# verses

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A man may know how to do his job well. He may do his work well and after that, he dies. Then all that he had will become another man’s things. And that man will not have worked for it. This too means nothing and it is very sad. 


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Every day, their work disappoints them and it makes them sad. Even at night, their minds do not rest. All their work means nothing. <n>The Teacher was very rich, but that did not make him happy. If nobody lives again after death, a <i>wise</i> man and a fool are the same. It is not better to be a <i>wise</i> man than it is to be a fool. 


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We should eat and we should drink. And we should enjoy our work. There is nothing better that we can do than those things. I believe that these are gifts from God. 


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If we obey God, he will help us. He will make us <i>wise</i>. He will make us clever. And he will help us to enjoy our life. But if we do not obey God, our lives will be difficult. He will give what is ours to another person. This, too, is not good. It is like somebody who tries to catch the wind. <n>The Teacher wants us to enjoy the good things that God gives to us. So he wants us to believe what God says. Look at verse 26. There the Teacher tells us about the two ways for us to live. The best thing that we can say is, ‘Ask God for his help. Then do what he says.’ 


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There is a time to be born. And there is a time to die. <n>There is a time to plant seeds. Then the seeds will grow and they will become plants. And there is a time to pick the plants.


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There is a time to kill. And there is a time to make people well. <n>There is a time to destroy something. And there is a time to build it again.


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There is a time to weep. And there is a time to laugh. <n>There is a time to be sad. And there is a time to dance.


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There is a time to throw stones away. And there is a time to pick them up. <n>There is a time to kiss. And there is a time to say goodbye.


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There is a time to look for something. You look for something that you have lost. <n>And there is a time to stop looking for it. <n>There is a time to keep things. <n>And there is a time to throw them away.


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There is a time to tear something down. And there is a time to mend it. <n>There is a time to be quiet. And there is a time to speak.


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There is a time to love. And there is a time to <i>hate</i>. <n>There is a time to fight. And there is a time not to fight.


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But he also causes all things to happen at the right time. He puts questions in our minds. We want to know what happens after our death. We cannot understand all the things that God has done. 


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We should enjoy our lives. There is nothing better that we can do than that. We should also do good things during our lives. 


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We should get pleasure from what we eat. We should enjoy what we drink. And we should be happy when we are doing our work. These are all gifts from God.


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Everything that God does will be for all time. We cannot do anything more than what God has done. We cannot take anything away from what he has done. God wants us to <i>worship</i> him. That is the reason for all that he does.


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Future events will be the same as past events were. <n>God causes the same things to happen again and again. <n>The Teacher is telling us when something is right. It is only right if we do it at the right time. And it is God who says this. He says whether it is right. We think that ‘under the sun’ (verse 1) means ‘here on the earth’. Also, God causes things to happen at the right time (verse 11). It is important to understand this. There is a reason for all the things that God does. And he wants us to <i>worship</i> him. 


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I saw something else about the people who live in this world. <n>People should say if something is wrong. But they say that it is right. <n>They should be fair to each other but they are not fair.


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‘God will be the <i>judge</i> of all good people and of all bad people’, I told myself. <n>Everything will happen at the right time.


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Like animals, we live and then we die. We really are the same as animals. So our life means nothing for us or for them. 


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People and animals go to the same place. God made animals and people from the same dry material on the ground. And when they die, they both become dry material on the ground again. 


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We need to know what happens after our death. We think that the <i>spirit</i> of a man goes up. And we think that the <i>spirit</i> of an animal goes down towards the ground. But nobody really knows. 


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So we should enjoy our work. That is the best thing that we can do. That is what God wants us to do. But we do not know what there is after death. <n>The Teacher tells us what happens after our death. In verse 20, he repeats what is in Genesis 3:19. When animals and people die, their dead bodies become like the dry material on the ground. So we should enjoy what God has given to us now. God sees all that we do. But the Teacher believes that we have a different ‘<i>spirit</i>’ (verse 21). It is different from an animal’s ‘<i>spirit</i>’. The Teacher wrote this book in the Hebrew language (the language that the readers spoke at that time). The Hebrew word for ‘spirit’ can mean several things. It can mean ‘breath’. (Breath is the air that goes into the nose. And then it goes out of it.) Or it can mean ‘<i>spirit</i>’ (look at the word list). It can also mean ‘our thoughts’. The Teacher says more about this in 12:7. 


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In every place on the earth, I saw cruel people. <n>Some people were crying because the cruel people were hurting them. <n>There was nobody to help them. <n>They were too weak to help themselves.


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‘The most happy people are those who have not been born. <n>They do not see the bad things that happen on the earth.’


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We do not like other people to have more than we have. That is why we work for many hours each day. That is why we try to do very many things. This, too, is like somebody who tries to catch the wind.


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It is better to be happy with a little food. <n>Some people work for more food than they need. But that is not right. <n>It is like somebody who tries to catch the wind.


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Some people live alone. <n>They cannot give things to friends or to children, <n>because they have no friends or children. <n>They are not happy with the things that they have. <n>But they continue to work so that they can get more. <n>They should ask themselves, ‘Whom are we working for?’ <n>They should ask themselves why they do not enjoy their life more. <n>After their death, all that they have will not be theirs any longer. All those things will be another person’s things. <n>Their lives will have meant nothing. This is like sad work.


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If you fall, a friend can help you. <n>You may fall when you are alone. <n>If you do that, you really are in trouble.


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If two people sleep together, they keep each other warm. <n>If you sleep alone, you will be cold in the night.


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A strong person might hurt you. <n>But if you have a friend, your friend can help you. And you can fight so that the strong person will not hurt you. <n>Somebody has said, ‘A <i>rope</i> can have three parts rather than one part. If it has three parts, it is difficult to break it.’


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You may be poor and you may be young. But anyway it is a good thing to be <i>wise</i>. A king will not always listen when people speak to him. If you are <i>wise</i>, you are better. You are better than that kind of king. He is a fool. 


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You may have been in a prison and you may be very poor. Your father may not be a king, but you could become a king. 


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Many people thought that he was a good king. Nobody could even count the people who thought that. But in future years, nobody will remember him. This, too, is like somebody who tries to catch the wind. <n>The Teacher tells us that people are not fair to each other. Instead, they are cruel. Some people work too much. Other people are too lazy. Some people have no friends. Other people become famous and they have many friends. But it does not seem to matter who we are. It does not seem to matter what we do. The things that happen in our lives seem to have no reason. 


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Be careful about anything that you do in the <i>temple</i>. Listen well when you <i>worship</i> God. Some fools go to the <i>temple</i> and they give <i>sacrifices</i> to God. But they do it for the wrong reasons. They do not know that they have done a wrong thing!


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You should think before you speak. <n>You should think before you promise something to God. <n>God is in <i>heaven</i> and he knows you well. <n>You are here on the earth. <n>And you do not see as much as God sees. <n>Do not say to God more than you have to say.


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If you think about your troubles too much, you will dream about bad things. <n>If you talk too much, you will say silly things.


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You should do what you have promised to God. You should do it when you can. You should not wait before you do it. Only a fool would not do what he had promised to God. 


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Only say things that are true. You should not say to the <i>priest</i>, ‘The promise that I said was a mistake.’ That would make God angry. God might destroy the things that you have worked for. 


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It is silly to dream all the time. Remember that. It is also silly to talk all the time. But you should obey God because he is a great God.


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The poor people who live in your country may be hungry. But the government does not help them, and the government is not fair to them. Do not be surprised about that. The government’s officers do not decide what to do. Other more important people tell them what they must do. The king is the most important person in the country. 


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You may love money. <n>But you will never have enough money. <n>You may like to have valuable things. <n>But you will always want to have more of them. This is silly.


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If you have a lot of money, other people will want some of it. <n>You will not enjoy the money that you have. <n>Other people will spend it for you.


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A man who has worked all day will sleep well at night. <n>This is true even if he did not eat very much food. <n>But the rich man cannot sleep well because he has eaten too much.


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I have seen something else that is not fair on the earth. <n>People may get a lot of money. <n>But, if they try to keep it, <n>it will be bad for them.


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At a future time, they may discover that they have lost all their money. <n>Then, after they die, there will be no money for their children.


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They were born with nothing. <n>When they die, they will have nothing. <n>They cannot take anything with them when they leave this earth. <n>They will have nothing for all their work.


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That is not fair. <n>People leave this earth, as they came into it, with nothing. <n>They live as if they were trying to catch the wind. <n>But after all their work, they have nothing.


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God has given to us a short life on this earth. I think that we should enjoy our lives. We should eat and drink. And we should do our work well. That is what God wants us to do. 


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If you are rich, you will have many things. You should enjoy those things. You should enjoy your work, too. This is a gift from God to you. 


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God will keep you busy and he will make you happy. You will be too busy to think about your troubles each day. <n>Here the Teacher says that we should be honest. We should be honest when we <i>worship</i> God. The things that some people say may not be true. But God will know if they are not being honest. The Teacher tells us something else. Even if we have a lot of money, we may not be happy. But we should enjoy the things that God has given to us. And we should thank God for those things. 


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God may give to you all the things that you want. He may give riches to you. And he may give to you money to spend. He may give to you a house to live in. But he may not let you enjoy those things. Somebody that you do not even know may get them all. That is not fair and it will confuse you a lot. 


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You may live for a long time and you may have many children. But you may not enjoy your life. When you die, people may not bury you properly. A child that is dead at its birth does not have a good life. But your life is worse than that. 


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It will not even have a name. It will leave this earth and it will go to a dark place. But that child will have more <i>peace</i> than you do. 


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You may live for a very long time, but you may not enjoy your life. We all go to the same place after we die. This is what will happen. Remember that.


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Our lives have not been more happy because we have been <i>wise</i>. <n>A fool would be as happy as we have been. <n>We may try to live in the right way. <n>But that does not make us happier if we are still poor.


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It is not good always to want more things. <n>We should enjoy the things that we have. That is better. <n>Somebody who wants more things all the time is silly. <n>He is like somebody who tries to catch the wind.


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God decided a long time ago what we should be like. <n>We cannot argue with God about that. He is very much stronger than we are.


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We live for only a few years and our lives mean nothing. Our lives are like shadows that pass over the earth. We do not know the best way to live. We do not know what will happen after our death. <n>When the Teacher speaks, he is very honest. Some people will be poor and their lives will be difficult. And it will not be possible for them to change things. So we should enjoy the things that we have. This is what God has given to us. 


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You may be a nice person. <n>So it is good if people know that. <n>There was a day when you were born. But the day when you die will be better.


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You may enjoy a party. <n>But it is better for you if you go to a <i>funeral</i>. <n>There, you will think about the day when you will die. <n>We will all die in the end. It is good to remember that.


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You can listen to a fool who is singing songs. <n>But it is better to listen to a <i>wise</i> friend. <n>He can tell you if you do a wrong thing.


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Some sharp, hard plants make a lot of noise when they burn. But they do not make much heat. <n>Fools make a lot of noise when they laugh. But they never do anything good.


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<i>Wise</i> people become fools if they are not fair to other people. <n>It is wrong to receive a <i>bribe</i>.


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It is good when you start to do some new work. <n>But it is better to finish that work. <n>Do your work well even if you have to do it slowly. <n>Some people may be <i>proud</i>. But it is better to do your work well.


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Do not get angry quickly. That is what fools do. <n>Try to forget the bad things that people may have done to you.


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You may think that your life is difficult. <n>You may think that it was easier before now. <n>It is not wise to think like that. <n>So do not think like that.


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Money can keep you safe. And <i>wisdom</i> can keep you safe. <n>But if you are <i>wise</i>, you will know the best way to live.


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Think about the things that God has done. <n>If God has bent something, you cannot make it straight.


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If your life is good, you should be happy. <n>But bad things may happen to you. <n>God causes good things to happen and he also causes bad things to happen. Remember that. <n>You do not know what will happen next.


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I do not know why I am alive. <n>But I have seen two things during my life. <n>I have seen that good people have died. They died when they were young. <n>They always did the right thing but they died like everyone else. <n>I have seen that some bad people live for many years.


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Be careful that you do not kill yourself. <n>That might happen if you try to be too good or too <i>wise</i>.


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Try to live your life in a way that is in the middle. <n>You can do that if you try to love God. And you can do it if you try to obey him.


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Do not listen to all the things that people say about you. <n>Even your servant may say bad things about you.


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I wanted to be <i>wise</i>. <n>Many things have happened to me during my life. <n>And I wanted to discover the reason for them.


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So I decided to learn many things. <n>I wanted to become <i>wise</i>. <n>And I wanted to get answers to all my questions. <n>I believed that it was silly to be a fool. <n>I wanted to discover if this was true.


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I learned that it is dangerous to meet a bad woman. <n>She is a worse thing than death itself. <n>She says that she loves you. <n>But if you listen to her, you will do wrong things. <n>Do what God wants people to do. If you do that, a woman like that will not catch you. <n>But that bad woman will catch the man who does not obey God’s rules.


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But I have failed. <n>I do know that there is one good man in every thousand men. <n>But I have not found a good woman.


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A person’s <i>wisdom</i> will cause his face to be like a happy man’s face. <n>It will do that, even when things have made him sad. <n>But only a few people are <i>wise</i>. <n>And only a few people really understand things. <n>The Teacher has tried to understand the things that have happened during his life. He cannot discover a reason for them. But he says that we should obey God. We should do that even if things are difficult to understand. 


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If you are with the king, do not leave too quickly. The king can do anything that he wants to do. So do not join a group of people who do not want to obey him. 


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Do not argue with the king because he is very powerful. Nobody can tell him that he must not do something.


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Everyone who obeys the king will be safe. <n>And a <i>wise</i> man knows what he should do. <n>And he knows when he should do it <n>And he knows how to do it.


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You may have a difficult life. <n>But there is a right time for things to happen. <n>There is a right way to do things.


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We do not know the day when we will die. <n>And we can do nothing to change that day. <n>We may fight against death, but we cannot win that fight. <n>Not even a bad person can do that.


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I saw all these things and I thought about them a lot. I thought about the things that happen on the earth. I saw people who had power. They used that power to hurt people. 


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I saw people bury the dead bodies of bad men. Those bad men had gone in and out of the holy place. The people in their city forgot all the bad things that those men had done. There is no good reason for any of this.


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When bad people do wrong things, the <i>judges</i> should <i>punish</i> them. This should happen very fast. If it does not happen fast, other people will do wrong things. 


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A man may do many bad things and that bad man may live to a very old age. But I believe that God is fair. If you obey God, you will have a good life. 


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Here is something else that is not right. The <i>judges</i> should not punish good people. But sometimes they do that. And the <i>judges</i> do not <i>punish</i> the bad people that they should punish. I have not discovered any good reason for this.


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So we should enjoy our lives as much as possible. The best thing that we can do is to enjoy everything. We should enjoy what we eat. And we should enjoy what we drink. We should all try to be happy. There are no other good things on this earth. God has given us each day in our life. We will have easier lives if we enjoy ourselves.


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I have tried to understand the things that happen on this earth. I thought about those things all day and all night. I did not go to sleep. 


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Then I saw all the things that God has done. Nobody can really understand the things that happen on the earth. That is what I discovered. We may be very <i>wise</i>. We may try many times to learn more and more. We may learn many things. But there will still be things that we will not understand. <n>The Teacher tells us several things in these verses. There are many things in our life that are difficult to understand. Bad people seem to have a better life than good people do. So we should try to enjoy the good things that we have. There will always be things that we cannot understand. But the Teacher believes that God will be fair in the end. 


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I thought about all these things. I saw that God is very powerful. He decides what our lives will be like. That is true even if we are <i>wise</i>. It is true even if we live in the right way. We do not know the things that will happen during our lives. So we never know if we will be happy or sad. We may live in the right way and we may obey God. Or we may do wrong things. 


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But what happens to us in the end will be the same. We may give <i>sacrifices</i> to God or we may not do that. <n>We may be good or we may be bad. <n>When we have promised something to God, we may do that thing. Or we may not do it. <n>What happens to us in the end will be the same, anyway.


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After our death, the same thing will happen to us. There will be no difference in that. That is not fair. So people decide to live like fools. They do not try to be good. And then they die. 


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It is not very good to be a dead <i>lion</i>. It is better to be a dog that is alive. A person that is alive can hope to have a good life.


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We know that we will all die in the end. <n>But dead people do not know anything. <n>And when they are dead, they cannot enjoy their life.


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Dead people have gone from the earth and people do not remember them. <n>Nobody that is dead can love another person. <n>Nobody that is dead can <i>hate</i> another person. <n>Dead people cannot change the things that happen on the earth.


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It is good to be happy. It is good to enjoy what you eat. And it is good to enjoy what you drink. God has pleasure in what you do. 


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Your life will be short and it will be difficult. But you love your wife, so enjoy your life together. That is the way to live on the earth. 


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And do your work well. You will soon leave the earth. Then it will not be possible for you to work. You will not think about future events. You will not know anything.


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I saw another thing that happens on the earth. <n>The runner who can run most quickly does not always finish first. <n>The strongest soldier may not win the war. <n>People will not always feed you because you are <i>wise</i>. <n>If you are clever, good things will not always happen to you. <n>You may not become rich even if you do your work well. <n>Good things and bad things happen to us all.


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Bad things can happen to all of us. <n>A fish does not know when somebody will catch it. <n>A bird does not know when somebody will catch it. <n>That is like us. We do not know when something bad will happen. <n>Things do not always happen as we want them to happen. 


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There was a city that only a few people lived in. A foreign king attacked that city. His army was ready to knock down the walls round the city. 


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But a poor man, who was very <i>wise</i>, lived in the city. And he knew how to save the city. He saved it, but people soon forgot him. 


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So, it may be good to be strong. But it is better to be <i>wise</i>. That is what I thought about it. But if you are poor, nobody listens to you. It does not matter how <i>wise</i> you are. People will not listen to you, anyway.


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A <i>wise</i> man will speak quietly. <n>When he speaks quietly, it is good to listen to him. <n>The loud words of a king that is a fool do not mean a lot. The quiet words of a <i>wise</i> man mean more.


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A <i>wise</i> person can do more than a soldier can do. <n>You may be <i>wise</i>. But one bad person can destroy all the good things that you have done. <n>There is only one thing that a person can be sure about. He or she will die in the end. But while we are alive, we cannot change things. Our life does not seem very fair. It may be difficult, even for a <i>wise</i> man. 


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A jar of <i>perfume</i> soon has a bad smell if there are even a few dead flies in it. <n>So one silly thing can destroy the good things that a <i>wise</i> man has done.


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If you are <i>wise</i>, you can do the right thing. You will know what is right. That is why you can do the right thing. <n>If you think like a fool, you will do wrong things.


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We know that fools are silly. <n>It is easy to recognise a fool. <n>You have only to watch what he does. <n>Then you will see that he is a fool.


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Do not leave your job when your master gets angry. <n>Be quiet and say nothing to him. <n>Your master will forget that you have made him angry. <n>He will still let you work for him.


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If you dig a deep hole, you will fall into it. <n>If you knock down a wall, a snake will come out. And it will bite you.


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You will hurt yourself when you are getting stones from under the ground. <n>If you are cutting wood, a piece of it might hurt you.


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If your axe is not sharp, it will be difficult to use. <n>If you are <i>wise</i>, you can do the right thing. You will know what is right. That is why you can do the right thing.


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You may know how to cause a snake to do what you want it to do. <n>But that will not help you if the snake bites you first.


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People like a <i>wise</i> man because of the things that he says. <n>But a fool’s own words can hurt the fool badly.


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Fools do not think before they speak. <n>They say things and then those things cause problems for them. And those things cause problems for other people, too.


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And fools always talk a lot. <n>They talk about things that may happen. <n>But none of us really knows what future things will be like.


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When a fool does some work, it soon makes him tired. <n>He is so tired that he forgets the way to town.


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Sometimes a country will have a very young king. <n>If he rules like a child, there will be bad problems in that country. <n>And the leaders of the country might go to parties all the time. And then the problems will be worse.


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But a country will become rich if its ruler is <i>wise</i>. <n>It will become rich if its leaders do not go to parties all the time.


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A man may be too lazy to do repairs to the roof on his house. <n>If he does not do the repairs, water will get into the house. And the house will fall down.


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Eat good food and drink good <i>wine</i>. If you do that, you will be happy. <n>When you have a lot of money, you can buy anything. You can buy anything that you want.


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Do not say bad things about the king. <n>Do not say bad things about rich people. <n>Do not even think that you might do that. <n>A little bird may hear you. And it might tell people what you said. <n>This chapter includes several <i>proverbs</i> about people who are <i>wise</i> or not <i>wise</i>. The Teacher has seen the things that happen in our lives. He wants us to understand what he has seen. He shows that somebody may be a fool. But it is certainly better to be <i>wise</i>. 


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Give money to anybody who needs it. <n>At some future time, you may be poor and other people will then give money to you.


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You do not know when you will need help. <n>So, if seven or eight people need money, give it to them.


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When clouds are full of water, there will be rain on the earth. <n>If there is too much wind, a tree will fall. Wherever the tree falls, there it will lie.


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If you are always thinking about the wind, you will not plant seeds. <n>If you are always watching the clouds, you will never pick any plants.


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Before a baby is born, it grows inside its mother. <n>Nobody can explain how that happens. <n>Nobody can explain the things that God does. <n>So do not be surprised about that. <n>Remember that God made the world. <n>And he made everything that is in the world.


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Plant your seeds early in the morning. <n>You should plant seeds all day, until the evening. <n>Some of the seeds may grow. <n>Perhaps all the seeds will grow.


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You should enjoy the things that you do each day. <n>You should do that even if you live to a very old age. <n>You may live for many years but, in the end, you will die. <n>And you will be dead for a very long time. <n>There is nothing that means anything after that.


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Enjoy your life while you are young. <n>Do the things that you want to do. <n>The things that you see will give you pleasure, too. <n>But God watches the things that you do. You should remember that. <n>He will want to know why you did those things.


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Do not think about the good things that you do not have. <n>And do not do things that cause pain in your body. <n>You cannot always be young. <n>We all become old. <n>We can do things that will help us to enjoy our life. We should be kind to other people. We should enjoy each new day. We should remember that God made us. And he made the world that we live in, too. 


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While you are young, you should <i>worship</i> God. <n>In future years, you will say, ‘I do not enjoy my life longer.’


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In the end, you will not see the light that comes from the sun. <n>And will you not see the moon or the stars. <n>There will always be black clouds in the sky.


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Your arms will move from one side to the other side when you do not want them to move. <n>Your legs will become weak. <n>You will have only a few teeth. <n>Your eyes will not see well.


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Your ears will not hear well. <n>You will not hear the noise of people at their work. <n>At night, you will not sleep well. <n>But you will hear the birds when they sing. Then you will wake up because of that.


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You will be afraid to climb up a hill. <n>You will be afraid to walk along a road. <n>Your hair will become white. <n>It will be like white flowers on a bush. <n>You will feel very tired all the time. <n>And you will not want to have sex any longer. <n>We will all die in the end. <n>When we die, people will be sad. <n>Many of them will be on the streets. <n>And they will cry because we have died.


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In the end, the valuable jar will break. <n>The water pot will break. The <i>rope</i> at the well will break. <n>You will not get water from the well any longer.


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So, in the end, we will all die. <n>People will bury our dead bodies under the ground. <n>Our <i>spirits</i> will return to God.


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Nothing on the earth has a purpose. <n>I have seen all the things that happen on the earth. <n>None of them has a purpose.


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I was a <i>wise</i> teacher and I saw many things. I wrote down all the <i>proverbs</i> that I had studied. 


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A farmer uses a stick when he wants his animals to move. <i>Proverbs</i> are like the stick that the farmer uses. <i>Proverbs</i> come from God. He is like a guide because he shows us the way to live. He uses <i>proverbs</i> to do that.


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You are my son. So listen to what I say. Do not listen when people teach you other things. There are many books. If you study them all, you will be very tired.


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With a few words, I can describe everything that you must know. You should <i>worship</i> God. He says to you what you should do. And you should do what he says. That is our duty. 


text:
We may do good things. Sometimes we do wrong things. We think that nobody sees us. But God sees the things that we do. And he will ask us to explain the answer to this question: ‘What have we done with our lives here on the earth?’ <n>In the first part of this chapter, the writer describes old age and death. We should know that God sees us. And we should remember that when we do things in our lives. We should <i>worship</i> God. Also, God says to us what we should do. And we should do what he says. We may not understand why things happen anyway. But on a future day, God will ask us to explain how we have lived here on the earth. <b><br clear="all"> </b>


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Solomon’s Song of Songs. <n>Solomon was a very rich king. He lived more than 900 years before Christ (BC). He had a group of about 1000 songs. This is the most important song. Perhaps he liked this song best. <n>Solomon may have written the book. Or it may be a book about Solomon, or about another rich man. Many people <i>respected</i> King Solomon. So the writer may have used Solomon’s name here. Another person may have written the book. He or she put it with Solomon’s other songs. <n>King Solomon accepted this book. He had a very good mind. He understood many things. This is how it became part of the Bible. <n>The book is more about the woman than about the man. Also, the book is more about how a woman, rather than a man, thinks. And it is more about how a woman feels. So a woman may have written the book. <n>Woman</n>


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You have put something on your body. <n>Certainly, it has a lovely smell. <n>The sound of your name causes me pleasure like that too. <n>I am not surprised that the young women love you!


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Take me away with you. Come quickly. <n>I want the king to take me into his rooms. <n>The man may be a king. Or, to her, he may be like a king. This is because she has a lot of <i>respect</i> for him. <n>Women friends</n> <n>We are very happy! <n>You make us happy. <n>Your love is better than <i>wine</i>. We will speak and sing about it. <n>The woman is with some friends. The women friends are speaking about the man, not about the woman. <n>Woman</n> <n>I agree! They are right to think about you like that. And they are right to love you like that.


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<i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i>, my skin is dark but lovely. <n>It is dark like the <i>tents</i> of Kedar. <n>It is dark but lovely like the curtains in Solomon’s <i>tent</i>.


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Do not continue to look at me because my skin is dark. <n>The sun has made my skin like this. <n>My mother’s sons were angry with me. <n>They caused me to work in the <i>vineyards</i>. I had to watch over the vineyards. <n>So I could not watch over my own <i>vineyard</i>. <n>The writer calls the friends the ‘Daughters of Jerusalem’. Jerusalem was the capital city where Solomon was king. Kedar was a group of people. They moved from place to place. They lived in <i>tents</i>. They made <i>tents</i> of black goats’ hair. <n>The woman now speaks to the man that she loves. <n>Woman</n>


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I love you. <n>Tell me where your sheep eat the grass. <n>Where do you lead your sheep so that they can rest at midday? <n>When I am near your friends with their animals, <n>I do not want to wear a <i>veil</i> over my face! <n>Man</n>


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You are the most beautiful woman of all. <n>If you do not know where to find me, <n>follow the marks from the feet of the sheep. <n>Let your young goats eat grass by the <i>tents</i> of those who watch over the sheep. <n>The woman speaks to the man. She wants to know where he will be. She does not want to look here and there for him. She might wear a <i>veil</i>. Nobody except the man would recognise her. But she does not want to seem like a woman who has sex for money. So she does not want to cover her face. <n>So the man and woman meet as they have agreed. <n>Man</n>


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You are my best friend. I love you more than anyone else. <n>You seem to me like a female horse that pulls one of <i>Pharaoh</i>’s <i>chariots</i>.


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Your face is beautiful with ear-rings. <n>Round your neck are valuable stones, which make it very pretty.


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We will make ear-rings for you. We will make them out of gold with pieces of <i>silver</i> in. <n>Pharaoh is the name that people use for all the kings of Egypt. Egypt is a country near to where King Solomon lived. <n>The man says that people will see the woman easily in a group of men and women. <n>After this meeting, the woman talks to her friends about her time with the man. <n>Woman</n>


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The king was lying down and he was eating. <n>I had put something on my skin that has a lovely smell. <n>This smell moved into the air.


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To me, the man that I love is like a little bag of <i>myrrh</i>. <n>He is like the little bag of <i>myrrh</i> that lies between my breasts.


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To me he is like a group of <i>henna</i> flowers. <n>He is like flowers that grow in the <i>vineyards</i> at En Gedi. <n>En Gedi is the name of a lovely pool of water in a very dry place. <n>Man</n>


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How beautiful you are! <n>My best friend, you are very beautiful! Your eyes are like <i>doves</i>. <n>Woman</n>


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You are very handsome and you love me. <n>You are very lovely! <n>This green field of fresh, long grass is our bed. <n>Man</n>


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The beams of our house are the <i>cedar</i> trees. <n>The trees, with green leaves all of the time, are above us like a roof.


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Among other young women, my best friend that I love is like a <i>lily</i> among <i>thorns</i>. <n>Sharon is a place near to where the man and the woman live. It is near the sea and it is flat. There is a lot of rain there, so there are many pretty wild flowers. The <i>lily</i> is also a pretty flower but it is very common. <n>The woman is saying that there is nothing special about her. But the man knows that, to him, she is special. She is really lovely. Now other women do not seem beautiful at all. <n>Now the woman talks to her friends again. <n>Woman</n>


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Among the other young men, the man who loves me is like an apple tree. <n>He is like an apple tree among the trees of the forest. <n>I love to sit in his shade. <n>His fruit is sweet. <n>It tastes nice.


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I am weak with love. <n>So, give <i>raisins</i> to me to make me strong. <n>Give apples to me to keep me awake.


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<i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i>, <n>please do not cause someone to feel love for another person; <n>not until he or she wants to. <n>I am saying this because I really mean it. <n>I <i>beg</i> you on behalf of the <i>gazelles</i> and the young female <i>deer</i> in the field.


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Listen! I hear the man who loves me! <n>Look! He is coming! <n>He moves quickly across the mountains. <n>He runs and he jumps. He comes over the hills.


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The man who loves me is like a <i>gazelle</i> or like a young male <i>deer</i>. <n>Look! There he is! He is standing behind our wall. <n>He is looking through the windows. <n>He is trying to see through the <i>lattice</i>.


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The man who loves me spoke. He said to me, <n>‘My beautiful best friend, I love you. <n>Please get up and come with me.


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Flowers are appearing in country places. <n>It is now the season to sing. <n>Near here, we can hear the lovely sound that the <i>doves</i> are making.


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The new fruit on the <i>fig</i> trees is growing. <n>The smell from the flowers on the <i>vines</i> is moving into the air. <n>My beautiful best friend, I love you. <n>Please get up and come with me.’ <n>Man</n>


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You are like a <i>dove</i> that is hiding in a rock. <n>You are like a <i>dove</i> that is hiding in the mountains. <n>Show your face to me because it is lovely. <n>Let me hear your voice because it has a beautiful sound.


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Catch the <i>foxes</i> for us. <n>Catch the little <i>foxes</i> that destroy the <i>vineyards</i>. <n>They destroy our <i>vines</i> when the flowers are appearing. <n>When <i>foxes</i> dig holes they may destroy <i>vines</i>. The <i>foxes</i> may mean anyone or anything that stops the man and woman being friends. <n>Woman</n>


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My best friend that I love, <n>turn round until the dawn. <n>Until the shadows have gone, be like a <i>gazelle</i>. <n>Or be like a young male <i>deer</i> on the hills of rock.


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All night I lay in bed. <n>I looked for the man that I love. <n>I looked for him but he did not appear.


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I thought, ‘I will get up now and I will go into the city. <n>I will look everywhere for the man that I really love. <n>I will go through all the streets. <n>I will look in all the market places.’ <n>So I looked for him. <n>But I did not find him.


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The <i>security guards</i> were working. <n>They walked through the streets of the city. <n>They found me. <n>I said, ‘Have you seen the man that I love very much?’


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I passed them. <n>Just then, I found the man that I love! <n>I hugged him. I would not let him go. <n>I held him until I had brought him to my mother’s house. <n>I brought him to my mother’s room. <n>(There my life started, in my mother’s body.)


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<i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i>, <n>please do not cause someone to feel love for another person; <n>not until he or she wants to. <n>I am saying this because I really mean it. <n>I <i>beg</i> you on behalf of the <i>gazelles</i> and the young female <i>deer</i> in the field. <n>The Writer</n>


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Who is this who is appearing from the empty land? <n>What is this smoke that is rising? <n>There is a lovely smell of <i>myrrh</i> and <i>incense</i>. <n>The smell of the <i>trader</i>’s <i>spices</i> fills the air.


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Look! It is King Solomon’s <i>sedan chair</i> and 60 soldiers are travelling with it. <n>The soldiers are very brave. They are the best in Israel.


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All of them wear a <i>sword</i>. Each man is ready to use it. <n>They have all fought in many wars. <n>They are ready for the dangers of the night.


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He made the <i>posts</i> out of <i>silver</i>. <n>He used gold for the part where the passenger’s feet rest. <n>The <i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i> put a comfortable <i>purple</i> cloth over the seat to cover it. <n>They were careful to make it beautiful inside.


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<i>Daughters of Zion</i>, come out. <n>Look at King Solomon who is wearing his <i>crown</i>. <n>His mother put the <i>crown</i> on him. <n>She put it on him on his marriage day. <n>It was the day that he was very happy. <n>The ‘smoke’ that is rising may be sand or dirt from the ground. It blows about because many people are moving. But there is a lovely smell of <i>spice</i>. So the writer is thinking about lovely smells from the smoke of plants that are burning. <n>Lebanon is a country in the Middle East where there are mountains and many trees. It is next to the country where Solomon was king. <n>In this book, the writer uses the word <i>purple</i> to mean something valuable. It is a colour that kings and queens would use. <n>Verses 7 and 9 may mean that King Solomon is the man in the story. But, if not, maybe the man and woman are singing a song at their marriage. The song that they sing is about Solomon’s marriage. <n>‘Daughters of Zion’ seems to be another name for the friends. Zion is the name of a hill in Jerusalem. People often use the word Zion to mean all Jerusalem. 


text:
How beautiful you are! <n>My best friend that I love, you are certainly very beautiful! <n>Your eyes behind your <i>veil</i> are like <i>doves</i>. <n>Your hair is like a group of goats. <n>It is like goats that are coming down <i>Mount Gilead</i>. <n>Mount Gilead is a mountain in the country where Solomon was king. <n>Man</n>


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Your teeth are white like a group of sheep. <n>They are like sheep after someone has cut off their dirty <i>wool</i>. <n>They are like sheep that are coming out of the pool of water. <n>Each tooth is one of a pair. Not one of them is alone.


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Your lips are bright red. <n>They are bright red like a <i>ribbon</i>. <n>Your mouth is lovely. <n>The sides of your face are round like the halves of a <i>pomegranate</i>. <n>Your <i>veil</i> hides them. <n>The woman may be wearing a <i>veil</i>. This may show that she has just married the man. But the word <i>veil</i> may mean only that her husband does not know her very well yet. <n>Man</n>


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Your neck is like the beautiful, important <i>tower</i> that King David built. <n>The <i>shields</i> of 1000 soldiers hang from the stones round it. <n>King David was Solomon’s father. <n>Man</n>


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Your breasts are like two young <i>gazelles</i> that were born to their mother on the same day. <n>They walk slowly among the <i>lilies</i> and they eat the grass.


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Until the dawn, I will go to the mountain of <i>myrrh</i>. <n>Until the shadows go, I will go to the hill with the lovely smell.


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You are my best friend and I love you. <n>I find that every part of you is beautiful. <n>There is no part of you that is not lovely.


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Come with me from Lebanon. <n>You are my new wife. <n>Come with me from Lebanon. <n>Come down from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir. <n>Come down from the highest part of Hermon. <n>Come away from the <i>lions</i>’ homes <n>and from the places in the mountains where there are <i>leopards</i>. <n>Lebanon, Amana, Senir and Hermon are all places that are a long way away. <n>Man</n>


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I love you so much that I never want to leave you. <n>You are my sister and my new wife. <n>After one glance of your eyes, I knew that I wanted you more than anyone else. <n>I see one of the valuable stones that hang round your neck. <n>And then I know that you are the most valuable person to me. <n>The man says the word ‘sister’ because now he is part of her <i>family</i>. <n>Man</n>


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Your love to me is certainly very good, my sister, my new wife. <n>It gives to me more pleasure than when I drink <i>wine</i>. <n>You have a smell that is lovelier than any <i>spice</i>!


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Your lips taste sweet, my new wife. <n>They taste like <i>honey</i> that falls from the <i>honeycomb</i>. <n>Milk and <i>honey</i> are under your <i>tongue</i>. <n>The smell of your clothes is like the smell of Lebanon.


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You are like a garden that you have locked up, my sister, and my new wife. <n>You are like a <i>spring</i> that someone has covered. <n>You are like a <i>fountain</i> that nobody has opened. <n>Water cannot rise from it.


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Your garden is full of <i>pomegranate</i> trees with their sweet fruit. <n>There are fruits that many people like. <n>There are <i>henna</i> and <i>nard</i>.


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There are <i>nard</i>, <i>saffron</i>, <i>calamus</i> and <i>cinnamon</i>. <n>There are many different plants that have lovely smells. <n>There are <i>myrrh</i> and <i>aloes</i>. <n>All the best <i>spices</i> are there. <n>Henna, nard, saffron, calamus, cinnamon, myrrh and aloes are all things that people get from plants. They have bright colours or they taste lovely. They may have nice smells. <n>Man</n>


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You are like a <i>fountain</i> in a garden. <n>You are like a well that is full of water. <n>The water now comes quickly down from Lebanon. <n>Woman</n>


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Awake, north wind! Come, south wind! <n>Blow on my garden so that its lovely smell will move all over the place. <n>I really want the man that I love to come into his garden. <n>Let him taste the best fruits.


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I have come into my garden, my sister and my new wife. <n>I have taken my <i>myrrh</i> with my <i>spice</i>. <n>I have eaten my <i>honeycomb</i> and my <i>honey</i>. <n>I have drunk my <i>wine</i> and my milk. <n>The Writer</n> <n>Eat, friends, and drink. You love each other! <n>Drink until you no longer need a drink. <n>The woman sleeps. She has another dream. The woman is telling her friends about her dream. <n>Woman</n>


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I slept but my <i>heart</i> was awake. <n>Listen! The man who loves me is knocking. <n>‘Open the door for me, my sister’, he said. <n>‘You are my best friend that I love the most. <n>To me you are like a <i>dove</i>. <n>Nobody is lovelier than you. <n>Water from the night air covers my head. <n>My hair is very wet.’


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I said, ‘I have taken off my day clothes. <n>I do not want to put them on again. <n>I have washed my feet. <n>I do not want them to get dirty again.’


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The man who loves me pushed his hand through the hole in the door. <n>My heart began to go quicker for him. <n>I could feel it and I could almost hear it.


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I stood up to open the door for the man who loves me. <n>My hands were wet with <i>myrrh</i>. <n><i>Myrrh</i> was dropping from my fingers onto the door handle.


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I opened the door for the man who loves me. But he had left. <n>He was gone. <n>I felt full of love for him when he spoke. <n>I looked for him but I did not find him. <n>I spoke his name loudly but he did not answer.


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The <i>security guards</i> were working. <n>They found me while they were walking through the streets of the city. <n>They hit me and they hurt me. <n>And the marks on my body show this. <n>Those <i>security guards</i> of the walls took away my <i>shawl</i>.


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Please find the man who loves me, <i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i>! <n>If you find him, please speak to him about me. <n>Please tell him that I am weak with love. <n>Friends</n>


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You are the most beautiful among women. <n>How is the man that you love better than other men? <n>How is he better than other men, that you ask us to say this? <n>Woman</n>


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His head is valuable like <i>pure gold</i>. <n>The hairs on his head are black, but they are not straight. <n>They are black like the night with no moon.


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His eyes are like <i>doves</i> by the water streams. <n>They are like <i>doves</i> that someone has washed in milk. <n>They sometimes shine like valuable stones.


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The sides of his face are like <i>spice</i> plants in the ground that have a lovely smell. <n>His lips are like <i>lilies</i> with <i>myrrh</i> that falls from them.


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His arms are like long round pieces of gold <n>and some valuable stones are over them. <n>His body is like <i>ivory</i> that someone has caused to shine. <n>A few valuable, blue stones make it even more beautiful.


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His legs are straight and strong like round pieces of beautiful stone. <n>His feet are of <i>pure gold</i>. <n>He is tall like Lebanon, quite as handsome as its best <i>cedars</i>.


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His mouth is very nice in every way. <n>Everything about him is lovely. <n>This is the man who loves me. <n>This is my friend, <i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i>.


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You are the most beautiful among women. <n>Where has the man who loves you gone? <n>Which way did he turn so that we can look for him with you? <n>Woman</n>


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The man who loves me has gone down to his garden. <n>He has gone to where the plants with a lovely smell grow. <n>He has gone there to walk in the gardens and to pick <i>lilies</i>.


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This man loves me and I am his. And he is mine. <n>He is walking among the <i>lilies</i>. <n>Man</n>


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You are my best friend that I love the most. <n>You are as beautiful as Tirzah. <n>You are as lovely as Jerusalem. <n>Everyone sees you easily. <n>You are like an army that is holding up its beautiful cloth with bright colours.


text:
Turn your eyes away from me. <n>They cause a lot of pleasure for me. <n>But the pleasure is too strong for me! <n>Your hair is like a group of goats. <n>It is like goats that are coming down from <i>Mount Gilead</i>.


text:
Your teeth are white like a group of sheep. <n>They are like clean sheep that come out of the pool. <n>Each tooth is one of a pair. Not one of them is alone.


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The sides of your face are round like the halves of a <i>pomegranate</i>. <n>Your <i>veil</i> hides them. <n>Tirzah and Jerusalem are both beautiful capital cities. <n>Another way to translate the end of verse 4 may be, <n>‘You are like an army that is holding up its beautiful cloth with bright colours. <n>People might be afraid of an army like that!’ <n>Man</n>


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There may be 60 queens. <n>And a king may have 80 other wives. <n>He may have many young women who do not yet have children. <n>There may be too many for him to count!


