Where rebellion leaves ashes, Jehovah plants a world of joy.

Isaiah 65 and 66

“I have let myself be searched for by those who did not ask for me; I have let myself be found by those who did not look for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that was not calling on my name.

I have spread out my hands all day long to a stubborn people, To those walking in the way that is not good, Following their own thoughts; A people who constantly offend me to my face, Sacrificing in gardens and making sacrificial smoke on bricks. They sit among graves, And they pass the night in hidden places, Eating the flesh of pigs, And the broth of foul things is in their vessels.

They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not approach me, For I am holier than you.’ These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire burning all day long.

Look! It is written before me; I will not stand still, But I will repay them, I will repay them in full measure For their errors and for the errors of their forefathers as well,” says Jehovah.

“Because they have made sacrificial smoke on the mountains And have reproached me on the hills, I will first measure out their wages in full.”

This is what Jehovah says:

“Just as when new wine is found in a cluster of grapes And someone says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is some good in it,’ So I will do for the sake of my servants; I will not destroy them all. I will bring out of Jacob an offspring And out of Judah the one to inherit my mountains; My chosen ones will take possession of it, And my servants will reside there. Sharʹon will become a pasture for sheep And the Valley of Aʹchor a resting-place for cattle, For my people who search for me.

But you are among those forsaking Jehovah, Those forgetting my holy mountain, Those setting a table for the god of Good Luck, And those filling up cups of mixed wine for the god of Destiny. So I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to be slaughtered, Because I called, but you did not answer, I spoke, but you did not listen; You kept doing what was bad in my eyes, And you chose what displeased me.”

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says:

“Look! My servants will eat, but you will go hungry. Look! My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty. Look! My servants will rejoice, but you will suffer shame. Look! My servants will shout joyfully because of the good condition of the heart, But you will cry out because of the pain of heart And you will wail because of a broken spirit. You will leave behind a name that my chosen ones will use as a curse, And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will put each of you to death, But his own servants he will call by another name; So that anyone who seeks a blessing for himself in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth, And anyone who swears an oath in the earth Will swear by the God of truth. For the former distresses will be forgotten; They will be concealed from my eyes.

For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart. So exult and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For look! I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joy And her people a cause for exultation. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people; No more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or a cry of distress.”

“No more will there be an infant from that place who lives but a few days, Nor an old man who fails to live out his days. For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age. They will build houses and live in them, And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build for someone else to inhabit, Nor will they plant for others to eat. For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full. They will not toil for nothing, Nor will they bear children for distress, Because they are the offspring made up of those blessed by Jehovah, And their descendants with them. Even before they call out, I will answer; While they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, The lion will eat straw just like the bull, And the serpent’s food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” says Jehovah.

Isaiah 66

This is what Jehovah says:

“The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where, then, is the house that you could build for me, And where is my resting-place?”

“My own hand has made all these things, And this is how they all came to be,” declares Jehovah. “To this one, then, I will look, To the one humble and broken in spirit who trembles at my word.

The one slaughtering the bull is like one striking down a man. The one sacrificing a sheep is like one breaking the neck of a dog. The one offering a gift—like the blood of a pig! The one presenting a memorial offering of frankincense is like one saying a blessing with magical words. They have chosen their own ways, And they take delight in what is disgusting. So I will choose ways to punish them, And the very things they dread I will bring upon them. Because when I called, no one answered; When I spoke, there were none who listened. They kept doing what was bad in my eyes, And they chose to do what displeased me.”

Hear the word of Jehovah, you who tremble at his word:

“Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of my name said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ But He will appear and bring you joy, And they are the ones who will be put to shame.”

There is a sound of uproar from the city, a sound from the temple! It is the sound of Jehovah repaying his enemies what they deserve. Before she went into labor, she gave birth. Before birth pangs came to her, she delivered a male child. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Will a land be brought to birth in one day? Or will a nation be born all at once? Yet, as soon as Zion went into labor, she gave birth to her sons.

