# verses

text:
A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren.


text:
My son, keep your father’s [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you]. <f>ⓔ</f>


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When you go, they [the words of your parents’ God] shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you.


text:
For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light, and reproofs of discipline are the way of life, <f>ⓖ</f>


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For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulteress stalks <i>and</i> snares [as with a hook] the precious life [of a man].


text:
So he who cohabits with his neighbor’s wife [will be tortured with evil consequences and just retribution]; he who touches her shall not be innocent <i>or</i> go unpunished.


text:
But if he is found out, he must restore seven times [what he stole]; he must give the whole substance of his house [if necessary — to meet his fine].


text:
But whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks heart <i>and</i> understanding (moral principle and prudence); he who does it is destroying his own life.


text:
For jealousy makes [the wronged] man furious; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance [upon the detected one].


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He will not consider any ransom [offered to buy him off from demanding full punishment]; neither will he be satisfied, though you offer him many gifts <i>and</i> bribes.


text:
My son, keep my words; lay up within you my commandments [for use when needed] <i>and</i> treasure them.


text:
Keep my commandments and live, and keep my law <i>and</i> teaching as the apple (the pupil) of your eye.


text:
Say to skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom, You are my sister, and regard understanding <i>or</i> insight as your intimate friend —


text:
That they may keep you from the loose woman, from the adventuress who flatters with <i>and</i> makes smooth her words.


text:
And among the simple (empty-headed and emptyhearted) ones, I perceived among the youths a young man void of good sense,


text:
So I came forth to meet you [that you might share with me the feast from my offering]; diligently I sought your face, and I have found you.


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I have spread my couch with rugs <i>and</i> cushions of tapestry, with striped sheets of fine linen of Egypt.


text:
Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us console <i>and</i> delight ourselves with love.


text:
With much justifying <i>and</i> enticing argument she persuades him, with the allurements of her lips she leads him [to overcome his conscience and his fears] <i>and</i> forces him along.


text:
Suddenly he [yields and] follows her reluctantly like an ox moving to the slaughter, like one in fetters going to the correction [to be given] to a fool <i>or</i> <f>[1]</f><i>like a dog enticed by food to the muzzle</i>


text:
Till a dart [of passion] pierces <i>and</i> inflames his vitals; then like a bird fluttering straight into the net [he hastens], not knowing that it will cost him his life.


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Does not skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom cry out, and understanding raise her voice [in contrast to the loose woman]?


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O you simple <i>and</i> thoughtless ones, understand prudence; you [self-confident] fools, be of an understanding heart. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Hear, for I will speak excellent <i>and</i> princely things; and the opening of my lips shall be for right things.


text:
All the words of my mouth are righteous (upright and in right standing with God); there is nothing contrary to truth or crooked in them.


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They are all plain to him who understands [and opens his heart], and right to those who find knowledge [and live by it].


text:
Receive my instruction in preference to [striving for] silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,


text:
For skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom is better than rubies <i>or</i> pearls, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The reverent fear <i>and</i> worshipful awe of the Lord [includes] the hatred of evil; pride, arrogance, the evil way, and perverted <i>and</i> twisted speech I hate.


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Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness (uprightness in every area and relation, and right standing with God). <f>ⓕ</f>


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I [Wisdom] walk in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), in the midst of the paths of justice,


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The Lord formed <i>and</i> brought me [Wisdom] forth at the beginning of His way, before His acts of old.


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I [Wisdom] was inaugurated <i>and</i> ordained from everlasting, from the beginning, before ever the earth existed. <f>ⓖ</f>


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When He prepared the heavens, I [Wisdom] was there; when He drew a circle upon the face of the deep <i>and</i> stretched out the firmament over it,


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When He gave to the sea its limit <i>and</i> His decree that the waters should not transgress [across the boundaries set by] His command, when He appointed the foundations of the earth — <f>ⓘ</f>


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Then I [Wisdom] was <f>[1]</f>beside Him as a master <i>and</i> director of the work; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always, <f>ⓙ</f>


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Now therefore listen to me, O you sons; for blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are those who keep my ways. <f>ⓛ</f>


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Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.


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But he who misses me <i>or</i> sins against me wrongs <i>and</i> injures himself; all who hate me love <i>and</i> court death.


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Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out <i>and</i> set up her seven [perfect number of] pillars.


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Whoever is simple (easily led astray and wavering), let him turn in here! As for him who lacks understanding, [God’s] Wisdom says to him,


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Leave off, simple ones [forsake the foolish and simpleminded] and live! And walk in the way of insight <i>and</i> understanding.


text:
He who rebukes a scorner heaps upon himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man gets for himself bruises.


text:
Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man (one upright and in right standing with God) and he will increase in learning.


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The reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight <i>and</i> understanding.


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For by me [Wisdom from God] your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased.


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If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scorn, you alone will bear it <i>and</i> pay the penalty.


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The foolish woman is noisy; she is simple <i>and</i> open to all forms of evil, she [willfully and recklessly] knows nothing whatever [of eternal value].


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Whoever is simple (wavering and easily led astray), let him turn in here! And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,


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Stolen waters (pleasures) are sweet [because they are forbidden]; and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. <f>ⓓ</f>


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But he knows not that the shades of the dead are there [specters haunting the scene of past transgressions], and that her invited guests are [already sunk] in the depths of Sheol (the lower world, Hades, the place of the dead).


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The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish <i>and</i> self-confident son is the grief of his mother.


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Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) delivers from death.


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The Lord will not allow the [uncompromisingly] righteous to famish, but He thwarts the desire of the wicked. <f>ⓐ</f>


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He becomes poor who works with a slack <i>and</i> idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.


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Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.


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The memory of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot. <f>ⓑ</f>


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The wise in heart will accept <i>and</i> obey commandments, but the foolish of lips will fall headlong.


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He who walks uprightly walks securely, but he who takes a crooked way shall be found out <i>and</i> punished.


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He who winks with the eye [craftily and with malice] causes sorrow; the foolish of lips will fall headlong <i>but</i> <f>[1]</f><i>he who boldly reproves makes peace</i>.


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The mouth of the [uncompromisingly] righteous man is a well of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.


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On the lips of him who has discernment skillful <i>and</i> godly <f>[2]</f>Wisdom is found, but discipline <i>and</i> the rod are for the back of him who is without sense <i>and</i> understanding.


text:
Wise men store up knowledge [in mind and heart], but the mouth of the foolish is a present destruction.


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The earnings of the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) lead to life, but the profit of the wicked leads to further sin. <f>ⓓ</f>


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He who heeds instruction <i>and</i> correction is [not only himself] in the way of life [but also] is a way of life for others. And he who neglects <i>or</i> refuses reproof [not only himself] goes astray [but also] causes to err <i>and</i> is a path toward ruin for others.


text:
He who hides hatred is of lying lips, and he who utters slander is a [self-confident] fool. <f>ⓔ</f>


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The tongues of those who are upright <i>and</i> in right standing with God are as choice silver; the minds of those who are wicked <i>and</i> out of harmony with God are of little value.


text:
The lips of the [uncompromisingly] righteous feed <i>and</i> guide many, but fools die for want of understanding <i>and</i> heart.


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The blessing of the Lord — it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].


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It is as sport to a [self-confident] fool to do wickedness, but to have skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom is pleasure <i>and</i> relaxation to a man of understanding.


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The thing a wicked man fears shall come upon him, but the desire of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be granted.


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When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous have an everlasting foundation. <f>ⓕ</f>


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As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who employ <i>and</i> send him.


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The reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one’s days, but the years of the wicked shall be made short.


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The hope of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) is gladness, but the expectation of the wicked (those who are out of harmony with God) comes to nothing.


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The way of the Lord is strength <i>and</i> a stronghold to the upright, but it is destruction to the workers of iniquity.


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The [consistently] righteous shall never be removed, but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth [eventually]. <f>ⓖ</f>


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The mouths of the righteous (those harmonious with God) bring forth skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom, but the perverse tongue shall be cut down [like a barren and rotten tree].


text:
The lips of the [uncompromisingly] righteous know [and therefore utter] what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked knows [and therefore speaks only] what is obstinately willful <i>and</i> contrary.


text:
A false balance <i>and</i> unrighteous dealings are extremely offensive <i>and</i> shamefully sinful to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
When swelling <i>and</i> pride come, then emptiness <i>and</i> shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom <i>and</i> soundness.


text:
The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the willful contrariness <i>and</i> crookedness of the treacherous shall destroy them.


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Riches provide no security in any day of wrath <i>and</i> judgment, but righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) delivers from death. <f>ⓑ</f>


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The righteousness of the blameless shall rectify <i>and</i> make plain their way <i>and</i> keep it straight, but the wicked shall fall by their own wickedness.


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The righteousness of the upright [their rectitude in every area and relation] shall deliver them, but the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity <i>and</i> greedy desire.


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When the wicked man dies, his hope [for the future] perishes; and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.


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With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge <i>and</i> superior discernment shall the righteous be delivered.


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When it goes well with the [uncompromisingly] righteous, the city rejoices, but when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.


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By the blessing of the influence of the upright <i>and</i> God’s favor [because of them] the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.


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He who belittles <i>and</i> despises his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding keeps silent.


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He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy <i>and</i> faithful in spirit keeps the matter hidden.


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He who becomes security for an outsider shall smart for it, but he who hates suretyship is secure [from its penalties].


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A gracious <i>and</i> good woman wins honor [for her husband], and violent men win riches <i>but</i> <f>[1]</f><i>a woman who hates righteousness is a throne of dishonor for him</i>.


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The merciful, kind, <i>and</i> generous man benefits himself [for his deeds return to bless him], but he who is cruel <i>and</i> callous [to the wants of others] brings on himself retribution.


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The wicked man earns deceitful wages, but he who sows righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) shall have a sure reward [permanent and satisfying]. <f>ⓒ</f>


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He who is steadfast in righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) attains to life, but he who pursues evil does it to his own death.


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They who are willfully contrary in heart are extremely disgusting <i>and</i> shamefully vile in the eyes of the Lord, but such as are blameless <i>and</i> wholehearted in their ways are His delight!


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Assuredly [I pledge it] the wicked shall not go unpunished, but the multitude of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be delivered.


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The desire of the [consistently] righteous brings only good, but the expectation of the wicked brings wrath.


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There are those who [generously] scatter abroad, and yet increase more; there are those who withhold more than is fitting <i>or</i> what is justly due, but it results only in want.


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The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it], but a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it.


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He who diligently seeks good seeks [God’s] favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come upon him.


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He who leans on, trusts in, <i>and</i> is confident in his riches shall fall, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like a green bough.


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He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind, and the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.


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The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men — he gathers and receives them for eternity]. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Behold, the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall be recompensed on earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner! <i>And</i> <f>[2]</f><i>if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the ungodly and wicked</i>? <f>ⓕ</f>


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Whoever loves instruction <i>and</i> correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid <i>and</i> indiscriminating.


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A man shall not be established by wickedness, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall never be moved.


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A virtuous <i>and</i> worthy wife [earnest and strong in character] is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. <f>ⓐ</f>


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The thoughts <i>and</i> purposes of the [consistently] righteous are honest <i>and</i> reliable, but the counsels <i>and</i> designs of the wicked are treacherous.


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The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them <i>and</i> the innocent ones [thus endangered].


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The wicked are overthrown and are not, but the house of the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall stand.


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A man shall be commended according to his Wisdom [godly Wisdom, which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God], but he who is of a perverse heart shall be despised.


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Better is he who is lightly esteemed but works for his own support than he who assumes honor for himself and lacks bread.


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A [consistently] righteous man regards the life of his beast, but even the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. <f>ⓑ</f>


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He who tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits is lacking in sense <i>and</i> is without understanding.


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The wicked desire the booty of evil men, but the root of the [uncompromisingly] righteous yields [richer fruitage].


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The wicked is [dangerously] snared by the transgression of his lips, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall come out of trouble.


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From the fruit of his words a man shall be satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hands shall come back to him [as a harvest].


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He who breathes out truth shows forth righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), but a false witness utters deceit.


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There are those who speak rashly, like the piercing of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.


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No [actual] evil, misfortune, <i>or</i> calamity shall come upon the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil, misfortune, <i>and</i> calamity. <f>ⓓ</f>


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Lying lips are extremely disgusting <i>and</i> hateful to the Lord, but they who deal faithfully are His delight. <f>ⓔ</f>


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A prudent man is reluctant to display his knowledge, but the heart of [self-confident] fools proclaims their folly. <f>ⓕ</f>


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The [consistently] righteous man is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked causes others to go astray.


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The slothful man does not catch his game <i>or</i> roast it once he kills it, but the diligent man gets precious possessions.


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Life is in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation), and in its pathway there is no death <i>but</i> immortality (perpetual, eternal life). <f>ⓗ</f>


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A wise son heeds [and is the fruit of] his father’s instruction <i>and</i> correction, but a scoffer listens not to rebuke.


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A good man eats good from the fruit of his mouth, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.


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The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied. <f>ⓐ</f>


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A [consistently] righteous man hates lying <i>and</i> deceit, but a wicked man is loathsome [his very breath spreads pollution] and he comes [surely] to shame.


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Righteousness (rightness and justice in every area and relation) guards him who is upright in the way, but wickedness plunges into sin <i>and</i> overthrows the sinner.


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One man considers himself rich, yet has nothing [to keep permanently]; another man considers himself poor, yet has great [and indestructible] riches. <f>ⓑ</f>


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A rich man can buy his way out of threatened death by paying a ransom, but the poor man does not even have to listen to threats [from the envious].


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The light of the [uncompromisingly] righteous [is within him — it grows brighter and] rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked [furnishes only a derived, temporary light and] shall be put out shortly.


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By pride <i>and</i> insolence comes only contention, but with the well-advised is skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom.


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Wealth [not earned but] won in haste <i>or</i> unjustly <i>or</i> from the production of things for vain <i>or</i> detrimental use [such riches] will dwindle away, but he who gathers little by little will increase [his riches].


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Whoever despises the word <i>and</i> counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, but he who [reverently] fears <i>and</i> respects the commandment [of God] is rewarded.


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Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the transgressor is hard [like the barren, dry soil or the impassable swamp].


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Every prudent man deals with knowledge, but a [self-confident] fool exposes <i>and</i> flaunts his folly.


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Poverty and shame come to him who refuses instruction <i>and</i> correction, but he who heeds reproof is honored.


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Satisfied desire is sweet to a person; therefore it is hateful <i>and</i> exceedingly offensive to [self-confident] fools to give up evil [upon which they have set their hearts].


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He who walks [as a companion] with wise men is wise, but he who associates with [self-confident] fools is [a fool himself and] shall smart for it. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Evil pursues sinners, but the consistently upright <i>and</i> in right standing with God is recompensed with good.


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A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up.


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Much food is in the tilled land of the poor, but there are those who are destroyed because of injustice.


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He who spares his rod [of discipline] hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines diligently <i>and</i> punishes him early. <f>ⓓ</f>


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The [uncompromisingly] righteous eats to his own satisfaction, but the stomach of the wicked is in want.


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He who walks in uprightness reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fears the Lord, but he who is contrary <i>and</i> devious in his ways despises Him.


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In the <f>[1]</f>fool’s own mouth is a rod [to shame] his pride, but the wise men’s lips preserve them.


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Where no oxen are, the grain crib is empty, but much increase [of crops] comes by the strength of the ox.


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A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain [for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it], but knowledge is easy to him who [being teachable] understands.


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Go from the presence of a foolish <i>and</i> self-confident man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.


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The Wisdom [godly Wisdom, which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of [self-confident] fools is to deceive.


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Fools make a mock of sin <i>and</i> sin mocks the fools [who are its victims; a sin offering made by them only mocks them, bringing them disappointment and disfavor], but among the upright there is the favor of God. <f>ⓐ</f>


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There is a way which seems right to a man <i>and</i> appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.


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The backslider in heart [from God and from fearing God] shall be filled with [the fruit of] his own ways, and a good man shall be satisfied with [the fruit of] his ways [with the holy thoughts and actions which his heart prompts and in which he delights].


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The simpleton believes every word he hears, but the prudent man looks <i>and</i> considers well where he is going.


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A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil, but the fool bears himself insolently and is [presumptuously] confident.


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He who foams up quickly <i>and</i> flies into a passion deals foolishly, and a man of wicked plots <i>and</i> plans is hated.


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The evil men bow before the good, and the wicked [stand suppliantly] at the gates of the [uncompromisingly] righteous.


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He who despises his neighbor sins [against God, his fellowman, and himself], but happy (blessed and fortunate) is he who is kind <i>and</i> merciful to the poor.


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Do they not err who devise evil <i>and</i> wander from the way of life? But loving-kindness <i>and</i> mercy, loyalty <i>and</i> faithfulness, shall be to those who devise good.


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The crown of the wise is their wealth of Wisdom, but the foolishness of [self-confident] fools is [nothing but] folly.


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In the reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children shall always have a place of refuge.


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Reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. <f>ⓑ</f>


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He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exposes <i>and</i> exalts his folly. <f>ⓒ</f>


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A calm <i>and</i> undisturbed mind <i>and</i> heart are the life <i>and</i> health of the body, but envy, jealousy, <i>and</i> wrath are like rottenness of the bones.


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He who oppresses the poor reproaches, mocks, <i>and</i> insults his Maker, but he who is kind <i>and</i> merciful to the needy honors Him. <f>ⓓ</f>


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The wicked is overthrown through his wrongdoing <i>and</i> calamity, but the [consistently] righteous has hope <i>and</i> confidence even in death.


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Wisdom rests [silently] in the mind <i>and</i> heart of him who has understanding, but that which is in the inward part of [self-confident] fools is made known. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Uprightness <i>and</i> right standing with God (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) elevate a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.


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The king’s favor is toward a wise <i>and</i> discreet servant, but his wrath is against him who does shamefully. <f>ⓕ</f>


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The tongue of the wise utters knowledge rightly, but the mouth of the [self-confident] fool pours out folly.


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A gentle tongue [with its healing power] is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit.


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A fool despises his father’s instruction <i>and</i> correction, but he who regards reproof acquires prudence.


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In the house of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is great [priceless] treasure, but with the income of the wicked is trouble <i>and</i> vexation.


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The lips of the wise disperse knowledge [sifting it as chaff from the grain]; not so the minds <i>and</i> hearts of the self-confident <i>and</i> foolish.


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The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, hateful <i>and</i> exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight! <f>ⓒ</f>


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The way of the wicked is an abomination, extremely disgusting <i>and</i> shamefully vile to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).


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There is severe discipline for him who forsakes God’s way; and he who hates reproof will die [physically, morally, and spiritually].


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Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the abyss, the final place of the accuser Satan) are both before the Lord — how much more, then, the hearts of the children of men? <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge and inquires after <i>and</i> craves it, but the mouth of the [self-confident] fool feeds on folly. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
All the days of the desponding <i>and</i> afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].


text:
Better is little with the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord than great <i>and</i> rich treasure and trouble with it. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
The way of the sluggard is overgrown with thorns [it pricks, lacerates, and entangles him], but the way of the righteous is plain <i>and</i> raised like a highway.


text:
A wise son makes a glad father, but a self-confident <i>and</i> foolish man despises his mother <i>and</i> puts her to shame.


text:
Folly is pleasure to him who is without heart <i>and</i> sense, but a man of understanding walks uprightly [making straight his course]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
The path of the wise leads upward to life, that he may avoid [the gloom] in the depths of Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead). <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but He makes secure the boundaries of the [consecrated] widow.


text:
The thoughts of the wicked are shamefully vile <i>and</i> exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasing words to Him.


text:
He who is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
The mind of the [uncompromisingly] righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the [consistently] righteous (the upright, in right standing with Him).


text:
The light in the eyes [of him whose heart is joyful] rejoices the hearts of others, and good news nourishes the bones.


text:
He who refuses <i>and</i> ignores instruction <i>and</i> correction despises himself, but he who heeds reproof gets understanding.


text:
The reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord brings instruction in Wisdom, and humility comes before honor.


text:
The plans of the mind <i>and</i> orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue.


text:
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established <i>and</i> succeed.


text:
The Lord has made everything [to accommodate itself and contribute] to its own end <i>and</i> His own purpose — even the wicked [are fitted for their role] for the day of calamity <i>and</i> evil.


text:
Everyone proud <i>and</i> arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful, <i>and</i> exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured [I pledge it] they will not go unpunished. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
By mercy <i>and</i> love, truth <i>and</i> fidelity [to God and man — not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from <i>and</i> avoid evil.


text:
Better is a little with righteousness (uprightness in every area and relation and right standing with God) than great revenues with injustice. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Divinely directed decisions are on the lips of the king; his mouth should not transgress in judgment.


text:
A just balance <i>and</i> scales are the Lord’s; all the weights of the bag are His work [established on His eternal principles].


text:
It is an abomination [to God and men] for kings to commit wickedness, for a throne is established <i>and</i> made secure by righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).


text:
In the light of the king’s countenance is life, and his favor is as a cloud bringing the spring rain.


text:
How much better it is to get skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the meek <i>and</i> poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.


text:
He who deals wisely <i>and</i> heeds [God’s] word <i>and</i> counsel shall find good, and whoever leans on, trusts in, <i>and</i> is confident in the Lord — happy, blessed, <i>and</i> fortunate is he.


text:
The wise in heart are called prudent, understanding, <i>and</i> knowing, and winsome speech increases learning [in both speaker and listener].


text:
Understanding is a wellspring of life to those who have it, but to give instruction to fools is folly.


text:
There is a way that seems right to a man <i>and</i> appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death.


text:
The exceedingly grasping, covetous, <i>and</i> violent man entices his neighbor, leading him in a way that is not good.


text:
He who shuts his eyes to devise perverse things and who compresses his lips [as if in concealment] brings evil to pass.


text:
The hoary head is a crown of beauty <i>and</i> glory if it is found in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation). <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his [own] spirit than he who takes a city.


text:
The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].


text:
Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting [on offered sacrifices] with strife.


text:
A wise servant shall have rule over a son who causes shame, and shall share in the inheritance among the brothers.


text:
Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he who is glad at calamity shall not be held innocent <i>or</i> go unpunished. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Fine <i>or</i> arrogant speech does not befit [an empty-headed] fool — much less do lying lips befit a prince.


text:
A bribe is like a bright, precious stone that dazzles the eyes <i>and</i> affects the mind of him who gives it; [as if by magic] he prospers, whichever way he turns.


text:
He who covers <i>and</i> forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats <i>or</i> harps on a matter separates even close friends.


text:
A reproof enters deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred lashes into a [self-confident] fool. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a stern <i>and</i> pitiless messenger shall be sent against him.


text:
Let [the brute ferocity of] a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man rather than a [self-confident] fool in his folly [when he is in a rage]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse <i>and</i> quarreling breaks out.


text:
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination [exceedingly disgusting and hateful] to the Lord. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Of what use is money in the hand of a [self-confident] fool to buy skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom — when he has no understanding <i>or</i> heart for it?


text:
A man void of good sense gives a pledge and becomes security for another in the presence of his neighbor.


text:
He who loves strife <i>and</i> is quarrelsome loves transgression <i>and</i> involves himself in guilt; he who raises high his gateway <i>and</i> is boastful <i>and</i> arrogant invites destruction.


text:
He who has a wayward <i>and</i> crooked mind finds no good, and he who has a willful <i>and</i> contrary tongue will fall into calamity. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
He who becomes the parent of a [self-confident] fool does it to his sorrow, and the father of [an empty-headed] fool has no joy [in him].


text:
A happy heart is good medicine <i>and</i> a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
A man of understanding sets skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom before his face, but the eyes of a [self-confident] fool are on the ends of the earth.


text:
A self-confident <i>and</i> foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.


text:
Also, to punish <i>or</i> fine the righteous is not good, nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.


text:
Even a fool when he holds his peace is considered wise; when he closes his lips he is esteemed a man of understanding.


text:
He who willfully separates <i>and</i> estranges himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire <i>and</i> pretext to break out against all wise <i>and</i> sound judgment.


text:
A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding but only in revealing his personal opinions <i>and</i> himself.


text:
When the wicked comes in [to the depth of evil], he becomes a contemptuous despiser [of all that is pure and good], and with inner baseness comes outer shame <i>and</i> reproach.


text:
The words of a [discreet and wise] man’s mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].


text:
To respect the person of the wicked <i>and</i> be partial to him, so as to deprive the [consistently] righteous of justice, is not good.


text:
The words of a whisperer <i>or</i> talebearer are as dainty morsels; they go down into the innermost parts of the body.


text:
He who is loose <i>and</i> slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f><i>he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide</i>.


text:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] <i>and</i> strong.


text:
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as a high protecting wall in his own imagination <i>and</i> conceit.


text:
The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain <i>or</i> trouble, but a weak <i>and</i> broken spirit who can raise up <i>or</i> bear?


text:
The mind of the prudent is ever getting knowledge, and the ear of the wise is ever seeking (inquiring for and craving) knowledge.


text:
A brother offended is harder to be won over than a strong city, and [their] contentions separate them like the bars of a castle.


text:
A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil].


text:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
The man of many friends [a friend of all the world] will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.


text:
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his speech and is a [self-confident] fool.


text:
The foolishness of man subverts his way [ruins his affairs]; then his heart is resentful <i>and</i> frets against the Lord.


text:
All the brothers of a poor man detest him — how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone.


text:
He who gains Wisdom loves his own life; he who keeps understanding shall prosper <i>and</i> find good.


text:
Good sense makes a man restrain his anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression <i>or</i> an offense.


text:
The king’s wrath is as terrifying as the roaring of a lion, but his favor is as [refreshing as] dew upon the grass. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
A self-confident <i>and</i> foolish son is the [multiplied] calamity of his father, and the contentions of a wife are like a continual dripping [of water through a chink in the roof].


text:
House and riches are the inheritance from fathers, but a wise, understanding, <i>and</i> prudent wife is from the Lord. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
He who keeps the commandment [of the Lord] keeps his own life, but he who despises His ways shall die. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not [indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and] set yourself to his ruin.


text:
A man of great wrath shall suffer the penalty; for if you deliver him [from the consequences], he will [feel free to] cause you to do it again.


text:
Hear counsel, receive instruction, <i>and</i> accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.


text:
That which is desired in a man is loyalty <i>and</i> kindness [and his glory and delight are his giving], but a poor man is better than a liar.


text:
The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied; he cannot be visited with [actual] evil. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will increase in knowledge.


text:
He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.


text:
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler; and whoever errs <i>or</i> reels because of it is not wise. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger <i>or</i> angers himself against him sins against his own life.


text:
It is an honor for a man to cease from strife <i>and</i> keep aloof from it, but every fool will quarrel.


text:
Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The righteous man walks in his integrity; blessed (happy, fortunate, enviable) are his children after him.


text:
Diverse weights [one for buying and another for selling] and diverse measures — both of them are exceedingly offensive <i>and</i> abhorrent to the Lord. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
It is worthless, it is worthless! says the buyer; but when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain].


text:
There is gold, and a multitude of pearls, but the lips of knowledge are a vase of preciousness [the most precious of all]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
[The judge tells the creditor] Take the garment of one who is security for a stranger; and hold him in pledge when he is security for foreigners.


text:
Purposes <i>and</i> plans are established by counsel; and [only] with good advice make <i>or</i> carry on war.


text:
He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore associate not with him who talks too freely. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
An inheritance hastily gotten [by greedy, unjust means] at the beginning, in the end it will not be blessed. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Diverse <i>and</i> deceitful weights are shamefully vile <i>and</i> abhorrent to the Lord, and false scales are not good.


text:
It is a snare to a man to utter a vow [of consecration] rashly and [not until] afterward inquire [whether he can fulfill it].


text:
A wise king winnows out the wicked [from among the good] and brings the threshing wheel over them [to separate the chaff from the grain].


text:
The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Loving-kindness <i>and</i> mercy, truth <i>and</i> faithfulness, preserve the king, and his throne is upheld by [the people’s] loyalty.


text:
The glory of young men is their strength, and the beauty of old men is their gray head [suggesting wisdom and experience].


text:
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.


text:
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs <i>and</i> tries the hearts. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Haughtiness of eyes and a proud heart, even the tillage of the wicked <i>or</i> the lamp [of joy] to them [whatever it may be], are sin [in the eyes of God].


text:
The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient <i>and</i> hasty hastens only to want.


text:
The way of the guilty is exceedingly crooked, but as for the pure, his work is right <i>and</i> his conduct is straight.


text:
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop [on the flat oriental roof, exposed to all kinds of weather] than in a house shared with a nagging, quarrelsome, <i>and</i> faultfinding woman.


text:
The soul <i>or</i> life of the wicked craves <i>and</i> seeks evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
When the scoffer is punished, the fool gets a lesson in being wise; but men of [godly] Wisdom <i>and</i> good sense learn by being instructed.


text:
The [uncompromisingly] righteous man considers well the house of the wicked — how the wicked are cast down to ruin.


text:
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God), but to the evildoers it is dismay, calamity, <i>and</i> ruin.


text:
A man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall abide in the congregation of the spirits (of the dead).


text:
The wicked become a ransom for the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and the treacherous for the upright [because the wicked themselves fall into the traps and pits they have dug for the good].


text:
There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident <i>and</i> foolish man swallows it up <i>and</i> wastes it.


text:
He who earnestly seeks after <i>and</i> craves righteousness, mercy, <i>and</i> loving-kindness will find life in addition to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) and honor. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
The proud <i>and</i> haughty man — Scoffer is his name — deals <i>and</i> acts with overbearing pride.


text:
He covets greedily all the day long, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous gives and does not withhold. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
The sacrifice of the wicked is exceedingly disgusting <i>and</i> abhorrent [to the Lord] — how much more when he brings it with evil intention?


text:
A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears attentively will endure <i>and</i> go unchallenged.


text:
A wicked man puts on the bold, unfeeling face [of guilt], but as for the upright, he considers, directs, <i>and</i> establishes his way [with the confidence of integrity].


