Study Desk

Listen and hear my voice, Pay attention and hear my words.

Does the ^(F1)farmer plow ^(F2)continually to plant seed? Does he continually ^(F3)turn and break up his ground?

Does he not level its surface And sow dill and scatter ^(C1)cumin And ^(F1)plant ^(C2)wheat in rows, Barley in its place and rye within its ^(F2)area?

For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

For dill is not threshed with a ^(C1)threshing sledge, Nor is the cartwheel ^(F1)driven over cumin; But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.

Grain for bread is crushed, Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever. Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually ^(F1)damage it, He does not thresh it longer.

This also comes from the LORD of armies, Who has made His counsel ^(C1)wonderful and His wisdom ^(C2)great.

Woe, ^(F1)Ariel, ^(F1)Ariel the city where David once ^(C1)camped! Add year to year, ^(F2)(C2)keep your feasts on schedule.

I will bring distress to Ariel, And she will be a city of grieving and ^(C1)mourning; And she will be like an ^(F1)Ariel to me.

I will ^(C1)camp against you ^(F1)encircling you, And I will set up siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you.

Then you will ^(C1)be brought low; From the earth you will speak, And from the dust where you are prostrate Your words will come. Your voice will also be like that of a ^(F1)spirit from the ground, And your speech will whisper from the dust.

But the multitude of your ^(F1)enemies will become like fine ^(C1)dust, And the multitude of the ^(C2)ruthless ones like the chaff which ^(F2)blows away; And it will happen ^(C3)instantly, suddenly.

From the LORD of armies you will be ^(C1)punished with ^(C2)thunder and earthquake and loud noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.

And the ^(C1)multitude of all the nations who wage war against ^(F1)Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a ^(C2)vision of the night.

It will be as when a hungry person dreams— And behold, he is eating; But when he awakens, his ^(F1)hunger is not satisfied, Or as when a thirsty person dreams— And behold, he is drinking, But when he awakens, behold, he is faint And his ^(F1)thirst is not quenched. ^(C1)So will the multitude of all the nations be Who wage war against Mount Zion.

^(C1)Be delayed and horrified, Blind yourselves and be blind; They ^(C2)become drunk, but not with wine, They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.

For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep ^(C1)sleep, He has ^(C2)shut your eyes—the prophets; And He has covered your heads—the seers.

The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed ^(F1)(C1)book, which, when they give it to the one who ^(F2)is literate, saying, "Please read this," he will say, "I cannot, because it is sealed."

Then the ^(F1)book will be given to the one who ^(F2)is illiterate, saying, "Please read this." And he will say, "I ^(F3)cannot read."

Then the Lord said, "Because ^(C1)this people approaches Me with their ^(F1)words And honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me, And their ^(F2)reverence for Me ^(F3)consists of the commandment of men that is taught;

Therefore behold, I will once again deal ^(C1)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And ^(C2)the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed."

Woe to those who deeply ^(C1)hide their ^(F1)plans from the LORD, And whose ^(C2)deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, "^(C3)Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"

You turn things around! Shall the potter be considered ^(F1)as equal with the clay, That ^(C1)what is made would say to its maker, "He did not make me"; Or what is formed say to him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

Is it not yet just a little while ^(F1)Before Lebanon will be turned into a ^(C1)fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?

On that day those who are ^(C1)deaf will hear ^(C2)words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the ^(C3)eyes of those who are blind will see.

The ^(C1)afflicted also will increase their joy in the LORD, And the ^(C2)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

For the ^(C1)ruthless will come to an end and the ^(C2)scorner will be finished, Indeed ^(C3)all who ^(F1)are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,

Who ^(F1)cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ^(C1)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate, And ^(F2)(C2)defraud the one in the right with ^(F3)meaningless arguments.

Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed ^(C1)Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob: "Jacob ^(C2)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;

But when ^(F1)he sees his ^(C1)children, the ^(C2)work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will ^(C3)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

-"Those who ^(C1)err in ^(F1)mind will ^(C2)know ^(F2)the truth, And those who ^(F3)criticize will ^(F4)(C3)accept instruction.

"Woe to the ^(C1)rebellious children," declares the LORD, "Who ^(C2)execute a plan, but not Mine, And ^(F1)(C3)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;

Who ^(C1)proceed down to Egypt Without ^(C2)consulting ^(F1)Me, ^(C3)To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh, And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!