“Will I bring it to the point of birth and then not bring it forth?” says Jehovah. “Or would I cause the birth and then shut the womb?” says your God.

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be joyful with her, all you who love her. Exult greatly with her, all you who are in mourning over her, For you will nurse and be fully satisfied from her breast of consolation, And you will drink deeply and find delight in the abundance of her glory.

For this is what Jehovah says:

“Here I am extending to her peace just like a river And the glory of nations like a flooding torrent. You will nurse and be carried on the hip, And you will be bounced on the knees. As a mother comforts her son, So I will keep comforting you; And over Jerusalem you will be comforted. You will see this, and your heart will rejoice, Your bones will flourish just like new grass. And the hand of Jehovah will become known to his servants, But he will denounce his enemies.”

“For Jehovah will come as a fire, And his chariots are like a storm wind, To repay in furious anger, To rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire Jehovah will execute judgment, Yes, with his sword, against all flesh; And the slain of Jehovah will be many.

Those sanctifying themselves and cleansing themselves to enter the gardens following one who is in the center, those eating the flesh of pigs and loathsome things and mice, they will all come to their end together,” declares Jehovah.

“Since I know about their works and their thoughts, I am coming to gather people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.

I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who escape to the nations—to Tarʹshish, Pul, and Lud, those who draw the bow, to Tuʹbal and Jaʹvan, and to the faraway islands—who have not heard a report about me or seen my glory; and they will proclaim my glory among the nations.

They will bring all your brothers out of all the nations as a gift to Jehovah, on horses, in chariots, in covered wagons, on mules, and on swift camels, up to my holy mountain, Jerusalem,” says Jehovah, “just as when the people of Israel bring their gift in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.”

“I will also take some for the priests and for the Levites,” says Jehovah.

“For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain standing before me,” declares Jehovah, “so your offspring and your name will remain.”

“And from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, All flesh will come in to bow down before me,” says Jehovah.

“And they will go out and look on the carcasses of the men who rebelled against me; For the worms on them will not die, And their fire will not be extinguished, And they will become something repulsive to all people.”

#bible #reading #isaiah

Even in ashes, Zion is not abandoned; she is clay in the hands of her Redeemer.

Isaiah 62

For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, And for the sake of Jerusalem I will not keep still Until her righteousness shines like a bright light And her salvation burns like a torch.

“The nations will see your righteousness, O woman, And all kings your glory. And you will be called by a new name, Which Jehovah’s own mouth will designate.

You will become a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, A royal turban in the palm of your God.

No more will you be called an abandoned woman, And your land will no longer be called desolate. But you will be called My Delight Is in Her, And your land will be called the Married One. For Jehovah will take delight in you, And your land will be as one married.

For just as a young man marries a virgin, Your sons will marry you. With the rejoicing of a bridegroom over a bride, Your God will rejoice over you.

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have commissioned watchmen. Continuously, all day long and all night long, they should not be silent. You who make mention of Jehovah, Do not rest, And do not give him any rest until he firmly establishes Jerusalem, Yes, until he makes her the praise of the earth.”

Jehovah has sworn an oath with his right hand, with his strong arm:

“I will no longer give your grain as food to your enemies, Nor will foreigners drink your new wine, for which you have toiled. But those gathering it will eat it and they will praise Jehovah; And those collecting it will drink it in my holy courtyards.”

Pass through, pass through the gates. Clear the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway. Rid it of stones. Raise up a signal for the peoples.

Look! Jehovah has proclaimed to the ends of the earth:

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look! Your salvation is coming. Look! His reward is with him, And the wage he pays is before him.’”

They will be called the holy people, those repurchased by Jehovah, And you will be called Sought After, a City Not Abandoned.

Isaiah 63

Who is this coming from Edom, From Bozrah with bright-colored garments, This one with splendid clothing, Marching in his great power?

“It is I, the One speaking in righteousness, The One with great power to save.”

Why is your clothing red, And why are your garments like those of one treading the winepress?

