Study Desk

But he makes a statue from the wood that is left and calls it his god. He bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god. Save me!"

I show that the signs of the lying prophets are false; I make fools of those who do magic. I confuse even the wise; they think they know much, but I make them look foolish.

But Israel will be saved by the Lord , and that salvation will continue forever. Never again will Israel be put to shame.

The Lord created the heavens. He is the God who formed the earth and made it. He did not want it to be empty, but he wanted life on the earth. This is what the Lord says: "I am the Lord . There is no other God.

But with the Lord 's help, the people of Israel will be found to be good, and they will praise him.

These gods will all bow down. They cannot save themselves but will all be carried away like prisoners.

They put it on their shoulders and carry it. They set it in its place, and there it stands; it cannot move from its place. People may yell at it, but it cannot answer. It cannot save them from their troubles.

I was angry with my people, so I rejected those who belonged to me. I gave them to you, but you showed them no mercy. You even made the old people work very hard.

You said, ‘I will live forever as the queen.' But you did not think about these things or consider what would happen.

You do evil things, but you feel safe and say, ‘No one sees what I do.' Your wisdom and knowledge have fooled you. You say to yourself, ‘I am God, and no one is equal to me.'

But troubles will come to you, and you will not know how to stop them. Disaster will fall on you, and you will not be able to keep it away. You will be destroyed quickly; you will not even see it coming.

But they are like straw; fire will quickly burn them up. They cannot save themselves from the power of the fire. They are not like coals that give warmth nor like a fire that you may sit beside.

You have worked with these people, and they have been with you since you were young, but they will not be able to help you. Everyone will go his own way, and there will be no one left to save you."

The Lord says, "Family of Jacob, listen to me. You are called Israel, and you come from the family of Judah. You swear by the Lord 's name and praise the God of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.

But you have not heard me; you have not understood. Even long ago you did not listen to me. I knew you would surely turn against me; you have fought against me since you were born.

But for my own sake I will be patient. People will praise me for not becoming angry and destroying you.

I have made you pure, but not by fire, as silver is made pure. I have purified you by giving you troubles.

But I said, "I have worked hard for nothing; I have used all my power, but I did nothing useful. But the Lord will decide what my work is worth; God will decide my reward."

Now he told me, "You are an important servant to me to bring back the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the people of Israel who are left alive. But, more importantly, I will make you a light for all nations to show people all over the world the way to be saved."

But Jerusalem said, "The Lord has left me; the Lord has forgotten me."