July 30 - Evening
"Come near, you nations, and listen;
pay attention, you peoples!
Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!
The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will stink; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed. The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat— the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen will fall with them, the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be soaked with fat.
For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again."
- Isaiah 34:1-10
The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will stink; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed. The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat— the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen will fall with them, the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be soaked with fat.
For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again."
- Isaiah 34:1-10
The Lord's Judgment of the Nations
Isaiah chapter 34 and 35 serve as a summary of the first half of the book of Isaiah. These chapters sum up the previous chapters before the historical narrative of chapters 36, 37, 38, and 39 begin. Contrast between:
- fruitful land turned into a desert (man’s kingdom, nations)
- desert turned into a fruitful land (God’s kingdom, those who wait on God)
God will share his glory and his blessing with those who trust in him. The self-willed are going to be destroyed by God. Some of the language of chapter 34 may be offensive to the reader, but the point is that sin is offensive to God. A sacrifice for sin is required. Here the nations are seen as being the sacrifice for their own sins. The judgment is not just upon man and the earth. The judgment extends to the universe 34:1 The nations are called together in Isaiah 1:2 to serve as witnesses for God against his people Israel. Here in Isaiah 34:1 the nations are called to again, but this time it is for judgment.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. - Psalm 24:1
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.’ - 1 Corinthians 10:25,26
34:2 “Totally destroy” is herem in Hebrew and is the word used for totally dedicating something to God by destroying it.
- this was the word used for the destruction of Jericho where the total destruction indicated that God alone was the victory. No one else got to take any of the spoils. Why? Because only God won this battle.
- This was also used in reference to the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15:3, 8, 9, 15, 18, 20, They were the people who tried to stop God’s movement of Israel into the promised land where Israel could be a blessing to the world. Those who oppose God’s plan to bless the world become herem
34:3 Exposed “slain”, “dead bodies”, “stench”, “blood soaked mountains” are all a picture of disgust and disrespect. The exact way God feels towards the nations in rebellion to him. There is no dignity apart from God. Any honor we gain without God ends up as contempt. This is an image similar to Armageddon. 34:4
- stars dissolve
- sky rolled up (Similar to Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:13-14; Ezekiel 32:7-8)
Edom: An Example to all the other nations. This is not speaking only to Edom otherwise it would have been included in the previous chapters when God individually addressed the nations in Isaiah chapters 13-23 Edom is an antithesis to Israel:
- Genesis 25:23 - prophecy while Rebecca was pregnant
- Numbers 20:14-21 – Edom tried to block what God was doing for the world by revealing himself to Israel.
- Obadiah 11-14 - Edom helped Babylon destroy Jerusalem in 587 BC
- Joel 3:19 - “But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they she innocent blood.”
- Amos 1:11-12
- Malachi 1:2-3
- 2 Chronicles 21:8-10
- 2 Chronicles 25:11
- 2 Chronicles 28:17
Esau’s character is described in Hebrews 12:15-16:
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. – Hebrews 12:15-16 (See Genesis 36:1-9)
The point: You can choose God’s way or Edom’s way. 34:5 God has fought in the heavens and descends on Edom. After God has attacked the powers in the heavens he descends to finish his work on the earth. The powers in the heavens that control the earthly powers of the nations. “totally destroyed” is used again in reference to the people dedicated to God for destruction (herem)
34:6 The destruction of the nations is seen as a sacrifice. A sacrifice for their own rebellion. All sin must end in a sacrifice either of the sinner or of one in place of the sinner. Isaiah 53 anticipates this. Salvation of the people of God is only possible because of Isaiah 53. Isaiah 2:1-4 sees a day when the nations will learn the ways of God. But, if they do not learn his ways (such as the sacrifice of Christ) then they will be slaughter as their own sacrifice. 34:7 “wild oxen. . .bull calves. ..great bulls” may refer to animals or to the political leaders of Edom. Some translations read this as “men as strong as wild oxen . . .young men. . .veterans” Bozrah is 25 miles southeast of the Dead Sea. The Lord is seen coming from Edom in Isaiah 63. This is the picture of the trampling of the winepress of Revelation 14:17-20 34:8 The nations have rebelled against God. And in their rebellion they have attacked God’s people.
Neos (Gr) – new (Eng) – the Greek word neos means “new” and is found in Greek such as these:
Neoles meaning “youth” in Mark 10:20; Acts 26:4; 1 Timothy 4:12.
Neoteros which means “younger widows” when it is in the feminine in 1 Timothy 5:11, 14; 1 Peter 5:5.
Neoteros which means “younger” and “younger man” in Luke 15:12 and 1 Timothy 5:1
Neos in the feminine means “young woman in Titus 2:4.
Neoles meaning “youth” in Mark 10:20; Acts 26:4; 1 Timothy 4:12.
Neoteros which means “younger widows” when it is in the feminine in 1 Timothy 5:11, 14; 1 Peter 5:5.
Neoteros which means “younger” and “younger man” in Luke 15:12 and 1 Timothy 5:1
Neos in the feminine means “young woman in Titus 2:4.
Do distinguish between the ways of the world and the ways of God?
Can I discern people and nations that are antagonistic to God's plan?
I will choose to follow the Lord in my values, attitudes and actions.
