Study Desk

But they refused to listen and refused to do what he wanted. They closed their ears so that they could not hear what God said.

They were very stubborn and would not obey the law. The Lord All-Powerful used his Spirit and sent messages to his people through the prophets. But the people would not listen, so the Lord All-Powerful became very angry.

So the Lord All-Powerful said, "I called to them, and they did not answer. So now, if they call to me, I will not answer.

The Lord All-Powerful says, "Old men and women will again be seen in the public places in Jerusalem. People will live so long that they will need their walking sticks.

I will bring them back here, and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their good and faithful God."

The Lord All-Powerful says, "You have special days of sadness and fasting in the fourth month, the fifth month, the seventh month, and the tenth month. These days of sadness must be changed into days of happiness. They will be good and happy festivals. And you must love truth and peace."

The people in Ashkelon will see this and they will be afraid. The people of Gaza will shake with fear, and the people of Ekron will lose all hope when they see this happen. There will be no king left in Gaza. No one will live in Ashkelon anymore.

The Lord All-Powerful will protect them. The soldiers will use rocks and slings to defeat the enemy. They will spill the blood of their enemies. It will flow like wine. It will be like the blood that is thrown on the corners of the altar!

People use their little statues and magic to learn what will happen in the future, but that is useless. They see visions and tell about their dreams, but it is nothing but worthless lies. So the people are like sheep wandering here and there crying for help, but there is no shepherd to lead them.

They will defeat their enemy —it will be like soldiers marching through mud in the streets. They will fight, and since the Lord is with them, they will defeat even the enemy soldiers riding horses.

The people of Ephraim will be as happy as soldiers who have too much to drink. Their children will be rejoicing and they, too, will be happy. They will all have a happy time together with the Lord .

Yes, I have been scattering my people throughout the nations. But in those faraway places, they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will come back.

They will go through a sea of troubles, but the waves will be stopped. Even the deepest waters of the Nile River will dry up. I will destroy Assyria's pride and take away Egypt's power.

I, the Lord , will make my people strong, and they will live for me." This is what the Lord said.

I fired the three shepherds all in one month. I got angry at the sheep, and they began to hate me.

Then the Lord told me, "So that's how much they think I'm worth. Throw that large amount of money into the Temple treasury." So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury at the Lord 's Temple.

But I will make Jerusalem like a heavy rock—those who try to take it will hurt themselves. They will be cut and scratched. All the nations on earth will come together to fight against Jerusalem.

At that time I will make the leaders of Judah like a fire burning in a forest. They will destroy their enemies like fire burning straw. They will destroy the enemy all around them, and the people in Jerusalem will again be able to sit back and relax."

The Lord will save the people of Judah first, so the people in Jerusalem will not be able to brag too much. David's family and the other people who live in Jerusalem will not be able to brag that they are better than the other people in Judah.

I will fill David's family and the people living in Jerusalem with a spirit of kindness and mercy. They will look to me, the one they stabbed, and they will be very sad. They will be as sad as someone crying over the death of their only son, as sad as someone crying over the death of their firstborn son.