From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians
Written by IsaiAh over a period from around 800-B.C.E. to around 730-B.C.E.

NOTE: Is it poetry or isn't it poetry? Since many of the Chapters of Isaiah were written in the Hebrew poetic style, you will recognize a deliberate cadence to the words. Why poetry? Because it provided memory aids so the thoughts could be readily recalled to mind. Then the message could thereafter be spread throughout the population via the most common medium of communication at the time, song.

Chapter 1

¹ These are the visions that IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) saw during the reigns of UzziAh, JoTham, Ahaz, and HezekiAh, the kings of Judah, about things that were to come upon Judah and JeruSalem.

² Hear, O heavens, and [pay attention] O earth, for Jehovah spoke and said this: 'I fathered sons and I raised them, but they paid no attention to Me. ³ Every ox knows its owner, and the burro knows the stable of its master, but IsraEl doesn't know Me and My people do not understand.'

⁴ Woe to you, O sinful nation, for you're a people who are filled with your sins. You're an evil seed and lawless sons, for you have abandoned Jehovah, and provoked IsraEl's Holy One to anger; so, now you've been pushed to the rear!

⁵ Why be struck for [your] lawlessness? Miserable is your whole head, and your whole heart is distressed. ⁶ Nothing is healthy from head to foot… your wounds and contusions are inflamed and unhealed, since no one has dressed them or applied oil, nor have they come here to wrap them. ⁷ Your land now lies in desolation, and all your cities have been burned, for the [land] before you has been devoured… by strangers it has been destroyed… by alien peoples it's been wiped away.

⁸ The daughter of Zion has been abandoned, like an old shack in a vineyard… like a shed in a cucumber garden, and like a city under siege. ⁹ And unless Jehovah of Armies, should choose to leave us a seed, like Sodom and GomorRah we'll become!

¹⁰ Hear the word of Jehovah, O you rulers of Sodom! O you people of GomorRah; Pay attention to the Law of our God! ¹¹ 'What good are sacrifices that you offer to Me,' asks Jehovah? 'I'm full of the whole burnt offerings of rams, as well as the fat of your lambs, and I don't want the blood of bulls or male goats, ¹² nor do I want you appearing before Me! Who required such things from your hands? So, you'll not be allowed to tread on My courtyard!

¹³ 'If you bring fine flour, it's in vain, and your incense is disgusting to Me. No more can I endure your New Moons, or your holidays or your Sabbaths. ¹⁴ With My whole whole self I've come to detest, your fasting, Sabbath[days], holidays, and New Moons. With you I am filled [to the brim], and no longer will I [overlook] all your sins. ¹⁵ So, I'll turn My eyes when you hold out your hands, and not hear, no matter how often you pray, because, with blood your hands are now filled!

¹⁶ 'Bathe yourselves and get clean! Remove your wicked lives from My eyes! Stop being bad and ¹⁷ learn to do good; insist on [judgments that are] fair; rescue those who've been wronged; give decisions [in favor of] orphans, as well as justice to widows… ¹⁸ and then you can come and plead before me,' says Jehovah. 'Then, if your sins should be crimson red, as white as snow [I will make them]. And even if they are like scarlet, I'll make them as white as fine wool.

¹⁹ 'If you will but listen to Me, good things from the ground you will eat. ²⁰ But if you rebel and won't listen, I'll send a sword to consume you.'

[Jehovah actually] said these things.

²¹ How did Zion, that city of faith, become a whore so worthy of judgment? For, murderers exist where justice once slept; ²² all your silver is tainted, and your merchants mix water in their wine. ²³ Your rulers resist all persuasion, and they serve as partners to thieves. They're lovers of bribes and of [gifts]; no one will stand up for orphans; and none pay attention to justice for widows!

²⁴ 'Because of this,' says the Lord (Jehovah of Armies [is His Name]), 'woe to you, O IsraEl's mighty, for My rage against the contrary won't cease, and against My enemies I will bring judgment! ²⁵ Against you I'll bring My hand, and purify you 'til you're clean! I'll destroy all those resisting persuasion; I'll remove all the lawless among you; ²⁶ and I will cut down the proud. Then I'll give you judges like those in the past, and your counselors will be as those at the start, so 'the Righteous City' you will be called… 'the trustworthy mother-city of Zion.'

²⁷ 'Through justice and mercy she will be saved, ²⁸ when the lawless and sinners are broken, and those leaving Jehovah are totally gone. ²⁹ Then all will be ashamed of the idols they preferred, and of the [sacred] gardens they wanted. ³⁰ Or else they'll become like pine trees shedding needles, and like parks without water. ³¹ Their strength [will be weak] like the stubble of hemp, and the things that they do will be like the sparks, that incinerate the lawless and sinners; for, no one will come to put out [their flames].