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But there is only one woman that I want. <n>Nobody is like her in any way. <n>She is lovely like a <i>dove</i>. <n>She is mine. <n>Nobody else is lovelier. <n>She is the special daughter of her mother. <n>The woman who gave birth to her likes her best among all her children. <n>The young women saw that she was now happier. <n>The queens and the other wives said ‘Well done!’ <n>They all said,


text:
‘She appears like the dawn. <n>She is lovelier every moment like the sunrise. <n>She is as pretty as the moon. <n>She is very beautiful to look at! <n>She is bright, like the sun. <n>There she stands, beautiful and important. <n>It is like the way that God has put each star like a king or a queen in its place.’ <n>The numbers in verse 8 are big numbers. That is all. The writer does not mean more than that. The man is saying that there are many women. He may know many women. But the woman that he loves is very different from any of them. There is nobody as lovely as she is! <n>Man</n>


text:
I went down to the small wood where there are trees with dry, hard fruit. <n>I wanted to see what had started to grow in the valley. <n>I wanted to see if the <i>vines</i> had flowers now. <n>I wanted to see if the <i>pomegranates</i> had flowers.


text:
I did not have time to understand everything about it. <n>But I knew that I really wanted her. <n>This put me among the king’s <i>chariots</i> with the king’s men. <n>Friends</n>


text:
Come back, come back, <i>Shulammite</i> woman. <n>Come back! Come back! <n>We want to look at you for a long time. <n>Man</n> <n>Do not look for a long time at the <i>Shulammite</i> woman. <n>Do not look at her as you would look at the dance at <i>Mahanaim</i>. <n>Shulammite is a woman’s name like Solomon. Also, it may mean, ‘People who are near her feel good and happy’. <n>Mahanaim is the name of a place. King David put his soldiers together in groups there before they fought. They stopped to eat and to sleep there. Sometimes a young woman danced in front of the soldiers. 


text:
How beautiful are your feet in <i>sandals</i>, my <i>princess</i>! <n>How beautifully your legs move! <n>They are like valuable stones <n>that a <i>craftsman</i>’s hands have made into a lovely shape. <n>The woman has married someone who is in the king’s <i>family</i>. Or this is to show only that she is special. That is all. So people would think that she is like someone in a king’s <i>family</i>. She feels important. She walks and she talks like a lady. <n>Man</n>


text:
Your <i>navel</i> is like a round cup that is full of good <i>wine</i>. <n>Your stomach is the shape of many plants that a farmer has picked for food. <n><i>Lilies</i> are round the edge.


text:
Your neck is like an <i>ivory tower</i>. <n>Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon, by the gate that is called Bath Rabbim. <n>Your nose is like the <i>tower</i> of Lebanon, <n>the building from where people can look towards Damascus. <n>Heshbon was a town in the country where Solomon was king. Damascus was an important capital city. Nobody has discovered the gate that is called Bath Rabbim. So we do not know anything about it. <n>Man</n>


text:
At the top, your head is like the mountain that is called Mount Carmel. <n>Like a <i>crown</i>, it makes your whole body even more beautiful. <n>Your hair hangs down and it shines like long, thin pieces of <i>silk</i>. <n>It is like <i>silk</i> that queens use for their clothes. <n>It is so beautiful that a king would keep his eyes towards it all the time!


text:
You are tall like a <i>palm tree</i>. <n>Your breasts are like groups of fruit that are very near to each other.


text:
I said, ‘I will climb the <i>palm tree</i>. I will take hold of its fruit.’ <n>I want your breasts to be like the groups of fruit on the <i>vine</i>. <n>I want the smell from your mouth to be like apples.


text:
I want your mouth to be like <i>wine</i>. <n>Woman</n> <n>I want the <i>wine</i> to go immediately to the man who loves me. <n>I want to pour it slowly over his lips and over his teeth.


text:
You love me! <n>Come! I want us to go away from the towns. <n>I suggest that we stay in the villages for the night.


text:
We can go early to the <i>vineyards</i>. <n>We can see if the <i>vines</i> have flowers on them now. <n>We can see if the flowers have opened. <n>We can see if the <i>pomegranates</i> have flowers. <n>There I will give my love to you.


text:
The <i>mandrakes</i> send out their lovely smell. <n>There is every good thing to eat at our door. <n>You love me and I have stored new and old things for you. <n>Mount Carmel is a mountain near where the man and the woman live. <n>Sometimes people stored fruit in a cupboard over the door of their house. Then it would become dry, sweet fruit. People would like to eat it like that. 


text:
I want you to be like a brother who drank at my mother’s breasts! <n>I want us to be like a brother and sister. <n>So, if I found you outside, I would kiss you. <n>And nobody would think about me as a bad person.


text:
I would lead you to my mother’s house. <n>I would bring you to the mother who has taught me. <n>I would give to you <i>wine</i> with <i>spices</i> to drink. <n>I would give to you my <i>pomegranate</i> drink that tastes lovely. <n>Woman</n>


text:
<i>Daughters of Jerusalem</i>, <n>please do not cause someone to feel love for another person; <n>not until he or she wants to. <n>I am saying this because I really mean it. <n>I <i>beg</i> you not to do it. <n>Friends</n>


text:
Someone is coming up from the dry, empty place with the man who loves her! <n>Her head is against the man’s shoulder. <n>Woman</n> <n>Under the apple tree, I woke you. <n>There your life started in your mother’s body. <n>There your mother was in pain during your birth.


text:
Draw me near to you like a <i>seal</i> over your heart. <n>Put me like a <i>seal</i> over your arm. <n>Keep me there always because love is as strong as death. <n>A dead person in a hole in the ground never comes out alive again. <n>A man who loves his wife will never let another man take her away from him. <n>And I do not want you to love another woman. <n>Love burns like a red-hot fire. <n>It burns like the hottest part of a large fire.


text:
Lots of water cannot put it out. <n>Rivers cannot carry it away. <n>A rich man might give everything that he has to buy someone’s love. <n>But people would tell him that he was very silly! <n>A man might put a <i>seal</i> in something and hang it round his neck. So it would lie over his heart. Or he might wear it over his arm or on his finger. <n>Woman</n>


text:
My brothers had said: <n>‘We have a younger sister. <n>Her breasts have not yet grown. <n>What will we do on her behalf when it is the time for her to marry?’


text:
My friends said: <n>‘If she is a wall, we will build <i>towers</i> out of <i>silver</i> on her. <n>If she is a door, we will put boards of <i>cedar</i> wood over her.’


text:
I am a wall. <n>My breasts are like <i>towers</i>. <n>So, to him, I have become like someone who gives pleasure to him.


text:
King Solomon had a <i>vineyard</i> in Baal Hamon. <n>People could come and they could pay 11 <i>kilos</i> of <i>silver</i> for its fruit.


text:
But my own <i>vineyard</i> is mine. It is a gift to you, my king. <n>The 11 <i>kilos</i> of <i>silver</i> are for you, my Solomon. <n>I give 2 <i>kilos</i> of <i>silver</i> to those who watch over its fruit. <n>Baal Hamon may be the place where the <i>vineyard</i> was. Or perhaps it only means the rich country where Solomon was king. 11 <i>kilos</i> is the same as 24 pounds and 2 <i>kilos</i> is the same as 4 pounds. The numbers are not important. <n>Man</n>


text:
You have been in the garden with your friends for a long time. <n>Let me hear your voice! <n>Woman</n>


text:
You love me. Come away. <n>Be like a <i>gazelle</i> or like a young <i>deer</i> on the mountains that are full of <i>spice</i>.


text:
This is what Isaiah, the son of Amoz, <i>saw</i>. He saw things about the country called Judah and the city called Jerusalem. It happened when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. <n>The problems of the country called Judah</n>


text:
Hear (the <i>LORD</i>, you) skies! And listen (to him, you) earth, because the <i>LORD</i>, he has spoken! (He has said,) ‘I have helped (my) sons to grow. And I have loved them. But even they have fought against me!


text:
A cow knows its master. And a horse (knows) where its keeper feeds it. But Israel, they do not know (me). My people, they do not understand (me).’


text:
Oh! (You are a) country that does not obey me. (All your) people are (like people who are) carrying a heavy weight. (It is) the wrong things (that you have done). (You are a) family (of people) that is always doing bad things. (You are) sons that destroy (everything). They have left the <i>LORD</i>. They think that the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel is silly. They have become strangers. Their backs are towards (him).


text:
So, you continue to fight (against God). (The enemy) will only hurt you again. (Your) whole head is not well and (your) whole heart is ill.


text:
From the under part of the feet, even to the head, there is no health in you. (There are) places (where people have) hit (you). (There are) places that hurt. People have cut some places until they bleed. Nobody has cleaned those places. Nobody has tied a cloth round them. Nobody has put medicine on them.


text:
Your country is empty. Fire has burned your cities. Foreign people have taken everything from your fields. (They did it) in front of you. Strangers have destroyed (your country).


text:
The <i>Daughter of Zion</i>, (Jerusalem,) remains like an empty hut in a <i>vineyard</i>. (She is) like a hut in a field of fruit. (She is) like a city that an enemy is attacking.


text:
Unless the <i>LORD of Everything</i> had left some people to continue living, we would have been like Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah. <n>The problems of the <i>religion</i> of the country called Judah</n> <n>Note: <n>People that believe in God have a religion. We show it in two ways. <br/>· We meet in special buildings, like churches. There, we pray to God. <br/>· We obey our God always. It is important to do this when we are not in our special buildings. 


text:
Hear what the <i>LORD</i> says, (you) rulers of Sodom. Listen to our God. He is saying what you must do, (you) people in Gomorrah.


text:
‘All your <i>sacrifices</i> do not matter to me.’ (This is what) the <i>LORD</i> is saying. ‘I have had enough (<i>sacrifices</i>) that you have burned as gifts to me. (I have had enough) male sheep and the best bits of fat animals. (I have had enough) of the blood of male cows, goats and young sheep. They do not give me pleasure.


text:
(There are times) when you come to appear in front of me. But nobody asked you to do this. Do not walk heavily round my <i>temple</i>.


text:
Do not bring gifts (to me) that mean nothing! I do not like your <i>incense</i>. I do not like your new moons, (your) <i>sabbaths</i> and (your) special meetings. These meetings are bad.


text:
I really do not like your new moon meetings and your <i>holy</i> days. They have become like a heavy weight for me. I am tired because I have to carry them.


text:
I will hide my eyes from you, when you lift up your hands (to me). I will not listen (to you), even if you pray (to me) often. Your hands are full of blood.


text:
Wash yourselves (and) make yourselves clean! Take away the bad things that you are doing. Then I will not see them. Do not continue to do what is wrong.


text:
Learn to do what is right. Make <i>justice</i> your purpose. Do not let masters be very cruel (to people). Do not let people hurt children who have no father. Say good things on behalf of women whose husbands are dead.


text:
Come, now’, the <i>LORD</i> is saying. ‘We should talk about this together. Even if your <i>sins</i> are as bright red, they shall be as white as snow. Even if they are as dark red, they shall be like <i>wool</i>.


text:
Agree (with me). And obey (me). If you do (these things), you will eat the best food in the country.


text:
But (if you do not do these things), the <i>sword</i> will kill you. (It will kill you) if you do not obey me. (It will kill you) if you continue to fight against me.’ This is what God himself has said. <n>The problems of the people that live in the country called Judah</n>


text:
Oh! The City that Loved Me (as a wife) has become like a <i>prostitute</i>! (The city was) full of <i>justice</i>. Good people lived in her, but now there are people who murder (other people there).


text:
Your rulers are fighting against (God). And they are friends of robbers. They all accept things to help people (that they should not help). And (they all) hope for gifts like these. But they do not help children that have no father. (They do not help these children) when people hurt them. The women whose husbands are dead have problems. But (the problems) do not come to the (rulers).


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> says this. (He is) the <i>LORD of Everything</i> (and he is) the Powerful (God) of Israel. ‘Oh! I will get rest from my enemies. And I will <i>punish</i> those people who fight against me.


text:
And I will turn my hand against you and I will wash away all your dirt with soap and brush. So I will remove everything that is not clean.


text:
And I will give back to you your <i>judges</i>, as (you had them) a long time ago. And (I will give back to you) the people that say what you must do, as at the beginning. After this, you will be called The Good City, and The City that Loves Me.’


text:
(God) will use <i>justice</i> to make <i>Zion</i> free. (He will make things) right for the people that return (to him).


text:
But he will destroy people that <i>sin</i>. (And he will destroy) those people that continue to fight (against him). The <i>LORD</i> will kill everybody that goes away from him.


text:
Really, they will be ashamed of their special trees (called) oaks. You have found a lot of pleasure in them. The gardens that you have chosen will make you really ashamed.


text:
The strong man will become like something that burns easily. His work will be like something that causes things to burn. They will both burn together and nobody will put out the fire.


text:
This is what Isaiah, the son of Amoz, ‘<i>saw</i>’ about Judah and Jerusalem. <n>Words that cause us to hope in God</n>


text:
This is what will happen in the last days. The mountain, where the house of the <i>LORD</i> is, will always be there (in Jerusalem). It will be the most important mountain. It will be higher than the hills (round it). (People from) every country will come towards it.


text:
And people from many countries will come (to it). And they will say, ‘Come! We shall go to the mountain of the <i>LORD</i>. We must go to the house of the God of <i>Jacob</i>. Then he will teach us his ways, so that we can walk in his paths.’ So, the word (of God) will go out from Zion. The <i>LORD</i>’s words will go out from Jerusalem.


text:
(God) will be the <i>judge</i> between the <i>nations</i>. He will say (who is right. And he will say) who is wrong. They will use hammers to change their <i>swords</i> into parts of ploughs. And they will use their knives to <i>prune</i> plants. <i>Nations</i> will not attack other <i>nations</i> with <i>swords</i>, neither will they learn how to fight again.


text:
House of Jacob, come and we shall walk in the light of the <i>LORD</i>. <n>House of Jacob means Israel’s people. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. <n>The problems of <i>religion</i> in Judah and Israel</n>


text:
But you, (<i>LORD</i>), have gone away from your people. They are the house (family) of Jacob. They are full (of <i>magic</i>) from (countries in) the east. They are like the people called Philistines. They have people who use <i>magic</i> to find out what will happen. Also, they join hands with foreign people.


text:
Their country is full of <i>silver</i> and gold and they have many valuable things. Their country is full of horses and they have many <i>chariots</i>.


text:
<i>Idols</i> that are worth nothing fill their country. They get down on the ground in front of things that their hands have made. (They are things) that their own fingers have made.


text:
So, (the <i>LORD</i>) makes people <i>humble</i> and everyone becomes low! (<i>LORD</i>), do not lift them up again!


text:
Go into (the holes in) the rocks and hide in the ground. (Hide) because you are afraid. (You are afraid) of (what) the <i>LORD</i> (will do). And (hide from) his great power.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will stop the way that <i>proud</i> people look at other people. And (he will make) very <i>proud</i> people <i>humble</i>. On that day, only the <i>LORD</i> will be important.


text:
Yes! The <i>LORD of Everything</i> will choose a day. Then, (in that day, the <i>LORD</i>) will make <i>humble</i> everyone that is <i>proud</i>, very <i>proud</i> and important. <n>


text:
(The <i>LORD</i> will be) against all these things: <br/>· the high, the really high <i>cedar</i> trees in Lebanon <br/>· the <i>oak</i> trees in Bashan <br/>· the very high mountains <br/>· the highest hills <br/>· tall buildings <br/>· strong walls <br/>· boats from Tarshish <br/>· beautiful ships.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will stop the way that <i>proud</i> people look at other people. And he will make very <i>proud</i> people <i>humble</i>. On that day, only the <i>LORD</i> will be important.


text:
And (people) will run to holes in the sides of the rocks and to holes in the ground. (They will run) because they are afraid of the <i>LORD</i>. (They will run) from his great power. (They will run) when he comes to <i>punish</i> the earth.


text:
In that day people will throw away their <i>silver idols</i> and their gold <i>idols</i>. (They will throw them) to (animals) called <i>rats</i> and <i>bats</i>. They made (these <i>idols</i>) so that they could <i>worship</i> them.


text:
Then people will run to large holes in the rocks and to holes in (the sides of) mountains. (They will run) because they are afraid of the <i>LORD</i>. And (they are afraid) of his great power, when he comes to <i>punish</i> the earth.


text:
I will show you what the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i> (will do). He will remove from Jerusalem and Judah everything that helps them. (He will take away) everything that supplies their food and their water. <n>


text:
(He will take away these people): <br/>· the strong man and the soldier <br/>· the <i>judge</i> and the <i>prophet</i> <br/>· the person who uses <i>magic</i> to find out what will happen and the older (leader) <br/>· the captain of 50 (soldiers) and the very important man <br/>· the person that tells people what to do and the good worker <br/>· the person that uses <i>magic</i>.


text:
The people will be cruel to each other. (It will be) man against man. (It will be) man against the person that lives near him. Young people will say bad things to older people. And bad people will say bad things to good people.


text:
Then a man will hold his brother strongly in the house of his father. (The man will say), ‘You have a coat. So, you can be our leader! Then you can rule over these buildings that (the enemy) destroyed!’


text:
On that day, (the brother) will refuse. He will say, ‘I cannot help! There is no food and no coat in my house. Do not make me a leader of people.’


text:
(This will happen because the leaders of) Jerusalem and Judah have started to fall. Then they have fallen down. Their words and the things that they do are against the <i>LORD</i>. They have said bad things about his great <i>glory</i>.


text:
Their faces show what they are really like. It is clear that they have <i>sinned</i>, like the (people in) Sodom. They do not hide it. It is so sad! They have brought great trouble to themselves.


text:
Tell the very good people that things will be well for them. They will enjoy the results of the good things that they have done.


text:
The very bad person will be very sad. He will have great trouble. (Here is the reason.) What his hands have done (to other people) will happen to him.


text:
Children are cruel to my people and women rule over them. My people, your leaders have not ruled you well. They have led you away from the (right) paths.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> stands up to tell (his enemies) that they have done wrong things. He stands as a <i>judge</i> of (many) countries.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> comes as <i>judge</i> of those people who are in the government. (He comes as <i>judge</i>) of the leaders. (He says that) they burned the <i>vineyard</i>. Also, they kept what they took away from the poor people.


text:
The <i>LORD of Everything</i> asks (them these questions): <br/>· ‘Why do you hit my people, so that they break into pieces?’ (which means, ‘Do not hit my people, so that they break into pieces.’) <br/>· ‘Why do you walk on the faces of the poor people?’ (which means, ‘Do not walk on the faces of the poor people.’)


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘The <i>Daughters of Zion</i> are very <i>proud</i>. They lift up their necks when they walk. They glance to see (if the men are looking at them). They walk (so that men do look at them). The little bells on their ankles make a sound when they walk.


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> will make places that hurt them on their heads. He will make their heads bald.’ <n>


text:
In that day the <i>Lord</i> will take away the valuable stones that they wear on their ankles, heads, necks, ears, arms, fingers and noses. He will take away their beautiful clothes and belts, their <i>perfumes</i> and <i>charms</i>.


text:
There will be a bad smell instead of <i>perfume</i>. There will be a <i>rope</i> instead of a belt. They will not have lovely hair. They will be bald instead. Instead of good clothes (they will wear) cheap hairy cloth. They will not be beautiful. Instead, there will be only <i>shame</i>.


text:
And the gates (of Zion) will be (like) sad (people). And they will (be like people who) cry. Zion will (be like people who) sit on the ground. (And the city will be) empty.


text:
In that day, 7 women will (find and) hold one man. They will say, ‘We will eat our own bread and we will wear our own clothes. But, let us call ourselves by your name. Take away our <i>shame</i>.’ <n>More good news</n>


text:
In that day, the Branch of the <i>LORD</i> will be something pretty and something that has <i>glory</i>. And the fruit of the land will be as something <i>proud</i> and something beautiful. (They will be) for Israel’s people that will become free. 


text:
Everyone that remains in <i>Zion</i> will be called <i>holy</i>. Also, (everyone) who stays in Jerusalem (will be called <i>holy</i>). All their names will be on a list of people who are living in Jerusalem. 


text:
(This will happen) when the <i>Lord</i> will wash away the dirt from the <i>Daughters of Zion</i>. Also, (then) he will make Jerusalem clean from the marks left by blood. (He will do this) by a <i>spirit</i> that will be a <i>judge</i> and by a <i>spirit</i> of fire. 


text:
(This is what) the <i>LORD</i> will make over all the mountain called Zion. And (it will be over) all the people that come together there. (He will make) a lot of smoke during the day. And (he will make) a fire, which shines in the night. The <i>glory</i> will be like a coat over everything. 


text:
It will be a place to hide from the heat in the day. And it will be a place to hide from storms and rain.


text:
Now I will sing for the person that I love. (I will sing) a song of love about his <i>vineyard</i>. <n>&nnbsp; ‘The person that I love has a <i>vineyard</i>. It is on a hill where plants grow well.


text:
He dug (the ground) and he removed the stones. He planted the best <i>vines</i> in it. <n>He built a place where he could watch (the <i>vineyard</i>). <n>He also made a place to store <i>grapes</i> in it. Then he waited for (the <i>vineyard</i>) to grow (good) <i>grapes</i>. <n>But it grew bad <i>grapes</i>.’


text:
And now, (listen to me,) you people that live in Jerusalem. And (listen,) all you people that live in Judah. You decide who was wrong, me or my <i>vineyard</i>.


text:
There was nothing else that I ought to have done for my <i>vineyard</i>. I had done everything for it! I waited for (good) <i>grapes</i>. (Tell me) why it gave bad <i>grapes</i>!


text:
And now I will tell you what I will do to my <i>vineyard</i>. I will take away its wall. Then (animals will come in and) eat (the <i>vines</i>). I will knock down its wall and (the animals) will walk all over (the <i>vineyard</i>).


text:
I will make the land so that nobody can use it. Nobody will <i>prune</i> the <i>vines</i> or dig the ground round them. So weeds and <i>thorns</i> will grow there. I will say to the clouds, ‘Do not (drop) rain on it.’


text:
Now the <i>vineyard</i> of the <i>LORD of Everything</i> is like a picture of Israel. The plants (in it) that he likes are the people in Judah. The <i>LORD</i> looked for <i>justice</i>, but he saw only the opposite. (He wanted) people to be very good. But he only heard people that were crying for help. <n>The wrong things that the people in Jerusalem and Judah have done </n>


text:
The people who build (one) house (next) to (another) house will be very sad. Also, they join (one) field to (another) field. (They do this) until there is no more room. Then you live alone on the land.


text:
I have heard the <i>LORD of Everything</i> (promise this. He said this.) ‘I am sure that many houses will be empty. There will be large and beautiful houses that nobody lives in.


text:
Also, large parts of the <i>vineyard</i> will give only a small amount (of <i>wine</i>). Very large amounts of seed will cause only a few plants to grow.’


text:
The people that get up early in the morning will be very sad. (They do this) so that they can get a drink of alcohol. They go to bed late in the evening, so that <i>wine</i> can cause them to become drunks.


text:
At their parties there is (music from) <i>lyre</i> and <i>harp</i>, <i>tambourine</i> and <i>flute</i>. (They enjoy) their <i>wine</i>. But they think that God’s works have no value. They do not really like what he has made.


text:
So my people will go into <i>exile</i>, because they do not understand (God). Their leaders will die because they do not have enough food. And very many people will not have anything to drink.


text:
So <i>Sheol</i> will open its mouth very wide to eat more (people). The leaders and the people will go into it. (Death will take in) the crowds that make a lot of noise. Also, (it will take in) the people that have parties (in Jerusalem).


text:
So (the <i>LORD</i>) will make people <i>humble</i>. Then (God) will make everybody low! (He will) take away their <i>proud</i> faces.


text:
But his <i>justice</i> will make the <i>LORD of Everything</i> great! The <i>Holy</i> God will show that he is <i>holy</i> because he is so very good.


text:
Then the sheep will eat grass as (they do in) their own fields. Young sheep will eat in the large houses (that the enemy) destroyed.


text:
The people who tie themselves to <i>sin</i> with silly (pieces of) line will be very sad. (They pull) <i>sin</i> as (a horse pulls) a <i>cart</i> with <i>ropes</i>.


text:
Those people who say, ‘(The <i>LORD</i>) must hurry!’ will be very sad. (They say) ‘He must do his work quickly, so that we can see it. We want to hear the ideas of the <i>Holy</i> (One) of Israel. We want them to happen! Then we will really know (that they are true)!’


text:
The people that call wrong things right and right things wrong will be very sad. They say that it is light when it is dark. And (they say) that it is dark when it is light. They say that <i>bitter</i> things are sweet. And (they say) that sweet things are <i>bitter</i>.


text:
Some people think that they are clever. Those people will be very sad. They think that they are clever.


text:
Some people think that they are great. Those people will be very sad. (They think this) because they drink much <i>wine</i>. Also, some people are strong when they mix strong drink. (Those people will be very sad.)


text:
They do not <i>punish guilty</i> people, when (the guilty) people give them money. There is no <i>justice</i> for people that are not guilty.


text:
So as (surely as) fire burns dry plants, parts of them will fall into pieces. And as fire burns away dry grass, their flowers will blow away like small pieces of dirt. (This will happen) because they refused to obey the <i>LORD of Everything</i>. He said what they should do. (But they did not do it.) And they thought that the words of the <i>Holy One of Israel</i> were silly.


text:
For this reason the <i>LORD</i> became angry with his people. He <i>punished</i> them, as if someone had hit them with his hand. And the mountains moved and (his people’s) dead bodies became like dirt in the streets. (The <i>LORD</i> has done) all this but he is still angry with them. And his hand is still ready (to hit them again). <n>God will send a message to another <i>nation</i> from far away to <i>punish</i> His people </n>


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will send a message to <i>nations</i> that are far away. And he will (blow on his) <i>whistle</i> to (a <i>nation</i> at) the ends of the earth. And look! Here (its army) comes, very quickly!


text:
Nobody is tired; nobody falls down. Nobody rests; nobody sleeps. Nobody has a belt that they have not fastened. And nobody has broken a part of a shoe.


text:
Their <i>arrows</i> are sharp and their bows are ready to shoot. Their horses’ feet are (as hard) as stones. And the <i>wheels</i> (on their <i>chariots</i> go as fast) as a strong wind.


text:
They <i>roar</i> like a <i>lion</i>, they make a noise like a young <i>lion</i>. They <i>roar</i> while they catch an animal to eat. They carry it away and nobody can save it.


text:
On that day, (the enemy) will <i>roar</i> over what they catch. Their <i>roar</i> will be like the sea. And if anybody looks to the land they will see <i>darkness</i>. And (they will see) people that are very much afraid. Also, clouds will hide the light (of the sun). <n>PART 2: Chapter 6 God makes Isaiah into a <i>prophet</i></n>


text:
(It happened) in the year when King Uzziah died. I saw my <i>Lord</i>. He was sitting on a very high seat. The ends of his very long coat filled the <i>temple</i>. 


text:
Above (the <i>Lord</i>) were <i>seraphs</i>. They were waiting to do what he wanted them to do. Each one had 6 <i>wings</i>. Two (of the <i>wings</i>) were covering their faces. Two of them were covering their feet. With two of them they were flying.


text:
One (<i>seraph</i>) spoke to another. They said, ‘<i>Holy</i>, <i>holy</i>, <i>holy</i> is the <i>LORD of Everything</i>! The whole earth is full of his <i>glory</i>.’


text:
When each (<i>seraph</i>) spoke, the door-steps of the <i>temple</i> moved. Also, the <i>temple</i> was full of smoke.


text:
Then I said, ‘I am very sad, because I must not speak! I am a man with lips that are not clean. And I live among people with lips that are not clean. And with my own eyes I have seen the King, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>!’


text:
Then one of the <i>seraphs</i> flew towards me. In his hand was a (piece of) <i>coal</i> that was burning. He had taken it from the <i>altar</i> with a special tool.


text:
And he touched my mouth (with it). And he said, ‘Look! This has touched your lips and it has taken away your <i>guilt</i>. It has covered your <i>sin</i>.’


text:
Then I heard the voice of the <i>Lord</i>. He said, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘I am here. Send me.’


text:
And (God said), ‘Go! And tell this to the people (in Judah): <br/>· “Always listen, but you will never understand! <br/>· Always look. But you will never see what it means!”


text:
Make the heart of these people fat. Close their ears and shut their eyes. If (you do not do this) they will see with their eyes. They will hear with their ears and they will understand with their hearts. (Then they will) turn and they will be well again.’


text:
Then I said, ‘For how long, <i>Lord</i>, (must I do this)?’ And (this is what) he answered: <br/>· ‘(Do it) until (their enemy) destroys the cities. Then nobody will live there. <br/>· (Do it until) nobody lives in the houses. <br/>· (Do it until) they cannot use the land in any way. <br/>· 


text:
(Do it until) the <i>LORD</i> removes people to far away (places). <br/>· And (do it until an enemy has) destroyed many places inside the country (called Israel).


text:
And even if one in every 10 (places or people) stay, an enemy will burn them again! (They will do it as they burn) trees called terebinths and oaks. But from what remains of such a tree, an <i>holy</i> people will grow.’ <n>PART 3: Chapters 7-37 God’s king rules God’s people</n> <n>We can put <b>PART 3</b> into 6 smaller parts. This makes it easier to understand. <n>Chapters 7-12 ~ King Ahaz <n>Chapters 13-23 ~ Countries near Judah <n>Chapters 24-27 ~ The Little <i>Apocalypse</i> <n>Chapters 28-33 ~ The Sad People <n>Chapters 34-35 ~ The Centre of the Book <n>Chapters 36-37 ~ King Hezekiah 


text:
Ahaz became the king of Judah. He was the son of (King) Jotham. (Jotham was) the son of (King) Uzziah. (When Ahaz was king), Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the king of Israel, both attacked Jerusalem. But they did not win the fight. (Pekah was the) son of Remaliah. 


text:
(People that were in the government) told (this to Ahaz. He was from) the family of David. (They said,) ‘Syria and Ephraim have agreed (to attack you).’ Ahaz and his people (were afraid). Their hearts moved, as trees in the forest move in the wind.


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> said to Isaiah, ‘Go out and meet Ahaz. You and <i>Shear Jashub</i>, your son, will meet him at the end of the water stream. That (stream) pours from the higher pool down to where people wash clothes.’ 


text:
(The <i>LORD</i> said,) ‘Say (to Ahaz), “Be careful. And be very quiet. Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid because Rezin and the people from Syria and Pekah, the son of Remaliah, are angry. They are trying to ‘start a fire’, but their ‘fire’ will soon finish. 


text:
(Do not be afraid) because (the king of) Syria and the son of Remaliah have made bad <i>plans</i> against you. They have said, 


text:
‘We must attack Judah. We will frighten (the people). We will destroy (their country) and it will become ours. We will make the son of Tabeal king there.’ 


text:
(It will not happen,) because the capital (city) of Syria is Damascus. Now the king of Damascus is Rezin. And 65 years from now Ephraim will not be (a country)! There will be no people (of Ephraim) there. 


text:
And the capital (city) of Ephraim is Samaria. And the king of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. And if you do not believe this, you will not be alive (either).’ ” ’


text:
He said, ‘Ask the <i>LORD</i> your God for a message. Ask for it deep (in the earth) or high (in the sky).’ 


text:
And he (Isaiah) said, ‘Now listen, (Ahaz. You belong to the) family of David! You are making (your) people angry (with you). And you are making God angry with you too. 


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> himself will give you a message. Look, the <i>virgin</i> will become <i>pregnant</i>. She will have a son and she will call his name <i>Immanu El</i>. 


text:
(One day) he will know (the difference between) right things and wrong things. Then he will (be old enough) to eat butter and sugar. 


text:
But even before the child knows (the difference between) right things and wrong things, (Assyria) will destroy (Ephraim and Syria). The two kings that you are afraid of will be (in other countries themselves).


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will bring the king of Assyria to you and to your people. (He will come) to the house of your father. It will be a special time. There have been no days like it since Ephraim became separate from Judah.’ 


text:
On that day the <i>LORD</i> will tell the flies at the higher end of the river in Egypt that they must come. And he will tell the <i>bees</i> in the country called Assyria that they must come. 


text:
And they will all come and they will land on (these places): <br/>· the valleys with high sides <br/>· the holes in the rocks <br/>· all the <i>thorn</i> bushes <br/>· all the places where there is water.


text:
On that day the <i>Lord</i> will use the king of Assyria. He will come from beyond the river. He will cut off the hair from your head, your legs and your beard.


text:
They will give a lot of milk, so he will have butter to eat. Everyone that remains in the country will eat butter and sugar. 


text:
On that day, in every place where there were 1000 <i>vines</i>, there will be weeds and <i>thorns</i>. (1000 <i>vines</i>) are worth 1000 pieces of <i>silver</i>. 


text:
A man will go there with a bow and <i>arrows</i>. (He will do this) because there will be <i>brambles</i> and <i>thorns</i> on all the land. 


text:
Nobody will go to the hills because they are afraid of the <i>brambles</i> and <i>thorns</i>. (These are the hills where) people would dig to grow plants. Now cows go there and sheep run about.


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> said to me, ‘Get something big to write on. Then write on it, with a tool that will write (words on stones. Write “This is) about <i>Maher-shalal-hash-baz</i>.” 


text:
And I will ask (two) special people to come to me. They must say what is true. (One will be) Uriah the <i>priest</i> and (the other will be) Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. They will be my special people. They must say what is true.’ 


text:
Then I went to the <i>prophetess</i>. She became <i>pregnant</i> and she had a son. And the <i>LORD</i> said to me, ‘Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz. 


text:
Before the child knows how to say “my father” or “my mother” (this will happen). The king of Assyria will carry away the valuable things from Damascus and from Samaria.’


text:
‘This people has refused (to accept) the waters of <i>Shiloah</i>, which move quietly. And (they have said that they) are very happy about Rezin and the son of Remaliah.


text:
So, see (what will happen). The <i>LORD</i> will bring against them the waters of the River (Euphrates). (The waters will be) strong and powerful. (Really, the waters will be) the king of Assyria and his powerful (armies). (They will come) like a great river that rises. And it goes over its sides.


text:
Then it will pour quickly into Judah. It will rise over its sides and it will go over (the land). It will even reach the neck! His <i>wings</i> will open out and cover all your country, <i>Immanu El</i>.


text:
Join together (against your enemies), you people, but they will kill you all. Listen carefully, all you far countries. Get ready for war, but (your enemies) will kill your people. Get ready to fight, but (your enemies) will kill you.


text:
Make <i>plans</i> together, but (the plans) will fail! Talk about what you will do. But it will not happen. (Your plans will fail) because Immanu El (God is with us)!’


text:
Now the <i>LORD</i> spoke to me. (He said this) while his strong hand was upon me. He said that I must not to do what this people (the people in Judah) were doing. He said,


text:
‘You must not think, “Everything that this people call a secret <i>plan</i> is a secret plan.” Also, do not be afraid of what they are afraid of. And do not let it frighten you.


text:
Instead, be afraid of the <i>LORD of Everything</i>! You should think of him as <i>holy</i>. You should be afraid of him,


text:
because he, (the <i>LORD</i>,) will be a safe place. <n>But for both houses of Israel (he will become like) a stone that will make people angry. And (he will become like) a rock that will cause them to fall over. To the people in Jerusalem, (the <i>LORD</i>) will become someone to catch and to hold them.


text:
Many people’s feet will hit something and they will fall. (The <i>LORD</i>) will hurt them very badly. He will catch and hold them!’


text:
And I will wait for the <i>LORD</i>. He is hiding his face from the house of Jacob (Israel’s people). But I believe that he (the <i>LORD</i> will do something). 


text:
Here am I and the children that the <i>LORD</i> has given to me. We are messages, messages from the <i>LORD of Everything</i> to (the people in) Israel. He lives on the mountain (called) Zion.


text:
And they will say to you, ‘Ask the <i>mediums</i> and <i>wizards</i>. They will tell you what you should do.’ (Mediums and wizards) make noises like birds or animals! People should ask their God what to do. People who are alive should not talk to dead people. 


text:
(Listen again) to what I have said. And (listen) to what I have taught you. (If you listen to) their words, then there will be no dawn! 


text:
Then they will go through the country and they will not be very happy. They will not have enough to eat. Because they do not have enough to eat, they will become angry. They will look up (to where God lives). Then they will say bad things about their king and about their God. 


text:
And they will look to the earth. But they will see that it is dark and (that people are) not very happy. In the dark, (people will be) very sad. It will push (people) into something even blacker.


text:
But there will be no dark places for the people that were not very happy. In past years, (God) let trouble happen to the people in the places called Zebulun and Naphtali. But in future years, he will send <i>glory</i> to (these places): <br/>· the country by the sea <br/>· the land at the other side of the (River) Jordan <br/>· the part (of Israel) that people in other countries (call) Galilee.


text:
The people that walk in the dark will see a great light. The light will shine on those (people) that live on land full of dark shadows.


text:
You (<i>LORD</i>) will make the country bigger. And you will make its people much happier. They will be happy with you as when people are happy at <i>harvest</i> time. Soldiers are also happy, because of what they have won in war. And its people will be happy like them.


text:
(This is) because, as in the time of Midian, (you will kill our enemies). You will break (these things): <br/>· the <i>yoke</i> (that carries) their heavy weights <br/>· the sticks (that they hit) our backs with <br/>· the <i>rod</i> that hurts us.


text:
Then they will burn as material for the fire every boot that soldiers wore in war. And (they will burn) the clothes with blood on them.


text:
(They will do this) because a child is born for us. (God has) given us a son. And that son will always have authority (to rule the people). And (people) will call him by these names: <br/>· <i>Wonderful</i> Friend <br/>· Great God <br/>· Father for Always <br/>· Leader who brings <i>Peace</i>


text:
His authority will become greater. And the <i>peace</i> that he will bring will never come to an end. He will be king over (the land) that David ruled. He will make it safe. He will make sure that it has <i>justice</i>. And its people will be very good, now and always. The <i>LORD of Everything</i> will cause this to happen, because he loves (his people). <n>God has <i>punished</i> Israel and he will do it again</n> <n>Note. Isaiah says this 4 times in 9:12, 17, 21 and 10:3. 


text:
And all the people (that live in) Ephraim and Samaria know about it. They <i>praise</i> themselves (with these words).


text:
‘(Our) <i>brick</i> (houses) fell down. But we will build them again with stones that we have cut. They have knocked down (buildings that we made from) <i>sycamore</i> trees. But we will build them again with <i>cedar</i> (trees, which are better).’


