Study Desk

This is what the LORD says: "^(C1)Guard justice and do righteousness, For My ^(C2)salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.

-"^(C1)Blessed is a man who does this, And a son of man who ^(C2)takes hold of it; Who ^(C3)keeps from profaning the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil."

Let not the ^(C1)foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will certainly separate me from His people." Nor let the ^(C2)eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."

For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who ^(C1)keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And ^(C2)hold firmly to My covenant,

To them I will give in My ^(C1)house and within My ^(C2)walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give ^(F1)them an everlasting ^(C3)name which ^(C4)will not be eliminated.

"Also the ^(C1)foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To attend to His service and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who ^(C2)keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it, And holds firmly to My covenant;

Even ^(C1)those I will bring to My ^(C2)holy mountain, And ^(C3)make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on ^(C4)My altar; For ^(C5)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."

The Lord ^(F1)GOD, who ^(C1)gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, "I will yet gather ^(C2)others to ^(F2)them, to those already gathered."

All you ^(F1)(C1)wild animals, All you animals in the forest, Come to eat.

His ^(C1)watchmen are ^(C2)blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;

And the dogs are ^(F1)(C1)greedy, they ^(F2)are never satisfied. And they are shepherds who have ^(C2)no understanding; They have all ^(C3)turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, ^(F3)without exception.

"Come," they say, "^(F1)let's get ^(C1)wine, and let's drink heavily of intoxicating drink; And ^(C2)tomorrow will be like today, only more so."

The righteous person perishes, and no one ^(C1)takes it to heart; And devout people are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous person is taken away from ^(C2)evil,

He enters into peace; They rest in their ^(F1)beds, Each one who ^(C1)walked in his upright way.

"But come here, you sons of a ^(C1)sorceress, ^(C2)Offspring of an adulterer and ^(F1)a ^(C3)prostitute!

-"Of whom do you make fun? Against whom do you open wide your mouth And stick out your tongue? Are you not children of ^(C1)rebellion, Offspring of deceit,

Who inflame yourselves among the ^(C1)oaks, ^(C2)Under every luxuriant tree, Who ^(C3)slaughter the children in the ^(F1)ravines, Under the clefts of the rocks?

-"Among the ^(F1)(C1)smooth stones of the ^(F2)ravine Is your portion, ^(F3)they are your lot; Even to them you have ^(C2)poured out a drink offering, You have made a grain offering. Should I ^(F4)(C3)relent of these things?

-"On a ^(C1)high and lofty mountain You have ^(C2)made your bed. You also went up there to offer sacrifice.

-"Behind the door and the doorpost You have set up your sign; Indeed, far removed from Me, you have ^(C1)uncovered yourself, And have gone up and made your bed wide. And you have made an agreement for yourself with them, You have loved their bed, You have looked at their ^(F1)manhood.

-"You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have ^(C1)sent your messengers a great distance And made them go down to ^(F1)Sheol.

-"You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, '^(C1)It is hopeless!' You found ^(F1)renewed strength, Therefore you did not ^(F2)faint.

"Of ^(C1)whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did ^(C2)not remember Me ^(F1)Nor ^(C3)give Me a thought? Was I not silent, even for a long time, So you do not fear Me?

-"I will ^(C1)declare your righteousness and your ^(C2)deeds, And they will not benefit you.

-"When you cry out, ^(C1)let your collection of idols save you. But the wind will carry them all up, And a breath will take them away. But the one who ^(C2)takes refuge in Me will ^(C3)inherit the land And ^(C4)possess My holy mountain."

And it will be said, "^(C1)Build up, build up, prepare the way, Remove every obstacle from the way of My people."

For this is what the ^(C1)high and exalted One Who ^(F1)(C2)lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: "I ^(C3)dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the ^(C4)contrite and lowly of spirit In order to ^(C5)revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.

-"For I will ^(C1)not contend forever, ^(C2)Nor will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the ^(C3)breath of those whom I have made.

-"Because of the wrongful act of his ^(C1)unjust gain I was angry and struck him; I hid My face and was angry, And he went on ^(C2)turning away, in the way of his heart.

-"I have seen his ways, but I will ^(C1)heal him; I will ^(C2)lead him and ^(C3)restore comfort to him and to his mourners,

Creating the ^(F1)(C1)praise of the lips. ^(C2)Peace, peace to him who is ^(C3)far away and to him who is near," Says the LORD, "and I will heal him."

But the ^(C1)wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud.

"^(C1)There is no peace," says ^(C2)my God, "for the wicked."

"^(C1)Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their ^(C2)wrongdoing, And to the house of Jacob their sins.

-"Yet they ^(C1)seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done ^(C2)righteousness And ^(C3)has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight ^(C4)in the nearness of God.

'Why have we ^(C1)fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not ^(F1)notice?' Behold, on the ^(C2)day of your fast you find your desire, And oppress all your workers.

-"Behold, you fast for contention and ^(C1)strife, and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you have done today to ^(C2)make your voice heard on high!

-"Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it for bowing ^(F1)one's head like a reed And for spreading out ^(C1)sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an ^(C2)acceptable day to the LORD?

-"Is this not the fast that I choose: To ^(C1)release the bonds of wickedness, To undo the ropes of the yoke, And to ^(C2)let the oppressed go free, And ^(C3)break every yoke?

-"Is it not to ^(C1)break your bread ^(F1)with the hungry And ^(C2)bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the ^(C3)naked, to cover him; And not to ^(C4)hide yourself from your own flesh?

-"Then your ^(C1)light will break out like the dawn, And your ^(C2)recovery will spring up quickly; And your ^(C3)righteousness will go before you; The glory of the ^(C4)LORD will be your rear guard.

-"Then you will ^(C1)call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry for help, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you ^(C2)remove the yoke from your midst, The ^(F1)(C3)pointing of the finger and ^(C4)speaking wickedness,

And if you ^(C1)offer yourself to the hungry And satisfy the ^(F1)need of the afflicted, Then your ^(C2)light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become like midday.

-"And the ^(C1)LORD will continually guide you, And ^(C2)satisfy your ^(F1)desire in scorched places, And ^(C3)give strength to your bones; And you will be like a ^(C4)watered garden, And like a ^(C5)spring of water whose waters do not ^(F2)fail.

-"Those from among you will ^(C1)rebuild the ancient ruins; You will ^(C2)raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the ^(C3)breach, The restorer of the ^(F1)streets in which to dwell.

"If, because of the Sabbath, you ^(C1)restrain your foot From doing as you wish on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a ^(C2)pleasure, and the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your ^(C3)own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And ^(C4)speaking your own word,

Then you will take ^(C1)delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride ^(C2)on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the ^(C3)mouth of the LORD has spoken."