Study Desk

because the Lord is our powerful leader there. That land is a place with streams and wide rivers, but there will be no enemy boats or powerful ships on those rivers. You men who work on such boats can stop your work with the ropes. You cannot make the mast strong enough. You will not be able to open your sails, because the Lord is our judge. He makes our laws. He is our king. He saves us. The Lord will give us our wealth. Even crippled people will get their share.

No one living there will say, "I am sick," because everyone living there has had their guilt removed.

This will happen because the Lord has chosen a time for punishment. He has chosen a year when people must pay for the wrong they did to Zion.

It will be covered with flowers and dance with joy. It will be as beautiful as the forest of Lebanon, the hill of Carmel, and the Sharon Valley. This will happen because all people will see the Glory of the Lord . They will see the beauty of our God.

But the people were silent. They did not say a word to the commander, because King Hezekiah had commanded them, "Don't say anything to him."

That is because a few people will come out of Jerusalem alive. There will be survivors coming from Mount Zion." The strong love of the Lord All-Powerful will do this.

Then Hezekiah told Isaiah, "This message from the Lord is good." (Hezekiah said this because he thought, "There will be real peace and security during my lifetime.")

That's because I, the Lord , am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior. I gave Egypt to pay for you. I gave Ethiopia and Seba to make you mine.

"So don't be afraid, because I am with you. I will gather your children and bring them to you. I will gather them from the east and from the west.

because I am doing something new! Now you will grow like a new plant. Surely you know this is true. I will even make a road in the desert, and rivers will flow through that dry land.

So all you people in faraway places, turn to me and be saved, because I am God, and there is no other.

I did that because I knew you were stubborn. You were like iron that will not bend, with heads as hard as bronze.

They never got thirsty as he led them through the desert, because he made water flow from a rock. He split the rock, and water flowed out.

Here is the Lord 's answer: "The prisoners will escape. Those captured by the strong soldier will be set free. That's because I will fight your battles, and I will save your children.

This is what the Lord says: "People of Israel, you say that I divorced your mother, Jerusalem. But where is the legal paper that proves I divorced her? My children, did I owe money to someone? Did I sell you to pay a debt? No, you were sold because of the bad things you did. Your mother was sent away because of the bad things you did.

Ruins of Jerusalem, be happy again! Rejoice because the Lord comforted his people and set Jerusalem free.

But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain.

For this reason, I will treat him as one of my great people. I will give him the rewards of one who wins in battle, and he will share them with his powerful ones. I will do this because he gave his life for the people. He was considered a criminal, but the truth is, he carried away the sins of many. Now he will stand before me and speak for those who have sinned."

because you will grow in all directions. Your children will take over many nations and live in the cities that were destroyed.

There are nations in places you don't know, but you will call for them to come. They don't know you, but they will run to you. This will happen because the Lord , your God, wants it. It will happen because the Holy One of Israel honors you.