Study Desk

He covered himself with goodness like armor. He put the helmet of salvation on his head. He put on his clothes for punishing and wrapped himself in the coat of his strong love.

The Lord will pay back his enemies for what they have done. He will show his anger to those who were against him; he will punish the people in faraway places as they deserve.

Then people from the west will fear the Lord , and people from the east will fear his glory. The Lord will come quickly like a fast-flowing river, driven by the breath of the Lord .

Darkness now covers the earth; deep darkness covers her people. But the Lord shines on you, and people see his glory around you.

The Lord God has put his Spirit in me, because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free, and to tell the prisoners they are released.

He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness and the time when our God will punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad

and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem. I will give them a crown to replace their ashes, and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow, and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness. Then they will be called Trees of Goodness, trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness.

The Lord makes me very happy; all that I am rejoices in my God. He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels.

As a young man marries a woman, so your children will marry your land. As a man rejoices over his new wife, so your God will rejoice over you.

The Lord has made a promise, and by his power he will keep his promise. He said, "I will never again give your grain as food to your enemies. I will not let your enemies drink the new wine that you have worked to make.

The Lord is speaking to all the faraway lands: "Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your Savior is coming. He is bringing your reward to you; he is bringing his payment with him.'"

His people will be called the Holy People, the Saved People of the Lord , and Jerusalem will be called the City God Wants, the City God Has Not Rejected.

Who is this coming from Edom, from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red? Who is this dressed in fine clothes and marching forward with his great power? He says, "I, the Lord , speak what is right. I have the power to save you."

I will tell about the Lord 's kindness and praise him for everything he has done. I will praise the Lord for the many good things he has given us and for his goodness to the people of Israel. He has shown great mercy to us and has been very kind to us.

When they suffered, he suffered also. He sent his own angel to save them. Because of his love and kindness, he saved them. Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.

But they turned against him and made his Holy Spirit very sad. So he became their enemy, and he fought against them.

But then his people remembered what happened long ago, in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him. Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea, with the leaders of his people? Where is the one who put his Holy Spirit among them,

who led Moses by the right hand with his wonderful power, who divided the water before them to make his name famous forever,

You are our father. Abraham doesn't know we are his children, and Israel doesn't recognize us. Lord , you are our father. You are called "the one who has always saved us."

Your names will be like curses to my servants, and the Lord God will put you to death. But he will call his servants by another name.