-"Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be ^(C1)your shame, And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.

-"For ^(C1)their officials are at Zoan And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.

-"Everyone will be ^(C1)ashamed because of a people who do not benefit them, Who are ^(C2)not a help or benefit, but a source of shame and also disgrace."

The pronouncement concerning the ^(C1)animals of the ^(C2)Negev: Through a land of ^(C3)distress and anguish, From ^(F1)where come lioness and lion, viper and ^(C4)flying serpent, They ^(C5)carry their riches on the ^(F2)backs of young donkeys, And their treasures on ^(C6)camels' humps, To a people who will not benefit them;

Even Egypt, whose ^(C1)help is vain and empty. Therefore, I have called ^(F1)her "^(F2)(C2)Rahab who has been exterminated."

Now go, ^(C1)write it on a tablet in their presence And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may ^(F1)serve in the time to come ^(F2)As a witness forever.

For this is a ^(C1)rebellious people, ^(C2)false sons, Sons who ^(F1)refuse to ^(C3)listen To the ^(F2)instruction of the LORD;

Who say to the ^(C1)seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not ^(C2)prophesy the truth to us. ^(C3)Speak to us ^(F1)pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.

-"Get out of the way, ^(C1)turn aside from the path, ^(C2)Stop speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel!"

Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: "^(C1)Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in ^(C2)oppression and crookedness, and have relied on them,

Therefore this ^(C1)wrongdoing will be to you Like a ^(C2)breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes ^(C3)suddenly in an instant,

Whose collapse is like the smashing of a ^(C1)potter's jar, ^(F1)So ruthlessly shattered That a shard will not be found among its pieces To ^(F2)take fire from a hearth Or to scoop water from a cistern."

For this is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: "In ^(F2)repentance and ^(C1)rest you will be saved, In ^(C2)quietness and trust is your strength." But you were not willing,

And you said, "No, for we will flee on ^(C1)horses!" Therefore you shall flee! "And we will ride on swift horses!" Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.

^(C1)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man; You will flee at the threat of five, Until you are left like a signal post on a mountain top, And like a flag on a hill.

Therefore the LORD ^(F1)(C1)longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He ^(F2)waits on ^(C2)high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a ^(C3)God of justice; How blessed are all those who ^(F3)(C4)long for Him.

^(F1)For, you people in Zion, ^(C1)inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will ^(C2)weep no longer. He will certainly be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will ^(C3)answer you.

Although the Lord has given you ^(C1)bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer ^(C2)hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher.

Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the ^(C1)way, walk in it," whenever you ^(C2)turn to the right or to the left.

And you will desecrate your carved ^(C1)images plated with silver, and your cast metal ^(C1)images plated with gold. You will scatter them as a filthy thing, and say to ^(F1)them, "^(C2)Be gone!"

Then He will ^(C1)give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be ^(F1)rich and ^(F2)plentiful; on that day ^(C2)your livestock will graze in a wide pasture.

Also the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat ^(F1)seasoned feed, which ^(F2)has been ^(C1)winnowed with shovel and pitchfork.

And on every lofty mountain and ^(C1)every high hill there will be ^(F1)streams running with water on the day of the great ^(C2)slaughter, when the towers fall.

^(C1)And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day ^(C2)the LORD binds up the ^(C3)fracture of His people and ^(C4)heals the wound ^(F1)He has inflicted.

Behold, ^(C1)the name of the LORD comes from a ^(F1)remote place; ^(C2)His anger is burning and ^(F2)dense with ^(F3)smoke; His lips are filled with ^(C3)indignation, And His tongue is like a ^(C4)consuming fire;

His ^(C1)breath is like an overflowing river, Which ^(C2)reaches to the neck, To ^(C3)shake the nations back and forth in a ^(F1)sieve, And to put in the jaws of the peoples ^(C4)the bridle which leads astray.

You will have ^(F1)songs as in the night when you keep the festival, And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute, To go to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.

And the LORD will cause ^(F1)His voice of authority to be heard, And the ^(F2)descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger, And in the flame of a consuming fire In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.

For ^(C1)at the voice of the LORD ^(C2)Assyria will be terrified, When He strikes with the ^(C3)rod.