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> will make the enemies of Rezin stronger against him. Also, he will help those enemies.


text:
The people from Syria on the east and the people from Philistia on the west have opened their mouths. And they have eaten Israel. <b>But (the <i>LORD</i>) is still angry and his hand is still ready (to hit them again).</b> <n>‘They have eaten Israel’ means ‘They have beaten the people in many places and now they rule those places.’ 


text:
But the people did not turn to him who hit them. Neither did they go to the <i>LORD of Everything</i>.


text:
So in one day the <i>LORD</i> will cut off from Israel head and tail. (He will also cut off) <i>palm</i> branch and <i>reed</i>.


text:
The head means the older men and the important people. The tail means the (false) <i>prophets</i>. They teach what is not true.


text:
The leaders of this people lead them away from what is true. They confuse the people that they are leaders of.


text:
So the <i>Lord</i> will not feel happy with their young men. And he will not be kind and help (children) without fathers. (He will not help) women whose husbands are dead. This is because nobody obeys God. (Everyone) does wrong things. What everyone says tells us this. They are fools. <b>But (the <i>LORD</i>) is still angry and his hand is still ready (to hit them again).</b>


text:
The wrong things (that people do) burn like a fire. They eat up <i>briars</i> and <i>thorns</i>. They burn up the bushes in the forest. And they rise up (into the sky) like a lot of smoke.


text:
He is very angry, so the <i>LORD of Everything</i> will burn the land. Also, the people will be like material for the fire. No man will be kind to his brother (another <i>Jew</i>).


text:
They will take food on their right (side), but they will remain hungry. And they will eat what is on the <i>left</i> (side), but it will not fill them. Everyone will eat the body of the person that lives near him.


text:
Ephraim will eat Manasseh and Manasseh will eat Ephraim. And both of them (will fight) against Judah. <b>But (the <i>LORD</i>) is still angry and his hand is still ready (to hit them again).</b>


text:
(Some) people make rules that are not fair. (They also make) rules that are cruel to people. Those people will be very sad.


text:
(They do these things:) <br/>· (Some) people need many things. (Their rulers) do not let them get what is fair. <br/>· They take away what poor people should have. <br/>· They rob women whose husbands are dead of everything. <br/>· And they are cruel to children whose parents are dead.


text:
You can do nothing when God <i>punishes</i> you. And (you can do nothing) in a storm that comes from far away. Nobody will help you and there will be nowhere to hide your valuable things.


text:
You can only go to be with the people that are in a prison. Or perhaps you will die with those (that the enemy) kills in war. <b>But (the <i>LORD</i>) is still angry and his hand is still ready (to hit them again).</b> <n>Then God will <i>punish</i> Assyria</n>


text:
(The people) in Assyria (will be very sad). (I will use them) like a stick, because I am angry. They (will be like someone who hits Israel) with a heavy stick. (They will do that) because I am so very angry.


text:
I will send (the people from Assyria) against (Israel, because Israel) does not obey God. I will tell (them that they must attack Israel). I am angry with the people (in Israel). (The people from Assyria) will take what (the people in Israel) have. And they will rob them of their things. Then (the people from Assyria) will walk all over them, as (if Israel’s people were) dirt in the streets.


text:
But this is not what (Assyria’s people) are thinking. Their ideas are different. They want to beat as many countries as they can. (They want) to destroy them.


text:
(The city that is called) Calno is like Carchemish. Hamath is like Arpad and Samaria is like Damascus.


text:
My hand took all these places and their <i>idols</i>. They had more <i>idols</i> than Jerusalem and Samaria.


text:
The <i>Lord</i> will finish all his work against the hill called Zion and Jerusalem. Then (he will say), ‘I will <i>punish</i> the king of Assyria. He <i>boasts</i> in his mind and there is <i>pride</i> in his eyes.’


text:
(This is what the king of Assyria) says. ‘I have done this because I am so strong. Also, I am very clever. (So) I know (what to do). I have removed the <i>boundaries</i> between countries. Also, I have taken their valuable things. Like a wild animal, I have attacked their people.


text:
My hand found the valuable things of (many) countries. (I did this) as one finds a (bird’s) home. I have got all the earth (as easily) as people take eggs from an empty bird’s home. And nobody moved a <i>wing</i> or opened a mouth to make a noise.’


text:
(The <i>LORD</i> says,) ‘The axe is not more powerful than the person that uses it. A tool is not more important than the person that uses it. (Also, it is silly) to think that a stick can move its user! Or (it is silly to think) that a thick stick can move a man!


text:
So the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, will send an illness to (Assyria’s) fat soldiers. They will become thin! He will light a fire under their <i>pride</i>. It will burn with a bright light.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>, who is) the Light of Israel, will become a fire. The <i>Holy One</i> (of Israel) will become a bright fire. And it will burn and destroy (Assyria’s) <i>thorns</i> and <i>briars</i> in one day.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will completely destroy (Assyria’s) great forests and its good fields. Its people’s <i>spirit</i> and body will become as nothing.


text:
Only a few forest trees will remain, so that even a child will be able to count them! <n>But God will help the people that continue to love him</n>


text:
When that happens, (this will happen to) the <i>remnant</i> of Israel. (They are) the people of <i>Jacob</i> that are still alive. <br/>· They will not get help from (Assyria), which beat them. <br/>· Instead, they will get all their help from the <i>LORD</i>, the <i>Holy One of Israel</i>.


text:
Israel, only a <i>remnant</i> (of you) will return. (This is) even when there are so many of you. (There are as many of you) as there are bits of sand on the sea shore.


text:
This will happen because the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, will destroy the whole country. (He will destroy it), as he promised to do.’


text:
So, this is what the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i> says. ‘My people who live in Zion, do not be afraid of the people from Assyria. They will be like someone who hits you with a stick. They will lift up a big stick against you like the people in Egypt did. 


text:
But soon I will not be angry with you. Instead, I will be angry (with the people from Assyria) and I will kill them. 


text:
And the <i>LORD of Everything</i> will use a <i>whip</i> against them. He will do this as when he killed Midian’s people at the Rock of Oreb. His stick will be over the sea, and he will lift it up. (He will lift it up) as he did in Egypt. 


text:
In that day the weight will come off your shoulder. (The <i>LORD</i>) will destroy the <i>yoke</i> on your neck.’


text:
(Assyria) will start from Rimmon and he will go to Aiath. He will pass through Migron. He will store his things at Michmash.


text:
They will pass (through the hills), and they will stay for a night at Geba. (The people in) Ramah will be afraid and (the people in) Gibeah of Saul will run away.


text:
He will remain at Nob the day (that he arrives there). He will move his fist angrily towards the people who live in Zion and on the hill of Jerusalem.


text:
But look! The <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, will cut off the branches with (his) <i>power</i> which frightens (people). He will cut down the tallest trees. And he will cause those that are very high to lie low.


text:
He will cut down the trees in the forest with an axe. Also, (the great trees from) Lebanon will fall down.


text:
The part of the Tree of Jesse that remains will start to grow. Then a Branch will grow from the part of it that is under the ground.


text:
The Spirit of the <i>LORD</i> will come on him. (It will be like this:) <br/>· a <i>spirit</i> that knows what is right; and (a <i>spirit</i> that) knows what things mean <br/>· a <i>spirit</i> that tells people the (right) thing to do and that has authority <br/>· a <i>spirit</i> that knows everything and that is afraid of the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
To obey the <i>LORD</i> will give pleasure (to the Branch). He will not decide about things (only) with what his eyes see. (He will not) decide (only) with what his ears hear.


text:
But what he decides about poor people will be with <i>justice</i>. Also, he will decide about people who are not powerful. He will be fair. He will <i>punish</i> bad people and his words will kill them.


text:
(He will wear) true <i>justice</i> like a belt round him. (He will) also (wear) as clothes (the fact that he is) always there.


text:
<i>Wolves</i> will live with young sheep (and will not eat them)! And <i>leopards</i> will lie down with young goats! Young cows and <i>lions</i> will feed together and young children will lead them!


text:
Cows and <i>bears</i> will feed (together) and their young (animals) will lie down together. And <i>lions</i> will eat dry grass like cows.


text:
And a small baby will play (safely) near the hole where a dangerous snake (lives). And a young child (will be safe) if he puts his hand on to the home of (another) dangerous snake.


text:
They will not hurt nor kill (each other) in all my <i>holy</i> mountain. Then the earth shall be as full of facts about the <i>LORD</i> as water fills the sea.


text:
In that day, the part (of the tree) of Jesse will be a like a sign to (all) peoples. Other countries will come to him. And the place where he lives will be <i>wonderful</i>.


text:
And on that day, my <i>Lord</i> will do something for the second time. He will save the <i>remnant</i> of his people that are still (alive. He will take them) from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Elam, Shinar, Hamath and from countries by the sea.


text:
(The <i>Lord</i>) will lift up a sign for these countries (to see). He will bring together the people from Israel (that Assyria) took away. He will bring back the <i>exiles</i> of Judah from all over the earth.


text:
No longer will Ephraim not like (Judah) and Judah will not attack (Ephraim) any longer. Ephraim will no longer want what Judah has. Also, Judah will not cause trouble for Ephraim again.


text:
But together they will attack the low hills of Philistia to the west. They will beat the people to the east (of the River Jordan). They will fight against Edom and Moab, and the people in Ammon will obey them.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> completely destroyed part of the Sea of Egypt. He will lift his hand over the River (Euphrates). Then he will send a hot wind that burns things. It will make (the river) into 7 streams, so that people can cross it with dry feet.


text:
And there will be a good road from Assyria for the <i>remnant</i>. (They are the <i>LORD</i>’s) people that remain. It will be (as good a road) as when Israel came up from the country called Egypt.


text:
You will say in that day, ‘I <i>praise</i> you, <i>LORD</i>. You were angry with me, but now, you are not angry (with me). Now you are being kind to me.


text:
Listen! God has made me safe! I will continue to believe (in him). And I will not be afraid because the <i>LORD</i>, the <i>LORD</i>, has made me strong. He is the person that I am singing about. He has made me safe.


text:
And you will say in that day, ‘<i>Praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>! Shout (aloud) his name! Tell everybody what God has done. Cause them to remember that he is very great.


text:
Sing <i>psalms</i> to the <i>LORD</i> because he has done <i>wonderful</i> things! Cause everyone in the world to know it!


text:
Everyone that lives in Zion, shout! And sing because you are so happy! The <i>Holy One of Israel</i> is great and he is (living) with you.’


text:
(These are) serious words (about) Babylon that Isaiah the son of Amoz ‘saw’. <n>The word ‘saw’ here means ‘understood’. He may also have ‘seen’ something that God showed to him. 


text:
Lift up a sign on an empty hill. Shout aloud to them and lift a hand! Then they will go through the gates of the kings.


text:
I myself have sent my <i>holy ones</i>. I have told them what they must do. Also, my brave soldiers (must say) that I am very angry. I have sent them. (They are) my <i>proud</i> (soldiers). Nobody has ever beaten them. <n>Verse 3 ‘holy ones’ here may mean <i>angels</i>. Or it may mean the soldiers that God will use. 


text:
(Listen to) the sound of a very big crowd! (They are) people (that are) on the mountains! (Listen to) the sound of these people. They are shouting while they come together from many countries! The <i>LORD</i> of Many (Armies) is preparing an army ready for war.


text:
People are coming from a country that is far away. (They are coming) from the ends of the skies. The <i>LORD</i> (is coming) with arms, (because he is) angry. He will destroy the whole country (of Babylon).


text:
Weep, because the day of the <i>LORD</i> is near. It will happen when <i>Shaddai</i> destroys (your country).


text:
and they will be very much afraid. They will hurt and they will be in much pain. They will be (afraid) like a woman that is having (a baby). They will look at each other and their faces will frighten each other.


text:
Look! The day of the <i>LORD</i> will happen (soon!) (It will be) cruel. (The <i>LORD</i>) will be angry. He will be like an angry fire! It will make the country (of Babylon) empty and it will kill (all the) <i>sinners</i> in it.


text:
Yes! The stars in the skies, all of them, will give no light. When the sun appears (in the morning), it will still be dark. The moon will not shine.


text:
I will cause very bad things to happen to the world. And (I will <i>punish</i>) bad people for their <i>sins</i>. I will not let <i>proud</i> people think that they are better (than anyone else). And I will beat strong people that hurt (weak people).


text:
I will make men harder to find than the best gold. And men and women will be more difficult to find than gold from Ophir.


text:
So I will cause the skies to move. The earth will move. And (people) will see how angry the <i>LORD</i> of Many (Armies) is.


text:
And people will look at each other and they will run away to their own country. They will be like wild animals that run away from the hunter. Or (they will be) like sheep with nobody to lead them.


text:
(The foreign army) will (kill) with sharp knives anyone that tries to run away. And they will kill with the <i>sword</i> anyone that they catch.


text:
They will break young children into pieces while (the children’s parents) watch. They will rob the people’s homes and they will have sex with their wives.


text:
Look, I will cause the Medes to come (to fight) against (Babylon). (The Medes) do not ask for <i>silver</i> or gold.


text:
Their bows will kill the young men. They will not be kind to babies. And they will not seem sorry for the children.


text:
And Babylon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. (This will happen even if other) countries think, ‘Babylon is beautiful.’ The people in <i>Chaldea</i> are <i>proud</i> of (Babylon).


text:
People will never live there again. And none of its children will ever live there again. No Arab will put his <i>tent</i> there. No farmers will cause their animals to lie down there.


text:
Only wild animals will lie down there. Its houses will be full of <i>owls</i> that scream. And <i>ostriches</i> will live there. Wild goats will dance about in it.


text:
<i>Hyenas</i> will make a noise in its tall buildings and <i>jackals</i> will live in its beautiful <i>palaces</i>. (The Medes) will soon destroy it. It does not have many more days.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will be sorry for <i>Jacob</i> and he will choose Israel again. Then he will give them rest in their own country. Also, people from a foreign country will join themselves to the people of Jacob. They will really become united with them. 


text:
And the (foreign) people will take the people (of Israel) and bring them to their own country (Israel). Then the people of Israel will rule the foreign people in the <i>LORD</i>’s country. They (the foreign people) will become male and female slaves. So the people that made (Israel) <i>prisoners</i>, will be prisoners themselves! (Israel) will rule over the people that were cruel to them. <n>More about Babylon</n>


text:
On that day, this will happen. The <i>LORD</i> will give you rest from these things: <br/>· all your pain and illnesses <br/>· the cruel way that (your enemies) caused you to work.


text:
You will laugh at the king of Babylon. Then you will say (to him), ‘Now you cannot be cruel to us, nor can you attack us!


text:
The <i>LORD</i> has destroyed the authority of bad people. He has removed the power of the rulers (of Babylon).


text:
(The rulers of Babylon) hit many people because they were angry with them. They never stopped hitting them. They were very angry, so they attacked (other) countries. They never stopped fighting them.


text:
(But now) there is no war in the whole world and it can rest. Everyone is singing (because they are so happy)!


text:
Even the <i>pine</i> trees and the <i>cedar</i> trees in Lebanon are happy. (They say this) to you, (king of Babylon): “Since (the <i>LORD</i>) beat you, nobody has come to cut us down!”


text:
When you arrive there, you will get much interest from (the people in) <i>Sheol</i>. People there will (come) to meet you! You will wake up the Rephaim, who were all leaders on the earth. (They will come) to say, “welcome” to you. All who were kings of the their countries will stand up from their seats.


text:
All of them will speak to you and say this. “Even you have become as weak as we (are)! You have become like us!”


text:
Your <i>pride</i> will bring you down to <i>Sheol</i> with the noise of your <i>harps</i>. Under you will be a bed of <i>maggots</i> and (over you) a blanket of <i>worms</i>.’ <n>More words about Babylon</n> <n>Some Christians believe that these words are also about <i>Satan</i>. 


text:
‘Look at you! You have fallen from the skies! <n>You shine. (You are called the) Son of the Dawn! <n>You made many countries low, but now you are low yourself!


text:
You said in your mind, “I will go up into the <i>heavens</i>. <n>I will put my seat above the stars of God. <n>I will sit in the mountain in the far north with God’s leaders.


text:
But he has brought you down to <i>Sheol</i>, to the deepest <i>Pit</i>!’ <n>More words about Babylon</n>


text:
‘Those (people) that see you will really look at you. They will think this about you. “This is the man that caused the earth to move. He caused countries to <i>shake</i>.


text:
(This is the man) that made the world like a <i>desert</i>. He destroyed its cities. He did not let his <i>prisoners</i> go (back to their) homes.”


text:
All the kings of all the countries – yes! all of them – lie down in a good place. Each (king lies) in his own <i>grave</i>.


text:
But you, they will throw you out without a <i>grave</i>! You will be like a branch (that people throw) away. Or (you will be like) the clothes of a dead man that a <i>sword</i> has cut. (You will be like) someone that fell on to the stones in a big hole. Or (you will be like) a dead body that people have kicked.


text:
They will not bury you with the other (kings of Babylon). Here are the reasons: <br/>· You have destroyed your country. <br/>· You have killed your (own) people. <n>Nobody will ever remember again this son of very bad people!


text:
Prepare a place where they will kill his children. (They will kill them) because their parents <i>sinned</i>. Then his children will not rule the world or fill it with cities.’


text:
‘I will fight against them’, says the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i>. The <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> also says, ‘I will remove the name of Babylon. (I will remove its) people that remain, their children and their children’s children.’ 


text:
The <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> says this also: ‘I will make (Babylon) a place where <i>owls</i> live. Also, (it will be a place) where there are pools of water. And I will take it away completely (like a man sweeps things away) with a brush.’ <n>A few words about Assyria</n>


text:
The <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> has <i>made a serious promise</i>. ‘It will happen as my <i>plan</i> says. I will really do what I have decided to do. 


text:
I will kill the man from Assyria in my country. Also, I will put him under my feet on my mountains. Then, he will not be cruel to my people. Also, they will not have to carry his heavy weights again.’ 


text:
This is the plan that (he) made for the whole earth. And this is the hand that (he) lifted over all the <i>nations</i>. 


text:
This is the plan of the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i>. Nobody can change it. He has lifted up his hand. Nobody can change this. <n>A few words about Philistia</n>


text:
‘Do not feel happy, you people in Philistia. (God) has broken the stick that hit you. But from that snake a more dangerous snake will come. And from that (snake) will come a snake that can fly!


text:
But poor people will feed their (animals) that were born first. And people that need (help) will sleep safely. Then I will cause your people (in Philistia) to die because there is no food. And I will kill the people that remain.


text:
Gate (of the city), cry! City (itself), scream! Move away, all you people in Philistia! (Do this) because smoke will come from the north. Everybody in (that) army will march quickly.’ <n>Verse 31 The gate in a city was the place where important people met. So the word ‘gate’ may mean these important people here. 


text:
‘What shall we say to the people that bring messages from the government? Say that the <i>LORD</i> has built Zion. And (say) that his poor people will be safe there.’


text:
(This is) a serious message (about) Moab. <n>It is true! In one night (an enemy) destroyed Ar (and) Moab made no noise. <n>It is true! In one night (an enemy) destroyed Kir in Moab (and Moab made) no noise.


text:
(The people in) Dibon have gone up to their <i>temple</i> to weep. (They have gone up to) the high places. Moab is crying about Nebo and Medeba. Every head is bald and (they have) cut off every beard.


text:
They are wearing hairy cloth in the streets. On the roofs (of their houses) they are weeping. And in the open places (in their towns they are weeping). <i>Tears</i> cover their faces.


text:
Then (the people in) Heshbon and Elealeh cried aloud. (People) as far away as Jahaz heard the sound! The soldiers of Moab cry aloud (because they are afraid). The minds (of Moab’s people) are afraid.


text:
Inside, I feel like a man who is crying aloud for Moab! Its people have run away as far as Zoar (and) Eglath Shelishijah. <n>It is true! They weep while they climb up the hill to Luhith. <n>It is true! On the road to Horonaim they shout aloud, ‘(An enemy) has destroyed (us)!’ <n>‘Inside, I feel like a man who is crying aloud for Moab!’ Isaiah means that he feels very sad. 


text:
It is true! It is not wet; it is dry in (the Valley of) Nimrim. <n>It is true! The grass is dead. Nothing new is growing. (And) there is nothing (that is) green.


text:
So, they are carrying away over the Wadi Arabim whatever they found still (in the fields). And they are carrying away what they have saved. <n>The Wadi Arabim was a small river. 


text:
It is true! The sounds (of people that ask for help) reach the edges of Moab. (People) as far as Eglaim heard (Moab’s) sad songs. (Moab’s) sad songs reached Beer Elim.


text:
It is true! Blood fills the waters of Dimon. <n>It is true! More (bad) things will happen to Dimon. A <i>lion</i> will wait for those that run away from Moab. And (it will wait) for those that remain (in the) country.


text:
Send young sheep from the ruler of the country (to Jerusalem). Send them from Sela across the <i>desert</i> to the mountain of the <i>Daughter of Zion</i> (Jerusalem).


text:
The women from Moab (are crossing) the River Arnon. (They are) like birds that are learning to fly. (The mother bird) has pushed them out from their home.


text:
Tell us what we should do! Be fair about what you say! Cause your shadow (over us) to seem like it is night in the middle of the day! Hide the <i>refugees</i>! Do not show (to their enemies) the people that have run away!


text:
Let the people from Moab who are running away stay with you. Hide them from (the enemy that is) killing them. <n>It is true! People will not be cruel to those who are weak. People will not destroy things. People that fight will <i>disappear</i> from the country.


text:
Someone from David’s family will build a <i>kingdom</i>. The man that rules it will be fair and honest. He will be a fair <i>judge</i>. He will decide rightly. And he will quickly cause (his people) to do what is right.


text:
We have heard about the <i>pride</i> of Moab. (Moab was) very <i>proud</i>. In its <i>pride</i>, (Moab) thought that it was better (than other people). And Moab said things that were not kind (to them).


text:
So Moab weeps. All Moab weeps for itself. Sing a sad song. And cry for the cakes made with very dry grapes from Kir Hareseth!


text:
It is true! There are no (fruits) in the fields in Heshbon. And (there is nothing on) the <i>vine</i> of Sibmah. The rulers of (other) countries have destroyed its branches. (The branches) reached to Jazer (in the north-west) and as far as the <i>desert</i> (in the east). Its new branches grew and they crossed over (the Dead) Sea.


text:
Because of this, I weep for the <i>vine</i> of Sibmah, as Jazer weeps. I put my tears all over you, Heshbon and Elealeh. <n>It is true! The noise of war has fallen on your plants and on your fruit. <n>Verses 8 and 9 Isaiah seems to write about the vines in Sibmah like they were one big vine. 


text:
Nobody is really happy in the fields. Nobody sings or shouts (because they are happy) in the <i>vineyards</i>. Nobody jumps on the <i>grapes</i> in the places where they make <i>wine</i>. I have caused the noise to stop.


text:
So, I cry deep inside me for Moab. It is like the sad sound of a <i>harp</i>. And I am hurting for Kir Hareseth.


text:
And when the people in Moab come to their high place, they will become very tired. When they come to pray at their <i>temple</i>, nothing will happen.


text:
But now the <i>LORD</i> says, ‘In three years, everybody will laugh at Moab. Count these years like (the years that) people pay a worker. Then (God) will make all Moab’s many <i>proud</i> people <i>humble</i>. And only a few of them will remain, a very small number.’


text:
(This is a) serious message (about) Damascus. Look! (The enemy) broke the city called Damascus into a lot of stones.


text:
Nobody lives in the cities of Aroer. They have become (places) where groups (of animals) lie down. Nobody makes them afraid.


text:
There are no strong cities in Ephraim and no kings in Damascus. The few people that remain in Aram are as great as the people of Israel! (This is what) the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> is saying.


text:
On that day the <i>LORD</i> removed the things that <i>Jacob</i> was <i>proud</i> of. His fat body became thin!


text:
And it was like when a farmer got all the <i>grain</i>. He did it while it was still (in a field). With his arm he cut off the fruit from the plants. Then it was like when someone <i>gleans</i> some of the grain in the Valley of Rephaim.


text:
There was not much in (Israel). It was like someone that hit an <i>olive</i> tree. There were only two or three small olives on the highest branch. And (there were only) 4 or 5 fruits on the branches of a fruit tree. (This is what) the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel, (is) saying.


text:
On a day (like) that, people should obey their <i>Maker</i>. They should turn to the <i>Holy One of Israel</i>.


text:
They should not think that the <i>altars</i> (can help them). Their hands have made (these altars). They should not turn to what their fingers have made. These are (<i>images</i> of the female god called) Asherah. And the altars (are where they burn) <i>incense</i>.


text:
On that day, (Israel’s) strong cities became like empty cities. (They were like) those (other) empty forests and woods. People had left them when Israel (first attacked them). So (the cities) were empty groups of stones, 


text:
for these reasons. You forgot the God that made you safe. You did not remember the Rock that hid you (from danger). You planted gardens for a false god and you planted <i>vines</i> for a foreign god. <n>Verse 10 ‘the Rock’ means God. 


text:
So, there were no fruits. On the day that you planted them, you caused them to grow well. They had flowers on the morning that you planted them! But all this finished in a day that was very sad. And (there was) pain that nothing could take away.


text:
Oh, (listen)! (The people in) many countries are <i>roaring</i>. They are making a noise like an angry sea! And (listen)! The (people in those) countries are roaring, they are roaring like great amounts of water!


text:
The (people in those) countries are <i>roaring</i>; they are roaring like great amounts of water! But when (the <i>LORD</i>) will shout at them, they will run far away. The wind will blow them away like dead bits of plants on the hills. Or it will blow them away like dirt that blows about before a storm.


text:
Look! In the evening everyone is very much afraid. And in the morning nobody is there! This is what will happen to anyone that takes things from us. (It will happen to anyone who) robs us.


text:
It is sending messages by people in boats (that they) made from <i>papyrus</i>. They sail on the top of the waters. Go, take a message quickly. (Go to) a country where (the people) are tall. And their skins are not hairy. (It is a country where everyone), both near and far, is afraid of its people. The country is very strong and rivers cut the land into parts. <n>There were two places called Cush 2700 years ago. One is near Ethiopia, the other near Iraq. Most Bible students think that here it is Ethiopia. We cannot be sure. 


text:
Everybody that lives (in the) world and (on the) earth, (listen to this). You will see a sign on the tops of the mountains. You will hear the sound of a <i>trumpet</i>.


text:
This (is what) the <i>LORD</i> said to me. ‘I will watch quietly from my place. I will be as quiet as the heat that shines from the sun. (I will be as quiet as) the <i>mist</i> that rises at <i>harvest</i> time.’


text:
Then, before the <i>harvest</i>, (the <i>LORD</i>) will cut off the new parts of the plants. He will use a special knife. He will cut off the wide branches and take them away. (He will do this) after the flowers have gone. But (he will do it) before the fruit is ready to pick.


text:
(He) will leave them all for the birds that catch small animals in the mountains to eat. (He will leave them) to the wild animals on the land. The birds (will feed) on them all the summer. And the wild animals will (feed) on them all the winter.


text:
At that time (people) brought gifts to the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i>. The people are tall and their skins are not hairy. Everyone both near and far is afraid of these people. The country is very strong, and rivers cut the land into parts. (They will come) to a place where the Name of the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> is. It is a mountain called Zion.


text:
(This is a) serious message (about) Egypt. <n>Look! The <i>LORD</i> will come to Egypt. He will ride on a cloud that will move quickly. The false gods of Egypt will be afraid when he comes. Also, the heart of Egypt will turn into water inside. <n>‘the heart of Egypt will turn into water inside’ means that all the people in Egypt will be very much afraid. 


text:
‘I will cause Egypt’s men (to fight) against Egypt’s men. A man will fight against his brother. A man will fight against the man that lives near him. A city (will fight) against a city and a <i>kingdom</i> will fight against a <i>kingdom</i>.


text:
(I will) pour out the <i>spirit</i> of Egypt from inside it. And I will confuse their plans. (So) they will ask (for help from) their false gods. And (they will ask for help from) the <i>spirits</i> of dead people, and from <i>mediums</i> and from <i>wizards</i>.


text:
And I will give Egypt into the power of a cruel master. And a powerful king will rule over them.’ (This is what) the <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> says.


text:
And the waters of the sea will become dry. And the river will have no water and so it will become dry.


text:
And the <i>canals</i> will have less (water) and they will have a bad smell. And the streams of Egypt will become dry. The <i>reeds</i> and the other plants that grow by the river will die.


text:
(And) the plants at the side of the river (Nile) will die. And (the plants near) where the river goes into the sea (will die). Everything (that people) plant by the river will become dry. (The wind will) blow it away and (there will be) nothing there.


text:
And the fishers will be very sad. Then, everyone that throws a bent piece of metal and a line into the river will cry. Also, those people that put something on the water to catch fish will have nothing (to eat).


text:
The people that work with the <i>flax</i> will not know what to do. The women that comb (the flax) will not be happy. Neither will the men that make it into cloth (be happy).


text:
This will destroy the <i>spirit</i> of the workers (in Egypt). Everyone that works for money (will feel) sick inside them.


text:
The leaders of Zoan are really fools! The best people in Pharaoh’s government say that he must do silly things! You cannot say to Pharaoh, ‘I am a son of a man who knows nearly everything. (I am) a son of (someone who was) king a long time ago.’


text:
Where, then, (Pharaoh), are your clever men? (Or, Pharaoh, you have no clever men!) Cause them to tell you now what they know. They know what the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> will do against Egypt.


text:
The leaders in Zoan have made themselves into fools. The leaders of Noph have confused each other. The leaders of (these) groups (of people) have caused Egypt to choose wrongly.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> has mixed into the people (of Egypt) something that confuses their <i>spirits</i>. In everything that they do they choose wrongly.) They choose wrongly like a drunk that is being sick.


text:
There is nothing that anybody in Egypt can do. They may be like a head or like a tail, a branch on a <i>palm</i> tree or a <i>reed</i>. (There is nothing that they can do.)


text:
In that day the people in Egypt will be afraid, like women. They will be afraid when the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> uses his power against them. 


text:
The (name of the) country called Judah will frighten the people in Egypt very much. When people say (the name Judah), they will be afraid of the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i>. They will be afraid of what he has decided to do against them.


text:
In that day 5 cities in the country called Egypt will speak the language of <i>Canaan</i>. (The people in them) will promise to obey the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i>. One of the towns will be called Sun City.


text:
In that day there will be an <i>altar</i> to the <i>LORD</i> in the middle of the country called Egypt. Also, (there will be) a tall stone to the <i>LORD</i> at the edge (of Egypt). 


text:
Those (two things) will be like notices to tell (everyone in) the country called Egypt about the <i>LORD of Many Armies</i>. (The people in Egypt) will pray to the <i>LORD</i> because other people are cruel to them. Then, this is what he will do. He will send someone to make them safe. And he will send a <i>judge</i> who will remove the danger from them. 


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> will know the people in Egypt. And also, the people in Egypt will know the <i>LORD</i> in that day. And they will <i>worship</i> (the <i>LORD</i>) and they will offer gifts to him. They will <i>make promises</i> to the <i>LORD</i>. And they will do what they have promised to do. 


text:
And (if) the <i>LORD</i> should send to Egypt a <i>plague</i>, he (really) will hurt them. But then he will make them well again. And then they will return to the <i>LORD</i>. And he will answer their <i>prayers</i> and he will make them well.


text:
In that day there will be a road from Egypt to Assyria. (People from) Assyria will go to Egypt and (people from) Egypt will go to Assyria. People from Egypt and Assyria will <i>worship</i> together.


text:
In that day Israel will be the third (country) with Egypt and Assyria. Good things will happen in the middle of the country. 


text:
The <i>LORD of Many Armies</i> will do good things for them. He will say, ‘I will do good things for my people Egypt, and Assyria, which I have made. And I will do good things for Israel that I have chosen.’


text:
In the year (711 <i>B.C</i>.) (the man called the) Tartan came to Ashdod. (This was) when Sargon, the king of Assyria, sent him. He fought against Ashdod and he destroyed it. 


text:
In that time the <i>LORD</i> spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz. (He) said, ‘Go and take the hairy clothes off your body and the shoes from your feet.’ And (Isaiah) did this. He walked about without clothes and without shoes. 


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> said, ‘My servant Isaiah walked without clothes and without shoes for three years. It was a message and a <i>prophecy</i> against Egypt and Cush. 


text:
This is what the king of Assyria (will do). He will take away (people) from Egypt as <i>prisoners</i>. And (he will take people) from Cush as <i>exiles</i>. Young people and old people will go. They will have no clothes or shoes. (People) will see their bottoms (where the backs of the legs and the body join). This will make the people in Egypt ashamed. 


text:
They will not be very happy and they will be ashamed. They had hoped that Cush (would help them). And they had said that Egypt (would help them also). 


text:
The people that live along this coast will say in that day, “Look! This happened to the people that we hoped (would help us). We went to them for help. (We did this) to get away from the king of Assyria. And now, we do not know how to get away (from him).” ’


text:
(This is) a serious message about the <i>desert</i> near the sea. It comes from the <i>desert</i>. (It comes) from a frightening place. It is like a storm from the <i>Negev desert</i>. <n>Verse 1 Bible students do not know where this desert was. It was either south of Jerusalem, or south of Babylon. This translation believes that it was Babylon. 


text:
I received a difficult message. The robber robs and the destroyer destroys. Elam, go up (to Babylon)! Media, attack (Babylon)! (The <i>LORD</i> says,) ‘I will stop (Babylon) crying.’


text:
(All) this hurts me. Bad pains attack me. (They are) like the bad pains that a woman feels. (She feels them) when she has a baby. What I hear bends me over. And that is why I cannot listen. What I see frightens me. And that is why I cannot look.


text:
It confuses my mind. I am very much afraid. I wanted a quiet evening. But now that quiet evening has become (a time) when I am very much afraid.


text:
They prepare a special meal. They put down the carpets. They eat and drink. Officers, make your <i>shields</i> ready!


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i> said to me. ‘Go! And cause somebody to stand and to watch (what will happen). (Ask) him to report what he sees.


text:
If he reports (one of these) then cause him to watch. <br/>· a rider <br/>· a pair of (men on) horses <br/>· a rider on a <i>donkey</i> <br/>· a rider on a <i>camel</i>. <n>And he must watch very well.’


text:
Then the man that watched shouted. (He said), ‘<i>Lord</i>, I am standing every day on a building (from which I can see everything). I am standing at my place every night.


text:
And look! Someone is coming! (It is) a rider, (it is) a man with a pair of horses!’ (The man) reports and says this. ‘(An enemy) has destroyed Babylon! (The enemy) has destroyed it! All the <i>images</i> of its people’s gods lie in pieces on the ground!’


text:
(Judah), they have hurt you. They have hurt you very much. (But) I have told you what I have heard from the <i>LORD of Everything</i>. (He is) the God of Israel. <n>Words about Edom</n>


text:
(This is) a serious message about Dumah. Someone is shouting to me from Seir. (They are asking,) ‘Keeper, how much more of the night (is there)? Keeper, how much more of the night (is there)?’


text:
The keeper said, ‘The morning will come, (but) so will the night. If you want to ask (again, then) come back. Come (and) ask!’ <n>Words about Arabia</n>


text:
(This is) a serious message about Arabia. <i>Caravans</i> of people from Dedan, you will find a safe place (behind) the bushes in the <i>wild country</i>.


text:
(There) you will give water to (people) who need a drink. People that live in Tema will give bread to the <i>refugees</i>.


text:
(Do this) because they are running away from (all this): <br/>· <i>swords</i> <br/>· swords (that are) ready to fight <br/>· bows (that soldiers have) bent <br/>· the dangerous <i>battle</i>.


text:
This is what my <i>Lord</i> has said to me. ‘In less than a year, all the important people in Kedar will have gone. A servant (that someone has) paid counts a year. Count the year like that. 


text:
Only a few of the men that use bows (from the) soldiers of the men from Kedar will remain. (This will happen) because the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel, has spoken.’


text:
(This is) a serious message about the Valley (in Jerusalem that Isaiah ‘saw’) in a <i>vision</i>. Something is the matter with you. You have all gone up on to the roofs of your houses! <n>The word ‘saw’ here means ‘understood’. He may also have ‘seen’ something that God showed to him. 


text:
(Your) city is full of noise. And (it is full of people that are) rushing about. The town is having a party! The <i>sword</i> did not kill the people that are dead. They did not die in a war.


text:
(The enemy) caught all your leaders that ran away. (The enemy) did not have to use one bow. Some of them ran a long way away, but (the enemy) caught them all!


text:
So I said, ‘Leave me alone! Let me cry the saddest <i>tears</i>. Do not try to make me happy, because (the enemy will) kill many of my people.


text:
(This is) because my <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, will have a day of noise. (It will be) in the Valley of <i>Vision</i> (in Jerusalem). There will be feet that are running and (it will) confuse people. (The enemy) will destroy walls and people will shout (for help) to the hills.’


text:
(People will say), ‘(People from) Elam carried baskets of <i>arrows</i>. (There were) men with <i>chariots</i> and horses and (soldiers from) Kir lifted up (their) <i>shields</i>.’


text:
So your best valleys will be full of <i>chariots</i> and men on horses will attack (your city’s) gates.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will take away from Judah the place where its people hide themselves. So, in that day, you will look for arms in the House of the Forest (in Jerusalem).


text:
You will see that there are many holes in the walls of the City of David. Also, you will get water from the Lower Pool.


text:
Then you will count the houses in Jerusalem. And you will knock down the houses to make the walls (of Jerusalem) stronger.


text:
You may have built a place inside the walls (of Jerusalem) to put water from the Old Pool. But you have not looked to its <i>Maker</i>. And you did not see the person that made plans for it long ago.


text:
And in that day my <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, will ask for (people) to weep and to cry aloud. He will ask them to cut the hair off their heads. Also, they must wear hairy clothes.


text:
But look! (Everybody is) happy, they are very happy. They are killing cows and sheep. They will eat meat and drink. (They are saying,) ‘We will eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die.’


text:
But this is what the <i>LORD of Everything</i> has told me. ‘(I will) certainly not excuse this <i>sin</i> until you (all) die.’ (This is what) my <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i> said. <n>Words about one of the leaders in Jerusalem called Shebna </n>


text:
This (is what) my <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, said. (He said,) ‘Stand up and go to this (man) Shebna. He has authority in (the king’s) house.


text:
(Say to him,) “You should not be here. (God did not say) that you (could be) here. You have cut (in the rock) here for yourself a <i>tomb</i>. You have cut a tomb in the side of the hill. You have cut for yourself a place in the rock to put your dead body.


text:
Look! The <i>LORD</i> will throw you; he will throw you (away, you) strong man! (First) he will hold on to you in his strong hand.


text:
(Then) he will make you like a ball; he will make you like a ball. (Then he will) throw you like a ball into a wide country. You will die there. (There) your great <i>chariots</i> will make your master’s family ashamed.”


text:
I will remove you from your job. And he will throw you down from the place where you are an officer.’ <n>Words about another leader, called Eliakim </n>


text:
‘And this is what will happen in that day. I will tell my servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah that he must come.


text:
And I will put on him your (Shebna’s) special clothes and I will tie your special belt round him. And I will give him your authority. Then he (Eliakim) will become (like) a father to everyone that lives in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.


text:
And I will put the key of the family of David on his shoulder. What he opens, nobody will close. What he closes, nobody will open.


text:
And I will fix him in place (like a) strong bent piece of metal. And he will make his father’s house famous.


text:
But the whole weight of his father’s family will hang on him (like that piece of metal). All his children and their children, like cups and bottles that contain things, (will hang on him).’ 


text:
(This is what) the <i>LORD of Everything</i> says: ‘In that day the bent piece of metal that (they) fixed strongly, will not hold. (I will) cut it down and it will fall. And the weight on it will fall off because the <i>LORD</i> has spoken (it).’


text:
(This is) a serious message about Tyre. <n>Cry aloud, (you people in) the ships (that go) to Tarshish. (An enemy) has destroyed it. There is no house to come home to. They heard about this in the country called Cyprus.


text:
Weep, (you people) that live on the island. (Weep, you) <i>merchants</i> of Sidon, that the sailors made rich.


text:
<i>Grain</i> came from the River Nile on the great seas. The fruits from the River Nile brought money (to Phoenicia). So it became a market place for (many) countries.


text:
(You people that live in) Sidon, be ashamed. (Be ashamed,) because the sea has spoken. The power of the sea, (Tyre), has said, ‘I have not been <i>in labour</i>. (Children) have not been born. I have not had sons nor been a parent to daughters.’


text:
(This is) the city where you had many parties. It is old, very old. (Now) their feet have taken its people to live in countries that are far away.


text:
People do not know who made these plans against Tyre. (Tyre is the city that) gives <i>crowns</i> (to people). Its <i>merchants</i> are like kings. Its merchants are famous in (all) the world.


text:
The <i>LORD of Everything</i> thought that he should do this. (He did not want) people to feel more important than they were. And (he wanted) to cause all the famous people in the world not to feel important. (That is why he did it.)


text:
Travel through your country, people in Tarshish, as (easily as the people in Egypt travel along) the River Nile. (Travel) because now, nobody will stop you.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> has lifted his hand over the sea. He made <i>kingdoms</i> afraid. He told (his armies) what they must do in Phoenicia. (They had to) destroy all (Phoenicia’s) strong buildings.


text:
Then he said, ‘Do not continue your parties. (The enemy) has destroyed you, you people that live in Sidon. Get up! Cross over to Cyprus. Even there you will not find rest for yourself.’


text:
Look at the country called Babylon! Its people are all dead! The (armies) from Assyria made it a place for wild animals (to live in). They (the men from Assyria) built small mountains (of earth that they climbed on) to attack it. They took everything away from its strong buildings and they destroyed (Babylon).


text:
At that time (people will) forget Tyre for 70 years. This is how long one king lives. At the end of 70 years something will happen to Tyre. It is like the song about the <i>prostitute</i>.


text:
‘<i>Prostitute</i> that (people) have forgotten, <n>walk about the city with your <i>harp</i>. <n>Play it well. Sing many songs. <n>Then (people) will remember you again.’


text:
At the end of 70 years the <i>LORD</i> will be kind to Tyre. It will ‘become a <i>prostitute</i>’ again! (This means that) its <i>merchants</i> will go to all the <i>kingdoms</i> of the world on the earth. 


text:
And this will happen: All the money that (Tyre) gets and all the <i>profit</i> will go to the <i>LORD</i>. (Tyre) will not hide it or store it. Rather, the <i>profit</i> (will go) to the people that live near the <i>LORD</i>. (They will have) plenty of food and good clothes. <n>About Isaiah chapters 24-27</n> <n>Most English translations call the last book in the Bible, ‘Revelation’. Apocalypse is the Greek name of the book called Revelation. (Greek is a language.) ‘Revelation’ means ‘things that somebody shows to us’. In the Book of Revelation, those things are about the end of the world. Some Bible students say that chapters 24-27 of Isaiah are also about the end of the world. They are sometimes called ‘little apocalypse’ because they are shorter than Revelation. What happened to ‘the country’ called Judah or Babylon will happen to the whole world. Bible students are not sure whether ‘the country’ means Judah or Babylon or somewhere else. 


text:
Understand (this)! The <i>LORD</i> will make the country empty and he will destroy it. He will destroy the ground. And he will move the people that live in it in all directions.


text:
It will be the same for (all these people): <br/>· the people and the <i>priest</i> <br/>· the servant and his master <br/>· the girl that is a servant and her <i>mistress</i> <br/>· the buyer and the seller <br/>· the lender and the <i>borrower</i> <br/>· the person that has lent money and the person that has <i>borrowed</i> money.


text:
(Enemies) will completely destroy the land. (They) will take everything from it. The <i>LORD</i> says that (this will happen). (So it will happen.) 


text:
The land will be dry and it will die. The world will become weak and it will die. The important people in the country will become weak.


text:
The people that live in the country have made it dirty. (This happened) for these reasons: <br/>· They have not obeyed (God’s) rules. <br/>· They have changed (God’s) rules. <br/>· They have decided to forget (God’s) <i>covenant</i> that will always be true.


text:
That is why a <i>curse</i> is destroying the country. And the people that live in it are hurting. This is because they have done wrong things. (Something) burns the people that live in the country. Only a few of them remain.


text:
The <i>wine</i> dries up and the <i>vine</i> dies. The people that want to drink (the wine) are not happy.


text:
The happy sound of the <i>tambourine</i> stops. The noise from parties has finished. The <i>harp</i> does not make any happy music.


text:
People do not sing while they drink <i>wine</i>. The beer does not taste nice to those that drink it.


text:
(Enemies) have destroyed the city (so that) it is without shape. (People) locked every house so that (the enemy) could not get in.


text:
People shout for <i>wine</i> in the streets. Everybody that is happy becomes sad. Nobody in the country laughs.


text:
(Enemies) have destroyed the city. (They) knocked down the gates (of the city) and they destroyed them.


text:
This will happen through all the country and among (other) countries. They will be empty like an <i>olive</i> tree that people hit. Or (they will be empty like a <i>vine</i>) with a few <i>grapes</i> (that people have) not picked. <n>The song of the few people that remain (verses 14-16a)</n>


text:
These (are the people) that use their voices to shout aloud! From (the sea in) the west they say that the <i>LORD</i> is great!


text:
So, in (the countries in) the east give <i>praise</i> to the <i>LORD</i>. (Give praise) to the <i>LORD</i> God of Israel. (Give praise) from the islands in the sea.


text:
From every part of the country we hear songs that give <i>praise</i> to the <i>Righteous</i> One. <n>Isaiah’s sad song (verses 16b-23)</n> <n>But I said, ‘I have become thin and weak! I have become thin and weak! I am so sad! Bad people are doing bad things. Yes, the bad people are being really very bad!’


text:
The person that runs away from the sound of <i>terror</i> will fall into the big hole. A <i>trap</i> will catch the person that climbs out of the big hole. (It will happen) because (someone has) opened the windows of the sky. Also, (they have) moved what is under the land.


text:
All this has completely broken the land. It has torn the land into pieces. It has moved the land very much.


text:
The earth walks like a man that is a drunk. It moves about like a <i>tent</i> (in the wind). The wrong things that (the people in the country) have done feel heavy upon the country. So it will be like someone who falls down. And it will be like someone who never gets up again.


text:
On that day the <i>LORD</i> will <i>punish</i> (anything with) power in the skies above. And (he will punish) the kings on the land below.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will bring them together like <i>prisoners</i> in a hole in the ground. He will lock them in a prison and after a long time he will <i>punish</i> them.


text:
The white (light of the moon) will <i>disappear</i>. And the heat (of the sun) will become cold. (This is) because the <i>LORD of Everything</i> will be king on the hill called Zion. Then, his leaders in Jerusalem will see that he is very great.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, you are my God and I will give you <i>praise</i>. I will say that you are very great. And I will give praise to your name, because you have done <i>wonderful</i> things. You said long ago what you would do. And you have done it. (You were) honest and (your promises) were true.


text:
And you have broken the city into a hill (of stones). (You have) destroyed the strong city. The strong city that foreign people (live in) has gone. Nobody will build it again. <n>Verse 2 Bible students cannot be sure which city this is. 


text:
So, a strong country will give you <i>praise</i>. The city in a cruel country will be afraid of you.


text:
(This is) because you (<i>LORD</i>) have made (your) poor people safe. (You have) made safe the people that needed (help) in their trouble. (You) hid them from the storm (and you were their) shade from the heat. The attack of the cruel people was like a storm that knocked against a wall.


text:
(And the storm was) like heat in a dry sandy place. You, (<i>LORD</i>), stopped the noise of the <i>foreigners</i>. The shade of a cloud makes less the heat (of the sun). In the same way, you took away the songs of the enemies. They thought that they had beaten us. (That is why they sang.)


text:
The <i>LORD of Everything</i> will make a <i>feast</i> for all people upon this mountain (in Jerusalem). It will be a feast of the very best meat, a feast with the very best <i>wine</i>. (It will be a feast) of the very best meat that makes people strong. It will be a feast with the best wines.


