Study Desk

Now I will sing for my friend a song about his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a hill with very rich soil.

What more could I have done for my vineyard than I have already done? Although I expected good grapes to grow, why were there only bad ones?

The vineyard belonging to the Lord All-Powerful is the nation of Israel; the garden that he loves is the people of Judah. He looked for justice, but there was only killing. He hoped for right living, but there were only cries of pain.

How terrible it will be for you who add more houses to your houses and more fields to your fields until there is no room left for other people. Then you are left alone in the land.

How terrible it will be for people who rise early in the morning to look for strong drink, who stay awake late at night, becoming drunk with wine.

How terrible it will be for those people! They pull their guilt and sins behind them as people pull wagons with ropes.

How terrible it will be for people who call good things bad and bad things good, who think darkness is light and light is darkness, who think sour is sweet and sweet is sour.

How terrible it will be for people who think they are wise and believe they are clever.

How terrible it will be for people who are famous for drinking wine and are champions at mixing drinks.

He raises a banner for the nations far away. He whistles to call those people from the ends of the earth. Look! The enemy comes quickly!

Heavenly creatures of fire stood above him. Each creature had six wings: It used two wings to cover its face, two wings to cover its feet, and two wings for flying.

Then I heard the Lord's voice, saying, "Whom can I send? Who will go for us?" So I said, "Here I am. Send me!"

"Let's fight against Judah and tear it apart. We will divide the land for ourselves and make the son of Tabeel the new king of Judah."

"Ask for a sign from the Lord your God to prove to yourself that these things are true. It may be a sign from as deep as the place of the dead or as high as the heavens."

But Ahaz said, "I will not ask for a sign or test the Lord ."

"At that time the Lord will whistle for the Egyptians, and they will come like flies from Egypt's faraway streams. He will call for the Assyrians, and they will come like bees.

There will be only enough milk for that person to eat milk curds. All who remain in the land will go back to eating just milk curds and honey.

Be broken, all you nations, and be smashed to pieces. Listen, all you faraway countries. Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces! Prepare for battle and be smashed to pieces!

Make your plans for the fight, but they will be defeated. Give orders to your armies, but they will be useless, because God is with us.

Then he will be a place of safety for you. But for the two families of Israel, he will be like a stone that causes people to stumble, like a rock that makes them fall. He will be like a trap for the people of Jerusalem, and he will catch them in his trap.