Study Desk

At that time the Lord All-Powerful will become the "Beautiful Crown." He will be the "Wonderful Crown of Flowers" for his people who are left.

A man tried to sleep on a bed that was too short for him. He had a blanket that was not wide enough to cover him. The bed and blanket were useless, and so were your agreements. "

Yes, when they see all their children, the children I myself have made for them, they will honor my name as holy. They will respect the God of Israel.

They are going down to Egypt for help, but they did not ask me if that was the right thing to do. They hope they will be saved by the Pharaoh. They want Egypt to protect them.

Now write this on a sign so that all people can see it, and write this in a book. Write these things for a future time. This will be far, far in the future:

They tell the prophets, "Don't see dreams about things we should do. Don't tell us the truth. Say nice things to us and make us feel good. See only good things for us.

You say, "No, we need fast horses for battle." That is true—you will need fast horses, but only to run away because your enemy will be faster than your horses.

So the Lord is waiting to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is the God who does the right thing, so he will bless everyone who waits for his help.

At that time the Lord will send you rain. You will plant seeds, and the ground will grow food for you. You will have a very large harvest. You will have plenty of food in the fields for your animals. There will be large fields for your sheep.

Your cattle and donkeys will have all the food they need. There will be much food. You will have to use shovels and pitchforks to spread all the food for your animals to eat.

His breath is like a great river that rises until it reaches the throat. He will judge the nations as if putting them through a strainer that separates the ones fit for destruction. He will put a bit in their mouths to lead them to the place they don't want to go.

Topheth has been made ready for a long time. It is ready for the king. It was made very deep and wide. There is a very big pile of wood and fire there, and the Lord 's breath will come like a stream of burning sulfur to start the fire.

Look at the people going down to Egypt for help. They think the horses they get will save them. They hope the many chariots and powerful soldiers will protect them. But the people don't trust the Holy One of Israel. They didn't ask the Lord for help.

Cry for the land of my people. Cry because only thorns and weeds will grow there. Cry for the city and for all the houses that were once filled with joy.

Lord , be kind to us. We have waited for your help. Give us strength every morning. Save us when we are in trouble.

Good, honest people who refuse to hurt others for money will live through that fire . They refuse to take bribes or listen to plans to murder other people. They refuse to look at plans for doing bad things.

The Lord decided there should be a time for killing in Bozrah and in Edom. So the sword of the Lord is covered with blood and fat. The blood is from the "goats." The fat is from the kidneys of the "rams."

This will happen because the Lord has chosen a time for punishment. He has chosen a year when people must pay for the wrong they did to Zion.

Birds and small animals will own that land. It will be a home for owls and ravens. God will leave that land in ruins. People will call it "the empty desert."

The free men and leaders will all be gone, and there will be nothing left for them to rule.