text:
And on this mountain (the <i>LORD</i>) will destroy the <i>shroud</i> that covers all people. It is a shroud that is over every country


text:
He will destroy death for always. The <i>LORD</i>, my master, will dry the faces of everyone that has <i>tears</i> (in their eyes). People will not feel ashamed again, over all the earth. This is what the <i>LORD</i> has promised to do. <n>In verses 7 and 8, the word that we have translated ‘destroy’ means ‘swallow’. It is what happens to food after we eat it with our mouths. 


text:
On that day they will say, ‘Look! This is our God! We have waited for him to come and to make us safe. This is the <i>LORD</i>! We have waited for him. So we shall be happy, very happy, because he has saved us.’


text:
The power of the <i>LORD</i> will stay on this mountain. And he will walk on the people from Moab as people walk on dead grass and animal dirt.


text:
And (the people from Moab) will put their hands into it. (They will be) like someone that puts out (his hands) to swim. But they will go down deep in the water, even if they are able (to swim) with their hands.


text:
And (the <i>LORD</i>) will knock down their high, strong walls. He will throw them down. He will make them low and he will turn them into small bits of dry dirt on the ground.


text:
In that day, (people) will sing this song in the country called Judah. <n>We have a strong city. (The <i>LORD</i>) made walls inside and outside (the city), to make us safe. <n>In verse 1, the <i>Hebrew</i> word for ‘safe’ that Isaiah used was ‘jeshuah’. This is the Hebrew word that we translate ‘Jesus’! 


text:
Open the gates (of the city), so that the <i>righteous</i> people can come in. (The righteous people) are those people that continue to believe (the <i>LORD</i>).


text:
You, (<i>LORD</i>), will make safe the person whose mind is always thinking about you. (You will keep him) safe, because he believes you.


text:
Always, always believe the <i>LORD</i>! (Do this) because the <i>LORD</i>, the <i>LORD</i> is a (like a) Rock. He will always be alive.


text:
He brings down low the people that live in high places, in a city on tall (hills). He makes it low. He brings it down to the ground. He throws it into the dirt.


text:
The path that <i>righteous</i> people walk on is flat. You, (<i>LORD</i>), make clear the way of righteous people.


text:
Yes, <i>LORD</i>, we wait for you in the path that your rules (point us to). In our minds, we want (everybody to know) your name. And (we want everybody to know) that you are famous.


text:
My mind wants you in the night time and my <i>spirit</i> wants you in the morning. The people in the world will learn what ‘<i>righteous</i>’ means. (This will happen) when you are ruling in the country.


text:
Bad people will not learn, if nobody <i>punishes</i> them. (They will not learn) what ‘<i>righteous</i>’ means. In a country where people are honest, (bad people) will continue to do bad things. They do not obey the rules of the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, you have lifted up your hand (to hit them), but they do not see it. (But one day) they will see that you really love your people. Then, I pray that they will become ashamed. I pray that fire will burn up your enemies.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, our God, other <i>lords</i> than you have ruled over us. But only to your name do we give <i>praise</i>.


text:
Now (the other <i>lords</i>) are dead. They are not alive. Their <i>spirits</i> have gone and they will not rise up (again). You <i>punished</i> them and you killed them. You have done it, so that we do not remember them.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, you have made the country larger. You really have made the country larger. You have received <i>praise</i> for yourself. You have made all the edges of the country bigger.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, they came to you when they had trouble. They prayed quietly to you when you <i>punished</i> them.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, we were with you, like a woman who would soon have a baby. Just before she had her baby (we were like her). We could not keep still and we cried with the pain.


text:
We were going to have a baby. We could not keep still and we cried with the pain. But we <i>gave birth</i> only to wind! We have not made the earth safe. We have not killed the people in the world.


text:
But your dead (people) will live (again). Their bodies will rise up (from the <i>grave</i>). Wake up! Shout because you are so happy, you (people) that live in the ground! (Shout), because your <i>dew</i> is like the dew of the morning. The earth will give birth to the dead (people) in it.


text:
My people, go into your rooms and shut the doors behind you. Hide yourselves for a short time, until (the <i>LORD</i>) is not angry.


text:
Look, the <i>LORD</i> is coming out of his house. He will <i>punish</i> the people on the earth because they have not obeyed him. The earth will show (him) the blood (that people) poured out on it. It will not hide any longer the (dead) bodies (that people have) killed.


text:
In that day the <i>LORD</i> will <i>punish Leviathan</i>. (The <i>LORD</i> will use) his <i>sword</i>. (His sword is) great, powerful and strong. (Leviathan is) a snake that moves quickly (in the sea). (It is) a snake that puts itself (round things). He will kill that great animal in the sea. <n>God will <i>guard</i> his people</n>


text:
I, the <i>LORD</i>, will <i>guard</i> it. I will continue to put water on it. I will guard it night and day, so that nobody will destroy it.


text:
I am not angry. If there was a <i>thorn</i> or a <i>briar</i> (in my field of <i>vines</i>), I would march against it in a war. I would make fire out of (the thorns and briars).


text:
Or (the field) should come to me. I will make it safe. It should not fight with me. It should rest with me.


text:
The days will come when <i>Jacob</i> will grow (like a plant) in the ground. Israel will grow and make flowers. They will fill all the world with fruit.’ <n>God has a purpose when he <i>punishes</i> people</n>


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) has hit (those enemies) that hit (his people). He has hit (his people) like that. (The <i>LORD</i>) has killed (those enemies). He has killed (his people) like that.


text:
(<i>LORD</i>) you fought (against your people). You sent them into <i>exile</i>. He made them go with a cruel wind. It was like a day when the east wind blows.


text:
This, then, is how Jacob will be sorry because of his <i>sins</i>. And this will be the result when (God) has taken away (Jacob’s) sin completely. (The <i>LORD</i>) will break all the <i>altar</i> stones to pieces like chalk stones. (He will) not leave the <i>Asherah poles</i> or <i>incense</i> altars standing.


text:
Then the strong city will be empty. Everybody that lived there will leave it. It will be like a dry sandy place. Nobody will go there. Young cows will eat the grass and they will lie down there. They will eat everything on the branches (of the trees).


text:
When their branches become dry, people will break them off (the trees). The women will come and make fires with them. (This will happen) because these people do not understand things. So, their <i>Maker</i> will not help them. Also, their <i>Creator</i> will not be kind to them.


text:
And in that day (this) will happen. The <i>LORD</i> will pick (fruit) from the River (Euphrates) to the stream of Egypt. So (the <i>LORD</i>) will fetch you one by one, (you) sons of Israel. <n>We think that ‘the stream of Egypt’ means the River Nile. 


text:
And in that day (this) will happen. (Someone) will make a sound on a great <i>trumpet</i>. And people that are dying in the country called Assyria will come. Also, people in <i>exile</i> in the country called Egypt (will come). They will <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i> in the mountain at Jerusalem.


text:
(There will be a) very sad (day in) <i>Ephraim</i>! The leaders (of Ephraim) are very <i>proud</i>, (but they) are drunks. (Ephraim is like) a beautiful flower, but it will die. It will not always be beautiful. (Ephraim) is at the top of a valley where there are good plants. But <i>wine</i> causes (its people) to fall over.


text:
Look! The <i>Lord</i> has (somebody who is) powerful and strong. He is like a storm of ice (from the skies) and (he is like) a wind that destroys (things). (He is) like a storm of rain with a great amount of water. He will throw (Ephraim) to the ground with (his) hands! <n>We think that ‘somebody’ and ‘he’ in this verse means the country called Assyria or its army. 


text:
And (Ephraim) will be like a (fruit called a) <i>fig</i>. It is ready to eat when they pick it. When someone sees it, he will pick it. And he will eat it! (This Ephraim is like) a beautiful flower. But it will die, and it will not be beautiful. It is at the top of a valley. Good plants are there.


text:
In that day the <i>LORD of Everything</i> will be a <i>wonderful</i> leader. And (he will be) a beautiful ruler for his people that remain (in their country).


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will help people to decide what is right. He will make the people strong who <i>guard</i> their city.


text:
But <i>wine</i> also causes most (people in Jerusalem) to fall down. And beer makes them into drunks. Beer causes <i>priest</i> and <i>prophet</i> to fall over. And wine confuses (their minds). Beer causes them to fall over. And when they see <i>visions</i> they cannot understand them. They become silly when they decide what to do.


text:
(They say,) ‘He is teaching what he knows (to us)! He is explaining his message (to us)! (He thinks that we are babies!) (And he thinks that) we have just stopped drinking milk! (He thinks that) we have just come from (our mother’s) breast!


text:
He said to (this people), ‘This (is your) place to rest. Let the tired (people) rest.’ And (he said), ‘This (is your) place to be quiet in.’ But they would not listen.


text:
So then, the <i>LORD</i>’s message will sound to them like, ‘<i>Tsaw</i> latsaw tsaw latsaw, qaw laqaw qaw laqaw, zeir sham, zeir sham.’ So they will go, but they will fall over. (An enemy) will hurt them, and he will catch them in a <i>trap</i>.


text:
So, listen to the <i>LORD</i>’s message. (Hear it), you people that laugh in a bad way (at me). And (obey it), you rulers of this people in Jerusalem.


text:
What you are really saying (is this). ‘We have made a <i>covenant</i> with death and we have agreed with <i>Sheol</i>. When the waters rise, they cannot touch us. (This is) because we believe in <i>lies</i>. And what is not true will keep us safe.’


text:
So the <i>Lord</i>, (who is) <i>LORD</i>, says, ‘Look! It is I who has put a stone in <i>Zion</i>. (People now know) that this is a good stone. (It is) a valuable stone, because (it makes) the corners (of buildings). (It is) a strong stone to build on. The person that believes (in the LORD) will never be sorry.


text:
If you do what is right and fair, I may be able to help you. (But if not), the rain of ice will carry away the <i>lies</i> that you believe. And water will pour into your safe place.


text:
(I will) stop your <i>covenant</i> with death. What you agree with <i>Sheol</i> will not continue. When the water rises, it will pour over (you). (It will drown) you.


text:
Every time that it comes to you, it will carry you away. Certainly, every morning, any day and any night, it might pour over you. And, if you understand the message, then you will be very much afraid.’


text:
(You know what people say.) ‘The bed is so short that you cannot lie in it. The blanket is so narrow that you cannot put it round yourself.’


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> will do something, like he did at <i>Mount</i> Perazim. He will be very angry, as he was in the Valley of Gibeon. He will do something that is very strange. He will do something that is not usual.


text:
So, do not laugh in a bad way (at me). (If you do), your <i>chains</i> will be even heavier. The <i>Lord</i>, the <i>LORD of Everything</i>, told me that (he has) decided to destroy all the land.


text:
When the farmer ploughs to plant (seeds), he does not plough every day. He does not always break his ground into small pieces.


text:
When he has made the ground flat, he plants <i>carraway</i> and <i>cummin</i>. He plants all the different <i>grain</i> seeds in their own places (in his field).


text:
(Farmers) do not remove <i>carraway</i> (seeds) with a special machine. Nor do they get <i>cummin</i> seeds like this. They hit carraway (seeds) and cummin (seeds) with a stick.


text:
(But they do use) a special machine to get (<i>grain</i>) to make bread. But they do not do it for too long. (The farmer) does not drive the <i>wheels</i> of the special machine over (the grain). And his horses do not walk on it.


text:
The <i>LORD of Everything</i> causes them to know all this. What he tells them to do is <i>wonderful</i>. And his <i>wisdom</i> is great.


text:
(There will be a) very sad (day in) <i>Ariel</i>. Ariel (is) the city that David attacked. Continue to have your usual <i>feasts</i> every year.


text:
But I will bring trouble to <i>Ariel</i>. And (Ariel) will not be happy. It will be very sad. And (Ariel) will be my ariel, (my fire place).


text:
And I will do (these things): (My army will) attack you. (They will be) in a circle round you. (I will) put an army against you on every side. (I will) build things against you to attack you.


text:
Then you will become <i>humble</i> and you will speak from the ground. And, from low in the dirt, what you say will be difficult to hear. And your voice will come from the ground like (the voice of) the <i>spirit</i> of a dead person. And from the dirt, you will speak very quietly.


text:
But your enemies will become like many small bits of dirt. And the crowds of cruel (soldiers) will be like dead bits of a plant in the wind. (This is) because, in a moment,


text:
the <i>LORD of Everything</i> will visit you! (It will be like) <i>thunder</i>, or when the ground moves. (It will be like) a very loud noise. (It will be like) a very strong wind and a great storm. And (it will be like) a fire that burns up everything.


text:
This will happen to all the many countries that attack <i>Ariel</i>. (It will happen to) everyone that fights against it and its strongest building. (It will happen to) all (the soldiers) that are in a circle round it. They will be like a dream that people see in the night!


text:
It will be like a hungry man who dreams. (He dreams) that he is eating (something). But, look! He wakes up hungry! Or it will be like a <i>thirsty</i> man. He dreams that he is drinking. But, look! He wakes up and look! He is still weak because he is still thirsty! This will happen to the many (soldiers) from all the countries that fight against the hill called Zion.


text:
(This will) hit you (so that you become) like fools. And you will not believe it! You will become <i>blind</i>, so that you cannot see anything! You will become drunks, but not from <i>wine</i>! You will fall over, but not (because you have drunk) beer!


text:
(But it is) because the <i>LORD</i> has caused you to go into a <i>deep sleep</i>. He has shut the eyes of your <i>prophets</i> and he has covered the heads of your <i>seers</i>.


text:
And all this <i>vision</i> is for you. (It is) the words in a closed book. Give the book to someone that can read. And say (to them), ‘Read this, please.’ But he will answer, ‘I cannot (read it, because) someone shut it.’ 


text:
Or, give the book to someone that cannot read. Say, ‘Read it, please.’ But he will answer, ‘I do not know how to read.’


text:
The <i>Lord</i> says, ‘These people pray to me with their mouths. And their lips say that I am important. But their hearts are far from me. And to <i>worship</i> me they use rules that men have made.’ <n>‘Their hearts are far from me’ means ‘they are not really thinking about me’. 


text:
‘So look! I will surprise these people again. (I will) surprise (them) again and again! (Some) people are able to use what they know rightly. But they will not be able to. The people with good minds will not be able to use them.’


text:
(There will be a) very sad (day) for those people who (do these things): <br/>· They really try to hide from the <i>LORD</i> what they tell (to the king). <br/>· They work in dark places (where nobody can see them). <br/>· And they say, ‘Nobody knows us.’ <br/>· (And they say,) ‘Nobody sees us.’


text:
You turn things the wrong way up! You confuse the person who makes pots with the <i>clay</i>! The thing that somebody made cannot say to its maker, ‘You did not make me!’ The pot cannot say to the person who makes pots, ‘You do not know anything!’


text:
In a very short time, (the country called) Lebanon will become a garden of fruit trees. And Carmel will be like a forest.


text:
At that time, people who were not able to hear will hear someone read words from a book. And people who were not able to see will see. And they will not remain in shadows and in the dark.


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> will make <i>humble</i> people happy again. And the poor people will sing songs to the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel, because they are so happy.


text:
(This is) because cruel people will go. People that laugh in a bad way (at God) will not appear anywhere. And (the <i>LORD</i>) will kill everybody that is preparing to do bad things.


text:
These (bad) people (do these things): <br/>· They say that a man has done something wrong with (only) a word. <br/>· They set a <i>trap</i> for the <i>judge</i> at the city gate. <br/>· And they do not let a man who has done nothing wrong get a fair result.


text:
So this is what the <i>LORD</i> says to the <i>house of Jacob</i>. (He is the LORD) who saved Abraham. ‘Jacob will not be ashamed again. And his face will never lose colour (because he is afraid).


text:
They will see their children, which my hands made, among them. Then they will keep my name <i>holy</i>. They will <i>praise</i> the Holy (God) of Jacob and they will show great love for the God of Israel.


text:
Also, people whose minds are confused will understand (things). (Some) people always say that something is wrong. Then, they will be happy to learn (things).’


text:
‘(It is) a very sad (day) for children who do not obey (their father)’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘They have decided what to do, but they did not ask me (about it). They have decided to agree (with Egypt), but without my Spirit’s (help). They have done more and more <i>sins</i> as a result.


text:
They hurry to go down to Egypt. But they do not ask me what to do. They ask for Pharaoh’s help to make them safe. And they look for the shadow of Egypt to cover them.


text:
Their leaders have arrived in Zoan and their people with authority have gone to Hanes. <n>Zoan and Hanes are two places in Egypt. 


text:
Everyone will be ashamed because the people (in Egypt) will not be able to help them. They will not bring any help to you. (They will) not really (bring to you) any help. (They will) only (make you) very much more ashamed.’


text:
(These are) sad (words) about the animals (that go through) the <i>Negev</i>. It is a place where there is trouble and danger. (These wild animals live) there: <br/>· <i>lionesses</i> and <i>lions</i> that <i>roar</i> <br/>· snakes and dangerous snakes that fly. <n>(Here the leaders of Judah) carry their valuable things on the backs of horses. And they carry their very valuable things on the backs of other animals. They do this on behalf of people that cannot help them!


text:
Egypt has no value. They will not send any help. So, I call (Egypt) ‘Rahab’ or ‘She shouts while she does not move’.


text:
Now go! Write it down on a piece of stone for them. Also, write it in a book. Then, in future days, it will always be there to read.


text:
These (people) are people that do not obey (the <i>LORD</i>). They are his children and they disappoint (him). They are children that do not want to listen to the LORD’s words.


text:
They say to the <i>seers</i>, ‘Do not see anything!’ And (they say) to the <i>prophets</i>, ‘Do not tell us what is the right (thing to do). Tell us nice things. Say what is not true!


text:
So, this is what the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel says. You have not listened when my word told you about the danger. And you thought that it was right to be cruel to people. And you have believed in <i>lies</i>.


text:
So this will happen. This <i>sin</i> will be for you like a high wall that is not safe. It will bend over, and in a moment, it will fall down.


text:
He (the <i>LORD</i>) will break it into pieces as (easily as someone breaks) a piece of pot. He will destroy it, and he will not feel kind about it. There will not be a (big) piece (of pot) among the bits. It cannot lift a stick that is burning from a fire. It cannot bring water from a pool.


text:
Now this is what the <i>Lord</i> said, the <i>LORD</i> (who is) the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel: ‘You will be safe if you return (from Egypt) and rest. Be quiet and believe (in God). Then you will be strong. But you would not (listen).’


text:
But you said, ‘No! We will run away on horses.’ So you will run away. (You said) ‘We will ride away very quickly.’ So the people that run after you will move quickly.


text:
A thousand (1000) (of you will run away) from only one enemy. You will (all) run away from 5 of them! They will leave you like a sign on the top of the mountain, or like a <i>flag</i> on a hill. <n>God is kind and fair</n>


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> will wait (before) he is kind to you. So, also, (one day) he will start to show you his great love (for you). (It is) because the LORD is a fair God. He will make everyone that waits for him very happy.


text:
Yes! You people of <i>Zion</i> that live in Jerusalem, you will not weep again. (The <i>LORD</i>) will be very kind to you when you shout for help. When he hears you, he will answer you. 


text:
(In the past) the <i>Lord</i> has given you trouble as your bread and he has given you pain as your water. But then your Teacher will not hide himself from you. You will see him with your own eyes. 


text:
And your ears will hear a word near you, but behind you. When you turn to the right or to the left it will say, ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’ 


text:
And you will not use your <i>idols</i>. You cut them from wood with a knife. Then you covered them with <i>silver</i>. You will not use your idols that you made from metal. You covered them with gold. You will throw them away like dirty things. You will say to them, ‘Go!’


text:
He (the <i>LORD</i>) will send rain for your seeds that you plant in the ground. And plenty of good food will come from the ground. In that day your cows will eat (grass) in wide fields. 


text:
And the cows and the horses that work (on) the ground will eat the best food for animals. (Farmers) will use a big farm fork and a spade to give it to them. 


text:
And on every tall mountain and on every high hill, water will pour down in streams. (This will happen) on the day when high buildings fall. And many people will die. 


text:
Also, the moon will shine as bright as the sun. And the light of the sun will be 7 times brighter. It will be like the light of 7 days (at the same time)! This will happen when the <i>LORD</i> puts soft cloths on his people. He will put the cloths where (the LORD) hit them hard. And he will make them better where he hurt them.


text:
Look! The <i>LORD</i> himself is coming from far away. There is fire in his nose and smoke like thick clouds (are all round him). His lips show that he is angry. His <i>tongue</i> eats things like a fire (burns them).


text:
From his mouth (comes something) that is like a lot of water. It will reach up to (someone’s) neck. He moves (many) countries to make them separate and to destroy them. And he (will be like a man who) puts a <i>bit</i> in (horses’) mouths, to lead them away.


text:
And you, (my people,) will sing! It will be like the night when there is a big party for everyone in your church. You will feel very happy inside you! It will be like when people go up to the <i>LORD</i>’s (<i>temple</i>). There will be music. (Another name for the LORD) is the Rock of Israel.


text:
Then the <i>LORD</i> will cause people to hear his voice. (It will be) like the voice of a great king! He will cause (people) to see his arm when it comes down (to hit them). He will cause people to know that he is very, very angry. (He will be like) a fire that burns everything. (He will be like) a cloud that drops (much rain). (He will be like) a storm that makes a lot of noise. (He will drop like) bits of ice.


text:
The voice of the <i>LORD</i> will completely destroy Assyria. He will knock them down with his stick to show to everybody that he is a king.


text:
He will hit them with his stick. He will use his stick to <i>punish</i> them. It will sound like the music of <i>harps</i> and <i>tambourines</i> while the <i>LORD</i> fights them in a war. (He will use) his arms to hit them.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) has already made (the fire called) Topheth ready. He prepared it for the king (of Assyria). The hole in the ground for the fire is deep and wide. There is plenty of wood for the fire. The air from the LORD’s mouth will light the fire. (The air) is like a stream of <i>sulphur</i> that is on fire.


text:
(It will be) a sad (day) for those people that go down to Egypt. They want help and horses (from Egypt). They think that <i>chariots</i> will help them. (This is) because there are very many (chariots in Egypt). And (they hope for help from) men that ride on horses. (This is) because these (men) are very strong. And they do not ask the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel for help. And they do not ask <i>LORD</i> to tell them what to do.


text:
But (the <i>LORD</i>) knows the best thing to do. Also, he can kill people. He does not change what he says. And he will do something against the people that do bad things. (And he will do something against) those people that help people to do bad things.


text:
The men in Egypt are (only) men. They are not God. Their horses are animals, not <i>spirits</i>. When the <i>LORD</i> puts out his hand, the <i>helper</i> will fall down. And the person that he <i>helps</i> will fall down too. They will all come to an end together.


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> said to me. ‘The <i>LORD of Everything</i> will come down to fight on the mountain of <i>Zion</i> and on its hill. He will make a noise like a <i>lion</i> or a young lion. It makes noises over what it has caught. He will not be afraid of the group of sheep farmers when they come out against (the lion).’ <n>Verse 4 When he says ‘sheep farmers’ here, he means the leaders of Israel. 


text:
The <i>LORD of Everything</i> will make Jerusalem safe. He will fly round it like a bird. He will make it safe, and he will make it free. He will pass over it and he will save it. <n>Verse 5 ‘pass over’. Isaiah uses the words of an important time for his people: the Passover. <n>At Passover, the <i>Jews</i> remember one night when they were slaves in Egypt. God caused the people in Egypt to make the <i>Jews</i> free. (See Exodus chapter 12.) 


text:
(Turn back to him) because in that day everyone must throw away their gold and <i>silver idols</i>. Your hands made them for you, which was wrong.


text:
A <i>sword</i> will kill the man from Assyria. A man will not do it. And a <i>sword</i>, that is not held by a man, will kill him. And (he) will run from the sword. And it will cause his young men always to do difficult work. <n>Some Bible students think that ‘the man from Assyria’ means the army from Assyria. 


text:
‘The (king of Assyria), (who is like) their rock, will run away. (He will run away) because he is so afraid. And his (army) leaders will run away because they are all afraid of the war <i>flag</i>.’ This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. His fire is in <i>Zion</i> and his <i>ariel</i> is in Jerusalem.


text:
A king will be a good <i>judge</i>. And leaders will be fair judges. Think about those things. <n>Some Bible students think that the words in verse 1 mean, ‘A king should be a good <i>judge</i> and leaders should be fair <i>judges</i>.’ 


text:
Then each (ruler) will be like a place to hide from the wind. And he will be like someone who covers us from the storm. (He will be) like streams of water in a dry place. And he will be like the shadow of a big rock in very dry land. <n>


text:
Now think (about these things): <br/>· The eyes of people that see will never shut. <br/>· And the ears of people that hear will really listen. <br/>· And people who are too quick to speak will wait to understand. <br/>· And the <i>tongues</i> of people that speak with difficulty (now) will speak clearly (then).


text:
What a fool says is silly and his mind thinks about bad (things): <br/>· He does things that do not obey God’s rules. <br/>· He says wrong things about the <i>LORD</i>. <br/>· He does not give food to hungry people. <br/>· And he does not give <i>thirsty</i> people a drink.


text:
The things that a <i>cheat</i> does are bad. They cause people to believe what is not true. Also, his ideas are bad. (He decides) to hurt poor people. What he says about them is not true. And he gives false reasons, even when (the poor) people speak the <i>truth</i>. (They are people) who need (help).


text:
But a good person wants (to do) good things. Also, he does the good things that he promised to do. <n>An enemy (Assyria) will attack you before your good king comes</n>


text:
You women that have no problems, get ready. Listen to my voice. You ladies that feel so safe, hear my words (to you).


text:
In less than a year, you (women) that feel so safe will <i>worry</i>. (You will worry) because the <i>grape harvest</i> will fail. The harvest of fruit will not happen.


text:
<i>Shake</i>, you women that have no problems. Be afraid, (you ladies) that feel so safe. Take off (your clothes) so that you are wearing nothing. Then put a cloth about the tops of your legs.


text:
Hit your breasts for these (reasons). (There are no) good fields. The <i>vine</i> has no fruit. <n>Verses 9-12 We think that ‘women’ and ‘ladies’ here is like a picture of towns and cities. 


text:
The ground where our people work gives (only) <i>thorns</i> (and) <i>briars</i>. Also, (this is) because (there are no) happy homes in the happy city.


text:
It is a fact that (the king) will go from his beautiful house. The city where many people live will be empty. The hill (in Jerusalem) and the tall building, where people watch (for enemies), will always be homes for animals. (They will be) a happy place for wild horses (to live in), and fields where groups (of animals feed).


text:
(This will happen) until (God) pours his Spirit on us from above (the earth). Then, the wild places will become gardens and the gardens will become forests.


text:
Then (people) will decide fairly in the wild places. And (they will say) good things in the fields that contain plenty of fruit.


text:
And when people do good things, there will be no war. When people do good things there will be a quiet and safe life. It will continue for a long time.


text:
My people will live in a place where there is no war. Their homes will be safe and they will sleep without pain. <n>


text:
Ice may knock down the trees in the forest. But, even then, people who plant seeds by the stream will be happy. (Even if a storm) completely destroys the city, they will let their cows and horses go to the fields freely.


text:
It will be very sad for you, the country that destroys (other countries). But no (other country) has destroyed you, yet. (It will be sad for) you, the country that is not honest (with other countries). But no (other country) has not been honest with you yet. When you stop destroying (other countries, one of them) will destroy you. When you stop not being honest (with other countries,) they will not be honest with you.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, be kind to us. We look to you for help. Make us strong every day. Save us when trouble happens.


text:
At the sound of a voice, people run away. When you go to war, (the people in other) countries run away.


text:
People get things together (after a war), as a <i>locust</i> gets (food). As locusts rush (to their food), so people rush (to those things).


text:
The <i>LORD</i> is more important (than anyone else). He lives high above (the earth). He will fill <i>Zion</i> with fair answers to questions. And (everybody will do) what is right.


text:
He will make your lives safe and you will keep your money. Here are the valuable things that he gives (to you): <br/>· You will have the right answers for questions. <br/>· You will know everything (that you need to know). <br/>· You will be (properly) afraid of the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
Look! The brave men (from Jerusalem) weep in the streets. Officers went (to Assyria). They asked for the war to stop. Now they cry very sad <i>tears</i>.


text:
The important roads are empty and nobody travels on the smaller roads. (The enemy) stopped the <i>covenant</i>. He does not like the cities and he does not love anyone.


text:
The land itself is very sad and it is becoming dry. Lebanon is ashamed and it is dying. Sharon is like a sandy place and the leaves in Bashan and Carmel are dying.


text:
You make dry grass and you call it straw. Your own <i>breath</i> will destroy you as fire (burns up that dry grass).


text:
(It) will burn the bones of people to make <i>lime</i>. They will burn as easily as <i>thorn</i> bushes, (when people) cut them down.


text:
You people (that are) far away, listen. Listen to what I have done! And you people (that are) near, understand. Understand that I am very powerful.’


text:
The <i>sinners</i> (that live) in <i>Zion</i> are afraid. (Some) people are not clean (as God sees them). (They are also) afraid. (They ask this.) ‘Which of us can live with a fire that burns everything? Which of us can live with a fire that will never stop burning?’


text:
(The answer is) the person that (is like this): <br/>· He is very good and he speaks what is right. <br/>· He gets nothing when he is cruel to people. <br/>· His hands will not accept money to do wrong things. <br/>· He closes his ears against ideas to kill (people). <br/>· And he shuts his eyes, so that he does not think about bad (things).


text:
(That person) will be the person that lives on high places. That person’s safe place will be in the rocks. People like that will always have food and their drink will not stop.


text:
Your eyes will see that the king is beautiful. (Your eyes) will see a country that reaches to far away.


text:
Your mind will think about when were afraid. (You will say,) ‘The (enemy) officer who counted (things) has gone! (The man who) weighed (everything) has gone! (The man who) counted high buildings has gone!’


text:
You will never see those cruel people again. They speak words that are difficult to understand. Their language is strange. It is difficult to understand it.


text:
Look at <i>Zion</i>. It is the city where we have our parties. Your eyes will see Jerusalem. It is a place where there is no war. It is (like) a <i>tent</i> that people will never remove. They will never pull up its <i>pegs</i>. They will never break any of its <i>ropes</i>.


text:
It is there (in Jerusalem) that the <i>LORD</i> will be our powerful (God). It will be (like) a place with wide rivers and streams. No boat that men push along will go on them. No great ship will sail on them.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> is our <i>judge</i>. The LORD gives us our rules. The LORD is our king. It is (the LORD) that will make us safe.


text:
The <i>ropes</i> on your ship hang down. The wood that they hang from is not safe. They have not put the <i>sail</i> up. Then people will have the many things (that they took from their enemies). And even people who cannot walk well will carry away something!


text:
Nobody that lives in <i>Zion</i> will say, ‘I am ill.’ And (God will not) <i>punish</i> people that live there again. <n>About Isaiah chapters 34 and 35</n> <n>These chapters are a <i>poem</i> at the ‘heart’ of Isaiah’s book. In English, the heart is where you feel sad or happy. Isaiah thought that these chapters were very important. So these chapters are at an important place in Isaiah’s book. <n>Isaiah 34:1-15 is a bad dream; in it, God <i>punishes</i> Edom. <n>Isaiah 35:1-10 is a good dream; in it, God gives his people gifts. 


text:
Come near (to me), you (people in all) countries, and listen (to me). <n>(All) you people, think about what I am saying to you. <n>Hear (me, all) the earth, and everything that is in it. <n>(Listen, all the) world, and all that comes from it.


text:
Yes! The <i>LORD</i> is (right to be) angry against every country. <n>And (he is right to be) very angry against all their armies. <n>(The LORD) will destroy them. <n>He will send them to their deaths.


text:
Nobody will bury the dead bodies. <n>The dead bodies will fill the air with a very bad smell. <n>Their blood will go down into the mountains.


text:
And every army in the skies will be like water. <n>And the skies will close up like a book. <n>And all their armies will fall <n>like leaves that fall from a <i>vine</i>. <n>(They will fall) like the fruit called figs from a fig tree.


text:
When my <i>sword</i> has done its work in the skies, <n>it will come down on Edom. <n>(It will fall) on the people that I have decided to kill.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> (is right) to use a <i>sword</i>! <n>(He will) put it into blood. (He will) cover it with meat. <n>It is the blood of young sheep and goats. <n>It is the meat from inside male sheep. <n>Yes! The LORD (is right) to make a <i>sacrifice</i> in Bozrah. <n>He will kill many people in the country called Edom. <n>Bozrah was an important town in Edom, to the east of Judah. 


text:
And wild cows will fall with them. <n>Young male cows (will die) with old cows. <n>Blood will go into their land. <n>Meat will go into their earth.


text:
Look! The <i>LORD</i> (is right) to have a day when he will <i>punish</i> (people). <n>It will be a year when (the LORD) helps <i>Zion</i>. <n>(It will be a year) when he <i>punishes</i> (<i>Zion</i>’s enemies).


text:
The streams in sandy places (in Edom) will turn into <i>pitch</i>. <n>Its ground will turn into <i>sulphur</i> that is burning. <n>Its land will become pitch that is on fire.


text:
Nobody will put out (the fire) in the day or in the night. <n>Smoke from (the fire) will rise up for a long time. <n>(The land) will be empty from one century to the next century. <n>Nobody will ever pass through it again.


text:
But (these <i>owls</i>) will be in it: <n>the sandy owl, the owl that screams and the great owl. <n>And the large black bird called a raven will build its home there. <n>And (the <i>LORD</i>) will hold over it a line that measures. <n>(It will make it) without shape. <n>(He will hold over it) a special line (that will make it) empty.


text:
(Edom’s) leaders will have nothing there that they can call a <i>kingdom</i>. <n>And all its officers will <i>vanish</i>.


text:
And <i>thorn</i> bushes will cover its beautiful houses. <n>Weeds and <i>briars</i> (will cover) its <i>castles</i>. <n>The country will be a home for <i>jackals</i>. And <i>ostriches</i> will live in it.


text:
Wild animals and <i>hyenas</i> will come together. <n>And wild goats will make a noise to each other. <n>Also, the bad female <i>spirit</i> called Lilith will rest there. <n>And she will find for herself a place in which to stay.


text:
The <i>owl</i> will build a home there. <n>And she will keep her eggs there until they become baby birds. <n>And she will keep them safe under the shadow (of her <i>wings</i>). <n><i>Vultures</i> will meet there too. Each has her <i>mate</i>.


text:
Look in the <i>LORD</i>’s book and read this! <n>‘Not one of them will not be there. <n>Not one of them will be without her <i>mate</i>. <n>(This is) because (the LORD’s) mouth said that it must happen. <n>And his <i>breath</i> will bring them together.


text:
He (the <i>LORD</i>) will give their places (to them). <n>And his hand will give (these things) to them with the line that measures. <n>They will have (that country) always. <n>They will live in it from one century to the next century.’


text:
The sandy place and the dry land will be happy. <n>The wild places will feel happy and (flowers) will grow there.


text:
Flowers will appear quickly on the (plant that is called) crocus. <n>(The land) will be very happy. <n>It will be so happy that it will shout (aloud)! <n>It will be as beautiful as Lebanon. <n>(It will) seem like places in Carmel and Sharon. <n>(These places) will see that the <i>LORD</i> is very great. <n>(They will see) that our God is very, very good.


text:
Say to the people who are very much afraid, <n>‘Be strong! Do not be afraid! Your God will come. <n>He will come to <i>punish</i> (his enemies). He will punish them fairly. <n>He will come and he will save you.’


text:
Then (the <i>LORD</i> will) open the eyes of people that are not able to see. <n>And he will clear the ears of people that are not able to hear.


text:
Then people that cannot walk will jump like <i>deer</i>. <n>And people that cannot speak will shout. <n>(This is) because they are so happy. <n>Yes! (God) will pour water into the wild, dry places. <n>And (he will) pour streams (of water) into the sandy places.


text:
Then the hot sand will become a pool (of water). <n>And water will come up from the ground that is very dry. <n>In the places where <i>jackals</i> had lived, <n><i>reeds</i> and plants like that will grow instead of grass.


text:
And there will be a high road there, a way. <n>Its name will be ‘The <i>Holy</i> Way’. <n>People that are not clean will not go on it. <n>It will be for those (people) that walk in the Way. <n>Fools who are very bad people will not walk on it.


text:
No <i>lions</i> will be there. <n>No dangerous wild animals will walk on it. <n>Nobody will find those (animals) there. <n>Only people (that the <i>LORD</i> has) bought back (from death) will walk there.


text:
And the people that the <i>LORD</i> has bought back (from death) will return. <n>And they will sing while they go into <i>Zion</i>. <n>And they will never stop enjoying themselves. It will show on their faces. <n>Everywhere that they go they will be very, very happy.


text:
King Hezekiah had ruled (Judah) for nearly 14 years. Then, King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the cities in Judah that had high, strong walls. He beat them and they became his. 


text:
And the king of Assyria sent the leader of his soldiers from Lachish. (He came) to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. This leader had a large army with him. He stopped at the water stream (that went) from the higher pool. It was on the road, near the place where people wash clothes.


text:
And these people came out to (meet) him: <br/>· Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. (He was) the most important (servant) in the (king’s) beautiful house. <br/>· Shebna, the leader of the government. <br/>· Joah, the son of Asaph. He was (the king’s) writer. <n>


text:
And the (soldiers') leader said to these men, ‘Now (please) say (this) to Hezekiah. This is what the Great King, the king of Assyria, says (to you): <br/>· “You should not believe (that God will help you)! <br/>· Words alone cannot tell you what to do! <br/>· And they cannot give you the power (that you need) for war! <br/>· I do not know anyone who will help you to fight against me!


text:
Look, (I know that) you are hoping for help from Egypt. (Egypt is like) a stick that people use. It helps them to walk. But it will break! If you push on it, it will go into your hand, like a sharp piece of <i>reed</i>. That is what will happen to anybody that hopes for help from Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. 


text:
But you might say to me, ‘We are hoping that the <i>LORD</i> our God will help us.’ (Then I will answer this.) He is the (God) whose <i>high places</i> and <i>altars</i> Hezekiah removed! (Hezekiah) said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You must <i>worship</i> (God) only at this (one) altar.’ ” 


text:
And now’, (said Rav Shakeh, the leader,) ‘agree today with my master, (who is) the king of Assyria. And I will give you 2000 horses, if you can put (2000) riders on them! 


text:
You cannot refuse (what I offer. I am) the least important of my master’s officers. But you are (still) hoping that Egypt will send <i>chariots</i> and riders on horses. 


text:
And (there is) something else. Surely I would not attack and destroy this country without help from the <i>LORD</i>! The LORD told me, “March against this country and destroy it.” ’


text:
Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah spoke to Rav Shakeh. (They said,) ‘Please, speak to your servants in (our) Aramaic language, because we do understand it. Do not speak to us in <i>Hebrew</i>, or the people on the (city) wall may hear (you).’ 


text:
But Rav Shakeh said, ‘My master did not send me to say these things only to you and to your master. Also, he sent me to say them to the people that are sitting on the (city) wall. Like you, they will have to eat the material that their own body wastes. And they will have to drink the water that their own body wastes.’


text:
Then Rav Shakeh stood up. He shouted in a loud voice in <i>Hebrew</i>. ‘Hear the words of the king. (They are what) the Great King of Assyria (is telling you). 


text:
This is what the king (of Assyria) says (to you). “Do not let Hezekiah tell you what is not true. Hezekiah cannot save you. 


text:
And do not let Hezekiah cause you to agree with him. (He wants you) to believe in the <i>LORD</i>. He tells you that the LORD really will make you free (from Assyria). (He says that the LORD) will not give this city to the king of Assyria. 


text:
Do not hear (and obey) Hezekiah!” This is what the king of Assyria says (to you). “Do not have a war with me. Come out (of your city) to me. Then you will all eat (the <i>grapes</i>) from your own <i>vines</i> and (the <i>figs</i>) from your own fig trees. And you will all drink the water from your own wells. 


text:
(Do this) until I come (to you). Then I will take you away to a country like your own country. (It is) a country where <i>grain</i> and new <i>wine</i> grow. (It is) a country (where they make) bread. And (it is a country) where <i>vineyards</i> grow. 


text:
Do not (hear and obey) Hezekiah. He will (be like a man who) leads you the wrong (way). He says that the <i>LORD</i> will save you. No other country’s god has saved his people from the power of the king of Assyria. 


text:
The gods of (the cities called) Hamath and Arpad (could not help them). The gods of (the city called) Sepharvaim (could not help them). None (of these gods) saved Samaria. 


text:
None of these gods has saved his own country from my power. Can the <i>LORD</i> save Jerusalem from my power?” ’


text:
But the people were quiet and they did not answer him one word. (They did this) because King (Hezekiah) had said, ‘Do not answer him.’


text:
Then (these people) came to Hezekiah: <br/>· Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. (He was) the most important (servant) in the (king’s) beautiful house. <br/>· Shebna, the leader of the government. <br/>· Joah, the son of Asaph. He was (the king’s) writer. <n>They tore their clothes. And they told the king all the words that Rav Shakeh (had said).


text:
When King Hezekiah heard (the report of his servants), he tore his clothes. Then he put on cheap hairy cloth and he went into the <i>temple</i>. (It was the temple) of the <i>LORD</i> (in Jerusalem). 


text:
And he sent Eliakim and Shebna and the leaders of the <i>priests</i> to Isaiah the <i>prophet</i>. (Isaiah) was the son of Amoz. (Eliakim was) the most important servant in the (king’s) house. (Shebna was) the leader of the (king’s) government. And (Eliakim, Shebna and the priests) all wore cheap hairy clothes. 


text:
And they told (Isaiah), ‘This is what Hezekiah says. “There are many problems at this time. And (Rav Shakeh’s) words make me ashamed. (The problems) are like a child that is ready to be born. But (its mother) is not strong enough for it to be born. 


text:
Perhaps the <i>LORD</i>, (who is) your God, will do something about the words of Rav Shakeh. Rav Shakeh’s master is the king of Assyria. (The king) sent (Rav Shakeh) to laugh in a bad way at the God who is really alive. Maybe the LORD your God will tell (Rav Shakeh) that his words were wrong. (God) has heard them. So, pray for the people that remain (in Jerusalem).” ’ 


text:
Isaiah said to them, ‘Tell your master that the <i>LORD</i> says this. “Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard. The servants of the king of Assyria are not important. They have said very bad things about me. 


text:
Listen (to me)! I will put a <i>spirit</i> into (the king of Assyria). Then, he will hear a certain report. When (he hears it), he will return to his own country. And there, I will cause (someone) to kill him with a <i>sword</i>.” ’


text:
Then, Rav Shakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish (city). So (Rav Shakeh) left Jerusalem and he found the king (of Assyria). The king was fighting against Libnah (city). 


