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.

^(C1)Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, ^(C2)Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.

And the ^(C1)king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the ^(C2)conduit of the upper pool on the road to the ^(F1)fuller's field.

Then ^(C1)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and ^(C2)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to him.

And ^(C1)Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah, 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says: "What is this confidence that you have?

"I say, 'Your plan and strength for the war are only ^(F1)empty words.' Now on whom have you relied, that ^(C1)you have revolted against me?

"Behold, you have relied on the ^(C1)staff of this broken reed, on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his ^(F1)hand and pierce it. ^(C2)So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

"But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not He ^(C1)whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'?

"Now then, come make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them!

"How then can you ^(F1)drive back even one ^(F2)official of the least of my master's servants and ^(F3)(C1)rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

"And have I now come up ^(F1)without the LORD'S approval against this land to destroy it? ^(C1)The LORD said to me, 'Go up against this land and destroy it.'"'"

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, "Please speak to your servants in ^(C1)Aramaic, for we ^(F1)understand it; and do not speak to us in ^(F2)(C2)Judean ^(F3)so that the people who are on the wall hear you."

But Rabshakeh said, "Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?"

Then Rabshakeh stood and ^(C1)called out with a loud voice in Judean and said, "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!

"This is what the king says: 'Do not let Hezekiah ^(C1)deceive you, for he will not be able to save you;

and do not let Hezekiah lead you to ^(C1)rely on the LORD, saying, "The LORD will certainly save us. This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria!"

'Do not listen to Hezekiah,' for this is what the king of Assyria says: '^(F1)Surrender to me and come out to me, and eat, each one, of his ^(C1)vine and each of his fig tree, and each drink of the ^(C2)waters of his own cistern,

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

'Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, "^(C1)The LORD will save us." Has any one of the gods of the nations saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

'Where are the gods of ^(C1)Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of ^(C1)Sepharvaim? And when have they ^(C2)saved Samaria from my hand?

'Who among all the ^(C1)gods of these lands have saved their land from my hand, that the ^(C2)LORD would save Jerusalem from my hand?'"

But they were silent and did not ^(C1)answer him so much as a word; for the king's command was, "Do not answer him."

Then ^(C1)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and ^(C2)Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the secretary, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and reported to him the words of Rabshakeh.

Now ^(C1)when King Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.

Then he sent ^(C1)Eliakim, who was in charge of the household, with ^(C2)Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to ^(C3)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.

And they said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: 'This day is a ^(C1)day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for ^(C2)children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to ^(F1)deliver them.

'Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to ^(C1)taunt the living God, and will avenge the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for ^(C2)the remnant that is left.'"

So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

And Isaiah said to them, "This is what you shall say to your master: 'This is what the LORD says: "^(C1)Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

"Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will ^(C1)hear news and ^(C2)return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land."'"

Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against ^(C1)Libnah, for he had heard that ^(F1)the king had left ^(C2)Lachish.

Now he ^(C1)heard them say regarding Tirhakah king of ^(F1)(C2)Cush, "He has come out to fight against you," and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

"This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of ^(F1)Judah: '^(C1)Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, "Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria."

'^(C1)Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved?

'Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: ^(C1)Gozan, ^(C2)Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?

'Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?'"

Then Hezekiah took the ^(F1)letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and ^(F2)spread it out before the LORD.

Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying,

"LORD of armies, God of Israel, ^(C1)who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the ^(C2)God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. ^(C3)You made heaven and earth.

"^(C1)Incline Your ear, LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, LORD, and see; and ^(C2)listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to ^(C3)taunt the living God.

"Truly, LORD, the ^(C1)kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their lands,

and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but only the ^(C1)work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have ^(C2)destroyed them.

"But now LORD, our God, ^(C1)save us from his hand, so that ^(C2)all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, ^(F1)LORD, are God."

Then ^(C1)Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria,

this is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: "She has shown contempt for you and derided you, The ^(C1)virgin ^(C2)daughter of Zion; The daughter of Jerusalem has ^(C3)shaken her head behind you!

