Study Desk

"I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am tired of bearing them.

How the faithful city has become a prostitute, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once dwelt in her, But now murderers.

Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after gifts. They do not obtain justice for the orphan, Nor does the widow's case come before them.

"Then I will restore your judges as at first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city."

For you will be like an oak whose leaf withers away, Or like a garden that has no water.

The strong man will become like flax fiber, And his work a spark. So they shall both burn together And there will be no one to extinguish them.

And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

For the LORD of armies will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is arrogant and haughty, And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be brought low.

When a man lays hold of his brother in his father's house, saying, "You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler! And these ruins will be under your authority,"

Now it will come about that instead of balsam oil there will be a stench; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a robe of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty.

then the LORD will create over the entire area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy.

And there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

Let me sing now for my beloved A song of my beloved about His vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.

He dug it all around, cleared it of stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it, And also carved out a wine vat in it; Then He expected it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones.

For the vineyard of the LORD of armies is the house of Israel, And the people of Judah are His delightful plant. So He waited for justice, but behold, there was bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

Woe to those who attach house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, And you alone are a landowner in the midst of the land!

"For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine, And a homer of seed will yield only an ephah of grain."

Who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble, And dry grass collapses in the flame, So their root will become like rot, and their blossom blow away like dust; For they have rejected the Law of the LORD of armies, And discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel.

He will also lift up a flag to the distant nation, And whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.