text:
Now (the king of Assyria) heard (this report) about Tirhakah. (Tirhakah) was the king of Ethiopia. (The report) said, ‘He has come out (from Ethiopia) to fight against you.’ And when (the king of Assyria) heard this, he sent people (to Jerusalem) with a message. They had this message for (King) Hezekiah. 


text:
The gods of (these other) countries did not save them. My <i>ancestors</i> destroyed Gozan and Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden (that lived) in Tel Assar. 


text:
The kings of Hamath and Arpad have gone. The king of the city called Sepharvaim has gone. And the kings of Hena and Ivvah have gone.” ’


text:
And Hezekiah received the letter from the people that brought the message. And he read it and then he went up to the <i>temple</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. He opened the letter in front of the LORD. 


text:
‘<i>LORD of Everything</i>, (you are) the God of Israel. You sit on a seat between the very important <i>angels</i>. Only you are the God of all the countries in the world. You have made the skies and the earth. 


text:
<i>LORD</i>, turn your ears to me and hear (me). LORD, open your eyes and look (at this letter). Listen to all the words of Sennacherib. He sent them to laugh in a bad way at the God who really is alive. 


text:
It is true, <i>LORD</i>, that the kings of Assyria have made empty places from many countries and their land. 


text:
They threw their gods into the fire. They destroyed them because they were not really gods. Human hands made them from wood and stone. 


text:
So now, our <i>LORD</i> and our God, save us from the power of (the king of Assyria)! Then all the (people in all the) <i>kingdoms</i> in the world will know that only you are the LORD.’ <n>God answers Hezekiah</n>


text:
Then Isaiah, (who was) the son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah. ‘This is what the <i>LORD</i>, (who is) the God of Israel, says. “You have prayed to me about Sennacherib, (who is) the king of Assyria.” So, 


text:
this is what the <i>LORD</i> says about him. <n>“(The) <i>Virgin</i> Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem), <n>she does not like you; she laughs at you. <n>(The) Daughter of Jerusalem, <n>she moves her head about after you.


text:
Who is it about whom you have said bad things? They were not true! <n>Who is it that you have shouted at? <n>Who is it that you have looked at <i>proudly</i>? <n>(The answer is) the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel!


text:
You have used your servants to say bad things about the <i>Lord</i>. <n>You have said, ‘With many of my <i>chariots</i> <n>I have gone up very high mountains, <n>the highest (mountains) in Lebanon. <n>I have cut its tallest <i>cedars</i> down <n>and I have cut down the best of its <i>pine</i> trees. <n>I went to its highest places and to its best forests.


text:
I dug wells and I drank (the) water (from them). <n>I made all the rivers in Egypt dry with the parts under my feet.’


text:
Surely, you have heard (this)! <n>I decided what to do a long time ago! <n>I decided what to do in past (years)! <n>Now it has happened. <n>You have caused strong cities to become mountains of stones.


text:
You have shouted <i>proudly</i> at me <n>and you have said bad things about me. <n>So I will put my hook (a bent piece of metal) in your nose. <n>And I will put my <i>bit</i> in your mouth. <n>And I will cause you to return home by the same way that you came.”


text:
And this will be a sign for you, (Hezekiah). <n>“This year, you will eat what grows from its own (seeds). <n>And in the second year, (you will eat) what grows from (the first year’s seeds). <n>But in the third year you will plant (seeds) and you will pick (plants for food). <n>And you will plant again the <i>vineyards</i> and you will enjoy their fruit.


text:
And this will happen also to the people that remain in Judah. <n>(Like plants), they will put <i>roots</i> down below (the ground) and they will grow fruit above (it).


text:
(This will happen) because a <i>remnant</i> will come out from Jerusalem. <n>And the people that remain will come out from the hill (called) Zion. <n>The great love that the <i>LORD of Everything</i> has (for his people) will cause this to happen!”


text:
“So I will make this city safe and I will save it. <n>(I will do this to keep) my good name. <n>I promised my servant David (that I would do it). (That is why I will do it.)” ’ <n>God destroys Assyria’s army</n>


text:
Then an <i>angel</i> of the <i>LORD</i> went and he killed 185 000 men in the (army) from Assyria. When people got up in the morning, they saw all these dead bodies! 


text:
He was <i>worshipping</i> his god Nisroch in the house (of Nisroch). (Two of) his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with (their) <i>swords</i>. Then, they ran away into the country called Ararat. (So) Esarhaddon, (who was another of) his sons, ruled instead of (Sennacherib). <n>Verse 38 This happened about 20 years after verse 37 happened. <n>PART 4: Chapters 38-55 God’s Servant saves God’s people</n> <n>Hezekiah’s mistake and God’s promises (chapters 38-40)</n>


text:
At that time, Hezekiah was very ill. He nearly died. And Isaiah the <i>prophet</i>, (who was) the son of Amoz, went to (Hezekiah). And (Isaiah) said to (Hezekiah), ‘This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. “Make everything ready for your son, because you will die. You will not get better.” ’ 


text:
And he said, ‘Please remember, LORD, that I have been your good servant. (I have) always obeyed to you. I have worked for you with all my power. You have seen that I did good things.’ And Hezekiah wept sad <i>tears</i>. 


text:
‘Go and say this to Hezekiah. “This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. (The LORD) is the God of your <i>ancestor</i> David. I have heard what you prayed. I have seen your tears. So, I will let you be alive for 15 more years. 


text:
I will save you from the power of the king of Assyria. Also, I will keep this city safe, this city (Jerusalem).” ’ 


text:
And (Isaiah said), ‘This is a message to you from the <i>LORD</i>. (It is a message) that the LORD will do what he has promised (to do). 


text:
You can see the shadow of the sun when it falls on the stairs. (They are the stairs) that (King) Ahaz built. I will cause the shadow to go back ten steps (on these stairs).’ And the shadow did go back ten steps!


text:
(This is) a <i>poem</i> that Hezekiah the king of Judah wrote. He wrote it after he got better from his illness.


text:
I said, ‘I hope that I will not really go through the gates of <i>Sheol</i> during the best days of my life. <n>I hope that (death) will not take from me my other years.’


text:
I said, ‘I will not see the <i>LORD</i> (again). <n>(I will not) live on this earth and (see) the LORD. <n>I will never see these people (again). <n>I will never be with the people that are living in this world.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) has knocked down my house and he has taken it from me. <n>(He did it) as (easily as someone packs away) the <i>tent</i> of a sheep farmer. <n>(He has) caused my life to come to an end. <n>It is like when someone finishes making a carpet. He rolls it up. <n>It is like when someone has made some cloth. <n>He cuts it away from the machine that he uses to make the cloth. <n>(In a) day and (in a) night God brought me to my end.


text:
I waited quietly until the dawn. <n>Then, like a <i>lion</i> (does), (God) broke all my bones. <n>(In a) day and (in a) night God brought me to my end.


text:
I cried like a small bird, (perhaps) a <i>thrush</i>. <n>I made a sad noise like a <i>dove</i> makes. <n>My eyes became weak (while I looked) to the skies. <n><i>Lord</i>, save me from my trouble!


text:
I do not know what I can say. (The <i>LORD</i>) has spoken to me <n>and (the LORD) has done (all this to me). <n>I will live quietly, because I felt so sad (inside me).


text:
<i>Lord</i>, by these things, (people) have life. <n>By all these things, my <i>spirit</i> has life. <n>You gave me back my health and you have let me live.


text:
Really, it was good for me to have such trouble. <n>Your love did not let the <i>Pit</i> kill me, <n>because you threw all my <i>sins</i> behind your back.


text:
(People that are in) <i>Sheol</i> cannot thank you. <n>Dead (people) cannot sing and <i>praise</i> you. <n>People that go down to the <i>Pit</i> cannot enjoy your love.


text:
People that are alive and not dead can thank you. <n>I am doing it today. <n>A father tells his children about your love.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will save me (from death). <n>Then we will sing in the <i>temple</i> of the LORD every day of our lives. <n>(We will sing with the music of) <i>stringed instruments</i>.’


text:
Now Isaiah said (this earlier). ‘Make a hot cake of <i>figs</i> and put it on the bad place on (Hezekiah’s) skin. Then he will get better.’ 


text:
And Hezekiah had asked, ‘What will show me that I will be able to go up to the <i>temple</i> of the <i>LORD</i>?’


text:
When this happened, Merodach-Baladan was the king of Babylon. He was the son of Baladan. (Merodach-Baladan) sent Hezekiah letters and a gift. He had heard that (Hezekiah) was ill. But (now he heard) that Hezekiah was better. 


text:
Hezekiah was happy to meet the officers that (the king of Babylon) had sent. (Hezekiah) showed to them the places where he stored (his valuable things). He showed them what was there. (He showed them) <i>silver</i> and gold, <i>spices</i> and very good oil. (He showed them) all his arms and everything else that was valuable. There was nothing in his beautiful house or in his whole country that Hezekiah did not show them. 


text:
Then Isaiah the <i>prophet</i> went to King Hezekiah and (Isaiah) said to him, ‘What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?’ Then Hezekiah said, ‘They came to me from the far country called Babylon.’ 


text:
And (Isaiah) asked, ‘What did they see in your house?’ So Hezekiah said, ‘They saw everything (that is) in my house. There is nothing among my valuable things that I did not show to them.’ 


text:
“This is what will certainly happen. (Soldiers from Babylon) will take everything (that is) in your beautiful house to Babylon. They will take everything that your <i>ancestors</i> have stored here until now. They will leave nothing (here)”, says the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
“And some of your own sons, your grandsons (and their sons, too), will go to Babylon. (Soldiers from Babylon) will cause them to go there. And they will become <i>eunuchs</i> in the beautiful house of the king of Babylon.” ’ 


text:
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The words that you said from the <i>LORD</i> are good.’ But what he really thought was, ‘There will be no war. And it will be safe while I am alive.’


text:
‘Speak to the minds of the people in Jerusalem and tell this to them: <br/>· (Your) life as soldiers in a war has finished. <br/>· (God has) excused (your) <i>sins</i>. <br/>· And the <i>LORD</i>’s hand has <i>punished</i> you twice for all (your) sins.’


text:
A voice is shouting, ‘Prepare a road for the <i>LORD</i> in the sandy places. Make a straight road on higher ground for our God in the <i>Arabah</i>.


text:
(God’s servants will) raise up (the lower parts of) every valley. And (they will) make every mountain and hill lower. The ground that nobody has dug will become like a garden. And (they will make) the hilly places flat.


text:
Then, (people will) see the <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. Everybody that lives on the earth will see it together. These are words that the LORD himself has spoken.’


text:
A voice is saying, ‘Shout (something) aloud!’ But I say, ‘What shall I shout?’ (The voice answered), ‘Everybody is like grass and all their <i>glory</i> is like a flower in the field.


text:
Grass will die and a flower will fall (to the ground). (This will happen) because the <i>LORD</i>’s <i>breath</i> will blow on them. Surely, everybody (is like) grass.


text:
Grass will die and a flower will fall (to the ground). But a word that our God (speaks) will be true for all time.


text:
You, (the servant that is) bringing good news to <i>Zion</i>, go up on to a high mountain. You, (the servant that is) bringing good news to Jerusalem, shout loudly with your voice. (Shout) aloud, and do not be afraid. Say to the towns in Judah, “Here is your God!”


text:
Look! Your master, the <i>LORD</i>, is coming with power. And his arm will rule (the people) for him. Look (again)! He (is bringing) his gifts with him. And he will pay something (to his people).’ <n>Verse 10 ‘his arm will rule’ may mean ‘he will rule by his power’. But ‘the arm of the LORD’ means something special in Isaiah’s book. See Isaiah 53:1. Many Bible students say that it is a special name for Christ. 


text:
‘He will love his sheep like a <i>shepherd</i> does. He will carry the young sheep in his arms. And he will hold them near to his heart. He will carefully lead (the sheep) that have young (sheep).’ <n>A shepherd is a sheep farmer. He is a like a picture of somebody that is careful for his people. God often sees his people as sheep that need a shepherd. 


text:
(He is the God) who has (done these things): <br/>· (He) measured (all) the waters (in the sea) in (one of) his hand(s). <br/>· (He saw that) the skies were as wide as (one of) his hands. <br/>· (He) put (all) the dirt of the earth into a bucket. <br/>· (He) weighed the mountains on the <i>scales</i>. <br/>· (He weighed) the hills in a <i>balance</i>. <n>


text:
(There is nobody) who has (done these things). <br/>· (Nobody) understood the mind of the <i>LORD</i>. <br/>· (Nobody,) as his <i>helper</i>, told him what to do. <br/>· (Nobody) told (God) what to do when the LORD asked him. <br/>· (Nobody) taught him the proper way to do things. <br/>· (Nobody) taught him what things to know about. <br/>· (Nobody) showed him the way to understand things.


text:
Surely, the countries are like a small quantity (of water) in a bucket. They are like a small bits of dirt on the <i>scales</i>. (The <i>LORD</i>) weighs the islands like small bits of dirt.


text:
(A tree from) Lebanon is not enough to make a fire for his <i>altar</i>. Neither are its animals enough to burn on the altars (to make God happy).


text:
All the countries in the world are like nothing in front of (the <i>LORD</i>). He thinks about them like they had no value. (They seem) less than nothing.


text:
An able man makes a false god. An able worker covers it with gold. He also makes something from <i>silver</i> for it.


text:
Some people are too poor to give a gift like that. They choose a wood that will not soon fall into pieces. They will look for an able man that will make a false god (from the wood). (But that false god) cannot move.


text:
(Think about the things in verses 22-24.) <br/>· You should know (these things). <br/>· You should have heard (these things). <br/>· (Somebody) should have told (them) to you from the beginning. <br/>· You should have understood (them) since (God) made the earth.


text:
(God) sits on a special seat where the earth and the sky meet. And the people (on the earth seem) like small insects (to him). He hangs out the skies like a curtain. And he makes them like a <i>tent</i> (that he can) live in.


text:
He is the (God) that makes kings into nothing. He takes away (the power) from world leaders, so that they have none.


text:
(Those leaders are like plants.) As soon as (somebody) plants them, (God) will blow on them. And as soon as (somebody) puts them into the ground, they will die. As soon as they put <i>roots</i> down, a strong wind will blow them away like dead plants.


text:
The <i>Holy</i> (God) says (these things): <br/>· ‘You cannot say that I am like anybody. <br/>· Nobody is as good as (or better than) I am.’


text:
Turn your eyes up and look at the skies. (He is the God) who <i>created</i> them. (God) made the very large number (of stars) and he gave each one of them a name. He did not forget to give a name to any of them, because of (his) great power. (God) is very, very strong.


text:
You people of Jacob (<i>Jewish</i> people) say, ‘The <i>LORD</i> has forgotten what I am doing.’ And you people of Israel say, ‘My God is not fair to me.’ But you should not say those things.


text:
You surely know this. You surely have listened to it! The <i>LORD</i> is the God that will always be alive. He is the <i>Creator</i> of (even) the parts of the earth that are very far away. He will never become tired or lose his <i>strength</i>. Nobody will ever understand his mind.


text:
Even young people get tired and they lose their <i>strength</i>. And young men will fall over (something) and they will fall (to the ground).


text:
But people who hope (for help from) the <i>LORD</i> will get back (their) <i>strength</i>. They will fly high on <i>wings</i> like (large birds called) eagles. They will run and they will not become tired. They will walk and they will not fall over.


text:
‘You islands, be quiet when you come to me. And everybody must become strong again. They must move towards the front (of the <i>court</i>) and they must speak. We must meet together so that (I, the <i>LORD</i>) can be your <i>judge</i>.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will awake a man in the east (as from sleep). The good (God) will ask the man to follow (the LORD). <br/>· (The LORD) will give (many) countries to him. <br/>· (The LORD) will cause kings to go down on their knees in front of him. <br/>· (The LORD) will make (people) into dead bodies with that man’s <i>sword</i>. <br/>· (The LORD) will make) them like dry dead bits of plants. That man’s bow will blow them away.


text:
He (the <i>LORD</i>’s servant) will run after them, but he himself will move on safely. He will go on a path (very quickly). His feet (will almost not touch the ground) while he travels.


text:
(I am the God) who will do this. And I will cause it to happen’, (says the <i>LORD</i>). ‘(I am the God) who told you about everything from the beginning. I, the LORD, am the first (person). But I am he (who will be) with people at the end.’


text:
The (people on the) islands heard this and they were afraid. It frightened the people at the far places of the earth very much. They came near (to each other). They met together.


text:
The careful worker let the worker who makes things out of gold hope. The man with a hammer said to the man with the large bit of iron, ‘What you have put together is good.’ Then he made (the <i>idol</i>) safe with bits of iron so that it could not fall over.


text:
‘But you, Israel, are my servant. Jacob, I have chosen you. You are the <i>descendants</i> of my friend Abraham.’ <n>Verse 8 ‘Jacob’ means the people in Israel and Judah, who were <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. The <i>Hebrew</i> word for descendants means ‘seed’. This means descendants who believe God. They love him and they obey him. 


text:
‘I brought you from the ends of the earth. I brought you from its far corners. I have said, “You are my servant. I have chosen you. I have not refused to say that you are mine.


text:
So do not be afraid, because I am with you. Do not be sad, because I am your God. I will make you strong and I will help you. Really, I will hold you with my right hand. (It is strong and) it wins wars.”


text:
Everybody that is angry with you will surely be ashamed. They will lose their good name. Those that fight you will become like nothing. And they will die.


text:
Even if you look for your enemies, you will not find them. The people that fight against you will <i>disappear</i>.


text:
(This will happen) because I am the <i>LORD</i>. (I am) your God. I will hold on to your right hand. And I will say to you, “Do not be afraid. I will help you.”


text:
Do not be afraid, you <i>worm</i> Jacob, you (people of) little Israel. I myself will help you.’ This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. He is your <i>Redeemer</i>. (He is the) <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel. <n>Jacob here means the <i>Jews</i>, who were <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. 


text:
‘Look! I will cause you to become like a machine that <i>threshes</i>. It will be new and sharp, with many sharp metal points that are like teeth. You will thresh the mountains and you will break the hills. They will become (like) <i>chaff</i>.


text:
You will make them into separate (small pieces). Then the wind will pick them up and a strong wind will blow them away. But you will be happy with the <i>LORD</i>. You will (have some of the) <i>glory</i> of the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel.


text:
Poor people and people who need (water) look for water. But there is none. Their mouths are dry because they need a drink. I, the <i>LORD</i>, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not forget them.


text:
I will make rivers on hills where nothing grows. And (I will make) wells of water in the valleys. I will make pools of water in the sandy places. And (I will make) wells where the ground is dry.


text:
I will put these kinds of trees into the sandy places: cedar, acacia, myrtle and olive. And I will put together into the <i>Arabah</i> these kinds of trees: pine, fir and cypress.


text:
Then people will see this. They will know that the hand of the <i>LORD</i> has done it. They will think about it. And they will understand that the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel has <i>created</i> it.’ <n>Verse 19 These trees are not usually together in the same place. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘Tell me the reasons (for your thoughts).’ <i>Jacob</i>’s king says, ‘Say what you believe.


text:
Bring (your <i>idols</i>) into (<i>court</i>). Cause them to tell us what will happen (in future years). Tell us about past things. Then we can think about them. And we will know what happened. Or tell us about events that will happen.


text:
Tell us what will happen in future years. Then we will know that (your <i>idols</i>) are gods. Do something good or bad that will make us sad and afraid at the same time.


text:
But your (<i>idols</i>) are less than nothing. And the things that you have made are really worth nothing. Anybody that chooses you is really very bad!’


text:
‘I will awake somebody from the north. And he will come from (the direction of) the sun when it rises. He will tell my name to people (by what he does). He will walk on the rulers (of the people) like they were <i>mortar</i>. And like a person who makes pots, he will make shapes with the <i>clay</i>.


text:
Tell me who told (this) to you from the beginning. Then we would know (what would happen). Or (tell me who told this to you. They told it to you) before it happened. Then we could say, “He was right.”


text:
Remember, I (God) was the first (person) to tell this to <i>Zion</i>. “Look, they are here!” I gave to Jerusalem somebody that brought good news.


text:
I looked, but there is nobody (among the people). There is nobody to teach them what to do. There is nobody to answer (the questions that) I ask them.


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Look! All (the <i>idols</i>) are false. What they do comes to nothing. Their idols are only like wind and they confuse people.’<br clear="all"> <n>Note: <n>Here is the shape of chapter 41. <n>Verse 1 ~ God, as the <i>judge</i>, tells the people in all the countries in the world that they must come to his <i>court</i>. <n>Verses 2-4 ~ God, as an important person in the <i>court</i>, asks the question, ‘Who decides what happens in the world?’ <n>Verses 5-7 ~ The countries of the world say that they will believe in their false gods. <n>Verses 8-20 ~ God, both as master and as <i>redeemer</i>, promises to help his people. <n>Verses 21-24 ~ God, as an important person in the <i>court</i>, says that the <i>idols</i> cannot explain anything. <n>Verses 25-29 ~ God, as <i>judge</i>, will send someone from the north to rule many countries. 


text:
‘Look at my servant, to whom I will give a lot of help. I chose him and he gives pleasure to my Spirit. I will put my Spirit on him and he will be a fair <i>judge</i> for every country.


text:
He will not break a <i>reed</i> that somebody has bent. And he will not put out a fire that has almost stopped burning. He will always be kind (to his people) and he will be a fair <i>judge</i>.


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Nothing will cause him to make a mistake. Also, he will always be brave, until there is <i>justice</i> (everywhere) on the earth. The islands will hope for what he has promised (to happen).’ <n>Verse 4 We think that the word ‘islands’ here means countries near to Judah. <n>God speaks to his servant </n>


text:
God (is) the <i>LORD</i>. This is what he says. (He is the God) who <i>created</i> the skies. He hung them up (like a curtain). He made the shape of the whole earth. (He made) everything that grows in it. He gives (air) to its people so that they can <i>breathe</i>. And he causes everybody to live that walks on (the earth).


text:
(He says), ‘I (am) the <i>LORD</i>. I have asked you (to work for) <i>Righteousness</i>. I will hold your hand. I will keep you safe. And I will cause you to be a <i>Covenant</i> for the people. (You will be like) a light for the countries that are not <i>Jewish</i>.


text:
(You will) cause <i>blind</i> eyes to see. You will make the <i>prisoners</i> free from (their) prison. And you will make free those people who sit in a dark prison, deep in the ground.


text:
I am the <i>LORD</i>. That is my name. I will not give my <i>glory</i> to anybody else. (I will) not let people <i>praise idols</i>. (They should praise) me.


text:
Everything (that I promised) in past years has happened. Now I will tell you about new things. Before they happen, I will talk about them to you.’ <n>Words from Isaiah </n>


text:
Sing a new song to the <i>LORD</i>, you people that go down to the sea. And everything that is in (the sea), (sing a new song). <i>Praise</i> him from the far places of the earth, you islands and everybody that lives in them. <n>Verse 10 We think that the word ‘islands’ here means countries near to Judah. 


text:
(The people in) the sandy places and in the towns near them should use their voices (to <i>praise</i> God). The places (where the people) of Kedar live should be very happy. The people in Sela should sing because they are so happy. They should shout from the tops of their mountains.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will march out like a strong man. He will awake like a soldier who is ready (to fight). He will shout the war song loudly. And then he will beat his enemies. <n>God speaks again </n>


text:
‘I have been quiet for a long time. I have held myself back and I have done nothing. I am like a woman that is having a baby. I cry. I try to <i>breathe</i>. And I breathe out with difficulty, all at the same time.


text:
I will make the mountains and hills into empty places. And I will make all the plants (that grow) there dry. I will make rivers into islands and I will make all the pools dry.


text:
I will lead <i>blind</i> people by ways that they did not know. I will be their guide along paths that are new to them. I will make the dark places in front of them into light places. And I will make the <i>rough</i> places flat. These are the things that I will do. I will not leave (my people by themselves).


text:
I will turn back (people) that believe in <i>idols</i>. And (people that) say to idols, “You are our gods” will be ashamed.


text:
Who is <i>blind</i>? (Only) my servant (Israel is blind). Who is not able to hear? The man with the message that I send. (He is not able to hear.) Of all people, the person that believes me is really blind! Of all people, the servant of the <i>LORD</i> is really blind!


text:
You have seen many things, but you have not thought about them. He (Israel) has opened his ears (to listen), but he hears nothing.’ <n>More words from Isaiah </n>


text:
It gave pleasure to the <i>LORD</i> to make his great and fair rules. (He did this) because he was <i>righteous</i>.


text:
But (an enemy) has robbed this people and he has taken things from them. (The enemy) has caught them all in holes in the ground or he has hidden them in prisons. (The enemy) took this people and nobody has saved them. They themselves are what the robber took. And nobody said, ‘Send them back.’


text:
Who gave Jacob (for the enemy) to rob? Who gave Israel’s people to those who robbed them? (The answer is) that it was the <i>LORD</i>. We have <i>sinned</i> against him. They would not walk in his ways. Also, they did not obey his rules. <n>Verse 24 Jacob here means God’s people, who were <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. 


text:
So (the <i>LORD</i>) was very, very angry with them. (He caused) a very, very bad war. (He was so angry that) it was like a fire round them. But they did not understand (what he was doing). (The war) killed their people. But they did not know what it meant. <n>About the Servant of the <i>LORD</i></n> <n>Many Bible students, perhaps hundreds, have written about ‘the servant of the <i>LORD</i>’. The words come in other places in the <i>Old Testament</i>, but it comes most importantly in Isaiah chapters 41-55. The word LORD, with 4 capital letters, translates the <i>Hebrew</i> word YHWH. Some people pronounce it JEHOVAH. Nobody is sure what YHWH means. It may mean the same as God’s name in Exodus 3:14: ‘I AM THAT WHICH I AM’ or ‘I AM BECAUSE I AM’. It tells us that God is always alive! <n>There are 4 parts of Isaiah that Bible students call ‘Servant Songs’. They are Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9 and 52:13-53:12. In Acts 8:30-35, we can read part of the story of a man from Ethiopia. Philip heard him read from the 4th Servant Song. Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading. The man did not understand, so Philip explained it to him. The question the man asked was this. ‘Is the <i>prophet</i> (Isaiah) speaking about himself, or about somebody else?’ Philip’s answer was, ‘Somebody else, Jesus’. Also, Matthew tells us that Isaiah wrote about Jesus in the first Servant Song, Matthew 12:14-21. <n>But the servant in Isaiah chapters 41-55 (not only the 4 Servant Songs) is not always Jesus. Also, <i>Jewish</i> Bible students do not have the same answers as Christians. Lastly, the servant in some places in Isaiah chapters 41-55 is one person (or group of persons). But in other places it is somebody else. Here are some of the answers that Bible students have given. <n>1) Usually, <i>Jewish</i> Bible students say that the servant is nearly always the country called Israel. <n>Christians agree that in some places, like Isaiah 41:18-20, Israel is called the servant of the <i>LORD</i>. Even in Babylon, after God has <i>punished</i> Israel, Israel continues to be God’s servant, as in Isaiah 43:21. <n>2) In Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 the servant is King Cyrus of Persia. Isaiah 44:28 calls him the <i>LORD</i>’s ‘shepherd’. And 45:1 says that the LORD has ‘anointed’ him. A shepherd is a sheep farmer. He is a like a picture of somebody that is careful for his people. ‘Anointed’ means ‘someone poured oil on him’. Oil in the Bible often means God’s <i>Holy</i> Spirit. This gives the anointed person something to do and it gives him the authority and power to do it. The kings that lived after Cyrus are also God’s servants, Darius and Artaxerxes. <n>3) But Jesus is also a shepherd (John 10:11) and God has anointed him with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16). <n>And Christians believe that Isaiah 53 can only be about Jesus. Also, it is true that Isaiah 42:1 may be about both Israel and the kings of Persia. But it is mostly about Jesus. <n>So, when we read the words ‘the servant of <i>YHWH</i>’, they can mean several things: <br/>· the country called Israel <br/>· the <i>prophet</i> Isaiah <br/>· the rulers of Persia <br/>· Jesus Christ. <n>‘Christ’ is the Greek word for ‘<i>anointed</i>’. Greek is a language. For Christians, the servant of <i>YHWH</i> is JESUS THE ANOINTED! He is doing what Israel, Isaiah and Cyrus did 2700 years ago. <n>God <i>redeems</i> Israel (chapters 43-45)</n>


text:
But now, this is what the <i>LORD</i> says. He (is the LORD) who <i>created</i> you, <i>Jacob</i>. And he (is the God) who gave shape to you, Israel. (He says this.) ‘Do not be afraid, because I have <i>redeemed</i> you. I have called you by (your) name. You are mine.


text:
I will be with you, when you go through (dangerous) waters. (And when you go through) rivers they will not carry you away. When you walk through fire it will not burn you. And the fire will not make a fire out of you.


text:
I will save you, because I, the <i>LORD</i>, am your God. (I am) the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel. I gave Egypt to <i>ransom</i> you and I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.


text:
I think that you are valuable and very good. Because of this, and because I love you, (I will do this). I will take men for you and I will take people for your life.


text:
Do not be afraid, because I am with you. I will bring your child(ren) from the east and I will fetch you from the west.


text:
I will say to (people in) the north, “Give them back!” And I will say to (people in) the south, “Do not stop them from coming back.” Bring my sons from far (places) and my daughters from the ends of the earth.


text:
(Bring) everyone who is called by my name. I <i>created</i> them. I gave them a shape and yes, I made them for my <i>glory</i>.


text:
Lead out those (people) with eyes who are <i>blind</i>. (Lead out) those (people) with ears who cannot hear.


text:
Bring every country together. And bring together all the people. Perhaps some of them said that this would happen. And (perhaps some of them) told us about what happened a long time ago. (If they did,) they should bring their <i>witnesses</i>. (They could) <i>prove</i> that they were right. Then other people will hear it and they will say, “It is true.”


text:
You are my <i>witnesses</i>’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘You are my servant whom I have chosen. (I chose you) so that you may know (me). Also, (I wanted you to) believe that I am (God). And (I wanted you) to understand (that I am God). That is why (I chose you). Before me, nobody made a god. And there will not be (a God) after me.


text:
It was I, and not a foreign god among you, that showed (this to you). And I saved (you) and I told (this to you). You are my <i>witnesses</i> that I am God’, says the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
‘Yes! From a long time ago, I am (God). Nobody can save himself from my power. When I do something, nobody can change it.’


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. (The LORD) is your <i>redeemer</i> (and he is) the Holy (God) of Israel. (He says), ‘I will send (an army) to Babylon because of you, (Israel). And I will make all the people from Babylon into <i>prisoners</i>. (They will be) in their ships. They think that they are very good.


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. (He is the LORD who did these things:) <br/>· He made a road through the sea. <br/>· (He made) a path through the great waters. <br/>· He drew <i>chariots</i> and (their) horses, the army and (its) leaders, out (into the sea). <br/>· (He caused them) to lie there so that they would never get up again. He put them out and he blew them out, like a light.


text:
Look! I will do something that is new! Now it appears quickly. Surely, you can see it. I am making a road in the sandy places. And (I am making) streams in the wild places.


text:
The wild animals, <i>jackals</i> and <i>owls</i>, give me <i>praise</i>. (They do this) because I give them water in the sandy places and streams in the wild places. (I want) my people that I have chosen to be able to drink. (That is why I do this.)


text:
(It was) not to me that you brought sheep. (You did not) burn them to offer them to me. What you put at one side did not give me <i>praise</i>. I have not caused you to carry heavy <i>grain</i> to offer to me. I have not made you tired because I demanded <i>incense</i> (from you).


text:
You did not bring (the plant called) calamus, which had a nice smell, for me. You did not give large amounts of meat from the animals that you burned to me. Instead, you caused me to carry your <i>sins</i> like a heavy weight. And you have made me tired every time that you did not obey me.


text:
I, (but yes,) I am he who sweeps away your <i>sins</i>. (I do it) to keep my good name. I will not remember that you have not obeyed me.


text:
Remember with me (what happened a long time ago). We should talk about it together. You think that you have not sinned. Tell me why you think that.


text:
Your first <i>ancestor</i> did not obey me. And the people that spoke (to me) on behalf of you <i>sinned</i> against me.


text:
So I made your <i>holy</i> leaders ashamed. Then I destroyed everything in <i>Jacob</i> (that I did not like). (Also, people) laughed in a bad way at Israel.


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. He (is the LORD) who made you. He gave you a shape when you were still inside your mother. And he will help you. (He says), ‘Do not be afraid, <i>Jacob</i> my servant and <i>Jeshurun</i>, whom I chose.


text:
(Do not be afraid) for these reasons: <br/>· I will pour water on to land that is very dry. <br/>· I will pour streams (of water) on to dry ground. <br/>· I will pour out my Spirit on to your children. <br/>· I will do good things for your children’s children.


text:
One (of them) will say, “I (belong) to the <i>LORD</i>.” And another (person) will call (himself) by the name <i>Jacob</i>. Then another (person) will write on his hand, “(I belong to) the LORD”, and he will call (himself) Israel.’


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. (He is) the King and <i>Redeemer</i> of Israel and (he is) the LORD of Everything. (He says,) ‘I am the first (God) and I am the last (God). There is no God without me.


text:
Is there (any God) like me? (If there is), he should say so. He must say it. And he should tell me (this): <br/>· What has happened since I made my people a long (time) ago? <br/>· What will happen in future years? <n>Yes! He should say what will happen!


text:
Do not move and do not be afraid. I told you this long ago. And I said that it would happen. You are my <i>witnesses</i>. Is there any God without me? No! There is no (other) Rock. I do not know about any (other God).’ <n>Verse 8 ‘Rock’ is a name for God. 


text:
Everybody that makes an <i>idol</i> (is) of no value. And the things that they have pleasure in will bring no help. Their <i>witnesses</i> cannot see (anything). Also, they will be ashamed, because they know nothing. 


text:
Really, everybody like them will be ashamed. People who make (these things) are only human. They should all come and they should stand together (by their <i>idols</i>). They will be very much afraid. Also, they will quickly understand what fools they are.


text:
A man that works with iron (takes) a tool. He holds (the iron) in the fire (with the tool). Then he uses a hammer. He gives (the iron) a shape. He has made (an <i>idol</i>) with his strong arms. But (then) he becomes hungry and he is not strong. He drinks no water and he feels weak. 


text:
A man that works with wood measures (it) with a <i>ruler</i>. Then he draws a shape with a pencil. He uses one tool to give (the wood) its first shape. He uses another tool to make the shape better. Then he causes its shape to seem like a man. (He has made) a beautiful human (shape). It will remain in a house. 


text:
(A man went) to cut down <i>cedar</i> trees for himself. He had taken <i>cypress</i> and <i>oak</i> (trees). And he had let them grow for himself, among the trees in the forest. He had planted a <i>pine</i> tree and the rain had caused it to grow. 


text:
It is (wood) for (the) man to burn. So he takes some of it and he makes himself warm. Yes, and now he lights a fire and he bakes bread. And then he makes a god and he <i>worships</i> it. He makes an <i>idol</i> and he goes down on his knees in front of it. 


text:
Half (of the wood) he burnt in the fire. He made his meal with (that) half. He cooked his meat. And he ate as much as he wanted. He also made himself warm and he said, ‘Good! I am warm. I can see the fire.’ 


text:
From the other half he makes a god. (It is) his <i>idol</i>. He goes on his knees in front of it and he <i>worships</i> it. And he prays to it and he says, ‘Save me, because you are my god.’


text:
These people know nothing. They understand nothing. (This is) because something is covering their eyes. So, they cannot see (anything). Their minds cannot understand (anything). 


text:
Nobody really thinks about it. Nobody knows about it, or understands it. (Nobody) says, ‘I burnt half of it in the fire. I even baked bread with the wood from it. I cooked meat and I ate (it). (Perhaps) I will make something to <i>worship</i> from what is still there. (Perhaps) I will go down on my knees in front of a piece of wood.’ 


text:
It is like he is eating ashes. His mind has made a mistake. And it leads him away (from what is true). He cannot save himself. He does not understand that the thing in his right hand is a false (god).


text:
‘<i>Jacob</i>, remember these things, because you, Israel, are my servant. I caused you (to be) my servant. Israel, I will not forget you.


text:
I have swept away your <i>sins</i> like (the wind sweeps away) a cloud. The wrong things that you have done (have <i>disappeared</i>) like clouds in the morning. Return to me, because I have <i>redeemed</i> you.’


text:
Skies above (us), sing because you are so happy. (Sing), because the <i>LORD</i> has done this! Earth beneath (us), shout as loudly (as you can). You mountains, start to sing. (Do the same), you forests and all your trees! (Do this), because the LORD has <i>redeemed Jacob</i>. He has shown his <i>glory</i> in Israel.


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. He is your <i>Redeemer</i>. He gave you a shape (when you were still) inside your mother. ‘I am the LORD, who has made everything. I alone hung out the skies (like a curtain). I made the earth by myself.


text:
I will destroy the messages of the false <i>prophets</i>. Some people try to say what will happen in future years. I will cause them to seem like fools. Some people think that they are clever. They think that they know everything. But I will change that. (What they know) will mean nothing. My servants say what I will do. My prophets say what will happen. I will do (all those things).


text:
I say about Jerusalem, “People will live there (again).” (I say) about the towns in Judah, “(People) will build them.” (And I say) about the (places that the enemy) destroyed, “I will build them again.”


text:
I say about Cyrus, “He is (like) my shepherd (sheep farmer). And he will do everything that gives me pleasure.” (Cyrus) will say about Jerusalem, “Build it again!” And (he will say) about the <i>temple</i>, “Lay out the stones to build it on.” ’


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will say this to Cyrus, whom he has <i>anointed</i>. I will hold his right hand. Then he will beat the countries where he goes. He will take their (war) arms from kings. He will open doors in front of him, so that the gates will not be closed. (He will say,)


text:
‘I will go in front of you and I will make the mountains flat. I will break down <i>bronze</i> gates and I will cut through iron <i>bars</i>.


text:
Also, I will give to you the valuable things (that people hide) in dark places. (I will give to you) the valuable things that they store secretly. Then you will know that I am the <i>LORD</i>. (I am) the God of Israel who will cause you to come. He will call you by (your) name.


text:
I will cause you to come. I have called you by (your) name, because of my servant Jacob and because of Israel. I have chosen you (Israel). And I will give you a good name, even if you will not recognise me.


text:
I am the <i>LORD</i> and there is no other (LORD). There is no God without me. I will make you strong, even if you will not recognise me.


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Then, from east to west, people will know this. There is no (God) without me. <n>In <i>Hebrew</i>, the word ‘east’ is ‘where the sun rises’. And the word ‘west’ is ‘where the sun goes down’. 


text:
I made the light and I <i>created</i> the dark. I cause (people) to do well and I create trouble. I (am) the <i>LORD</i>. I do all these things.’


text:
I will ask the skies to send down good things. They will come down like rain. And I will prepare the earth to receive my power to save. That power will become great, like a plant that is growing. And good things will grow with it. I, (who am) the Lord, will cause this to happen.


text:
Bad (things will happen) to people who quarrel with their <i>Maker</i>. (They are like) bits of pot (that are lying) among other bits of pot on the ground. The <i>clay</i> does not say to the person who makes the pots, ‘What are you making?’ And the things that you make (do not say), ‘He has no hands.’


text:
Bad (things will happen) to people who say to their fathers, ‘What have you been father to?’ Or (bad things will happen to people) that say to their mothers, ‘What have you <i>given birth</i> to?’


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says this about things that will happen in the future. (The LORD is) the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel and he is its Maker. (He says this:) <n>‘You should not ask me questions about my children. <n>You should not tell me what to do with what my hands have made.


text:
It is I who made the earth. Then I <i>created</i> the people on it. (It was) I who, with my own hands, hung up the skies (like a curtain). I put all (the stars) in their places.


text:
My good help will make (Cyrus) into a great leader. I will make all his paths straight. He will build again my city (Jerusalem) and he will make my <i>exiles</i> free. He will not get money or gifts because (he will do) this’, says the <i>LORD of Everything</i>.


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> is saying. ‘This is what will come to you and what will become yours. <br/>· everything that (the people in) Egypt make <br/>· everything that (the people in) Cush sell <br/>· the tall people from Sabea. <n>They will walk behind you. Metal lines (will tie them up) when they come to you. They will go down on their knees in front of you. They will pray to you. They will say, “Surely God is with you. And there is no other God.” ’


text:
Everybody that makes <i>idols</i> will be ashamed. And nobody will give them <i>praise</i>. Together, they will have no praise.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will make Israel safe. (Israel) will be safe for all time. You will never be ashamed. And you will always have <i>praise</i>. This will always be true.


text:
This is because the <i>LORD</i> says it. He (is the LORD that) <i>created</i> the skies. He is God. He made the earth and he gave to it its shape. He built it. He did not create it to be empty. He made it for people to live in. He says, ‘I am the LORD. And there is nobody else (that is LORD).


text:
I have not spoken secretly. (I have not spoken) from somewhere that is a dark country. I did not say to the people whose <i>ancestor</i> is Jacob, “Look for me, but do not find me.” I am the <i>LORD</i>. I speak what is true. I say what is right.


text:
Bring (yourselves) together! And come and put yourselves into a group. You (are) people that are running away from (other) countries. Some people that carry <i>idols</i> that they made from wood. Those people do not know anything. (They are people that) pray to (false) gods. (Those gods) cannot make them safe.


text:
Speak! Tell us (what will happen)! Also, decide this together. Who said a long time ago that this would happen? Who said it in past years? It was I, the <i>LORD</i>! There is no God without me. I am a <i>righteous</i> God that saves (my people). There is (no other) God but me.


text:
Turn to me and I will make you safe. (Do this), everybody on the earth. (Do this) because I am God. I am God and there is no other (God but me).


text:
I, myself, have given you a promise. Because I am honest I have said this. I will change nothing that I have said. Everybody will go down on their knees in front of me. People will say their promises in every language in my (name).


text:
People will say this about me. “Only with the <i>LORD</i> are things that are <i>righteous</i> and strong.” Everybody that was angry with (God) will come to (God). They will be ashamed.


