Study Desk

Come near, ^(C1)you nations, to hear; and listen, you peoples! ^(C2)Let the earth and ^(F1)all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.

For the LORD'S ^(C1)anger is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies. He has ^(F1)(C2)utterly destroyed them, He has turned them over to ^(C3)slaughter.

So their slain will be ^(C1)thrown out, And their corpses ^(F1)will give off their ^(C2)stench, And the mountains will ^(F2)be drenched with their ^(C3)blood.

And ^(C1)all the heavenly ^(F1)lights will ^(F2)wear away, And the ^(C2)sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All its ^(F1)lights will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.

For ^(C1)My sword has drunk its fill in heaven; Behold it shall descend for judgment upon ^(C2)Edom, And upon the people whom I have ^(C3)designated for destruction.

The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It drips with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in ^(C1)Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of ^(C2)Edom.

^(C1)Wild oxen will also ^(F1)fall with them And ^(C2)young bulls with strong ones; So their land will be ^(C3)soaked with blood, And their dust ^(F2)become greasy with fat.

For the LORD has a day of ^(C1)vengeance, A year of retribution for the ^(F1)cause of Zion.

^(F1)Its streams will be turned into pitch, And its loose earth into ^(C1)brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch.

It will ^(C1)not be extinguished night or day; Its ^(C2)smoke will go up forever. From ^(C3)generation to generation it will be desolate; ^(C4)None will pass through it forever and ever.

But ^(F1)(C1)pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And ^(F2)owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the ^(C2)line of ^(F3)desolation And the ^(F4)plumb line of emptiness.

Its nobles—there is ^(C1)no one there Whom they may proclaim king— And all its officials will be ^(C2)nothing.

Thorns will come up in its ^(C1)fortified towers, Weeds and thistles in its fortified cities; It will also be a haunt of ^(C2)jackals And a habitat of ostriches.

The desert ^(C1)creatures will meet with the ^(F1)wolves, The ^(F2)(C1)goat also will cry to its kind. Yes, the ^(F3)night-bird 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 ^(F1)protection. Yes, ^(C1)the ^(F2)hawks will be gathered there, Every one with its kind.

Seek from the ^(C1)book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these will be missing; None will lack its mate. For ^(F1)(C2)His mouth has commanded, And His Spirit has gathered them.

He has cast the ^(C1)lot for them, And His hand has divided it to them by the ^(C2)measuring line. They shall possess it forever; From ^(C3)generation to generation they will dwell in it.

The ^(C1)wilderness and the desert will rejoice, And the ^(F1)(C2)desert will shout for joy and blossom; Like the crocus

It will ^(C1)blossom profusely And ^(C2)rejoice with joy and jubilation. The ^(C3)glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of ^(C4)Carmel and Sharon. They will see the ^(C5)glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God.

^(C1)Strengthen the ^(F1)exhausted, and make the ^(F2)feeble strong.

Say to those with ^(C1)anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with ^(C2)vengeance; The ^(C3)retribution of God will come, But He will ^(C4)save you."

Then the ^(C1)eyes of those who are blind will be opened, And the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped.

Then those who ^(C1)limp will leap like a deer, And the ^(C2)tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy. For waters will burst forth in the ^(C3)wilderness, And streams in the ^(F1)desert.

The ^(F1)scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground ^(C1)springs of water; In the ^(C2)haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes.

^(C1)A highway will be there, ^(C2)a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of ^(C3)Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for the one who walks that way, And ^(C4)fools will not wander on it.

No ^(C1)lion will be there, Nor will any vicious animal go up on it; ^(F1)They will not be found there. But ^(C2)the redeemed will walk there,

And ^(C1)the redeemed of the LORD will return And come to Zion with joyful shouting, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And ^(C2)sorrow and sighing will flee away.