“I have trodden the wine trough alone. No one from the peoples was with me. I kept treading them in my anger, And I kept trampling them in my wrath. My garments were spattered with their blood, And I have stained all my clothing.

For the day of vengeance is in my heart, And the year of my repurchased ones has come.

I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one offered support. So my arm brought me salvation, And my own wrath supported me.

I trampled peoples in my anger, I made them drunk with my wrath And poured out their blood on the ground.”

I will mention Jehovah’s acts of loyal love, The praiseworthy acts of Jehovah, Because of all that Jehovah has done for us, The many good things he has done for the house of Israel, According to his mercy and his great loyal love.

For he said: “Surely they are my people, sons who will not be disloyal.” So he became their Savior.

During all their distress it was distressing to him. And his own personal messenger saved them. In his love and compassion he repurchased them, And he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit. He then turned into their enemy, And he fought against them.

And they remembered the days of old, The days of Moses his servant:

“Where is the One who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the One who put within him His holy spirit, The One who made His glorious arm go with the right hand of Moses, The One who split the waters before them To make an everlasting name for himself, The One who made them walk through the surging waters, So that they walked without stumbling, Like a horse in the open country?

Just like livestock when they go down into the valley plain, The spirit of Jehovah made them rest.”

This is how you led your people, To make a majestic name for yourself.

Look down from heaven and see From your lofty abode of holiness and glory. Where are your zeal and your mightiness, The stirring of your compassions and your mercy? They are withheld from me.

For you are our Father; Although Abraham may not know us And Israel may not recognize us, You, O Jehovah, are our Father. Our Repurchaser of long ago is your name.

Why do you, O Jehovah, let us wander from your ways? Why do you let our hearts become hard, so that we do not fear you? Return, for the sake of your servants, The tribes of your inheritance.

Your holy people possessed it for a short time. Our adversaries have trampled on your sanctuary.

For too long we have become like those you never ruled over, Like those never called by your name.

Isaiah 64

If only you had ripped the heavens apart and come down, So that the mountains would quake because of you, As when a fire ignites the brushwood, And the fire makes the water boil, Then your name would be known to your adversaries, And the nations would tremble before you!

When you did awe-inspiring things that we dared not hope for, You came down, and the mountains quaked before you.

From of old no one has heard or given ear, Nor has any eye seen a God except you, Who acts in behalf of those who keep in expectation of him.

You have met up with those who joyfully do what is right, Those who remember you and follow your ways. Look! You became indignant, while we kept sinning, We did so for a long time. Should we now be saved?

And we have all become like someone unclean, And all our acts of righteousness are like a menstrual cloth. We will all wither like a leaf, And our errors will carry us off like the wind.

There is no one calling on your name, No one who stirs himself to take hold of you, For you have hidden your face from us, And you cause us to waste away because of our error.

But now, O Jehovah, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are our Potter; We are all the work of your hand.

Do not become too indignant, O Jehovah, And do not remember our error forever. Look at us, please, for we are all your people.

Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a wasteland.

Our house of holiness and glory, Where our forefathers praised you, Has been burned with fire, And all the things we cherished lie in ruins.

In view of this, will you still restrain yourself, O Jehovah? Will you remain silent and let us be afflicted so severely?

#bible #reading #isaiah

They will be called big trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah.

Isaiah 60

“Arise, O woman, shed light, for your light has come. The glory of Jehovah shines on you.

For look! darkness will cover the earth And thick gloom the nations; But on you Jehovah will shine, And on you his glory will be seen.

Nations will go to your light And kings to your shining splendor.

Raise your eyes and look all around you! They have all been assembled; they are coming to you. From far away your sons keep coming, And your daughters being supported on the hip.

At that time you will see and become radiant, And your heart will throb and overflow, Because the wealth of the sea will be directed to you; The resources of the nations will come to you.

Throngs of camels will cover your land, Young male camels of Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba—they will come; Gold and frankincense they will carry. They will proclaim the praises of Jehovah.

