Study Desk

While Jacob was still in his mother's womb, he began to trick his brother. Jacob was a strong young man, and at that time he fought with God.

Yes, Yahweh is the God of the armies. His name is Yahweh .

So come back to your God. Be loyal to him. Do the right thing, and always trust in your God!

"But I am still the Lord your God, as I was when you left the land of Egypt. I will make you live in tents, as you do during the Festival of Shelters.

"I have been the Lord your God since the time you were in the land of Egypt. You did not know any other god except me. I am the one who saved you.

Samaria must be punished because she turned against her God. The Israelites will be killed with swords. Their children will be torn to pieces, and their pregnant women will be ripped open."

Israel, you fell and sinned against God. So come back to the Lord your God.

Assyria will not save us. We will not ride on war horses. We will never again say, ‘Our God' to something we made with our hands. This is because you are the one who shows mercy to orphans."

Priests, put on sackcloth and cry loudly. Servants of the altar, cry loudly. Servants of my God, you will sleep in sackcloth, because there will be no more grain and drink offerings in God's Temple.

Tell the people that there will be a special time of fasting. Call them together for a special meeting. Bring the leaders and everyone living in the land together at the Temple of the Lord your God, and pray to the Lord .

Be sad because the Lord 's special day is near. At that time punishment will come like an attack from God All-Powerful.

Our food is gone. Joy and happiness are gone from the Temple of our God.

Tear your hearts, not your clothes." Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and merciful. He does not become angry quickly. He has great love. Maybe he will change his mind about the bad punishment he planned.

Who knows, maybe he will change his mind and leave behind a blessing for you. Then you can give grain and drink offerings to the Lord your God.

Let the priests, the Lord 's servants, cry between the porch and the altar. All of them should say this: " Lord , have mercy on your people. Don't let your people be put to shame. Don't let other people tell jokes about your people. Don't let the other nations laugh at us and say, ‘Where is their God?'"

So be happy, people of Zion. Be joyful in the Lord your God. He is good and will give you rain. He will send the early rains and the late rains as before.

Then you will have plenty to eat. You will be full. You will praise the name of the Lord your God. He has done wonderful things for you. My people will never again be ashamed.

You will know that I am with Israel. You will know that I am the Lord your God. There is no other God. My people will never be ashamed again."

The Lord God will shout from Zion. He will shout from Jerusalem, and the sky and the earth will shake. But the Lord God will be a safe place for his people. He will be a place of safety for the people of Israel.

"Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. I live on Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will become holy. Strangers will never pass through that city again.