-"Whom have you ^(C1)taunted and blasphemed? And against whom have you raised your voice And ^(F1)haughtily ^(C2)raised your eyes? Against the ^(C3)Holy One of Israel!

-"Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, And you have said, 'With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains, To the remotest parts of ^(C1)Lebanon; And I cut down its tall ^(C2)cedars and its choice junipers. And I will come to its ^(F1)highest peak, its thickest ^(C3)forest.

-'I dug wells and drank waters, And ^(C1)with the sole of my feet I dried up All the canals of ^(F1)Egypt.'

-"^(C1)Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, From ancient times I ^(C2)planned it. Now ^(C3)I have brought it about That ^(C4)you would turn fortified cities into ^(C5)ruined heaps.

-"Therefore their inhabitants were ^(F1)powerless, They were shattered and put to shame; They were like the ^(C1)vegetation of the field and the green grass, Like ^(C2)grass on the housetops ^(F2)that is scorched before it has grown.

-"But I ^(C1)know your sitting down, Your going out, your coming in, And your raging against Me.

-"Because of your raging against Me And because your ^(C1)complacency has come up to My ears, I will put My ^(C2)hook in your nose And My ^(C3)bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back ^(C4)by the way that you came.

"Then this shall be the sign for you: ^(F1)you will eat this year what ^(C1)grows of itself, in the second year what grows from the same, and in the third year sow, harvest, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.

"The ^(C1)survivors that are ^(C2)left of the house of Judah will again ^(C3)take root downward and bear fruit upward.

"For out of Jerusalem a ^(C1)remnant will go, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The ^(C2)zeal of the LORD of armies will perform this."'

"Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: 'He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there; and he will not come before it with a shield, nor heap up an ^(C1)assault ramp against it.

'^(C1)By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,' declares the LORD.

'For I will ^(C1)protect this city to save it ^(C2)for My own sake, and for My servant David's sake.'"

Then the ^(C1)angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when the rest got up early in the morning, behold, all of ^(F1)the 185,000 were ^(F2)dead.

So Sennacherib the king of Assyria departed and ^(F1)returned home and lived in ^(C1)Nineveh.

Then it came about, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped to the land of ^(C1)Ararat. And his son ^(C2)Esarhaddon became king in his place.

^(C1)In those days Hezekiah became ^(F1)mortally ill. And ^(C2)Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: '^(C3)Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.'"

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

and said, "^(C1)Please, LORD, just remember how I have ^(C2)walked before You ^(C3)wholeheartedly and in truth, and ^(C4)have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah ^(C5)wept ^(F1)profusely.

Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,

"Go and say to Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add ^(C1)fifteen years to your ^(F1)life.

"And I will ^(C1)save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city."'

"And this shall be the ^(C1)sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will perform this word that He has spoken:

"Behold, I will ^(C1)make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, go back ten steps." So the ^(C2)sun's shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

This is a writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and ^(F1)recovery:

I said, "^(C1)In the middle of my ^(F1)life I am to enter the ^(C2)gates of Sheol; I have been ^(C3)deprived of the rest of my years."

I said, "I will not see the LORD, The LORD ^(C1)in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind among the inhabitants of the world.

-"Like a shepherd's ^(C1)tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me; As a ^(C2)weaver I ^(C3)rolled up my life. He ^(C4)cuts me off from the loom; From ^(C5)day until night You make an end of me.

-"I composed my soul until morning. ^(C1)Like a lion—so He ^(C2)breaks all my bones, From ^(C3)day until night You make an end of me.

-"^(C1)Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I ^(C2)moan like a dove; My ^(C3)eyes look wistfully to the heights; Lord, I am oppressed, be my ^(C4)security.

"^(C1)What shall I say? ^(F1)For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will ^(C2)walk ^(F2)quietly all my years because of the ^(C3)bitterness of my soul.

