July 29 - Morning
"This is what the Sovereign Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, says:
'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength!
- but you would have none of it.
You said, "No, we will flee on horses." Therefore you will flee!
You said, "We will ride off on swift horses." Therefore your pursuers will be swift!' "
- Isaiah 30:15-16
'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength!
- but you would have none of it.
You said, "No, we will flee on horses." Therefore you will flee!
You said, "We will ride off on swift horses." Therefore your pursuers will be swift!' "
- Isaiah 30:15-16
Repentance and Rest
30:13-14 The build up of sin and the rejection of God’s counsel is like:
A Wall
- The wall is cracked but has not yet collapsed
- Sin is pressuring the wall
- When it does fall it will be sudden
- One minute it is all together and useful
- In an instant it becomes uselessly shattered
- Destruction is so great that the simplest tasks are impossible
Points:
- Sin builds up and disaster is not immediate
- Sin causes a crack but this is not the collapse
Remedy: Go to the Holy One no matter how difficult it is or how radical your life my have to change. The alternative is a complete overthrow.
30:15-18
The Lord wants good for these people but since they refuse to obey and to wait for God they will receive none of his salvation and strength. God is now forced to wait on them until they have gone through disasters. Rebellion towards God not only brings disaster it keeps God’s salvation and strength away.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those went to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” - Matthew 23:37
30:16
God offers himself and they choose horses. They have planned their escape on horses. God says they will use them.
The enemy will be swifter. There is always someone or something stronger or faster. Our only hope is to side with God who is always the best.
30:17
Since they trusted in something weak and not worth trusting (Egypt, themselves) the fleeing will begin quickly. Once they realize their hope has failed them thousands will begin fleeing. There will be no confidence left when they see Egypt and themselves fail.
The flagstaff on a mountaintop may represent Jerusalem after 701 deliverance because Jerusalem was the only thing left standing.The flag bearer during a battle holds the flag in a visible place so every one will know where to rally to during the battle or at the end. In this case, the only thing left standing is the flag bearer. Everyone else was killed.
30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. - Isaiah 30:18
This verse shows that God is ready to be gracious when the people are ready.
God is now waiting for the people to get ready.
“The Lord is a God of justice” is saying to the people that:
1. God is reachable with our prayers and repentance
2. God responds to our situation and our attitudes
3. God is aware of our commitment, our suffering, our waiting.
4. God is fair and will give us what is right
- Discipline when needed
- Graciousness when we are ready. You can count on it.
- He will payback:Punishment to those who deserve it
- Rewards to those who have earned them.
It also means God is not:
- Random in his judgment
- Judges quickly in a rage
- Unresponsive to our repentance
- Unaware that we are human
Chereb (Hb) - sword (Eng) - The Hebrew word chereb means “sword,” “dagger,” “flint knife” and “chisel.” Most often chereb is a weapon of war. In Exodus 20:25 chereb is a tool for hewing.
I will confess and repent of my sin.
I will not cover my sin, deny my sin or allow the guilt of my sin to build up.
I will acknowledge my sin and look to the Lord for strength and deliverance.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
Sleep
Church
Minister to the lonely
Nation
Separation of Church and State
World
Jordan
Someone to Quote
"Our responsibility is to wait faithfully for Jesus while we serve him productively."
- Galyn Wiemers
- Galyn Wiemers
Something to Ponder
Here’s a Fact
In 1 Kings 9:15-17 we are told that Pharaoh captured and destroyed Gezer and then gave it to Solomon as a wedding present. Solomon then is said to have built up the city including the gate.
Excavations reveal the Egyptian destruction layer. The gate system was found that matched the gates systems also built by Solomon at Hazor and Megiddo.
Watch Galyn's video of these Gates:
Excavations reveal the Egyptian destruction layer. The gate system was found that matched the gates systems also built by Solomon at Hazor and Megiddo.
Watch Galyn's video of these Gates:
Proverb
"The poor man and the oppressor have this
in common:
The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both."
- Proverbs 29:13
in common:
The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both."
- Proverbs 29:13
Coach’s Corner
Personal growth increases your personal potential. The failure to learn and the refusal to change is the rejection of increasing your opportunity for success.