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With the <i>LORD</i>, everybody that has Israel for an <i>ancestor</i> will be <i>righteous</i> and they will be very, very happy.’ <n>God will send Cyrus to beat Babylon (chapters 46-47)</n>


text:
<i>Bel</i> bends down. <i>Nebo</i> lies low. Animals that can carry heavy things carry these <i>idols</i>. (The animals) carry the idols, which are very heavy. They are very heavy for tired (animals).


text:
(The false gods) fall down and they lie together. (The animals) cannot carry the heavy weights. (The false gods) themselves go away (into another country) as slaves.


text:
‘Listen to me, you people (that live) in <i>Jacob</i>. (Listen to me), everyone that remains from the people in Israel. I have helped you since you began to live inside (your mother). And I have carried you since you were born.


text:
(I will do this) even until you are old. (Then) you will have grey hairs. I am he who will supply everything. I (will supply everything) that you need. I have made you and I will carry you. I will supply everything that you need. And I will save you.


text:
No (god) is like me! (<i>Bel</i>, or <i>Nebo</i>) are not as good as me. You cannot say that any god is like me. You cannot say that I am the same (as them).


text:
Some (people) pour out gold from a bag. And they weigh out <i>silver</i> on the <i>scales</i>. Then they pay someone who can work with gold. He makes it into a god. Then they bend down and they <i>worship</i> it!


text:
They lift it on to their shoulders and they carry it. They put it in its place and it stands there. It cannot move from that place. If anyone shouts out to it, it does not answer. It cannot save anybody from his troubles.


text:
Remember the things that happened long ago. I am God and there is no other (God). I am God and there is nobody like me.


text:
I told (you) at the beginning what will happen at the end. (I told you) from long ago about future things that will happen. I am the Person that says (this). My purpose will not change. And I will do everything that I want (to do).


text:
I will send someone from the east like a bird that catches small animals. And (I will get) a man from a country that is far away. He will cause my purposes to happen. I really will do the things that I have promised to do. I have made a <i>plan</i> and I will really will cause it to happen.


text:
Listen to me, you people that will not change your minds. (Listen), you people who are not <i>righteous</i> in any way.


text:
Soon, I will come to do what is right. I am not far away. I will not wait any longer to come and save you. I will save (the people in) Zion (Jerusalem). (I will make) Israel beautiful.’


text:
‘Get down (on to the ground) and sit in the dirt, <i>Virgin Daughter</i> of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a high seat, <i>Daughter</i> of the people in <i>Chaldea</i>. Nobody will say that you are quiet and pretty again. <n>We think that ‘Virgin Daughter of Babylon’ means ‘all the people in Babylon’, mostly the leaders. 


text:
Use a stone to break (<i>grain</i>) into flour. <i>Uncover</i> your face. Lift up your skirt and make your legs <i>bare</i>. Walk through streams (of water).


text:
Everybody will see that you are <i>bare</i>. Nothing will hide your sex parts. I will <i>punish</i> (you) and I will not leave anybody out.’


text:
Our <i>Redeemer</i> is the Holy (God) of Israel. His name is the <i>LORD of Everything</i>. (He says this.)


text:
‘<i>Daughter</i> of the people in <i>Chaldea</i>, sit and make no noise. And go into dark (places). Nobody will call you the queen of <i>kingdoms</i> again.


text:
I was angry with my people (Judah). I made what was mine not clean. I gave them into your power, but you were not kind them. You even made the old people into slaves.


text:
You said, “I will always continue to be queen. (I will) always (be queen)!” But you did not think about these things. You did not think about what might happen (to you).


text:
Now, listen (to me), you (women) that love pleasure. You do not say what is true about your <i>safety</i>. And you say (this) to yourself. “(Here) I am, and there is nobody except me. I will never be a <i>widow</i> and I will never lose (my) children.”


text:
Both of these things will happen to you in one moment. (They will happen) in only one day. You will lose your children and you will become a <i>widow</i>. It will all happen to you, even if you (try to stop it) with much <i>magic</i> and powerful <i>magic</i> words.


text:
You have believed this: The bad things that you have done would help you. And you have said, “Nobody sees me (when I do them).” But you are clever and you know so much. It has caused you to make mistakes. This happened when you said to yourself, “(Here) I am, and there is nobody except me.”


text:
Then bad things will happen to you. And you will not know what <i>magic</i> words (will remove them). So they will destroy you and you will have no <i>ransom</i> for them. They will destroy you quickly, in a way that you have known nothing about.


text:
Continue, then, with your <i>magic</i>! (Continue to say) your many <i>magic</i> words! You have worked a lot with them since you were children. Perhaps you will cause the <i>magic</i> things really to happen. Perhaps you will frighten (your enemies)!


text:
All the things that you have learned have made you very tired! The people that (look at) different parts of the skies should stand up. Those people that study the stars should (stand up). They say what will happen each month. Cause them to save you from what will happen to you.


text:
Surely, they are like dry grass! Fire will burn them (away). They cannot save themselves from the heat of the fires. This is not the wood that will bake their bread. (It is) not a fire to sit by.


text:
This is (all) that they (have done) on your behalf. You worked with them since you were children. They were your friends. (But now) each of them continues to make mistakes. There is nobody to save you.’


text:
‘Listen to this, you people of <i>Jacob</i>. Your name is Israel and you belong to the family of Judah. You (are people) that promise in the name of the <i>LORD</i>. Also, you ask the God of Israel for help. But you do not (do these things) honestly and fairly.


text:
They even call themselves (people who live) in the <i>holy city</i>. And they hope that the God of Israel will help them. His name is the <i>LORD of Everything</i>.


text:
I said (a) long (time) ago the things (that would) soon (happen). I myself said that they would happen. And I caused (everybody) to know (about them). Then, quickly, I did something and they happened!


text:
(This is why) I did it. I knew that it would be difficult to cause you to think differently. It seems that your necks have become (as hard) as iron! The front of your head is like <i>bronze</i>!


text:
So I told you these things long ago. Before they happened, I told you about them. Then you could not say, “My <i>idol</i> did them. My wood idol and my metal god decided that they would happen.”


text:
You heard (these things). Now look at them all. Agree that it is true! From now, I will tell you new things. They will be things that you do not know. (They will be things that I) hid from you.


text:
(I) <i>created</i> them now. I did not (create them) a long (time) ago. You did not hear about them before today. So you cannot say, “Yes. I knew about them.”


text:
You have not heard them and you have not understood them. From (a) long (time) ago your ear has not listened to them. I know well that you do not always obey me. (People) said that you fought against (me) from (your) birth.


text:
I will not be angry immediately, because of the name that I have. (So that people will give) me <i>praise</i>, I will not be angry with you. Then (nobody) will kill you.


text:
I have made you clean, but not as (people make) <i>silver</i> (clean). I have let you have much trouble. It is like I put you in a fire. This has been to check how good you are.


text:
I do this on my own behalf, (yes), on my own behalf! Really, I cannot let people say bad things about me. And (so), I will not give my <i>praise</i> to another (person or god).


text:
Listen to me, (you people of) <i>Jacob</i>! (Listen to me, you people of) Israel. I have asked you to follow me. I am (your God). I am the first (God) and (I am) the last (God).


text:
My own hand put out the parts that are under the earth. And my right hand hung up the skies. When I speak to them, they all stand (up) together.


text:
All of you, come together and listen (to me). Not one (of your <i>idols</i>) said what would happen. The <i>LORD</i> has chosen a friend to help him. (This friend) will do what God wants to happen against Babylon. His arm (will be against) the people in <i>Chaldea</i>.


text:
I, (yes,) I have spoken. Also, I have asked him to follow me. I will bring him (to Babylon). And he will do well in what he has to do.


text:
Come near to me and listen to this. From the first time that I spoke (about it), it was not a secret. When it happens, I will be there. <n>And now the <i>LORD</i> and Master has sent me with his Spirit’, (says God’s servant).


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. He is your <i>Redeemer</i>, the Holy (God) of Israel. ‘I am the LORD your God. I will teach you what is the best (thing) for you. I will send you in the way that you should go.


text:
I told you what you should do. You should have listened to what I said. Then your <i>peace</i> would be like a river. Also, the good things that you do would be like the <i>waves</i> in the sea.


text:
Your children, and your children’s children, would be as many as there are little bits in some sand. Nobody would ever forget their names. Nobody would kill them in front of me.


text:
Leave Babylon! Run from the people in <i>Chaldea</i>! Talk about it with happy shouts. Talk about it and send (the news) to the ends of the earth. Say that the <i>LORD</i> has <i>redeemed Jacob</i> his servant.’


text:
They did not need a drink when he led them through sandy places. He caused water to pour from a rock for them. He broke the rock and water rushed out.


text:
Listen to me, (you) islands. And hear (this, you) countries that are far away. The <i>LORD</i> chose me when I was inside my mother. From (when I was) inside her body he said my name. <n>Verse 1 We think that the word ‘islands’ here means countries near to Judah. 


text:
And he made my mouth like a sharp <i>sword</i>. He hid me in the shadow of his hand. And he made me into an <i>arrow</i> (that he had caused) to shine. He hid me in his basket of arrows.


text:
He said to me, ‘You are my servant. (You are) Israel. In you I will show (to everybody) that I am beautiful.’


text:
But I said (that) my work had no purpose. I had done all that work for nothing. But the <i>LORD</i> will be my <i>judge</i> and my God (will know) the result of my work.


text:
And now the <i>LORD</i> says (this). He (is the LORD) that made me inside my mother to be his servant. <br/>· (He did this) to bring <i>Jacob</i> back to him. <br/>· Also, (he did it) to bring Israel to himself. <n>And I will have <i>praise</i> in the eyes of the LORD. My God will make me strong. He says,


text:
‘It is too small a thing for you, as my servant (to do these things): <br/>· Bring back the families of <i>Jacob</i>. <br/>· And bring together the people of Israel that I have kept alive. <n>I will also make you (like) a light for the (people in other) countries. Then you will bring (the news) that I can save people to the ends of the earth.’


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. (The LORD is) the <i>Redeemer</i> and the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel. (He says it) to him, (the servant). The country (Judah) thought that he was not important. And they did not like (him). (He was) the servant of rulers. (God says), ‘Kings will see you and they will rise up. Also, leaders will get on their knees (in front of you). (They will do this) because the LORD will always help (you). (He is) the Holy (God) of Israel, who has chosen you.’


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. ‘When I am ready to do something for you, I will answer you. And in the day when I am ready to save you, I will help you. Also, I will keep you alive and I will cause you to be a <i>covenant</i> for the people. You will make the country safe, and you will cause (people) to live in the empty places.


text:
You will say to the people (that are) in a prison, “Come out.” And (you will say) to those people that are in the dark, “Be free!” <n>They will eat food at the sides of the roads. And there will be food for them on every empty hill.


text:
They will not be hungry and they will not need a drink. The heat of the sun in the sandy places will not hurt them. He who loves them will be their guide. And he will lead them to water that comes up (from the ground).


text:
Look! People will come from far away. And look! Some people will come from the north and some (will come) from the west. Some will (even) come from round Sinim.’


text:
(Everything in) the skies, shout because you are so happy! (Everything on) the earth, be very happy! Sing loudly, you mountains! (Do this) because the <i>LORD</i> is being kind to his people. He will show his love to his people that are hurting.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i> answered), ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast? Can she have no love for the child that came from inside her body? Yes, these (mothers) may forget, but I will not forget you.


text:
Look! I have written (your names) on my (own) hands. Your walls (of Jerusalem) are always in front of me.


text:
Your sons will hurry back (to you). People beat you and they destroyed you. But those people will leave you.


text:
Use your eyes and look all round you. All your (sons) will come (together). They will return to you. Because I am alive’, says the <i>LORD</i>, ‘you will surely wear all of them as something beautiful. You will put them on as a woman does at the time of her marriage.


text:
(The enemy) broke you and they destroyed you. They made your land empty. But now your (land) will be too small for the people (that will come to) you. The people that destroyed you will be far away.


text:
Children were born to you while you were a <i>widow</i>. They will say (this). “This place is too small for us. Give us more room to live in.”


text:
Then you will say in your mind, “I do not know how these (people) were born to me. I was a <i>widow</i> and I could not have any (children). I was in <i>exile</i> and (God had) thrown me away. So I do not know who <n>brought them up</i>. Look, (he) left me alone. So I do not know where they have (come from).” ’


text:
The <i>LORD</i>, (who is) the <i>Lord</i>, says, ‘Look! I will point with my hand to (many) countries. I will lift up a mark to the people (in many countries). And they will bring your sons in their arms and they will carry your daughters on their shoulders.


text:
Then kings will be (like) fathers for you and their queens will be (like) mothers (to your children). They will go down on their knees in front of you. Their faces will look to the ground. And they will taste the dirt by your feet. Then you will know that I am the <i>LORD</i>. I will not disappoint people that hope in me.


text:
You cannot take things away from strong soldiers. And you cannot save <i>prisoners</i> from people that are right to keep them.’


text:
But this is what the <i>LORD</i> says. ‘Yes! (I) can take the <i>prisoner</i> from the strong soldier. And I will take back what the cruel man took away. I will fight with those people that fight with you. And I will make your children safe.


text:
I will cause the people that are cruel to you to eat their own bodies. They will become drunks with their own blood, like it was <i>wine</i>. Then everybody will know that I, the <i>LORD</i>, have made you safe. (I am) your <i>Redeemer</i>, the Strong (God) of <i>Jacob</i>.’


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘Your mother (Jerusalem) does not have a <i>divorce notice</i>. (I mean) that I did not send her away with (a notice). I did not sell you to any of the people with whom I had a debt. I sold you because of your <i>sins</i>. I sent your mother away because of wrong things (that she did).


text:
Nobody was there when I came. Nobody answered when I spoke to them. My arm was not too short to <i>ransom</i> you. I was strong enough to save you. Look! With only a word I can make the sea dry. I can make rivers into sandy places. The fish in them will die because there is no water. And they will die because they need water.


text:
(The servant says,) ‘The <i>Lord</i>, who is <i>LORD</i>, has given to me a <i>tongue</i>. It has learned (what to say). I know what to say to give hope (for something good) to very tired people. He wakes me every morning. He wakes my ear to listen, like someone that he is teaching.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>, who is <i>LORD</i>, has opened my ears. I have obeyed him and I have not turned back.


text:
I offered my back to the people that hit me. And (I offered) my face to the people that pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face when (they did these things). They laughed in a bad way at me and they <i>spat</i> at me.


text:
The <i>Lord</i>, who is <i>LORD</i>, will help me. So, I will not be ashamed. I have made my face (hard) like a stone. So, I know that I will not be ashamed.


text:
He (the <i>LORD</i>) says that I am right. He is near (to me). Some people are saying bad things about me. We should talk to each other! Some people have said that I have done wrong things. We should talk about it together!


text:
Look! The <i>Lord</i>, who is <i>LORD</i>, will help me. Some person may say that I have done wrong things. But people like that will all become like very old clothes. The <i>moths</i> will eat them up!’


text:
Perhaps someone among you is afraid of the <i>LORD</i>. And perhaps someone obeys the word of his servant. Some people walk in the dark and they have no light. They should believe in the LORD and they should hope for help from their God.


text:
But now, go and walk in the light of your fires. Everyone who has lit a fire (must do this). (So must) everybody that has got for themselves something on fire. (You must) go in the light of the fires that you have made. This is what you will receive from me. You will lie down in very great pain. <n>Copy God’s servant (Isaiah 51:1-52:12)</n>


text:
‘Listen to me, you people that are trying to be very good (like my servant). And (listen to me,) you people that are coming to the <i>LORD</i>. Think about the rock from which he cut you. And (think about) the rocky place from which he took you.


text:
Think about your father Abraham. And think about Sarah who gave you birth. When I spoke to (Abraham), there was only one (of him). Then I <i>blessed</i> him and I made (from) him many (people).’ <n>Verse 1 The ‘rock’ is like a picture of Abraham. <n>In verse 2, the word ‘father’ means ‘<i>ancestor</i>’. 


text:
Surely, the <i>LORD</i> will be kind to <i>Zion</i>. And he will make it strong again, when he looks at its buildings. (These are the people whose land the enemy) destroyed. He will make its sandy places like (the garden of) Eden. (He will make) its wild places like the garden of the LORD. (People will) be happy there. They will feel very happy there. (People will) hear songs that thank (God).


text:
‘Listen to me, my people. And hear me, my country. The <i>law</i> will go out from me. And what I fairly decide will be (like) a light to every country.


text:
The good things that I do (will be) near (to you). I will soon make you very safe. And my arm will decide fairly for every country. The islands will look to me and they will hope for my arm (to arrive).’ <n>Many Christians believe that the Arm of the <i>LORD</i> is a name for Jesus. 


text:
‘Lift up your eyes to the skies and look at the earth beneath (them). The skies will <i>disappear</i> like smoke and the earth will become old like a coat. The people that live there will die in the same way. But the safe place that I give will be there always. The very good things that I do will never fail.’ <n>Many translations have <i>righteousness</i> for ‘very good things’. It is not only what God does. It is also what he is. 


text:
‘You people know that I am very good. (So) listen to me. You people have my <i>law</i> in your minds. (Listen to me.) Some people say that you are wrong, But do not be afraid of those people. Do not let them make you afraid with their bad words.


text:
(Do not be afraid) because a <i>moth</i> will (seem to) eat them up! (It will seem to eat them) like (it eats) clothes. A <i>grub</i> will (seem to) eat them like (a <i>grub</i> eats) clothes. But the very good things that I do will never have an end. The safe place that I (offer to you) will never have an end.’


text:
Awake, awake (you) arm of the <i>LORD</i>! Put on <i>strength</i> like (you put on) clothes! Awake, as you did in past days. (Awake) as you did for people many years ago. You cut Rahab into pieces. You pushed (your <i>sword</i>) into that large animal.


text:
You made the sea and the deep waters dry. You made a road deep in the sea. The people that you <i>redeemed</i> crossed over.


text:
And the people that the <i>LORD</i> has <i>ransomed</i> will return. And they will sing while they go into <i>Zion</i>. And they will be so happy that it will always show on their faces. They will continue to be happy, so very happy. Then, they will no longer feel sad and they will not want to cry.


text:
‘I, (the <i>LORD</i>, yes,) I am he that (will always) make (everybody) strong. <n>You (people in <i>Zion</i>, you) do not have to be afraid of men that will always die. They are (only) the sons of (other) men and they are only like grass.


text:
But (you all) forget the <i>LORD</i> that made you! He put the skies in their place. And he made what is beneath the earth. (Do not) be afraid every day of your life, because your <i>oppressor</i> is very angry. The oppressor wants to destroy things. But really he can do nothing, even if he is angry.


text:
The people that are so afraid will be made free. They will not die in a hole in the ground. They will not be without their bread, 


text:
because I am the <i>LORD</i> your God. I am (the God) that moves the sea so that its waters make a great noise! His name is the <i>LORD of Everything</i>. 


text:
I have put my words into your mouth, (my servant). And I have covered you with the shadow of my hand. (It is I) that will put the skies in their place. And I will make what is beneath the earth. And I will say to <i>Zion</i>, “You are my people.” ’


text:
Awake, awake! Get up, (people in) Jerusalem! The LORD has been angry with you and he has punished you. When he punishes you it is like you are drinking something bad from a cup. You have drunk everything from the cup that makes people afraid (in front of God).


text:
There was nobody to be her guide, from all the sons that she gave birth to. There was nobody to lead her by the hand, from all the sons that she had taught.


text:
These two things have (destroyed) you. I do not know anyone who can make you strong again. (An enemy) broke and they destroyed (your buildings). The <i>sword</i> (killed your people). And (they died because) there was no food. I do not know anyone who can make you happy again.


text:
Your sons have fallen down. They lie at the end of every street. (They are) like animals that something has caught. The <i>LORD</i> was angry and the serious words of your God <i>punished</i> them.


text:
So, hear this, you people that (God is) hurting. You are (like) drunks, but it is not because you have drunk <i>wine</i>.


text:
This is what the <i>Lord</i> who is your <i>LORD</i> says. (He is) your God, that fights for his people. ‘Look! I have taken out from your hand the cup that makes you afraid. You will never drink again from that cup, the cup that contains my <i>anger</i>.


text:
I will put it into the hands of the people that are cruel and <i>unkind</i> to you. (They are) the people that said, “Lie down flat (on the ground), so that we can walk over you.” And you made your backs like the ground. (You made them) like a street that people could walk over.’


text:
Awake, awake, <i>Zion</i>! Put on <i>strength</i> like (you put on) clothes. Put on your beautiful clothes, Jerusalem, the <i>holy city</i>. People who are not God’s people will not come into you again. <n>‘People who are not God’s people’. Isaiah wrote ‘people who are not clean’. Here it means ‘not clean like God is clean’. This was because they met people like the people from Babylon. Those people did not love the <i>LORD</i> God. 


text:
Remove the dirt (from yourselves). Get up and sit on your special high seat, Jerusalem. Make yourself free from the <i>chains</i> round your neck, <i>Daughter of Zion</i> (Jerusalem) (who is now) (like someone) in a prison.


text:
(Do this) because the <i>LORD</i> says, ‘You sold yourselves for nothing, and I will <i>redeem</i> you without money.’ 


text:
And the <i>Lord</i> who is <i>LORD</i> says, ‘Firstly, my people went down to live in Egypt. Then, not long ago, Assyria was cruel to them. 


text:
And now, this is what I (have got) here’, says the <i>LORD</i>. He says, ‘(An enemy) took my people away for nothing. And the rulers (of my people) are crying. And for all of every day (enemies) continue to say bad things about me. 


text:
So, my people will know my name. So, in that day, (my people) will know this. I said what would happen. Yes, I (said it)!’


text:
The feet of the people that bring good news will be beautiful. (They will be beautiful while they run) on the mountains. The people that bring good news will tell you, ‘There is no war and there is no danger.’ They will say to <i>Zion</i>, ‘Your God rules (as king)!’


text:
Listen! The men that watch over (your city) are saying (something). They are (all) shouting together because they are so happy. When the <i>LORD</i> returns to <i>Zion</i>, they will see it with their own eyes.


text:
Sing aloud together, (you places in) Jerusalem that the enemy destroyed. (Do this) because the <i>LORD</i> has made his people happy again. He has <i>redeemed</i> Jerusalem.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> has made his holy arm <i>bare</i>. (He has done it) in front of the eyes of the people in every country. Now, all parts of the earth can see that our God makes people safe.


text:
Leave! Leave! Go out from there. Do not touch anything that is not clean. Go out from inside it! Those (people) that will carry the <i>LORD</i>’s special things, be clean!


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But you will not go out quickly, or hurry away. (This is) because the <i>LORD</i> will go in front of you. And the God of Israel will be like an army behind you. <n>The Fourth Servant Song (52:13-53:12)</n>


text:
Look! Everything that my servant says will be good. (It will be) right. (I will) raise him up and I will lift him up (to an important place). And I will make him very important.


text:
(They) hit his body, so that it did not seem like (the body) of a man. (They) changed his shape, so that it was not like the shape of any human person. And when many people looked at him, they felt sick.


text:
But he will pour (water or something like water) on many countries! Kings will shut their mouths because of him. (Here are the reasons:) <br/>· They will see things that nobody told them about. <br/>· And they will understand things that they have not heard about. <n>Bible students do not really know why Isaiah used the word ‘pour’. Some students say that the word should be ‘startle’. This means ‘do something that surprises people’. We do not know what it means. And we do not know what the servant does! But it causes people to understand what happened to him. 


text:
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the <i>LORD</i> shown his Arm? <n>There are two answers to each question in this verse. They are: Who has believed our message? <b>Nobody, unless it was the people that he poured something on. </b>To whom has the <i>LORD</i> shown his Arm? <b>Nobody, if they look only at the human story of the servant. </b>This human story is in verses 2 and 3. <n>‘our message’ may mean ‘God’s message’. <n>Many Christians believe that the Arm of the <i>LORD</i> is a name for Jesus. 


text:
(The Servant) grew up in front of him like a weak plant. And (he grew) from a <i>root</i> in dry ground. He was not beautiful and he did not seem like a king. We had no interest in him. We looked at him. But there was nothing to cause us to want him.


text:
People did not like him. And they caused him to go away. (He was) a man who often felt very sad. And he knew what pain felt like. He was like someone from whom people hid their faces. People did not like him. And we decided that he was worth nothing.


text:
Surely, he lifted up our pain (from us)! And he took away the things that cause us to feel sad. But we thought that he had become ill. (We thought that) God had hit him very badly. And (we thought) that he was sick.


text:
They put a <i>sword</i> into him, but we had done the wrong things. They hurt him and they broke him because of our <i>sins</i>. (They gave) to him the <i>punishment</i> (that brought) <i>peace</i> to us. His <i>wounds</i> have given us health.


text:
We have all gone away, like sheep. Each (of us) has turned to his own way. And the <i>LORD</i> has put all our <i>sins</i> on him.


text:
They were very cruel to him, but he was always quiet. And he did not open his mouth. They led him away like a <i>lamb</i> to kill him. A sheep is quiet when they cut off its hairy coat. In the same way, he did not open his mouth.


text:
They took him to a <i>court</i>. After this, they decided to take him (to die). And none of his people said that it was wrong. They did not let him stay in the country where people are alive. They hit him very badly because of the <i>sins</i> of my people.


text:
They gave him a <i>grave</i> with very bad people. And he was with a rich (man) in his deaths. (They did this), but he had done nothing to hurt people. Also, he had said nothing that was not true. <n>Verse 9 The word ‘deaths’ is plural in the <i>Hebrew</i> Bible. Isaiah’s book is in the Hebrew Bible. 


text:
But it was the <i>LORD</i>’s idea to hurt him and to break him. (The LORD) caused (people) to hurt (him). The LORD offered his life for <i>sin</i>, but (the servant) will see his seed. He will continue to live (after his death). <n>‘seed’ usually means ‘children’. But here it is a special Bible word for people that love Jesus. 


text:
(Death) will hurt his <i>spirit</i>. But, after that, what he sees will make him happy. My very good servant will make many (people) very good, because they know him. And he will carry their <i>sins</i> (away).


text:
So, I will give to him many (peoples). And he will have the strong (people) as his gift. (The facts are these.) He poured out his life until he died. He let people count him in with bad people. Also, he carried the <i>sin</i> of many (people) and he prayed for the very bad people. <n>Enjoy the results of the Servant’s work (chapters 54-55)</n>


text:
‘Sing, woman that cannot have a child. (Sing), you who have never had a baby. Sing a song and shout! Then, you will be so happy! (Sing), you, who never had the pain of <i>giving birth</i> (to a baby). (Do this), because the lonely woman will have more sons than the woman with a husband.’ This is what the <i>LORD</i> is saying.


text:
‘Make bigger the space that your <i>tent</i> covers. Make the curtains of your tent wider. Do not make it smaller! Make the sides longer and make the <i>tent</i> pegs stronger.


text:
(Do this), because you will become larger, both to the right (side) and to the <i>left</i> (side). Your children (and their children) will cause people to go (from their own countries). (Your children) will live in the empty cities (of the people that go away).


text:
Do not be afraid. You will not be ashamed. Nobody will take away your good name. You will not seem to be <i>unimportant</i>. Then, you will forget this: You were ashamed when you were young. You will not remember how bad you felt as a <i>widow</i>.


text:
(This is) because your <i>Maker</i> is now your husband. His name is the <i>LORD of Everything</i>. The <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel is your <i>Redeemer</i>. (People) call (him), “The God of all the earth”.


text:
(This is) because the <i>LORD</i> has asked you (to come) back. (You were) like a wife (whose husband had) left (her) alone. (He has asked you to come to him, like a wife) who was not happy. (That) wife married when she was young. Then, (her husband) sent her away.’ This is what God is saying.


text:
When I was angry, I hid my face from you, for a moment. But (now), with kind love that will always stay (with you), I will help you.’ This is what the <i>LORD</i>, (who is) your <i>Redeemer</i>, is saying.


text:
‘This is like the waters of Noah for me. Then, I promised that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So, now I have promised not to be angry with you. I will not <i>punish</i> you again.’ <n>Verse 9 ‘waters of Noah’ The story is in Genesis chapters 6-9. 


text:
‘Even if the mountains move, my kind love for you will not fail. Even if (someone) removes the hills, no(body) will remove my <i>covenant of peace</i> (with you).’ This is what the <i>LORD</i>, who loves you, is saying.


text:
‘(My city, that the enemy) hurt, storms hit you. No(body) made you strong. Look! I will build you (again) with <i>turquoise stones</i>. (I will build you) on the top of very valuable blue stones called sapphires.’ <n>The city is Jerusalem (for <i>Jews</i>) or the New Jerusalem (for Christians). Isaiah does not use the name Jerusalem here. But he does write about ‘what is right’ (verse 14 <b>zedek</b> in the Hebrew language) and ‘<i>peace</i>’ (verse 13 <b>salem</b> in Hebrew). Melchi<b>zedek</b> was the king of Jeru<b>salem</b>, Genesis 14:18. Isaiah wrote his book in the Hebrew language. 


text:
‘I will build your <i>castles</i> with valuable red stones called rubies. (I will build) your gates with valuable stones that shine (in the light). (I will build) your walls with very valuable stones.


text:
(The <i>LORD</i>) will build you on (a <i>base</i> of) what is right. You will be far away from cruel (people). Really, you will have nothing to be afraid of. Nobody will ever frighten you again. (People that frighten you) will not come near to you.


text:
Look! I, I <i>created</i> the man that works with iron. He causes the <i>coal</i> to burn strongly. He makes arms that are good for their work. But it is I that have <i>created</i> the destroyer. That (destroyer) can destroy everything.


text:
No arms that anybody will make will beat you. And you will show that this is true. Everything that people say against you is not true. This is what the servants of the <i>LORD</i> will enjoy. And their <i>righteousness</i> will be from me.’ These are the words of the LORD.


text:
‘<i>Hoy</i>! Everyone that needs a drink, come to the waters! And the person without money, come (to me). Buy (food) and eat! Come and buy <i>wine</i> and milk!


text:
Do not spend money on (that which is) not bread. And do not work for (things which) do not make (you) happy. Listen! Listen to me. And eat (what is) good! Then your <i>spirit</i> will have pleasure in the best (things).


text:
Listen and come to me! Hear (me), so that your <i>spirit</i> may live! Then I will make a <i>covenant</i> (of peace) with you (all), that will never end. (It will be) the kind love that I promised to David.


text:
Look! I have made (David) someone that every country can listen to. (And I have made him) a leader and a ruler of all the countries.’ <n>Verses 3 and 4 The promises that God made to David would become true in God’s Servant. 


text:
‘Surely, you will ask a country that you do not know to come to you. And a country that does not know you will hurry to you. (This will happen) because the <i>LORD</i> (is) your God. (He is) the Holy (God) of Israel. And he has made you really great!’


text:
The very bad (man) must stop doing bad things. And the very bad man (must stop having) his (bad) thoughts. He must turn to the <i>LORD</i>, who will be kind to him. And (he must turn) to our God, because (God) will certainly excuse him.


text:
‘(This is) because my thoughts are not your thoughts. And neither are your ways my ways.’ These are the words of the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
‘As the skies are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. Also, my thoughts (are higher) than your thoughts (like that too).


text:
The rain and the snow come down from the skies. And they do not return (to them) until they have put water on to the earth. And they cause (plants) to grow in the earth. Then (the plants) become strong. Then they give seeds for the gardener and they give bread for the eater.


text:
It is the same with the word that I speak. It will not return to me empty. It will do what I want it to do. And it will cause to happen the purpose for which I sent it.


text:
You will go out and you will be happy. And you will follow (your leader). You will have <i>peace</i>. The mountains and the hills will sing songs in front of you. And all the trees in the field(s) will hit their hands together!


text:
<i>Pine</i> trees will grow in the place of <i>thorn</i> bushes, and <i>myrtle</i> bushes will grow in the place of <i>briars</i>. This will make the <i>LORD</i> famous. It will always be something that nobody will destroy.’ <n>PART 5: Chapters 56-66 God’s <i>Messiah</i> beats God’s enemies</n> <n>A place where everyone can pray (chapters 56-57)</n>


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> is saying (to you). ‘Always be fair. And do what is right. (Do this) because I will make you safe. It will happen very soon. Also, soon I will show (everybody) that I am <i>righteous</i>.


text:
(God) will <i>bless</i> the man that does this. (He will bless) the man that really does this. (That man) does not do the wrong things on the <i>Sabbath</i> and he does not make it dirty. And he does not let his hand do anything that is really bad.’ <n>Verse 2 ‘make it dirty’ here means ‘do what was wrong on the <i>Sabbath</i>’. 


text:
(A <i>foreigner</i>) may have promised to obey the <i>LORD</i>. That foreigner should not say, ‘The LORD will surely not let me join his people.’ And no <i>eunuch</i> should say, ‘I am only like a dry tree.’


text:
The <i>LORD</i> says this to the <i>eunuchs</i> that do the things in this list: <br/>· They do not do wrong things on my <i>Sabbaths</i>. <br/>· They choose to do what makes me happy. <br/>· They really obey my <i>covenant</i>.


text:
(He says,) ‘Then I will give to them these things inside the walls of my <i>temple</i>: <br/>· something to (cause people) to remember them <br/>· a name that is better than sons and daughters. <n>I will give them a name that will always stay. Nobody will cut it off.’ <n>Verse 5 ‘cut it off’ A <i>eunuch</i> could not have children, because someone had cut off his male sex part. 


text:
‘(This will happen) to <i>foreigners</i> who (do these things): <br/>· They promise to obey and to be the <i>LORD</i>’s servants. <br/>· They love the name of the LORD and they <i>worship</i> him. <br/>· They all do the right things on the <i>Sabbath</i> and they do not make it dirty. <br/>· They hold strongly to my <i>covenant</i>.’ <n>Verse 6 ‘make it dirty’ here means ‘do what was wrong on the <i>Sabbath</i>’. 


text:
‘I will bring them to my <i>holy</i> mountain. And I will make them happy in my house for <i>prayer</i>. I will accept what they offer. (I will accept) what they burn as <i>sacrifices</i> on my <i>altar</i>. (This is) because (people will) call my house, “A house for prayer for people from every country”.’ <n>‘<i>holy</i> mountain’ means Zion, the mountain in Jerusalem where they built God’s house. <n>‘house for prayer’ means a place where people pray to God. Here, it means the <i>temple</i> in Jerusalem. Jesus said these words again in Matthew 21:13. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> (is the God) that brings the <i>exiles</i> of Israel together. The <i>LORD</i> (who is) <i>Lord</i> says, ‘I will bring even other (people) to them. (They will be) with those people that I have brought already.’


text:
(God says this about bad people.) ‘Come here, you wild animals (that live) in fields! (Come,) you wild animals (that live) in the forest! Come and eat everything!’


text:
Israel’s <i>watchmen</i> cannot see anything. They do not know anything. They are all (like) dogs that cannot make a noise. They cannot make the noise that dogs usually make. They lie about and they dream. They like to sleep.


text:
They are (like) dogs that like to eat a lot. And they never have enough. (Also), they are (like) <i>shepherds</i> who understand nothing. They all turn to their own way. Everybody (tries) to get (what he can for himself).


text:
(Each one of them) shouts, ‘Come, I must get <i>wine</i>! We must drink as much beer as we can! And tomorrow will be like today. It might be much better!’


text:
When a very good man dies, nobody really thinks about it. (Death) takes away men that (God) loves. But nobody understands why (death) takes them away. It is to save the very good man from trouble that will come soon.


text:
(When a good man dies) he goes into (a place where there is) <i>peace</i>. They lie on their beds. He is the man that walks in the right (way).


text:
But you, come here! (You are) sons of a woman that does <i>magic</i>. (You are) the children of an <i>adulteress</i>. (You are the children of) a woman that sells her body for sex.


text:
Tell me whom you are you laughing at in a bad way. Tell me about whom you are saying bad things. You push your <i>tongue</i> out of your mouth! You are a crowd of people that do not obey (God’s) rules. You do not say what is true.


text:
You like to have sex among the big trees. Also, (you have sex) under every tree that hangs out (its branches). You kill and burn your children (for false gods). (You do this) in the deep valleys and under the rocks that hang over (the sides of hills). <n>To have sex was one way in which they <i>worshipped</i> false gods. 


text:
Your place is among the flat (stones) in the deep valley. Yes, they, they are where you should be. Yes, you have poured out drink, to offer it to (your false gods). And you have offered (them) <i>grain</i>. Because of this, I, (God), will not change my mind. <n>‘flat stones’ may mean false gods. 


text:
You have made your bed on a high and tall hill. You went there to offer things to your (false gods).


text:
You have put your notice behind your door, where the door opens. But you left me and you opened your bed. You climbed into it and you opened it wide. You agreed with those people whose beds you loved. You saw a hand (to help you). <n>Verses 7 and 8 <n>The notice might say that they were God’s servants. But they were not! <n>‘bed’ here means a place to <i>worship</i> false gods. A man had sex with someone who was not his wife. That is how he <i>worshipped</i> those false gods. <n>‘hand’ here means the hand of a false god. We could translate ‘a hand to help’ as ‘someone to help’. 


text:
You went to the king with <i>olive</i> oil and you made more <i>perfumes</i>. You sent your leaders far away and you even went down to <i>Sheol</i>. <n>Verse 9 ‘the king’ may be the name of Moloch, a false god. 


text:
All your journeys made you very tired. But you would not say, ‘We cannot continue to hope.’ You became strong again and so you did not stop trying.


text:
Perhaps someone is frightening you, so that you do not <i>worship</i> (me). Perhaps you are so afraid of someone that you cannot remember me. And you have not thought about me in your minds. Perhaps you are afraid of me because I have not said anything for a long time.


text:
I will show (to everybody) the very good things that you do. (Only you think that they are good!) And they will not be a benefit to you.


text:
You will shout for help. Then I will let all (your false gods) save you (if they can)! The wind will carry them all away. (Somebody’s) <i>breath</i> will blow them away. But anyone that comes to me for help will have the land. (He or she) will have my <i>holy</i> mountain. <n>‘<i>holy</i> mountain’ here may mean Zion, the mountain in Jerusalem where they built God’s house. 


text:
He will say, ‘Build up (a road)! Build (it) up. Make a road. Remove the things that stop my people from using the road.’


text:
The High (God), who is Above (Everything), is speaking. He (is the God that) will always be alive. His name is <i>holy</i>. (He says,) ‘I live in a high and holy place. But (I will live) also with anyone who has a <i>lowly</i> and a <i>humble spirit</i>. I will cause the <i>spirit</i> of the humble person to continue to live. I will also cause the heart of the lowly person to stay alive.


text:
I will not always say that someone is bad. (I will not always) be angry (with him). (If I did, his) <i>spirit</i> would become weak in front of me. I made (him) alive when I made man.


text:
His <i>sin</i>, <i>greed</i> made me angry and I <i>punished</i> him. I was angry and I hid from him. But he continued to do what he wanted to do.


text:
I have seen what he is doing. But I will give him health again. Then I will be a guide to him and I will make him strong again.’


text:
(God) will cause the people who are sad to speak words of <i>praise</i>. The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘(I will give) <i>peace</i>. (There will be) peace to the people that are far away. And (there will be peace) to those that are near. And I will give them health.


text:
But bad people are like a sea that is always moving. Its waters throw up dirt. And they throw up wet material that is not clean.


text:
(God says),’Shout with (your) voice! Do not keep (the sound) quiet! Make a sound with your voice like a <i>trumpet</i>! Tell my people that they have not obeyed me. Also, (tell) the house of Jacob about their <i>sins</i>.’ <n>Verse 1 ‘the house of Jacob’ here means God’s people, Judah and Israel, who were <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. 


text:
‘(Do this) because every day (my people) look for me. And it seems that they really want to know my ways. They are like a country that does what is right. And they seem not to have turned away from what their God wants them to do. They ask me to decide fairly. And they seem to want God to come near to them.’


text:
(They say this.) ‘We have <i>fasted</i> and you, (God), did not see it. We made ourselves <i>humble</i> and you did not seem to see it.’ (God answers), ‘Look! On the day when you fast, you make yourselves happy. And you are not kind to the people that work for you.


text:
Look! While you fast, you quarrel. Then you fight. And you hit each other with your fists. You cannot fast today so that (I, God) will hear your voice in (<i>heaven</i>).


text:
I did not want you to do these things when you fast: <br/>· A man makes himself <i>humble</i> (only) for a day. <br/>· (A man) is humble, like a plant that is dying. <br/>· And (a man) lies on hairy cloth and ashes. <n>That is what you do when you fast. (Do not think) that the <i>LORD</i> will accept that. <n>


text:
This is the way that I want you to fast: <br/>· Remove the <i>chains</i> that wrongly tie (people) up. <br/>· And take off the chains (that hold) the <i>yoke</i>. <br/>· Let the people that the enemy has been cruel to go free. <br/>· And break every yoke. <br/>· Give some of your food to hungry people. <br/>· And give a safe place to the poor person who goes from place to place. <br/>· When you see <i>bare</i> people, give them clothes. <br/>· And do not turn away from your own family.


text:
Then your light will shine like the (light at) dawn. And soon (everyone) will see that you are well again. Then your <i>righteous</i> (God) will go in front of you. And the <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i> at your backs will make you safe. <n>


text:
Then you will pray and the <i>LORD</i> will answer (you). You will ask for help and immediately he will say, “Here I am.” <n>(You must do these things:) <br/>· Remove the <i>yoke</i>. <br/>· Do not point with the finger (at people) and say bad things (about them). <br/>· Use all your power to give help to hungry people. <br/>· Give to <i>oppressed</i> people the things that they need. <n>Then your light will shine in the dark places and your night will be like midday.


text:
(Then) the <i>LORD</i> will always be your guide. He will give to you plenty of everything, in a country where the sun is burning (everything). And he will make your bodies strong. You will become like a garden that has plenty of water. (You will be) like a well whose waters never fail.


text:
You will build again the old (places that the enemy) destroyed. And you will build the old houses again. (People) will call you “The Person who Mends Broken Walls” and “The Person who Builds Again Streets with Houses”. <n>


text:
If you (do these things), then you will enjoy yourselves with the <i>LORD</i>: <br/>· Do not do wrong things on the <i>Sabbath</i>. <br/>· Do not do what only what makes you happy you on my <i>holy</i> day. <br/>· Call the Sabbath a lovely day. <br/>· Call the LORD’s <i>holy</i> day a good day. <br/>· Think good things about (the Sabbath). (You will do this) when you do not do things in your own way. <br/>· Do not do things to make yourself happy (on the Sabbath). And do not speak words that are not important (on the Sabbath). <n>(If you do these things,) I will cause you to ride on the high places in the country. Also, you will have a <i>feast</i> with what your <i>ancestor</i> Jacob gave to you.’ (Do these things) because the mouth of the LORD has said them.


text:
Look! The hand of the <i>LORD</i> is not too short to save you. Neither is his ear too weak to hear you.


text:
But the wrong things that you have done have made you separate from your God. Your <i>sins</i> have hidden (his) face from you, so that he will not listen (to you). <n>


text:
(This is true) for these reasons: <br/>· Blood makes your hands red. The wrong things that you do are on your fingers. <br/>· Your lips have said things that are not true. Also, your <i>tongue</i> quietly says bad things. <br/>· Nobody asks for a <i>judge</i> to be fair. Nobody says things that are honest. <br/>· People give reasons that mean nothing. People say things that are not true. <br/>· People <i>conceive</i> trouble and they give birth to bad (things). <n>This is like a picture of when people have an idea to do bad things. And then they do them. 


text:
It is like when a snake causes young snakes to come out of the snake’s eggs. And they are always making <i>spiders</i>’ <i>webs</i>. People that eat the eggs (of spiders) will die. And when they break (a snake’s egg) a worse snake will come out.