-"Lord, ^(C1)by these things people live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; ^(F1)(C2)Restore me to health and ^(C3)let me live!

-"Behold, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; But You have ^(F1)(C1)kept my soul from the pit of ^(F2)nothingness, For You have ^(C2)hurled all my sins behind Your back.

-"For ^(C1)Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down ^(C2)to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

-"It is the ^(C1)living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A ^(C2)father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.

-"The LORD is certain to save me; So we will ^(C1)play my songs on stringed instruments ^(C2)All the days of our life ^(C3)at the house of the LORD."

Now ^(C1)Isaiah had said, "Have them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover."

Then Hezekiah had said, "What is the ^(C1)sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?"

^(C1)At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.

Hezekiah ^(F1)was ^(C1)pleased, and let them see all his treasure house, the ^(C2)silver, the gold, the balsam oil, the excellent olive oil, his entire armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his realm that Hezekiah did not let them see.

Then Isaiah the ^(C1)prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, "What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?" And Hezekiah said, "They came to me from a far ^(C2)country, from Babylon."

Then he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah ^(F1)answered, "They have seen everything that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not let them see."

Isaiah then said to Hezekiah, "Hear the ^(C1)word of the LORD of armies,

'Behold, the days are coming when ^(C1)everything that is in your house, and what your fathers have stored up to this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,' says the LORD.

'And some of your sons who will come from you, whom you will father, ^(C1)will be taken away, and ^(C2)they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.'"

^(C1)Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good." For he ^(F1)thought, "For there will be peace and truth ^(C2)in my days."

"^(C1)Comfort, comfort My people," says your God.

"^(C1)Speak ^(F1)kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her ^(F2)(C2)warfare has ended, That her ^(F3)(C3)guilt has been removed, That she has received of the LORD'S hand ^(C4)Double for all her sins."

^(C1)The voice of one calling out, "^(C2)Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make ^(F1)straight in the desert a highway for our God.

-"Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the uneven ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

^(F1)Then the ^(C1)glory of the LORD will be revealed, And ^(C2)all flesh will see it together; For the ^(C3)mouth of the LORD has spoken."

A voice says, "Call out." Then ^(F1)he answered, "What shall I call out?" ^(C1)All flesh is grass, and all its ^(F2)loveliness is like the flower of the field.

The ^(C1)grass withers, the flower fades, ^(F1)When the ^(C2)breath of the LORD blows upon it; The people are indeed grass!

The grass withers, the flower fades, But ^(C1)the word of our God stands forever.

Go up on a ^(C1)high mountain, Zion, messenger of ^(C2)good news, Raise your voice forcefully, Jerusalem, messenger of good news; Raise it up, do not fear. Say to the ^(C3)cities of Judah, "^(C4)Here is your God!"

Behold, the Lord ^(F1)GOD will come ^(C1)with might, With His ^(C2)arm ruling for Him. Behold, His ^(C3)compensation is with Him, And His reward before Him.

Like a shepherd He will ^(C1)tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in the fold of His robe; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

Who has ^(C1)measured the ^(F1)waters in the hollow of His hand, And measured the heavens with a ^(F2)span, And ^(F3)calculated the dust of the earth with a measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

^(C1)Who has ^(F1)directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His ^(C2)counselor has informed Him?

^(C1)With whom did He consult and who ^(C2)gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding?

Behold, the ^(C1)nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of ^(C2)dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the ^(F1)islands like fine dust.

Even Lebanon is not enough to ^(F1)burn, Nor its ^(C1)animals enough for a burnt offering.

^(C1)All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and ^(F1)meaningless.

^(C1)To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

As for the ^(F1)(C1)idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith ^(C2)plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.

He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a ^(C1)tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To ^(F1)prepare ^(F2)an idol that ^(C2)will not totter.

^(C1)Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood ^(C2)from the foundations of the earth?

It is He who ^(F1)sits above the ^(F2)(C1)circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like ^(C2)grasshoppers, Who ^(C3)stretches out the heavens like a ^(C4)curtain And spreads them out like a ^(C5)tent to live in.