All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will come on my altar with approval, And I will beautify my glorious house.

Who are these that fly along like clouds, Like doves to their dovecotes?

For in me the islands will hope; The ships of Tarshish are in the lead, To bring your sons from far away, Along with their silver and their gold, To the name of Jehovah your God and to the Holy One of Israel, For he will glorify you.

Foreigners will build your walls, And their kings will minister to you, For in my indignation I struck you, But in my favor I will have mercy on you.

Your gates will be kept open constantly; They will not be closed by day or by night, To bring to you the resources of the nations, And their kings will take the lead.

For any nation and any kingdom that will not serve you will perish, And the nations will be utterly devastated.

To you the glory of Lebanon will come, The juniper tree, the ash tree, and the cypress together, To beautify the place of my sanctuary; I will glorify the place for my feet.

The sons of those who oppressed you will come and bow down before you; All those treating you disrespectfully must bow down at your feet, And they will have to call you the city of Jehovah, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Instead of your being abandoned and hated, with nobody passing through, I will make you a source of everlasting pride, A cause for rejoicing throughout all generations.

And you will actually drink the milk of nations,
At the breast of kings you will nurse;
And you will certainly know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior,
And the Powerful One of Jacob is your Repurchaser.

Instead of the copper I will bring in gold,
And instead of the iron I will bring in silver,
Instead of the wood, copper,
And instead of the stones, iron;
And I will appoint peace as your overseers
And righteousness as your task assigners.

No more will violence be heard in your land
Or destruction and ruin within your boundaries.
And you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

For you the sun will no longer be a light by day,
Nor will the shining of the moon give you light,
For Jehovah will become to you an eternal light,
And your God will be your beauty.

No more will your sun set,
Nor will your moon wane,
For Jehovah will become for you an eternal light, And the days of your mourning will have ended.

And all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever. They are the sprout that I planted, The work of my hands, for me to be beautified.

The little one will become a thousand And the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.”

Isaiah 61

The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me, Because Jehovah anointed me to declare good news to the meek. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And the wide opening of the eyes to the prisoners, To proclaim the year of Jehovah’s goodwill And the day of vengeance of our God, To comfort all who mourn, To provide for those mourning over Zion, To give them a headdress instead of ashes, The oil of exultation instead of mourning, The garment of praise instead of a despondent spirit. And they will be called big trees of righteousness, The planting of Jehovah, in order to glorify him.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins; They will raise up the desolated places of the past, And they will restore the devastated cities, The places that lay desolate for generation after generation.

“Strangers will stand and shepherd your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

As for you, you will be called the priests of Jehovah; They will call you the ministers of our God. You will eat the resources of the nations, And about their glory you will boast.

Instead of shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout joyfully over their share. Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land. Everlasting rejoicing will be theirs.

For I, Jehovah, love justice; I hate robbery and unrighteousness. I will faithfully give them their wages, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their offspring will be known among the nations And their descendants among the peoples. All who see them will recognize them, That they are the offspring whom Jehovah has blessed.”

I will greatly exult in Jehovah. My whole being will rejoice in my God. For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has wrapped me with the robe of righteousness, Just like a bridegroom who wears a turban like that of a priest, And like a bride who adorns herself with her ornaments.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts And as the garden makes what is sown in it sprout, So will the Sovereign Lord Jehovah Cause righteousness and praise to sprout before all the nations.

#bible #isaiah #reading

I reside in the high and holy place, but also with those crushed and lowly in spirit.

This is what Jehovah says:

“Uphold justice, and do what is righteous, For my salvation will soon come And my righteousness will be revealed.

Happy is the man who does this And the son of man who holds fast to it, Who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it And who holds his hand back from any kind of evil.

The foreigner who joins himself to Jehovah should not say, ‘Jehovah will surely separate me from his people.’ And the eunuch should not say, ‘Look! I am a dried-up tree.’