text:
A prudent man sees the evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished [with suffering].


text:
The reward of humility <i>and</i> the reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.


text:
Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate <i>and</i> willful; he who guards himself will be far from them.


text:
Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
He who sows iniquity will reap calamity <i>and</i> futility, and the rod of his wrath [with which he smites others] will fail.


text:
He who loves purity <i>and</i> the pure in heart <i>and</i> who is gracious in speech — because of the grace of his lips will he have the king for his friend.


text:
The eyes of the Lord keep guard over knowledge <i>and</i> him who has it, but He overthrows the words of the treacherous.


text:
The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit [for ensnaring wild animals]; he with whom the Lord is indignant <i>and</i> who is abhorrent to Him will fall into it.


text:
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.


text:
He who oppresses the poor to get gain for himself <i>and</i> he who gives to the rich — both will surely come to want.


text:
For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them.


text:
So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.


text:
To make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you? <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Rob not the poor [being tempted by their helplessness], neither oppress the afflicted at the gate [where the city court is held], <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
For the Lord will plead their cause and deprive of life those who deprive [the poor or afflicted]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Be not one of those who strike hands <i>and</i> pledge themselves, or of those who become security for another’s debts.


text:
Do you see a man diligent <i>and</i> skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.


text:
Will you set your eyes upon wealth, when [suddenly] it is gone? For riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.


text:
Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, <i>and</i> envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods;


text:
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].


text:
Speak not in the ears of a [self-confident] fool, for he will despise the [godly] Wisdom of your words. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Withhold not discipline from the child; for if you strike <i>and</i> punish him with the [reedlike] rod, he will not die.


text:
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent <i>and</i> worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long.


text:
For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope <i>and</i> expectation shall not be cut off.


text:
Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them <i>nor</i> among gluttonous eaters of meat, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.


text:
Buy the truth and sell it not; not only that, but also get discernment <i>and</i> judgment, instruction and understanding.


text:
The father of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall greatly rejoice, and he who becomes the father of a wise child shall have joy in him.


text:
She also lies in wait as a robber <i>or</i> as one waits for prey, and she increases the treacherous among men.


text:
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness <i>and</i> dimness of eyes?


text:
[Under the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things [and loose women] and your mind will utter things turned the wrong way [untrue, incorrect, and petulant].


text:
Yes, you will be [as unsteady] as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, and [as open to disaster] as he who lies upon the top of a mast.


text:
You will say, They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me [as with a hammer], but I did not feel it! When shall I awake? I will crave <i>and</i> seek more wine again [and escape reality].


text:
For their minds plot oppression <i>and</i> devise violence, and their lips talk of causing trouble <i>and</i> vexation.


text:
Through skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],


text:
And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.


text:
A wise man is strong <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f><i>is better than a strong man</i>, and a man of knowledge increases <i>and</i> strengthens his power; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For by wise counsel you can wage your war, and in an abundance of counselors there is victory <i>and</i> safety.


text:
Wisdom is too high for a <f>[2]</f>fool; he opens not his mouth in the gate [where the city’s rulers sit in judgment].


text:
The plans of the foolish <i>and</i> the thought of foolishness are sin, and the scoffer is an abomination to men.


text:
Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom].


text:
If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs <i>and</i> ponders the heart perceive <i>and</i> consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?


text:
So shall you know skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future <i>and</i> a reward, and your hope <i>and</i> expectation shall not be cut off.


text:
Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God); destroy not his resting-place;


text:
For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Rejoice not when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles <i>or</i> is overthrown,


text:
Lest the Lord see it and it be evil in His eyes <i>and</i> displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him [to expend it upon you, the worse offender].


text:
My son, [reverently] fear the Lord and the king, and do not associate with those who are given to change [of allegiance, and are revolutionary],


text:
For their calamity shall rise suddenly, and who knows the punishment <i>and</i> ruin which both [the Lord and the king] will bring upon [the rebellious]?


text:
These also are sayings of the wise: To discriminate <i>and</i> show partiality, having respect of persons in judging, is not good.


text:
He who says to the wicked, You are righteous <i>and</i> innocent — peoples will curse him, nations will defy <i>and</i> abhor him.


text:
But to those [upright judges] who rebuke the wicked, it will go well with them <i>and</i> they will find delight, and a good blessing will be upon them.


text:
[Put first things first.] Prepare your work outside and get it ready for yourself in the field; and afterward build your house <i>and</i> establish a home.


text:
And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down.


text:
It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a thing. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the hearts <i>and</i> minds of kings are unsearchable.


text:
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth [the material for] a vessel for the silversmith [to work up]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).


text:
Be not forward (self-assertive and boastfully ambitious) in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men;


text:
For better it is that it should be said to you, Come up here, than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whose eyes have seen you. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Rush not forth soon to quarrel [before magistrates or elsewhere], lest you know not what to do in the end when your neighbor has put you to shame. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Argue your cause with your neighbor himself; discover not <i>and</i> disclose not another’s secret, <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Like an earring <i>or</i> nose ring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to an ear that listens <i>and</i> obeys.


text:
Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the life of his masters.


text:
By long forbearance <i>and</i> calmness of spirit a judge <i>or</i> ruler is persuaded, and soft speech breaks down the most bonelike resistance. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as is sufficient for you, lest, being filled with it, you vomit it.


text:
A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a heavy sledgehammer and a sword and a sharp arrow.


text:
He who sings songs to a heavy heart is like him who lays off a garment in cold weather <i>and</i> like vinegar upon soda. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a disagreeing, quarrelsome, <i>and</i> scolding woman. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring is a righteous man who yields, falls down, <i>and</i> compromises his integrity before the wicked.


text:
It is not good to eat much honey; so for men to seek glory, their own glory, causes suffering <i>and</i> is not glory.


text:
He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls. <f>ⓜ</f>


text:
Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a [self-confident] fool. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Like the sparrow in her wandering, like the swallow in her flying, so the causeless curse does not alight. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a [straight, slender] rod for the backs of [self-confident] fools.


text:
Answer a [self-confident] fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes <i>and</i> conceit. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He who sends a message by the hand of a <f>[1]</f>fool cuts off the feet [of satisfactory delivery] and drinks the damage. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man, so is a proverb in the mouth of a [self-confident] fool.


text:
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes <i>and</i> conceit? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
The slothful <i>and</i> self-indulgent buries his hand in his bosom; it distresses <i>and</i> wearies him to bring it again to his mouth. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes <i>and</i> conceit than seven men who can render a reason <i>and</i> answer discreetly.


text:
He who, passing by, stops to meddle with strife that is none of his business is like one who takes a dog by the ears.


text:
The words of a whisperer <i>or</i> slanderer are like dainty morsels <i>or</i> words of sport [to some, but to others are like deadly wounds]; and they go down into the innermost parts of the body [or of the victim’s nature].


text:
Burning lips [uttering insincere words of love] and a wicked heart are like an earthen vessel covered with the scum thrown off from molten silver [making it appear to be solid silver].


text:
Though his hatred covers itself with guile, his wickedness shall be shown openly before the assembly.


text:
Whoever digs a pit [for another man’s feet] shall fall into it himself, and he who rolls a stone [up a height to do mischief], it will return upon him. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Stone is heavy and sand weighty, but a fool’s [unreasoning] wrath is heavier <i>and</i> more intolerable than both of them.


text:
He who is satiated [with sensual pleasures] loathes <i>and</i> treads underfoot a honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.


text:
Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.


text:
Your own friend and your father’s friend, forsake them not; neither go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbor who is near [in spirit] than a brother who is far off [in heart].


text:
My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me [as having failed in my parental duty]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
[The judge tells the creditor] Take the garment of one who is security for a stranger; and hold him in pledge when he is security for foreigners. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The flatterer who loudly praises <i>and</i> glorifies his neighbor, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted as cursing him [for he will be suspected of sinister purposes].


text:
Whoever attempts to restrain [a contentious woman] might as well try to stop the wind — his right hand encounters oil [and she slips through his fingers].


text:
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose].


text:
Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently <i>and</i> faithfully guards <i>and</i> heeds his master shall be honored. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold [bring forth all the impurities of the metal], so let a man be in his trial of praise [ridding himself of all that is base or insincere; for a man is judged by what he praises and of what he boasts].


text:
Even though like grain you should pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.


text:
And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maids.


text:
The wicked flee when no man pursues them, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous are bold as a lion. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but when the ruler is a man of discernment, understanding, <i>and</i> knowledge, its stability will long continue.


text:
A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaves no food [plundering them of their last morsels]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Those who forsake the law [of God and man] praise the wicked, but those who keep the law [of God and man] contend with them. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Evil men do not understand justice, but they who crave <i>and</i> seek the Lord understand it fully. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Better is the poor man who walks in his integrity than he who willfully goes in double <i>and</i> wrong ways, though he is rich.


text:
Whoever keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise son, but he who is a companion of gluttons <i>and</i> the carousing, self-indulgent, <i>and</i> extravagant shames his father.


text:
He who by charging excessive interest <i>and</i> who by unjust efforts to get gain increases his material possession gathers it for him [to spend] who is kind <i>and</i> generous to the poor. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
He who turns away his ear from hearing the law [of God and man], even his prayer is an abomination, hateful <i>and</i> revolting [to God]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
Whoever leads the upright astray into an evil way, he will himself fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.


text:
The rich man is wise in his own eyes <i>and</i> conceit, but the poor man who has understanding will find him out.


text:
When the [uncompromisingly] righteous triumph, there is great glory <i>and</i> celebration; but when the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves.


text:
He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of circumstances], but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.


text:
A ruler who lacks understanding is [like a wicked one] a great oppressor, but he who hates covetousness <i>and</i> unjust gain shall prolong his days.


text:
If a man willfully sheds the blood of a person [and keeps the guilt of murder upon his conscience], he is fleeing to the pit (the grave) <i>and</i> hastening to his own destruction; let no man stop him!


text:
He who walks uprightly shall be safe, but he who willfully goes in double <i>and</i> wrong ways shall fall in one of them.


text:
He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless people <i>and</i> pursuits will have poverty enough.


text:
A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
To have respect of persons <i>and</i> to show partiality is not good, neither is it good that man should transgress for a piece of bread.


text:
He who has an evil <i>and</i> covetous eye hastens to be rich and knows not that want will come upon him. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, This is no sin — he is in the same class as [an open, lawless robber and] a destroyer.


text:
He who is of a greedy spirit stirs up strife, but he who puts his trust in the Lord shall be enriched <i>and</i> blessed.


text:
He who leans on, trusts in, <i>and</i> is confident of his own mind <i>and</i> heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom shall be delivered. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes [from their want] will have many a curse. <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
When the wicked rise [to power], men hide themselves; but when they perish, the [consistently] righteous increase <i>and</i> become many. <f>ⓛ</f>


text:
He who, being often reproved, hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed — and that without remedy.


text:
When the [uncompromisingly] righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan <i>and</i> sigh.


text:
Whoever loves skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom rejoices his father, but he who associates with harlots wastes his substance.


text:
In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous man sings and rejoices.


text:
The [consistently] righteous man knows <i>and</i> cares for the rights of the poor, but the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
If a wise man has an argument with a foolish man, the fool only rages or laughs, and there is no rest.


text:
The bloodthirsty hate the blameless man, but the upright care for <i>and</i> seek [to save] his life. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall see the fall of the wicked.


text:
Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man] — blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
A servant will not be corrected by words alone; for though he understands, he will not answer [the master who mistreats him].


text:
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him.


text:
A man of wrath stirs up strife, and a man given to anger commits <i>and</i> causes much transgression.


text:
Whoever is partner with a thief hates his own life; he falls under the curse [pronounced upon him who knows who the thief is] but discloses nothing.


text:
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, <i>and</i> puts his confidence in the Lord is safe <i>and</i> set on high.


text:
An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, and he who is upright in the way [of the Lord] is an abomination to the wicked.


text:
Surely I am too brutish <i>and</i> stupid to be called a man, and I have not the understanding of a man [for all my secular learning is as nothing].


text:
I have not learned skillful <i>and</i> godly Wisdom, that I should have the knowledge <i>or</i> burden of the Holy One.


text:
Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Every word of God is tried <i>and</i> purified; He is a shield to those who trust <i>and</i> take refuge in Him. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,


text:
Lest I be full and deny You and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal, and so profane the name of my God. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Do not accuse <i>and</i> hurt a servant before his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty [of adding to the burdens of the lowly].


text:
There is a class of people who are pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their own filth.


text:
There is a class of people whose teeth are as swords and whose fangs as knives, to devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among men.


text:
The leech has two daughters, crying, Give, give! There are three things that are never satisfied, yes, four that do not say, It is enough:


text:
Sheol (the place of the dead), the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that says not, It is enough.


text:
The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young vultures will devour it. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.


text:
This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness.


text:
An unloved <i>and</i> repugnant woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.


text:
The war horse [well-knit in the loins], the male goat also, and the king [when his army is with him and] against whom there is no uprising.


text:
If you have done foolishly in exalting yourself, or if you have thought evil, lay your hand upon your mouth. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Surely the churning of milk brings forth butter, and the wringing of the nose brings forth blood; so the forcing of wrath brings forth strife.


text:
What, my <f>[1]</f>son? What, son of my womb? What [shall I advise you], son of my vows <i>and</i> dedication to God?


text:
Give not your strength to [loose] women, nor your ways to those who <i>and</i> that which ruin <i>and</i> destroy kings.


text:
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Lest they drink and forget the law <i>and</i> what it decrees, and pervert the justice due any of the afflicted.


text:
Give strong drink [as medicine] to him who is ready to pass away, and wine to him in bitter distress of heart.


text:
Open your mouth for the dumb [those unable to speak for themselves], for the rights of all who are left desolate <i>and</i> defenseless; <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
A capable, intelligent, <i>and</i> <f>[2]</f>virtuous woman — who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels <i>and</i> her value is far above rubies <i>or</i> pearls. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently <i>and</i> relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil.


text:
She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her household’s food from a far [country].


text:
She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
She considers a [new] field before she buys <i>or</i> accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong <i>and</i> firm.


text:
She tastes <i>and</i> sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].


text:
She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].


text:
She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, <i>and</i> rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure <i>and</i> fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made]. <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
She makes fine linen garments <i>and</i> leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].


text:
Strength and dignity are her clothing <i>and</i> her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!


text:
She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].


text:
She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of <i>and</i> praises her, [saying],


text:
<f>[3]</f>Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, <i>and</i> well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.


text:
Charm <i>and</i> grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently <i>and</i> worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!


text:
Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]! <f>ⓚ</f>


text:
Vapor of vapors <i>and</i> futility of futilities, says the Preacher. Vapor of vapors <i>and</i> futility of futilities! All is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and vainglory). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
What profit does man have left from all his toil at which he toils <f>[1]</f>under the sun? [Is life worth living?]


text:
The wind goes to the south and circles about to the north; it circles <i>and</i> circles about continually, and on its circuit the wind returns again. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from which the rivers come, to there <i>and</i> from there they return again.


text:
All things are weary with toil <i>and</i> all words are feeble; man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The thing that has been — it is what will be again, and that which has been done is that which will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun.


text:
Is there a thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? It has already been, in the vast ages of time [recorded or unrecorded] which were before us.


text:
There is no remembrance of former happenings <i>or</i> men, neither will there be any remembrance of happenings of generations that are to come by those who are to come after them.


text:
And I applied myself by heart <i>and</i> mind to seek and search out by [human] <f>[2]</f>wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which <f>[3]</f>God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves.


text:
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on wind.


text:
What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is defective <i>and</i> lacking cannot be counted.


text:
I entered into counsel with my own mind, saying, Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom, yes, more than all who have been over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge.


text:
And I gave my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I perceived that this also is a searching after wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
I said in my mind, Come now, I will prove you with mirth <i>and</i> test you with pleasure; so have a good time [enjoy pleasure]. But this also was vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I searched in my mind how to cheer my body with wine — yet at the same time having my mind hold its course <i>and</i> guide me with [human] wisdom — and how to lay hold of folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.


text:
I bought menservants and maidservants and had servants born in my house. Also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.


text:
I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got for myself men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men — <f>[1]</f>concubines very many. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
So I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me <i>and</i> stood by me.


text:
And whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion <i>and</i> reward for all my toil.


text:
Then I looked on all that my hands had done and the labor I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it, and there was no profit under the sun. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
So I turned to consider [human] wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing but what has been done already.


text:
Then I saw that even [human] wisdom [that brings sorrow] is better than [the pleasures of] folly as far as light is better than darkness.


text:
The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I perceived that [in the end] one event happens to them both. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Then said I in my heart, As it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me. And of what use is it then for me to be more wise? Then I said in my heart, This also is vanity (emptiness, vainglory, and futility)!


text:
For of the wise man, the same as of the fool, there is no permanent remembrance, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!


text:
So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it.


text:
And I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will succeed me. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have dominion over all my labor in which I have toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!


text:
For here is a man whose labor is with wisdom and knowledge and skill; yet to a man who has not toiled for it he must leave it all as his portion. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and a great evil!


text:
For what has a man left from all his labor and from the striving <i>and</i> vexation of his heart in which he has toiled under the sun?


text:
For all his days are but pain <i>and</i> sorrow, and his work is a vexation <i>and</i> grief; his mind takes no rest even at night. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!


text:
There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.


text:
For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and heaping up, that he may give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it.


text:
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,


text:
I have seen the painful labor <i>and</i> exertion <i>and</i> miserable business which God has given to the sons of men with which to exercise <i>and</i> busy themselves.


text:
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts <i>and</i> minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.


text:
I know that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and to get <i>and</i> do good as long as they live;


text:
And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor — it is the gift of God.


text:
I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
That which is now already has been, and that which is to be already has been; and God seeks that which has passed by [so that history repeats itself].


text:
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice there was wickedness, and that in the place of righteousness wickedness was there also.


text:
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time [appointed] for every matter <i>and</i> purpose and for every work.


text:
I said in my heart regarding the subject of the sons of men, God is trying (separating and sifting) them, that they may see that by themselves [under the sun, without God] they are but like beasts.


text:
For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even [in the end] one thing befalls them both. As the one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath <i>and</i> spirit, so that a <f>[1]</f>man has no preeminence over a beast; for all is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!


text:
Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?


text:
So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him back to see what will happen after he is gone?


text:
Then I returned and considered all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun: And I beheld the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they [too] had no comforter.


text:
So I praised <i>and</i> thought more fortunate those who have been long dead than the living, who are still alive.


text:
But better than them both [I thought] is he who has not yet been born, who has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.


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Then I saw that all painful effort in labor and all skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbor. This is also vanity, a vain striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it.


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Better is a handful with quietness than both hands full with painful effort, a vain striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it.


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Here is one alone — no one with him; he neither has child nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labor, neither is his eye satisfied with riches, neither does he ask, For whom do I labor and deprive myself of good? This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility); yes, it is a painful effort <i>and</i> an unhappy business. <f>ⓐ</f>


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For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!


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And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.


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Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who <f>[1]</f>no longer knows how to receive counsel (friendly reproof and warning) —


text:
There was no end to all the people; he was over all of them. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory) and a striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it.


text:
Keep your foot [give your mind to what you are doing] when you go [as Jacob to sacred Bethel] to the house of God. For to draw near to hear <i>and</i> obey is better than to give the sacrifice of fools [carelessly, irreverently] too ignorant to know that they are doing evil. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.


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When you vow a vow <i>or</i> make a pledge to God, do not put off paying it; for God has no pleasure in fools (those who witlessly mock Him). Pay what you vow. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Do not allow your mouth to cause your body to sin, and do not say before the messenger [the priest] that it was an error <i>or</i> mistake. Why should God be [made] angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? <f>ⓓ</f>


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For in a multitude of dreams there is futility <i>and</i> worthlessness, and ruin in a flood of words. But [reverently] fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is].


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If you see the oppression of the poor and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in the state <i>or</i> province, do not marvel at the matter. [Be sure that there are those who will attend to it] for a higher [official] than the high is observing, and higher ones are over them.


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Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all; the king himself is served by the field <i>and</i> in all, a king is an advantage to a land with cultivated fields.


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He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with gain. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!


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When goods increase, they who eat them increase also. And what gain is there to their owner except to see them with his eyes?


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The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not let him sleep.


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There is a serious <i>and</i> severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt.


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But those riches are lost in a bad venture; and he becomes the father of a son, and there is nothing in his hand [with which to support the child].


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As [the man] came forth from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; and he will take away nothing for all his labor which he can carry in his hand.


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And this also is a serious <i>and</i> severe evil — that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and what gain has he who labors for the wind? <f>ⓔ</f>


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All his days also he eats in darkness [cheerlessly, with no sweetness and light in them], and much sorrow and sickness and wrath are his.


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Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him — for this is his [allotted] part. <f>ⓕ</f>


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Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil — this is the gift of God [to him].


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For he shall not much remember [seriously] the days of his life, because God [Himself] answers <i>and</i> corresponds to the joy of his heart [the tranquillity of God is mirrored in him].


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A man to whom God has given riches, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he might desire, yet God does not give him the power <i>or</i> capacity to enjoy them [things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] consumes <i>and</i> enjoys them. This is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility); it is a sore affliction! <f>ⓐ</f>


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If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, but his life is not filled with good, and also he is given no burial [honors nor is laid to rest in the sepulcher of his fathers], I say that [he who had] an untimely birth [resulting in death] is better off than he, <f>ⓑ</f>


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For [the untimely one] comes in futility and goes into darkness, and in darkness his name is covered.


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Moreover, he has not seen the sun nor had any knowledge, yet he [the stillborn child] has rest rather than he [who is aware of all that he has missed and all that he would not have had to suffer].


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Even though he lives a thousand years twice over and yet has seen no good <i>and</i> experienced no enjoyment — do not all go to one place [the place of the dead]?


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All the labor of man is for his mouth [for self-preservation and enjoyment], and yet his desire is not satisfied. <f>ⓒ</f>


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For what advantage has the wise man over the fool [being worldly-wise is not the secret to happiness]? What advantage has the poor man who has learned how to walk before the living [publicly, with men’s eyes upon him; being poor is not the secret to happiness either]?


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Better is the sight of the eyes [the enjoyment of what is available to one] than the cravings of wandering desire. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and a striving after the wind <i>and</i> a feeding on it!


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Whatever [man] is, he has been named that long ago, and it is known that it is man <f>[1]</f>[Adam]; nor can he contend with Him who is mightier than he [whether God or death].


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Seeing that there are [all these and] many other things <i>and</i> words that increase the emptiness, falsity, vainglory, <i>and</i> futility [of living], what profit <i>and</i> what outcome is there for man?


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For who [<f>[2]</f>limited to human wisdom] knows what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow [going through the motions but accomplishing nothing]? For who can tell a man what will happen [to his work, his treasure, his plans] under the sun after he is gone?


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A good name is better than precious perfume, and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.


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It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to heart.


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Sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better <i>and</i> gains gladness. <f>ⓐ</f>


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The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth <i>and</i> sensual joy.


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For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!


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Surely oppression <i>and</i> extortion make a wise man foolish, and a bribe destroys the understanding <i>and</i> judgment.


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Better is the end of a thing than the beginning of it, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.


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Do not be quick in spirit to be angry <i>or</i> vexed, for anger <i>and</i> vexation lodge in the bosom of fools. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Do not say, Why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise <i>or</i> because of wisdom that you ask this.


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Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yes, more excellent it is for those [the living] who see the sun.


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For wisdom is a defense even as money is a defense, but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom shields <i>and</i> preserves the life of him who has it.


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In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider that God has made the one side by side with the other, so that man may not find out anything that shall be after him.


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I have seen everything in the days of my vanity (my emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility): there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in [spite of] his evildoing.


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Be not [morbidly exacting and externally] righteous overmuch, neither strive to make yourself [pretentiously appear] overwise — why should you [get puffed up and] destroy yourself [with presumptuous self-sufficiency]?


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[Although all have sinned] be not wicked overmuch <i>or</i> willfully, neither be foolish — why should you die before your time?


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It is good that you should take hold of this and from that withdraw not your hand; for he who [reverently] fears <i>and</i> worships God will come forth from them all.


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[True] wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers <i>or</i> valiant generals who are in the city. <f>ⓒ</f>


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All this have I tried <i>and</i> proved by wisdom. I said, I will be wise [independently of God] — but it was far from me.


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That which is is far off, and that which is deep is very deep — who can find it out [true wisdom independent of the fear of God]? <f>ⓔ</f>


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I turned about [penitent] and my heart was set to know and to search out and to seek [true] wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [and what had led me into such wickedness and madness].


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And I found that [of all sinful follies none has been so ruinous in seducing one away from God as idolatrous women] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are bands. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.


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Behold, this I have found, says the Preacher, while weighing one thing after another to find out the right estimate [and the reason] —


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Which I am still seeking but have not found — one upright man among a thousand have I found, but an upright woman among all those [one thousand in my harem] have I not found. <f>ⓕ</f>


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Behold, this is the only [reason for it that] I have found: God made man upright, but they [men and women] have sought out many devices [for evil].


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Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his countenance is changed.


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I counsel you to keep the king’s command, and that in regard to the oath of God [by which you swore to him loyalty]. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Be not panic-stricken <i>and</i> hasty to get out of his presence. Persist not in an evil thing, for he does whatever he pleases.


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Whoever observes the [king’s] command will experience no harm, and a wise man’s mind will know both when and what to do.


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For every purpose <i>and</i> matter has its [right] time and judgment, although the misery <i>and</i> wickedness of man lies heavily upon him [who rebels against the king].


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There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the breath of life, neither has he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in battle [against death], neither will wickedness deliver those who are its possessors <i>and</i> given to it.


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All this have I seen while applying my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his own hurt <i>or</i> to the other man’s.


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And so I saw the wicked buried — those who had come and gone out of the holy place [but did not thereby escape their doom], and they are [praised and] forgotten in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)!


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Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men are fully set to do evil.


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Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days [seemingly] are prolonged [in his wickedness], yet surely I know that it will be well with those who [reverently] fear God, who revere <i>and</i> worship Him, realizing His continual presence. <f>ⓑ</f>


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But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not [reverently] fear <i>and</i> worship God. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Here also is a futility that goes on upon the earth: there are righteous men who fare as though they were wicked, and wicked men who fare as though they were righteous. I say that this also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!


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Then I commended enjoyment, because a man has no better thing under the sun [without God] than to eat and to drink and to be joyful, for that will remain with him in his toil through the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.


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When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the business activity <i>and</i> the painful effort that take place upon the earth — how neither day nor night some men’s eyes sleep —


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Then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun — because however much a man may toil in seeking, yet he will not find it out; yes, more than that, though a wise man thinks <i>and</i> claims he knows, yet will he not be able to find it out. <f>ⓓ</f>


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For all this I took to heart, exploring <i>and</i> examining it all, how the righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) and the wise and their works are in the hands of God. Whether it is to be love or hatred no man knows; all that is before them.


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All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him who sacrifices and to him who does not sacrifice. As is the good man, so is the sinner; and he who swears is as he who fears <i>and</i> shuns an oath.


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This evil is in all that is done under the sun: one fate comes to all. Also the hearts of men are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.


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[There is no exemption] but he who is joined to all the living has hope — for a living dog is better than a dead lion.


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For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; and they have no more reward [here], for the memory of them is forgotten.


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Their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished; neither have they any more a share in anything that is done under the sun.


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Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God], for God has already accepted your works.


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Let your garments be always white [with purity], and let your head not lack [the] oil [of gladness].


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Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun — all the days of futility. For that is your portion in this life and in your work at which you toil under the sun.


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Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the place of the dead), where you are going.


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I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence <i>and</i> understanding nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. <f>ⓐ</f>


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For man also knows not his time [of death]: as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when [calamity] falls suddenly upon them.


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There was a little city with few men in it. And a great king came against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it.


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But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man.


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But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.


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Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to putrefy [and] send forth a vile odor; so does a little folly [in him who is valued for wisdom] outweigh wisdom and honor.


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Even when he who is a fool walks along the road, his heart <i>and</i> understanding fail him, and he says of everyone <i>and</i> to everyone that he is a fool.


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If the temper of the ruler rises up against you, do not leave your place [or show a resisting spirit]; for gentleness <i>and</i> calmness prevent <i>or</i> put a stop to great offenses.


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He who digs a pit [for others] will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a fence <i>or</i> a [stone] wall, a serpent will bite him. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Whoever removes [landmark] stones <i>or</i> hews out [new ones with similar intent] will be hurt with them, <i>and</i> he who fells trees will be endangered by them. <f>ⓒ</f>


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If the ax is dull and the man does not whet the edge, he must put forth more strength; but wisdom helps him to succeed.


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If the serpent bites before it is charmed, then it is no use to call a charmer [and the slanderer is no better than the uncharmed snake].


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The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious <i>and</i> win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.


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A fool also multiplies words, though no man can tell what will be — and what will happen after he is gone, who can tell him?


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The labor of fools wearies every one of them, because [he is so ignorant of the ordinary matters that] he does not even know how to get to town.


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Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child <i>or</i> a servant and when your officials feast in the morning!


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Happy (fortunate and to be envied) are you, O land, when your king is a free man <i>and</i> of noble birth <i>and</i> character and when your officials feast at the proper time — for strength and not for drunkenness! <f>ⓓ</f>


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Through indolence the rafters [of state affairs] decay <i>and</i> the roof sinks in, and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.


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[Instead of repairing the breaches, the officials] make a feast for laughter, serve wine to cheer life, and [depend on tax] money to answer for all of it.


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Curse not the king, no, not even in your thoughts, and curse not the rich in your bedchamber, for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and a winged creature will tell the matter. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Give a portion to seven, yes, even [divide it] to eight, for you know not what evil may come upon the earth.


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If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.


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He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.


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As you know not what is the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you know not the work of God, Who does all.


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In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hands, for you know not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether both alike will be good.


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Yes, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all; yet let him [seriously] remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that comes is vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)!


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Rejoice, O young man, in your adolescence, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your [full-grown] youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.