It is He who reduces ^(C1)rulers to nothing, Who ^(C2)makes the judges of the earth ^(F1)meaningless.

^(F1)Scarcely have they been planted, ^(F1)Scarcely have they been sown, ^(F1)Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the ^(C1)storm carries them away like stubble.

"^(C1)To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.

^(C1)Raise your eyes on high And see ^(C2)who has created these stars, The ^(C3)One who brings out their ^(F1)multitude by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the ^(C4)greatness of His might and the ^(F2)strength of His power, ^(C5)Not one of them is missing.

^(C1)Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel, "My way is ^(C2)hidden from the LORD, And the ^(C3)justice due me ^(F1)escapes the notice of ^(C4)my God"?

^(C1)Do you not know? Have you not heard? The ^(C2)Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is ^(C3)unsearchable.

He gives strength to the ^(C1)weary, And to the one who lacks might He ^(C2)increases power.

Though ^(C1)youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous ^(C2)young men stumble badly,

Yet those who ^(F1)wait for the LORD Will ^(C1)gain new strength; They will ^(F2)(C2)mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

"^(C1)Listen to Me ^(C2)in silence, you coastlands, And let the peoples ^(C3)gain new strength; ^(C4)Let them come forward, then let them speak; ^(C5)Let's come together for judgment.

-"^(C1)Who has stirred one from the east Whom He ^(C2)calls in righteousness to His ^(F1)feet? He ^(C3)turns nations over to him And subdues kings. He makes them like ^(C4)dust with his sword, Like the wind-driven ^(C5)chaff with his bow.

-"He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been ^(F1)traversing with his feet.

-"^(C1)Who has performed and accomplished it, Summoning the generations from the beginning? '^(C2)I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. ^(C3)I am He.'"

The ^(C1)coastlands have seen and are afraid; The ^(C2)ends of the earth tremble; They have approached and have come.

Each one helps his neighbor And says to his brother, "Be strong!"

So the ^(C1)craftsman encourages the ^(C2)smelter, And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, Saying of the soldering, "It is good"; And he fastens it with nails, ^(C3)So that it will not totter.

"But you, Israel, ^(C1)My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of ^(C2)Abraham My ^(C3)friend,

You whom I have ^(F1)(C1)taken from the ends of the earth And called from its ^(C2)remotest parts, And said to you, 'You are ^(C3)My servant, I have ^(C4)chosen you and have not rejected you.

-'Do not ^(C1)fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, ^(C2)I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous ^(C3)right hand.'

-"Behold, ^(C1)all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; ^(C2)Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.

-"^(C1)You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.

-"For I am the LORD your God ^(C1)who takes hold of your right hand, Who says to you, '^(C2)Do not fear, I will help you.'

-"Do not fear, you ^(C1)worm Jacob, you people of Israel; I will help you," declares the LORD, "and ^(C2)your ^(F1)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

-"Behold, I turned you into a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; ^(C1)You will thresh the ^(C2)mountains and pulverize them, And make the hills like chaff.

-"You will ^(C1)winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will ^(C2)rejoice in the LORD, You will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

"The poor and needy are seeking ^(C1)water, but there is none, And their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, ^(C2)will answer them Myself; As the God of Israel I ^(C3)will not abandon them.

-"I will open ^(C1)rivers on the bare heights, And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make ^(C2)the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land fountains of water.

-"I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia, the ^(C1)myrtle, and the olive tree; I will place the ^(C1)juniper in the desert, Together with the elm tree and the cypress,

So that ^(C1)they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the ^(C2)hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

"^(F1)Present your case," the LORD says. "Bring forward your evidence," The ^(C1)King of Jacob says.

^(C1)Let them bring them forward and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the ^(C2)former events, declare what they were, So that we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming;

^(C1)Declare the things that are going to come afterward, So that we may know that you are gods; Indeed, ^(C2)do good or evil, that we may be afraid and fear together.