For this is what Jehovah says to the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths and who choose what I delight in and who hold fast to my covenant:

“I will give to them in my house and within my walls a monument and a name, Something better than sons and daughters. An everlasting name I will give them, One that will not perish.

As for the foreigners who join themselves to Jehovah to minister to him, To love the name of Jehovah And to be his servants, All those who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it And who hold fast to my covenant,

I will also bring them to my holy mountain And make them rejoice inside my house of prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. For my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

The Sovereign Lord Jehovah, who is gathering the dispersed ones of Israel, declares: “I will gather to him others besides those already gathered.”

All you wild animals of the field, come to eat, All you wild animals in the forest.

His watchmen are blind, none of them have taken note. All of them are speechless dogs, unable to bark. They are panting and lying down; they love to slumber.

They are dogs with a voracious appetite; They are never satisfied. They are shepherds who have no understanding. They have all gone their own way; Every last one of them seeks his own dishonest gain and says:

“Come, let me take some wine, And let us drink our fill of alcohol. And tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

Isaiah 57

The righteous one has perished, But no one takes it to heart. Loyal men are taken away, With no one discerning that the righteous one has been taken away Because of the calamity.

He enters into peace. They rest on their beds, all who walk uprightly.

“But as for you, come closer, You sons of a sorceress, You children of an adulterer and a prostitute:

Whom are you making fun of? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not the children of transgression, The children of deceit,

Those who are inflamed with passion among big trees, Under every luxuriant tree, Who slaughter the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the crags?

With the smooth stones of the valley is your portion. Yes, these are your lot. Even to them you pour out drink offerings and offer gifts. Should I be satisfied with these things?

On a mountain high and lofty you prepared your bed, And you went up there to offer sacrifice.

Behind the door and the doorpost you set up your memorial. You left me and uncovered yourself; You went up and made your bed spacious. And you made a covenant with them. You loved sharing their bed, And you gazed at the male organ.

You went down to Melech with oil And with an abundance of perfume. You sent your envoys far off, So that you descended to the Grave.

You have toiled in following your many ways, But you did not say, ‘It is hopeless!’ You found renewed strength. That is why you do not give up.

Whom did you dread and fear So that you started to lie? You did not remember me. You took nothing to heart. Have I not kept silent and withdrawn? So you showed no fear of me.

I will make known your ‘righteousness’ and your works, And they will not benefit you.

When you cry for help, Your collection of idols will not rescue you. A wind will carry all of them away, A mere breath will blow them away, But the one who takes refuge in me will inherit the land And will take possession of my holy mountain.

It will be said, ‘Build up, build up a road! Prepare the way! Remove any obstacle from the way of my people.’”

For this is what the High and Lofty One says, Who lives forever and whose name is holy:

“I reside in the high and holy place, But also with those crushed and lowly in spirit, To revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of those being crushed.

For I will not oppose them forever Or always remain indignant; For a man’s spirit would grow feeble because of me, Even the breathing creatures that I have made.

I was indignant at his sinful pursuit of dishonest gain, So I struck him, I hid my face, and I was indignant. But he kept walking as a renegade, following the way of his heart.

I have seen his ways, But I will heal him and lead him And restore comfort to him and to his mourning ones.”

“I am creating the fruit of the lips. Continuous peace will be given to the one who is far away and the one who is near,” says Jehovah, “And I will heal him.”

“But the wicked are like the restless sea that cannot calm down, And its waters keep tossing up seaweed and mire.

There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

#bible #reading #isaiah

I wasted away— and yet still I listened.

NARRATOR:

Look! Jehovah is emptying the land and making it desolate. He turns it upside down and scatters its inhabitants.

It will be the same for everyone: The people as well as the priest, The servant and his master, The servant and her mistress, The buyer and the seller, The lender and the borrower, The creditor and the debtor.

The land will be completely emptied; It will be completely plundered, For Jehovah has spoken this word.

The land mourns; it is wasting away. The productive land withers; it is fading away. The prominent people of the land wither.