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Therefore remove [the lusts that end in] sorrow <i>and</i> vexation from your heart <i>and</i> mind and put away evil from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity [transitory, idle, empty, and devoid of truth]. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Remember [earnestly] also your Creator [that you are not your own, but His property now] in the days of your youth, before the evil days come or the years draw near when you will say [of physical pleasures], I have no enjoyment in them — <f>ⓐ</f>


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Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened [sight is impaired], and the clouds [of depression] return after the rain [of tears];


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In the day when the keepers of the house [the hands and the arms] tremble, and the strong men [the feet and the knees] bow themselves, and the grinders [the molar teeth] cease because they are few, and those who look out of the windows [the eyes] are darkened;


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When the doors [the lips] are shut in the streets and the sound of the grinding [of the teeth] is low, and one rises up at the voice of a bird <i>and</i> the crowing of a cock, and all the daughters of music [the voice and the ear] are brought low;


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Also when [the old] are afraid of danger from that which is high, and fears are in the way, and the almond tree [their white hair] blooms, and the grasshopper [a little thing] is a burden, and desire <i>and</i> appetite fail, because man goes to his everlasting home and the mourners go about the streets <i>or</i> marketplaces. <f>ⓑ</f>


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[Remember your Creator earnestly now] before the silver cord [of life] is snapped apart, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern [and the whole circulatory system of the blood ceases to function];


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Then shall the dust [out of which God made man’s body] return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it.


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Vapor of vapors <i>and</i> futility of futilities, says the Preacher. All is futility (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and transitoriness)!


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And furthermore, because the Preacher was wise, he [Solomon] still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.


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The Preacher sought acceptable words, even to write down rightly words of truth <i>or</i> correct sentiment.


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The words of the wise are like prodding goads, and firmly fixed [in the mind] like nails are the collected sayings which are given [as proceeding] from one Shepherd. <f>ⓒ</f>


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But about going further [than the words given by one Shepherd], my son, be warned. Of making many books there is no end [so do not believe everything you read], and much study is a weariness of the flesh.


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All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] <i>and</i> the whole [duty] for every man.


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For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good or evil. <f>ⓓ</f>


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NOTE: <i>Among the multitudes who read the Bible there are comparatively few who have a clear understanding of the Song of Solomon. Some have thought it to be a collection of songs, but it is more generally understood to be a sort of drama, the positive interpretation of which is impossible because the identity of the speakers and the length of the speeches are not disclosed.</i> The song of songs [the most excellent of them all] which is Solomon’s. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! [she cries. Then, realizing that Solomon has arrived and has heard her speech, she turns to him and adds] For your love is better than wine!


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[And she continues] The odor of your ointments is fragrant; your name is like perfume poured out. Therefore do the maidens love you.


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Draw me! We will run after you! The king brings me into his apartments! We will be glad and rejoice in you! We will recall [when we were favored with] your love, more fragrant than wine. The upright [are not offended at your choice, but sincerely] love you.


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I am so black; but [you are] lovely <i>and</i> pleasant [the ladies assured her]. O you daughters of Jerusalem, [I am as dark] as the tents of [the Bedouin tribe] Kedar, like the [beautiful] curtains of Solomon!


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[Please] do not look at me, [she said, for] I am swarthy. [I have worked out] in the sun <i>and</i> it has left its mark upon me. My stepbrothers were angry with me, and they made me keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard [my complexion] I have not kept.


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[Addressing her shepherd, she said] Tell me, O <f>[1]</f>you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon. For why should I [as I think of you] be as a veiled one straying beside the flocks of your companions? <f>ⓑ</f>


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If you do not know [where your lover is], O you fairest among women, run along, follow the tracks of the flock, and [amuse yourself by] pasturing your kids beside the shepherds’ tents.


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O my love [he said as he saw her], you remind me of my [favorite] mare in the chariot spans of Pharaoh.


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While the king sits at his table [she said], my spikenard [my absent lover] sends forth [his] fragrance [over me].


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My beloved [shepherd] is to me a cluster of henna flowers in the vineyards of En-gedi [famed for its fragrant shrubs].


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[She cried] Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved [shepherd], yes, delightful! Our arbor <i>and</i> couch are green <i>and</i> leafy.


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[She said] I am only a little rose <i>or</i> autumn crocus of the plain of Sharon, or a [humble] lily of the valleys [that grows in deep and difficult places].


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Like an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved [shepherd] among the sons [cried the girl]! Under his shadow I delighted to sit, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.


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He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love [for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near him].


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[He said] I charge you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field [which are free to follow their own instincts] that you not try to stir up or awaken [my] love until it pleases.


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[Vividly she pictured it] The voice of my beloved [shepherd]! Behold, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. <f>ⓑ</f>


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My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart. Behold, he stands behind the wall of our house, he looks in through the windows, he glances through the lattice.


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The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.


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The fig tree puts forth <i>and</i> ripens her green figs, and the vines are in blossom and give forth their fragrance. <f>[2]</f>Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.


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[So I went with him, and when we were climbing the rocky steps up the hillside, my beloved shepherd said to me] O my dove, [while you are here] in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered <i>and</i> secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, <f>[3]</f>let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.


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[My heart was touched and I fervently sang to him my desire] Take for us the foxes, the <f>[4]</f>little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom.


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[She said distinctly] My beloved is mine and I am his! He pastures his flocks among the lilies. <f>ⓒ</f>


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[Then, longingly addressing her absent shepherd, she cried] Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, return hastily, O my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young hart as you cover the mountains [which separate us].


text:
In the night I dreamed that I sought the one whom I love. [She said] I looked for him but could not find him. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
So I decided to go out into the city, into the streets and broad ways [which are so confusing to a country girl], and seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but I could not find him.


text:
I had gone but a little way past them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field that you stir not up nor awaken love until it pleases.


text:
Who <i>or</i> what is this [she asked] that comes gliding out of the wilderness like stately pillars of smoke perfumed with myrrh, frankincense, and all the fragrant powders of the merchant?


text:
[Someone answered] Behold, it is the traveling litter (the bridal car) of Solomon. Sixty mighty men are around it, of the mighty men of Israel.


text:
They all handle the sword and are expert in war; every man has his sword upon his thigh, that fear be not excited in the night.


text:
He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple, the inside of it lovingly <i>and</i> intricately wrought in needlework by the daughters of Jerusalem.


text:
Go forth, O you daughters of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon wearing the crown with which his mother [Bathsheba] crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of his gladness of heart.


text:
How fair you are, my love [he said], how very fair! Your eyes behind your veil [remind me] of those of a dove; your hair [makes me think of the black, wavy fleece] of a flock of [the Arabian] goats which one sees trailing down Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan on the frontiers of the desert].


text:
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes which have come up from the washing, of which all are in pairs, and none is missing among them.


text:
Your lips are like a thread of scarlet, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.


text:
Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an arsenal, whereon hang a thousand bucklers, all of them shields of warriors.


text:
Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, [in my thoughts] I will get to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense [to him whom my soul adores].


text:
Come <f>[1]</f>away with me from Lebanon, my [promised] bride, come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the top of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
You have ravished my heart <i>and</i> given me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride; you have ravished my heart <i>and</i> given me courage with one look from your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.


text:
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your ointments than all spices! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Your lips, O my [promised] bride, drop honey as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue. And the odor of your garments is like the odor of Lebanon.


text:
A garden enclosed <i>and</i> barred is my sister, my [promised] bride — a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.


text:
Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates <i>or</i> a paradise with precious fruits, henna with spikenard plants, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, with all the chief spices.


text:
You are a fountain [springing up] in a garden, a well of living waters, and flowing streams from Lebanon. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
[You have called me a garden, she said] Oh, I pray that the [cold] <f>[2]</f>north wind and the [soft] south wind may blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out [in abundance for you in whom my soul delights]. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat its choicest fruits.


text:
I have come into my garden, my sister, my [promised] bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my balsam <i>and</i> spice [from your sweet words I have gathered the richest perfumes and spices]. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends [feast on, O revelers of the palace; you can never make my lover disloyal to me]! Drink, yes, drink abundantly of love, O precious one [for now I know you are mine, irrevocably mine! With his confident words still thrilling her heart, through the lattice she saw her shepherd turn away and disappear into the night]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I went to sleep, but my heart stayed awake. [I dreamed that I heard] the voice of my beloved as he knocked [at the door of my mother’s cottage]. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my spotless one [he said], for I am wet with the [heavy] night dew; my hair is covered with it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[But weary from a day in the vineyards, I had already sought my rest] I had put off my garment — <f>[1]</f>how could I [again] put it on? I had washed my feet — how could I [again] soil them? <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
I rose up to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers with liquid [sweet-scented] myrrh, [which he had left] upon the handles of the bolt.


text:
I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away <i>and</i> withdrawn himself, and was gone! My soul went forth [to him] when he spoke, but it failed me [and now he was gone]! I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.


text:
The watchmen who go about the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took my veil <i>and</i> my mantle from me.


text:
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am sick from love [simply sick to be with him]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
What is your beloved more than another beloved, O you fairest among women [taunted the ladies]? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you should give us such a charge? <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
His head is [as precious as] the finest gold; his locks are curly <i>and</i> bushy and black as a raven.


text:
His cheeks are like a bed of spices <i>or</i> balsam, like banks of sweet herbs yielding fragrance. His lips are like bloodred anemones or lilies distilling liquid [sweet-scented] myrrh.


text:
His hands are like rods of gold set with [nails of] beryl <i>or</i> topaz. His body is a figure of bright ivory overlaid with [veins of] sapphires.


text:
His legs are like strong and steady pillars of marble set upon bases of fine gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, excellent, stately, <i>and</i> majestic as the cedars.


text:
His voice <i>and</i> speech are exceedingly sweet; yes, he is altogether lovely [the whole of him delights and is precious]. <f>[2]</f>This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem! <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Where has your beloved gone, O you fairest among women? [Again the ladies showed their interest in the remarkable person whom the Shulammite had championed with such unstinted praise; they too wanted to know him, they insisted.] Where is your beloved hiding himself? For we would seek him with you.


text:
[She replied] My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies.


text:
[He said] You are as beautiful as Tirzah [capital of the northern kingdom’s first king], my love, and as comely as Jerusalem, [but you are] as terrible as a bannered host!


text:
Turn away your [flashing] eyes from me, for they have overcome me! Your hair is like a flock of goats trailing down from Mount Gilead.


text:
Your teeth are like a flock of ewes coming from their washing, of which all are in pairs, and not one of them is missing.


text:
But my dove, my undefiled <i>and</i> perfect one, stands alone [above them all]; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed <i>and</i> happy, yes, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
[The ladies asked] Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, clear <i>and</i> pure as the sun, <i>and</i> terrible as a bannered host?


text:
[The Shulammite replied] I went down into the nut orchard [one day] to look at the green plants of the valley, to see whether the grapevine had budded and the pomegranates were in flower.


text:
Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire [to roam about] had brought me into the area of the princes of my people [the king’s retinue].


text:
[I began to flee, but they called to me] Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon you! [I replied] What is there for you to see in the [poor little] Shulammite? [And they answered] As upon a dance before two armies <i>or</i> a dance of Mahanaim.


text:
[Then her companions began noticing and commenting on the attractiveness of her person] How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O queenly maiden! Your rounded limbs are like jeweled chains, the work of a master hand.


text:
Your body is like a round goblet in which no mixed wine is wanting. Your abdomen is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies.


text:
Your neck is like a tower of ivory, your eyes like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.


text:
Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, and the hair of your head like purple. [Then seeing the king watching the girl in absorbed admiration, the speaker added] The king is held captive by its tresses.


text:
Your stature is like that of a palm tree, and your bosom like its clusters [of dates, declared the king].


text:
I resolve that I will climb the palm tree; I will grasp its branches. Let your breasts be like clusters of the grapevine, and the scent of your breath like apples,


text:
And your kisses like the best wine — [then the Shulammite interrupted] that goes down smoothly <i>and</i> sweetly for my beloved [shepherd, kisses] gliding over his lips while he sleeps!


text:
Let us go out early to the vineyards and see whether the vines have budded, whether the grape blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love.


text:
The mandrakes give forth fragrance, and over our doors are all manner of choice fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for you, O my beloved!


text:
[Looking forward to the shepherd’s arrival, the eager girl pictures their meeting and says] Oh, that you were like my brother, who nursed from the breasts of my mother! If I should find you without, I would kiss you, yes, and none would despise me [for it]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother, who would instruct me. I would cause you to drink spiced wine and of the juice of my pomegranates.


text:
[Then musingly she added] Oh, that his left hand were under my head and that his right hand embraced me! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you never [again attempt to] stir up or awaken love until it pleases.


text:
Who is this who comes up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved? [And as they sighted the home of her childhood, the bride said] Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother gave you birth, there she was in travail and bore you.


text:
Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as hard <i>and</i> cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead). Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame [the very flame of the Lord]! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would offer all the goods of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned <i>and</i> despised.


text:
[Gathered with her family and the wedding guests in her mother’s cottage, the bride said to her stepbrothers, When I was a little girl, you said] We have a little sister and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister on the day when she is spoken for in marriage?


text:
If she is a wall [discreet and womanly], we will build upon her a turret [a dowry] of silver; but if she is a door [bold and flirtatious], we will enclose her with boards of cedar.


text:
[Well] I am a wall [with battlements], and my breasts are like the towers of it. Then was I in [the king’s] eyes as one [to be respected and to be allowed] to find peace.


text:
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard to keepers; everyone was to bring him a thousand pieces of silver for its fruit.


text:
You, O Solomon, can have your thousand [pieces of silver], and those who tend the fruit of it two hundred; but my vineyard, which is mine [with all its radiant joy], is before me!


text:
O you who dwell in the gardens, your companions have been listening to your voice — now cause me to hear it.


text:
[Joyfully the radiant bride turned to him, the one altogether lovely, the chief among ten thousand to her soul, and with unconcealed eagerness to begin her life of sweet companionship with him, she answered] Make haste, my beloved, <i>and</i> come quickly, like a gazelle or a young hart [and take me to our waiting home] upon the mountains of spices!


text:
The vision [seen by spiritual perception] of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah [the kingdom] and Jerusalem [its capital] in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.


text:
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up sons <i>and</i> have made them great and exalted, but they have rebelled against Me <i>and</i> broken away from Me.


text:
The ox [instinctively] knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s crib, but Israel does not know <i>or</i> recognize Me [as Lord], My people do not consider <i>or</i> understand.


text:
Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised <i>and</i> shown contempt <i>and</i> provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, they have become utterly estranged (alienated).


text:
Why should you be stricken <i>and</i> punished any more [since it brings no correction]? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint (feeble, sick, and nauseated).


text:
From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness <i>or</i> health in [the nation’s body] — but wounds and bruises and fresh <i>and</i> bleeding stripes; they have not been pressed out <i>and</i> closed up or bound up or softened with oil. [No one has troubled to seek a remedy.]


text:
[Because of your detestable disobedience] your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; your land — strangers devour it in your very presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by aliens.


text:
And the Daughter of Zion [Jerusalem] is left like a [deserted] booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, like a besieged city [spared, but in the midst of desolation].


text:
Except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant [of survivors], we should have been like Sodom, and we should have been like Gomorrah. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Hear [O Jerusalem] the word of the Lord, you rulers <i>or</i> judges of [another] Sodom! Give ear to the law <i>and</i> the teaching of our God, you people of [another] Gomorrah!


text:
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me [unless they are the offering of the heart]? says the Lord. I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts [without obedience]; and I do not delight in the blood of bulls or of lambs or of he-goats [without righteousness].


text:
Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility); [your hollow offering of] incense is an abomination to Me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot endure — [it is] iniquity <i>and</i> profanation, even the solemn meeting.


text:
Your New Moon festivals and your [hypocritical] appointed feasts My soul hates. They are an oppressive burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.


text:
And when you spread forth your hands [in prayer, imploring help], I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood!


text:
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes! Cease to do evil,


text:
Learn to do right! Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, <i>and</i> correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.


text:
Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.


text:
But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.


text:
How the faithful city has become an [idolatrous] harlot, she who was full of justice! Uprightness <i>and</i> right standing with God [once] lodged in her — but now murderers.


text:
Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and runs after compensation <i>and</i> rewards. They judge not for the fatherless <i>nor</i> defend them, neither does the cause of the widow come to them [for they delay or turn a deaf ear].


text:
Therefore says the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will appease Myself on My adversaries and avenge Myself on My enemies.


text:
And I will bring My hand again upon you and thoroughly purge away your dross [as with lye] and take away all your tin <i>or</i> alloy.


text:
And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterward you shall be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.


text:
Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her [returned] converts with righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God).


text:
But the crushing <i>and</i> destruction of rebels and sinners shall be together, and they who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.


text:
For you will be ashamed [of the folly and degradation] of the oak <i>or</i> terebinth trees in which you found [idolatrous] pleasure, and you will blush with shame for the [idolatrous worship which you practice in the passion-inflaming] gardens which you have chosen.


text:
For you shall be like an oak <i>or</i> terebinth whose leaf withers, and like a garden that has no water.


text:
And the strong shall become like tow <i>and</i> become tinder, and his work like a spark, and they shall both burn together, with none to quench them.


text:
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be [firmly] established as the highest of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it.


text:
And many people shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law <i>and</i> instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.


text:
And He shall judge between the nations and shall decide [disputes] for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Surely [Lord] You have rejected <i>and</i> forsaken your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled [with customs] from the east and with soothsayers [who foretell] like the Philistines; also they strike hands <i>and</i> make pledges <i>and</i> agreements with the children of aliens. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Their land also is full of silver and gold; neither is there any end to their treasures. Their land is also full of horses; neither is there any end to their chariots. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, what their own fingers have made.


text:
And the common man is bowed down [before idols], also the great man is brought low <i>and</i> humbles himself — therefore forgive them not [O Lord].


text:
Enter into the rock and hide yourself in the dust from before the terror of the Lord and from the glory of His majesty.


text:
The proud looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be humbled; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.


text:
For there shall be a day of the Lord of hosts against all who are proud and haughty and against all who are lifted up — and they shall be brought low — <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
[The wrath of God will begin by coming down] against all the cedars of Lebanon [west of the Jordan] that are high and lifted up, and against all the oaks of Bashan [east of the Jordan],


text:
And against all the ships of Tarshish and all the picturesque <i>and</i> desirable imagery [designed for mere ornament and luxury].


text:
Then the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.


text:
Then shall [the stricken, deprived of all in which they had trusted] go into the caves of the rocks and into the holes of the earth from before the terror <i>and</i> dread of the Lord and from before the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake mightily <i>and</i> terribly the earth. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
In that day men shall cast away to the moles and to the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship,


text:
To go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the ragged rocks from before the terror <i>and</i> dread of the Lord and from before the glory of His majesty, when He rises to shake mightily <i>and</i> terribly the earth.


text:
Cease to trust in [weak, frail, and dying] man, whose breath is in his nostrils [for so short a time]; in what sense can he be counted as having intrinsic worth?


text:
For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff [every kind of prop], the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of water,


text:
The mighty man and the man of war, the judge <i>and</i> the [professional] prophet, the one who foretells by divination and the old man,


text:
The captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the expert craftsman and the skillful enchanter.


text:
And I will make boys their princes, and with childishness shall they rule over them [with outrage instead of justice].


text:
And the people shall be oppressed, each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; the child shall behave himself proudly <i>and</i> with insolence against the old man, and the lowborn against the honorable [person of rank].


text:
When a man shall take hold of his brother in the house of his father, saying, You have a robe, you shall be our judge <i>and</i> ruler, and this heap of ruins shall be under your control —


text:
In that day he will answer, saying, I will not be a healer <i>and</i> one who binds up; <f>[1]</f><i>I am not a physician</i>. For in my house is neither bread nor clothing; you shall not make me judge <i>and</i> ruler of the people.


text:
For Jerusalem is ruined and Judah is fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of His glory <i>and</i> defy His glorious presence.


text:
Their respecting of persons <i>and</i> showing of partiality witnesses against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil [as a reward upon themselves].


text:
As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people, your leaders cause you to err, and they confuse (destroy and swallow up) the course of your paths.


text:
The Lord enters into judgment with the elders of His people and their princes: For [by your exactions and oppressions you have robbed the people and ruined the country] you have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.


text:
What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts.


text:
Moreover, the Lord said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and with undisciplined (flirtatious and alluring) eyes, tripping along with mincing <i>and</i> affected gait, and making a tinkling noise with [the anklets on] their feet,


text:
Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the heads of the daughters of Zion [making them bald], and the Lord will cause them to be [taken as captives and to suffer the indignity of being] stripped naked.


text:
In that day the Lord will take away the finery of their tinkling anklets, the caps of network, the crescent head ornaments,


text:
The headbands, the short ankle chains [attached from one foot to the other to insure a measured gait], the sashes, the perfume boxes, the amulets <i>or</i> charms [suspended from the ears or neck],


text:
The hand mirrors, the fine linen [undergarments], the turbans, and the [whole body-enveloping] veils.


text:
And it shall come to pass that instead of the sweet odor of spices there shall be the stench of rottenness; and instead of a girdle, a rope; and instead of well-set hair, baldness; and instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; and searing [of captives by the scorching heat] instead of beauty.


text:
And [Jerusalem’s] gates shall lament and mourn [as those who wail for the dead]; and she, being ruined <i>and</i> desolate, shall sit upon the ground.


text:
And in that day <f>[1]</f>seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread and provide our own apparel; only let us be called by your name to take away our reproach [of being unmarried].


text:
In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be excellent and lovely to those of Israel who have escaped. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem <i>and for</i> <f>[2]</f><i>eternal life</i>, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
After the Lord has washed away the [moral] filth of the daughters of Zion [pride, vanity, haughtiness] and has purged the bloodstains of Jerusalem from the midst of it by the spirit <i>and</i> blast of judgment and by the spirit <i>and</i> blast of burning <i>and</i> sifting.


text:
And the Lord will create over the whole site, over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy (a defense of divine love and protection).


text:
And there shall be a pavilion for shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge and a shelter from storm and from rain.


text:
Let me [as God’s representative] sing of <i>and</i> for my greatly Beloved [God, the Son] a tender song of my Beloved concerning His vineyard [His chosen people]. My greatly Beloved had a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And He dug <i>and</i> trenched the ground and gathered out the stones from it and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in the midst of it and hewed out a winepress in it. And He looked for it to bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.


text:
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between Me and My vineyard [My people, says the Lord].


text:
What more could have been done for My vineyard that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to bring forth grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?


text:
And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten <i>and</i> burned up; and I will break down its wall, and it shall be trodden down [by enemies].


text:
And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or cultivated, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.


text:
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant planting [the plant of His delight]. And He looked for justice, but behold, [He saw] oppression <i>and</i> bloodshed; [He looked] for righteousness (for uprightness and right standing with God), but behold, [He heard] a cry [of oppression and distress]!


text:
Woe to those who join house to house [and by violently expelling the poorer occupants enclose large acreage] and join field to field until there is no place for others and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land!


text:
In my [Isaiah’s] ears the Lord of hosts said, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and beautiful ones shall be without inhabitant.


text:
For ten acres of vineyard shall yield only about eight gallons, and ten bushels of seed will produce but one bushel.


text:
Woe unto those who rise early in the morning, that they may pursue strong drink, who tarry late into the night till wine inflames them!


text:
They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, neither do they consider the operation of His hands [in mercy and in judgment].


text:
Therefore My people go into captivity [to their enemies] without knowing it <i>and</i> because they have no knowledge [of God]. And their honorable men [their glory] are famished, and their common people are parched with thirst.


text:
Therefore Sheol (the unseen state, the realm of the dead) has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth without measure; and [Jerusalem’s] nobility <i>and</i> her multitude and her pomp <i>and</i> tumult and [the drunken reveler] who exults in her descend into it.


text:
And the common man is bowed down, and the great man is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are humbled.


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But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and God, the Holy One, shows Himself holy in righteousness <i>and</i> through righteous judgments.


text:
Then shall the lambs feed [among the ruins] as in their own pasture, and [among] the desolate places of the [exiled] rich shall sojourners <i>and</i> aliens eat.


text:
Woe to those who draw [calamity] with cords of iniquity <i>and</i> falsehood, who bring punishment to themselves with a cart rope of wickedness,


text:
Who say, Let [the Holy One] make haste <i>and</i> speed His [prophesied] vengeance, that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!


text:
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!


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Woe to those who are mighty heroes at drinking wine and men of strength in mixing alcoholic drinks! —


text:
Who justify <i>and</i> acquit the guilty for a bribe, but take away the rights of the innocent <i>and</i> righteous from them!


text:
Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be like rottenness and their blossom shall go up like fine dust — because they have rejected <i>and</i> cast away the law <i>and</i> the teaching of the Lord of hosts and have not believed <i>but</i> have treated scornfully <i>and</i> have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.


text:
Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people, and He has stretched forth His hand against them and has smitten them. And the mountains trembled, and their dead bodies were like dung <i>and</i> sweepings in the midst of the streets. For all this, His anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


text:
And He will lift up a signal to call together a hostile people from afar [to execute His judgment on Judea], and will hiss for them from the end of the earth [as bees are hissed from their hives], and behold, they shall come with speed, swiftly!


text:
None is weary or stumbles among them, none slumbers or sleeps; nor is the girdle of their loins loosed or the latchet (thong) of their shoes broken;


text:
Their arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses’ hoofs seem like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.


text:
Their roaring is like that of a lioness, they roar like young lions; they growl and seize their prey and carry it safely away, and there is none to deliver it.


text:
And in that day they [the army from afar] shall roar against [the Jews] like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; and the light [itself] will be darkened by the clouds of it.


text:
In the year that King Uzziah died, [in a vision] I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the skirts of His train filled the [most holy part of the] temple. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Above Him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two [each] covered his [own] face, and with two [each] covered his feet, and with two [each] flew.


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And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!


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And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who cried, and the house was filled with smoke.


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Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone <i>and</i> ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!


text:
Then flew one of the seraphim [heavenly beings] to me, having a live coal in his hand which he had taken with tongs from off the altar;


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And with it he touched my mouth and said, Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity <i>and</i> guilt are taken away, and your sin is completely atoned for <i>and</i> forgiven.


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Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.


text:
And He said, Go and tell this people, Hear <i>and</i> hear continually, but understand not; and see <i>and</i> see continually, but do not apprehend with your mind.


text:
Make the heart of this people fat; and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn again and be healed.


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Then said I, Lord, how long? And He answered, Until cities lie waste without inhabitant and houses without man, and the land is utterly desolate,


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And the Lord removes [His] people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.


text:
And though a tenth [of the people] remain in the land, it will be for their destruction [eaten up and burned] like a terebinth tree or like an oak whose stump <i>and</i> substance remain when they are felled <i>or</i> have cast their leaves. The holy seed [the elect remnant] is the stump <i>and</i> substance [of Israel].


text:
In the days of Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it.


text:
And the house of David [Judah] was told, Syria is allied with Ephraim [Israel]. And the heart [of Ahaz] and the hearts of his people trembled <i>and</i> shook, as the trees of the forest tremble <i>and</i> shake with the wind.


text:
Then said the Lord to Isaiah, Go forth now to meet <i>Judah’s King</i> Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub [a remnant shall return], at the end of the aqueduct <i>or</i> canal of the Upper Pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field;


text:
And say to him, Take heed and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted because of these two stumps of smoking firebrands — at the fierce anger of [the Syrian King] Rezin and Syria and of the son of Remaliah [Pekah, usurper of the throne of Israel].


text:
Because Syria, Ephraim [Israel], and the son of Remaliah have purposed evil against you [Judah], saying,


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Let us go up against Judah and harass <i>and</i> terrify it; and let us cleave it asunder [each of us taking a portion], and set a [vassal] king in the midst of it, namely the son of Tabeel,


text:
For the head [the capital] of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is [King] Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.


text:
And the head (the capital) of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son [Pekah]. If you will not believe <i>and</i> trust <i>and</i> rely [on God and on the words of God’s prophet instead of Assyria], surely you will not be established <i>nor</i> will you remain.


text:
Ask for yourself a sign (a token or proof) of the Lord your God [one that will convince you that God has spoken and will keep His word]; ask it either in the depth below or in the height above [let it be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven].


text:
And [Isaiah] said, Hear then, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary <i>and</i> try the patience of men, but will you weary <i>and</i> try the patience of my God also?


text:
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried <i>and</i> a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Butter <i>and</i> curds and wild honey shall he eat when he knows [enough] to refuse the evil and choose the good.


text:
For before the child shall know [enough] to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land [Canaan] whose two kings you abhor <i>and</i> of whom you are in sickening dread shall be forsaken [both Ephraim and Syria]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The Lord shall bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim [the ten northern tribes] departed from Judah — even the king of <f>[1]</f>Assyria.


text:
And in that day the Lord shall whistle for the fly [the numerous and troublesome foe] that is in the whole extent of the canal country of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.


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And these [enemies like flies and bees] shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate <i>and</i> rugged valleys <i>and</i> deep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thornbushes and on all the pastures.


text:
In the same day [will the people of Judah be utterly stripped of belongings], the Lord will shave with the razor that is hired from the parts beyond the River [Euphrates] — even with the king of Assyria — [that razor will shave] the head and the hair of the legs, and it shall also consume the beard [leaving Judah with open shame and scorn]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And [because of the desolation brought on by the invaders] in that day, a man will [be so poor that he will] keep alive only a young milk cow and two sheep.


text:
And because of the abundance of milk that they will give, he will eat butter <i>and</i> curds, for [only] butter <i>and</i> curds and [wild] honey [no vegetables] shall everyone eat who is left in the land [these products provided from the extensive pastures and the plentiful wild flowers upon which the bees depend].


text:
And in that day, in every place where there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels, there will be briers and thorns.


text:
With arrows and with bows shall a man come [to hunt] there, because all the land will be briers and thorns.


