Study Desk

"Kings will be your attendants, And their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your feet; And you shall know [with an understanding based on personal experience] that I am the LORD; For they shall not be put to shame who wait and hope expectantly for Me.

"I will make those who oppress you consume their own flesh [in mutually destructive wars] And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all mankind will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

"I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies And of a son of man who is made [as destructible] as grass,

"For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of hosts is His name.

"Therefore My people shall know My Name and what it means. Therefore in that day I am the One who is speaking, 'Here I am.'"

Do not let the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will most certainly separate me from His people." And do not let the eunuch say, "Look, I am a dry tree."

"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry for help, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression], The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,

"You will suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations And suck the breast (abundance) of kings; Then you will recognize and know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

"I let Myself be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here am I, here am I,' To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name.

Who say, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am too holy for you [and you might defile me]!' These [people] are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.

"Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things [of life] will not be remembered or come to mind.

"But be glad and rejoice forever over what I create; Behold, I am creating Jerusalem to be a source of rejoicing And her people a joy.

Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, For I am [only] a young man."

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am [only] a young man,' Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.

"Do not be afraid of them [or their hostile faces], For I am with you [always] to protect you and deliver you," says the LORD.

Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am [actively] watching over My word to fulfill it."

"They will fight against you, but they will not [ultimately] prevail over you, for I am with you [always] to protect you and deliver you," says the LORD.

"How can you say, 'I am not defiled, I have not gone after [man-made gods like] the Baals'? Look at your way in the valley; Know [without any doubt] what you have done! You are a swift and restless young [female] camel [in the heat of her passion] running here and there,

Yet you keep saying, 'I am innocent; Surely His anger has turned away from me.' Behold (listen very carefully), I will bring you to judgment and will plead my case against you Because you say, 'I have not sinned.'

"Go and proclaim these words toward the north [where the ten tribes have been taken as captives] and say, 'Return, faithless Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not look on you in anger. For I am gracious and merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not be angry forever.