The land has been polluted by its inhabitants, For they have bypassed the laws, Changed the regulation, And broken the lasting covenant.

That is why the curse devours the land, And those inhabiting it are held guilty. That is why the inhabitants of the land have dwindled, And very few men are left.

The new wine mourns, the vine withers, And all those cheerful at heart are sighing.

The joy of the tambourines has ceased; The noise of the revelers has ended; The happy sound of the harp has ceased.

They drink wine without song, And alcohol tastes bitter to those drinking it.

The deserted town is broken down; Every house is shut up so that no one can enter.

They cry out for wine in the streets. All rejoicing has disappeared; The joy of the land has gone.

The city is left in ruins; The gate has been crushed to a heap of rubble.

For this is how it will be in the land, among the peoples: As when an olive tree is beaten, Like the gleaning when the grape harvest comes to an end.

VOICES OF THE RIGHTEOUS:

They will raise their voice, They will shout joyfully. From the sea they will proclaim the majesty of Jehovah.

That is why they will glorify Jehovah in the region of light; In the islands of the sea they will glorify the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.

From the ends of the earth we hear songs: “Glory to the Righteous One!”

ISAIAH:

But I say: “I am wasting away, I am wasting away! Woe to me! The treacherous have acted treacherously; With treachery the treacherous have acted treacherously.”

Terror and pits and traps await you, inhabitant of the land.

Anyone fleeing from the sound of terror will fall into the pit, And anyone coming up from the pit will be caught in the trap. For the floodgates above will be opened, And the foundations of the land will quake.

The land has burst apart; The land has been shaken up; The land convulses violently.

The land staggers like a drunken man, And it sways back and forth like a hut in the wind. Its transgression weighs heavily on it, And it will fall, so that it will not rise up again.

In that day Jehovah will turn his attention to the army of the heights above And to the kings of the earth upon the earth.

And they will be gathered together Like prisoners gathered into a pit, And they will be shut up in the dungeon; After many days they will be given attention.

The full moon will be abashed, And the shining sun will be ashamed, For Jehovah of armies has become King in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, Glorious before the elders of his people.

ISAIAH (PRAYER):

O Jehovah, you are my God. I exalt you, I praise your name, For you have done wonderful things, Things purposed from ancient times, In faithfulness, in trustworthiness.

For you have turned a city into a pile of stones, A fortified town into a crumbling ruin. The foreigner’s tower is a city no more; It will never be rebuilt.

That is why a strong people will glorify you; The city of tyrannical nations will fear you.

For you have become a stronghold to the lowly, A stronghold to the poor in his distress, A refuge from the rainstorm, And a shade from the heat. When the blast of the tyrants is like a rainstorm against a wall,

As the heat in a parched land, You subdue the uproar of strangers. Like heat that is subdued by the shadow of a cloud, So the song of the tyrants is silenced.

In this mountain Jehovah of armies will make for all the peoples A banquet of rich dishes, A banquet of fine wine, Of rich dishes filled with marrow, Of fine, filtered wine.

In this mountain he will do away with the shroud that is enveloping all the peoples And the covering that is woven over all the nations.

He will swallow up death forever, And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will wipe away the tears from all faces. The reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, For Jehovah himself has spoken it.

THE REDEEMED:

In that day they will say: “Look! This is our God! We have hoped in him, And he will save us. This is Jehovah! We have hoped in him. Let us be joyful and rejoice in the salvation by him.”

NARRATOR:

For the hand of Jehovah will rest on this mountain, And Moab will be trampled on in its place Like straw trampled into a pile of manure.

He will slap out his hands into it Like a swimmer slapping out his hands to swim, And he will bring down its haughtiness With the skillful movements of his hands.

And the fortified city, with your high walls of security, He will bring down; He will knock it down to the ground, to the very dust.

SONG OF JUDAH:

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city. He makes salvation its walls and its ramparts.

Open up the gates so that the righteous nation may enter, A nation that is keeping faithful conduct.

