Study Desk

Many people and powerful nations will come to worship the Lord All-Powerful in Jerusalem and to pray to the Lord for help."

Tyre has built a strong wall for herself. She has piled up silver like dust and gold like the mud in the streets.

Rejoice greatly, people of Jerusalem! Shout for joy, people of Jerusalem! Your king is coming to you. He does what is right, and he saves. He is gentle and riding on a donkey, on the colt of a donkey.

As for you, because of the blood of the agreement with you I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

The Lord All-Powerful will protect them; they will destroy the enemy with slingshots. They will drink and shout like drunks. They will be filled like a bowl used for sprinkling blood at the corners of the altar.

Ask the Lord for rain during the springtime rains. The Lord is the one who makes the clouds. He sends the showers and gives everyone green fields.

The Lord says, "I am angry at my shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. I, the Lord All-Powerful, care for my flock, the people of Judah. I will make them like my proud war horses.

I will bring them back from the land of Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead and Lebanon until there isn't enough room for them all.

Their buyers kill them and are not punished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord , I am rich.' Even the shepherds don't feel sorry for their sheep.

I don't feel sorry anymore for the people of this country," says the Lord . "I will let everyone be under the power of his neighbor and king. They will bring trouble to the country, and I will not save anyone from them."

because I am going to get a new shepherd for the country. He will not care for the dying sheep, or look for the young ones, or heal the injured ones, or feed the healthy. But he will eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.

"How terrible it will be for the useless shepherd who abandoned the flock. A sword will strike his arm and his right eye. His arm will lose all its strength, and his right eye will go blind."

At that time there will be much crying in Jerusalem, like the crying for Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.

"At that time a fountain will be open for David's descendants and for the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them of their sin and uncleanness."

This will be the punishment for Egypt and any nation which does not go to celebrate the Feast of Shelters.

"Priests, this command is for you.

"My agreement for priests was with the tribe of Levi. I promised them life and peace so they would honor me. And they did honor me and fear me.

We all have the same father; the same God made us. So why do people break their promises to each other and show no respect for the agreement our ancestors made with God?

God made husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have children who are true to God. So be careful, and do not break your promise to the wife you married when you were young.

The Lord All-Powerful says, "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way for me. Suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple; the messenger of the agreement, whom you want, will come."