1 Kings 4New International Version (NIV)
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;
Zadok and Abiathar—priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar—palace administrator;
Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names:
Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);
11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;
13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
16 Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s Daily Provisions
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors[b] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]
27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]
Footnotes:
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Solomon’s Officials and Governors
4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 And these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;
Zadok and Abiathar—priests;
5 Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
6 Ahishar—palace administrator;
Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. 8 These are their names:
Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;
9 Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
10 Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);
11 Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
12 Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;
13 Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;
15 Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
16 Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;
18 Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;
19 Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
Solomon’s Daily Provisions
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors[b] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]
27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]
Footnotes:
- 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
- 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
- 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
- 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
- 1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalm 74New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 74
A maskil[a] of Asaph.
1
O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2
Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed— Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4
Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.
5
They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
6
They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.
7
They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8
They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9
We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
10
How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever?
11
Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12
But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.
13
It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14
It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
15
It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16
The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
17
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.
18
Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name.
19
Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
20
Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
22
Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.
23
Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
Footnotes:
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Psalm 74
A maskil[a] of Asaph.
1
O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2
Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed— Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3
Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4
Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs.
5
They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees.
6
They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.
7
They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8
They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9
We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be.
10
How long will the enemy mock you, God? Will the foe revile your name forever?
11
Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12
But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.
13
It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.
14
It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.
15
It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
16
The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.
17
It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.
18
Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name.
19
Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
20
Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
21
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name.
22
Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long.
23
Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 74:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Isaiah 49-51New International Version (NIV)
The Servant of the Lord
49
Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
2
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.
3
He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”
4
But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”
5
And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am[a] honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—
6
he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
7
This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9
to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.
10
They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
11
I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.
12
See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.[b]”
13
Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
14
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
15
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
17
Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.
18
Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.
19
“Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.
20
The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’
21
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.
23
Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
24
Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce[c]?
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.
26
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2
When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
3
I clothe the heavens with darkness and make sackcloth its covering.”
4
The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5
The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.
6
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
8
He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!
9
It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
10
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.
11
But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.
Everlasting Salvation for Zion
51
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2
look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.
3
The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
4
“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.
5
My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.
6
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
7
“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults.
8
For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.”
9
Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?
10
Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?
11
Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12
“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass,
13
that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14
The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.
15
For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name.
16
I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath
17
Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.
18
Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand.
19
These double calamities have come upon you— who can comfort you?— ruin and destruction, famine and sword— who can[d] console you?
20
Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God.
21
Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk, but not with wine.
22
This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: “See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.
23
I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, ‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’ And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked on.”
Footnotes:
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Servant of the Lord
49
Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.
2
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.
3
He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”
4
But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”
5
And now the Lord says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am[a] honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—
6
he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
7
This is what the Lord says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9
to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill.
10
They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
11
I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.
12
See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.[b]”
13
Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
14
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
15
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
16
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.
17
Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.
18
Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.
19
“Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.
20
The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’
21
Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.
23
Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
24
Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives be rescued from the fierce[c]?
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.
26
I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience
50 This is what the Lord says:
“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Because of your sins you were sold; because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2
When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke I dry up the sea, I turn rivers into a desert; their fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
3
I clothe the heavens with darkness and make sackcloth its covering.”
4
The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
5
The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away.
6
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.
7
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
8
He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!
9
It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
10
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.
11
But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.
Everlasting Salvation for Zion
51
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2
look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.
3
The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
4
“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: Instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.
5
My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.
6
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
7
“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults.
8
For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, my salvation through all generations.”
9
Awake, awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?
10
Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?
11
Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12
“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass,
13
that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14
The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.
15
For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name.
16
I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath
17
Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger.
18
Among all the children she bore there was none to guide her; among all the children she reared there was none to take her by the hand.
19
These double calamities have come upon you— who can comfort you?— ruin and destruction, famine and sword— who can[d] console you?
20
Your children have fainted; they lie at every street corner, like antelope caught in a net. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord, with the rebuke of your God.
21
Therefore hear this, you afflicted one, made drunk, but not with wine.
22
This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: “See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.
23
I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, ‘Fall prostrate that we may walk on you.’ And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked on.”
Footnotes:
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
- Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
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