Behold, ^(C1)you are less than nothing, And ^(C2)your work is less than nothing! He who chooses you is an ^(C3)abomination.

"I have put ^(C1)one from the north into motion, and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My name; And he will come upon rulers as upon ^(F1)(C2)mortar, As the potter treads on clay."

Who has ^(C1)declared this from the beginning, that we might know? Or from former times, that we may say, "He is right!"? There was ^(C2)no one at all who declared, There was no one at all who proclaimed, There was no one at all who heard your words.

"^(C1)Previously I said to Zion, 'Behold, here they are.' And to Jerusalem, 'I will give a ^(C2)messenger of good news.'

-"But ^(C1)when I look, there is no one, And there is no ^(C2)counselor ^(F1)among them Who, if I ask, can ^(C3)give an answer.

-"Behold, all of them are ^(F1)false; Their ^(C1)works are ^(C2)nothing, Their cast metal images are ^(C3)wind and emptiness.

"^(C1)Behold, My ^(C2)Servant, whom I ^(F1)uphold; My ^(C3)chosen one in whom My ^(C4)soul delights. I have put My ^(C5)Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth ^(C6)justice to the ^(F2)nations.

-"He will not cry out nor raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street.

-"A bent reed He will not break off And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth ^(C1)justice.

-"He will not be ^(C1)disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice on the earth; And the ^(C2)coastlands will wait expectantly for His ^(F1)law."

This is what God the LORD says, Who ^(C1)created the heavens and ^(C2)stretched them out, Who spread out the ^(C3)earth and its ^(F1)offspring, Who ^(C4)gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it:

"I am the LORD, I have ^(C1)called You in righteousness, I will also ^(C2)hold You by the hand and ^(C3)watch over You, And I will appoint You as a ^(C4)covenant to the people, As a ^(C5)light to the nations,

To ^(C1)open blind eyes, To ^(C2)bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

-"^(C1)I am the LORD, that is ^(C2)My name; I will not give My ^(C3)glory to another, Nor My praise to idols.

-"Behold, the ^(C1)former things have come to pass, Now I declare ^(C2)new things; Before they sprout I proclaim them to you."

Sing to the LORD a ^(C1)new song, Sing His praise from the ^(C2)end of the earth! ^(C3)You who go down to the sea, and ^(C4)all that is in it; You ^(C5)islands, and those who live on them.

Let the ^(C1)wilderness and its cities raise their voices, The settlements which ^(C2)Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of ^(C3)Sela sing aloud, Let them shout for joy from the tops of the ^(C4)mountains.

Let them ^(C1)give glory to the LORD And declare His praise in the ^(C2)coastlands.

^(C1)The LORD will go out like a warrior, He will stir His ^(C2)zeal like a man of war. He will shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry. He will ^(C3)prevail against His enemies.

"^(C1)I have kept silent for a long time, I have kept still and restrained Myself. Now like a woman in labor I will groan, I will both gasp and pant.

-"I will ^(C1)lay waste the mountains and hills And wither all their vegetation; I will ^(C2)turn the rivers into coastlands And dry up the ponds.

-"I will ^(C1)lead those who are blind by a way they have not known, In paths they have not known I will guide them. I will ^(C2)turn darkness into light before them And ^(C3)uneven land into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will ^(C4)not leave them undone."

They will be turned back and be ^(C1)utterly put to shame, Who trust in ^(F1)idols, Who say to cast metal images, "You are our gods."

^(C1)Hear, you who are deaf! And look, you who are blind, so that you may see.

Who is blind but My ^(C1)servant, Or so deaf as My ^(C2)messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as one who is ^(F1)(C3)at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the LORD?

^(C1)You have seen many things, but you do not retain them; Your ears are open, but no one hears.

The LORD was pleased for His righteousness' sake To make the Law ^(C1)great and glorious.