Chapter 2

¹ These are the words that came to IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) regarding Judah and JeruSalem.

² In the very last days, the Mountain of Jehovah will be seen, and the House of God will be over all mountains. It will be raised above all the hills, and all the nations will come there. ³ Many nations will go there and say, 'Come, let's ascend the mountain of [God], and go to the [Temple] of Jacob's God. For, there He will show us His way, and that's the way we will go.'

'Then Law will come out of Zion, and from JeruSalem, the Word of Jehovah. ⁴ He'll judge in the midst of the nations, and He will correct many peoples. Then they'll cut their swords into plow shears, and [they'll shape] their spears into sickles; nations won't lift their swords against nations, nor will they learn war anymore.

⁵ Now, O house of Jacob; Come and let's go to the light of Jehovah, ⁶ because He's forsaken His people (the house of Jacob). For, just as it was at the start, their [land] has become filled up with takers, and Philistine children have been born among them. ⁷ They've filled their [land] with silver and gold, and there's no limit to all of their wealth.

They've filled the land up with horses, and chariots there are beyond numbers. ⁸ With the disgusting works of their hands, they have filled up their land; they bend low before things made with fingers… ⁹ yes, all the people bow down before them, and this brings disgrace to each man. Thus, there's no way that I will now spare them!

¹⁰ So, go to the rocks and hide in the ground, in fear of Jehovah and the glory of His might, for He will arise to wipe out the land! ¹¹ Because, the eyes of Jehovah are lofty, while the eyes of men are debased; so in that day these men will be low, and Jehovah raised high. ¹² For, the day of Jehovah of Armies, is coming upon the insulting and proud. And those who are high and important, will be brought [to the ground]. ¹³ Then every tall Lebanese cedar; every tall oak tree of Bashan; ¹⁴ every high mountain and every high hill; ¹⁵ every high tower and every high wall; ¹⁶ every boat in the sea, and the beauty of [all their sails]; ¹⁷ and every man will be small. The pride of men will [fall] in that day, and Jehovah alone will be high.

¹⁸ When He arises to wipe out the land, men will hide all [their idols], which they've made with their hands; ¹⁹ they'll hide them in caves, in cracks between rocks, and in burrows under the ground, before the fear of Jehovah, and before the glory of His might. ²⁰ Then those disgusting things that they've made with their hands (their worthless things made of silver and gold, which they've made to bow down before), they'll toss in front of the bats in their caves, and in the cracks between rocks, in fear of Jehovah and the glory of His might, when He arises to wipe out the land.

Chapter 3

¹ Stop being like men who must breathe through their nose, for [what value] do they really have? Look at Jehovah of Armies (our Lord), for He'll remove the women and men, living in JeruSalem and Judah, along with the strength of [their] bread, as well as the strength of [their] water; ² their giants, their strong, their soldiers and judges; their prophets, their thinkers and elders; ³ their generals and finest counselors; as well as their wisest of builders; and the most discerning of those paying attention.

⁴ Then Jehovah will appoint very young men, to be their rulers in order to mock them. ⁵ They'll make the people act like they're drunks; the men will all be belligerent, and against his neighbor [each will arise]; the old will be attacked by young boys, and the mighty will be opposed by the dishonored. ⁶ Then men will grab hold of their brothers, and families will go to their fathers and say, 'You have clothes, so you be our leader… you provide us with food!'

⁷ But in that day they'll reply, 'I will not be your leader, for there's no bread or clothes in my house. So, over these men I won't rule.'

⁸ JeruSalem has been forsaken, and Judah has been debased! For, the tongues of their people now speak against [God]… they speak instead about lawless things, and refuse to make any changes. ⁹ Their glory has now been debased; their faces show no sign of shame; and they publicly announce and admit, to sins that are as those of Sodom. So, woe to their lives, for wicked council they've followed! ¹⁰ They say, 'Come and let's [lock] up the righteous, because they're become inconvenient.' Then they'll consume the fruits of their labor.

¹¹ Woe to all of the lawless; for, the evil deeds being done by their hands, will soon be brought down upon them!

¹² O my people; those whom you owe are gleaning from you… those whom you owe are lords over you!

O my people; Those who say you are blest have misled you, and they're [clouding] the roads for your feet. ¹³ So, now you are judged by Jehovah, and against His own people He now stands to judge. ¹⁴ For, Jehovah Himself is judging the elders, as well as His people's rulers.

'And you [O elders and rulers]; Why have you set My vineyard on fire? Why are the poor [now slaves] in your homes? ¹⁵ Why are you wronging My people, and disgracing the face of the poor,' asks the Lord, Jehovah of Armies?

