Study Desk

Listen closely to what I say. Listen to me so that you will live. I will make an agreement with you that will last forever. It will be an agreement you can trust, like the one I made with David— a promise to love him and be loyal to him forever.

So you should look for the Lord before it is too late. You should call to him now, while he is near.

Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

"So you will go out from there with joy. You will be led out in peace. When you come to the mountains and hills, they will begin singing. All the trees in the fields will clap their hands.

So I will put a memorial stone in my Temple for them. Their name will be remembered in my city! Yes, I will give those eunuchs something better than sons and daughters. I will give them a name that will last forever! They will not be cut off from my people.

"Some foreigners have chosen to follow the Lord . They do this so that they can serve him and love his name and be his servants. They keep the Sabbath as a special day of worship, and they will continue to follow closely my agreement.

So I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them happy in my house of prayer. The offerings and sacrifices they give me will please me, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

You did not remember me. You did not even notice me! So who were you worrying about? Who were you afraid of? Why did you lie? Look, I have been quiet for a long time. Is that why you didn't honor me?

Israel's evil greed made me angry, so I punished them. I turned away from them because I was angry. But they continued to do wrong. They did whatever they wanted.

All fairness and goodness is gone. There is only darkness around us, so we must wait for the light. We hope for a bright light, but all we have is darkness.

He did not see anyone speak up for the people. He was shocked to see that no one stood up for them. So with his own power he saved them. His desire to do what is right gave him strength.

Children from other lands will rebuild your walls. Their kings will serve you. "When I was angry, I hurt you, but now I want to be kind to you. So I will comfort you.

In the past, other people shamed you and said bad things to you. You were shamed much more than any other people. So in your land you will get two times more than other people. You will get the joy that continues forever.

That's because I am the Lord and I love justice. I hate stealing and everything that is wrong. So I will give the people what they deserve. I will make an agreement with my people forever.

I love Zion, so I will continue to speak for her. I love Jerusalem, so I will not stop speaking. I will speak until goodness shines like a bright light, until salvation burns bright like a flame.

As a young man takes a bride and she belongs to him, so your land will belong to your children. As a man is happy with his new wife, so your God will be happy with you.

He answers, "I walked in the winepress by myself. No one helped me. I was angry, and I trampled the grapes. The juice splashed on my clothes, so now they are stained.

I looked around, but I saw no one to help me. I was surprised that no one supported me. So I used my own power to save my people. My own anger supported me.

He said, "These are my people. These are my real children." So he saved them.

The people had many troubles, but he was not against them. He loved them and felt sorry for them, so he saved them. He sent his special angel to save them. He picked them up and carried them, just as he did long ago.