But this is a people plundered and pillaged; All of them are ^(C1)trapped in ^(F1)caves, Or are ^(C2)hidden away in prisons; They have become plunder, with no one to save them, And spoils with no one to say, "Give them back!"

Who among you will listen to this? Who will pay attention and listen in the time to come?

Who gave Jacob up for spoils, and Israel to plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned, And in whose ways they ^(C1)were not willing to walk, And whose Law they did not ^(C2)obey?

So He poured out on him the heat of His anger And the ^(C1)fierceness of battle; And it set him aflame all around, Yet he did not recognize it; And it burned him, but he ^(F1)(C2)paid no attention.

But now, this is what the LORD says, He who is your ^(C1)Creator, Jacob, And He who ^(C2)formed you, Israel: "Do not ^(C3)fear, for I have ^(C4)redeemed you; I have ^(C5)called you by name; you are ^(C6)Mine!

-"When you ^(C1)pass through the waters, ^(C2)I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you ^(C3)walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

-"For ^(C1)I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your ^(C2)Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, ^(F1)(C3)Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

-"Since you are ^(C1)precious in My sight, Since you are ^(C2)honored and I ^(C3)love you, I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.

-"Do not fear, for ^(C1)I am with you; I will bring ^(C2)your offspring from the east, And ^(C3)gather you from the west.

-"I will say to the ^(C1)north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My ^(C2)sons from afar And My daughters from the ^(C3)ends of the earth,

Everyone who is ^(C1)called by My name, And whom I have ^(C2)created for My ^(C3)glory, ^(C4)Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."

Bring out the people who are ^(C1)blind, even though they have eyes, And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.

All the nations have ^(C1)gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can ^(C2)declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present ^(C3)their witnesses so ^(C4)that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, "It is true."

"You are ^(C1)My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And ^(C2)My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that ^(C3)I am He. ^(C4)Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.

-"I, only I, am the LORD, And there is no ^(C1)savior ^(C2)besides Me.

-"It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no ^(C1)strange god among you; So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And I am God.

-"Even ^(F1)(C1)from eternity ^(C2)I am He, And there is ^(C3)no one who can rescue from My hand; ^(C4)I act, and who can reverse it?"

This is what the LORD your ^(C1)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: "For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And will bring them all down as fugitives, ^(F1)Even the ^(C2)Chaldeans, into the ^(C3)ships ^(F2)over which they rejoice.

-"I am the LORD, your Holy One, ^(C1)The Creator of Israel, your ^(C2)King."

This is what the LORD says, He who ^(C1)makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

Who brings out the ^(C1)chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been ^(C2)extinguished, and have gone out like a wick):

"^(C1)Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past.

-"Behold, I am going to do something ^(C1)new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even ^(C2)make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

-"The animals of the field will glorify Me, The ^(C1)jackals and the ostriches, Because I have ^(C2)given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people.

-"The people whom ^(C1)I formed for Myself ^(C2)Will declare My praise.

"Yet you have not called on Me, Jacob; But you have become ^(C1)weary of Me, Israel.

-"You have ^(C1)not brought to Me the sheep of your burnt offerings, Nor have you ^(C2)honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not ^(C3)burdened you with ^(F1)offerings, Nor wearied you with ^(C4)incense.

-"You have not bought Me ^(F1)(C1)sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; Rather, you have burdened Me with your sins, You have ^(C2)wearied Me with your wrongdoings.

"I, I alone, am the one who ^(C1)wipes out your wrongdoings ^(C2)for My own sake, And I will ^(C3)not remember your sins.

-"^(F1)Meet Me in court, ^(C1)let's argue our case together; State your cause, ^(C2)so that you may be proved right.

-"Your ^(C1)first ^(F1)forefather sinned, And your ^(F2)(C2)spokesmen have rebelled against Me.

-"So I will profane the ^(F1)officials of the sanctuary, And I will turn Jacob over to ^(C1)destruction and Israel to ^(C2)abuse.