Study Desk

"^(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.

"But now listen, Jacob, My ^(C1)servant, And Israel, whom I have chosen:

This is what the LORD says, He who made you And ^(C1)formed you from the womb, who ^(C2)will help you: '^(C3)Do not fear, Jacob My servant, And ^(F1)(C4)Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

-'For ^(C1)I will pour water on ^(F1)the thirsty land And streams on the dry ground; I will ^(C2)pour out My Spirit on your ^(C3)offspring, And My blessing on your descendants;

And they will spring up ^(F1)among the grass Like ^(C1)poplars by streams of water.'

-"This one will say, 'I am the LORD'S'; And that one ^(F1)will call on the name of Jacob; And another will ^(C1)write ^(F2)on his hand, 'Belonging to the LORD,' And will give himself Israel's name with honor.

"This is what the LORD says, He who is the ^(C1)King of Israel and his ^(C2)Redeemer, the LORD of armies: 'I am the ^(C3)first and I am the last, And there is no God ^(C4)besides Me.

-'Who is like Me? ^(C1)Let him proclaim and declare it; And, let him confront Me ^(F1)Beginning with My establishing of the ancient ^(F2)nation. Then let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.

-'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; ^(C1)Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And ^(C2)you are My witnesses. Is there any God ^(C3)besides Me, Or is there any other ^(C4)Rock? I know of none.'"

Those who fashion an idol are all futile, and their treasured things are of no benefit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be ^(C1)put to shame.

Who has fashioned a god or cast an idol to ^(C1)no benefit?

Behold, all his companions will be ^(C1)put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are mere men. Let them all assemble themselves, let them stand up, let them tremble, let them be put to shame together.

The ^(C1)craftsman of iron shapes a cutting tool and does his work over the coals, ^(F1)fashioning it with hammers and working it with his strong arm. He also gets hungry and ^(F2)his strength fails; he drinks no water and becomes weary.

^(C1)The craftsman of wood extends a measuring line; he outlines it with a marker. He works it with carving knives and outlines it with a compass, and makes it like the form of a man, like the beauty of ^(C2)mankind, so that it may sit in a ^(C3)house.

He will cut cedars for himself, and he takes a holm-oak or another oak and lets it grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel tree, and the rain makes it grow.

Then it becomes something for a person to burn, so he takes one of them and gets warm; he also makes a fire and bakes bread. He also ^(C1)makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and ^(C2)bows down before it.

Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat, he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire."

Yet the rest of it he ^(C1)makes into a god, his carved image. He bows down before it and worships; he also ^(C2)prays to it and says, "Save me, for you are my god."

They do not ^(C1)know, nor do they understand, for He has ^(C2)smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see, and their hearts so that they cannot comprehend.

No one ^(F1)remembers, nor is there ^(C1)knowledge or understanding to say, "I have burned half of it in the fire and also have baked bread over its coals. I roast meat and eat it. Then ^(F2)I make the rest of it into an ^(C2)abomination, ^(F3)I bow down before a block of wood!"

He ^(F1)(C1)feeds on ashes; a ^(C2)deceived heart has misled him. And he cannot save ^(F2)himself, nor say, "^(C3)Is there not a lie in my right hand?"

"^(C1)Remember these things, Jacob, And Israel, for you are ^(C2)My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, Israel, you will ^(C3)not be forgotten by Me.

-"I have ^(C1)wiped out your wrongdoings like a thick cloud And your sins like a ^(F1)heavy mist. ^(C2)Return to Me, for I have ^(C3)redeemed you."

^(C1)Shout for joy, you heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth; ^(C2)Break into a shout of jubilation, you mountains, Forest, and every tree in it; For ^(C3)the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And in Israel He ^(C4)shows His glory.

This is what the LORD says, He who is your ^(C1)Redeemer, and the One who ^(C2)formed you from the womb: "I, the LORD, am the Maker of all things, ^(C3)Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth ^(F1)alone,

^(C1)Causing the ^(F1)omens of diviners to fail, ^(F2)Making fools of fortune-tellers; ^(C2)Causing wise men to turn back And ^(F3)making their knowledge ridiculous,

^(C1)Confirming the word of His servant And ^(F1)carrying out the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the ^(C2)cities of Judah, '^(C3)They shall be built.' And I will raise her ruins again.

-"I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, 'Dry up!' And I will make your rivers ^(C1)dry up.

-"It is I who says of ^(C1)Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, And he will carry out all My desire.' And ^(F1)he says of Jerusalem, '^(C2)She will be built,' And of the temple, '^(F2)Your foundation will be laid.'"