text:
They cannot use (<i>spiders</i>’) <i>webs</i> (to make) clothes. They cannot cover themselves with the things that they make from them. The things that they do are bad. And they use their hands to hurt people.


text:
Their feet hurry (them) to do bad things. They rush to pour out the blood of people who have not done anything bad. Their thoughts are bad thoughts. They break and destroy things. They do that everywhere that they go.


text:
They do not know the way to <i>peace</i>. Their paths are never honest. Their roads turn away (from what is good). Nobody that walks on them will have peace.


text:
So, (God’s) rules are far away from us! So, <i>righteousness</i> does not reach us! We look for light, but everything is dark. (We look) for a little bit of light, but we see only dark shadows.


text:
Like <i>blind</i> people, we touch the wall (to find our way). We find our way (when we touch things), like men without eyes. At midday, we fall down. (We are) like (people that are in) bad light. We are like dead people among strong people.


text:
We all make angry noises, like <i>bears</i> (make). And we make sad noises, like <i>doves</i> make. We look for (people to obey God’s) rules, but we do not find any. (We look) for people to help us, but they are far away.


text:
(This is) because we have done many (wrong) things. You, (God) think that they are wrong. And our <i>sins</i> speak against us. The things that we have done wrong are always with us. And we know about our sins.


text:
We have not obeyed the <i>LORD</i>. And we have not tried to do what he wanted us to do. We have turned away from our God. We have spoken about being cruel to people. And we have spoken about fights against (God). We have thought about things in our minds that were not true. Then we have said those things.


text:
So, (it is like) we have sent away (God’s) rules. And <i>righteousness</i> (is like a person who) is standing a long way away. Things that are true have fallen down in the streets. We will not let people be honest.


text:
(People) cannot find what is true anywhere. Also, good people become (people that bad people) try to kill. <n>And the <i>LORD</i> looked (at his people). And it did not make him happy that (people did) not obey his rules.


text:
He saw that there was nobody to do anything (about it). And he thought that this was bad. So his own arm made his people safe. And (with) his own <i>righteousness</i> he made himself strong.


text:
He put on <i>righteousness</i> to cover his body. And (he put on) what makes people safe to cover his head. He put on (these things as) clothes to fight against his enemies. And he wanted so much (to fight his enemies) that these (clothes) were like a coat all round him!


text:
He will pay again to people what they should have. <br/>· He will be angry with the people that fight against him. <br/>· (There will be) a fair <i>punishment</i> for his enemies. <br/>· (He will) pay a fair price to the islands.


text:
People will be afraid of the name of the <i>LORD</i> in the west. And from where the sun rises (in the east) they will see his <i>glory</i>. (They will say that) it is very good. (This is) because he will rush along like a river. The Spirit of the LORD will push him along.


text:
‘The <i>Redeemer</i> will come to <i>Zion</i>. (He will come) to the people of <i>Jacob</i> who are sorry because of their <i>sins</i>’, says the <i>LORD</i>.


text:
‘Now I myself have this <i>covenant</i> with them’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘My Spirit is with you and I have put my words into your mouth. They will not go from your mouth. (They will not go) from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their children. This will be (true), now and for always’, says the LORD.


text:
Stand up and shine! (Do this) because your light has come! And the <i>glory</i> of the <i>LORD</i> has risen over you. <n>The word ‘light’ here is a name for God’s <i>Messiah</i>. See John 9:5. 


text:
Look, because a dark cloud covers the earth. It is very dark over the people. But the <i>LORD</i> will rise up above you and (the world will) see his <i>glory</i> over you.


text:
Then, people will come to your light from foreign countries. Also, kings will come to the bright light that is beginning to shine over you.


text:
Open your eyes and look all round you. Everybody is coming together and they are coming to you. Your sons will come from far away and (you will) carry your daughters in your arms.


text:
Then you will look and you will shine! And you will feel like your heart is jumping. And (it will) feel bigger (inside you). (This will happen) because they will bring valuable things from across the seas to you. The valuable (things) from other countries will come to you.


text:
Groups of <i>camels</i> will be in your country. Young camels (will come from) Midian and from Ephah. And everybody from Sheba will come. They will carry gold and <i>incense</i>. Also, they will talk about how great that the <i>LORD</i> is.


text:
(People) will bring to you all the farm animals from Kedar. They will offer the male sheep from Nebaioth to you. I (God’s <i>Messiah</i>,) will accept them when people offer them (to me) on my <i>altar</i>. So, I will make my great <i>temple</i> beautiful.


text:
(They do this) because the islands are looking for me to come. The ships from Tarshish are at the front (of the people that are coming). They bring your sons from far away. And they bring <i>silver</i> and gold. They will come to (the place where) the name of <i>LORD</i> your God (is important). (He is) the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel. (They do this) because he has made you beautiful.


text:
And the sons of strangers will build your walls again. Also, their kings will be your servants. I hit you when I was angry. But I will be kind to you now that I am not angry (with you).


text:
Your gates will always be open. (People) will never close them, during the day or during the night. Then, people can bring in (to you) valuable things from other countries. Their kings will come with them.


text:
(Somebody will) destroy the country or the <i>kingdom</i> that will not be your servant. (That country) will really destroy itself completely.


text:
The <i>glory</i> of Lebanon will come to you. (Its glory is its) <i>pine</i> trees, <i>fir</i> trees and <i>cypress</i> trees. They will make my <i>temple</i> beautiful. And I will put my glory where my feet touch the earth.


text:
The people that were cruel to you will come (to you). They will bend in front of you. And everybody that did not like you will come (to you). (They will) bend on their knees at your feet. And they will call you, ‘The City of the <i>LORD</i>. (You are) <i>Zion</i>. (You) belong to the <i>Holy</i> (God) of Israel.’


text:
People have kept away from you and they have not liked you. Now, everybody will always think that you are great. Nobody may travel through you, but everybody will (always) be happy because of you.


text:
And you will drink the milk of other countries and the breasts of queens will feed you. Then you will know that I, the <i>LORD</i>, have made you safe. And I am your <i>Redeemer</i>. I am the very strong (God) of Jacob.


text:
I will bring you gold, (I will not bring you) <i>bronze</i>. And (I will bring you) <i>silver</i>. (I will not bring you) iron. And you will not have wood, (but you will have) bronze. And (I will bring you) iron; (I will not bring you) stones. And I will make <i>peace</i> your ruler and <i>righteousness</i> will rule over you.


text:
You will not hear in your country (the noise that) cruel people make. Nobody will break or destroy anything inside the edges of your country. And you will call your walls ‘A Safe Place’ and (you will call) your gates ‘<i>Praise</i>’.


text:
The sun will not give you light in the day again, neither will the moon shine brightly on you. But (instead) the <i>LORD</i> will always be your light and your God will be your <i>glory</i>.


text:
Your sun will never go down again and your moon will never <i>disappear</i>. (This is) because the <i>LORD</i> will always be your light. Then your sad days will end.


text:
Then all your people will be <i>righteous</i> and they will always have the land. They will be like a small plant that I have planted. (They will be) the work that my hands have made. (They will) show that I am beautiful.


text:
The least (person) will become a thousand (1000) people and the smallest (person) will become a strong country. I am the <i>LORD</i>. When it happens, I will do it quickly. <n>The 2nd and 3rd Songs of the <i>Messiah</i> (chapters 61-62)</n>


text:
The Spirit of the <i>Lord</i>, (who is) <i>LORD</i>, (is) upon me. (This is) because the LORD has <i>anointed</i> me to tell good news to poor people. He has sent me to make people happy again. (These are the people that trouble) has caused to be very sad. (He has sent me) to tell the people in a prison that they are free. And (he sent me) to tell the people in a prison that they can come out of the dark places. <n>Verse 1 is about people who are very sad. They are sad because of what has happened to them. He will help them to feel better. 


text:
(He has sent me) to say (this. Now is) the year when the <i>LORD</i> will be kind. Also, the day when God will <i>punish</i> people (is near). (He has sent me) to make everybody who is very sad happy again. (They are so sad) that it causes them to weep.


text:
(He has sent me) to do (these things). (I will do them) on behalf of all those people in <i>Zion</i> whose <i>spirits</i> are hurting: <br/>· (They will have) flowers on them; (they will not have) ashes (on them). <br/>· (They will have on them <i>olive</i>) oil that will make them happy. Then, they will not weep. <br/>· No longer will their spirits have no hope. <i>Praise</i> will be like a coat for them, instead. <n>People will say that they are like large trees of <i>righteousness</i>. They will be (like trees) that the <i>LORD</i> has planted. They will show to people that the LORD is beautiful.


text:
They will build again what (enemies) broke into pieces long ago. And they will make places new again (that enemies) destroyed long ago. They will mend the cities that (somebody) destroyed. (Someone) destroyed (the cities) when their grandparents were alive! <n>In verses 4-9, Isaiah uses the words ‘they’, ‘them’, ‘you’ and ‘your’. They all mean ‘those people in <i>Zion</i>’, (verse 3). 


text:
<i>Foreigners</i> will come and they will be <i>shepherds</i> to your animals. People from foreign countries will work in your fields and in your <i>vineyards</i>.


text:
And (people) will call you ‘<i>priests</i> of the <i>LORD</i>’. Your name will be ‘servants of our God’. You will have valuable things from every country. And you will tell everybody about how rich they (have made you).


text:
You will not be ashamed, (because you will be) twice as (happy) instead. And (things will not) disappoint (them). They will sing aloud about what (the <i>LORD</i> has) given (to them). So, they will have twice as much (as they had) in their land. And they will always be very happy.


text:
(This is) because I, the <i>LORD</i>, love <i>justice</i>. I do not like people that take things for themselves. (I am speaking about the things) that they offer on my <i>altar</i>. And I will give a gift to them, because I will always be kind to them. I will make a <i>covenant</i> with them that will never end.


text:
And every country will know their seed. People from every country will know their children. Everybody that sees them will agree to this. They are the seed that the <i>LORD</i> has <i>blessed</i>. <n>‘seed’ is a special word for God’s people here. <n>The third Song of the <i>Messiah</i> </n>


text:
I have great pleasure in the <i>LORD</i>. My <i>spirit</i> is very happy in my God. He has put the clothes on to me that make me safe. He has dressed me in the clothes of <i>righteousness</i>. (I am) like a man at his marriage, with a special hat like a <i>priest</i>’s. And (I am) like a woman at her marriage whose valuable stones make her beautiful.


text:
So the <i>Lord</i>, (who is) <i>LORD</i>, will cause <i>righteousness</i> and <i>praise</i> to appear to every country. It will be like the ground that causes the young plant to come up. And (it will be like) a garden that causes seeds to grow.


text:
I will not be quiet, on behalf of <i>Zion</i>. On behalf of Jerusalem, I will not stay quiet. (I will be like this) until her <i>righteousness</i> shines out like the dawn. She will be so safe that it burns like the brightest <i>torch</i>.


text:
Then, the people in every country will see your <i>righteousness</i> and every king (will see) your <i>glory</i>. And they will call you by a new name. The mouth of the <i>LORD</i> will give it to you.


text:
And you will be like a beautiful <i>crown</i> in the <i>LORD</i>’s hand. In the hand of your God (you will be like) what a king wears on his head.


text:
They will not call you ‘Alone’ again. The name of your country will not be ‘Empty, Sandy Place’. But they will call you ‘<i>Hephzibah</i>’ and they will call your country ‘<i>Beulah</i>’.


text:
As a young man marries a young woman, so your sons will marry you. As a man at his marriage is happy with his new wife, so your God will be happy with you. <n>Verse 5 ‘your sons’ here means the people that live in Jerusalem. 


text:
I have put people on your walls, Jerusalem, to keep them safe. They will not be quiet, during all the day and during all the night. Those (people) that remember the <i>LORD</i> do not rest.


text:
And do not let (the <i>LORD</i>) rest, until he has built Jerusalem again. He will make (Jerusalem the place) that all the people in the world <i>praise</i>. (Do not let him rest) until he does that.


text:
The <i>LORD</i> has promised (these things). (He will do them) with his right hand and with his strong arm. <br/>· ‘I will never give your <i>grain</i> to your enemies for food again. <br/>· And never again will <i>foreigners</i> drink the new <i>wine</i> that you have worked carefully to make.’ <n>Some Christians believe that ‘right hand’ is a name for God’s <i>Holy</i> Spirit in Isaiah’s book. <n>And some Christians believe that, in Isaiah’s book, ‘strong arm’ is a name for Jesus, the <i>Messiah</i>. 


text:
‘But the people who pick it will eat it. Then they will <i>praise</i> the <i>LORD</i>. And those (people) who pick the <i>grapes</i> will drink (the <i>wine</i>). They will do it in the yards that are round about my <i>temple</i>.’


text:
Pass through, pass through the gates. Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the road on higher ground. Remove the stones. Lift up a sign for the people (from foreign countries).


text:
Look! The <i>LORD</i> has said this to the parts of the earth that are far away. ‘Say to the <i>Daughter of Zion</i> (Jerusalem), “Look! The (<i>Messiah</i> that will) make you safe is coming! Look! His gifts are with him! He is bringing with him what he will give back (to you).” ’


text:
Their name will the <i>Holy</i> People. (They are the people) whom the <i>LORD</i> has <i>redeemed</i>. And people will call you (by these names): ‘(Whom somebody) Looked For’ (and) ‘The City that Nobody Keeps Away From’. <n>The 4th Song of the <i>Messiah</i> and Isaiah’s <i>Prayer</i> (chapters 63-64)</n>


text:
Someone is coming from Edom and from Bozrah. A bright colour makes his clothes (red). It is someone that is wearing beautiful clothes. He marches on his way and he is very strong. (He says), ‘I am speaking (to you). I am <i>righteous</i>. I am strong enough to save you.’


text:
Why are your clothes red? They are like (the clothes) of somebody that has worked in a <i>winepress</i>.


text:
‘I have worked in the <i>winepress</i> alone. From (all) the countries, nobody was with me. I walked on them because I was angry. And I put them under my feet because I was angry. Their blood went all over my clothes and I made all my clothes (red).


text:
(I did this) because I was thinking about (a certain) day. (On that day) I would <i>punish</i> people. Also, the year when I would <i>redeem</i> people had come.’ <n>Verse 4 ‘I was thinking about’. In the <i>Hebrew</i> Bible this is ‘it was in my heart’. The <i>Jews</i> believed that people thought in their hearts. 


text:
‘I had looked, but there was nobody to help (me). And I was not happy, because nobody helped (me). So my own arm did the work to save them. And I was so angry that it helped me.


text:
I walked on (all) the countries, because I was angry. I was so angry that I caused them (to seem) like drunks. Then, I poured their blood on to the ground.’ <n>Isaiah’s <i>Prayer</i></n>


text:
I will tell (people) that the <i>LORD</i> is kind. (I will talk about) how people <i>praise</i> the LORD. (This is) because of all that the LORD has done on our behalf. He has done many good things on behalf of the house of Israel. (He did this) because of his great love on their behalf. And (he did this) (because) he was very kind (to them). <n>‘The house of Israel’ means the <i>Jewish</i> people. 


text:
And he said, ‘Surely, they are my people. (They are) sons who will always follow me.’ So he became the person that saved them.


text:
When they were in trouble, he was in their trouble with them. And the <i>angel</i>, that was there with him, saved them. And in his love and in his <i>mercy</i> he <i>redeemed</i> them. Also, he lifted them up and he carried them. (He did this) as he had done it in past years.


text:
But they did not obey him and they made his <i>Holy</i> Spirit angry. So, he turned against them and he became their enemy. He fought against them.


text:
Then he remembered past years. (He remembered) Moses and his people. (They said,) ‘(We need) the Person that brought them up out of the sea, with the leaders of his people. (We need the Person) that put his <i>Holy</i> Spirit on him.


text:
His arm shone while he went at Moses’ right hand. (We need that Person.) (We need the Person) who caused the waters (of the River Jordan) to become separate. (Because of that,) he caused his name always to be famous.’


text:
‘(We need the Person) who led them through the deep (places in the sea). As a horse (runs) in flat country, so they did not fall. <n>Verses 8-13 ‘He’ and ‘him’ and ‘the Person’ in these verses mean the <i>LORD</i> God. 


text:
The (<i>Holy</i>) Spirit of the <i>LORD</i> gave them rest, like cows and sheep that go down to their fields. This is how he was the guide of your people. And you made for yourself a famous name!’


text:
Look down from your <i>holy</i> and beautiful house in <i>heaven</i> and see (us). You want (to do what you have promised to us). And you are strong. And you love (us) and you want to be kind to us. But you are not doing anything on our behalf!


text:
But you are our father, even if Abraham does not know us. (You are our father) even if Israel does not recognise us. You, <i>LORD</i>, are our father. Your name is our <i>Redeemer</i>, from days long ago.


text:
<i>LORD</i>, we do not know why you let us go away from your ways. (You let us make) our hearts so hard, so that we do not love you. (We do not know why you let us do that.) Come back to us, on behalf of your servants. (We are) the families that belong to you! <n>To have hard hearts means that they cannot love anyone. 


text:
Your <i>holy</i> people will have (their own land) only for a short time. Our enemies will walk all over your holy place.


text:
Oh, I wanted you to break open the skies and I wanted you to come down! Then the mountains would have moved in front of you.


text:
(It would have been) like a fire that burns up bits of wood. And (it would have been) like a fire that boils water. (These things would have happened) when you came down. And you would have caused your enemies to know your name. The countries would have moved away in front of you.


text:
(You did things) that made us afraid. (And it would have happened) while you did those things. They were things that we did not think would happen. (It would have happened) while you came down. And the mountains would have moved in front of you.


text:
And, for a long time, nobody has heard of, or thought about, a God like you. Nobody has seen (a God like you). He does things on behalf of those (people) that wait for him.


text:
You help the people that are happy. (You help them) to do what is right. They (are the people that) remember your ways. But you are angry because, for a long time, we have <i>sinned</i> against your rules. So, we do not know if (anyone) can save us.


text:
We have all become like someone who is not clean. And all the good things that we do are like very dirty bits of cloth. We all become dry, like a leaf. And, like a wind, our <i>sins</i> sweep us away.


text:
And nobody shouts your name or tries to pray to you. (This is) because you have hidden your face from us. And you have caused us slowly to become weak, because our <i>sins</i> are so strong.


text:
But <i>LORD</i>, you are still our father. We are like the <i>clay</i>. And you are like the person that makes the pots. Your hand made all of us.


text:
Do not be too angry with us, <i>LORD</i>. And do not always remember our <i>sins</i>. But help us again, because we are your people.


text:
Your <i>holy cities</i> will become empty, sandy places. <i>Zion</i> will be an empty, sandy place and Jerusalem will be full of dirt.


text:
Our <i>ancestors praised</i> you in our <i>holy</i> and beautiful <i>temple</i>. (But soon,) fire will burn it. (An enemy will) destroy everything that is valuable to us.


text:
After all this, <i>LORD</i>, we hope that you will not still do nothing. We hope that you will not continue to be quiet. We hope that you will not continue to <i>punish</i> us. <n>The New Jerusalem (chapters 65-66)</n>


text:
‘I spoke to people who did not ask for me. People who did not look for me found me. I said, “Here I (am), here I (am)!” (I said it) to a country that was not called by my name.


text:
All day long I hold my hands out to people who will not listen (to me). They continue to walk (live) in ways that are not good. They still do what their thoughts (want them to do).’ <n>Verse 2 ‘hold my hands out’ This is what the <i>Jews</i> did when they asked someone to do something. 


text:
‘They are people that continue to make me angry. (They do it) in front of me! They offer gifts in (their) gardens (to false gods). They burn them on stones.


text:
They sit among the <i>graves</i> and they watch all night in secret places. They eat meat from pigs. And (they eat) dishes of soup (that they made) from <i>unclean</i> meat.


text:
They are people that say, “Keep away from me, and do not come near me. I am too <i>holy</i> for you!” These people are like smoke in my nose! (They are like smoke) from a fire that burns all day.


text:
Look! The words are (in a book) in front of me. I will not stay quiet, but I will <i>punish</i> them completely. I will pay them back completely, like someone who puts things into their hands.


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(I will pay back) both your <i>sins</i> and the sins of your <i>ancestors</i>’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘(I will do this) because they burned gifts (to false gods) on the mountains. And they said bad things about me on the hills. And, firstly, I will measure to them the right <i>punishment</i> for what they have done.’ <n>Verses 6 and 7 ‘pay back’ This means ‘give to them what their <i>sin</i> has brought to them’. It is another way to say ‘<i>punish</i> them’. 


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This is what the <i>LORD</i> says. ‘Sometimes people find <i>juice</i> in a group of <i>grapes</i>. Then men say, “Do not destroy it, because there is something good in it.” I will do something like this on behalf of my servants. I will not kill them all.


text:
I will cause there still to be seed in Jacob’s family. There will be people in Judah to live on my mountains. The people that I have chosen will live on them. And my servants will live there.’ <n>‘seed’ is a special word for God’s people here. 


text:
‘And Sharon will become a field for groups (of sheep). Also, groups (of cows) will rest in the Valley of Achor. (They will be places) for my people who are looking for me.


text:
(This will happen) to you (people) who go away from the <i>LORD</i>. And (it will happen to you people) that forget my <i>holy</i> mountain. Also, (it will happen to people) who put food on a table for (the false god called) <i>Luck</i>. And (it will happen to people) who fill dishes of <i>wine</i> for <i>Fate</i>.’ <n>‘<i>holy</i> mountain’ here means Zion, the mountain in Jerusalem where they built God’s house. 


text:
‘Your “<i>luck</i>” will be that a <i>sword</i> (will kill you). And you will all bend down for death. I spoke (to you), but you did not answer. I spoke, but you did not listen. You did bad things in front of me, where I could see them. And you chose (to do things) that did not make me happy.’


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> (who is) Master says this. ‘Look! My servants will eat (food), but you will be hungry. Look! My servants will (have something to) drink, but you will have nothing to drink. Look! My servants will be very happy, but you will be ashamed.


text:
Look! My servants will sing because they feel so happy. But you will cry because there is so much pain in your minds. You will weep because your <i>spirits</i> are so sad.


text:
And you will leave your name as a <i>curse</i> to the people that I have chosen. And the <i>LORD</i> (who is) Master will kill (all of) you. But he will give to his servants another name.


text:
Whoever asks for a <i>blessing</i> in the country will do it by the <i>God of Truth</i>. Whoever makes a promise in the country will do it by the God of Truth. (This is because God) will forget troubles in past years. Really, (something) will hide them from my eyes.’


text:
‘Listen, because I will <i>create</i> new <i>heavens</i> and a new earth. And (people) will not remember how things were. They will not even (be ideas that) come to their minds.


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But rather, be happy! And always, (yes), always be very happy about what I will <i>create</i>! (Do this), for these reasons: <br/>· The Jerusalem that I will create will be a pleasure (to me). <br/>· The people that live there will make (me) very happy.


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Then, I will be very happy with Jerusalem and I will have great pleasure in my people. Nobody will hear the sound of (people) crying (in Jerusalem). People will not weep there again.


text:
Never again will there be (in Jerusalem) a baby that only lives for a few days. (Nor will there be) an old man that does not live a long life. But a man that dies 100 (years old), people will call a young man. And a man may not live to be 100 (years old). But then people will think that someone has said a <i>curse</i> about him.


text:
People (in Jerusalem) will build houses and they will live in them. They will plant <i>vineyards</i> and they will eat the fruit from them.


text:
They will not build houses for other people to live in. They will not plant things for other people to eat (the fruit). (This is) because the days of my people will be as many as the days of a tree. The people that I have chosen will enjoy things. (They will enjoy) what their hands have made for a long time.


text:
They will not work without result. Neither will they have children that will have bad times. (This is) because they are the seed. (They are the seed) that the <i>LORD</i> will <i>bless</i>. (He will bless) them and their <i>descendants</i> with them.


text:
The <i>wolf</i> and the young sheep will eat together. And the <i>lion</i> will eat dry grass like the cow. But the food of the snake will be dirt. They will neither hurt nor kill (anything) on all my <i>holy</i> mountain’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Verse 23 The word for ‘seed’ usually means ‘children’. But here it is a special word for God’s people. <n>Verse 25 ‘<i>holy</i> mountain’ here may mean Zion, the mountain in Jerusalem where they built God’s house. 


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This is what the <i>LORD</i> is saying. ‘<i>Heaven</i> is my high seat. And the earth is the place where I will put my feet. I do not know where you could build a house for me. You could not make a place where I will rest.’ <n>The word for ‘high seat’ is the chair that a king would sit on. 


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‘My hand has made all these things. That is how they happened’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘I think that this kind of person is valuable. He will be <i>humble</i> and he will have a <i>lowly spirit</i>. And he will be afraid when he hears my word.


text:
Some people kill a male cow for me. Some people kill a man. Some people offer me a young sheep. Some people break a dog’s neck. Some people offer <i>grain</i>. Some people offer pig’s blood. Some people (burn) <i>incense</i> to remember (me). Some people <i>worship</i> false gods. Some people have chosen their own ways. Their <i>spirits</i> have pleasure in bad things.


text:
So I will choose to <i>punish</i> them a lot. And I will send to them the things that will make them very afraid. (This is) because nobody answered when I spoke. And when I spoke, nobody listened. They did bad things (even while) I watched them! And they chose (to do) things that did not make me happy.’ <n>In verse 3, some people do good things, and some people do bad things. <n>Kill a male cow for me (good) ~ Kill a man (bad) <n>Offer me a young sheep (good) ~ Break a dog’s neck (bad) <n>Offer <i>grain</i> (good) ~ Offer pig’s blood (bad) <n>Burn <i>incense</i> to remember me (good) ~ <i>Worship</i> false gods (bad) 


text:
Listen to the <i>LORD</i>’s message, you people that were afraid of his words. ‘Your (bad) brothers did not like you. They do not let you belong (to the people of Judah). They do this because of my name. They said (to you), “Give <i>praise</i> to the LORD. Then we will see that you are happy.” But (your brothers) will be ashamed.’ <n>The word ‘brothers’ here might really mean other <i>Jews</i>. 


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‘A voice (comes like) a loud noise from the city! A voice (comes) from the <i>temple</i>. The voice (is) the <i>LORD</i>’s (voice). He is giving to his enemies all that they should have.’


text:
Nobody has ever heard of such a thing. Nobody has ever seen things like this. A country cannot be born in one day. Nor can a country have birth in a moment. But as soon as <i>Zion</i> has <i>labour</i>, her children are born! <n>Zion is not the name of a woman here. It is the name of a hill in Jerusalem. People often use it to mean all Jerusalem. The idea about a woman who has a baby is like a picture here. 


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When I bring (someone) to the moment of birth, then the baby is born.’ This is what the <i>LORD</i> is saying. ‘I do not close up the mother’s body before the baby is born’, says your God.


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‘Be happy with (the people in) Jerusalem and be very happy for Jerusalem. (Do this), everybody that loves Jerusalem. Be very happy with Jerusalem, everybody that cries for Jerusalem.


text:
(Jerusalem) will be like a mother to you. And she will give to you all that you need. Her breasts will cause you to feel happier. You will drink a lot (of her milk). And you will be very happy with the <i>glory</i> that pours (like a stream of water) from her.’


text:
(This will happen) because the <i>LORD</i> says, ‘Look! I will give <i>peace</i> to (Jerusalem) like a river. And (I will cause) the valuable things from every country to pour in like a stream (of water). Jerusalem will be like a mother to you and she will carry you by her side. And you will (be like a baby that) sits on its (mother’s) knees.


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I will cause you to feel happier as a mother causes her child to feel happier. (You felt sad because an enemy destroyed Jerusalem.) I will cause you to feel happier about Jerusalem (now).’


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And when you see (this), you will feel very happy! And your bones will grow easily, like grass. The <i>LORD</i> will cause his servants to know that his hand (is good). But he will show his enemies that he is very angry. <n>Verses 11-14 The words that we have translated ‘cause you to feel happier’ in these verses mean ‘to make people strong again, so that they can live with their troubles’. 


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Look! The <i>LORD</i> will come with fire and his <i>chariots</i> will be like a strong wind. He will come down (from <i>heaven</i>) because he is very angry. He will speak against them with words of fire.


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And so the <i>LORD</i> will be the <i>judge</i> of all people with fire and with his <i>sword</i>. Then the LORD will kill many people.


text:
‘Some people are servants of their gods. And some people make themselves very clean for their gods. They go into the gardens. They follow the people who eat the meat from pigs and <i>rats</i> and other dirty things. They will all come to their deaths together’, says the <i>LORD</i>.


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‘And I will come and I will bring together the people from all countries. And I will bring together the people who speak all languages. (I will do this because) of what they have done and (because of) their thoughts. And they will come and they will see my <i>glory</i>.


text:
And I will put a sign among them. And I will send some of those people that run away (from me) to other countries. (They will go to): <br/>· Tarshish (in Spain) <br/>· the people in Libya <br/>· the people in Lydia, who are famous because they shoot <i>arrows</i> (so well) <br/>· Tubal <br/>· Greece <br/>· far away islands that have not heard of my name and have not seen my <i>glory</i>. <n>These people will tell other countries about my glory.


text:
And they will bring all your brothers to my <i>holy</i> mountain in Jerusalem. (They will bring them) from all the countries to offer (them) to the <i>LORD</i>. (They will come) on horses, in <i>chariots</i> and in trucks. (They will come) on mules (animals like small horses) and on <i>camels</i>’, says the LORD. ‘They will bring them as the <i>Jews</i> bring <i>grain</i>. (This is what) they offer to the LORD in the <i>temple</i>. (The grain is in) the special dishes that they use to <i>worship</i> me. 


text:
And I will choose some of them to be <i>priests</i>. And I will choose some of them to be servants of God (like my servants) from Levi’s family’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Verse 20 The word ‘brothers’ here really means other <i>Jews</i>. 


text:
‘The new <i>heavens</i> and the new earth that I will make will always be there’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘Also, your name and (the names of) your seed will stay there.’ <n>‘seed’ is a special word for God’s people here. 


text:
‘Everybody will come and they will bend down on their knees in front of me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘(They will come) from one New Moon to the next (New Moon) and from one <i>Sabbath</i> to another.


text:
And they will go out (of the New Jerusalem). And they will look at the dead bodies of the people that did not obey me. Their <i>worm</i> will not die and their fire will not go out. And everybody will see how dirty that they are.’


text:
Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, spoke to the people of Israel. He was a <i>priest</i>. He lived at Anathoth, a town in the land that God gave to the <i>tribe</i> of Benjamin. 


text:
God continued to speak to him all the time that Josiah’s son, Jehoiakim, was king. And he went on speaking to Jeremiah for the 11 years and 5 months, that Zedekiah was king. Zedekiah was a son of King Josiah. After this, enemies took the people from Jerusalem away to a far country. <n>God chooses Jeremiah.</n> 


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‘I knew you even before I made your body inside your mother’s body. I chose you before you were born. I decided that you must be a <i>prophet</i> to all the countries in the world’, he said. 


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The <i>LORD</i> said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone that I send you to. You must say whatever I tell you to say. 


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Then the <i>LORD</i> touched my mouth with his hand. ‘Now I have put my words into your mouth’, he said. 


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‘Look, I give you authority over countries and <i>kingdoms</i>. You can pull them down or break them up to destroy them. You can build them up and make them safe.’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> shows Jeremiah two pictures.</n> 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> spoke to me. ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ he said. <n>‘I see the branch of an <i>almond</i> tree’, I replied. 


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‘Yes, that is correct’, he said. ‘I am watching my words. And I will cause them to happen.’ <n>The words for ‘<i>almond</i>’ and ‘watching’ sound nearly the same (in the language of Israel). The <i>almond</i> tree is the first tree to have flowers, in the spring. God was telling Jeremiah what would happen. All the things that he had said would soon happen. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> spoke to me again. ‘What do you see?’ he said. ‘I see a boiling pot. It is in the north and it is pouring this way’, I answered. 


text:
‘People from the north will pour out. And they will kill all the people who live in this country’, the <i>LORD</i> said. 


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‘I will bring all the <i>nations</i> who live in the north’, he said. ‘Their kings will come and they will sit in the gates of Jerusalem. They will rule there. They will be round its walls. They will be round all the towns of Judah. 


text:
I will be the <i>judge</i> of my people, because they have turned away from me. They have done very wrong things. They have given gifts to <i>false</i> gods. They have <i>worshipped</i> things that they have made with their own hands. 


text:
You must get ready! Stand up. And say whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of them. If you are afraid of them, I will make you afraid in front of them! 


text:
Today I have made you as strong as a city with great walls. You will be like a tree that someone has made out of iron. You will be like a metal wall to stand against the whole <i>nation</i>. You will stand against the kings of Judah and their officers. You will stand against the <i>priests</i> and the people of the country. 


text:
They will fight against you. But they will not win, because I am with you. I will save you’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


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‘Speak to the people in Jerusalem’, he said. <n>‘I remember how you used to love me. That was when I first made you my people. <n>You loved me as a young wife loves her husband. <n>You followed me through a wild place, <n>where nobody grew any food. 


text:
Israel belonged to me. It was special. <n>It was like the first food that grew on my land. <n>Anyone else who ate that food was doing something bad. <n>And I caused bad things to happen to them.’ <n>The <i>LORD</i> said this. 


text:
This is the <i>LORD</i>’s message. <n>‘Your <i>ancestors</i> were angry with me. <n>But I did nothing that was wrong. But they went a long way from me. <n>They went to gods of wood and stone that could not do anything for them. <n>And then they could not do anything for themselves. 


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They did not ask the <i>LORD</i> for help. <n>He brought them out of Egypt. <n>He led them through the place where nothing grows, <n>an empty place with many valleys. <n>It was a dry and dark place. <n>Nobody goes through it and nobody lives in it. 


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I, the <i>LORD</i>, brought you to a good country, <n>where you could eat very good food. <n>But you came and you made my country like something dirty. <n>You made it too bad for me to look at. 


text:
The <i>priests</i> did not ask “Where is the <i>LORD</i>?” <n>And the <i>judges</i> did not know me. <n>Your leaders did not obey me. <n>The <i>prophets</i> asked <i>Baal</i> what to say to you. <n>They hoped that gods of wood and stone would help them. <n>Those gods cannot help anyone.’ 


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‘So I must be your <i>judge</i>’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘And I will be the <i>judge</i> of your children and their children. 


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Go to the people who live in the east and the west. <n>Ask them if anyone has ever done this before. 


text:
Other <i>nations</i> have not changed their gods. <n>But their gods are not really gods. <n>But my people have changed him who is greater than any god. <n>They have changed him for things of wood and stone that cannot help them. 


text:
‘My people have <i>sinned</i> twice. <n>They have left me. I am like a river of living water. <n>And they have dug holes in the earth for themselves. <n>These holes cannot hold water. They let water run away. 


text:
Israel’s people are not slaves, born to be servants. <n>But they have become slaves to their enemies. 


text:
The enemies attacked them like <i>lions</i>. <n>They have destroyed their country. <n>They have burnt their towns and nobody lives in them. 


text:
The men from Memphis and Tahpanhes have removed all the hair from your heads. <n>So they have made you ashamed. 


text:
You have caused this to happen. <n>It is because you stopped following the <i>LORD</i>, your God. <n>He was leading you in the way that you should go. 


text:
The water of the River Shihor in Egypt is not better to drink than yours is. <n>And the water from the river of Assyria is not better to drink than yours is. 


text:
The very bad things that you have done will <i>punish</i> you. <n>And your <i>backslidings</i> will show to you that you have done wrong things. <n>You have gone away from the <i>LORD</i> your God. <n>And you are not afraid to make me angry. <n>Those are very bad things and they will cause you to have very bad pain. <n>You must think about that and you must understand it.’ <n>That is what the great, powerful <i>LORD</i> says. 


text:
‘You stopped working for me a long time ago. <n>You cut through any thing that tied us together. <n>You said, “I will not work for you!” <n>So you sold yourselves to any people that would take you. <n>You were like a woman that sells sex. 


text:
But I had planted you like a young <i>vine</i>. <n>You were strong and you had good strong <i>ancestors</i>. <n>Tell me how you became weak, <i>dirty</i> and really bad. 


text:
You may wash yourselves with clean water, <n>and you may use a lot of soap’, says the most powerful <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘But you will always seem <i>dirty</i> to me. 


text:
You say that you are not <i>dirty</i>. <n>And you say that you do not run after <i>false</i> gods. <n>But remember what you did in the valley. <n>Think carefully what you have done. <n>You are like a fast female animal. <n>You run all over the country. 


text:
You are like a wild female horse <n>that lifts its nose in the air. <n>It is looking for a male horse. <n>Nobody can keep it from what it wants. <n>Any males who follow it will catch it easily. <n>You are like that. 


text:
Do not run for so long that you become tired. <n>Do not run for so long that your feet hurt. <n>“I cannot change”, you say. <n>“I love foreign gods. I must obey them!” 


text:
A man may take things that are not his. <n>He is ashamed when people catch him. <n>So the people of Israel are ashamed. <n>They, their kings, their officers, and their <i>prophets</i> all do what is wrong. 


text:
They say to a piece of wood, “You are my father.” <n>They call a stone their mother. <n>They have turned away from me. <n>They do not show their faces to me. <n>But then troubles happen to them. <n>“Come and save us!” they ask me. 


text:
I tell them to ask the gods that they made for themselves. <n>Ask them to come and save you. <n>Ask for their help when you have troubles. <n>Judah, you have many towns. <n>And you have as many gods.’ 


text:
‘I <i>punished</i> your people. <n>But they would not turn back to me. <n>You have killed your <i>prophets</i>. <n>You are like hungry animals.’ <n>God will <i>punish</i> Judah.</n> 


text:
‘Think about my message, you people who are alive today’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I have not been like a place where nothing grows. <n>I have not been like a dark place where nobody lives. <n>But my people say, “We can go where we like. <n>We do not want to visit you any more.” 


text:
A young woman does not forget her pretty things. <n>A wife does not forget her valuable gifts. <n>But my people have forgotten me for many years. 


text:
Your clothes have blood on them. <n>That blood gave life to people who never hurt you. <n>It was the blood of people who never took your things. 


text:
But still you say, “I have not done anything that is wrong. <n>God is not angry with me!” <n>But I will <i>judge</i> you. <n>You say “I have not <i>sinned</i>.” <n>So I will <i>judge</i> you. 


text:
You look at <i>nations</i> who live near to you. <n>You want to change. <n>You know now that Assyria cannot help you. <n>And you will soon know that Egypt cannot help you. 


text:
You will become slaves. <n>You will leave your country with your hands on your heads. <n>The <i>LORD</i> has not chosen the people that you have chosen. <n>They will not help you.’ 


text:
‘A man may <i>divorce</i> his wife. <n>Then she may leave him and marry another man. <n>If her first husband returned to her, he would not be <i>clean</i>. <n>He would make the whole country bad. <n>But you have lived with many lovers. <n>And you want to return to me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Look at the tops of the hills. <n>You have loved other gods on all of them. <n>You sat by the side of the road, waiting for lovers. <n>You waited to catch men. <n>You have made the country bad. <n>It is dirty with all the wrong things that you have done. <n>You have loved other gods when you should have loved me. 


text:
That is why I have not sent any rain to you. <n>And that is why the spring rains have not come. <n>But you seem to be quite happy. <n>You are not ashamed. 


text:
Surely you cannot be angry with me! <n>You cannot always be angry.” <n>Those are the things that you say. <n>But you do as many wrong things as you can.’ <n>Israel is not <i>faithful</i> to God.</n> 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> spoke to me while Josiah was king. ‘Look at what Israel’s people have done’, he said. ‘They have not been <i>faithful</i> to me. They have <i>worshipped false</i> gods under every big tree and on every high hill. They have been like a wife who is not <i>faithful</i> to her husband. 


text:
I thought that they would come back to me. But they did not return when it was over. Israel’s sister, Judah, saw what Israel did. 


text:
I sent Israel away, like a wife after her husband has <i>divorced</i> her. I sent her away because she had loved so many other gods. But Judah’s people, who had not been <i>faithful</i>, were not afraid. Judah’s people also went out and they found other lovers. 


text:
Israel’s people were not sorry that they had not been <i>faithful</i> to me. So they <i>worshipped</i> gods that they made from wood and stone. They made the country like a dirty place because they did very many bad things. 


text:
Judah saw this, but Judah was not <i>faithful</i>. Judah’s people did not really return to me. They only made it seem that they had returned to me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
And the <i>LORD</i> said to me, ‘Israel’s people have not been <i>faithful</i> to me. So Israel’s <i>backsliding</i> is not as bad as the things that Judah’s people have done. 


text:
Go. Turn to the north, and say, <n>“You people in Israel who have not been <i>faithful</i>, return to me”, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>“I will not always be angry with you, <n>because I am full of <i>mercy</i>”, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
But you must believe that you have done many wrong things. <n>You must agree with me that you turned against me. <n>You loved many foreign gods. <n>You <i>worshipped</i> them under big trees. <n>You have not obeyed me” ’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Return to me, you people who are <i>backsliding</i>’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘I am your husband. I will bring some of you to <i>Zion</i>. I will choose one from a town and two from a family. 


text:
Then I will give <i>shepherds</i> to you that I can <i>trust</i>. They will lead you and they will teach you good things. 


text:
After some time, the number of your people will grow. Then you will think in a new way’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘You will not talk or even think about the <i>ark</i> of the <i>LORD</i>. You will forget all about it, and you will not make another one. 


text:
Then they will call Jerusalem “The <i>Throne</i> of the <i>LORD</i>”. At that time, people from all countries will come to Jerusalem. They will all give <i>honour</i> to the name of the <i>LORD</i>. They will not do the wrong things that they want any more. 


text:
Then the people from Israel and the people from Judah will join together in Jerusalem. They will come from a country in the north. They will come to this country that I gave to your <i>ancestors</i>. I gave it to you and to your <i>ancestors</i> to keep. 


text:
I myself said, <n>“I want very much to make you my sons. <n>I want to give a good country to you. <n>It is more beautiful than the country that any other people enjoy.” <n>And I said, “You will call me ‘Father’. <n>And you will not stop obeying me.” 


text:
But you have been like a woman who has left her husband to go to another man. <n>You, Israel’s people, have not been <i>faithful</i> to me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
I can hear a noise on the high places. <n>Israel’s people are crying and they are asking for help. <n>They are crying because they have left the good ways. <n>They have forgotten the <i>LORD</i>, their God. 


text:
Return to me, you <i>backsliding</i> children. <n>I will cause you to stop doing that.’ <n>‘Yes, we will come to you <n>because you are the <i>LORD</i> our God. 


text:
You hope for help from the other side of the hills and the mountains. <n>But it will not come. <n>Only the <i>LORD</i> our God can really save Israel. 


text:
Since we were young, <n>we have lost all our good things. <n><i>False</i> gods have used them up. <n>They ate the things that our fathers worked for. <n>They took their sheep and cows. <n>They took their sons and daughters. 


text:
We are ashamed. <n>We want to lie down and hide ourselves. <n>From many years ago until now, <n>we and our <i>ancestors</i> have not obeyed you.’ 


text:
‘If you want to return, then return to me’, the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>‘Throw away your gods that I <i>hate</i>. <n>You must not go away from me again. 


text:
And if you make a true, good and fair promise to me, <n>then you can say, “It is sure that the <i>LORD</i> is alive.” <n>He will <i>bless</i> all the <i>nations</i> in the world. <n>And they will be very happy to give <i>honour</i> and <i>praise</i> to him.’ 


