Study Desk

But you shall be called the priests of the LORD; People will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And you will boast of their riches.

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, So the Lord GOD will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].

The nations will see your righteousness and vindication [by God], And all kings [will see] your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of the LORD will designate.

You will also be [considered] a crown of glory and splendor in the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem [exceedingly beautiful] in the hand of your God.

For as a young man marries a virgin [O Jerusalem], So your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.

For from days of old no one has heard, nor has ear perceived, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and acts in behalf of the one who [gladly] waits for Him.

"But you who abandon (turn away from) the LORD, Who forget and ignore My holy mountain (Zion), Who set a table for Gad [the Babylonian god of fortune], And who fill a jug of mixed wine for Meni [the god of fate],

Therefore, the Lord GOD says this, "Listen carefully, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry; Indeed, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty; Indeed, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

"And you will leave your name behind to My chosen ones [who will use it] as a curse, And the Lord GOD will put you to death, But He will call His servants by another name [a much greater name, just as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob].

"Because he who blesses himself on the earth Will bless himself by the God of truth and faithfulness; And he who swears [an oath] on the earth Will swear by the God of truth and faithfulness; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight.

"Shall I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God.

Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, For I am [only] a young man."

"Has a nation [ever] changed gods Even though they were not gods [but merely man-made objects]? But My people have exchanged their Glory (the true God) For that [man-made idol] which does not benefit [them].

"Have you not brought this on yourself By abandoning (rejecting) the LORD your God When He led you in the way?

"Your own wickedness will discipline you, And your desertion of the faith will punish you. Know therefore that it is an evil and bitter thing For you to abandon (reject) the LORD your God, And for you to be indifferent to Me and dismiss the [reverent] fear of Me," says the Lord GOD of hosts.

"For though you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your guilt is [still] before Me [and you are soiled and dirty]," says the Lord GOD.

"Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You sat by the road waiting [eagerly] for them [those man-made gods] Like an Arab [tribesman who waits to attack] in the desert, And you have desecrated the land With your [vile] prostitution and your wickedness (disobedience to God).

'Only understand fully and acknowledge your wickedness and guilt, That you have rebelled (transgressed) against the LORD your God And have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,' says the LORD.

A voice is heard on the barren heights, The weeping and pleading of the children of Israel, Because they have lost their way, They have [deliberately] forgotten the LORD their God.