Study Desk

This is what the Lord says: "When there is juice left in the grapes, people do not destroy them, because they know there is good left in them. So I will do the same thing to my servants— I will not completely destroy them.

So this is what the Lord God says: "My servants will eat, but you evil people will be hungry. My servants will drink, but you evil people will be thirsty. My servants will be happy, but you evil people will be shamed.

This is what the Lord says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? Do I need a place to rest?

So I will choose their punishments, and I will punish them with what they fear most. This is because I called to them, but they did not listen. I spoke to them, but they did not hear me. They did things I said were evil; they chose to do things I did not like."

You people who obey the words of the Lord , listen to what he says: "Your brothers hated you and turned against you because you followed me. Your brothers said, ‘Let the Lord be honored so we may see you rejoice,' but they will be punished.

"I know they have evil thoughts and do evil things, so I am coming to punish them. I will gather all nations and all people, and they will come together and see my glory.

"I will put a mark on some of the people, and I will send some of these saved people to the nations: to Tarshish, Libya, Lud (the land of archers), Tubal, Greece, and all the faraway lands. These people have never heard about what I have done nor seen my glory. So the saved people will tell the nations about my glory.

This is what the Lord says: "I was fair to your ancestors, so why did they turn away from me? Your ancestors worshiped useless idols and became useless themselves.

I brought you into a fertile land so you could eat its fruit and produce. But you came and made my land unclean; you made it a hateful place.

"So now I will again tell what I have against you," says the Lord . "And I will tell what I have against your grandchildren.

It is so easy for you to change your mind. Even Egypt will let you down, as Assyria let you down.

So the rain has not come, and there have not been any spring rains. But your face still looks like the face of a prostitute. You refuse even to be ashamed of what you did.

And she didn't care that she was acting like a prostitute. So she made her country unclean and was guilty of adultery, because she worshiped idols made of stone and wood.

So put on rough cloth, show how sad you are, and cry loudly. The terrible anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.

People of Jerusalem, clean the evil from your hearts so that you can be saved. Don't continue making evil plans.

So the people in the land will cry loudly, and the sky will grow dark, because I have spoken and will not change my mind. I have made a decision, and I will not change it."

So I will go to the leaders of Judah and talk to them. Surely they understand the way of the Lord and know what God wants them to do." But even the leaders had all joined together to break away from the Lord ; they had broken their ties with him.

So a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the desert will kill them. A leopard is waiting for them near their towns. It will tear to pieces anyone who comes out of the city, because the people of Judah have sinned greatly. They have wandered away from the Lord many times.

So this is what the Lord God All-Powerful says: "The people said I would not punish them. So, the words I give you will be like fire, and these people will be like wood that it burns up.

When the people of Judah ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these terrible things to us?' then give them this answer: ‘You have left the Lord and served foreign idols in your own land. So now you will serve foreigners in a land that does not belong to you.'