¹⁶ This is what Jehovah has said: 'Because the daughters of Zion are proud, and walk with their [noses] held high, then beckon with their eyes and walk tiny steps, dragging underwear with their feet, ¹⁷ Jehovah will debase the daughters of Zion, and expose their condition in that day. ¹⁸ Jehovah will remove the glory of their clothes… their fringes, and crescents, ¹⁹ and the necklaces they wear; their facial ornaments and ²⁰ [headdresses], as well as their armlets and bracelets; their wreaths, their rings, and right armbands; ²¹ their earrings, purple fringes, and decorations, ²² as well as the cloths for their homes… their coverings that you can see through; ²³ fine linens interwoven with blue and scarlet cloth; linen interwoven with gold and blue threads, and the lightweight coverings for their couches. ²⁴ And instead of pleasant odors there'll be clouds of dust; instead of belts, they'll tie ropes on their [waists]. And because of the things that they've done, instead of gold [combs] they'll be bald; and instead of fine purple underwear, they will be forced to wear sackcloth.

²⁵ 'Then the sons you love most will fall by the sword… your mighty will be cut down and disgraced. ²⁶ You'll mourn [the loss] of your [most prized things], and you'll be left behind all alone, beaten down to the ground.'

Chapter 4

¹ In that day; Seven women will grab hold of a man, and they'll say: 'We'll [buy] our own bread and wear our own clothes, but let us be called by your name, in order to remove all our scorn!'

² In that day; The glory of the council of God, will shine upon the whole earth, in order to raise and glorify, all in IsraEl who still remain. ³ And the few in JeruSalem and Zion that are left, will then all be called holy… all of those who live in JeruSalem, and [whose names] have been written [in God's scroll of] life. ⁴ For, Jehovah will wash away all the filth, from the sons and daughters of Zion. He'll remove all the blood from JeruSalem's midst, with the spirit of judgment and fire. ⁵ When He comes, every place on Mount Zion, will be under the shadow of a cloud every day, and the light of a flaming, smoking fire every night, so their glory will be under [His] shelter. ⁶ It'll be a shade of protection from the heat, and a shelter from rain and bad weather.

Chapter 5

¹ I'll now sing [a song] to the One that I love… a song of my loved One concerning His vineyard.

A vineyard belonged to One who was loved…
A horn of plenty in a bountiful land.
² Around it I built a fence and palisade,
Then the choicest of grapevines I planted.

I built a tower in its midst,
And then I dug out a winepress.
I waited for it to grow grapes,
But all it produced was thorn bushes.

³ And now, you who dwell in JeruSalem… yes, you men of Judea;
Now judge between Me and My vineyard!

⁴ What can I do for My vineyard,
That hasn't been already done?
I waited for it to grow grapes,
But all it produced was thorn bushes.

⁵ So, I'll tell you what I'll do to My vineyard:
I'll take down its gate and let it be ravaged.
I'll demolish its walls and let it be trampled.
⁶ I'll abandon My vineyard and no longer prune it, nor will it ever be hoed.

It'll return [to the way that it was]…
The uncultivated land of thorn bushes.
Then I'll give an order to the clouds,
Not to provide it any more rain.

⁷ Now, the house of IsraEl is the vineyard,
Of Jehovah of Armies,
And the men of Judah are the loved ones He planted.

I waited for it to produce what was just,
But lawlessness was what it produced…
Instead of a tower of justice,
There were just cries of distress.

⁸ So, woe to those who gather in houses,
And those in the fields roundabout them.
For, when all your neighbors are taken away,
Will you not live alone in the land,
⁹ When Jehovah of Armies hears of these things?

For, if there should be many houses,
There'll also be great desolation,
And no one will live there again.

¹⁰ And though ten teams of oxen may work the land,
It'll only produce one clay-pot full.
And though six large measures are planted,
Only three measures will grow.

¹¹ Woe to those who rise early,
To spend their days chasing liquor,
And then stay up late as they drink it;
For, they will burn along with their wine.

¹² They drink to [the sounds] of the harp and the lute,
Along with pipes and tambourines.
But they fail to consider the works of the Lord…
The works of His hands they don't contemplate.

¹³ So, captives My people will be,
Because they've forgotten Jehovah.
Many will die of hunger and thirst;
¹⁴ So, the place of the dead has widened its soul,
And opened its mouth to devour.
The glorious will go down with the great and the rich,
Along with all who respect them.

¹⁵ A people will then be cut down,
And their men will all be dishonored,
Those who [walked proud] will be shamed.
¹⁶ But the justice of Jehovah of Armies will be raised…
Yes, because of His justice,
Our holy God will be glorified.

¹⁷ Then those who ripped it apart,
On your bulls will be grazing…
Yes, those who brought desolation to your land,
Will be eating your lambs.

