Study Desk

He may bring us sorrow, but his love for us is sure and strong.

Why should we ever complain when we are punished for our sin?

By a cloud of fury too thick for our prayers to get through.

"Punish them for what they have done, O Lord ;

They let their babies die of hunger and thirst; children are begging for food that no one will give them.

People who once ate the finest foods die starving in the streets; those raised in luxury are pawing through garbage for food.

The disaster that came to my people brought horror; loving mothers boiled their own children for food.

The Lord had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself. He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

For help that never came, we looked until we could look no longer. We kept waiting for help from a nation that had none to give.

The enemy was watching for us; we could not even walk in the streets. Our days were over; the end had come.

Zion has paid for her sin; the Lord will not keep us in exile any longer. But Edom, the Lord will punish you; he will expose your guilty acts.

We must pay for the water we drink; we must buy the wood we need for fuel.

Our ancestors sinned, but now they are gone, and we are suffering for their sins.

Murderers roam through the countryside; we risk our lives when we look for food.

So I came to Tel Abib beside the Chebar River, where the exiles were living, and for seven days I stayed there, overcome by what I had seen and heard.

"Mortal man," he said, "I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you.

If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death.

"If someone truly good starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death.

Then, when I speak to you again and give you back the power of speech, you will tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord , am saying. Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are a nation of rebels."

"Then lie down on your left side, and I will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last.