Study Desk

In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the Lord , your Redeemer.

For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the Lord , who has mercy on you.

But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord ; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord , have spoken!

Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.

"But you—come here, you witches' children, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!

You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. Desire gave you renewed strength, and you did not grow weary.

Let's see if your idols can save you when you cry to them for help. Why, a puff of wind can knock them down! If you just breathe on them, they fall over! But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain."

I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way.

I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn,

"But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt.

"Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord 's holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly.

So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.

We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it never comes. We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.

Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.

But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he became their enemy and fought against them.

You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved?

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

The Lord says, "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not call on my name.

All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.

"But I will not destroy them all," says the Lord . "For just as good grapes are found among a cluster of bad ones (and someone will say, ‘Don't throw them all away— some of those grapes are good!'), so I will not destroy all Israel. For I still have true servants there.