¹⁸ So, woe to those who draw sins as with ropes,
And lawlessness as a yoke on a bull…
¹⁹ Those saying, 'Let Him come and do whatever He wants,
But do it quickly, so we can all see it…
Let the Holy One's Will come to pass,
So we can all know what it is!'

²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good,
And those who are calling good bad;
Those who turn what's dark into light,
And who turn light into darkness;
Those who make bitterness sweet,
And who turn sweet into bitter.

²¹ Woe to those who think themselves wise,
And think that they've gained much knowledge.
²² Woe to your strong ones and those drinking wine…
All the mighty and those who mix liquor;
²³ Those who judge in favor of the godless,
Because they have been paid bribes…
Those who've snatched justice from the righteous.

²⁴ For this, they'll be burned up like stubble;
Like coals of fire, leaping flames will consume them.
Their roots will then be like dust,
And their flowers will ascend like dust clouds.
For, they rejected the Laws of Jehovah of Armies…
They've despised IsraEl's Holy One's words.

²⁵ So, Jehovah of Armies is enraged with His people,
And He raised His hand and He struck them.
[By the smell] of rotting flesh the mountains were enraged,
For they became like manure in the roads.

Yet, even this didn't [soften] His rage,
Or still the raising of His [arm].

²⁶ So, He'll raise a sign to far away nations;
He'll whistle to them from the ends of the earth,
And they'll take quick notice and nimbly come.
²⁷ They won't get hungry or tired,
Nor will they slumber or sleep.
They'll not untie their belts from their waists,
Nor will they loosen their sandals.

²⁸ With stretched-tight bows [they will come],
And with very sharp arrows;
With the feet of their horses like solid rocks,
And with blasts from their chariot wheels.
²⁹ Like lions, they will advance…
[Like lions] with their cubs alongside them.
Then they'll grab and yell like wild beasts;
They'll carry them off and no one will save them.

³⁰ Because of them, they'll yell in that day,
Like the sounds of the roaring of seas.
Then they'll look to the heavens above,
And [to the ground] underneath them,
And all they will see is hard darkness,
In their [time] of distress.

Chapter 6

¹ It was during the year that King UzziAh died, that I saw Jehovah sitting on a high, lofty throne, and the [Temple] was filled with His glory. ² The burning ones stood all around Him, each of whom had six wings that touched the wings of those next to them. Their first two wings covered their front sides; the second two wings covered their feet; and they flew with their third two wings. ³ They were shouting to each other and saying, 'Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!'

⁴ Well, the threshold of the [Temple shook] at the sound of their shouting, and the [Temple] became filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said, 'O, I'm so unworthy and hurt by this, because I'm just an unclean man who lives among people with unclean lips. For, I have beheld the King – Jehovah of Armies – I've seen Him with my own eyes!'

⁶ Then one of the the burning ones was sent to me, and in his hand he carried a [live] coal that he took from the Altar with tongs. ⁷ Then he touched it to my mouth and said, '{Look!} This has touched your lips and it will remove all your lawless deeds and purge all your sins.'

⁸ Then I heard the voice of Jehovah ask, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go to these people?'

And I replied, 'Look! Here I am, send me!'

⁹ Then He said, 'Go and say this to these people: When it comes to hearing you will hear; but, in no way will you comprehend. And when it comes to seeing you will see; but, in no way will you understand! ¹⁰ For, the hearts of these people have hardened, so their ears listen slow and their eyelids are closed; thus they won't hear with their ears, nor will they see with their eyes, and their hearts just won't comprehend, to make them turn back so I'd heal them.'

¹¹ And I asked, 'Until when, O Jehovah?'

And He said, 'Until all the cities lie desolate, and none live there anymore; until no men are left in their homes, and the land is totally deserted. ¹² Then God will distance Himself from men, as those remaining in the land multiply. ¹³ But only a tenth will be left there, for they'll be [cut down] like pine trees. However; like an acorn that stays in its shell, the holy seed will remain in the stump.'

Chapter 7

¹ It was in the days of Ahaz (the son of JoTham, the son of UzziAh) the king of Judah, that Rezin (the king of Aram) and Pekah (the son of RemaliAh) the king of IsraEl came to JeruSalem to wage war against it, but they were unable to conquer it. ² So when the house of David was told that Aram had joined forces with Ephraim, they were shaken, and the lives of the people were shaken like a forest of trees in a windstorm.

³ Then Jehovah told IsaiAh: 'You and your son JaSub (the one whom you left behind) must now go to meet with [King] Ahaz, at the upper wash-women's pool. ⁴ Tell him: Do nothing at all and don't be afraid… don't allow those two smoking firebrands, to make you feel weak [in your knees]. For, when I [send] the anger of My rage, you will once more be [saved].

