Study Desk

^(C1)Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle. The things ^(F1)that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary animal.

They stooped over, they have bowed down together; They could not rescue the burden, But ^(F1)have themselves ^(C1)gone into captivity.

"^(C1)Listen to Me, house of Jacob, And all ^(C2)the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been ^(C3)carried by Me from ^(F1)birth And have been carried from the womb;

Even to your old age ^(C1)I ^(F1)will be the same, And even to your ^(F2)(C2)graying years I will ^(F3)carry you! I have ^(F4)done it, and I will bear you; And I will ^(F3)carry you and I will save you.

"^(C1)To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal, and compare Me, That we would be alike?

-"Those who ^(C1)lavish gold from the bag And weigh silver on the scale, Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; They ^(C2)bow down, indeed they worship it.

-"They ^(C1)lift it on the shoulder, carry it, And set it in its place, and it stands there. ^(C2)It does not move from its place. Though one may shout to it, it ^(C3)cannot answer; It ^(C4)cannot save him from his distress.

"^(C1)Remember this, and be ^(F1)assured; ^(C2)Recall it to ^(F2)mind, you ^(C3)wrongdoers.

-"Remember the ^(C1)former things long past, For I am God, and there is ^(C2)no other; I am God, and there is ^(C3)no one like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, '^(C1)My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';

Calling a ^(C1)bird of prey from the ^(C2)east, The man of ^(F1)My purpose from a distant country. Truly I have ^(C3)spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will certainly do it.

"^(C1)Listen to Me, you ^(C2)stubborn-minded, Who are ^(C3)far from righteousness.

-"I ^(C1)bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay. And I will grant ^(C2)salvation in Zion, And My ^(C3)glory for Israel.

"^(C1)Come down and sit in the dust, ^(C2)Virgin ^(C3)daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called ^(C4)tender and delicate.

-"Take the ^(C1)millstones and ^(C2)grind flour. Remove your ^(C3)veil, ^(C4)strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.

-"Your ^(C1)nakedness will be uncovered, Your shame will also be exposed; I will ^(C2)take vengeance and will not spare anyone."

Our ^(C1)Redeemer, the LORD of armies is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

"^(C1)Sit silently, and go into ^(C2)darkness, Daughter of the Chaldeans; For you will no longer be called The ^(C3)queen of ^(C4)kingdoms.

-"I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And handed them over to you. You did not show mercy to them, On the ^(C1)aged you made your yoke very heavy.

-"Yet you said, 'I will be a ^(C1)queen forever.' These things you did not ^(C2)consider Nor remember the ^(C3)outcome of ^(F1)them.

"Now, then, hear this, you ^(C1)luxuriant one, Who ^(C2)lives securely, Who says in her heart, '^(C3)I am, and there is no one besides me. I will ^(C4)not sit as a widow, Nor know the loss of children.'

-"But these ^(C1)two things will come on you ^(C2)suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure In spite of your many ^(C3)sorceries, In spite of the great power of your spells.

-"You felt ^(C1)secure in your wickedness and said, '^(C2)No one sees me,' Your ^(C3)wisdom and your knowledge, ^(F1)they have led you astray; For you have said in your heart, '^(C4)I am, and there is no one besides me.'

-"But ^(C1)evil will come on you Which you will not know how to charm away; And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot atone; And ^(C2)destruction about which you do not know Will come on you ^(C3)suddenly.

"Persist now in your ^(C1)spells And in your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to benefit, Perhaps you may cause trembling.

-"You are ^(C1)wearied with your many counsels; Let now the ^(C2)astrologers, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and ^(C3)save you from what will come upon you.

-"Behold, they have become ^(C1)like stubble, ^(C2)Fire burns them; They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame; There will be ^(C3)no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before!

-"So have those become to you with whom you have labored, Those who have ^(C1)done business with you from your youth; Each has wandered in his own ^(F1)way; There is ^(C2)no one to save you.

"^(C1)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel And who came from the ^(C2)waters of Judah, Who ^(C3)swear by the name of the LORD And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth nor in ^(C4)righteousness.

-"For they name themselves after the ^(C1)holy city, And ^(C2)lean on the God of Israel; The LORD of armies is His name.

-"I ^(C1)declared the former things long ago, And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them. ^(C2)Suddenly I acted, and they ^(C3)came to pass.

-"Because I know that you are ^(F1)(C1)obstinate, And your ^(C2)neck is an iron tendon And your ^(C3)forehead bronze,

Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before ^(F1)they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, 'My ^(C1)idol has done them, And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.'

-"You have heard; look at all this. And you, will you not declare it? I proclaim to you ^(C1)new things from this time, Hidden things which you have not known.

-"They are created now and not long ago; And before today you have not heard them, So that you will not say, 'Behold, I knew them.'

-"You have not ^(C1)heard, you have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously; And you have been called a ^(F1)(C2)rebel from ^(F2)birth.

-"^(C1)For the sake of My name I ^(C2)delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off.

-"Behold, I have refined you, but ^(C1)not as silver; I have tested you in the ^(C2)furnace of affliction.

-"^(C1)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And I will not give My ^(C2)glory to another.

"Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel ^(F1)whom I called; ^(C1)I am He, ^(C2)I am the first, I am also the last.

-"Assuredly My hand ^(C1)founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I ^(C2)call to them, they stand together.

-"^(C1)Assemble, all of you, and listen! ^(C2)Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he will ^(C3)carry out His good pleasure against ^(C4)Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.

-"I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have ^(C1)called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.

-"^(C1)Come near to Me, listen to this: From the beginning I have ^(C2)not spoken in secret, ^(C3)From the time it took place, I was there. And now ^(C4)the Lord ^(F1)GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit."

This is what the LORD says, He who is your ^(C1)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to benefit, Who ^(C2)leads you in the way you should go.

-"If only you had ^(C1)paid attention to My commandments! Then your ^(F1)(C2)well-being would have been like a river, And your ^(C3)righteousness like the waves of the sea.

-"Your ^(F1)(C1)descendants would have been like the sand, And ^(F2)your offspring like its grains; ^(C2)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence."

^(C1)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare with the sound of ^(C2)joyful shouting, proclaim this, ^(C3)Send it out to the end of the earth; Say, "^(C4)The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob."

They did not ^(C1)thirst when He led them through the deserts. He ^(C2)made the water flow out of the rock for them; He split the rock and ^(C3)the water gushed out.

"^(C1)There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD.