Study Desk

And I also have made you sick by striking you down, making you desolate because of your sins.

But the earth will be a desolation because of its inhabitants, for the fruit of their deeds.

The nations will see and be ashamed because of all their might. They will lay the hand on the mouth; their ears will be deaf.

Yahweh has commanded concerning you: "Your name will no longer be sown. I will cut off the idols and images from the temple of your gods; I will send you to the grave because you are worthless."

"Because of the many idolatries of the prostitute, the beautiful charm of a mistress of witchcraft, she who enslaves nations by her harlotries, and peoples by her sorceries,

Because you plundered many nations, all the remaining nations will plunder you on account of the blood of humanity and violence against the land, and against cities and all who live in them.

This shall be for them in place of their pride because they mocked and boasted against the people of Yahweh of hosts.

Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure; that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him in unison.

‘You have looked for much, and look! It came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?' declares Yahweh of hosts. ‘Because my house is desolate and you are running each to your own house!

Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce.

‘But now take courage, Zerubbabel,' declares Yahweh. ‘Take courage, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and take courage, all the people of the land,' declares Yahweh. ‘Do the work, because I am with you,' declares Yahweh of hosts,

And he said to him, "Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls because of the multitude of people and animals in its midst.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age.

Do not devise evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love a false oath, because all these are things I hate," declares Yahweh.

Ashkelon will see and will be afraid, and Gaza will writhe exceedingly, and Ekron also, because its hope is ruined. And the king from Gaza will perish, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.

As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit.

Because the household gods speak deceit, and those who practice divination see a lie, and the dreamers of vanity speak in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted because there is no shepherd.

My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders, because Yahweh of hosts watches over his flock, the house of Judah; and he will make them like his majestic horse in war.

And they will be like warriors, trampling in the mud of the streets in the battle. They will fight, because Yahweh is with them, and they will put to shame the riders on horses.

And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and the house of Joseph I will save. And I will bring them back, because I have compassion on them, and they will be as if I had not rejected them, for I am Yahweh their God, and I will answer them.