Study Desk

The Lord 's special day is near. So cry and be sad for yourselves. A time is coming when the enemy will steal your wealth. God All-Powerful will make that happen.

Other kings have their own graves, but you will not join them, because you ruined your own country and killed your own people. So your wicked descendants will be stopped.

So the people gather up everything they own and cross the border at Arabah stream.

People from Moab were forced to leave their homes. So let them live in your land. Hide them from their enemies." The robbing will stop. The enemy will be defeated. The men who hurt the people will be gone from the land.

So I will hum a sad song for Moab and Kir Heres, like a harp playing a funeral song.

That night, the people will be frightened. By morning, nothing will be left. So our enemies will get nothing. They will come to our land, but nothing will be there.

The leaders of Zoan have been fooled. The leaders of Noph have believed lies, so they lead Egypt the wrong way.

The Lord confused them, so they wander around and lead Egypt the wrong way. Everything they do is wrong. They are like drunks rolling in their vomit.

At that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said, "Go, take the sackcloth off your waist and the sandals off your feet." So Isaiah obeyed the Lord and went without clothes or sandals.

People living along the coast will say, "We trusted those countries to help us. We ran to them so that they would rescue us from the king of Assyria. But look at them. They have been captured, so how can we escape?"

This city was so happy, but now there is a terrible uproar. There are bodies lying everywhere, but they were not killed with swords. The people died, but not while fighting.

So I say, "Don't look at me! Let me cry! Don't rush to comfort me about the destruction of Jerusalem."

Then you noticed how many cracks there were in the walls around the City of David, so you began collecting water from the Lower Pool. You counted the houses and used stones from them to repair the walls. Then you built a pool between the double walls for storing water from the Old Pool. You did all this to protect yourselves, but you did not trust the God who made all these things. You did not even notice the one who made all these things so long ago.

So the Lord God All-Powerful told the people to cry and mourn for their dead friends. He told them to shave their heads and wear mourning clothes.

Can this be that happy city that was founded so long ago? Is it that same city whose people traveled so far to settle other lands?

This city produced so many leaders. Its merchants were like princes. Its traders had the whole world's respect. So who made these plans against Tyre?

It was the Lord All-Powerful. He decided to destroy the great things they were so proud of. He wanted to disgrace those who were so highly respected.

He said, "Daughter Sidon, you have been hurt badly, so you will no longer rejoice like a bride. Go ahead, go to Cyprus for help, but you will not find a place to rest there either."

So be sad, you ships from Tarshish. Your place of safety has been destroyed.

The people living in this land are guilty of doing wrong, so God promised to destroy the land. The people will be punished, and only a few of them will survive.