⁵ 'And as for the sons of Aram and RemaliAh; because they wickedly got together and said, ⁶ We will go to Judea together, to fight against them and make them our subjects, then set the son of TabeAl as their ruler; ⁷ tell him that Jehovah of Armies said this: There's no way that this plan will succeed… it just will not happen. ⁸ But the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. And in sixty-five years Ephraim's kingdom, [will be destroyed] by these people. ⁹ For, the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of RemaliAh. But, you won't understand unless you have faith.'

¹⁰ Then Jehovah [sent a message to] to Ahaz, saying, ¹¹ 'Ask for a sign from Jehovah your God, either from the depths or the heights.'

¹² And Ahaz replied, 'There's no way that I'll ask, nor will I put Jehovah to the test!'

¹³ Then he said, 'Listen, O house of David! If [in your mind] it is too small a thing, to supply men for a battle, then how can you fight a war for the Lord? ¹⁴ Because of this, Jehovah Himself will give you a sign! Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you must call his name EmManuEl. ¹⁵ He'll eat butter and honey before he is sure, whether he prefers to be wicked, or whether he chooses to do what is right. ¹⁶ For, before the boy knows bad or good, by resisting the wicked persuasions, he will choose to do what is good.

'Then the land of two kings that you feared, will be totally abandoned! ¹⁷ And God will bring Assyria's king, upon you, your people, and your father's house… days that haven't come since the time, that Ephraim departed from Judah.

¹⁸ 'In that day, Jehovah will whistle, for the flies that cover Egypt's river, as well as Assyria's bees. ¹⁹ They will come and settle in the you valleys, as well as in burrows in the rocks and in caves… in every hole and in trees. ²⁰ In that day; Jehovah will use Assyria's king, to take a razor and shave all those drunks, [who live] on the river's [east banks]. He'll shave their heads and the hair on their feet, and then he'll cut off their beards.

²¹ 'But in that day, each man who remains, will have a cow and two sheep. ²² So there'll be lots of milk for those who remain, and [plenty of] butter and honey. ²³ Yet, in that day; Where once grew thousands of grapevines, valued at thousands of silver coins, there will grow just thorn bushes; for their cultivation will have ceased. ²⁴ With bows and arrows they'll [hunt] there, for the land will be wild and covered with thorns.

²⁵ 'Then all mountains that can be plowed will be plowed; there won't be any more fear; and the uncultivated land of thorn bushes, will become a pasture for sheep, and a land to be trampled by oxen.'

Chapter 8

¹ Then Jehovah said to me: 'Go get a large new scroll of papyrus, and write upon it with the pen of a man, about the swift plundering of loot… for now it is going to happen! ² And appoint [these two] trustworthy men, to serve as My witnesses [to all]: UriAh the Priest, and ZechariAh, the son of BarachiAh.'

³ Well, thereafter, I [had sex] with Prophetess, and she got pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then Jehovah said to me, 'Call his name Quick Gloom - Swift Looting, ⁴ because, before the child knows how to call his dad or mom, someone will carry the power of Damascus, and Samaria's spoils to Assyria's king.'

⁵ Then Jehovah spoke to me again and said, ⁶ 'Because these people will not go, to the waters of Siloam in peace, but prefer Rezin (the son of RemaliAh) as their king, {Look!} Jehovah will be bringing against them, the waters of a great and strong river… the king of Assyria and his glory. ⁷ He will come to your valleys, and walk right up to your walls. ⁸ Then he'll remove every man from Judea, who can lift up his head, or who can do anything at all. O EmManuEl; His camp will cover your [land]!'

⁹ Know this, O nations, and then be nailed shut! Pay attention, all you to the ends of the earth; get ready and then be nailed shut! And if you should grow strong once again, you'll also be nailed shut again. ¹⁰ Then, no matter whom you ask for ideas, Jehovah will wipe them away. And no matter what you say you will do, it won't be done, for God is [against] you!

¹¹ This is what Jehovah said: 'These people resist [My] persuasion, about the ways they should go. For they say, ¹² The things that You're saying are too hard [to do]! Yet, whatever they say is too hard to do, is nothing to be feared or disturbing. ¹³ Just hold Jehovah of Armies as holy, and then He'll be your fear… ¹⁴ yield to Him and He'll be your Holy Place. Then, upon no stone will you stumble, nor will any rocks make you fall!

'The houses of Jacob are [now] in the trap, of those lying in wait within JeruSalem's hollows. ¹⁵ Many among them are weak, and they're going to fall and be broken. For, they will approach and carry off men, from those who once lived in safety!

¹⁶ 'Then, it'll be easy to see who were sealed, from those who chose not to [follow] the Law. ¹⁷ For, one will say, I'll wait on the God, from whom Jacob's house turned their faces, and in Him I will put all my trust… ¹⁸ {Look} the children God gave me and I; for, in the house of IsraEl they will serve, as miracles and signs by Jehovah of Armies… He who dwells on Mount Zion.