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says to the people in Judah, and in Jerusalem. <n>‘Break up your hard ground. <n>Do not put seed among weeds. 


text:
Give all of yourselves to the <i>LORD</i>. <n>Cut off everything that is not his. <n>Men in Judah and people in Jerusalem, you must do that. <n>If you do not do it, I will be angry. <n>My <i>anger</i> will burn you like a fire. <n>I will hurt you because of the bad things that you have done. <n>Nobody will save you.’ <n>An enemy will attack from the north.</n> 


text:
‘Shout to the people in Judah. Tell this to the people in Jerusalem. <n>“Blow the <i>trumpets</i> in all the country!” <n>Shout to them and say, <n>“Come together! <n>We must all run to the cities with strong walls!” 


text:
Tell everyone to go to <i>Zion</i>! <n>Do not wait to run to a safe place <n>because I will bring trouble from the north. <n>I will destroy your country. 


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A <i>lion</i> was hiding in the hills. <n>It has come out to destroy the <i>nations</i>. <n>It has left its home to destroy your country. <n>It will break down your towns. <n>They will be empty. 


text:
So put on special clothes to show that you are sad. <n>Cry and be very sad. <n>Cry because the <i>LORD</i> is still angry with us. <n>He has not forgotten his <i>anger</i>.’ 


text:
‘The king and his officers will not be happy on that day’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘The <i>priests</i> will be very sad, <n>and the <i>prophets</i> will be very, very sad.’ 


text:
‘Oh, great and powerful <i>LORD</i>’, I said. ‘You have not spoken what is true to this people and to Jerusalem. You said, “You will have <i>peace</i>.” But now our enemies will attack us!’ 


text:
‘A hot wind from the empty mountains will blow towards my people’, the <i>LORD</i> will tell them at that time. ‘But it will not make them clean. It will not blow away the wrong things that they have done.’ The <i>LORD</i> will tell them this. 


text:
‘I will send a wind that is too strong for that. Now I will tell you how I will <i>judge</i> them.’ 


text:
Look! He is coming like the clouds. <n>He is like a strong, fast wind. <n>He flies faster than a great bird. <n>We are really in trouble. We will lose everything! 


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Jerusalem, wash away your bad thoughts. <n>Then the <i>LORD</i> will save you. <n>You must not hold on to your bad thoughts. 


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‘Tell this to all the <i>nations</i>, <n>shout it to Jerusalem. <n>“An army is coming from a far country. <n>It will attack Jerusalem. 


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Their soldiers are round its walls. <n>This is because Jerusalem’s people have not obeyed me” ’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


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‘I have done this to you <n>because of the wrong things that you have done. <n>You have caused this trouble. <n>I am <i>punishing</i> you. <n>Yes, it is painful. <n>The pain goes all through you.’ 


text:
I am in such great pain! <n>All my body hurts. I have to go on moving. <n>My thoughts are full of pain. <n>My heart keeps hitting hard inside me. <n>I feel that I have to shout. <n>I have heard the noise of the <i>trumpet</i>. <n>I have heard the enemy when they were shouting. 


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It is bad, but it is getting worse! <n>Our enemies have destroyed everything in the country. <n>They have quickly broken down my <i>tents</i>. <n>They did not wait to destroy my home. 


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I do not know how long the <i>battle</i> will last. <n>I can still hear the sound of people who are fighting. 


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The <i>LORD</i> says, ‘My people are fools. <n>They do not know me. <n>They are like children who do not know anything. <n>They understand nothing. <n>They know how to do bad things. <n>But they have no idea how to do good things.’ 


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I looked at the good country, but no plants grew there. <n>Our enemies had knocked down all its towns. <n>The <i>LORD</i> was very angry. He caused them to do all this. 


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‘I will cause bad things to happen in the whole country’, <n>the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>‘But I will not completely destroy it. 


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So the whole earth will be sad. <n>The sky will become dark. <n>This will happen as I have said. <n>And I will not change my plan. <n>I have spoken and I will not turn back.’ 


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The people in every town will run away <n>when they hear the sound of soldiers and horses. <n>Some of them hide in bushes. <n>Some of them climb up among the rocks. <n>All the towns are empty. <n>Nobody lives in them. 


text:
You are like a woman who wears bright red clothes. <n>You are like a woman who wears things of gold. <n>You paint your eyes, <n>but that does not help you. <n>The men that you loved do not give <i>honour</i> to you. <n>They want to kill you. 


text:
I can hear that people are shouting. It is like the noise of a woman while her baby is being born. <n>It is like the noise of a woman while her first child is being born. <n>It is the people in Jerusalem, who are shouting for help. <n>They shout and they say, <n>‘I am very weak, and I am getting weaker. <n>I am afraid that they will kill me.’ 


text:
‘Go along the streets of Jerusalem, and come back again. <n>Look all round you, carefully. <n>Look in all parts of the city. <n>Try to find one person who is honest. Try to find a person who wants to know the <i>truth</i>. <n>If you find one, I will <i>forgive</i> all the people in the city. 


text:
They may say, “As the <i>LORD</i> lives”. <n>They want people to think that they are honest. <n>But what they are saying is <i>false</i>.’ 


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<i>LORD</i>, you want us to speak words that are true. <n>But the people that you have hurt do not feel any pain. <n>You hit them, but they would not change. <n>They would not do the things that you wanted. <n>They held on to the bad things that they were doing. <n>And they refused to turn away from them. 


text:
‘These are poor people, and they are fools’, I thought. <n>‘They do not know what the <i>LORD</i> asks them to do. <n>They have no idea what he wants. 


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So I will go to speak to the leaders. <n>They will certainly know what the <i>LORD</i> wants. <n>They will know what they must do to please him.’ <n>But every one of them turned away from him. <n>They said that they were not his slaves. 


text:
A big wild animal from the forest will attack them for that. <n>Another animal will tear them into pieces. <n>Other animals will wait near their towns to hurt anyone who leaves. <n>That is because they have turned so far from the <i>LORD</i>. <n>It is because they have done very many bad things. 


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‘I cannot <i>forgive</i> you. <n>Your children have gone away from me. <n>They have <i>trusted</i> gods that are not gods. <n>I gave to them everything that they needed. <n>But they left me and they went to the houses of <i>false</i> gods. <n>They are like men who have sex with other men’s wives. 


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I must <i>punish</i> them for that’, the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>‘They have hurt me so much. <n>They are such bad people that I must <i>punish</i> them.’ 


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Go through the gardens where their <i>grapes</i> are growing. And destroy their fruits. <n>But do not completely destroy them. <n>Pull the branches from the trees <n>because these people do not belong to the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
They spoke about the <i>LORD</i>. They said what is not true. <n>‘He will not do anything’, they said. <n>‘He will never hurt us. <n>We will have enough to eat. Soldiers will not kill us. 


text:
The <i>prophets</i> speak empty words. <n>They do not know what the <i>LORD</i> says. <n>So they may say that something bad will happen. <n>If that is true, let it happen to them.’ 


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‘So the people have said this’, <n>says the strong and powerful <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I will make the words in your mouth like a fire. <n>And the people will burn like wood in that fire.’ 


text:
‘People in Israel’, the <i>LORD</i> says, <n>‘I will send soldiers to attack you. <n>They will come from a country far away. <n>They have lived there for a long time. <n>You do not know their language. <n>You cannot understand what they say. 


text:
They will eat all the food in your fields <n>and the food that you have stored. <n>They will take your sons and daughters. <n>They will eat your sheep and cows. <n>They will take the fruit from your trees. <n>They will fight and break down the strong cities. <n>You thought that those cities would keep you safe.’ 


text:
And when the people ask, “Why has the <i>LORD</i>, our God, done this to us?” you will speak to them. Say, “You have left me, and you <i>serve</i> foreign gods in your own country. So now you will <i>serve</i> foreign people in a country that is not your own.” 


text:
Hear this, you people who are fools with no understanding. <n>You have eyes, but you do not see. <n>You have ears, but you do not hear. 


text:
You should be afraid of me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘Your knees should knock together when you are near to me. <n>I made the sand to be an edge to the sea. <n>It is like a wall that the sea cannot cross. <n>The water of the sea may attack it, but it cannot win. <n>It can make a loud noise, but it cannot cross the sand. 


text:
They do not say to themselves, <n>“We must <i>honour</i> and obey the <i>LORD</i> our God. <n>He gives the autumn and spring rains to us. <n>Each year he makes sure that we have food.” 


text:
But you have done many wrong things. <n>So he has not sent rain or food to you. <n>He has taken away good things because you have <i>sinned</i>. 


text:
Many bad men belong to my people. <n>They hide like men who catch birds. <n>They are like people who try to catch men. 


text:
Their houses are full of valuable things <n>that they have taken with <i>false</i> words. <n>They are rich and powerful. 


text:
Now they are fat and they seem good. <n>They will never stop doing bad things. <n>They do not try to help children who have no fathers. <n>They do not help poor people to get what is theirs. 


text:
I certainly must <i>punish</i> them for this’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I must show them how angry I am. <n>The people are very, very bad.’ 


text:
The <i>prophets</i> tell people things that are not true. <n>The <i>priests</i> make their own rules. <n>And my people like what they do. <n>I will stop all this. Then they will not know what to do. 


text:
‘You <i>descendants</i> of Benjamin, you must run away to be safe! <n>Run away from Jerusalem! <n>Make a noise with the <i>trumpet</i> in Tekoa! <n>Shout over to Beth-Haccerem! <n>Big trouble is coming from the north. 


text:
Men will come with the sheep that they keep. <n>They will put their <i>tents</i> all round it. <n>Each man will have a small part of the land.’ 


text:
‘Get ready to fight against it! <n>Let us get up and attack at noon! <n>But the day is getting dark. <n>It is already evening. 


text:
The strong and powerful <i>LORD</i> spoke. <n>‘Cut down the trees’, he said. <n>‘Build high hills up to the walls of the city. <n>I must <i>punish</i> Jerusalem. <n>It is full of men who hurt other people. 


text:
It contains so many people who do bad things. <n>Bad things pour out from it, like water from a well. <n>It is full of fights and of men who destroy. <n>All the time I can see how sick and weak it is.’ 


text:
‘Listen to my words’, says the <i>LORD</i>, to the people in Jerusalem. <n>‘If you do not listen, I will turn away from you. <n>I will destroy your country. <n>Then nobody will be able to live in it.’ 


text:
The strong, powerful <i>LORD</i> spoke again. <n>‘I will let the enemy take everything from Israel. <n>They will take things like a farmer who is picking his fruit’, he said. 


text:
I want to speak to people. And I want to tell them what may happen. <n>But nobody will listen to me. <n>They close their ears so that they cannot hear. <n>They <i>hate</i> the <i>LORD</i>’s message. <n>It does not give any pleasure to them. 


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> is full of <i>anger</i>. <n>He is so angry that he cannot contain it. <n>His <i>anger</i> will be like water that pours out on the children in the street. <n>It will pour out on the groups of young men. <n>It will cover both husbands and wives. <n>It will pour over the very old people. 


text:
I will give their houses to other people. <n>Other people will take their fields and their wives. <n>This will happen when I decide to <i>punish</i> the people in this country’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘All the people, important and not important, want to get more and more things. <n><i>Priests</i> and <i>prophets</i> are all the same. <n>They all say things that are not true. 


text:
They tell my people that there is no great trouble. <n>They say that there is nothing to be afraid of. <n>“<i>Peace</i>, <i>peace</i>”, they say. <n>But they do not have any <i>peace</i> to give. 


text:
They are not ashamed of the wrong things that they do. <n>They seem to think that there is nothing wrong about those things. <n>They have forgotten how to be sorry. <n>So they will fall when other people fall. <n>I will bring them down when I decide to <i>punish</i> them’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> spoke to the people. <n>‘Stand at the place where the roads cross. And look’, he said. <n>‘Ask where the old ways lead. <n>Find the good way, and walk along that way. <n>Then I will give proper <i>peace</i> to you. <n>But you said, “We will not walk that way.” 


text:
I gave you men to help you and to lead you. I said, <n>“Listen for the noise of the <i>trumpet</i>!” <n>But you said, “We will not listen.” 


text:
So listen to me, all you countries. <n>Look. And you will see <n>the things that I will do to them. 


text:
Hear me, people on the earth. <n>I am causing great trouble for these people. <n>They will have trouble because they have done many wrong things. <n>And they have not listened to my words. <n>They have not obeyed my <i>law</i>. 


text:
I do not want nice smells from Sheba. <n>I do not want oils from countries far away. <n>The food and drink that you give to me <n>do not give pleasure to me.’ 


text:
So this is the message from the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I will make things very difficult for you people. <n>Both sons and their fathers will have difficulties. <n>Friends and people who live near to each other will die.’ 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> spoke again. <n>‘Look, an army is coming from the country in the north. <n>I am calling up a great people from the ends of the earth. 


text:
They are carrying bows and <i>spears</i>. <n>They are never kind and they never <i>forgive</i>. <n>They ride on their horses and <n>it is like the noise of the sea. <n>They are ready to fight, <n>and they are coming to attack you, Jerusalem.’ 


text:
We have heard about them, <n>and we are afraid. <n>Pain is all over our bodies. <n>It is like the pain of a woman who is having a baby. 


text:
Do not go out into the fields. <n>Do not walk along the roads. <n>Our enemies have long, sharp knives. <n>We are afraid that they are all round us. 


text:
My people must become very sorry. <n>They wear special clothes when someone dies. <n>They must wear clothes like those. <n>They cry with loud voices. <n>They cry like a man whose only son has died. <n>They do that because the enemy will quickly come to destroy us. 


text:
‘My people are like metals. <n>And you must <i>test</i> them to see if they are good. <n>I want you to watch them. <n>Then you can see what they do.’ 


text:
They never obeyed God. <n>They tell stories that are not true. And they enjoy it. <n>Their minds are as hard as iron. <n>They all do very bad things. 


text:
A very hot fire makes metals clean. <n>I send <i>punishment</i> like a fire. <n>But it does not cause bad men to do what is good. 


text:
‘Stand at the gate of the <i>LORD</i>’s house and speak to the people there. Say, “Hear the <i>LORD</i>’s message, all you people in Judah. You come through this gate to <i>worship</i> the <i>LORD</i>.” ’ 


text:
The great, powerful God of Israel says, ‘Change the things that you do. Do the right things. If you do that, I will let you live in this place. 


text:
People may say, “We are safe. This is the <i>temple</i> of the <i>LORD</i>, the <i>temple</i> of the <i>LORD</i>!” But do not believe words that are not true. 


text:
You must not be cruel to <i>foreigners</i>, to children without living parents or to <i>widows</i>. You must not kill people. You must not <i>worship</i> other gods. If you do those things, I will destroy you. 


text:
If you obey me, then I will let you live in this country. This is the country that I gave to your <i>ancestors</i>. I gave it to them to live in for all time. 


text:
You take things that are not yours. And you kill people. You tell <i>judges</i> things that are not true. You have sex with wives or husbands of other people. You offer gifts to the <i>false</i> god, Baal. You <i>worship</i> other gods. 


text:
And then you come to this, my house! You stand in front of this house that is mine. You say, “We are safe!” 


text:
My <i>temple</i> is not a place for people who hurt other people. It is not a place for people who kill other people. And it is not a place for people who speak <i>lies</i>! I have seen what you are doing’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Go to Shiloh. It was the first place that I chose as a house for my name. See what I did to it. I destroyed it because you had done so many bad things. 


text:
I spoke to you while you were doing those bad things’, the <i>LORD</i> said. ‘I spoke to you again and again, but you would not listen. I called you, but you did not answer. 


text:
I gave this <i>temple</i> to you and to your <i>ancestors</i>. But I will do to it what I did to the house at Shiloh. You think that the house for my name will save you. 


text:
But I will push you away from me, as I pushed away the other <i>Israelites</i>, Ephraim’s <i>tribe</i>.’ 


text:
‘Jeremiah, you must not pray for this people. You must not ask me to help them. If you ask me, I will not listen to you. 


text:
You can see what they are doing in the towns in Judah. You see what they are doing in the streets in Jerusalem. 


text:
The children fetch wood and their fathers light a fire. The women prepare and cook cakes of bread. Then they offer them to the “Queen of <i>Heaven</i>”. And they offer gifts of drink to other <i>false</i> gods. That makes me very angry. 


text:
I am angry. But they are the people who will hurt themselves’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘They will be ashamed.’ 


text:
‘So I will send out my <i>anger</i>’, says the strong, powerful <i>LORD</i>. ‘I will send it, like fire, on this place. I will send it on men, animals, trees and fruits. It will burn them up, and nothing will stop it.’ 


text:
‘Continue to give your <i>offerings</i> to me. Give <i>burnt-offerings</i> of meat and other things, and eat the meat yourselves! 


text:
I brought your <i>ancestors</i> out of Egypt. Then I did not only tell them how to give <i>burnt-offerings</i>. 


text:
I also told them to obey me, and to keep all my <i>laws</i>. Then I would be their God, and they would be my people. I said that they should obey me. They would have good lives if they did that. 


text:
But they did not listen. They did not think that my words had any value. Instead, they did the bad things that they liked to do. They went away from me, and they did not want to come to me. 


text:
I sent my servants, the <i>prophets</i> to you again and again. I did that from the day that you left Egypt until today. 


text:
But they did not listen to me. They did not try to do as I asked them. They went on doing the same bad things. And they did even worse things than their <i>ancestors</i> had done.’ 


text:
‘Jeremiah, you will tell them all that I have said. But when you tell them, they will not listen to you. When you call them, they will not answer. 


text:
So you will have to speak to them. “The people in this country have not obeyed the <i>LORD</i>, their God. They have not turned away from the wrong things that they were doing”, you must say. “Nobody now says anything that is true. 


text:
Cut off your hair. Sing sad songs on the empty hills. The <i>LORD</i> has turned away from the people who are still alive. He has left them because he is so angry.” ’ <n>The valley of death</n> 


text:
‘The people in Judah have done wrong things. I told them that those things were wrong’, says the <i>LORD</i>. ‘They have put <i>false</i> gods in my house. I <i>hate</i> that. They have made it like a dirty thing. 


text:
They have made big fires in Topheth. There, in Ben-Hinnom Valley, they burn their sons and daughters. I did not tell them to do that. I never thought to ask them to do such a thing. 


text:
So you must be careful. The day will come when it will not be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-Hinnom. No, it will be called Death Valley. They will put dead persons in the earth there, until it is full up. 


text:
Birds and animals will eat the dead persons, and nobody will make them afraid. They will not go away. 


text:
I will make the place quiet. Nobody will sing or be happy there. Nobody in the towns in Judah or in Jerusalem will have marriage parties. Nobody will live in the country any more.’ 


text:
‘Enemies will remove the bones of the kings of Judah and their officers. And they will remove the bones of the <i>priests</i> and <i>prophets</i> and the people from Jerusalem. They will take them out of the earth at that time. 


text:
The sun will shine on them, and the moon, too. My people worked for and loved the sun and moon. They <i>worshipped</i> them. Nobody will take the bones and put them back in the ground. They will be like dirt. 


text:
All the people in this bad country will want to die, and not to live’, says the great, powerful <i>LORD</i>. <n>God will <i>punish</i> people who choose to do wrong things.</n> 


text:
Speak to the people, and tell them, <n>‘When men fall down, they get up again. <n>When a man goes away, he comes back. 


text:
I ask why these people have turned away. <n>The people in Jerusalem always turn away. <n>They choose to believe things that are not true. <n>They refuse to return to me. 


text:
I have listened carefully. <n>But they do not say what is right. <n>Nobody is sorry for the bad things that they have done. <n>They think, “Nobody knows what we have done.” <n>Each person does the things that he wants. <n>He is like a horse that is running to the fight. 


text:
Even a big bird in the sky knows when it should go away. <n>Small birds know when it is time for them to fly away. <n>But my people do not know <n>what I want them to do.’ 


text:
‘You must not say, “We know what is right. <n>We know it because we have the <i>law</i> of the <i>LORD</i>.” <n>Your writers have written what is not true! 


text:
Some people think that they are clever. <n>Those people will be ashamed. Enemies will catch them like animals in a field. <n>They have refused to hear the <i>LORD</i>’s message. <n>They are not very clever. 


text:
So I will give their wives to other men. <n>Other men will have their fields. <n>All people, rich and poor, want to have more and more things. <n>Both <i>priests</i> and <i>prophets</i> <n>tell people things that are not true. 


text:
They can see that my people have pain. <n>But they say that it is not important. <n>They say, “<i>Peace</i>, <i>peace</i>”, when there is no <i>peace</i>. 


text:
They are not ashamed of the wrong things that they do. <n>They are not sorry. <n>Their faces do not get red. <n>So they will fall when other men fall. <n>I will bring them down when I <i>punish</i> them’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘I will take away the fruit and seed from their fields’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘No <i>figs</i> or <i>grapes</i> will grow on their trees. <n>The leaves of the trees will dry up and die. <n>I will take away everything that I have given to them.’ 


text:
We say to ourselves, <n>‘We should not be sitting here like this. <n>We must come together. <n>Let us run to the cities with strong walls. <n>We will die there! <n>The <i>LORD</i> our God has said that we must die. <n>He has given to us water to drink that has poison in it <n>because we have not obeyed him. 


text:
We wanted <i>peace</i>, but it has not happened. <n>We wanted God to make us well, but he made us afraid. 


text:
The people can hear the noise of the enemy’s horses. <n>They can hear them, even from Dan. <n>All the country <i>shakes</i> when they hear their noise. <n>They have come to destroy the country and everything in it. <n>They will get power over the city and over all the people who live there.’ 


text:
‘I will send snakes to you that have poison in their mouths. <n>Nobody can cause them to sleep. <n>They will bite you’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
Listen to your people who are crying from a country far away. <n>They ask if the <i>LORD</i> is still in Jerusalem. <n>They think that their king has gone away. <n>‘They have made me angry with their <i>false</i> gods. <n>Their foreign gods do not have any value.’ 


text:
‘We have taken in all the food from the fields. <n>The summer is finished. <n>And you have not saved us.’ 


text:
I am very sad because my people are so sad. <n>I feel sad as if they were dead. And I am afraid for them. 


text:
My head should be like a river of water, <n>and my eyes like a pool of tears. <n>Then I would cry all day and night <n>for my people who have died. 


text:
I would like to have a place to stay in the <i>desert</i>. <n>Then I could leave my people. <n>I could go away from them. <n>They have all gone away from God like men who have left their wives for other women. <n>Not one person <i>trusts</i> him. 


text:
Their <i>tongues</i> are like bows. <n>They shoot words that are not true. <n>These people win their fights when they say <i>false</i> things. <n>They <i>sin</i> many times. <n>They do not give <i>honour</i> to me’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Watch your friends. <n>Every brother says words that are not true. <n>So do not <i>trust</i> in your brothers. <n>And every friend speaks words that can hurt you. 


text:
One friend will say words that are not true to another friend. <n>Nobody speaks true words. <n>They have taught their <i>tongues</i> to say things that are <i>false</i>. <n>They have <i>sinned</i> so much that they are tired. 


text:
<i>False</i> words are all round you. <n>People say so many things that are not true. <n>So they refuse to know me’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
So this is what the great, strong <i>LORD</i> says: <n>‘I will see how <i>clean</i> they are. <n>I want to make them more <i>clean</i>. <n>A man uses a very hot fire to remove other metals from gold. <n>It will be like that. <n>I must do that because my people have <i>sinned</i>. 


text:
Their <i>tongue</i> is like poison. <n>It does not say things that are true. <n>A man may speak kind words to his friend, <n>but he is really trying to hurt him. 


text:
I must <i>punish</i> men for that’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I must be angry <n>because the people in this country do not give <i>honour</i> to me. 


text:
There are no people on the mountains. <n>So I will cry and I will be sad. <n>No animals live on the hills where they ate the grass. <n>The hills and mountains are empty. <n>Nobody can hear the sound of cows and sheep. <n>No birds fly in the air, <n>and the animals are gone. 


text:
I will make Jerusalem a hill of broken stones. <n>Wild animals will live there. <n>I will destroy the towns in Judah <n>so that nobody can live there.’ 


text:
Nobody can understand this. The <i>LORD</i> has not told anyone how it happened. No man can say why the <i>LORD</i> has made the country into a <i>desert</i>. Now nobody can walk across it. 


text:
‘It is because they have not obeyed my <i>law</i>’, the <i>LORD</i> said. ‘They have not obeyed the <i>law</i> that I gave to them. They have gone away from it and they have chosen to do bad things. 


text:
They have left me and they have gone to <i>worship</i> the <i>Baals</i>. They are doing as their <i>ancestors</i> taught them.’ 


text:
So the great, strong <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel says, ‘I will cause these people to eat food that is bad. I will put poison in the water that they drink. 


text:
I will send them to many foreign countries. Neither they nor their <i>ancestors</i> knew these countries. I will send enemies after them to kill and to destroy them.’ 


text:
‘Call the women who cry for people in trouble. Call them now!’ <n>the great powerful <i>LORD</i> says. <n>‘Send for those who cry the loudest. 


text:
Tell them to come quickly to make their sad noise. <n>Then our eyes will make water. <n>And it will be like rivers that fall from them. 


text:
We can hear the sound of people who are crying in <i>Zion</i>. <n>“People have taken all our good things! We are very ashamed! <n>We have to leave our country <n>because our enemies have destroyed all our houses.” ’ 


text:
Now hear the <i>LORD</i>’s message, you women. <n>Listen to the words of his mouth. <n>Teach your daughters how to cry about their troubles. <n>Teach each other sad songs. 


text:
We are all dying. Dead bodies fill our strong cities. <n>No children play in the streets. <n>The open places of the city are empty. <n>The young men have all gone. 


text:
‘Men’s dead bodies will lie on the open fields. <n>Nobody will take them away’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘They will lie like plants that people have cut for food. <n>But nobody will pick them up.’ 


text:
‘The <i>wise</i> man must not say that he is <i>wise</i>. <n>And the strong man must not say that he is strong’, <n>says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘But they can say that they know me. And they can say that they understand me. <n>Then they would be able to say that they were clever. <n>They would know that I am the <i>LORD</i>. <n>They would know that I am kind. <n>And I do only good things. <n>I am fair when I <i>judge</i> the earth. <n>They would know that too. <n>Those are the things that give pleasure to me’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Very soon’, says the <i>LORD</i>, ‘I will <i>punish</i> many people. Those people have bodies that their parents have not <i>circumcised</i>. Other people have bodies that their parents have <i>circumcised</i>. But I will <i>punish</i> those people at the same time. 


text:
I will <i>punish</i> the people in Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon and Moab. And I will <i>punish</i> the people who remove the hair from the front of their heads. And I will <i>punish</i> the people who live in the <i>desert</i>. Their parents have not <i>circumcised</i> the people who live in other countries. And all the <i>descendants</i> of Israel live like people that their parents have not <i>circumcised</i>. That is because they have never really wanted to obey me.’ 


text:
‘Do not do the things that people in other countries do’, he says. <n>‘You should not be afraid of things that happen in the sky. <n>You must not be like people in other countries. 


text:
The things that those people do have no value. <n>They take a tree from the forest, <n>and a worker gives shape to it with a knife. 


text:
They make it pretty with <i>silver</i> and gold. <n>They fix it to the floor so that it will not fall. 


text:
We put things like them in the fields. <n>Our things save the fruit from the birds. <n>And they cannot speak. <n>Men carry <i>idols</i>, because they cannot walk. <n>Do not be afraid of them. <n>They cannot hurt you <n>and they cannot help you.’ 


text:
Everyone should <i>honour</i> you, <n>King of the countries. <n>That is their duty. <n>There is nobody like you in all the countries. <n>No men are as <i>wise</i> as you are. <n>There is no king like you. 


text:
All men are fools, and they learn from fools. <n>Things that people have made out of wood cannot teach them anything. 


text:
They cover the wood with <i>silver</i> from Spain. <n>They make it pretty with gold from Uphaz. <n>Then they take expensive clothes that men have made with their hands. <n>They put them on this <i>idol</i> that other men have made. 


text:
But the <i>LORD</i> is really the only God. <n>He is the God who is alive. He is the King who will always be alive. <n>When he is angry, the earth moves like a leaf in the wind. <n>When he is angry, the people in a country cannot stand. 


text:
Speak to them. Say, ‘Your gods did not make the earth or the sky. The <i>LORD</i> will destroy them. He will push them out of the earth and from all places under the sky.’ 


text:
But God made the earth by his power. <n>Only he could do that. <n>It was he who put the sky over the earth. 


text:
When he shouts, there are loud noises in the sky. <n>He causes clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. <n>He causes the <i>lightning</i> with the rain. <n>And he brings the winds from the place where he hides them. 


text:
Nobody knows God or understands him. <n>Men who work to make things from metal are ashamed. <n><i>Idols</i> that they make have no life in them. 


text:
They are silly because they do not have any value. <n>God will destroy them when he <i>judges</i> them. 


text:
The God of Jacob is not like those <i>idols</i>. <n>He made everything. <n>He made Israel to be the people that he chose. <n>He is the great and powerful <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
This is what the <i>LORD</i> says, <n>‘I will now throw out those people who live in this country. <n>I will make their lives difficult, <n>then their enemies will take them as their <i>prisoners</i>.’ 


text:
I am hurt and in great pain. <n>Nobody can make me well. <n>I said to myself, ‘This is my pain, and I must live with it!’ 


text:
They have destroyed my <i>tent</i>. <n>They have broken all its <i>ropes</i>. <n>My sons have gone away, and they are dead. <n>This means that the people in Judah, like Jeremiah, had no children. <n>Now nobody will put up my <i>tent</i>. 


text:
The <i>shepherds</i> are fools. <n>They do not ask the <i>LORD</i> to help them, <n>so their work does not make them rich. <n>And all their sheep have run away. 


text:
Listen to the noise! <n>People are coming from the country in the north. <n>They will take the people out from the towns in Judah. <n>Only wild animals will live there. <n>Jeremiah is saying that Judah is like a broken <i>tent</i>. Its leaders (<i>shepherds</i>) are fools because they will not listen to God. So enemies will come to take them all away. <n>Jeremiah’s <i>prayer</i></n> 


text:
Please lead me back to the right path, <i>LORD</i>, but be fair to me. <n>Do not be angry with me. <n>If you become angry, you might completely destroy me. 


text:
Be angry, <i>LORD</i>, with the people in the countries that do not <i>honour</i> you. <n>Be angry with the <i>nations</i> who do not ask you to lead them. <n>The people in those countries have completely destroyed your people, <n>the <i>descendants</i> of Jacob. <n>They have destroyed the country that you gave to your people. 


text:
‘Listen to the rules of this <i>covenant</i>’, he said. ‘Tell them to the people in Judah and the people who live in Jerusalem. 


text:
Tell them that the <i>LORD</i>, the God of Israel says. “I will send <i>curses</i> to the man who does not obey the rules of this <i>covenant</i>. 


text:
I gave the rules to your <i>ancestors</i> when I brought them out of Egypt. Enemies caught your <i>ancestors</i> like wood in a fire, but I took them out. I said, ‘Listen to me. And obey me about everything that I say to you. Then you will be my people and I will be your God.’ 


text:
Then I will do what I promised to your <i>ancestors</i>. I promised to give to them a country that would give to them plenty of milk and <i>honey</i>. This is the country that you now live in.” ’ <n>I answered, ‘<i>Amen</i>, <i>LORD</i>.’ 


text:
‘Speak out all these words in the towns in Judah and the streets in Jerusalem’, the <i>LORD</i> said to me. ‘Say, “Listen to these rules of the <i>covenant</i>, and obey them. 


text:
I have said that all the time since I brought your <i>ancestors</i> out of Egypt. Again and again, until now, I have said, ‘You must obey me.’ 


text:
But they did not listen. They did not think that my rules were important. Instead, they did all the bad things that they wanted to do. All their thoughts were <i>evil</i>. So I had to <i>punish</i> them. I sent to them all the <i>curses</i> that I promised. I promised those <i>curses</i> if they did not obey me. I <i>punished</i> them because they did not obey the rules of the <i>covenant</i>.” ’ 


text:
‘The people in Judah and those who live in Jerusalem have agreed together. They have agreed to do wrong things. 


text:
They are doing the same <i>sins</i> that their <i>ancestors</i> did. Their <i>ancestors</i> refused to listen to my words. They left me and now they work for other gods. I made a <i>covenant</i> with their <i>ancestors</i>. None of the people from Judah or Israel has obeyed the rules of the <i>covenant</i>.’ 


text:
Because of that, the <i>LORD</i> says, ‘I will bring great trouble to you. You will not get away from it. Even if you call out to me, I will not listen to you. 


text:
The people in the towns in Judah and in Jerusalem will shout to the gods that they <i>worship</i>. But those gods will not help them when trouble happens to them. 


text:
Judah, you have different gods in every town. You have made <i>altars</i> for the god that you should be ashamed of. You have made <i>altars</i> to burn oils that make nice smells for <i>Baal</i>. You have built as many <i>altars</i> as there are streets in Jerusalem. 


text:
Jeremiah, do not pray for these people and do not ask me to do anything for them. I will not listen to them when they ask me for help. 


text:
The people that I love are doing <i>evil</i> things in my <i>temple</i>. <n>They cannot stop me from <i>punishing</i> them. <n>If you give gifts of meat to me, I will still <i>punish</i> you. <n>You enjoy doing these wrong things.’ 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> said that you were like an <i>olive</i> tree. <n>It was beautiful and it gave much fruit. <n>But now he will burn the tree with a loud noise, <n>and he will break all its branches. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i>, who has all power, planted you like a tree. Now he will cause great trouble to Israel and to Judah. That is because you have burnt oils with nice smells to <i>worship</i> the god <i>Baal</i>. You have caused the <i>LORD</i> to be very angry. <n>The men in Anathoth want to kill Jeremiah.</n> 


text:
I was like a young animal that is waiting for men to kill it. I had no idea what they had been saying. <n>‘Sometimes people have to destroy the tree and its fruit’, they said. ‘In the same way, he must not go on living. Men will forget all about him.’ 


text:
‘But <i>LORD</i> of all power, you <i>judge</i> in a fair way. You can see into the thoughts and minds of men. I believe that I have not done anything wrong. So I ask you to <i>punish</i> them. 


text:
The men in Anathoth wanted to kill me. “Do not go on telling us what the <i>LORD</i> says”, they said. “If you do continue to give his messages to us, we will kill you.” ’ 


text:
So the <i>LORD</i> of all power spoke to me. ‘I will <i>punish</i> them. Their young men will die as they fight. And their children will not have enough food and so they will die’, he said. 


text:
He said, ‘I will destroy all the men in Anathoth when I <i>punish</i> them. There will not be one living man there at that time.’ 


text:
You always <i>judge</i> me in a good and fair way <i>LORD</i>, <n>when I tell you about my problems. <n>But I must ask you some questions. <n>Why do bad people have such an easy life? <n>Why does everything seem to happen in the way that pleases them? <n>Why do you help the people who do not obey you to be very comfortable? 


text:
They are like plants that you have planted. And they are growing. <n>They grow and they make fruit. <n>They talk about you a lot. <n>But they do not think about what you want them to do. 


text:
But you know me, <i>LORD</i>. <n>You watch me. And you <i>judge</i> the thoughts that I have about you. <n>Take those bad men away like animals to kill them! <n>Put them in a special place, ready to die. 


text:
The country has been dry for a long time. <n>The grass in every field is brown and dry. <n>The people who live in this country are bad. <n>So all the animals and birds have died. <n>It is even worse than that. People are saying, <n>‘He will not see what happens to us.’ <n>God answers Jeremiah.</n> 


text:
‘You get very tired when you try to run faster than other men. <n>So you will never run faster than horses. <n>You fall over on flat fields. <n>So you will certainly fall near the River Jordan, <n>when you are among many trees and bushes. 


text:
Even your brothers and your own family <n>are against you. <n>They join in the attacks against you. <n>Do not believe them, <n>even when they speak kind words about you.’ <n>God is telling Jeremiah about the troubles that will come to him. Those things will happen because he is speaking God’s words to the people. 


text:
‘I will leave my house and I will go away. <n>And my people’s country will be empty. <n>I will let their enemies take the people that I love. 


text:
The people that belong to me <n>are like a <i>lion</i>. <n>They are like a <i>lion</i> that is hiding in the trees. <n>They shout, ready to jump on me. <n>This is why I <i>hate</i> them. 


text:
The people that I chose are like a small bird. <n>Their enemies are like big birds. They will attack them and they will kill them. <n>Call to the wild animals <n>to come and to eat them! 


text:
My people are like a garden where soft plants grow. <n>But the men who keep the garden are walking all over it. <n>They are making my garden into a <i>desert</i>. 


text:
It will become dry and empty <n>and nothing will grow there. <n>The whole country will become empty <n>because nobody <i>cares</i> for it. 


text:
Enemies will come over the empty country. <n>They will come to destroy my people. <n>Nobody will be safe in any part of the country. 


text:
They will plant good seed, but bad plants will grow. <n>My people will work very hard, but they will get nothing. <n>Because I am very angry, they will not have any food. 


text:
I will remove all the enemies who took this country. They took the country that I gave to my people, Israel. I will take them out of their countries. I will separate the people of Judah from them’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘But after I have taken away the people from Judah, I will be kind to them. I will bring them back, each to the country of his <i>ancestors</i>. I will bring them back to their own country. 


text:
Then they must learn to obey the rules of my people. They must give <i>honour</i> to me. They must not continue to believe in the name of <i>Baal</i>. They must learn to say, “As the <i>LORD</i> lives”. Then they will become part of my people. 


text:
But if the people in any country will not obey these rules, I will destroy it completely’, says the <i>LORD</i>. 


text:
‘Go. And buy a belt that someone has made from cloth. And put it round your body’, the <i>LORD</i> said to me. ‘But you must not put it into water.’ 


text:
‘Take the belt that you bought. You are now wearing it. Take it to the River Euphrates and hide it in a hole in the rocks.’ 


text:
Many days after that, the <i>LORD</i> said to me, ‘Now go to the River Euphrates. Get the belt that I sent you to hide there.’ 


text:
So I went to the River Euphrates, to the place where I had hidden the belt. I dug it up. But it was dirty and I could not use it. 


text:
‘I will destroy everything that has any value in Judah and in Jerusalem. I will make it like this belt. 


text:
These people are very bad. They refuse to listen to my words. They do what they want. They work for other gods and they <i>worship</i> them’, he said. ‘They will be like this belt. Nobody will be able to use them for anything. 


text:
My people are like a belt. I tied all Israel’s people and all Judah’s people round myself. They should have been my people and they should have brought <i>honour</i> and <i>praise</i> to me. But they have not listened to me.’ 


text:
‘You must speak to them. Say, “ ‘People should fill with <i>wine</i> every skin of a goat that is to keep <i>wine</i> in’, says the <i>LORD</i>.” They may answer, “We know that.” 


text:
Then say to them, “I will make all the people who live in this country like drunks. All the kings, <i>prophets</i>, <i>priests</i> and people who live in Jerusalem will be like drunks. 


text:
I will hit them against each other like jars, whether they are old or young”, says the <i>LORD</i>. “I will not be sorry for them and I will not be kind to them. I will destroy them, and nothing can stop me.” ’ <n>The people must not think that they are better than other people.</n> 


text:
Listen to me. <n>Listen very carefully. <n>Do not think that you do not need to listen! <n>The <i>LORD</i> has spoken. 


text:
Give <i>honour</i> to the <i>LORD</i> your God, <n>before he makes it dark. <n>Then your feet will not find the path, <n>as the hills become dark. <n>You want it to get light. <n>But God will make it very dark. 


text:
If you do not listen, <n>I will weep in secret. <n>You think that you do not need the <i>LORD</i>. <n>That is why I will cry. <n>Water will fall from my eyes <n>like a great river. <n>This will happen because the <i>LORD</i> will make his people <i>prisoners</i>. 


text:
Speak to the king and to the queen, his mother. <n>Say, ‘Come down from your <i>thrones</i>. <n>The gold <i>crowns</i> will fall from your heads.’ <n>This means that they will not continue to rule the people. 


text:
The cities in the south of Judah will not be open, <n>and there will be nobody to open them. <n>Enemies will take all the people in Judah to a foreign country. <n>They will take them away completely. 


text:
Look up. See people who are coming from the north. <n>The people that made you important are gone. <n>You are like <i>shepherds</i> who have lost their sheep. 


text:
The <i>LORD</i> will give your authority to other people. <n>People from the country that was your special friend will rule over you. <n>You will have pain, <n>pain like the pain of a woman who is having a baby. 


text:
You may ask, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ <n>It is because of the many wrong things that you have done. <n>That is why people have torn off your clothes. <n>And they have hurt you. 


text:
A black man cannot make himself white, <n>and an animal cannot change its colour. <n>In the same way, you cannot do good things <n>if you have always done <i>evil</i> things. 


text:
That is what I have decided to do to you’, says the <i>LORD</i>. <n>‘I will do it because you have forgotten me. <n>And you have listened to <i>false</i> gods. 


text:
You have had sex with women who are not your wives. <n>And everyone will see that you have done that. <n>They will know that men have paid women <n>to have sex with them. <n>I have seen the bad things that you do <n>on the hills and in the fields. <n>People in Jerusalem, you will never be happy. <n>You should not always do wrong things.’ <n>Here Jeremiah is telling the people in Jerusalem that God will use enemies to <i>punish</i> them. God sees all the wrong things that they are doing. He knows that they do not <i>honour</i> him. He knows that they <i>worship false</i> gods. God says that his people are not <i>faithful</i> to him. They are like a wife who has sex with a man. But the man is not her husband. 


text:
‘Judah’s people are very sad. The people in their cities are tired. <n>They are sitting on the ground and they are crying. <n>Jerusalem’s people are weeping. 


text:
Rich men send their servants for water. <n>But they do not find any water <n>in the big holes where they keep it. <n>They return with empty water jars. <n>Their trouble is great and they are sad. <n>They cover their heads. 


text:
The ground has long holes in it <n>because God has sent no rain. <n>The farmers have great trouble. <n>They cover their heads. <n>Men covered their heads to show that they were sad. They did it when a person died. 


