Study Desk

I will do this for myself—for me! I will not let you treat me as if I am not important. I will not let some false god take my glory and praise.

"Jacob, listen to me! Israel, I called you to be my people. So listen to me! I am the Beginning, and I am the End.

The Lord , the Savior, the Holy One of Israel, says, "I am the Lord your God. I teach you for your own good. I lead you in the way you should go.

Kings will be their teachers. The daughters of kings will care for them. The kings and their daughters will bow down to you. They will kiss the dirt at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord , and anyone who trusts in me will not be disappointed."

God is with me, and he is the one who shows that I am innocent. So no one can say I am guilty. If anyone wants to try to prove me wrong, they should come here, and we will have a trial.

I will soon save you and show that I am fair. I will use my power and judge all nations. All the faraway places are waiting for me. They wait for my power to help them.

The Lord says, "I am the one who comforts you. So why should you be afraid of people? They are only humans who live and die like the grass.

"I, the Lord , am the one who made you. With my power I made the earth and spread the sky over the earth. But you have forgotten me, so you are always afraid that angry men will hurt you. Those men planned to destroy you, but where are they now?

"I am the Lord your God, the one who stirs up the sea and makes the waves roar." The Lord All-Powerful is his name.

Your God is the one who fights for his people. He is your Lord God , and he says to you, "Look, I am taking this ‘cup of poison' away from you. It is full of my anger, and I am taking it out of your hand. You will not be punished by my anger again.

"This happened so that my people will learn about me. My people will know who I am. My people will know my name, and they will know that I Am He is speaking to them."

Some foreigners will choose to follow the Lord . They should not say, "The Lord will not really accept me like the rest of his people." A eunuch should not say, "I am only a dry piece of wood. I cannot have any children. "

Then you will call to the Lord , and he will answer you. You will cry out to him, and he will say, "Here I am." Stop causing trouble and putting burdens on people. Stop saying things to hurt people or accusing them of things they didn't do.

That's because I am the Lord and I love justice. I hate stealing and everything that is wrong. So I will give the people what they deserve. I will make an agreement with my people forever.

The Lord makes me very happy. I am completely happy with my God. He dressed me in the clothes of salvation. He put the victory coat on me. I look like a man dressed for his wedding, like a bride covered with jewels.

"I helped people who had not come to me for advice. Those who found me were not looking for me. I spoke to a nation that does not use my name. I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!'

But they tell others, ‘Don't come near me! Don't touch me because I am holy!' They are like smoke in my eyes, and their fire burns all the time."

I, the Lord , am doing this because of your sins and the sins of your ancestors. They did these sins when they burned incense in the mountains. They shamed me on those hills, and I punished them first."

"I am creating a new heaven and a new earth. The troubles of the past will be forgotten. No one will remember them.

I am the one who made all things. They are all here because I made them," says the Lord . "These are the people I care for: the poor, humble people who obey my commands.