¹⁹ 'And if at that time they should tell you, to go and seek those who give signs (from those who speak from the ground, or those who speak empty words from their guts), [you should ask]: Shouldn't a nation inquire of its God?'

'Why ask the dead for the living? ²⁰ Since He gave us the Law as our helper, we shouldn't do things like that, [or ask questions] from those that can't help us!

²¹ 'For this, a great famine is coming upon you. Then when you're hungry and worried, and speak wickedly of fathers and kings, you will look to the sky up above you, ²² and down at the earth underneath you, and see darkness, distress, and hard times… and it's a darkness that will last a long time.

Chapter 9

¹ Drink this first and fast… do it quickly, O lands of ZebuLun and NaphTali; you coasts and those on the Jordan's east shore… and you, O Galilee of the nations! ² The people who were traveling in darkness, then saw a [very] bright light. Yes, light will then shine upon those, who live in the place of the shadow of death. ³ He'll lead most of the people toward gladness, and they will be as happy before him, as those who take joy in a harvest, or those dividing up loot; ⁴ since the yoke that they wore will be gone, as will the whip that [they felt] on their necks. He'll destroy the [whip] of those once used it, as in the day of Midian's war. ⁵ And they'll pay for each piece of clothes, that they through treachery won; for, the people will [demand] the return of their clothes… even if they have been scorched!

⁶ To us a child has been born, and a son was given to us, upon whose shoulders the kingship will come. And the names that he will be called, are: 'the Messenger of Great Understandings; the Wonderful Councilor and Mighty God; the Powerful One and Prince of Peace; and Father of the Age that is Coming.'

Then upon this prince I'll bring peace and health. ⁷ His rule from David's throne will be great, and there'll be no end to his peace. His kingdom will be established on judgment and justice, both now and into the age; for, the zeal of Jehovah of Armies will do this.

⁸ But to IsraEl and Jacob, Jehovah sends death. ⁹ And all the people of Ephraim (those with haughty and insolent hearts, who in Samaria settled), will soon come to know about this. And then they will say: ¹⁰ 'All the bricks have now fallen, so come and let us shape stones; then we'll cut down some cedars and sycamore trees, and we'll build ourselves a great tower.'

¹¹ But God will knock down all those, who come against Zion and Him. He'll wipe all His enemies away… ¹² the Syrians from the dawn of the sun, to the Greeks from the place where it sets… those swallowing IsraEl down with their mouths. And even this won't end His rage, for His hand will still be held high.

¹³ Because His people refused to turn back, until [the day] they were struck (they didn't seek Jehovah of Armies), ¹⁴ Jehovah removed the head and the tail… IsraEl's great and small in one day. ¹⁵ The heads are the elders and highly regarded, and the prophets teaching lawlessness are the tail.

¹⁶ There are those who say, 'These people are blest,' but they just mislead them to swallow them down. ¹⁷ And because of these things, the Lord won't show favor on their young men, nor will He show mercy on their orphans or widows, because they're all lawless and wicked, and every mouth is unrighteous. Yet, none of these things will turn back His rage, for His hand will still be raised high.

¹⁸ Then the lawless will be burned as in fire… they'll be devoured like flames through dry grass… they'll be burned like thickets in the woods, and devoured like things in the hills. ¹⁹ Because of the anger and rage of Jehovah, the entire land will be burned, and its people will be as those burned in a fire; for, a man won't show mercy to even his brother.

²⁰ Then he'll look at his right hand in hunger, and he will eat his left [arm]. But the flesh of his arm will not fill him.

²¹ Then ManasSeh will eat Ephraim and Ephraim ManasSeh, and together they'll come against Judah. Yet, none of these things will turn back His rage, for His hand will still be held high.

Chapter 10

¹ Woe to those who write wicked [laws]; for, the reasons that they write them are wicked… ² to turn equal [justice away] from the poor, and to snatch justice from the needy of My people. So, widows they ravage and orphans they loot.

³ What will you do in the day of inspection? For, the difficult time will come from afar; then, where will you run to for aid, and where will you leave all your wealth, ⁴ so you're not forced to be slaves? For, you'll fall under those who are being destroyed! Yet, even this won't turn back His rage, for His hand will still be held high.

⁵ Woe to Assyria (the rod of My wrath)… those who hold My rage in their hands. ⁶ For, to that lawless nation I'll send My rage… I'll order My people to plunder and loot them, then trample their cities and turn them to dust.

⁷ But [they] aren't thinking about this, and in their souls they fail to consider.

