Study Desk

I opened to my love,but my love had turned and gone away.My heart sank because he had left.I sought him, but did not find him.I called him, but he did not answer.

But my dove, my virtuous one, is unique;she is the favorite of her mother,perfect to the one who gave her birth.Women see her and declare her fortunate;queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises:

I have my own vineyard.The one thousand are for you, Solomon,but two hundred for those who take care of its fruits.

Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth,for the Lord has spoken:“I have raised children and brought them up,but they have rebelled against me.

The ox knows its owner,and the donkey its master’s feeding trough,but Israel does not know;my people do not understand.”

But if you refuse and rebel,you will be devoured by the sword.”For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The faithful town—what an adulteress she has become!She was once full of justice.Righteousness once dwelt in her,but now, murderers!

He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones,and planted it with the finest vines.He built a tower in the middle of itand even dug out a winepress there.He expected it to yield good grapes,but it yielded worthless grapes.

For the vineyard of the Lord of Armiesis the house of Israel,and the men of Judah,the plant he delighted in.He expected justicebut saw injustice;he expected righteousness,but heard cries of despair.

But the Lord of Armies is exalted by his justice,and the holy God shows that he is holy through his righteousness.

This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah: Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah went to fight against Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it.

But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

He will be a sanctuary;but for the two houses of Israel,he will be a stone to stumble overand a rock to trip over,and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. But in the future he will bring honor to the way of the sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.

“The bricks have fallen,but we will rebuild with cut stones;the sycamores have been cut down,but we will replace them with cedars.”

They carve meat on the right,but they are still hungry;they have eaten on the left,but they are still not satisfied.Each one eats the flesh of his own arm.

But this is not what he intends;this is not what he plans.It is his intent to destroyand to cut off many nations.

But when the Lord finishes all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes.”

On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

but he will judge the poor righteouslyand execute justice for the oppressed of the land.He will strike the landwith a scepter from his mouth,and he will kill the wickedwith a command from his lips.