Study Desk

I will bear the indignation and wrath of the LORD Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light, And I will behold His [amazing] righteousness and His remarkable deliverance.

The [pagan] nations shall see [God's omnipotence in delivering Israel] and be ashamed Of all their might [which cannot be compared to His]. They shall put their hand on their mouth [in silent astonishment]; Their ears shall be deaf.

Who is a God like You, who forgives wickedness And passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He [constantly] delights in mercy and lovingkindness.

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God [protecting and demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]; The LORD avenges and He is full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power And He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He dries up all the rivers [illustrating His judgment]. Bashan [on the east] and [Mount] Carmel [on the west] wither, And [in the north] the blossoms of Lebanon fade.

The mountains quake before Him And the hills melt away; Indeed the earth is shaken by His presence— Yes, the world and all that dwell in it.

Who can stand before His indignation [His great wrath]? And who can stand up and endure the fierceness of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are destroyed by Him.

But with an overwhelming flood [of judgment through invading armies] He will make a complete destruction of its site And will pursue His enemies into darkness.

"Now, I will break his yoke [of taxation] off you, And I will tear off your shackles."

The shields of his soldiers [of Media and Babylon] are colored red; The warriors are dressed in scarlet. The chariots blaze with fire of [flashing] steel When he is prepared to march, And the cypress spears are brandished [for battle].

He remembers and summons his nobles; They stumble in their march [terrified because of the attack]. They hurry to the city wall, And the mantelet is prepared and firmly set up.

The lion [of Assyria] tore enough for his cubs (Assyrian citizens), Killed [enough prey] for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh.

I will stand at my guard post And station myself on the tower; And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, And what answer I will give [as His spokesman] when I am reproved.

"Look at the proud one, His soul is not right within him, But the righteous will live by his faith [in the true God].

"Moreover, wine is treacherous and betrays the arrogant man, So that he does not stay at home. His appetite is large like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples [as if he owned them].

"Will all these [victims of his greed] not take up a taunting song against him, And in mocking derision against him Say, 'Woe (judgment is coming) to him who increases that which is not his— How long [will he possess it]? And [woe to him who] makes himself wealthy with loans.'

"Woe (judgment is coming) to him who obtains wicked gain for his house [and thinks by so doing] To set his nest on high, That he may be rescued from the hand of evil.

"What profit is the carved image when its maker has formed it? It is only a cast image, and a teacher of lies. For its maker trusts in his own creation [as his god] When he makes speechless idols.

"But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth hush and be silent before Him."