No, [Assyria's king] doesn't know this, since his goal is just to destroy many nations. ⁸ He'll ask, 'Am I alone not your ruler? ⁹ Isn't the land above Babylon mine, as well as Calneh where the tower was built? Have I not taken Arabia, as well as Samaria and Damascus? ¹⁰ And in the same way that I've taken all these, I will conquer the rest!'

So shriek, O carvings in JeruSalem; ¹¹ for, as I did to Samaria, and to all her idols made by hand, I'll do to JeruSalem and her idols!'

¹² But after Jehovah completes all these things (that He'll do to JeruSalem and Mount Zion), in His mind He's determined to attack, Assyria's king and the haughty glory of his eyes. ¹³ For he said: 'I will act in a strong way. And in My wisdom and understanding, I'll remove the boundaries of nations, and bring an end to their power. ¹⁴ I'll shake the cities in which they live, and grab all of those who live there, as I would a nest in My hands, and then I'll deport the survivors. None will evade or contradict me; they'll just open their mouths and let out a chirp.'

¹⁵ Would the axe have any glory, unless there was someone to swing it? Would the saw have any value, unless there was someone to draw it; and can a rod lift itself? ¹⁶ So, in place of honor, you'll get dishonor, from Jehovah of Armies; and He'll send you fire for your glory, so you'll be consumed by its flames… ¹⁷ then this fire will serve as IsraEl's light.

He'll make her holy by burning in fire, which will eat her like grass in the woods in that day. ¹⁸ Mountains, hills, and forests it will eat, and devour the life from the flesh. Then those who flee will be running from flames, ¹⁹ and there will be few left behind; in fact, a small child could write down their numbers.

²⁰ In that day; Those who remain in JeruSalem, will no longer just go along… those of Jacob who are saved, will not yield to those who have wronged them. Rather; they will be yielding to God, and to the Holy One of IsraEl's truths. ²¹ Then strength will return to those left of Jacob… those who've put trust in their God; ²² and the people of IsraEl will thereafter be, like the sands of the sea, from the small number of those that remain.

²³ So, in justice this matter is being completed; for, He who exacts is Jehovah. And Jehovah of Armies will act, throughout the habitation [of man]. ²⁴ For this reason, Jehovah of Armies has said, 'Don't fear the Assyrians, My people… all you who are dwelling in Zion. Though [Assyria] will strike you with a rod, and bring you distress as he [marches] toward Egypt, ²⁵ in a short time My anger will end, and then My rage will turn toward their plans.'

²⁶ Jehovah (God of Armies) will rise up against them, and bring calamity to them, as He did to Midian in the Place of Oppression. And His rage [will be expressed] by the sea, as they are traveling toward Egypt. ²⁷ In that day; their yoke of fear He'll remove from your backs, and that yoke will then be destroyed.

²⁸ He'll enter the City of AngAi; he will then pass by MegidDo, and lay down his weapons at MichMash. ²⁹ He'll [go through] the valley and enter AngAi; fear will grab hold of those living in Rama, and the whole city of Saul will then flee. ³⁰ At that time, O daughter of GalLim; your voice will sound just like snorting. Be careful [O you] at LachIsh; and AnathOth, be very careful; ³¹ In Gebim and in MadMenah, the people will be very scared… ³² so, to survive you should all band together, as [Assyria] is marching your way!

O daughter of Zion; Then you must flee to the mountains, and gather upon JeruSalem's hills!

³³ O Lord, Jehovah of Armies; See how Your strength scatters the honored, and breaks the insolence of the haughty, to teach them the need to be humble! ³⁴ For, the haughty will be cut down with swords, and Lebanon will fall along with the proud.

Chapter 11

¹ From the root of Jesse a [shoot] will then sprout, and a flower will grow from his root. ² The Breath of Jehovah will rest upon him… the spirit of understanding and wisdom; the spirit of strength and of purpose; the spirit of knowledge and reverence [for God]… ³ he'll be filled with the fear of God's Spirit. He won't judge men by their wealth, nor scold them for the things that they say, ⁴ but he'll judge the case of the lowly, and [give justice to] the poor of the earth. He'll strike the earth with the words from his mouth, and destroy the godless with the breath from his lips. ⁵ Justice will be tied 'round his waist, and his sides will be girdled with truth.

⁶ Then the wolf and the lamb together will feed; the leopard will nap with the kid; bulls, calves, and lions together will graze, and they'll all be led by a small child. ⁷ Together the ox and the bear will eat grass, and together their young ones [will play]; and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

⁸ On the burrow of an asp a young child will play, and he'll put his hands in the bed of young [cobras]. ⁹ For, none will do any harm, and none will destroy on My holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah, as the seas are covered by water.

