Study Desk

The Lord says, "I do not want all these sacrifices. I have had enough of your burnt sacrifices of male sheep and fat from fine animals. I am not pleased by the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.

The Lord says, "Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow. Though your sins are deep red, they can be white like wool.

So the Lord God All-Powerful, the Mighty One of Israel, says: "You, my enemies, will not cause me any more trouble. I will pay you back for what you did.

The Lord says, "I will cause young boys to be your leaders, and foolish children will rule over you.

What gives you the right to crush my people and grind the faces of the poor into the dirt?" The Lord God All-Powerful says this.

The Lord says, "The women of Jerusalem are proud. They walk around with their heads held high, and they flirt with their eyes. They take quick, short steps, making noise with their ankle bracelets."

The Lord sent a message against the people of Jacob; it says that God will judge Israel.

This is what the Lord God All-Powerful says: "My people living in Jerusalem, don't be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and raise a stick against you, as Egypt did.

The Lord says, "I will punish the world for its evil and wicked people for their sins. I will cause proud people to lose their pride, and I will destroy the pride of those who are cruel to others.

The Lord All-Powerful says this: "I will fight against those people; I will destroy Babylon and its people, its children and their descendants," says the Lord .

"I will make Babylon fit only for owls and for swamps. I will sweep Babylon as with a broom of destruction," says the Lord All-Powerful.

Now the Lord says, "In three years all those people and what they take pride in will be hated. (This is three years as a hired helper would count time.) There will be a few people left, but they will be weak."

The strong, walled cities of Israel will be destroyed. The government in Damascus will end. Those left alive of Aram will be like the glory of Israel," says the Lord All-Powerful.

That time will also be like the olive harvest, when a few olives are left. Two or three olives are left in the top branches. Four or five olives are left on full branches," says the Lord , the God of Israel.

The Lord says, "I will cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves. People will fight with their relatives; neighbors will fight neighbors; cities will fight cities; kingdoms will fight kingdoms.

The Lord God All-Powerful says, "I will hand Egypt over to a hard master, and a powerful king will rule over them."

This is what the Lord God All-Powerful says: "Go to this servant Shebna, the manager of the palace.

"At that time," says the Lord All-Powerful, "the peg hammered into the strong board will weaken. It will break and fall, and everything hanging on it will be destroyed." The Lord says this.

Because of these things, this is what the Lord God says: "I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem, a tested stone. Everything will be built on this important and precious rock. Anyone who trusts in it will never be disappointed.

The Lord says: "These people worship me with their mouths, and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is based on nothing but human rules.