And every ^(F1)blow of the ^(F2)(C1)rod of punishment, Which the LORD will lay on him, Will be with the music of ^(C2)tambourines and lyres; And in battles, ^(C3)brandishing weapons, He will fight them.

For ^(F1)(C1)Topheth has long been ready, Indeed, it has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, ^(F2)A pyre of fire with plenty of wood; The ^(C2)breath of the LORD, like a torrent of ^(C3)brimstone, sets it afire.

Woe to those who go down to ^(C1)Egypt for help And ^(C2)rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not ^(C3)look to the ^(C4)Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!

Yet He also is ^(C1)wise and will ^(C2)bring disaster, And does ^(C3)not retract His words, But will arise against the house of ^(C4)evildoers, And against the help of the ^(C5)workers of injustice.

Now the Egyptians are ^(C1)human and not God, And their ^(C2)horses are flesh and not spirit; So the LORD will ^(C3)stretch out His hand, And any ^(C4)helper will stumble, And one who is helped will fall. And all of them will come to an end together.

For this is what the LORD says to me: "As the ^(C1)lion or the young lion growls over his prey, Against which a band of shepherds is called out, And he will not be terrified at their voice nor disturbed at their noise, So will the LORD of armies come down to wage ^(C2)war on Mount Zion and on its hill."

Like ^(F1)flying ^(C1)birds so the LORD of armies will protect Jerusalem. He will ^(C2)protect and save it; He will pass over and rescue it.

^(C1)Return to Him against whom ^(F1)you have been ^(C2)profoundly obstinate, you sons of Israel.

For on that day every person will ^(C1)reject his silver idols and his gold idols, which your hands have made for you as ^(C2)a sin.

And the ^(C1)Assyrian will fall by a sword not wielded by a man, And a ^(C2)sword not of man will devour him. So he will ^(F1)(C3)not escape the sword, And his young men will become ^(C4)forced laborers.

"His ^(C1)rock will pass away because of panic, And his officers will be terrified by the ^(C2)flag," Declares the LORD, whose ^(C3)fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

Behold, a ^(C1)king will reign righteously, And officials will rule justly.

Each will be like a ^(C1)refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like ^(F1)(C2)streams of water in a dry country, Like the ^(C1)shade of a ^(F2)huge rock in an exhausted land.

Then ^(C1)the eyes of those who see will not be ^(F1)blinded, And the ears of those who hear will listen.

The ^(F1)mind of the ^(C1)rash will discern the ^(F2)truth, And the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly.

No longer will the ^(C1)fool be called noble, Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.

For a fool speaks nonsense, And his heart ^(F1)(C1)inclines toward wickedness: To practice ^(C2)ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD, To ^(F2)(C3)keep the hungry person unsatisfied And ^(F3)to withhold drink from the thirsty.

As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; He ^(C1)devises wicked schemes To ^(C2)destroy the poor with ^(F1)slander, ^(C3)Even though the needy one speaks ^(F2)what is right.

But ^(C1)the noble person devises noble plans; And by noble plans he stands.

Rise up, you ^(C1)women who are at ease, And hear my voice; ^(C2)Listen to my word, You complacent daughters.

Within a year and a few days You will be troubled, you complacent daughters; ^(C1)For the vintage is ended, And the fruit gathering will not come.

Tremble, you women who are at ease; ^(C1)Be troubled, you complacent daughters; ^(C2)Strip, undress, and put sackcloth on your waist,

^(C1)Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,

^(C1)For the land of my people in which thorns and briars will come up; Indeed, for all the joyful houses and for the ^(C2)jubilant city.

For ^(C1)the palace has been neglected, the ^(F1)populated ^(C2)city abandoned. ^(F2)Hill and watch-tower have become ^(C3)caves forever, A delight for ^(C4)wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

Until the ^(C1)Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a ^(C2)fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest.

Then ^(C1)justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness will remain in the fertile field.

And the ^(C1)work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, ^(C2)quietness and ^(F1)confidence forever.

Then my people will live in a ^(C1)peaceful settlement, In secure dwellings, and in undisturbed ^(C2)resting places;

And it will ^(C1)hail when the ^(C2)forest comes down, And ^(C3)the city will be utterly laid low.

How ^(C1)blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters, Who ^(F1)let the ox and the donkey out freely.