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And as for all the hills that were formerly cultivated with mattock <i>and</i> hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns; but they will become a place where oxen are let loose to pasture and where sheep tread.


text:
Then the Lord said to me, Take a large tablet [of wood, metal, or stone] and write upon it with a graving tool <i>and</i> in ordinary characters [which the humblest man can read]: Belonging to Maher-shalal-hash-baz [they (the Assyrians) hasten to the spoil (of Syria and Israel), they speed to the prey].


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And I took faithful witnesses to record <i>and</i> attest [this prophecy] for me, Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah.


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And I approached [my wife] the prophetess, and when she had conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz [as a continual reminder to the people of the prophecy],


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For before the child knows how to say, My father or my mother, the riches of Damascus [Syria’s capital] and the spoil of Samaria [Israel’s capital] <f>[1]</f>shall be carried away before the king of Assyria.


text:
Because this people [Israel and Judah] have refused <i>and</i> despised the waters of Shiloah [Siloam, the only perennial fountain of Jerusalem, and symbolic of God’s protection and sustaining power] that go gently, and rejoice in <i>and</i> with Rezin [the king of Syria] and Remaliah’s son [Pekah the king of Israel],


text:
Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the waters of the River [Euphrates], strong and many — even the king of Assyria and all the glory [of his gorgeous retinue]; and it will rise over all its channels, brooks, valleys, <i>and</i> canals and extend far beyond its banks; <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And it will <f>[2]</f>sweep on into Judah; it will overflow <i>and</i> go over [the hills], reaching even [but only] to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head], and the outstretched wings [of the armies of Assyria] shall fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel <f>[3]</f>[Messiah, God is with us]! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Make an uproar <i>and</i> be broken in pieces, O you peoples [rage, raise the war cry, do your worst, and be utterly dismayed]! Give ear, all you [our enemies] <i>of</i> far countries. Gird yourselves [for war], and be thrown into consternation! Gird yourselves, and be [utterly] dismayed!


text:
Take counsel together [against Judah], but it shall come to nought; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us [Immanuel]!


text:
For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand [upon me], and warned <i>and</i> instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,


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Do not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid and] in dread.


text:
The Lord of hosts — regard Him as holy <i>and</i> honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him].


text:
And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they shall fall and be broken, and be snared and taken.


text:
And I will wait for the Lord, Who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; and I will look for <i>and</i> hope in Him.


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Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are <f>[4]</f>signs and wonders [that are to take place] in Israel from the Lord of hosts, Who dwells on Mount Zion.


text:
And when the people [instead of putting their trust in God] shall say to you, Consult for direction mediums and wizards who chirp and mutter, should not a people seek <i>and</i> consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?


text:
[Direct such people] to the teaching and to the testimony! If their teachings are not in accord with this word, it is surely because there is no dawn <i>and</i> no morning for them.


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And they [who consult mediums and wizards] shall pass through [the land] sorely distressed and hungry; and when they are hungry, they will fret, and will curse by their king and their God; and whether they look upward


text:
Or look to the earth, they will behold only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and into thick darkness <i>and</i> widespread, obscure night they shall be driven away.


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But [in the midst of judgment there is the promise and the certainty of the Lord’s deliverance and] there shall be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time [the Lord] brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He will make it glorious, by the way of the Sea [of Galilee, the land] beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.


text:
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness <i>and</i> the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You [O Lord] have multiplied the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before You like the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil [of battle].


text:
For the yoke of [Israel’s] burden, and the staff <i>or</i> rod for [goading] their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, You have broken as in the day of [Gideon with] Midian. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For every [tramping] warrior’s war boots <i>and</i> all his armor in the battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.


text:
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from the [latter] time forth, even forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
The Lord has sent a word against Jacob [the ten tribes], and it has lighted upon Israel [the ten tribes, the kingdom of Ephraim].


text:
And all the people shall know it — even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria [its capital] — who said in pride and stoutness of heart,


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The bricks have fallen, but we will build [all the better] with hewn stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put [costlier] cedars in their place.


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Therefore the Lord has stirred up the adversaries [the Assyrians] of Rezin [king of Syria] against [Ephraim], and He will stir up their enemies <i>and</i> arm <i>and</i> join them together,


text:
The Syrians [compelled to fight with their enemies, going] before [on the east] and the Philistines behind [on the west]; and they will devour Israel with open mouth. For all this, [God’s] anger is not [then] turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


text:
Yet the people turn not to Him Who smote them, neither do they seek [inquire for or require as their vital need] the Lord of hosts.


text:
Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail [the highest and the lowest] — [high] palm branch and [low] rush in one day;


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For they who lead this people cause them to err, and they who are led [astray] by them are swallowed up (destroyed).


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Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will He have compassion on their fatherless and widows, for everyone is profane and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this, [God’s] anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


text:
For wickedness burns like a fire; it devours the briers and thorns, and it kindles in the thickets of the forest; they roll upward in a column of smoke.


text:
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is darkened <i>and</i> burned up, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no man spares his brother.


text:
They snatch in discord on the right hand, but are still hungry [their cruelty not diminished]; and they devour <i>and</i> destroy on the left hand, but are not satisfied. Each devours <i>and</i> destroys his own flesh [and blood] <i>or</i> his neighbor’s.


text:
Manasseh [thirsts for the blood of his brother] Ephraim, and Ephraim [for that of] Manasseh; but together they are against Judah. For all this, [God’s] anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


text:
Woe to those [judges] who issue unrighteous decrees, and to the magistrates who keep causing unjust <i>and</i> oppressive decisions to be recorded,


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To turn aside the needy from justice and to make plunder of the rightful claims of the poor of My people, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!


text:
And what will you do in the day of visitation [of God’s wrath], and in the desolation which shall come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you deposit [for safekeeping] your wealth <i>and</i> with whom leave your glory?


text:
Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, and they shall fall [overwhelmed] under the heaps of the slain [on the battlefield]. For all this, [God’s] anger is not turned away, but His hand is still stretched out [in judgment].


text:
Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of My anger, the staff in whose hand is My indignation <i>and</i> fury [against Israel’s disobedience]!


text:
I send [the Assyrian] against a hypocritical <i>and</i> godless nation and against the people of My wrath; I command him to take the spoil and to seize the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the streets.


text:
However, this is not his intention [nor is the Assyrian aware that he is doing this at My bidding], neither does his mind so think <i>and</i> plan; but it is in his mind to destroy and cut off many nations.


text:
Is not Calno [of Babylonia conquered] like Carchemish [on the Euphrates]? Is not Hamath [in Upper Syria] like Arpad [her neighbor]? Is not Samaria [in Israel] like Damascus [in Syria]? [Have any of these cities been able to resist Assyria? Not one!]


text:
As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols [which were unable to defend them,] whose graven images were more to be feared <i>and</i> dreaded <i>and</i> more mighty than those of Jerusalem and of Samaria —


text:
Shall I not be able to do to Jerusalem and her images as I have done to Samaria and her idols? [says the Assyrian]


text:
Therefore when the Lord has completed all His work [of chastisement and purification to be executed] on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, it shall be that He will inflict punishment on the fruit [the thoughts, words, and deeds] of the stout <i>and</i> arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the haughtiness of his pride.


text:
For [the Assyrian king] has said, I have done it solely by the power of my own hand and wisdom, for I have insight <i>and</i> understanding. I have removed the boundaries of the peoples and have robbed their treasures; and like a bull I have brought down those who sat on thrones <i>and</i> the inhabitants.


text:
And my hand has found like a nest the wealth of the people; and as one gathers eggs that are forsaken, so I have gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved its wing, or that opened its mouth or chirped.


text:
Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him who wields it back and forth? As if a rod should wield those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift itself up as if it were not wood [but a man of God]!


text:
Therefore will the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send leanness among [the Assyrian’s] fat ones; and instead of his glory <i>or</i> under it He will kindle a burning like the burning of fire.


text:
And the Light of Israel shall become a fire and His Holy One a flame, and it will <f>[1]</f>burn and devour [the Assyrian’s] thorns and briers in one day. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
[The Lord] will consume the glory of the [Assyrian’s] forest and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and it shall be as when a sick man pines away <i>or</i> a standard-bearer faints.


text:
And it shall be in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more lean upon him who smote them, but will lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.


text:
For though your population, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of it will return [and survive]. The [fully completed] destruction is decreed (decided upon and brought to an issue); it overflows with justice <i>and</i> righteousness [the infliction of just punishment]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will make a full end, whatever is determined <i>or</i> decreed [in Israel], in the midst of all the earth.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord, the Lord of hosts, O My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian, who smites you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as [the king of] Egypt did. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For yet a little while and My indignation against you shall be accomplished, and My anger shall be directed to destruction [of the Assyrian].


text:
And the Lord of hosts shall stir up <i>and</i> brandish a scourge against them as when He smote Midian at the rock of Oreb; and as His rod was over the [Red] Sea, so shall He lift it up as He did in [the flight from] Egypt. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And it shall be in that day that the burden of [the Assyrian] shall depart from your shoulders, and his yoke from your neck. The yoke shall be destroyed because of fatness [which prevents it from going around your neck]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
[The Assyrian with his army comes to Judah]. He arrives at Aiath; he passes through Migron; at Michmash he gets rid of his baggage [by storing it].


text:
They go through the pass, they make Geba their camping place for the night; Ramah is afraid <i>and</i> trembles, Gibeah [the city] of [King] Saul flees.


text:
Cry aloud [in consternation], O Daughter of Gallim! Hearken, O Laishah! [Answer her] O you poor Anathoth!


text:
Madmenah is in flight; the inhabitants of Gebim seize their belongings <i>and</i> make their households flee for safety.


text:
This very day [the Assyrian] will halt at Nob [the city of priests], shaking his fist at the mountain of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.


text:
[But just when the Assyrian is in sight of his goal] behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will lop off the beautiful boughs with terrorizing force; the high in stature will be hewn down and the lofty will be brought low.


text:
And He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an ax, and Lebanon [the Assyrian] with its majestic trees shall fall by the Mighty One <i>and</i> mightily. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
And there shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David’s father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow <i>and</i> bear fruit. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him — the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential <i>and</i> obedient fear of the Lord —


text:
And shall make Him of quick understanding, <i>and</i> His delight shall be in the reverential <i>and</i> obedient fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears;


text:
But with righteousness <i>and</i> justice shall He judge the poor and decide with fairness for the meek, the poor, <i>and</i> the downtrodden of the earth; and He shall smite the earth <i>and</i> the oppressor with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.


text:
And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatted domestic animal together; and a little child shall lead them.


text:
And the cow and the bear shall feed side by side, their young shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.


text:
And the sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.


text:
They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.


text:
And it shall be in that day that the Root of Jesse shall stand as a signal for the peoples; of Him shall the nations inquire <i>and</i> seek knowledge, and His dwelling shall be glory [His rest glorious]! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And in that day the Lord shall again lift up His hand a second time to recover (acquire and deliver) the remnant of His people which is left, from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Pathros, from Ethiopia, from Elam [in Persia], from Shinar [Babylonia], from Hamath [in Upper Syria], and from the countries bordering on the [Mediterranean] Sea. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And He will raise up a signal for the nations and will assemble the outcasts of Israel and will gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.


text:
The envy <i>and</i> jealousy of Ephraim also shall depart, and they who vex <i>and</i> harass Judah from outside <i>or</i> inside shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex <i>and</i> harass Ephraim.


text:
But [with united forces Ephraim and Judah] will swoop down upon the shoulders of the Philistines’ [land sloping] toward the west; together they will strip the people on the east [the Arabs]. They will lay their hands upon Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will obey them.


text:
And the Lord will utterly destroy (doom and dry up) the tongue of the Egyptian sea [the west fork of the Red Sea]; and with His [mighty] scorching wind He will wave His hand over the river [Nile] and will smite it into seven channels and will cause men to cross over dry-shod.


text:
And there shall be a highway from Assyria for the remnant left of His people, as there was for Israel when they came up out of the land of Egypt.


text:
And in that day you will say, I will give thanks to You, O Lord; for though You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You comfort me.


text:
Behold, God, my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and song; yes, He has become my salvation.


text:
And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name <i>and</i> by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare <i>and</i> make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted!


text:
Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done excellent things [gloriously]; let this be made known to all the earth.


text:
Cry aloud and shout joyfully, you women <i>and</i> inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Babylon which Isaiah son of Amoz saw [with prophetic insight]:


text:
Raise up a signal banner upon the high <i>and</i> bare mountain, summon them [the Medes and Persians] with loud voice and beckoning hand that they may enter the gates of the [Babylonian] nobles.


text:
I Myself [says the Lord] have commanded My designated ones and have summoned My mighty men to execute My anger, even My proudly exulting ones [the Medes and Persians] — those who are made to triumph for My honor.


text:
Hark, the uproar of a multitude in the mountains, like that of a great people! The noise of the tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the host for the battle.


text:
They come from a distant country, from the uttermost part of the heavens [the far east] — even the Lord and the weapons of His indignation — to seize <i>and</i> destroy the whole land. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty <i>and</i> Sufficient One [Shaddai] will it come! <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And they [of Babylon] shall be dismayed and terrified, pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in childbirth. They will gaze stupefied <i>and</i> aghast at one another, their faces will be aflame [from the effects of the unprecedented warfare].


text:
Behold, the day of the Lord is coming! — fierce, with wrath and raging anger — to make the land <i>and</i> the [whole] earth a desolation and to destroy out of it its sinners. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened at its rising and the moon will not shed its light.


text:
And I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their guilt <i>and</i> iniquity; I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible <i>and</i> the boasting of the violent <i>and</i> ruthless.


text:
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the <f>[2]</f>earth shall be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of His fierce anger.


text:
And like the chased roe <i>or</i> gazelle, and like sheep that no man gathers, each [foreign resident] will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.


text:
Everyone who is found will be thrust through, and everyone who is connected with the slain <i>and</i> is caught will fall by the sword.


text:
Their infants also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.


text:
Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold [and thus cannot be bribed].


text:
Their bows will cut down the young men [of Babylon]; and they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb, their eyes will not spare children.


text:
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, shall be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.


text:
[Babylon] shall never be inhabited or dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arab pitch his tent there, nor shall the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.


text:
But wild beasts of the desert will lie down there, and the people’s houses will be full of dolefully howling creatures; and ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats [like demons] will dance there.


text:
And <f>[3]</f>wolves <i>and</i> howling creatures will cry <i>and</i> answer in the deserted castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. And [Babylon’s] time has nearly come, and her days will not be prolonged.


text:
For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob [the captive Jews in Babylon] and will again choose Israel and set them in their own land; and foreigners [who are proselytes] will join them and will cleave to the house of Jacob (Israel). <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the peoples [of Babylonia] shall <f>[1]</f>take them and bring them to their own country [of Judea] <i>and</i> help restore them. And the house of Israel will possess [the foreigners who prefer to stay with] them in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and they will take captive [not by physical but by moral might] those whose captives they have been, and they will rule over their [former] oppressors. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
When the Lord has given you rest from your sorrow <i>and</i> pain and from your trouble <i>and</i> unrest and from the hard service with which you were made to serve,


text:
You shall take up this [taunting] parable against the king of Babylon and say, How the oppressor has stilled [the restless insolence]! The golden <i>and</i> exacting city has ceased!


text:
Who smote the peoples in anger with incessant blows <i>and</i> trod down the nations in wrath with unrelenting persecution — [until] he who smote is persecuted and no one hinders any more.


text:
Yes, the fir trees <i>and</i> cypresses rejoice at you [O kings of Babylon], even the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes up against us.


text:
Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead) below is stirred up to meet you at your coming [O tyrant Babylonian rulers]; it stirs up the shades of the dead to greet you — even all the chief ones of the earth; it raises from their thrones [in astonishment at your humbled condition] all the kings of the nations.


text:
All of them will [tauntingly] say to you, Have you also become weak as we are? Have you become like us?


text:
Your pomp <i>and</i> magnificence are brought down to Sheol (the underworld), along with the sound of your harps; the maggots [which prey upon dead bodies] are spread out under you and worms cover you [O Babylonian rulers].


text:
How have you fallen from heaven, O <f>[2]</f>light-bringer <i>and</i> daystar, son of the morning! How you have been cut down to the ground, you who weakened <i>and</i> laid low the nations [O blasphemous, satanic king of Babylon!]


text:
And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the uttermost north.


text:
Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol (Hades), to the innermost recesses of the pit (the region of the dead).


text:
Those who see you will gaze at you <i>and</i> consider you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms? —


text:
Who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who would not permit his prisoners to return home?


text:
All the kings of the nations, all of them lie sleeping in glorious array, each one in his own sepulcher.


text:
But you are cast away from your tomb like a loathed growth <i>or</i> premature birth <i>or</i> an abominable branch [of the family] <i>and</i> like the raiment of the slain; and you are clothed with the slain, those thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit [into which carcasses are thrown], like a dead body trodden underfoot.


text:
You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and have slain your people. May the descendants of evildoers nevermore be named!


text:
Prepare a slaughtering place for his sons because of the guilt <i>and</i> iniquity of their fathers, so that they may not rise, possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.


text:
And I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son’s son, says the Lord.


text:
I will also make it a possession of the hedgehog <i>and</i> porcupine, and of <f>[3]</f>marshes <i>and</i> pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts.


text:
The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought <i>and</i> planned, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand —


text:
That I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him underfoot. Then shall the [Assyrian’s] <f>[4]</f>yoke depart from [the people of Judah], and his burden depart from their shoulders.


text:
This is the [Lord’s] purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth [regarded as conquered and put under tribute by Assyria]; and this is [His omnipotent] hand that is stretched out over all the nations.


text:
For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who can annul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?


text:
In the year that King Ahaz [of Judah] died there came this mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up):


text:
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, because the rod [of Judah] that smote you is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth an adder [King Hezekiah of Judah], and its [the serpent’s] offspring will be a fiery, flying serpent. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And the firstborn of the poor <i>and</i> the poorest of the poor [of Judah] shall feed on My meadows, and the needy will lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant shall be slain.


text:
Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! Melt away, O Philistia, all of you! For there is coming a smoke out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks <i>and</i> none stands aloof [in Hezekiah’s battalions].


text:
What then shall one answer the messengers of the [Philistine] nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, and in her shall the poor <i>and</i> afflicted of His people trust <i>and</i> find refuge.


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Moab: Because in a night Ar of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence! Because in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste and brought to silence!


text:
They are gone up to Bayith and to Dibon, to the high places to weep. Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba; on all their heads is baldness, and every beard is cut off [as a sign of deep sorrow and humiliation]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
In their streets they gird themselves with sackcloth; on the tops of their houses and in their broad places everyone wails, weeping abundantly.


text:
And Heshbon and Elealeh [cities in possession of Moab] cry out; their voice is heard even to Jahaz. Therefore the armed soldiers of Moab cry out; [Moab’s] life is grievous <i>and</i> trembles within him.


text:
My heart cries out for Moab; his nobles <i>and</i> other fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah [like a heifer three years old]. For with weeping they go up the ascent of Luhith; for on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For the waters of Nimrim are desolations, for the grass is withered away and the new growth fails; there is no green thing.


text:
Therefore the abundance [of possessions] they have acquired and stored away they [now] carry over the willow brook <i>and</i> to the valley of the Arabians.


text:
For the cry [of distress] has gone round the borders of Moab; the wailing has reached to Eglaim, and the prolonged <i>and</i> mournful cry to Beer-elim.


text:
For the waters of Dimon are full of blood; yet I [the Lord] will bring even more on Dimon — a lion upon those of Moab who escape and upon the remnant of the land.


text:
You [Moabites, now fugitives in Edom, which is ruled by the king of Judah] send <f>[1]</f>lambs to the ruler of the land, from Sela <i>or</i> Petra through the desert <i>and</i> wilderness to the mountain of the Daughter of Zion [Jerusalem]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For like wandering birds, like a brood cast out <i>and</i> a scattered nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be at the fords of the [river] Arnon.


text:
[Say to the ruler] Give counsel, execute justice [for Moab, O king of Judah]; make your shade [over us] like night in the midst of noonday; hide the outcasts, betray not the fugitive to his pursuer.


text:
Let our outcasts of Moab dwell among you; be a sheltered hiding place to them from the destroyer. When the extortion <i>and</i> the extortioner have been brought to nought, and destruction has ceased, and the oppressors <i>and</i> they who trample men are consumed <i>and</i> have vanished out of the land,


text:
Then in mercy <i>and</i> loving-kindness shall a throne be established, and <f>[2]</f> One shall sit upon it in truth <i>and</i> faithfulness in the tent of David, judging and seeking justice and being swift to do righteousness. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
We have heard of the pride of Moab, that he is very proud — even of his arrogance, his conceit, his wrath, his untruthful boasting.


text:
Moab therefore shall wail for Moab; everyone shall wail. For the ruins, flagons of wine, <i>and</i> the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth you shall sigh and mourn, utterly stricken <i>and</i> discouraged.


text:
For the fields of Heshbon languish <i>and</i> wither, and the vines of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down [Moab’s] choice vine branches, which reached even to Jazer, wandering into the wilderness; its shoots stretched out abroad, they passed over [the shores of] the [Dead] Sea.


text:
Therefore I [Isaiah] will weep with the weeping of Jazer for the vines of Sibmah. I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for upon your summer fruits and your harvest the shout [of alarm and the cry of the enemy] has fallen.


text:
And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there is no singing, nor is there joyful sound; the treaders tread out no wine in the presses, for the shout of joy has been made to cease.


text:
Wherefore my heart sounds like a harp [in mournful compassion] for Moab, and my inner being [goes out] for Kir-hareseth [for those brick-walled citadels of his].


text:
It shall be that when Moab presents himself, when he wearies himself [worshiping] on the high place [of idolatry], he will come to his sanctuary [of Chemosh, god of Moab], but he will not prevail. [Then will he be ashamed of his god.] <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning Moab since that time [when Moab’s pride and resistance to God were first known].


text:
But now the Lord has spoken, saying, Within <f>[3]</f>three years, as the years of a hireling [who will not serve longer than the allotted time], the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, in spite of all his mighty multitudes of people; and the remnant that survives will be very small, feeble, <i>and</i> of no account.


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Damascus [capital of Syria, and Israel’s bulwark against Assyria]. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.


text:
The cities of Aroer [east of the Jordan] are forsaken; they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.


text:
His bulwark [Syria] <i>and</i> the fortress shall disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the [departed] glory of the children of Israel [her ally], says the Lord of hosts.


text:
And in that day the former glory of Jacob [Israel — his might, his population, his prosperity] shall be enfeebled, and the fat of his flesh shall become lean.


text:
And it shall be as when the reaper gathers the standing grain and his arm harvests the ears; yes, it shall be as when one gathers the ears of grain in the fertile Valley of Rephaim.


text:
Yet gleanings [of grapes] shall be left in it [the land of Israel], as after the beating of an olive tree [with a stick], two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of the fruitful tree, says the Lord, the God of Israel.


text:
And they will not look to the [idolatrous] altars, the work of their hands, neither will they have respect for what their fingers have made — either the Asherim [symbols of the goddess Asherah] or the sun-images.


text:
In that day will their [Syria’s and Israel’s] strong cities be like the forsaken places in the wood and on the mountaintop, as they [the <f>[1]</f>Amorites and the Hivites] forsook their [cities] because of the children of Israel; and there will be desolation.


text:
Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation [O Judah] and have not been mindful of the Rock of your strength, your Stronghold — therefore, you have planted pleasant nursery grounds <i>and</i> plantings [to Adonis, pots of quickly withered flowers used to set by their doors or in the courts of temples], and have set [the grounds] with vine slips of a strange [God],


text:
And in the day of your planting you hedge it in, and in the morning you make your seed to blossom, yet [promising as it is] the harvest shall be a heap of ruins <i>and</i> flee away in the day of expected possession and of desperate sorrow <i>and</i> sickening, incurable pain.


text:
Hark, the uproar of a multitude of peoples! They roar <i>and</i> thunder like the noise of the seas! Ah, the roar of nations! They roar like the roaring of rushing <i>and</i> mighty waters!


text:
The nations will rush <i>and</i> roar like the rushing <i>and</i> roaring of many waters — but [God] will rebuke them, and they will flee far off and will be chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind, and like rolling thistledown <i>or</i> whirling dust of the stubble before the storm.


text:
At evening time, behold, terror! And <f>[2]</f>before the morning, they [the terrorizing Assyrians] are not. This is the portion of those who strip us [the Jews] of what belongs to us, and the lot of those who rob us. [Fulfilled in Isa. 37:36.]


text:
That sends ambassadors by the Nile, even in vessels of papyrus upon the waters! Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and polished, to a people terrible from their beginning [feared and dreaded near and far], a nation strong and victorious, whose land the rivers divide!


text:
All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains — look! When a trumpet is blown — hear!


text:
For thus the Lord has said to me: I will be still and I will look on from My dwelling place, like clear <i>and</i> glowing heat in sunshine, like a fine cloud of mist in the heat of harvest.


text:
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches He will remove and cut away.


text:
They [the dead bodies of the slain warriors] shall be left together to the ravenous birds of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth; and the ravenous birds will summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth will winter upon them.


text:
At that time shall a present be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and polished, from a people terrible from their beginning <i>and</i> feared <i>and</i> dreaded near and far, a nation strong and victorious, whose land the rivers <i>or</i> great channels divide — to the place [of worship] of the <f>[1]</f>Name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion [in Jerusalem]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Egypt: Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.


text:
And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, every one against his brother and every one against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.


text:
And the spirit of the Egyptians within them will become exhausted and emptied out <i>and</i> will fail, and I will destroy their counsel <i>and</i> confound their plans; and they will seek counsel from the idols and the sorcerers, and from those having familiar spirits (the mediums) and the wizards.


text:
And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard <i>and</i> cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them, says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.


text:
And the rivers shall become foul, the streams <i>and</i> canals of Egypt shall be diminished and dried up, the reeds and the rushes shall wither <i>and</i> rot away.


text:
The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile shall become dry, be blown away, and be no more.


text:
The fishermen will lament, and all who cast a hook into the Nile will mourn; and they who spread nets upon the waters will languish.


text:
Moreover, they who work with combed flax and they who weave white [cotton] cloth will be confounded <i>and</i> in despair.


text:
[Those who are] the pillars <i>and</i> foundations of Egypt will be crushed, and all those who work for hire <i>or</i> who build dams will be grieved.


text:
The princes of Zoan [ancient capital of the Pharaohs] are utterly foolish; the counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become witless (stupid). How can you say to Pharaoh, I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings?


text:
Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you now [if they are so wise], and let them make known what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt [if they can].


text:
The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis are confused <i>and</i> deceived; those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray.


text:
The Lord has mingled a spirit of perverseness, error, <i>and</i> confusion within her; [her leaders] have caused Egypt to stagger in all her doings, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.


text:
Neither can any work [done singly or by concerted action] accomplish anything for Egypt, whether by head or tail, palm branch or rush [high or low].


text:
In that day will the Egyptians be like women [timid and helpless]; and they will tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts which He shakes over them.


text:
And the land of Judah [allied to Assyria] shall become a terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom mention of it is made will be afraid <i>and</i> everyone who mentions it — to him will they turn in fear, because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts which He purposes against Egypt.


text:
In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of [the Hebrews of] Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of them will be called the City of the Sun <i>or</i> Destruction.


text:
In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border.


text:
And it will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a savior, even a mighty one, and he will deliver them. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know (have knowledge of, be acquainted with, give heed to, and cherish) the Lord in that day and will worship with sacrifices of animal <i>and</i> vegetable offerings; they will vow a vow to the Lord and perform it.


text:
And the Lord shall smite Egypt, smiting and healing it; and they will return to the Lord, and He will listen to their entreaties and heal them.


text:
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship [the Lord] with the Assyrians.


text:
In that day Israel shall be the third, with Egypt and with Assyria [in a Messianic league], a blessing in the midst of the earth,


text:
Whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands and Israel My heritage.


text:
In the year that the Tartan [Assyrian commander in chief] came to Ashdod in Philistia, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, he fought against Ashdod and took it.


text:
At that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, Go, loose the sackcloth from off your loins and take your shoes off your feet. And he had done so, walking around stripped [to his loincloth] and barefoot.


text:
And the Lord said, As My servant Isaiah has walked [comparatively] naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign and forewarning concerning Egypt and concerning Cush (Ethiopia),


text:
So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Ethiopian exiles, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with buttocks uncovered — to the shame of Egypt.


text:
And they shall be dismayed and confounded because of Ethiopia their hope <i>and</i> expectation and Egypt their glory <i>and</i> boast.


text:
And the inhabitants of this coastland [the Israelites and their neighbors] will say in that day, See! This is what comes to those in whom we trusted <i>and</i> hoped, to whom we fled for help to deliver us from the king of Assyria! But we, how shall we escape [captivity and exile]?


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning the Desert of the Sea [which was Babylon after great dams were raised to control the waters of the Euphrates River which overflowed it like a sea — and would do so again]: As whirlwinds in the South (the Negeb) sweep through, so it [the judgment of God by hostile armies] comes from the desert, from a terrible land.


text:
A hard <i>and</i> grievous vision is declared to me: the treacherous dealer deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All the sighing [caused by Babylon’s ruthless oppressions] I will cause to cease [says the Lord]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore are my [Isaiah’s] loins filled with anguish, pangs have seized me like the pangs of a woman in childbirth; I am bent <i>and</i> pained so that I cannot hear, I am dismayed so that I cannot see.


text:
My mind reels <i>and</i> wanders, horror terrifies me. [In my mind’s eye I am at the feast of Belshazzar. I see the defilement of the golden vessels taken from God’s temple, I watch the handwriting appear on the wall — I know that Babylon’s great king is to be slain.] The twilight I looked forward to with pleasure has been turned into fear <i>and</i> trembling for me. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, [and having] set the watchers [the revelers take no other precaution], they eat, they drink. Arise, you princes, and oil your shields [for your deadly foe is at the gates]!


text:
And when he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, and a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently, very diligently.


text:
And [the watchman] cried like a lion, O Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my station every night.


text:
And see! Here comes a troop of men <i>and</i> chariots, horsemen in pairs! And he [the watchman] tells [what it foretells]: Babylon has fallen, has fallen! And all the graven images of her gods lie shattered on the ground [in my vision]!


text:
O you my threshed and winnowed ones [my own people the Jews, who must be trodden down by Babylon], that which I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [Babylon is to fall]!


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Dumah (Edom): One calls to me from Seir (Edom), Watchman, what of the night? [How far is it spent? How long till morning?] Guardian, what of the night?


text:
The watchman said, The morning comes, but also the night. [Another time, if Edom earnestly wishes to know] if you will inquire [of me], inquire; return, come again.


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Arabia: In the forests <i>and</i> thickets of Arabia you shall lodge, O you caravans of Dedanites [from northern Arabia].


text:
To the thirsty [Dedanites] bring water, O inhabitants of the land of Tema [in Arabia]; meet the fugitive with bread [suitable] for him.


text:
For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war [the press of battle].


text:
For the Lord has said this to me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling [who will work no longer than was agreed], all the glory of Kedar [an Arabian tribe] will fail.


text:
And the remainder of the number of archers <i>and</i> their bows, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be diminished <i>and</i> few; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken it.


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning the Valley of Vision: What do you mean [I wonder] that you have all gone up to the housetops,


text:
You who are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous <i>and</i> exultant city? [O Jerusalem] your slain warriors have not met [a glorious] death with the sword or in battle.


text:
All your [military] leaders have fled together; without the bow [which they had thrown away] they have been taken captive <i>and</i> bound by the archers. All of you who were found were bound together [as captives], though they had fled far away.


text:
Therefore I [Isaiah] said, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly. Do not hasten <i>and</i> try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.


text:
For it is a day of discomfiture <i>and</i> of tumult, of treading down, of confusion <i>and</i> perplexity from the Lord God of hosts in the Valley of Vision, a day of breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountains.


text:
And [in my vision I saw] Elam take up the quiver, with troops in chariots, infantry, <i>and</i> horsemen; and Kir [with Elam subject to Assyria] uncovered the shield.


text:
And it came to pass that your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen took their station [and set themselves in offensive array at the gate of Jerusalem]. [Fulfilled in II Chron. 32; Isa. 36.]


text:
Then [God] removed the protective covering of Judah; and you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest [the king’s armory] in that day. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
You saw that the breaches [in the walls] of the City of David [the citadel of Zion] were many; [since the water supply was still defective] you collected [within the city’s walls] the waters of the Lower Pool.


text:
And you numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses [to get materials] to fortify the [city] wall.


text:
You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the Old Pool, but you did not look to the Maker of it, nor did you recognize Him Who planned it long ago.


text:
And in that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weeping and mourning, to the shaving off of all your hair [in humiliation] and to the girding with sackcloth.


text:
But instead, see the pleasure and mirth, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine, [with the idea] Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!


text:
And the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in my ears [as He said], Surely this unatoned sin shall not be purged from you until [you are punished — and the punishment will be] death, says the Lord God of hosts.


text:
Come, go to this [contemptible] steward <i>and</i> treasurer, to Shebna, who is over the house [but who is presumptuous enough to be building himself a tomb among those of the mighty, a tomb worthy of a king], and say to him,


text:
What business have you here? And whom have you entombed here, that you have the right to hew out for yourself a tomb here? He hews out a sepulcher for himself on the height! He carves out a dwelling for himself in the rock!


text:
Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man; yes, He will take tight hold of you <i>and</i> He will surely cover you [with shame].


text:
He will surely roll you up in a bundle [Shebna] and toss you like a ball into a large country; there you will die and there will be your splendid chariots, you disgrace to your master’s house!


text:
And I will clothe him with your robe and will bind your girdle on him and will commit your authority to his hand; he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.


text:
And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.


text:
And I will fasten him like a peg <i>or</i> nail in a firm place; and he will become a throne of honor <i>and</i> glory to his father’s house.


text:
And they will hang on him the honor <i>and</i> the whole weight of [responsibility for] his father’s house: the offspring and issue [of the family, high and low], every small vessel, from the cups even to all the flasks <i>and</i> big bulging bottles.


text:
In that day, says the Lord of hosts, the nail <i>or</i> peg that was fastened into the sure place shall give way <i>and</i> be moved and be hewn down and fall, and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off; for the Lord has spoken it.


text:
The mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning Tyre: Wail, you ships of [Tyre returning from trading with] Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, no harbor; from the land of Kittim (Cyprus) they learn of it.


text:
Be still, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, <f>[1]</f><i>your messengers</i> passing over the sea have replenished you [with wealth and industry],


text:
And were on great waters. The seed <i>or</i> grain of the Shihor, the harvest [due to the overflow] of the Nile River, was [Tyre’s] revenue, and she became the merchandise of the nations.


text:
Be ashamed, O Sidon [mother-city of Tyre, now a widow bereaved of her children], for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have neither travailed nor brought forth children; I have neither nourished <i>and</i> reared young men nor brought up virgins.


text:
Is this your jubilant city, whose origin dates back into antiquity, whose own feet are accustomed to carry her far off to settle [daughter cities]?


text:
Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?


text:
The Lord of hosts has purposed it [in accordance with a fixed principle of His government], to defile the pride of all glory and to bring into dishonor <i>and</i> contempt all the honored of the earth.


text:
Overflow your land like [the overflow of] the Nile River, O Daughter of Tarshish; there is no girdle of restraint [on you] any more [to make you pay tribute or customs or duties to Tyre].


text:
He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook the kingdoms; the Lord has given a command concerning Canaan to destroy her strongholds <i>and</i> fortresses [Tyre, Sidon, etc.].


text:
And He said, You shall no more exult, you oppressed <i>and</i> crushed one, O Virgin Daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Kittim (Cyprus); but even there you will have no rest.


text:
Look at the land of the Chaldeans! That people and not the Assyrians designed <i>and</i> assigned [Tyre] for the wild beasts <i>and</i> those who [previously] dwelt in the wilderness. They set up their siege works, they overthrew its palaces, they made it a ruin!


text:
Howl, you ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold [of Tyre] is laid waste [your strength has been destroyed].


text:
And in that day Tyre will be in obscurity <i>and</i> forgotten for seventy years, according to the days of one dynasty. After the end of seventy years will Tyre sing as a harlot [who has been forgotten but again attracts her lovers].


text:
Take a harp, go about the city, forgotten harlot; play skillfully <i>and</i> make sweet melody, sing many songs, that you may be remembered.


text:
And after the end of seventy years the Lord will remember Tyre; and she will return to her hire and will play the harlot [resume her commerce] with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.


text:
But her gain and her hire [the profits of Tyre’s new prosperity] will be <f>[2]</f>dedicated to the Lord [eventually]; it will not be treasured or stored up, for her gain will be used for those who dwell in the presence of the Lord [the ministers], that they may eat sufficiently and have durable <i>and</i> stately clothing [suitable for those who minister at God’s altar].


text:
Behold, the Lord will make the land <i>and</i> the <f>[1]</f>earth empty and make it waste and turn it upside down (twist the face of it) and scatter abroad its inhabitants.


text:
And it shall be — as [what happens] with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.


text:
The land <i>and</i> the earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly pillaged; for the Lord has said this.


text:
The land <i>and</i> the earth mourn and wither, the world languishes and withers, the high ones of the people [and the heavens with the earth] languish.


text:
The land <i>and</i> the earth also are defiled by their inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, disregarded the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore a curse devours the land <i>and</i> the earth, and they who dwell in it suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore the inhabitants of the land <i>and</i> the earth are scorched <i>and</i> parched [under the curse of God’s wrath], and few people are left. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
The mirth of the timbrels is stilled, the noise of those who rejoice ends, the joy of the lyre is stopped.


text:
The wasted city of emptiness <i>and</i> confusion is broken down; every house is shut up so that no one may enter.


text:
There is crying in the streets for wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is banished <i>and</i> gone into captivity.


text:
For so shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking <i>and</i> beating of an olive tree, or as the gleaning when the vintage is done [and only a small amount of the fruit remains].


text:
[But] these [who have escaped and remain] lift up their voices, they shout; for the majesty of the Lord they cry aloud from the [Mediterranean] Sea.


text:
Wherefore glorify the Lord in the east [whether in the region of daybreak’s lights and fires, or in the west]; [glorify] the name of the Lord, the God of Israel in the isles <i>and</i> coasts of the [Mediterranean] Sea.


text:
From the uttermost parts of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the Righteous One [and to the people of Israel]! But I say, Emaciated I pine away, I pine away. Woe is me! The treacherous dealers deal treacherously! Yes, the treacherous dealers deal very treacherously.


text:
And he who flees at the noise of the terror will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of the heavens are opened [as in the deluge], and the foundations of the earth tremble <i>and</i> shake.


text:
The earth shall stagger like a drunken man and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; its transgression shall lie heavily upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again.


text:
And in that day the Lord will visit <i>and</i> punish the host of the high ones on high [the host of heaven in heaven, celestial beings] and the kings of the earth on the earth. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
And they will be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in a pit <i>or</i> dungeon; they will be shut up in prison, and after many days they will be visited, inspected, <i>and</i> punished <i>or</i> <f>[2]</f>pardoned. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, when [they compare their ineffectual fire to the light of] the Lord of hosts, Who will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will show forth His glory.


text:
O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things, even purposes planned of old [and fulfilled] in faithfulness and truth.


text:
For You have made a city a heap, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of aliens without a city [is no more a city]; it will never be rebuilt.


text:
Therefore [many] a strong people will glorify You, [many] a city of terrible <i>and</i> ruthless nations will [reverently] fear You.


text:
For You have been a stronghold for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the ruthless ones is like a rainstorm against a wall.


text:
As the heat in a dry land [is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so] You will bring down the noise of aliens [exultant over their enemies]; and as the heat is brought low by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless ones is brought low.


text:
And on this Mount [Zion] shall the Lord of hosts make for all peoples a feast of rich things [symbolic of His coronation festival inaugurating the reign of the Lord on earth, in the wake of a background of gloom, judgment, and terror], a feast of wines on the lees — of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.


text:
And He will destroy on this mountain the covering of the face that is cast over the heads of all peoples [in mourning], and the veil [of profound wretchedness] that is woven <i>and</i> spread over all nations.


text:
He will swallow up death [in victory; He will abolish death forever]. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of His people He will take away from off all the earth; for the Lord has spoken it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
It shall be said in that day, Behold our God upon Whom we have waited <i>and</i> hoped, that He might save us! This is the Lord, we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.


text:
For the hand of the Lord shall rest on this Mount [Zion], and Moab shall be threshed <i>and</i> trodden down in his place as straw is trodden down in the [filthy] water of a [primitive] cesspit.


text:
And though [Moab] stretches forth his hands in the midst of [the filthy water] as a swimmer stretches out his hands to swim, the Lord will bring down [Moab’s] pride in spite of the skillfulness of his hands <i>and</i> together with the spoils of his hands.


text:
And the high fortifications of your walls [the Lord] will bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.


text:
In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: <f>[1]</f>We have a strong city; [the Lord] sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.


text:
Open the gates, that the [uncompromisingly] righteous nation which keeps her faith <i>and</i> her troth [with God] may enter in.


text:
You will guard him <i>and</i> keep him in perfect <i>and</i> constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, <i>and</i> hopes confidently in You.


text:
So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].


text:
For He has brought down the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city; He lays it low, lays it low to the ground; He brings it even to the dust.


text:
The way of the [consistently] righteous (those living in moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relationship of their lives) is level <i>and</i> straight; You, O [Lord], Who are upright, direct aright <i>and</i> make level the path of the [uncompromisingly] just <i>and</i> righteous.


text:
Yes, in the path of Your judgments, O Lord, we wait [expectantly] for You; our heartfelt desire is for Your name and for the remembrance of You.


text:
My soul yearns for You [O Lord] in the night, yes, my spirit within me seeks You earnestly; for [only] when Your judgments are in the earth will the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God).


text:
Though favor is shown to the wicked, yet they do not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness they deal perversely and refuse to see the majesty of the Lord.


text:
Though Your hand is lifted high to strike, Lord, they do not see it. Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be ashamed; yes, let the fire reserved for Your enemies consume them.


text:
Lord, You will ordain peace (God’s favor and blessings, both temporal and spiritual) for us, for You have also wrought in us <i>and</i> for us all our works.


text:
O Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled over us, but we will acknowledge <i>and</i> mention Your name only.


text:
They [the former tyrant masters] are dead, they shall not live <i>and</i> reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise <i>and</i> come back. Therefore You have visited and made an end of them and caused every memory of them [every trace of their supremacy] to perish.


text:
You have increased the nation, O Lord; You have increased the nation. You are glorified; You have enlarged all the borders of the land.


text:
Lord, when they were in trouble <i>and</i> distress, they sought <i>and</i> visited You; they poured out a prayerful whisper when Your chastening was upon them.


text:
As a woman with child drawing near the time of her delivery is in pain <i>and</i> writhes and cries out in her pangs, so we have been before You (at Your presence), O Lord.


text:
We have been with child, we have been writhing <i>and</i> in pain; we have, as it were, brought forth [only] wind. We have not wrought any deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world [of Israel] have not yet been born.


text:
Your dead shall live [O Lord]; the bodies of our dead [saints] shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For Your dew [O Lord] is a dew of [sparkling] light [heavenly, supernatural dew]; and the earth shall cast forth the dead [to life again; for on the land of the shades of the dead You will let Your dew fall]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Come, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the [Lord’s] wrath is past.


text:
For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place [heaven] to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also will disclose the blood shed upon her and will no longer cover her slain <i>and</i> conceal her guilt.


text:
In that day [the Lord will deliver Israel from her enemies and also from the rebel powers of evil and darkness] His sharp <i>and</i> unrelenting, great, and strong sword will visit <i>and</i> punish Leviathan the swiftly fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting <i>and</i> winding serpent; and He will slay the monster that is in the sea.


text:
In that day [it will be said of the redeemed nation of Israel], A vineyard beloved <i>and</i> lovely; sing a responsive song to it <i>and</i> about it!


text:
I, the Lord, am its Keeper; I water it every moment; lest anyone harm it, I guard <i>and</i> keep it night and day.


text:
Wrath is not in Me. Would that the briers <i>and</i> thorns [the wicked internal foe] were lined up against Me in battle! I would stride in against them; I would burn them up together.


text:
Or else [if all Israel would escape being burned up together there is but one alternative], let them take hold of My strength <i>and</i> make complete surrender to My protection, that they may make peace with Me! Yes, let them make peace with Me!


text:
In the days <i>and</i> generations to come Jacob shall take root; Israel shall blossom and send forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit [of the knowledge of the true God]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Has [the Lord] smitten [Israel] as He smote those who smote them? Or have [the Israelites] been slain as their slayers were slain?


text:
By driving them out of Canaan, by exile, You contended with them in a measure [O Lord] — He removed them with His rough blast as in the day of the east wind.


text:
Only on this condition shall the iniquity of Jacob (Israel) be forgiven <i>and</i> purged, and this shall be the full fruit [God requires] for taking away his sin: that [Israel] should make all the stones of the [idol] altars like chalk stones crushed to pieces, so that the Asherim and the sun-images shall not remain standing <i>or</i> rise again.


text:
For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken like the wilderness; there the calf grazes, and there he lies down; he strips its branches <i>and</i> eats its twigs.


text:
When its boughs are withered <i>and</i> dry, they are broken off; the women come <i>and</i> set them afire. For they are a people of no understanding <i>or</i> discernment — <f>[1]</f><i>witless folk</i>; therefore He Who made them will not have compassion on them, and He Who formed them will show them no favor.


text:
And it shall be in that day that the Lord will thresh out His grain from the flood of the River [Euphrates] to the Brook of Egypt, and you will be gathered one by one <i>and</i> one to another, O children of Israel!


text:
And it shall be in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and they will come who were lost <i>and</i> ready to perish in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt, and they will worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Woe to [Samaria] the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim [the ten tribes], and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome <i>and</i> smitten down with wine!


text:
Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty one [the Assyrian]; like a tempest of hail, a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty overflowing waters, he will cast it down to the earth with violent hand.


text:
And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like the early fig before the fruit harvest, which, when anyone sees it, he snatches and eats it up greedily at once. [So in an amazingly short time will the Assyrians devour Samaria, Israel’s capital.]


text:
[But] in that [future <f>[1]</f>Messianic] day the Lord of hosts shall become a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the [converted] remnant of His people,


text:
And a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment <i>and</i> administers the law, and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.


text:
But even these reel from wine and stagger from strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel from strong drink; they are confused from wine, they stagger <i>and</i> are gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble when pronouncing judgment.


text:
To whom will He teach knowledge? [Ask the drunkards.] And whom will He make to understand the message? Those who are babies, just weaned from the milk and taken from the breasts? [Is that what He thinks we are?]


text:
For it is [His prophets repeating over and over]: precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little.


text:
No, but [the Lord will teach the rebels in a more humiliating way] by men with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people [says Isaiah, and teach them His lessons].


text:
To these [complaining Jews the Lord] had said, This is the true rest [the way to true comfort and happiness] that you shall give to the weary, and, This is the [true] refreshing — yet they would not listen [to His teaching].


text:
Therefore the word of the Lord will be to them [merely monotonous repeatings of]: precept upon precept, precept upon precept, rule upon rule, rule upon rule; here a little, there a little — that they may go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and taken.


text:
Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol (the place of the dead) we have an agreement — when the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not <f>[2]</f><i>be ashamed or</i> give way <i>or</i> hasten away [in sudden panic]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plummet; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the hiding place (the shelter).


text:
And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol (the place of the dead) shall not stand; when the overwhelming scourge passes through, then you will be trodden down by it.


text:
As often as it passes through, it [the enemy’s scourge] will take you; for morning by morning will it pass through, by day and by night. And it will be utter terror merely to hear <i>and</i> comprehend the report <i>and</i> the message of it [but only hard treatment and dispersion will make you understand God’s instruction].


text:
For [they will find that] the bed is too short for a man to stretch himself on and the covering too narrow for him to wrap himself in. [All their sources of confidence will fail them.]


text:
For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim, He will be wrathful as in the Valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work, and bring to pass His act, His strange act. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Now therefore do not be scoffers, lest the bands which bind you be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord God of hosts upon the whole land <i>and</i> the whole earth.


text:
Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continue to plow and harrow the ground after it is smooth?


text:
When he has leveled its surface, does he not cast abroad [the seed of] dill <i>or</i> fennel and scatter cummin [a seasoning], and put the wheat in rows, and barley in its intended place, and spelt [an inferior kind of wheat] as the border?


text:
For dill is not threshed with a sharp threshing instrument, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin; but dill is beaten off with a staff, and cummin with a rod [by hand].


text:
Does one crush bread grain? No, he does not thresh it continuously. But when he has driven his cartwheel and his horses over it, he scatters it [tossing it up to the wind] without having crushed it.


text:
This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel [and] excellent in wisdom <i>and</i> effectual working.


text:
Woe to Ariel [Jerusalem], to Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add yet another year; let the feasts run their round [but only one year more].


text:
Then will I distress Ariel; and there shall be mourning and lamentation, yet she shall be to Me like an Ariel [an altar hearth, a hearth of burning, the altar of God].


text:
And I will encamp against you round about; and I will hem you in with siege works and I will set up fortifications against you.


text:
And you shall be laid low [Jerusalem], speaking from beneath the ground, and your speech shall come humbly from the dust. And your voice shall be like that of a ghost [produced by a medium] coming from the earth, and your speech shall whisper <i>and</i> squeak as it chatters from the dust.


text:
But the multitude of your [enemy] strangers that assail you shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless <i>and</i> terrible ones like chaff that blows away. And in an instant, suddenly,


text:
You shall be visited <i>and</i> delivered by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a devouring fire.


text:
And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel [Jerusalem], even all that fight against her and her stronghold and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night.


text:
It shall be as when a hungry man dreams that he is eating, but he wakens with his craving not satisfied; or as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but he wakens and is faint, and his thirst is not quenched. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.


text:
Stop and wonder [at this prophecy, if you choose, whether you understand it or not; soon you will witness the actual event] and be confounded [reluctantly]! Blind yourselves [now, if you choose; take your pleasure] and then be blinded [at the actual occurrence]. They are drunk, but not from wine; they stagger, but not from strong drink [but from spiritual stupor].


text:
For the Lord has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep. And He has closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, He has covered <i>and</i> muffled.


text:
And the vision of all this has become for you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, Read this, I pray you, he says, I cannot, for it is sealed.


text:
And when the book is given to him who is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray you, he says, I cannot read.


text:
And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips but remove their hearts <i>and</i> minds far from Me, and their fear <i>and</i> reverence for Me are a commandment of men that is learned by repetition [without any thought as to the meaning],


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Therefore, behold! I will again do marvelous things with this people, marvelous and astonishing things; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the understanding of their discerning men will vanish <i>or</i> be hidden.


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Woe to those who [seek to] hide deep from the Lord their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, Who sees us? Who knows us?


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[Oh, your perversity!] You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be considered of no more account than the clay? Shall the thing that is made say of its maker, He did not make me; or the thing that is formed say of him who formed it, He has no understanding?


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Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and the fruitful field esteemed as a forest?


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And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and out of obscurity <i>and</i> gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.


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The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice <i>and</i> exult in the Holy One of Israel.


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For the terrible one [the Assyrian enemy] shall come to nought, and the scoffer shall cease, and all those who watch for iniquity [as an occasion for accusation] shall be cut off —


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Those who make a man an offender <i>and</i> bring condemnation upon him with a word, and lay a trap for him who upholds justice at the city gate, and thrust aside the innocent <i>and</i> truly righteous with an empty plea.


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Therefore thus says the Lord, Who redeemed Abraham [out of Ur and idolatry], concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not then be ashamed; not then shall his face become pale [with fear and disappointment because of his children’s degeneracy].


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For when he sees his children [walking in the way of piety and virtue], the work of My hands in his midst, they will revere My name; they will revere the Holy One of Jacob and reverently fear the God of Israel.


text:
Those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who murmur [discontentedly] will accept instruction.


text:
Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, who take counsel <i>and</i> carry out a plan, but not Mine, and who make a league <i>and</i> pour out a drink offering, but not of My Spirit, thus adding sin to sin;


text:
Who set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked Me — to flee to the stronghold of Pharaoh <i>and</i> to strengthen themselves in his strength and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!


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Therefore shall the strength <i>and</i> protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt be to your humiliation <i>and</i> confusion.


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Yet will all be ashamed because of a people [the Egyptians] who cannot profit them, who are not a help or benefit, but a shame and disgrace.


text:
A mournful, inspired prediction (a burden to be lifted up) concerning the beasts of the South (the Negeb): Oh, the heavy burden, the load of treasures going to Egypt! Through a land of trouble and anguish, in which are lioness and lion, viper and fiery flying serpent, they carry their riches upon the shoulders of young donkeys, and their treasures upon the humps of camels, to a people that will not <i>and</i> cannot profit them.


text:
For Egypt’s help is worthless and toward no purpose. Therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.


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Now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be as a witness for the time to come forevermore.


text:
For this is a rebellious people, faithless <i>and</i> lying sons, children who will not hear the law <i>and</i> instruction of the Lord;


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Who [virtually] say to the seers [by their conduct], See not! and to the prophets, Prophesy not to us what is right! Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceitful illusions.


text:
Get out of the true way, turn aside out of the path, cease holding up before us the Holy One of Israel.


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Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you despise <i>and</i> spurn this [My] word and trust in cunning <i>and</i> oppression, in crookedness <i>and</i> perverseness, and rely on them,


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Therefore this iniquity <i>and</i> guilt will be to you like a broken section of a high wall, bulging out and ready [at some distant day] to fall, whose crash will [then] come suddenly <i>and</i> swiftly, in an instant.


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And he shall break it as a potter’s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing so that there cannot be found among its pieces one large enough to carry coals of fire from the hearth or to dip water out of the cistern.


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For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,


text:
And you said, No! We will speed [our own course] on horses! Therefore you will speed [in flight from your enemies]! You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]! Therefore will they who pursue you be swift, [so swift that]


text:
One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon <i>or</i> a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.


text:
And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you <i>and</i> show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect <i>and</i> look <i>and</i> long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! <f>ⓐ</f>


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O people who dwell in Zion at Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.


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And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher.


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And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.


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Then you will defile your carved images overlaid with silver and your molten images plated with gold; you will cast them away as a filthy bloodstained cloth, and you will say to them, Be gone!


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Then will He give you rain for the seed with which you sow the soil, and bread grain from the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.


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The oxen likewise and the young donkeys that till the ground will eat savory <i>and</i> salted fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and with fork.


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And upon every high mountain and upon every high hill there will be brooks and streams of water in the day of the great slaughter [the day of the Lord], when the towers fall [and all His enemies are destroyed].


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Moreover, the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days [concentrated in one], in the day that the Lord binds up the hurt of His people, and heals their wound [inflicted by Him because of their sins].


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Behold, the <f>[1]</f>Name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with His anger, and in thick, rising smoke. His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue is like a consuming fire.


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And His breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction; and a bridle that causes them to err will be in the jaws of the people.


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You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart as when one marches in procession with a flute to go to the temple on the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.


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And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard and the descending blow of His arm to be seen, coming down with indignant anger and with the flame of a devouring fire, amid crashing blast <i>and</i> cloudburst, tempest, and hailstones.


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At the voice of the Lord the Assyrians will be stricken with dismay <i>and</i> terror, when He smites them with His rod.


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And every passing stroke of the staff of punishment <i>and</i> doom which the Lord lays upon them shall be to the sound of [Israel’s] timbrels and lyres, when in battle He attacks [Assyria] with swinging <i>and</i> menacing arms.


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For Topheth [a place of burning and abomination] has already been laid out <i>and</i> long ago prepared; yes, for the [Assyrian] king <i>and</i> [the god] Molech it has been made ready, its pyre made deep <i>and</i> large, with fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek <i>and</i> consult the Lord!


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And yet He is wise and brings calamity and does not retract His words; He will arise against the house (the whole race) of evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity.


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Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit; and when the Lord stretches out His hand, both [Egypt] who helps will stumble, and [Judah] who is helped will fall, and they will all perish <i>and</i> be consumed together.


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For the Lord has said to me, As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey — and though a large band of shepherds is called out against him, he will not be terrified at their voice or daunted at their noise — so the Lord of hosts will come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon its hills.


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Like birds hovering, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; He will protect and deliver it, He will pass over <i>and</i> spare and preserve it.


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For in that day every man of you will cast away [in contempt and disgust] his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which your own hands have sinfully made for you.


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Then the Assyrian shall fall by a sword not of man; and a sword, not of men [but of God], shall devour him. And he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be subjected to forced labor.


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[In his flight] he shall pass beyond his rock [refuge and stronghold] because of terror; even his officers shall desert the standard in fear <i>and</i> panic, says the Lord, Whose fire is in Zion and Whose furnace is in Jerusalem.


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And each one of them shall be like a hiding place from the wind and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land [to those who turn to them].


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Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed <i>or</i> dimmed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.


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And the mind of the rash will understand knowledge <i>and</i> have good judgment, and the tongue of the stammerers will speak readily and plainly.


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The fool (the unbeliever and the ungodly) will no more be called noble, nor the crafty <i>and</i> greedy [for gain] said to be bountiful <i>and</i> princely.


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For the fool speaks folly and his mind plans iniquity: practicing profane ungodliness and speaking error concerning the Lord, leaving the craving of the hungry unsatisfied and causing the drink of the thirsty to fail.


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The instruments <i>and</i> methods of the fraudulent <i>and</i> greedy [for gain] are evil; he devises wicked devices to ruin the poor <i>and</i> the lowly with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is just <i>and</i> right.


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But the noble, openhearted, <i>and</i> liberal man devises noble things; and he stands for what is noble, openhearted, <i>and</i> generous.


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Rise up, you women who are at ease! Hear my [Isaiah’s] voice, you confident <i>and</i> careless daughters! Listen to what I am saying!


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In little more than a year you will be shaken with anxiety, you careless <i>and</i> complacent women; for the vintage will fail, and the ingathering will not come.


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Tremble, you women who are at ease! Shudder with fear, you complacent ones! Strip yourselves bare and gird sackcloth upon your loins [in grief]!


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For the land of my people growing over with thorns and briers — yes, for all the houses of joy in the joyous city.


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For the palace shall be forsaken, the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watchtower shall become dens [for wild animals] endlessly, a joy for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,


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Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is valued as a forest. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) will abide in the fruitful field.


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And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever.


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But it [the wrath of the Lord] shall hail, coming down overpoweringly on the forest [the army of the Assyrians], and the capital <f>[2]</f>city shall be utterly humbled <i>and</i> laid prostrate.


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Happy <i>and</i> fortunate are you who cast your seed upon all waters [when the river overflows its banks; for the seed will sink into the mud and when the waters subside, the plant will spring up; you will find it after many days and reap an abundant harvest], you who safely send forth the ox and the donkey [to range freely].


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Woe to you, O destroyer, you who were not yourself destroyed, who deal treacherously though they [your victims] did not deal treacherously with you! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have stopped dealing treacherously, they will deal treacherously with you.


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O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited [expectantly] for You. Be the arm [of Your servants — their strength and defense] every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.


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At the noise of the tumult [caused by Your voice at which the enemy is overthrown], the peoples flee; at the lifting up of Yourself, nations are scattered.


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And the spoil [of the Assyrians] is gathered [by the inhabitants of Jerusalem] as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap <i>and</i> run to and fro, so [the Jews spoil the Assyrians’ forsaken camp as they] leap upon it.


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The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).


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And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear <i>and</i> worship of the Lord is your treasure <i>and</i> His.


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The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases. The enemy has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities <i>and</i> <f>[1]</f><i>the witnesses</i>, he regards no man.


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The land mourns and languishes, Lebanon is confounded and [its luxuriant verdure] withers away; Sharon [a fertile pasture region south of Mount Carmel] is like a desert, and Bashan [a broad, fertile plateau east of the Jordan River] and [Mount] Carmel shake off their leaves.


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Hear, you who are far off [says the Lord], what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might!


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The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the godless ones. [They cry] Who among us can dwell with that devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with those everlasting burnings?


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He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises gain from fraud <i>and</i> from oppression, who shakes his hand free from the taking of bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes to avoid looking upon evil.


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[Such a man] will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; water for him will be sure.


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Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; [your eyes] will behold a land of wide distances that stretches afar.


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Your mind will meditate on the terror: [asking] Where is he who counted? Where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?


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You will see no more the fierce <i>and</i> insolent people, a people of a speech too deep <i>and</i> obscure to be comprehended, of a strange <i>and</i> stammering tongue that you cannot understand.


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Look upon Zion, the city of our set feasts <i>and</i> solemnities! Your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that shall not be taken down; not one of its stakes shall ever be pulled up, neither shall any of its cords be broken.


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But there the Lord will be for us in majesty <i>and</i> splendor a place of broad rivers and streams, where no oar-propelled boat can go, and no mighty <i>and</i> stately ship can pass.


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For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Your hoisting ropes hang loose; they cannot strengthen <i>and</i> hold firm the foot of their mast or keep the sail spread out. Then will prey and spoil in abundance be divided; even the lame will take the prey.


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And no inhabitant [of Zion] will say, I am sick; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity <i>and</i> guilt.


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Come near, you nations, to hear; and hearken, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it; the world, and all things that come forth from it.


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For the Lord is indignant against all nations, and His wrath is against all their host. He has utterly doomed them, He has given them over to slaughter.


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Their slain also shall be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies shall rise, and the mountains shall flow with their blood.


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All the host of the heavens shall be dissolved <i>and</i> crumble away, and the skies shall be rolled together like a scroll; and all their host [the stars and the planets] shall drop like a faded leaf from the vine, and like a withered fig from the fig tree. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Because My sword has been bathed <i>and</i> equipped in heaven, behold, it shall come down upon Edom [the descendants of Esau], upon the people whom I have doomed for judgment. <f>ⓑ</f>


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The sword of the Lord is filled with blood [of sacrifices], it is gorged <i>and</i> greased with fatness — with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah [capital of Edom] and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.


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And the wild oxen shall fall with them, and the [young] bullocks with the [old and mighty] bulls; and their land shall be drunk <i>and</i> soaked with blood, and their dust made rich with fatness.


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And the streams [of Edom] will be turned into pitch and its dust into brimstone, and its land will become burning pitch.


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[The burning of Edom] shall not be quenched night or day; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. <f>ⓒ</f>


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But the pelican and the porcupine will possess it; the owl <i>and</i> the bittern and the raven will dwell in it. And He will stretch over it [Edom] the measuring line of confusion and the plummet stones of chaos [over its nobles].


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They shall call its nobles to proclaim the kingdom, but nothing shall be there, and all its princes shall be no more.


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And thorns shall come up in its palaces <i>and</i> strongholds, nettles and brambles in its fortresses; and it shall be a habitation for jackals, an abode for ostriches.


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And the wild beasts of the desert will meet here with howling creatures [wolves and hyenas] and the [shaggy] wild goat will call to his fellow; the night monster will settle there and find a place of rest.


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There shall the arrow snake make her nest and lay her eggs and hatch them and gather her young under her shade; there shall the kites be gathered [also to breed] every one with its mate.


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Seek out of the book of the Lord and read: not one of these [details of prophecy] shall fail, none shall want <i>and</i> lack her mate [in fulfillment]. For the mouth [of the Lord] has commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them.


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And He has cast the lot for them, and His hand has portioned [Edom] to [the wild beasts] by measuring line. They shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.


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The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose <i>and</i> the autumn crocus.


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It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of [Mount] Carmel and [the plain] of Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty <i>and</i> splendor <i>and</i> excellency of our God.


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Say to those who are of a fearful <i>and</i> hasty heart, Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with the recompense of God He will come and save you.


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Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And the burning sand <i>and</i> the mirage shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lay resting, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.


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And a highway shall be there, and a way; and it shall be called the Holy Way. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for the redeemed; the wayfaring men, yes, the simple ones <i>and</i> fools, shall not err in it <i>and</i> lose their way.


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No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk on it.


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And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


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Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh [the military official] from Lachish [the Judean fortress commanding the road from Egypt] to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem with a great army. And he stood by the canal of the Upper Pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.


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Then came out to meet him Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the [royal] household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recording historian.


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And the Rabshakeh said to them, Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What reason for confidence is this in which you trust?


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Do you suppose that mere words of the lips can pass for warlike counsel and strength? Now in whom do you trust <i>and</i> on whom do you rely, that you rebel against me? <f>ⓑ</f>


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Behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised <i>and</i> broken reed, Egypt, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust <i>and</i> rely on him.


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But if you say to me, We trust in <i>and</i> rely on the Lord our God — is it not He Whose high places and Whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar? <f>ⓒ</f>


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Now therefore, I pray you, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria <i>and</i> give him pledges, and I will give you two thousand horses — if you are able on your part to put riders on them.


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How then can you repulse the attack of a single captain of the least of my master’s servants, when you put your reliance on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?


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Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have now come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.


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Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, We pray you, speak to your servants in the Aramaic <i>or</i> Syrian language, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in the language of the Jews in the hearing of the people on the wall.


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But the Rabshakeh said, Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Has he not sent me to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?


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Then the Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the language of the Jews: Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!


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Nor let Hezekiah make you trust in <i>and</i> rely on the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.


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Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me; and eat every one from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree and drink every one the water of his own cistern,


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Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.


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Beware lest Hezekiah persuade <i>and</i> mislead you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. Has any one of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?


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Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad [in Syria]? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim [a place from which the Assyrians brought colonists to inhabit evacuated Samaria]? And have [the gods] delivered Samaria [capital of the ten northern tribes of Israel] out of my hand?


text:
Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land out of my hand, that [you should think that] the Lord can deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?


text:
But they kept still and answered him not a word, for the king’s [Hezekiah’s] command was, Do not answer him.


text:
Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recording historian came to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh [the Assyrian military official].


text:
And when King Hezekiah heard it, he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And he sent Eliakim, who was over the [royal] household, and Shebna the secretary, and the older priests, clothed with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.


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And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble <i>and</i> distress and of rebuke and of disgrace; for children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.


text:
It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to mock, reproach, insult, <i>and</i> defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant [of His people] that is left.


text:
And Isaiah said to them, You shall say to your master, Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled <i>and</i> blasphemed Me.


text:
Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.


text:
So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah [a fortified city of Judah]; for he had heard that the king had departed from Lachish.


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And [Sennacherib king of Assyria] heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He has come forth to make war with you. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,


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Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God in Whom you trust deceive you by saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.


text:
Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered?


text:
Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my predecessors have destroyed, as <f>[1]</f>Gozan, Haran [of Mesopotamia], Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?


text:
Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad [of northern Syria], and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?


text:
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. And Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, Who [in symbol] are enthroned above the cherubim [of the ark in the temple], You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.


text:
Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to mock, reproach, insult, <i>and</i> defy the living God.


text:
And have cast the gods of those peoples into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.


text:
Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know (understand and realize) that You are the Lord, even You only.


text:
Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: The Virgin Daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the Daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you.


text:
Whom have you mocked and reviled [insulted and blasphemed]? And against Whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel!


text:
By your servants you have mocked, reproached, insulted, <i>and</i> defied the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up to the height of the mountains, to the inner recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars <i>and</i> its choicest cypress trees; I came to its remotest height, its most luxuriant <i>and</i> dense forest;


text:
I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the rivers [the Nile streams] of Egypt.


text:
[But, says the God of Israel] have you not heard that I purposed to do it long ago, that I planned it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that you [king of Assyria] should [be My instrument to] lay waste fortified cities, making them ruinous heaps.


text:
Therefore their inhabitants had little power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were like the grass of the field and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops and like a field of grain blasted before it is grown <i>or</i> is in stalk.


text:
But I [the Lord] know your sitting down and your going out and your coming in and your raging against Me.


text:
Because your raging against Me and your arrogance <i>and</i> careless ease have come to My ears, therefore will I put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way you came.


text:
And [now, Hezekiah, says the Lord] this shall be the sign [of these things] to you: you shall eat this year what grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from the same. And in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.


text:
For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and a band that survives out of Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.


text:
By the way that he came, by the same way he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord.


text:
And the <f>[2]</f>Angel of the Lord went forth, and <f>[3]</f>slew 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [the living] arose early in the morning, behold, all these were dead bodies. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword, and they escaped into the land of Armenia <i>or</i> Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.


text:
In those days King Hezekiah of Judah became ill and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And said, Remember [earnestly] now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in faithfulness <i>and</i> in truth, with a whole heart [absolutely devoted to You], and have done what is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.


text:
Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will <f>[1]</f>add to your life fifteen years.


text:
And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city [Jerusalem].


text:
Behold, I will turn the shadow [denoting the time of day] on the steps <i>or</i> degrees, which has gone down on the steps <i>or</i> sundial of Ahaz, backward ten steps <i>or</i> degrees. And the sunlight turned back ten steps on the steps on which it had gone down.


text:
This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:


text:
I said, In the noontide <i>and</i> tranquillity of my days I must depart; I am to pass through the gates of Sheol (the place of the dead), deprived of the remainder of my years.


text:
I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more among the inhabitants of the world.


text:
My [fleshly] dwelling is plucked up <i>and</i> is removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life as a weaver [rolls up the finished web]; [the Lord] cuts me free from the loom; from day to night You bring me to an end.


text:
I thought <i>and</i> quieted myself until morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day to night You bring me to an end.


text:
Like a twittering swallow <i>or</i> a crane, so do I chirp <i>and</i> chatter; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary <i>and</i> dim with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; take my side <i>and</i> be my security [as of a debtor being sent to prison].


text:
But what can I say? For He has both spoken to me and He Himself has done it. I must go softly [as in solemn procession] all my years <i>and</i> my sleep has fled because of the bitterness of my soul.


text:
O Lord, by these things men live; and in all these is the life of my spirit. O give me back my health and make me live!


text:
Behold, it was for my peace that I had intense bitterness; but You have loved back my life from the pit of corruption <i>and</i> nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.


text:
For Sheol (the place of the dead) cannot confess <i>and</i> reach out the hand to You, death cannot praise <i>and</i> rejoice in You; they who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness [to Your promises; their probation is at an end, their destiny is sealed].


text:
The living, the living — they shall thank <i>and</i> praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known to the children Your faithfulness <i>and</i> Your truth.


text:
The Lord is ready to save (deliver) me; therefore we will sing my songs with [my] stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the Lord.


text:
Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, that he may recover.


text:
At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent [messengers with] letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that he had been sick and had recovered. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And Hezekiah was glad <i>and</i> welcomed them and showed them the house of his spices <i>and</i> precious things — the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious ointment, all the house of his armor <i>and</i> his jewels, and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.


text:
Then came Isaiah the prophet to King Hezekiah and said to him, What did these men say? From where did they come to you? And Hezekiah said, They came to me from a far country, even from Babylon.


text:
Then Isaiah said, What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.


text:
Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your predecessors have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord.


text:
And some of your own sons who are born to you shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.


text:
Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. And he added, For there will be peace and faithfulness [to His promises to us] in my days.


text:
Speak tenderly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her time of service <i>and</i> her warfare are ended, that [her punishment is accepted and] her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received [punishment] from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.


text:
A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight <i>and</i> smooth in the desert a highway for our God! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Every valley shall be lifted <i>and</i> filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked <i>and</i> uneven shall be made straight <i>and</i> level, and the rough places a plain.


text:
And the glory (majesty and splendor) of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
A voice says, Cry [prophesy]! And I said, What shall I cry? [The voice answered, Proclaim:] All flesh is as frail as grass, and all that makes it attractive [its kindness, its goodwill, its mercy from God, its glory and comeliness, however good] is transitory, like the flower of the field.


text:
The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely [all] the people are like grass.


text:
O you who bring good tidings to Zion, get up to the high mountain. O you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Behold, the Lord God will come with might, and His arm will rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
He will feed His flock like a shepherd: He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom and will gently lead those that have their young.


text:
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, marked off the heavens with a [nine-inch] span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?


text:
With whom did He take counsel, that instruction might be given Him? Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding?


text:
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are counted as small dust on the scales; behold, He takes up the isles like a very little thing.


text:
And all Lebanon’s [forests] cannot supply sufficient fuel, nor all its wild beasts furnish victims enough to burn sacrifices [worthy of the Lord].


text:
All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and emptiness (waste, futility, and worthlessness).


text:
The graven image! A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts silver chains for it.


text:
He who is so impoverished that he has no offering <i>or</i> oblation <i>or</i> rich gift to give [to his god is constrained to make a wooden offering, an idol; so he] chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to carve <i>and</i> set up an image that will not totter <i>or</i> deteriorate.


text:
[You worshipers of idols, you are without excuse.] Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? [These things ought to convince you of God’s omnipotence and of the folly of bowing to idols.] Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? <f>ⓗ</f>


text:
It is God Who sits above the circle (the horizon) of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; it is He Who stretches out the heavens like [gauze] curtains and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,


text:
Who brings dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges <i>and</i> rulers of the earth as chaos (emptiness, falsity, and futility).


text:
Yes, these men are scarcely planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely does their stock take root in the earth, when [the Lord] blows upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind <i>or</i> tempest takes them away like stubble.


text:
Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who has created these? He Who brings out their host by number and calls them all by name; through the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing <i>or</i> lacks anything.


text:
Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, My way <i>and</i> my lot are hidden from the Lord, and my right is passed over without regard from my God?


text:
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.


text:
He gives power to the faint <i>and</i> weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. <f>ⓘ</f>


text:
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble <i>and</i> fall exhausted;


text:
But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change <i>and</i> renew their strength <i>and</i> power; they shall lift their wings <i>and</i> mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint <i>or</i> become tired. <f>ⓙ</f>


text:
Listen in silence before Me, O islands <i>and</i> regions bordering on the sea! And let the people gather <i>and</i> renew their strength [for the argument; let them offer their strongest arguments]! Let them come near, then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment [and decide the point at issue between us concerning the enemy advancing from the east].


text:
Who has roused up one [Cyrus] from the east, whom He calls in righteousness to His service <i>and</i> whom victory meets at every step? He [the Lord] subdues nations before him and makes him ruler over kings. He turns them to dust with the sword [of Cyrus], and to driven straw <i>and</i> chaff with his bow. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
He [Cyrus] pursues them and passes safely <i>and</i> unhindered, even by a way his feet had not trod <i>and</i> so swiftly that his feet do not touch the ground.


text:
Who has prepared and done this, calling forth <i>and</i> guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord — the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God] — I am He.


text:
The islands <i>and</i> coastlands have seen and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They draw near and come;


text:
They help every one his neighbor and say to his brother [in his tiresome idol making], Be of good courage!


text:
So the carpenter encourages the goldsmith, <i>and</i> he who smooths [the metal] with the hammer [encourages] him who smites the anvil, saying of the soldering, That is good! And he fastens it with nails so that it cannot be moved.


text:
But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham My friend, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
You whom I [the Lord] have taken from the ends of the earth and have called from the corners of it, and said to you, You are My servant — I have chosen you and not cast you off [even though you are exiled].


text:
Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror <i>and</i> be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen <i>and</i> harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up <i>and</i> retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness <i>and</i> justice. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Behold, all they who are enraged <i>and</i> inflamed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; they who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.


text:
You shall seek those who contend with you but shall not find them; they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all.


text:
For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!


text:
Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.


text:
Behold, I will make you to be a new, sharp, threshing instrument which has teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills like chaff.


text:
You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest <i>or</i> whirlwind shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the Lord, you shall glory in the Holy One of Israel.


text:
The poor and needy are seeking water when there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.


text:
I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.


text:
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the wild olive; I will set the cypress in the desert, the plane [tree] and the pine [tree] together,


text:
That men may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.


text:
[You idols made by men’s hands, prove your divinity!] Produce your cause [set forth your case], says the Lord. Bring forth your strong proofs, says the King of Jacob.


text:
Let them bring them forth and tell us what is to happen. Let them tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them and know the outcome of them; or declare to us the things to come.


text:
Tell us the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; yes, do good or do evil [something or other], that we may stare in astonishment <i>and</i> be dismayed as we behold [the miracle] together!


text:
Behold, you [idols] are nothing, and your work is nothing! The worshiper who chooses you is an abomination [extremely disgusting and shamefully vile in God’s sight]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
I have raised up <i>and</i> impelled to action one from the north <f>[1]</f>[Cyrus], and he comes; from the rising of the sun he calls upon My name [recognizing that his victories have been granted to him by Me]. And he shall tread upon rulers <i>and</i> deputies as upon mortar and as the potter treads clay. [He comes with the suddenness of a comet, but none of the idol oracles of the nations has anticipated it.] <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
[What idol] has declared this from the beginning, that we could know? And beforetime, that we could say that he is [unquestionably] right? Yes, there is none who declares it, yes, there is none who proclaims it; yes, [for the truth is, O you dumb idols] there is none who hears you speak!


text:
I [the Lord] first gave to Zion the announcement, Behold, [the Jews will be restored to their own land, and the man Cyrus shall be raised up who will deliver them] behold them! And to Jerusalem I gave a herald [Isaiah] bringing the good news. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
For I look [upon the heathen prophets and the priests of pagan practices] and there is no man among them [who could predict these events], and among these [idols] there is no counselor who, when I ask of him, can answer a word.


text:
Behold, these [pagan prophets and priests] are all emptiness (falseness and futility)! Their works are worthless; their molten images are empty wind (confusion and waste).


text:
Behold my <f>[1]</f>Servant, Whom I uphold, My elect in Whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice <i>and</i> right <i>and</i> reveal truth to the nations. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench; He will bring forth justice in truth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
He will not fail <i>or</i> become weak or be crushed <i>and</i> discouraged till He has established justice in the earth; and the islands <i>and</i> coastal regions shall wait hopefully for Him <i>and</i> expect His direction <i>and</i> law. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Thus says God the Lord — He Who created the heavens and stretched them forth, He Who spread abroad the earth and that which comes out of it, He Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it:


text:
I the Lord have called You [the Messiah] for a righteous purpose <i>and</i> in righteousness; I will take You by the hand and will keep You; I will give You for a covenant to the people [Israel], for a light to the nations [Gentiles],


text:
To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness from the prison. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
I am the Lord; that is My name! And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.


text:
Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.


text:
Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, the islands <i>and</i> coastal regions and the inhabitants of them [sing a song such as has never been heard in the heathen world]!


text:
Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of the rock [Sela or Petra] sing; let them shout from the tops of the mountains!


text:
The Lord will go forth like a mighty man, He will rouse up His zealous indignation <i>and</i> vengeance like a warrior; He will cry, yes, He will shout aloud, He will do mightily against His enemies.


text:
[Thus says the Lord] I have for a long time held My peace, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry out like a woman in travail, I will gasp and pant together.


text:
I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their herbage; I will turn the rivers into islands, and I will dry up the pools.


text:
And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them and make uneven places into a plain. These things I have determined to do [for them]; and I will not leave them forsaken.


text:
They shall be turned back, they shall be utterly put to shame, who trust in graven images, who say to molten images, You are our gods.


text:
Who is blind but My servant [Israel]? Or deaf like My messenger whom I send? Who is blind like the one who is at peace with Me [who has been admitted to covenant relationship with Me]? Yes, who is blind like the Lord’s servant?


text:
You have seen many things, but you do not observe <i>or</i> apprehend their true meaning. His ears are open, but he hears not!


text:
It was the Lord’s pleasure for His righteousness’ sake [in accordance with a steadfast and consistent purpose] to magnify instruction <i>and</i> revelation and glorify them.


text:
But this is a people robbed and plundered; they are all of them snared in holes and hidden in houses of bondage. They have become a prey, with no one to deliver them, a spoil, with no one to say, Restore them! [This shows the condition that will ensue as Israel’s punishment for not recognizing the Servant of the Lord and the day of His visit among them.] [Luke19:41-44.]


text:
Who gave up Jacob [the kingdom of Judah] for spoil, and [the kingdom of] Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against Whom we [of Judah] have sinned and in Whose ways they [of Israel] would not walk, neither were they obedient to His law <i>or</i> His teaching?


text:
Therefore He poured out upon [Israel] the fierceness of His anger and the strength of battle. And it set him on fire round about, yet he knew not [the lesson of repentance which the Assyrian conquest was intended to teach]; it burned him, but he did not lay it to heart.


text:
But now [in spite of past judgments for Israel’s sins], thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.


text:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned <i>or</i> scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.


text:
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt [to the Babylonians] for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba [a province of Ethiopia] in exchange [for your release].


text:
Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and because I love you, I will give men in return for you and peoples in exchange for your life.


text:
Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are dispersed] and gather you from the west. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I will say to the north, Give up! and to the south, Keep not back. Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth —


text:
Even everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, whom I have made.


text:
Let all the nations be gathered together and let the peoples be assembled. Who among [the idolaters] could predict this [that Cyrus would be the deliverer of Israel] and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified, or let them hear and acknowledge, It is the truth. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
You are My witnesses, says the Lord, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know Me, believe Me <i>and</i> remain steadfast to Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.


text:
I have declared [the future] and have saved [the nation in times of danger], and I have shown [that I am God] — when there was no strange and alien god among you; therefore you are My witnesses, says the Lord, that I am God.


text:
Yes, from the time of the first existence of day <i>and</i> from this day forth I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand. I will work, and who can hinder <i>or</i> reverse it?


text:
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, [with] all their nobles, even the Chaldeans, into the ships over which they rejoiced.


text:
Who brings forth chariot and horse, army and mighty warrior. They lie down together, they cannot rise; they are extinguished, they are quenched like a lampwick:


text:
Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive <i>and</i> know it <i>and</i> will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.


text:
The beasts of the field honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness <i>and</i> rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen, <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Yet you have not called upon Me [much less toiled for Me], O Jacob; but you have been weary of Me, O Israel!


text:
You have not brought Me your sheep <i>and</i> goats for burnt offerings, or honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not required you to serve with an offering <i>or</i> treated you as a slave by demanding tribute or wearied you with offering incense.


text:
You have not bought Me sweet cane with money, or satiated Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have only burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities.


text:
I, even I, am He Who blots out <i>and</i> cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.


text:
Put Me in remembrance [remind Me of your merits]; let us plead <i>and</i> argue together. Set forth your case, that you may be justified (proved right).


text:
Your first father [Jacob, in particular] sinned, and your teachers [the priests and the prophets — your mediators] transgressed against Me.


text:
And so I will profane the chief ones of the sanctuary and will deliver Jacob to the curse (the ban, a solemn anathema or excommunication) and [will subject] Israel to reproaches <i>and</i> reviling.


text:
Thus says the Lord, Who made you and formed you from the womb, Who will help you: Fear not, O Jacob, My servant, and you Jeshurun [the upright one — applied to Israel as a type of the Messiah], whom I have chosen.


text:
For I will pour water upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing upon your descendants. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
One will say, I am the Lord’s; and another will call himself by the name of Jacob; and another will write [even brand or tattoo] upon his hand, I am the Lord’s, and surname himself by the [honorable] name of Israel.


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Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Who is like Me? Let him [stand and] proclaim it, declare it, and set [his proofs] in order before Me, since I made <i>and</i> established the people of antiquity. [Who has announced from of old] the things that are coming? Then let them declare yet future things.


text:
Fear not, nor be afraid [in the coming violent upheavals]; have I not told it to you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no [other] Rock; I know not any.


text:
All who make graven idols are confusion, chaos, <i>and</i> worthlessness. Their objects (idols) in which they delight do not profit them, and their own witnesses (worshipers) do not see or know, so that they are put to shame.


text:
Behold, all his fellows shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen, [how can they make a god?] they are but men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand forth; they shall be terrified, they shall be put to shame together.


text:
The ironsmith sharpens <i>and</i> uses a chisel and works it over the coals; he shapes [the core of the idol] with hammers and forges it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.


text:
The carpenter stretches out a line, he marks it out with a pencil <i>or</i> red ocher; he fashions [an idol] with planes and marks it out with the compasses; and he shapes it to have the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, that it may dwell in a house.


text:
He hews for himself cedars, and takes the holm tree and the oak and lets them grow strong for himself among the trees of the forest; he plants a fir tree <i>or</i> an ash, and the rain nourishes it.


text:
Then it becomes fuel for a man to burn; a part of it he takes and warms himself, yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. [Then out of the remainder, the leavings] he also makes a god and worships it! He [with his own hands] makes it into a graven image and falls down and worships it!


text:
He burns part of the wood in the fire; with part of it he [cooks and] eats flesh, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire!


text:
And from what is left [of the log] he makes a god, his graven idol. He falls down to it, he worships it and prays to it and says, Deliver me, for you are my god!


text:
They do not know or understand, for their eyes God has let become besmeared so that they cannot see, <i>and</i> their minds as well so that they cannot understand.


text:
And no one considers in his mind, nor has he knowledge and understanding [enough] to say [to himself], I have burned part of this log in the fire, and also I have baked bread on its coals and have roasted meat and eaten it. And shall I make the remainder of it into an abomination [the very essence of what is disgusting, detestable, and shamefully vile in the eyes of a jealous God]? Shall I fall down <i>and</i> worship the stock of a tree [a block of wood without consciousness or life]?


text:
That kind of man feeds on ashes [and finds his satisfaction in ashes]! A deluded mind has led him astray, so that he cannot release <i>and</i> save himself, or ask, Is not [this thing I am holding] in my right hand a lie?


text:
Remember these things [earnestly], O Jacob, O Israel, for you are My servant! I formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you shall not be forgotten by Me.


text:
I have blotted out like a thick cloud your transgressions, and like a cloud your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.


text:
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, you depths of the earth; break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and He glorifies Himself in Israel.


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Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He Who formed you from the womb: I am the Lord, Who made all things, Who alone stretched out the heavens, Who spread out the earth by Myself [who was with Me]? —


text:
[I am the Lord] Who frustrates the signs <i>and</i> confounds the omens [upon which the false prophets’ forecasts of the future are based] of the [boasting] liars and makes fools of diviners, Who turns the wise backward and makes their knowledge foolishness, <f>ⓒ</f>


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[The Lord] Who confirms the word of His servant and performs the counsel of His messengers, Who says of Jerusalem, She shall [again] be inhabited, and of the cities of Judah, They shall [again] be built, and I will raise up their ruins,


text:
Who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd (ruler), and he shall perform all My pleasure <i>and</i> fulfill all My purpose — even saying of Jerusalem, She shall [again] be built, and of the temple, Your foundation shall [again] be laid.


text:
Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will unarm <i>and</i> ungird the loins of kings to open doors before him, so that gates will not be shut.


text:
I will go before you and level the mountains [to make the crooked places straight]; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron.


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And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name.


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For the sake of Jacob My servant, and of Israel My chosen, I have called you by your name. I have surnamed you, though you have not known Me.


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I am the Lord, and there is no one else; there is no God besides Me. I will gird <i>and</i> arm you, though you have not known Me,


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That men may know from the east <i>and</i> the rising of the sun and from the west <i>and</i> the setting of the sun that there is no God besides Me. I am the Lord, and no one else [is He].


text:
I form the light and create darkness, I make peace [national well-being] and I create [physical] <f>[1]</f>evil (calamity); I am the Lord, Who does all these things.


text:
Let fall in showers, you heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness [the pure, spiritual, heaven-born possibilities that have their foundation in the holy being of God]; let the earth open, and let them [skies and earth] sprout forth salvation, and let righteousness germinate <i>and</i> spring up [as plants do] together; I the Lord have created it.


text:
Woe to him who strives with his Maker! — a worthless piece of broken pottery among other pieces equally worthless [and yet presuming to strive with his Maker]! Shall the clay say to him who fashions it, What do you think you are making? or, Your work has no handles? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Woe to him [who complains against his parents that they have begotten him] who says to a father, What are you begetting? or to a woman, With what are you in travail?


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Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Would you question Me about things to come concerning My children, and concerning the work of My hands [would you] command Me?


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I made the earth and created man upon it. I, with My hands, stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.


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I will raise [Cyrus] up in righteousness [willing in every way that which is right and proper], and I will direct all his ways; he will build My city, and he will let My captives go, not for hire or for a bribe, says the Lord of hosts.


text:
Thus says the Lord: The labor <i>and</i> wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and they shall be yours; they shall follow you; in chains [of subjection to you] they shall come over, and they shall fall down before you; they shall make supplication to you, saying, Surely God is with you, and there is no other, no God besides Him. <f>ⓑ</f>


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They shall be put to shame, yes, confounded, all of them; they who are makers of idols shall go off into confusion together.


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But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity. <f>ⓒ</f>


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For thus says the Lord — Who created the heavens, God Himself, Who formed the earth and made it, Who established it and did not create it to be a worthless waste; He formed it to be inhabited — I am the Lord, and there is no one else.


text:
I have not spoken in secret, in a corner of the land of darkness; I did not call the descendants of Jacob [to a fruitless service], saying, Seek Me for nothing [but I promised them a just reward]. I, the Lord, speak righteousness (the truth — trustworthy, straightforward correspondence between deeds and words); I declare things that are right. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about [in religious processions or into battle] their wooden idols and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.


text:
Declare and bring forward your strong arguments [for praying to gods that cannot save]; yes, take counsel together. Who announced this [the rise of Cyrus and his conquests] beforehand (long ago)? [What god] declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a rigidly <i>and</i> uncompromisingly just <i>and</i> righteous God and Savior; there is none besides Me.


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I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance]. <f>ⓔ</f>


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Only in the Lord shall one say, I have righteousness (salvation and victory) and strength [to achieve]. To Him shall all come who were incensed against Him, and they shall be ashamed. <f>ⓕ</f>


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In the Lord shall all the offspring of Israel be justified (enjoy righteousness, salvation, and victory) and shall glory.


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Bel bows down, Nebo stoops [gods of Babylon, whose idols are being carried off]; their idols are on the beasts [of burden] and on the cattle. These things that you carry about are loaded as burdens on the weary beasts.


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[The gods] stoop, they bow down together; they cannot save [their own idols], but are themselves going into captivity.


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Listen to Me [says the Lord], O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, you who have been borne by Me from your birth, carried from the womb:


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Even to your old age I am He, and even to hair white with age will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear; yes, I will carry and will save you.


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They lavish gold out of the cup <i>or</i> bag, weigh out silver on the scales, and hire a goldsmith, and he fashions it into a god; [then] they fall down, yes, they worship it!


text:
They bear it upon their shoulders [in religious processions or into battle]; they carry it and set it down in its place, and there it stands. It cannot move from its place. Even if one cries to it for help, yet [the idol] cannot answer or save him out of his distress.


text:
[Earnestly] remember this, be ashamed <i>and</i> own yourselves guilty; bring it again to mind <i>and</i> lay it to heart, O you rebels!


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[Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me,


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Declaring the end <i>and</i> the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure <i>and</i> purpose,


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Calling a ravenous bird from the east — the man [Cyrus] who executes My counsel from a far country. Yes, I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed it, and I will do it.


text:
Listen to Me, you stiff-hearted <i>and</i> you who have lost heart, you who are far from righteousness (from uprightness and right standing with God, and from His righteous deliverance).


text:
I bring near My righteousness [in the deliverance of Israel], it will not be far off; and My salvation shall not tarry. And I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel My glory [yes, give salvation in Zion and My glory to Israel].


text:
Come down, and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground [in abject humiliation]; there is no throne for you, O Daughter of the Chaldeans, for you shall no longer be called dainty and delicate.


text:
Take the millstones [like the poorest female slave of the household does] and grind meal; take off your veil <i>and</i> uncover your hair. Remove your skirt, bare your leg, wade through the rivers [at the command of your captors].


text:
Your nakedness shall be exposed, and your shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no man [none I encounter will be able to resist Me],


text:
Sit in silence and go into darkness, O Daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the lady <i>and</i> mistress of kingdoms.


text:
I was angry with My people, I profaned My inheritance [Judah]; and I gave them into your hand [Babylon]. You showed them no mercy; upon the old people you made your yoke very heavy.


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And you said, I shall be the mistress forever! So you did not lay these things to heart, nor did you [seriously] remember the certain, ultimate end of such conduct.


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Therefore now, hear this, you who love pleasures <i>and</i> are given over to them, you who dwell safely <i>and</i> sit securely, who say in your mind, I am [the mistress] and there is no one else besides me. I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children.


text:
But these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: loss of children and widowhood. They shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of the multitude of [your claims to] power given you by the assistance of evil spirits, in spite of the great abundance of your enchantments. <f>ⓐ</f>


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For you [Babylon] have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, No one sees me. Your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart <i>and</i> mind, I am, and there is no one besides me.


text:
Therefore shall evil come upon you; you shall not know the dawning of it <i>or</i> how to charm it away. And a disaster <i>and</i> evil shall fall upon you that you shall not be able to atone for [with all your offerings to your gods]; and desolation shall come upon you suddenly, about which you shall know nothing <i>or</i> how to avert it.


text:
Persist, then, with your enchantments and the multitude of your sorceries [Babylon], in which you have labored from your youth; and see if perhaps you will be able to profit, if you will prevail <i>and</i> strike terror!


text:
You are wearied with your many counsels <i>and</i> plans. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators stand up and make known to you <i>and</i> save you from the things that shall come upon you [Babylon].


text:
Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them. They cannot even deliver themselves from the power of the flame [much less deliver the nation]. There is no coal for warming <i>or</i> fire before which to sit!


text:
Such to you shall they [the astrologers and their kind] be, those with whom you have labored <i>and</i> such their fate, those who have done business with you from your youth; they will wander, every one to his own quarter <i>and</i> in his own direction. No one will save you.


text:
Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel and who come forth from the seed of Judah, you who swear allegiance by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel — but not in truth <i>and</i> sincerity, nor in righteousness (rightness and moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) —


text:
For they call themselves [citizens] of the holy city and depend on the God of Israel — the Lord of hosts is His name.


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I have declared from the beginning the former things [which happened in times past to Israel]; they went forth from My mouth and I made them known; then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass [says the Lord].


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Therefore I have declared things to come to you from of old; before they came to pass I announced them to you, so that you could not say, My idol has done them, and my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.


text:
You have heard [these things foretold], now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have not known.


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They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word], and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, Behold, I knew them!


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Yes, you have never heard, yes, you have never known; yes, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I, the Lord, knew that you, O house of Israel, dealt very treacherously; you were called a transgressor <i>and</i> a rebel [in revolt] from your birth.


text:
For My name’s sake I defer My anger, and for the sake of My praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off.


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Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried <i>and</i> chosen you in the furnace of affliction.


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For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it [I refrain and do not utterly destroy you]; for why should I permit My name to be polluted <i>and</i> profaned [which it would be if the Lord completely destroyed His chosen people]? And I will not give My glory to another [by permitting the worshipers of idols to triumph over you].


text:
Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called [ones]: I am He; I am the First, I also am the Last. <f>ⓐ</f>


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Yes, My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together [to execute My decrees].


text:
Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear! Who among them [the gods and Chaldean astrologers] has foretold these things? The Lord has loved him [Cyrus of Persia]; he will do His pleasure <i>and</i> purpose on Babylon, and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.


text:
I, even I, have foretold it; yes, I have called him [Cyrus]; I have brought him, and [the Lord] shall make his way prosperous.


text:
Come near to me and listen to this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it happened, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent His Spirit in <i>and</i> with me.


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Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way that you should go.


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Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace <i>and</i> prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.


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Your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like the offspring of the sea; their name would not be cut off or destroyed from before Me. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Go forth out of Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing declare, tell this, cause it to go forth even to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!


text:
And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; He split the rock also, and the waters gushed out.


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Listen to me, O isles <i>and</i> coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The Lord has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He has named my name.


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And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He hid me and made me a polished arrow; in His quiver has He kept me close <i>and</i> concealed me.


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And [the Lord] said to me, You are My <f>[1]</f>servant, Israel [you who strive with God and with men and prevail], in whom I will be glorified. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in empty futility; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense is with my God.


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And now, says the Lord — Who formed me from the womb to be His servant to bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him <i>and</i> not be swept away, for I am honorable in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength —


text:
He says, It is too light a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors [of the judgments] of Israel; I will also give you for a light to the nations, that My salvation may extend to the end of the earth.


text:
Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One, to him whom man rejects <i>and</i> despises, to him whom the nations abhor, to the servant of rulers: Kings shall see you and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, Who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, Who has chosen you.


text:
Thus says the Lord, In an acceptable <i>and</i> favorable time I have heard <i>and</i> answered you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you; and I will preserve you and give you for a covenant to the people, to raise up <i>and</i> establish the land [from its present state of ruin] and to apportion <i>and</i> cause them to inherit the desolate [moral wastes of heathenism, their] heritages, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Saying to those who are bound, Come forth, and to those who are in [spiritual] darkness, Show yourselves [come into the light of the Sun of righteousness]. They shall feed in <f>[2]</f>all the ways [in which they go], and their pastures shall be [not in deserts, but] on all the bare [grass-covered] hills.


text:
They will not hunger or thirst, neither will mirage [mislead] or scorching wind or sun smite them; for He Who has mercy on them will lead them, and by springs of water will He guide them. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Behold, these shall come from afar — and, behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim (China).


text:
Sing for joy, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people and will have compassion upon His afflicted.


text:
But Zion [Jerusalem, her people as seen in captivity] said, The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.


text:
[And the Lord answered] Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.


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Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before Me.


text:
Your children <i>and</i> your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go forth from you.


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Lift up your eyes round about and see [the returning exiles, ready to rebuild Jerusalem]; all these gather together and come to you. As I live, says the Lord, you [Zion] shall surely clothe yourself with them all as with an ornament and bind them on you as a bride does.


text:
For your waste and desolate places and your land [once the scene] of destruction surely now [in coming years] will be too narrow to accommodate the population, and those who once swallowed you up will be far away.


text:
The children of your bereavement [born during your captivity] shall yet say in your ears, The place is too narrow for me; make room for me, that I may live.


text:
Then [Zion], you will say in your heart, Who has borne me all these children, seeing that I lost my offspring and am alone <i>and</i> barren <i>and</i> unfruitful, an exile put away and wandering hither and thither? And who brought them up? Behold, I was left alone [put away by the Lord, my Husband]; from where then did all these children come?


text:
Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up My hand to the Gentile nations and set up My standard <i>and</i> raise high My signal banner to the peoples; and they will bring your sons in the bosom of their garments, and your daughters will be carried upon their shoulders.


text:
And kings shall be your foster fathers <i>and</i> guardians, and their queens your nursing mothers. They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick up the dust of your feet; and you shall know [with an acquaintance and understanding based on and grounded in personal experience] that I am the Lord; for they shall not be put to shame who wait for, look for, hope for, <i>and</i> expect Me.


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For thus says the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the prey of the terrible will be delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will give safety to your children <i>and</i> ease them.


text:
And I will make those who oppress you consume themselves [in mutually destructive wars], thus eating their own flesh; and they will be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.


text:
Thus says the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce with which I put her away, O Israel? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away.


text:
Why, when I came, was there no man? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Is My hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink because there is no water, and they die of thirst.


text:
I clothe the heavens with [the] blackness [of murky storm clouds], and I make sackcloth [of mourning] their covering.


text:
[The <f>[1]</f>Servant of God says] The Lord God has given Me the tongue of a disciple <i>and</i> of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens Me morning by morning, He wakens My ear to hear as a disciple [as one who is taught].


text:
I gave My back to the smiters and My cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I hid not My face from shame and spitting. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For the Lord God helps Me; therefore have I not been ashamed <i>or</i> confounded. Therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
He is near Who declares Me in the right. Who will contend with Me? Let us stand forth together! Who is My adversary? Let him come near to Me. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Behold, the Lord God will help Me; who is he who will condemn Me? Behold, they all will wax old <i>and</i> be worn out as a garment; the moth will eat them up. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Who is among you who [reverently] fears the Lord, who obeys the voice of His Servant, yet who walks in darkness <i>and</i> deep trouble and has no shining splendor [in his heart]? Let him rely on, trust in, <i>and</i> be confident in the name of the Lord, and let him lean upon <i>and</i> be supported by his God.


text:
Behold, all you [enemies of your own selves] who attempt to kindle your own fires [and work out your own plans of salvation], who surround <i>and</i> gird yourselves with momentary sparks, darts, <i>and</i> firebrands that you set aflame! — walk by the light of your self-made fire and of the sparks that you have kindled [for yourself, if you will]! But this shall you have from My hand: you shall lie down in grief <i>and</i> in torment. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Hearken to Me, you who follow after rightness <i>and</i> justice, you who seek <i>and</i> inquire of [and require] the Lord [claiming Him by necessity and by right]: look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole in the quarry from which you were dug;


text:
Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him when he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many.


text:
For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song <i>or</i> instrument of praise.


text:
Listen to Me [the Lord], O My people, and give ear to Me, O My nation; for a [divine] law will go forth from Me, and I will establish My justice for a light to the peoples.


text:
My rightness <i>and</i> justice are near, My salvation is going forth, and My arms shall rule the peoples; the islands shall wait for <i>and</i> expect Me, and on My arm shall they trust <i>and</i> wait with hope.


text:
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall be dissolved <i>and</i> vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner [like gnats]. But My salvation shall be forever, and My rightness <i>and</i> justice [and faithfully fulfilled promise] shall not be abolished. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Listen to Me, you who know rightness <i>and</i> justice <i>and</i> right standing with God, the people in whose heart is My law <i>and</i> My instruction: fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid <i>nor</i> dismayed at their revilings.


text:
For [in comparison with the Lord they are so weak that things as insignificant as] the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But My rightness <i>and</i> justice [and faithfully fulfilled promise] shall be forever, and My salvation to all generations.


text:
[Zion now cries to the Lord, the God of Israel] Awake, awake, put on strength <i>and</i> might, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, as in the generations of long ago. Was it not You Who cut Rahab [Egypt] in pieces, Who pierced the dragon [symbol of Egypt]? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Was it not You Who dried up the Red Sea, the waters of the great deep, Who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? [Why then are we left so long in captivity?]


text:
[The Lord God says] And the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing to Zion; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
I, even I, am He Who comforts you. Who are you, that you should be afraid of man, who shall die, and of a son of man, who shall be made [as destructible] as grass,


text:
That you should forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and fear continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he makes ready to destroy <i>or</i> even though he did so? And where is the fury of the oppressor?


text:
The captive exile <i>and</i> he who is bent down by chains shall speedily be released; and he shall not die and go down to the pit of destruction, nor shall his food fail.


text:
For I am the Lord your God, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar <i>and</i> Who by rebuke restrains it — the Lord of hosts is His name.


text:
And I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, that I may fix the [new] heavens as a tabernacle and lay the foundations of a [new] earth and say to Zion, You are My people. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Arouse yourself, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, you who have drunk the cup of staggering <i>and</i> intoxication to the dregs.


text:
There is none to guide her among all the sons she has borne; neither is there anyone to take her by the hand among all the sons whom she has brought up.


text:
Two kinds of calamities have befallen you — but who feels sorry for <i>and</i> commiserates you? — they are desolation and destruction [on the land and city], and famine and sword [on the inhabitants] — how shall I comfort you <i>or</i> by whom?


text:
Your sons have fainted; they lie [like corpses] at the head of all the streets, like an antelope in a net; they are full [from drinking] of the wrath of the Lord, the rebuke of your God.


text:
Therefore, now hear this, you who are afflicted, and [who are] drunk, but not with wine [but thrown down by the wrath of God].


text:
Thus says your Lord, the Lord, and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering <i>and</i> intoxication; the cup of My wrath you shall drink no more.


text:
And I will put it into the hands of your tormentors <i>and</i> oppressors, those who said to you, Bow down, that we may ride <i>or</i> tread over you; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.


text:
Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Shake yourself from the dust; arise, sit [erect in a dignified place], O Jerusalem; loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.


text:
For thus says the Lord God: My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there; and [many years later Sennacherib] the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. [Now I delivered you from both Egypt and Assyria; what then can prevent Me from delivering you from Babylon?]


text:
But now what have I here, says the Lord, seeing that My people have been taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them howl [with joy], says the Lord, and My name continually is blasphemed all day long. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Therefore My people shall know what My name is <i>and</i> what it means; therefore they shall know in that day that I am He who speaks; behold, I AM! <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns! <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Hark, your watchmen lift up their voices; together they sing for joy; for they shall see eye to eye the return of the Lord to Zion.


text:
Break forth joyously, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem!


text:
The Lord has made bare His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations [revealing Himself as the One by Whose direction the redemption of Israel from captivity is accomplished], and all the ends of the earth shall witness the salvation of our God. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Depart, depart, go out from there [the lands of exile]! Touch no unclean thing! Go out of the midst of her [Babylon]; cleanse yourselves <i>and</i> be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord [on your journey from there]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
For you will not go out with haste, nor will you go in flight [as was necessary when Israel left Egypt]; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.


text:
Behold, My <f>[1]</f>Servant shall deal wisely <i>and</i> shall prosper; He shall be exalted and extolled and shall stand very high.


text:
[For many the Servant of God became an object of horror; many were astonished at Him.] His face <i>and</i> His whole appearance were marred more than any man’s, and His form beyond that of the sons of men — but just as many were astonished at Him,


text:
So shall He startle <i>and</i> sprinkle many nations, and kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for that which has not been told them shall they see, and that which they have not heard shall they consider <i>and</i> understand. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Who has believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed? <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.


text:
He was despised and rejected <i>and</i> forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows <i>and</i> pains, and acquainted with grief <i>and</i> sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth <i>or</i> have any esteem for Him.


text:
Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows <i>and</i> pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt <i>and</i> iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace <i>and</i> well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed <i>and</i> made whole.


text:
All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt <i>and</i> iniquity of us all. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive <i>and</i> opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.


text:
By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah’s] people, to whom the stroke was due?


text:
And they assigned Him a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief <i>and</i> made Him sick. When You <i>and</i> He make His life an offering for sin [and He has risen from the dead, in time to come], He shall see His [spiritual] offspring, He shall prolong His days, and the will <i>and</i> pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.


text:
He shall see [the fruit] of the travail of His soul and be satisfied; by His knowledge of Himself [which He possesses and imparts to others] shall My [uncompromisingly] righteous One, My Servant, justify many <i>and</i> make many righteous (upright and in right standing with God), for He shall bear their iniquities <i>and</i> their guilt [with the consequences, says the Lord].


text:
Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great [kings and rulers], and He shall divide the spoil with the mighty, because He poured out His life unto death, and [He let Himself] be regarded as a criminal <i>and</i> be numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore [and took away] the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors (the rebellious). <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
<f>[1]</f>Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child! For the [spiritual] children of the desolate one will be more than the children of the married wife, says the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes,


text:
For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.


text:
Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded <i>and</i> depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.


text:
For your Maker is your Husband — the Lord of hosts is His name — and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.


text:
For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit, <i>and</i> heartsore — even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when she is [later] refused <i>and</i> scorned, says your God.


text:
For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion <i>and</i> mercy I will gather you [to Me] again.


text:
In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring love <i>and</i> kindness I will have compassion <i>and</i> mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.


text:
For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.


text:
For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken <i>or</i> removed, yet My love <i>and</i> kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace <i>and</i> completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.


text:
O you afflicted [city], storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in fair colors [in antimony to enhance their brilliance] and lay your foundations with sapphires.


text:
And I will make your windows <i>and</i> pinnacles of [sparkling] agates <i>or</i> rubies, and your gates of [shining] carbuncles, and all your walls [of your enclosures] of precious stones. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And all your [spiritual] children shall be disciples [taught by the Lord and obedient to His will], and great shall be the peace <i>and</i> undisturbed composure of your children. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness, in conformity with God’s will and order): you shall be far from even the thought of oppression <i>or</i> destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you.


text:
Behold, they may gather together <i>and</i> stir up strife, but it is not from Me. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall <i>and</i> surrender to you.


text:
Behold, I have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals and who produces a weapon for its purpose; and I have created the devastator to destroy.


text:
But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness <i>or</i> the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.


text:
Wait <i>and</i> listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk without money and without price [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Incline your ear [submit and consent to the divine will] and come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant <i>or</i> league with you, even the sure mercy (kindness, goodwill, and compassion) promised to David. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Behold, I have appointed him (Him) [David, as a representative of the Messiah, or the Messiah Himself] to be a witness [one (One) who shall testify of salvation] to the nations, a prince (Prince) and commander (Commander) to the peoples.


text:
Behold, you <f>[1]</f>[Israel] shall call nations that you know not, and nations that do not know you shall run to you because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.


text:
Seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> require the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near.


text:
Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, <i>and</i> mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon.


text:
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.


text:
For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please <i>and</i> purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.


text:
For you shall go out [from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland] with joy and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.


text:
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name of renown, for an everlasting sign [of jubilant exaltation] <i>and</i> memorial [to His praise], which shall not be cut off.


text:
Thus says the Lord: Keep justice, do <i>and</i> use righteousness (conformity to the will of God which brings salvation), for My salvation is soon to come and My righteousness (My rightness and justice) to be revealed. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Blessed, happy, <i>and</i> fortunate is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold of it <i>and</i> binds himself fast to it, who keeps sacred the Sabbath so as not to profane it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.


text:
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely separate me from His people. And let not the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.


text:
For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths and choose the things which please Me and hold firmly My covenant —


text:
To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name better [and more enduring] than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.


text:
Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to minister to Him and to love the name of the Lord and to be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it and who holds fast My covenant [by conscientious obedience] —


text:
All these I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.


text:
Thus says the Lord God, Who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather yet others to [Israel] besides those already gathered.


text:
[Israel’s] watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dreaming, lying down, they love to slumber.


text:
Yes, the dogs are greedy; they never have enough. And such are the shepherds who cannot understand; they have all turned to their own way, each one to his own gain, from every quarter [one and all].


text:
Come, say they, We will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink! And tomorrow shall be as this day, a day great beyond measure.


text:
The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; and merciful <i>and</i> devout men are taken away, with no one considering that the uncompromisingly upright <i>and</i> godly person is taken away from the calamity <i>and</i> evil to come [even through wickedness].


text:
He [in death] enters into peace; they rest in their beds, each one who walks straight <i>and</i> in his uprightness.


text:
But come close, you sons of a sorceress [nursed in witchcraft and superstition], you offspring of an adulterer and a harlot.


text:
Against whom do you make sport <i>and</i> take your delight? Against whom do you open wide your mouth and put out your tongue? Are you not yourselves the children of transgression, the offspring of deceit —


text:
You who burn with lust [inflaming yourselves with idols] among the oaks, under every green tree, you who slay the children [in sacrifice] in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks?


text:
Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they [the idols] are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have offered a cereal offering. Should I be quiet in spite of all these things [and leave them unpunished — bearing them with patience]?


text:
Upon a lofty and high mountain you have openly <i>and</i> shamelessly set your [idolatrous and adulterous] bed; even there you went up to offer sacrifice [in spiritual unfaithfulness to your divine Husband].


text:
Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your [idol] symbol [as a substitute for the Scripture text God ordered]. Deserting Me, you have uncovered and ascended and enlarged your bed; and you have made a [fresh] bargain for yourself with [the adulterers], and you loved their bed, where you saw [a beckoning hand or a passion-inflaming image]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And you went to the king [of foreign lands with gifts] <i>or</i> to Molech [the god] with oil and increased your perfumes <i>and</i> ointments; you sent your messengers far off and debased yourself even to Sheol (Hades) [symbol of an abysmal depth of degradation].


text:
You were wearied with the length of your way [in trying to find rest and satisfaction in alliances apart from the true God], yet you did not say, There is no result <i>or</i> profit. You found quickened strength; therefore you were not faint <i>or</i> heartsick [or penitent].


text:
Of whom have you been so afraid and in dread that you lied <i>and</i> were treacherous and did not [seriously] remember Me, did not even give Me a thought? Have I not been silent, even for a long time, and so you do not fear Me?


text:
When you cry out, let your [rabble] collection of idols deliver you! But the wind shall take them all, a breath shall carry them away. But he who takes refuge in Me shall possess the land [Judea] and shall inherit My holy mountain [Zion, also the heavenly inheritance and the spiritual Zion]. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And the word of One shall go forth, Cast up, cast up, prepare the way! Take up the stumbling block out of the way [of the spiritual return] of My people.


text:
For thus says the high and lofty One — He Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent [bruised with sorrow for sin]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
For I will not contend forever, neither will I be angry always, for [if I did stay angry] the spirit [of man] would faint <i>and</i> be consumed before Me, and [My purpose in] creating the souls of men would be frustrated.


text:
Because of the iniquity of his [Judah’s] covetousness <i>and</i> unjust gain I was angry and smote him. I hid my face and was angry, and he went on turning away <i>and</i> backsliding in the way of his [own willful] heart.


text:
I have seen his [willful] ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him also and will recompense him and restore comfort to him and to those who mourn for him. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
Peace, peace, to him who is far off [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near! says the Lord; I create the fruit of his lips, and I will heal him [make his lips blossom anew with speech in thankful praise]. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Cry aloud, spare not. Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins!


text:
Yet they seek, inquire for, <i>and</i> require Me daily and delight [externally] to know My ways, as [if they were in reality] a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God [in visible ways].


text:
Why have we fasted, they say, and You do not see it? Why have we afflicted ourselves, and You take no knowledge [of it]? Behold [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins], you find profit in your business, and [instead of stopping all work, as the law implies you and your workmen should do] you extort from your hired servants a full amount of labor. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
[The facts are that] you fast only for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness. Fasting as you do today will not cause your voice to be heard on high.


text:
Is such a fast as yours what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself with sorrow in his soul? [Is true fasting merely mechanical?] Is it only to bow down his head like a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him [to indicate a condition of heart that he does not have]? Will you call this a fast and an acceptable day to the Lord?


text:
[Rather] is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every [enslaving] yoke? <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house — when you see the naked, that you cover him, and that you hide not yourself from [the needs of] your own flesh <i>and</i> blood?


text:
Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression [wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust, <i>and</i> wicked speaking, <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity <i>and</i> gloom become like the noonday.


text:
And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought <i>and</i> in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.


text:
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.


text:
If you turn away your foot from [traveling unduly on] the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor Him <i>and</i> it, not going your own way or seeking <i>or</i> finding your own pleasure or speaking with your own [idle] words,


text:
Then will you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage [promised for you] of Jacob your father; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened at all, that it cannot save, nor His ear dull with deafness, that it cannot hear.


text:
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.


text:
For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue mutters wickedness.


text:
None sues <i>or</i> calls in righteousness [but for the sake of doing injury to others — to take some undue advantage]; no one goes to law honestly <i>and</i> pleads [his case] in truth; they trust in emptiness, worthlessness <i>and</i> futility, and speaking lies! They conceive mischief and bring forth evil!


text:
They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web; he who eats of their eggs dies, and [from an egg] which is crushed a viper breaks out [for their nature is ruinous, deadly, evil].


text:
Their webs will not serve as clothing, nor will they cover themselves with what they make; their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.


text:
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their paths <i>and</i> highways.


text:
The way of peace they know not, and there is no justice <i>or</i> right in their goings. They have made them into crooked paths; whoever goes in them does not know peace. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Therefore are justice <i>and</i> right far from us, and righteousness <i>and</i> salvation do not overtake us. We expectantly wait for light, but [only] see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity <i>and</i> gloom.


text:
We grope for the wall like the blind, yes, we grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at noonday as in the twilight; in dark places <i>and</i> among those who are full of life <i>and</i> vigor, we are as dead men.


text:
We all groan <i>and</i> growl like bears and moan plaintively like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us.


text:
For our transgressions are multiplied before You [O Lord], and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and as for our iniquities, we know <i>and</i> recognize them [as]:


text:
Rebelling against and denying the Lord, turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and muttering <i>and</i> moaning from the heart words of falsehood.


text:
Justice is turned away backward, and righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) stands far off; for truth has fallen in the street (the city’s forum), and uprightness cannot enter [the courts of justice].


text:
Yes, truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. And the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice.


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And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]; therefore His own arm brought Him victory, and His own righteousness [having the Spirit without measure] sustained Him. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
For [the Lord] put on righteousness as a breastplate <i>or</i> coat of mail, and salvation as a helmet upon His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with zeal [and furious divine jealousy] as a cloak. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
According as their deeds deserve, so will He repay wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; on the foreign islands <i>and</i> coastlands He will make compensation.


text:
So [as the result of the Messiah’s intervention] they shall [reverently] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him <i>and</i> put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
He shall come as a Redeemer to Zion and to those in Jacob (Israel) who turn from transgression, says the Lord.


text:
As for Me, this is My covenant <i>or</i> league with them, says the Lord: My Spirit, Who is upon you [and Who writes the law of God inwardly on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the Lord, from henceforth and forever. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you — rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Lift up your eyes round about you and see! They all gather themselves together, they come to you. Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried <i>and</i> nursed in the arms.


text:
Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill <i>and</i> tremble with joy [at the glorious deliverance] and be enlarged; because the abundant wealth of the [Dead] <f>[1]</f>Sea shall be turned to you, unto you shall the nations come with their treasures. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
A multitude of camels [from the eastern trading tribes] shall cover you [Jerusalem], the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all the men from Sheba [who once came to trade] shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. <f>ⓔ</f>


text:
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you [as the eastern pastoral tribes join the trading tribes], the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on My altar, and My glorious house I will glorify.


text:
Surely the isles <i>and</i> distant coastlands shall wait for <i>and</i> expect Me; and the ships of Tarshish [shall come] first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, for the Holy One of Israel, because He has beautified <i>and</i> glorified you.


text:
Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in My wrath I smote you, but in My favor, pleasure, <i>and</i> goodwill I have had mercy, love, <i>and</i> pity for you.


text:
And your gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations — and their kings led in procession [your voluntary captives]. <f>ⓕ</f>


text:
For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you in that day [Jerusalem] shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly laid waste.


text:
The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine [trees] together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious.


text:
The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all those who despised you shall bow down at your feet, and they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. <f>ⓖ</f>


text:
Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through you, I will make you [Jerusalem] an eternal glory, a joy from age to age.


text:
You shall suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations and shall suck the breast of kings; and you shall recognize <i>and</i> know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.


text:
Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. [Instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers and righteousness as your taskmasters.


text:
Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders, but you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.


text:
The sun shall no more be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you, but the Lord shall be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory <i>and</i> your beauty. <f>ⓗ</f>


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Your sun shall no more go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.


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Your people also shall all be [uncompromisingly and consistently] righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.


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The least one shall become a thousand [a clan], and the small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its [appointed] time.


text:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed <i>and</i> qualified me to preach the Gospel <i>of</i> good tidings to the meek, the poor, <i>and</i> afflicted; He has sent me to bind up <i>and</i> heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison <i>and</i> of the eyes to those who are bound, <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] <f>[1]</f>and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion — to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, <i>and</i> failing spirit — that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.


text:
And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.


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Aliens shall stand [ready] and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.


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But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; people will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and the glory [once that of your captors] shall be yours. <f>ⓒ</f>


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Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor <i>and</i> reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs.


text:
For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery <i>and</i> wrong with violence <i>or</i> a burnt offering. And I will faithfully give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant <i>or</i> league with them.


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And their offspring shall be known among the nations and their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize <i>and</i> acknowledge that they are the people whom the Lord has blessed.


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I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.


text:
For as [surely as] the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring forth, so [surely] the Lord God will cause rightness <i>and</i> justice and praise to spring forth before all the nations [through the self-fulfilling power of His word].


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For Zion’s sake will I [Isaiah] not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest until her imputed righteousness <i>and</i> vindication go forth as brightness, and her salvation radiates as does a burning torch.


text:
And the nations shall see your righteousness <i>and</i> vindication [your rightness and justice — not your own, but His ascribed to you], and all kings shall behold your salvation and glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name. <f>ⓐ</f>


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You shall also be [so beautiful and prosperous as to be thought of as] a crown of glory <i>and</i> honor in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem [exceedingly beautiful] in the hand of your God.


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You [Judah] shall no more be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be called Desolate any more. But you shall be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her], and your land be called Beulah [married]; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married [owned and protected by the Lord].


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For as a young man marries a virgin [O Jerusalem], so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.


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I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence,


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The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm: Surely I will not again give your grain as food for your enemies, and [the invading sons of] aliens shall not drink your new wine for which you have toiled;


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But they who have gathered it shall eat it and praise the Lord, and they who have brought in the vintage shall drink it [at the feasts celebrated] in the courts of My sanctuary (the temple of My holiness).


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Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Cast up, cast up the highway! Gather out the stones. Lift up a standard <i>or</i> ensign over <i>and</i> for the peoples.


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Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the Daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes [in the person of the Lord]; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work <i>and</i> recompense before Him. <f>ⓑ</f>


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And they shall call them the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you shall be called Sought Out, a City Not Forsaken.


text:
Who is this Who comes from Edom, with crimson-stained garments from Bozrah [in Edom]? This One Who is glorious in His apparel, striding triumphantly in the greatness of His might? It is I, [the One] Who speaks in righteousness [proclaiming vindication], mighty to save!


text:
I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the peoples there was no one with Me. I trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I stained all My raiment.


text:
For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption [the year of My redeemed] has come.


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And I looked, but there was no one to help; I was amazed <i>and</i> appalled that there was no one to uphold [truth and right]. So My own arm brought Me victory, and My wrath upheld Me.


text:
I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them drink of the cup of My wrath until they were intoxicated, and I spilled their lifeblood upon the earth.


text:
I will recount the loving-kindnesses of the Lord and the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel, which He has granted them according to His mercy and according to the multitude of His loving-kindnesses.


text:
For He said, Surely they are My people, sons who will not lie [who will not deal falsely with Me]; and so He was to them a Savior [in all their distresses].


text:
In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the <f>[1]</f>Angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to become their enemy and Himself fought against them.


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Then His people [seriously] remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people [and they said], Where is He Who brought [our fathers] up out of the [Red] Sea, with [Moses and the other] shepherds of His flock? Where is He Who put His Holy Spirit within their midst,


text:
Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, dividing the waters before them, to make for Himself an everlasting name,


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Like the cattle that go down into the valley [to find better pasturage, refuge, and rest], the Spirit of the Lord caused them to rest. So did You lead Your people [Lord] to make for Yourself a beautiful <i>and</i> glorious name [to prepare the way for the acknowledgment of Your name by all nations].


text:
Look down from heaven and see from the dwelling place of Your holiness and Your glory. Where are Your zeal <i>and</i> Your jealousy and Your mighty acts [which you formerly did for Your people]? Your yearning pity and the [multitude of] compassions of Your heart are restrained <i>and</i> withheld from me.


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For [surely] You are our Father, even though Abraham [our ancestor] does not know us and Israel (Jacob) does not acknowledge us; You, O Lord, are [still] our Father, our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name.


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O Lord, why have You made us [able] to err from Your ways and hardened our hearts to [reverential] fear of You? Return [to bless us] for Your servants’ sake, the tribes of Your heritage.


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We have become [to You] like those over whom You never exercised rule, like those who were not called by Your name.


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Oh, that You would rend the heavens and that You would come down, that the mountains might quake <i>and</i> flow down at Your presence —


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As when fire kindles the brushwood and the fire causes the waters to boil — to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!


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When You did terrible things which we did not expect, You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence.


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For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works <i>and</i> shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him.


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You meet <i>and</i> spare him who joyfully works righteousness (uprightness and justice), [earnestly] remembering You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned; we have long continued in our sins [prolonging Your anger]. And shall we be saved?


text:
For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags <i>or</i> a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God’s favor, hurrying us toward destruction]. <f>ⓐ</f>


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And no one calls on Your name and awakens <i>and</i> bestirs himself to take <i>and</i> keep hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and have delivered us into the [consuming] power of our iniquities. <f>ⓑ</f>


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Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand.


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Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, or [seriously] remember iniquity forever. Behold, consider, we beseech You, we are all Your people.


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Our holy and our beautiful house, [the temple] where our fathers praised You, is burned with fire, and all our pleasant <i>and</i> desirable places are in ruins.


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Considering these [calamities], will You restrain Yourself, O Lord [and not come to our aid]? Will You keep silent <i>and</i> not command our deliverance but humble <i>and</i> afflict us exceedingly?


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I was [ready to be] inquired of by those who asked not; I was [ready to be] found by those who sought Me not. I said, Here I am, here I am [says I AM] to a nation [Israel] that has not called on My name. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
I have spread out My hands all the day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts —


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A people who provoke Me to My face continually, sacrificing [to idols] in gardens and burning incense upon bricks [instead of at God’s prescribed altar];


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Who sit among the graves [trying to talk with the dead] and lodge among the secret places [or caves where familiar spirits were thought to dwell]; who eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of abominable <i>and</i> loathsome things is in their vessels;


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Who say, Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am set apart from you [and lest I sanctify you]! These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day.


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Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence but will repay; yes, I will repay into their bosom


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Both your own iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers, says the Lord. Because they too burned incense upon the mountains and reviled <i>and</i> blasphemed Me upon the hills, therefore will I measure <i>and</i> stretch out their former doings into their own bosom.


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Thus says the Lord: As the juice [of the grape] is found in the cluster, and one says, Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it, so will I do for My servants’ sake, that I may not destroy them all.


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And I will bring forth an offspring from Jacob, and from Judah an inheritor of My mountains; My chosen <i>and</i> elect will inherit it, and My servants will dwell there.


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And [the plain of] Sharon shall be a pasture <i>and</i> fold for flocks, and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, for My people who seek Me, inquire of Me, <i>and</i> require Me [by right of their necessity and by right of My invitation].


text:
But you who forsake the Lord, who forget <i>and</i> ignore My holy Mount [Zion], who prepare a table for Gad [the Babylonian god of fortune] and who furnish mixed drinks for Meni [the god of destiny] —


text:
I will destine you [says the Lord] for the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter, because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen <i>or</i> obey. But you did what was evil in My eyes, and you chose that in which I did not delight.


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Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame.


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Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry out for pain <i>and</i> sorrow of heart and shall wail <i>and</i> howl for anguish, vexation, <i>and</i> breaking of spirit.


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And you will leave your name to My chosen [to those who will use it] for a curse; and the Lord God will slay you, but He will call His servants by another name [as much greater than the former name as the name Israel was greater than the name Jacob]. <f>ⓑ</f>


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So [it shall be] that he who invokes a blessing on himself in the land shall do so by saying, May the God of truth <i>and</i> fidelity [the Amen] bless me; and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth <i>and</i> faithfulness to His promises [the Amen], because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hidden from My eyes. <f>ⓒ</f>


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For behold, I create <f>[1]</f>new heavens and a new earth. And the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. <f>ⓓ</f>


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But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a rejoicing and her people a joy.


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And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; and the sound of weeping will no more be heard in it, nor the cry of distress.


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There shall no more be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who dies prematurely; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner who dies when only a hundred years old shall be [thought only a child, cut off because he is] accursed.


text:
They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat [the fruit]. For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My chosen <i>and</i> elect shall long make use of <i>and</i> enjoy the work of their hands.


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They shall not labor in vain or bring forth [children] for sudden terror <i>or</i> calamity; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.


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And it shall be that before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking I will hear. <f>ⓔ</f>


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The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy Mount [Zion], says the Lord.


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Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place? <f>ⓐ</f>


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For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look <i>and</i> have regard: he who is humble and of a broken <i>or</i> wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word <i>and</i> reveres My commands. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
[The acts of the hypocrite’s worship are as abominable to God as if they were offered to idols.] He who kills an ox [then] will be as guilty as if he slew <i>and</i> sacrificed a man; he who sacrifices a lamb <i>or</i> a kid, as if he broke a dog’s neck <i>and</i> sacrificed him; he who offers a cereal offering, as if he offered swine’s blood; he who burns incense [to God], as if he blessed an idol. [Such people] have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;


text:
So I also will choose their delusions <i>and</i> mockings, their calamities <i>and</i> afflictions, and I will bring their fears upon them — because when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they did not listen <i>or</i> obey. But they did what was evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.


text:
Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word: Your brethren who hate you, who cast you out for My name’s sake, have said, Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy! But it is they who shall be put to shame.


text:
[Hark!] An uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, rendering recompense to His enemies!


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Before [Zion] travailed, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her, she was delivered of a male child.


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Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land <f>[1]</f>be born in one day? Or shall a nation be brought forth in a moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children.


text:
Shall I bring to the [moment of] birth and not cause to bring forth? says the Lord. Shall I Who causes to bring forth shut the womb? says your God.


text:
Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn over her,


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That you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breasts, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance <i>and</i> brightness of her glory.


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For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; then you will be nursed, you will be carried on her hip and trotted [lovingly bounced up and down] on her [God’s maternal] knees.


text:
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like green <i>and</i> tender grass. And the [powerful] hand of the Lord shall be revealed <i>and</i> known to be with His servants, but His indignation [shown] to be against His enemies.


text:
For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and His chariots will be like the stormy wind, to render His anger with fierceness, and His rebuke with flames of fire.


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For by fire and by His sword will the Lord execute judgment upon all flesh, and the slain of the Lord will be many.


text:
Those who [attempt to] sanctify themselves and cleanse themselves to enter [and sacrifice to idols] in the gardens, following after <f>[2]</f>one in the midst, eating hog’s flesh and the abomination [creeping things] and the [mouse — their works and their thoughts] shall come to an end together, says the Lord.


text:
For I know their works and their thoughts. And the time is coming when I will gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.


text:
And I will set up a [miraculous] sign among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations — to Tarshish, Pul (Put), and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles <i>and</i> coastlands afar off that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare <i>and</i> proclaim My glory among the nations.


text:
And they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as an offering to the Lord — upon horses and in chariots and in litters and upon mules and upon camels — to My holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the children of Israel bring their cereal offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.


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For as the new <f>[3]</f>heavens and the new earth which I make shall remain before Me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain.


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And it shall be that from one New Moon to another New Moon and from one Sabbath to another Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord.


text:
And they shall go forth and gaze upon the dead bodies of the [rebellious] men who have stepped over against Me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind.


text:
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin [two or three miles north of Jerusalem],


text:
To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah in the thirteenth year of his reign.


text:
It came also in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem into captivity in the fifth month. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated <i>and</i> set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.


text:
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.


text:
See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.


text:
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch <i>or</i> shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter].


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Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert <i>and</i> active, watching over My word to perform it.


text:
And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, What do you see? And I said, I see a boiling pot, and the face of it is [tipped away] from the north [its mouth about to pour forth on the south, on Judea].


text:
Then the Lord said to me, Out of the north the evil [which the prophets had foretold as the result of national sin] shall disclose itself <i>and</i> break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.


text:
For, behold, I will call all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, says the Lord; and they will come and set every one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls round about, and against all the cities of Judah [as God’s judicial act, a consequence of Judah’s wickedness].


text:
And I will utter My judgments against them for all the wickedness of those who have forsaken Me, burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands [idols].


text:
But you [Jeremiah], gird up your loins! Arise and tell them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed <i>and</i> break down at the sight of their faces, lest I confound you before them <i>and</i> permit you to be overcome.


text:
For I, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land — against the [successive] kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land [giving you divine strength which no hostile power can overcome]. <f>ⓓ</f>


text:
And they shall fight against you, but they shall not [finally] prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.


text:
Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says the Lord: I [earnestly] remember the kindness <i>and</i> devotion of your youth, your love after your betrothal [in Egypt] <i>and</i> marriage [at Sinai] when you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.


text:
Israel was holiness [something set apart from ordinary purposes, dedicated] to the Lord, the firstfruits of His harvest [of which no stranger was allowed to partake]; all who ate of it [injuring Israel] offended <i>and</i> became guilty; evil came upon them, says the Lord.


text:
Thus says the Lord: What unrighteousness did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and [habitually] went after emptiness, falseness, <i>and</i> futility and themselves became fruitless <i>and</i> worthless?


text:
Nor did they say, Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death <i>and</i> deep darkness, through a land that no man passes through and where no man dwells?


text:
And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and good things. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination [detestable and loathsome].


text:
[Even] the priests did not say, Where is the Lord? And those who handle the law [given by God to Moses] knew Me not. The rulers <i>and</i> secular shepherds also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by [the authority and in the name of] Baal and followed after things that do not profit.


text:
Therefore I will still contend with you [by inflicting further judgments on you], says the Lord, and with your children’s children will I contend.


text:
For cross over to the coasts of Cyprus [to the west] and see, send also to Kedar [to the east] and carefully consider; and see whether there has been such a thing as this:


text:
Has a nation [ever] changed its gods, even though they are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory [God] for that which does not profit.


text:
Be astonished <i>and</i> appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked <i>and</i> shrivel up with horror, says the Lord [at the behavior of the people].


text:
For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, <i>and</i> they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water.


text:
The young lions have roared over him <i>and</i> made their voices heard. And they have made his land a waste; his cities are burned ruins without inhabitant.


text:
Moreover, the children of Memphis and Tahpanhes (Egypt) [have in times past shown their power as a foe; they] have broken <i>and</i> fed on the crown of your head [Israel] — so do not rely on them as an ally now.


text:
And now what have you to gain by allying yourself with Egypt <i>and</i> going her way, to drink the [black and roiled] waters of the Nile? Or what have you to gain in going the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates?


text:
Your own wickedness shall chasten <i>and</i> correct you, and your backslidings <i>and</i> desertion of faith shall reprove you. Know therefore <i>and</i> recognize that this is an evil and bitter thing: [first,] you have forsaken the Lord your God; [second,] you are indifferent to Me <i>and</i> the fear of Me is not in you, says the Lord of hosts.


text:
For long ago [in Egypt] I broke your yoke and burst your bonds [not that you might be free, but that you might serve Me] <f>[1]</f><i>and</i> long ago you shattered the yoke and snapped the bonds [of My law which I put upon you]; you said, I will not serve <i>and</i> obey You! For upon every high hill and under every green tree you [eagerly] prostrated yourself [in idolatrous worship], playing the harlot.


text:
Yet I had planted you [O house of Israel] a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned into degenerate shoots of wild vine alien to Me?


text:
For though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, yet your iniquity <i>and</i> guilt are still [upon you; you are] spotted, dirty, <i>and</i> stained before Me, says the Lord.


text:
How can you say, I am not defiled; I have not gone after the Baals [other gods]? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done. You are a restive young female camel [in the uncontrollable violence of her brute passion eagerly] running hither and thither,


text:
Or [you have the untamed and reckless nature of] a wild donkey used to the desert, in her heat sniffing the wind [for the scent of a male]. In her mating season who can restrain her? No males seeking her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her [seeking them].


text:
[Cease from your mad running after idols, from which you get nothing but bitter injury.] Keep your feet from being unshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, It is hopeless! For I have loved strangers <i>and</i> foreigners, and after them I will go.


text:
As the thief is brought to shame when he is caught, so shall the house of Israel be brought to shame — they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets —


text:
[Inasmuch as] they say to a tree, You are my father, and to a stone, You gave me birth. For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces; but in the time of their trouble, they say, Arise [O Lord] and save us!


text:
But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise if they can save you in the time of your trouble! For [as many as] the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. [Surely so many handmade idols should be able to help you!]


text:
Why do you complain <i>and</i> remonstrate against My wrath? You all have rebelled <i>and</i> revolted against Me, says the Lord.


text:
In vain have I stricken your children (your people); they received no discipline (no correction). Your own sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.


text:
O generation [that you are]! Behold, consider, <i>and</i> regard the word of the Lord: Have I been a wilderness to Israel [like a land without food]? A land of deep darkness [like a way without light]? Why do My people say, We have broken loose [we are free and will roam at large]; we will come no more to You?


text:
Can a maid forget <i>and</i> neglect [to wear] her ornaments, or a bride her [marriage] girdle [with its significance like that of a wedding ring]? Yet My people have forgotten Me, days without number.


text:
How you deck yourself <i>and</i> direct your way to procure [adulterous] love! Because of it even wicked women have learned [indecent] ways from you.


text:
Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the persons of the innocent poor; you did not find them housebreaking, <i>nor</i> have I found it out by secret search. But it is because of [your lust for idolatry that you have done] all these things — [that is everywhere evident.]


text:
Yet you keep saying, I am innocent; surely His anger has turned away from Me. Behold, I will bring you to judgment <i>and</i> will plead against you because you say, I have not sinned.


text:
Why do you gad <i>or</i> wander about so much to change your way? You shall be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria.


text:
From [Egypt] also you will come away with your hands upon your head, for the Lord has rejected those in whom you confide, and you will not prosper with [respect to] them.


text:
That is to say, If a man puts away his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s, will he return to her again? [Of course not!] Would not that land [where such a thing happened] be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot [against Me] with many lovers — yet would you now return to Me? says the Lord [or do you even think to return to Me?]


text:
Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see. Where have you not been adulterously lain with? By the wayside you have sat waiting for lovers [eager for idolatry], like an Arabian [desert tribesman who waits to plunder] in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your vile harlotry and your wickedness (unfaithfulness and disobedience to God).


text:
Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no spring rain. Yet you have the brow of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.


text:
Will He retain His anger forever? Will He keep it to the end? Behold, you have so spoken, but you have done all the evil things you could <i>and</i> have had your way <i>and</i> have carried them through.


text:
Moreover, the Lord said to me [Jeremiah] in the days of Josiah the king [of Judah], Have you seen what that faithless <i>and</i> backsliding Israel has done — how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree and there played the harlot?


text:
And I said, After she has done all these things, she will return to Me; but she did not return, and her faithless <i>and</i> treacherous sister Judah saw it.


text:
And I saw, even though [Judah knew] that for this very cause of committing adultery (idolatry) I [the Lord] had put faithless Israel away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her faithless <i>and</i> treacherous sister Judah was not afraid, but she also went and played the harlot [following after idols].


text:
And through the infamy <i>and</i> unseemly frivolity of Israel’s whoredom [because her immorality mattered little to her], she polluted <i>and</i> defiled the land, [by her idolatry] committing adultery with [idols of] stones and trees.


text:
But in spite of all this, her faithless <i>and</i> treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me in sincerity <i>and</i> with her whole heart, but only in sheer hypocrisy [has she feigned obedience to King Josiah’s reforms], says the Lord. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
And the Lord said to me, Backsliding <i>and</i> faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false <i>and</i> treacherous Judah.


text:
Go and proclaim these words toward the north [where the ten tribes have been taken as captives] and say, Return, faithless Israel, says the Lord, <i>and</i> I will not cause My countenance to fall <i>and</i> look in anger upon you, for I am merciful, says the Lord; I will not keep My anger forever.


text:
Only know, understand, <i>and</i> acknowledge your iniquity <i>and</i> guilt — that you have rebelled <i>and</i> transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says the Lord.


text:
Return, O faithless children [of the whole twelve tribes], says the Lord, for I am Lord <i>and</i> Master <i>and</i> Husband to you, and I will take you [not as a nation, but individually] — one from a city and two from a tribal family — and I will bring you to Zion. <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
And I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart [in the final time], who will feed you with knowledge and understanding <i>and</i> judgment.


text:
And it shall be that when you have multiplied and increased in the land in those days, says the Lord, they shall no more say, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. It shall not come to mind, nor shall they [seriously] remember it, nor shall they miss <i>or</i> visit it, nor shall it be repaired <i>or</i> made again [for instead of the ark, which represented God’s presence, He will show Himself to be present throughout the city]. <f>ⓒ</f>


text:
At that time they shall call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, in the renown <i>and</i> name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; nor shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their own evil hearts.


text:
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and together they shall come out of the land of the north to the land that I gave as an inheritance to your fathers.


text:
And I thought how [gloriously and honorably] I would set you among My children and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage, the most beautiful <i>and</i> best [inheritance] among all nations! And I thought you would call Me My Father and would not turn away from following Me.


text:
Surely, as a wife treacherously <i>and</i> faithlessly departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously <i>and</i> faithlessly with Me, O house of Israel, says the Lord.


text:
A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping <i>and</i> pleading of the sons of Israel, because they have perverted their ways, they have [eagerly] forgotten the Lord their God.


text:
Return, O faithless sons, [says the Lord, and] I will heal your faithlessness. [And they answer] Behold, we come to You, for You are the Lord our God.


text:
Truly in vain is the hope of salvation from the hills and from the tumult <i>and</i> noisy throng on the mountains; truly in <i>and</i> with the Lord our God rests the salvation of Israel.


text:
[We have been ruined as a nation by our faithlessness and idolatry] for the shameful thing has consumed all for which our fathers toiled from our youth — their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.


text:
Let us lie prostrate in our shame, and let our dishonor <i>and</i> confusion cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.


text:
If you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, if you will return to Me, and if you will put away your abominable false gods out of My sight and not stray <i>or</i> waver,


text:
And if you swear, As the Lord lives, in truth, in judgment <i>and</i> justice, and in righteousness (uprightness in every area and relation), then the nations will bless themselves in Him and in Him will they glory.


text:
For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up your ground left uncultivated for a season, so that you may not sow among thorns.


text:
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth like fire [consuming all that gets in its way] and burn so that no one can quench it because of the evil of your doings.


text:
Declare in Judah and publish in Jerusalem and say: Blow the trumpet in the land; cry aloud and say: Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.


text:
Raise a standard toward Zion [to mark out the safest route to those seeking safety within Jerusalem’s walls]! Flee for safety, stay not, for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.


text:
A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place to make your land a desolate waste; and your cities shall be left in ruins without an inhabitant.


text:
For this, gird yourselves with sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us.


text:
And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that the understanding <i>and</i> courage of the king shall fail (be paralyzed), and also that of the princes; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded <i>and</i> dazed with horror.


text:
Then I [Jeremiah] said, <f>[1]</f>Alas, Lord God! Surely You have greatly deceived <i>and</i> misled this people and Jerusalem, [for the prophets represented You as] saying [to Your people], You shall have peace, whereas the sword has reached to [their very] life.


text:
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness [comes at My command] against the daughter of My people — not [a wind] to fan or cleanse [from chaff, as when threshing, but]


text:
A wind too strong <i>and</i> full for winnowing comes at My word. Now I will also speak in judgment against [My people].


text:
Behold, [the enemy] comes up like clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined (destroyed)!


text:
O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved! How long shall your iniquitous <i>and</i> grossly offensive thoughts lodge within you?


text:
For a voice declares from Dan [in the north] and proclaims evil from Mount Ephraim [the range dividing Israel from Judah].


text:
Warn the [neighboring] nations [that our adversary is coming]; announce to Jerusalem that besiegers are coming from a far country, and they shout against the cities of Judah.


text:
Like keepers of a field they are against her round about, because she has been rebellious against Me, says the Lord.


text:
Your ways and your doings have brought these things upon you. This is your calamity <i>and</i> doom; surely it is bitter, for surely it reaches your very heart!


text:
[It is not only the prophet but also the people who cry out in their thoughts] My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is disquieted <i>and</i> throbs aloud within me; I cannot be silent! For I have heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.


text:
News of one violent disaster <i>and</i> calamity comes close after another, for the whole land is laid waste; suddenly are my tents spoiled <i>and</i> destroyed, and my [tent] curtains ruined in a moment.


text:
[O Lord] how long must I see the flag [marking the route for flight] and hear the sound of the trumpet [urging the people to flee for refuge]?


text:
[Their chastisement will continue until it has accomplished its purpose] for My people are stupid, says the Lord [replying to Jeremiah]; they do not know <i>and</i> understand Me. They are thickheaded children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge [and know not how].


text:
[In a vision Jeremiah sees Judah laid waste by conquest and captivity.] I looked at the land, and behold, it was [as at the time of creation] waste and vacant (void); and at the heavens, and they had no light.


text:
I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid waste before the Lord’s presence, before His fierce anger.


text:
For thus says the Lord: The whole land will be a desolation, yet I will not make a full <i>and</i> complete end of it. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
For this will the earth mourn and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken, I have purposed, and I will not relent, nor will I turn back [from it].


text:
Every city flees because of the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells in them.


text:
And you [plundered one], when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you paint your eyelids <i>and</i> make them look farther apart, in vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers (allies) despise you; they seek your life.


text:
For I have heard a cry as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of one who brings forth her first child — the cry of the Daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! I am fainting before the murderers.


text:
Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now and take notice! Seek in her broad squares to see if you can find a man [as Abraham sought in Sodom], one who does justice, who seeks truth, sincerity, <i>and</i> faithfulness; and I will pardon [Jerusalem — for one uncompromisingly righteous person]. <f>ⓐ</f>


text:
O Lord, do not your eyes look on the truth? [They have meant to please You outwardly, but You look on their hearts.] You have stricken them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them, but they have refused to take correction <i>or</i> instruction. They have made their faces harder than a rock, they have refused to repent <i>and</i> return to You.


text:
Then I said, Surely these are only the poor; they are [sinfully] foolish <i>and</i> have no understanding, for they know not the way of the Lord, the judgment (the just and righteous law) of their God.


text:
I will go to the great men and will speak to them, for they must know the way of the Lord, the judgment (the just and righteous law) of their God. But [I found the very reverse to be true] these had all alike broken the yoke [of God’s law] and had burst the bonds [of obedience to Him].


text:
Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the desert shall destroy them, a leopard <i>or</i> panther shall lie in wait against their cities. Everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their backslidings <i>and</i> total desertion of faith are increased <i>and</i> have become great <i>and</i> mighty.


text:
Why should I <i>and</i> how can I pass over this <i>and</i> forgive you for it? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by those that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full <i>and</i> bound them to Me by oath, they committed [spiritual] adultery, assembling themselves in troops at the houses of [idol] harlots.


text:
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord; and shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?


text:
Go up within [Jerusalem’s] walls and destroy [her vines], but do not make a full <i>and</i> complete end. Trim away the tendrils [of her vines], for they are not the Lord’s.


text:
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very faithlessly <i>and</i> treacherously against Me, says the Lord.


text:
They have lied about <i>and</i> denied the Lord by saying, It is not He [Who speaks through His prophets]! Evil shall not come upon us; nor shall we see war or famine.


text:
And [say they] the prophets will become wind [what they prophesy will not come to pass], and the word [of God] is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them [as they threatened would be done to us].


text:
Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: Because you [the people] have spoken this word, behold, I will make My words fire in your mouth [Jeremiah] and this people wood, and it will devour them.


text:
Behold, I am bringing a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is a mighty <i>and</i> enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.


text:
Their quiver is [filled with deadly missiles] like an open sepulcher [filled with dead bodies; the foes] are all mighty men (heroes).


text:
They shall consume your harvest and your food; they shall consume your sons and your daughters; they shall consume your flocks and your herds; they shall consume your vines and your fig trees. They shall break down <i>and</i> impoverish your fortified cities in which you trust, with the sword [they shall destroy them].


text:
And when your people say, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? then you shall answer them, As you have forsaken Me, says the Lord, and have served strange gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers (gods) in a land that is not yours.


text:
Hear now this, O foolish people without understanding <i>or</i> heart, who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not: <f>ⓑ</f>


text:
Do you not fear <i>and</i> reverence Me? says the Lord. Do you not tremble before Me? <i>I</i> placed the sand for the boundary of the sea, a perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass <i>and</i> by an everlasting ordinance beyond which it cannot go? And though the waves of the sea toss <i>and</i> shake themselves, yet they cannot prevail [against the feeble grains of sand which God has ordained by nature to be sufficient for His purpose]; though [the billows] roar, yet they cannot pass over that [barrier]. [Is not such a God to be reverently feared and worshiped?]


text:
But these people have hearts that draw back from God and wills that rebel against Him; they have revolted <i>and</i> quit His service and have gone away [into idolatry].


text:
Nor do they say in their hearts, Let us now reverently fear <i>and</i> worship the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the autumn and the spring rain in its season, Who reserves <i>and</i> keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.


text:
For among My people are found wicked men; they watch like fowlers who lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men.


text:
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit <i>and</i> treachery; therefore they have become great and grown rich,


text:
They have grown fat <i>and</i> sleek. Yes, they surpass in deeds of wickedness; they do not judge <i>and</i> plead with justice the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.


text:
Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord. Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?


text:
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests exercise rule at their own hands <i>and</i> by means of the prophets. And My people love to have it so! But what will you do when the end comes?


text:
Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem! And blow the trumpet in Tekoa [a town far south in Judah], and raise a [fire] signal over Beth-haccherem [a town near Jerusalem]! For evil is looking forth with eagerness from the north, and great destruction.


text:
The comely and delicate one, [Jerusalem] the Daughter of Zion, I will destroy. [To a pasturage, yes, a luxurious pasturage, have I likened her.]


text:
Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her; they shall pitch their tents round about her; they shall pasture, each one in his place [eating up all her luxurious herbage on every side].


text:
Prepare yourselves for war against her [they cry]; up, let us attack her at noon! But alas, the day declines, the evening shadows lengthen.


text:
For the Lord of hosts has said, Hew down her trees and cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city which must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.


text:
As a fountain wells up <i>and</i> casts forth its waters <i>and</i> keeps them fresh, so she is [continually] casting forth [fresh] wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard within her; sickness and wounds are continually before Me.


text:
Be corrected, reformed, instructed, <i>and</i> warned, O Jerusalem, lest I be alienated <i>and</i> parted from you, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.


text:
Thus says the Lord of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean as a vine what is left of Israel; turn back your hand again <i>and</i> again [O minister of destruction] into the baskets, like a grape gatherer, <i>and</i> strip the tendrils [of the vine].


text:
To whom shall I [Jeremiah] speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised [never brought into covenant with God or consecrated to His service], and they cannot hear <i>or</i> obey. Behold, the word of the Lord has become to them a reproach <i>and</i> the object of their scorn; they have no delight in it.


