Study Desk

Say to him, ‘What are you doing here? Who said you could cut out a tomb for yourself here? Why are you preparing your tomb in a high place? Why are you carving out a tomb from the rock?

"At that time I will call for my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.

Go through your land, people of Tarshish, like the Nile goes through Egypt. There is no harbor for you now!

Look at the land of the Babylonians; it is not a country now. Assyria has made it a place for wild animals. Assyria built towers to attack it; the soldiers took all the treasures from its cities, and they turned it into ruins.

At that time people will forget about Tyre for seventy years, which is the length of a king's life. After seventy years, Tyre will be like the prostitute in this song:

After seventy years the Lord will deal with Tyre, and it will again have trade. It will be like a prostitute for all the nations of the earth.

The profits will be saved for the Lord . Tyre will not keep the money she earns but will give them to the people who serve the Lord , so they will have plenty of food and nice clothes.

People in the streets will ask for wine, but joy will have turned to sadness; all the happiness will have left.

The people shout for joy. From the west they praise the greatness of the Lord .

We hear songs from every part of the earth praising God, the Righteous One. But I said, "I am dying! I am dying! How terrible it will be for me! Traitors turn against people; with their dishonesty, they turn against people."

There are terrors, holes, and traps for the people of the earth.

The Lord All-Powerful will prepare a feast on this mountain for all people. It will be a feast with all the best food and wine, the finest meat and wine.

At that time people will say, "Our God is doing this! We have waited for him, and he has come to save us. This is the Lord . We waited for him, so we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us."

The path of life is level for those who are right with God; Lord , you make the way of life smooth for those people.

But, Lord , we are waiting for your way of justice. Our souls want to remember you and your name.

Lord , you are ready to punish those people, but they do not see that. Show them your strong love for your people. Then those who are evil will be ashamed. Burn them in the fire you have prepared for your enemies.

In the same way, we had pain. We gave birth, but only to wind. We don't bring salvation to the land or make new people for the world.

My people, go into your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide in your rooms for a short time until God's anger is finished.

The Lord will leave his place to punish the people of the world for their sins. The earth will show the blood of the people who have been killed; it will not cover the dead any longer.

"I, the Lord , will care for that vineyard; I will water it at the right time. No one will hurt it, because I will guard it day and night.