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Heaven Is God's Throne

¹ This is what the LORD says,

"^(C1)Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
Where, then, is a ^(C2)house that you could build for Me?
And where will My resting place be? ^(VR1)

² "For all these things ^(C1)My hand has made,
So all these things came into being by and for Me," declares the LORD.
"But to this one I will look graciously,
To him who is humble and ^(C2)contrite in spirit, and who reverently ^(C3)trembles at My word and honors My commands. ^(VR1)

Hypocrisy Rebuked

³ "He who kills an ox for pagan sacrifice is as guilty as one who kills a man;
He who sacrifices a lamb, as one who breaks a dog's neck;
He who offers a grain offering, as one who offers ^(C1)swine's blood;
He who ^(C2)offers incense, as one who blesses an idol.
Such people have chosen their ^(C3)own ways,
And their soul delights in their ^(C4)repulsive acts;

⁴ So I will ^(C1)choose their punishments,
And will ^(C2)bring the things they dread upon them
Because I called, but ^(C3)no one answered;
I spoke, but they did not listen or obey.
But they did ^(C4)evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight."

⁵ Hear the word of the LORD, you who ^(C1)tremble with awe-filled reverence at His word:
"Your brothers who ^(C2)hate you, who ^(C3)exclude you for My Name's sake,
Have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy.'
But ^(C4)they will be put to shame.

⁶ "The sound of an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple!
The voice of the LORD, ^(C1)providing retribution to His enemies.

⁷ "Before she (Zion) was in labor, ^(C1)she gave birth;
Before her labor pain came, ^(C2)she gave birth to a boy.

⁸ "^(C1)Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land ^(F1)be born in one day?
Or can a nation be brought forth in a moment?
As soon as Zion was in labor, she also brought forth her sons.

⁹ "Shall I bring to the moment of birth and ^(C1)not give delivery?" says the LORD.
"Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God.

Joy in Jerusalem's Future

¹⁰ "^(C1)Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who ^(C2)love her;
^(C3)Rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her,

¹¹ That you may nurse and ^(C1)be satisfied with her comforting breasts,
That you may drink deeply and be delighted with her ^(C2)bountiful bosom."

¹² For the LORD says this, "Behold, I extend ^(C1)peace to her (Jerusalem) like a river,
And the ^(C2)glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
And you will be nursed, you will be ^(C3)carried on her hip and playfully rocked on her knees.

¹³ "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will ^(C1)comfort you;
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem."

¹⁴ When you ^(C1)see this, your ^(C2)heart will rejoice;
Your ^(C3)bones will flourish like new grass.
And the powerful ^(C4)hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants,
But His ^(C5)indignation will be toward His enemies.

¹⁵ For indeed, the LORD will come in ^(C1)fire
And His ^(C2)chariots will be like the stormy wind,
To render His anger with rage,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.

¹⁶ For the LORD will execute judgment by ^(C1)fire
And by His ^(C2)sword on all mankind,
And those slain by the LORD will be many.

¹⁷ "Those who vainly attempt to sanctify and cleanse themselves to go to the ^(C1)gardens to sacrifice to idols,
Following after ^(F1)one in the center,
Who eat ^(C2)swine's flesh, ^(F2)detestable things and mice,
Will ^(C3)come to an end together," says the LORD.

¹⁸ "For I know their works and their ^(C1)thoughts. The time is coming to ^(C2)gather all nations and languages, and they will come and see My glory.¹⁹ "I will set up a miraculous ^(C1)sign among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations: ^(C2)Tarshish, Pul (Put), ^(C3)Lud, Meshech, ^(C4)Tubal and Javan, to the distant ^(C5)islands and coastlands that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will ^(C6)declare and proclaim My glory among the nations.²⁰ "Then they shall ^(C1)bring all your countrymen (children of Israel) from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels—to My ^(C2)holy mountain Jerusalem," says the LORD, "just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a ^(C3)clean vessel to the house of the LORD.²¹ "I will also take some of them as ^(C1)priests and Levites," says the LORD.

²² "For just as the ^(C1)new heavens and the new earth
Which I make will remain and endure before Me," declares the LORD,
"So your ^(C2)offspring and your ^(C3)name will remain and endure.

²³ "And it shall be that from ^(C1)New Moon to New Moon
And from Sabbath to Sabbath,
All mankind will come to ^(C2)bow down and worship before Me," says the LORD.

²⁴ "Then they will go forth and look
Upon the ^(C1)dead bodies of the rebellious men
Who have ^(C2)transgressed against Me;
For their ^(C3)worm (maggot) will not die,
^(C4)And their fire will not go out;
And they will be an ^(C5)abhorrence to all mankind."