


text:
O daughter of Egypt dwelling <i>at home</i>, prepare for yourselves stuff for removing: for Memphis shall be utterly desolate, and shall be called ‘Woe,’ because there are no inhabitants in it.


text:
Also her hired <i>soldiers</i> in the midst of her are as fatted calves fed in her; for they also have turned, and fled with one accord. They did not stand, for the day of destruction had come upon them, and the time of their retribution.


text:
Their voice is as <i>that</i> of a hissing serpent, for they go upon the sand. They shall come upon Egypt with axes, as men that cut wood.


text:
They shall cut down her forest, says the Lord, for <i>their number</i> cannot at all be determined, for it exceeds the locust in multitude, and they are innumerable.


text:
<n>God Will Preserve Israel</n> “But fear not, My servant Jacob, neither be alarmed, Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your descendants from their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be at ease, and sleep, and there shall be no one to trouble him.


text:
Do not fear, My servant Jacob, says the Lord; for I am with you. She <i>that was</i> without fear and in luxury, has been delivered up; for I will make a full end of every nation among whom I have thrust you forth. But I will not cause you to fail. Yet will I chastise you in the way of judgment, and will not hold you entirely guiltless.”


text:
“Behold, waters come up from the north, and shall become a sweeping torrent, and it shall sweep away the land, and its fullness. The city, and them that dwell in it; and men shall cry and all that dwell in the land shall howl,


text:
at the sound of his rushing, at <i>the sound of</i> his hoofs, and at the rattling of his chariots, at the noise of his wheels. The fathers did not turn to their children because of the weakness of their hands,


text:
in the day that is coming to destroy all the Philistines. And I will utterly destroy Tyre and Sidon and all the rest of their allies; for the Lord will destroy the remaining <i>inhabitants</i> of the islands.


text:
“How long will you strike, O sword of the Lord? How long will it be till you are quiet? Return into your sheath; rest, and be removed.


