Study Desk

Draw near, ^(a)O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! ^(b)Let the earth and ^[a]all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.

For the Lord's ^(c)indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies; He has ^[b](d)utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to ^(e)slaughter.

So their slain will be ^(f)thrown out, And their corpses ^[c]will give off their ^(g)stench, And the mountains will ^[d]be drenched with their ^(h)blood.

And ⁽ⁱ⁾all the host of heaven will ^[e]wear away, And the ^(j)sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.

For ^(k)My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon ^(l)Edom And upon the people whom I have ^(m)devoted to destruction.

The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, It is ^[f]sated with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in ⁽ⁿ⁾Bozrah And a great slaughter in the land of ^(o)Edom.

^(p)Wild oxen will also ^[g]fall with them And ^(q)young bulls with strong ones; Thus their land will be ^(r)soaked with blood, And their dust ^[h]become greasy with fat.

For the Lord has a day of ^(s)vengeance, A year of recompense for the ^[i]cause of Zion.

^[j]Its streams will be turned into pitch, And its loose earth into ^(t)brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch.

It will ^(u)not be quenched night or day; Its ^(v)smoke will go up forever. From ^(w)generation to generation it will be desolate; ^(x)None will pass through it forever and ever.

But ^[k](y)pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And ^[l]owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the ^(z)line of ^[m]desolation And the ^[n]plumb line of emptiness.

Its nobles—there is ^(aa)no one there Whom they may proclaim king— And all its princes will be ^(ab)nothing.

Thorns will come up in its ^(ac)fortified towers, Nettles and thistles in its fortified cities; It will also be a haunt of ^(ad)jackals And an abode of ostriches.

The desert ^(ae)creatures will meet with the ^[o]wolves, The ^[p](af)hairy goat also will cry to its kind; Yes, the ^[q]night monster will settle there And will find herself a resting place.

The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there, And it will hatch and gather them under its ^[r]protection. Yes, ^(ag)the ^[s]hawks will be gathered there, Every one with its kind.

Seek from the ^(ah)book of the Lord , and read: Not one of these will be missing; None will lack its mate. For ^[t](ai)His mouth has commanded, And His Spirit has gathered them.

He has cast the ^(aj)lot for them, And His hand has divided it to them by ^(ak)line. They shall possess it forever; From ^(al)generation to generation they will dwell in it.

The ^(a)wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the ^[a](b)Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus

It will ^(c)blossom profusely And ^(d)rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The ^(e)glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of ^(f)Carmel and Sharon. They will see the ^(g)glory of the Lord , The majesty of our God.

^(h)Encourage the ^[b]exhausted, and strengthen the ^[c]feeble.

Say to those with ⁽ⁱ⁾anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with ^(j)vengeance; The ^(k)recompense of God will come, But He will ^(l)save you."

Then the ^(m)eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

Then the ⁽ⁿ⁾lame will leap like a deer, And the ^(o)tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the ^(p)wilderness And streams in the ^[d]Arabah.

The ^[e]scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground ^(q)springs of water; In the ^(r)haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.

^(s)A highway will be there, ^(t)a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of ^(u)Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And ^(v)fools will not wander on it.

No ^(w)lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; ^[f]These will not be found there. But ^(x)the redeemed will walk there,

And ^(y)the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will ^[g]find gladness and joy, And ^(z)sorrow and sighing will flee away.