Study Desk

Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, "I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak.

And the Lord said, "Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu's dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel's independence.

And the Lord said, "Name him Lo-ammi—‘Not my people'—for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God.

"But now bring charges against Israel—your mother— for she is no longer my wife, and I am no longer her husband. Tell her to remove the prostitute's makeup from her face and the clothing that exposes her breasts.

When she runs after her lovers, she won't be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think, ‘I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.'

Its people don't realize that I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them, and I see them all.

No, I will not unleash my fierce anger. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.

Israel boasts, "I am rich! I've made a fortune all by myself! No one has caught me cheating! My record is spotless!"

"But I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. And I will make you live in tents again, as you do each year at the Festival of Shelters.

"O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me."

The Lord will reply, "Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations.

Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced.

Listen, you people of Israel! Listen to this funeral song I am singing:

"O people of Israel, I am about to bring an enemy nation against you," says the Lord God of Heaven's Armies. "They will oppress you throughout your land— from Lebo-hamath in the north to the Arabah Valley in the south."

Even if their enemies drive them into exile, I will command the sword to kill them there. I am determined to bring disaster upon them and not to help them."

"I, the Sovereign Lord , am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel," says the Lord .

Jonah answered, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord , the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land."

But as for me, I am filled with power— with the Spirit of the Lord . I am filled with justice and strength to boldly declare Israel's sin and rebellion.

How miserable I am! I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest who can find nothing to eat. Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig can be found to satisfy my hunger.

And this is what the Lord says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh: "You will have no more children to carry on your name. I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods. I am preparing a grave for you because you are despicable!"