Bible Reading Descriptions Here
Personal
An elderly person
Church
Leading of the Holy Spirit
Nation
Gun control issues
World
Kazakhstan
Someone to Quote
"If you want to change the future you have to trouble the present."
- Willam Booth
Something to Ponder
In Mark 3:21 Jesus’ family thought Jesus was insane. The religious leaders who had come from Jerusalem to investigate agreed and in their diagnosis of Jesus they said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub!”
(Mark 3:21-34)
(Mark 3:21-34)
Here’s a Fact
Sargon II, the Assyrian king from 722-705 BC, is mentioned one time in the Bible. Isaiah refers to Sargon in a historical accurate situation with a precise chronological mention in Isaiah 20:1. In fact, Isaiah reference to Sargon was the only known reference to this otherwise unknown historical figure until 1843. (Details.) (Sargon details 1, 2, 3. Images 1, 2.)
Proverb
"Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish;
let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."
- Proverbs 31:6-7
let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."
- Proverbs 31:6-7
Coach’s Corner
The greatest miracle is salvation. The godliest spiritual manifestation is the transformed soul.
Lamentations 1New International Version (NIV)
1
[a]How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave.
2
Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.
3
After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
4
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish.
5
Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. The Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins. Her children have gone into exile, captive before the foe.
6
All the splendor has departed from Daughter Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer.
7
In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction.
8
Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have all seen her naked; she herself groans and turns away.
9
Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her. “Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed.”
10
The enemy laid hands on all her treasures; she saw pagan nations enter her sanctuary— those you had forbidden to enter your assembly.
11
All her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. “Look, Lord, and consider, for I am despised.”
12
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the Lord brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?
13
“From on high he sent fire, sent it down into my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long.
14
“My sins have been bound into a yoke[b]; by his hands they were woven together. They have been hung on my neck, and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.
15
“The Lord has rejected all the warriors in my midst; he has summoned an army against me to[c] crush my young men. In his winepress the Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah.
16
“This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”
17
Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The Lord has decreed for Jacob that his neighbors become his foes; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18
“The Lord is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile.
19
“I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.
20
“See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.
21
“People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me.
22
“Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Footnotes:
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1
[a]How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave.
2
Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.
3
After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
4
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate, her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish.
5
Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. The Lord has brought her grief because of her many sins. Her children have gone into exile, captive before the foe.
6
All the splendor has departed from Daughter Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture; in weakness they have fled before the pursuer.
7
In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands, there was no one to help her. Her enemies looked at her and laughed at her destruction.
8
Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have all seen her naked; she herself groans and turns away.
9
Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her. “Look, Lord, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed.”
10
The enemy laid hands on all her treasures; she saw pagan nations enter her sanctuary— those you had forbidden to enter your assembly.
11
All her people groan as they search for bread; they barter their treasures for food to keep themselves alive. “Look, Lord, and consider, for I am despised.”
12
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the Lord brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?
13
“From on high he sent fire, sent it down into my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long.
14
“My sins have been bound into a yoke[b]; by his hands they were woven together. They have been hung on my neck, and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.
15
“The Lord has rejected all the warriors in my midst; he has summoned an army against me to[c] crush my young men. In his winepress the Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah.
16
“This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”
17
Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her. The Lord has decreed for Jacob that his neighbors become his foes; Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18
“The Lord is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command. Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile.
19
“I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.
20
“See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.
21
“People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me.
22
“Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Footnotes:
- Lamentations 1:1 This chapter is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
- Lamentations 1:14 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint He kept watch over my sins
- Lamentations 1:15 Or has set a time for me / when he will
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Isaiah 57-58New International Version (NIV)
57
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
2
Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
3
“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
4
Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars?
5
You burn with lust among the oaks and under every spreading tree; you sacrifice your children in the ravines and under the overhanging crags.
6
The idols among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion; indeed, they are your lot. Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings and offered grain offerings. In view of all this, should I relent?
7
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill; there you went up to offer your sacrifices.
8
Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love, and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.
9
You went to Molek[a] with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors[b] far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!
10
You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.
11
“Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?
12
I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you.
13
When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
15
For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16
I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me— the very people I have created.
17
I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways.
18
I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners,
19
creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20
But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
21
“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
True Fasting
58
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2
For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
3
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
4
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
6
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[c] will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14
then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Footnotes:
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
57
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
2
Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
3
“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
4
Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars?
5
You burn with lust among the oaks and under every spreading tree; you sacrifice your children in the ravines and under the overhanging crags.
6
The idols among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion; indeed, they are your lot. Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings and offered grain offerings. In view of all this, should I relent?
7
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill; there you went up to offer your sacrifices.
8
Behind your doors and your doorposts you have put your pagan symbols. Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed, you climbed into it and opened it wide; you made a pact with those whose beds you love, and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.
9
You went to Molek[a] with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors[b] far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!
10
You wearied yourself by such going about, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.
11
“Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart? Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear me?
12
I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you.
13
When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But whoever takes refuge in me will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain.”
Comfort for the Contrite
14 And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
15
For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16
I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me— the very people I have created.
17
I was enraged by their sinful greed; I punished them, and hid my face in anger, yet they kept on in their willful ways.
18
I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners,
19
creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20
But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
21
“There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
True Fasting
58
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2
For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
3
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
4
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
6
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7
Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[c] will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11
The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
12
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14
then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Footnotes:
- Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
- Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
- Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.