Study Desk

The Lord says, "You people are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so that you would help people believe me. I chose you so that you would understand that ‘I Am He'— I am the true God . There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me.

The Lord , the Holy One of Israel, saves you, and he says, "I will send armies to Babylon for you. Many people will be captured. Those Chaldeans will be taken away in their own boats. (They are so proud of those boats.)

So don't remember what happened in earlier times. Don't think about what happened a long time ago,

So you did not use your money to buy things to honor me. But you did force me to be like your slave. You sinned until the bad things you did made me very tired.

There is a little of the wood left, so he makes a statue and calls it his god. He bows down before it and worships it. He prays to it and says, "You are my god, save me!"

People like that don't know what they are doing! They don't understand. It is as if they have mud in their eyes so they cannot see. Their minds cannot understand.

"Jacob, remember these things! Israel, remember, you are my servant. I made you, and you are my servant. So, Israel, don't forget me.

Your sins were like a big cloud, but I wiped them all away. Your sins are gone, like a cloud that disappeared into thin air. I rescued and protected you, so come back to me."

I am doing this so that everyone will know that I am the only God. From the east to the west, people will know that I am the Lord and that there is no other God.

Tell them to come to me. Let them present their case and discuss these things.) "Who told you about this before it happened? Who told you this so long ago? I, the Lord , am the one who said these things. I am the only God, the one who does what is right. I am the one who saves, and there is no other!

So all you people in faraway places, turn to me and be saved, because I am God, and there is no other.

"Fall down and sit in the dirt, Virgin Daughter Babylon. You have no throne, so sit on the ground, daughter of the Chaldeans. You are not the ruler now. You are no longer the beautiful young princess that people said you were.

"So Babylon, sit down and shut up. Daughter of the Chaldeans, go into the dark prison. You will no longer be ‘The Queen of the Kingdoms.'

So now listen, you who love only pleasure! Feeling so safe, you tell yourself, ‘I alone am important, and no one else matters. I will never be a widow or lose my children.'

You worked hard all your life learning magic and spells. So start using that magic. Maybe those spells will help you. Maybe you will be able to frighten someone.

You have many advisors. Are you tired of the advice they give? Then send out your men who read the stars. They can tell when the month starts, so maybe they can tell you when your troubles will come.

But they cannot even save themselves. They will burn like straw. They will burn so fast that there will be no coals left to cook bread. There will be no fire left to sit by.

So long ago I told you what would happen. I told you about those things long before they happened. I did this so that you could not say, ‘The gods we made did this. Our idols, our statues, made this happen.'"

This is something that is happening now, not long ago. You have not heard about it before today. So you cannot say, ‘We already knew that.'

"Jacob, listen to me! Israel, I called you to be my people. So listen to me! I am the Beginning, and I am the End.