You will safeguard those who fully lean on you; You will give them continuous peace, Because it is in you that they trust.

Trust in Jehovah forever, For Jah Jehovah is the eternal Rock.

For he has brought low those inhabiting the height, the lofty city. He brings it down, He brings it down to the earth; He casts it down to the dust.

The foot will trample it, The feet of the afflicted, the steps of the lowly.”

ISAIAH:

The path of the righteous one is upright. Because you are upright, You will smooth out the course of the righteous.

As we follow the path of your judgments, O Jehovah, Our hope is in you. We long for your name and your memorial.

In the night I long for you with my whole being, Yes, my spirit keeps looking for you; For when there are judgments from you for the earth, The inhabitants of the land learn about righteousness.

Even if the wicked is shown favor, He will not learn righteousness. Even in the land of uprightness he will act wickedly, And he will not see the majesty of Jehovah.

O Jehovah, your hand is raised, but they do not see it. They will see your zeal for your people and be put to shame. Yes, the fire for your adversaries will consume them.

O Jehovah, you will grant us peace, Because everything we have done You have accomplished for us.

O Jehovah our God, other masters besides you have ruled over us, But we make mention of your name alone.

They are dead; they will not live. Powerless in death, they will not rise up. For you have turned your attention to them To annihilate them and destroy all mention of them.

You have enlarged the nation, O Jehovah, You have enlarged the nation; You have glorified yourself. You have greatly extended all the borders of the land.

O Jehovah, during distress they turned to you; They poured out their prayer in a whisper when you disciplined them.

Just as a pregnant woman about to give birth Has labor pains and cries out in pain, So we have been because of you, O Jehovah.

We became pregnant, we had labor pains, But it is as if we had given birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the land, And no one is born to inhabit the land.

JEHOVAH (PROMISE):

“Your dead will live. My corpses will rise up. Awake and shout joyfully, You residents in the dust! For your dew is as the dew of the morning, And the earth will let those powerless in death come to life.

Go, my people, enter your inner rooms, And shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a brief moment Until the wrath has passed by.

For look! Jehovah is coming from his place To call the inhabitants of the land to account for their error, And the land will expose her bloodshed And will no longer cover over her slain.”

NARRATOR:

In that day Jehovah, with his harsh and great and strong sword, Will turn his attention to Leviathan, the gliding serpent, To Leviathan, the twisting serpent, And he will kill the monster that is in the sea.

SONG OF THE VINEYARD:

In that day sing to her: “A vineyard of foaming wine! I, Jehovah, am safeguarding her. Every moment I water her. I safeguard her night and day, So that no one may harm her.

There is no wrath in me. Who will confront me with thornbushes and weeds in the battle? I will trample them and set them on fire all together.

Otherwise, let him hold fast to my stronghold. Let him make peace with me; Peace let him make with me.”

NARRATOR:

In the coming days Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout, And they will fill the land with produce.

Must he be struck with the stroke of the one striking him? Or must he be killed as with the slaughter of his slain?

With a startling cry you will contend with her when sending her away. He will expel her with his fierce blast in the day of the east wind.

So in this way the error of Jacob will be atoned for, And this will be the full fruitage when his sin is taken away: He will make all the stones of the altar Like chalkstones that have been pulverized, And no sacred poles or incense stands will be left.

For the fortified city will be deserted; The pastures will be forsaken and abandoned like a wilderness. There the calf will graze and lie down And will consume her branches.

When her twigs have dried up, Women will come and break them off, Making fires with them. For this people is without understanding. That is why their Maker will show them no mercy, And the One who formed them will show them no favor.

In that day Jehovah will beat out the fruit from the flowing stream of the River to the Wadi of Egypt, And you will be gathered up one after the other, O people of Israel.

In that day a great horn will be blown, And those who are perishing in the land of Assyria And those dispersed in the land of Egypt Will come and bow down to Jehovah in the holy mountain in Jerusalem.

#reading #bible #isaiah