¹⁰ In that day, the root of Jesse [will sprout]… he who'll arise to rule [all] the nations. In him the nations will hope, and upon him honor will rest. ¹¹ In that day, God will show the zeal of His hands, on behalf of the few who remain… the remnants from Assyria and Egypt, and from Babylon, Ethiopia, and Elam… those who come from the sunrise, and those who arrive from Arabia. ¹² For, He'll raise a flag to the nations.

Then He'll collect the IsraElites, who were being destroyed, and He'll gather the scattered of Judah, from the four [corners] of the earth. ¹³ He'll remove the jealousy of Ephraim, and the enemies of Judea will all be destroyed. Then Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor will Judah oppress them again. ¹⁴ But [at that time] they'll all join together, and [attack] the Philistines in the west… they'll plunder those from Edom's sunrise. And though Moab will be the first to be conquered, the sons of Ammon will be the first to submit.

¹⁵ Then Jehovah will [part] Egypt's [Red] Sea, and upon their [Nile] River He'll lay His hand… He'll send gales to its seven ravines, so it can be walked on in sandals. ¹⁶ And this will serve as a road for My people… all those who are still left behind, and for those who've remained in Assyria. Then to IsraEl it will be like the day, when they [first] came out of Egypt.

Chapter 12

¹ And in that day they will say, 'O Jehovah I praise You, for though You were angry with us, Your rage has now turned away, and You've shown mercy upon us. ² Look… my God and my Savior! I'll do what He says and not be afraid, for Jehovah is my glory and praise, and He has become my salvation.'

³ Then water will be drawn from life-saving springs, ⁴ and in that day you will say: 'Sing in praise to Jehovah! Yell [in praise of] His Name! His honorable deeds announce to all nations! Mention that His Name has been lifted! ⁵ Sing praises to the Name of the Lord, for all the great things He's done! Announce these things throughout the whole earth! ⁶ Shout aloud and be joyful, all who you are living in Zion, for IsraEl's Holy One has been raised in her midst!'

Chapter 13

¹ This is the vision that IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) saw against Babylon.

² Raise a flag on the crests of the mountains, and before it shout loudly… don't be afraid!

Open [your mouths], O you rulers… put your hands [to your lips] and call out for aid; ³ for, I'm in command and I'm giving the order, to giants who are coming to fulfill My rage. Together they're coming, shouting insults in glee.'

⁴ There's a voice like the sound of many nations, that is [being heard from] the mountains. It's like the sounds of many kings, and an assembly of many peoples; for Jehovah of Armies has given the orders, to a nation of warriors with weapons, ⁵ and they're coming from a far away land… from the extremities of the foundations of the skies. It's the Lord and His warriors that are coming, to ruin the home of mankind.

⁶ So, shriek, for the day of the Lord is now near, and God's destruction comes quickly! ⁷ Because of this, all hands will go limp, and the soul of every man will be fearful. ⁸ All their elders will be disturbed, and they will have pains like women giving birth. So, they'll commiserate with each other, and among them they'll be in shock… their faces will be changed into flames! ⁹ For, {Look!} the day of the Lord is about to arrive. It's a day of incurable rage… the anger to destroy the home of mankind, and to wipe out the sinners. ¹⁰ Then the stars in the sky (including Orion), and the arrangement of the heavens will not shine. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon won't give out its light.

¹¹ I'll punish the world for its evil, and the irreverent I'll destroy for their sins… I'll destroy the insolence of the lawless, and bring the haughtiness of the proud to the ground. ¹² Then those left behind will be rarer than gold… they'll be rarer than gold from Ophir. ¹³ For, the skies will then be enraged, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken, by the anger and rage of Jehovah of Armies, in that day when He brings His wrath.

¹⁴ Then the remaining will flee as though they were deer, and like sheep they will stray. No way will a man return to his people, for they will flee from their homes. ¹⁵ Then, whoever is captured will be [killed], and those who are caught will fall by the sword. ¹⁶ Before them their kids will be dashed to the ground; their homes will be ruined and their women violated.

¹⁷ {Look!} Against you I'm arousing the Medes… those who think nothing of your silver, and have no need of your gold! ¹⁸ They'll break the bows of your young men, and on your kids show no mercy… their eyes will spare none of your children.

¹⁹ Then Babylon (the capital of the king of Chaldea), will be wiped out by God, just like Sodom and GomorRah. ²⁰ Through the age no one will live there… for generations, no one will go there… Arabs won't go there and shepherds won't rest there. ²¹ But wild animals will indeed go there to rest, and fill all the houses with growling. It'll be a home for demons who'll dance there; ²² [scavenger birds] will then dwell there, and hedgehogs will build nests in their homes.

Chapter 14

¹ This will all happen quickly… it will take little time, for the days ['til its end] won't drag on. But [God] will show mercy on Jacob (IsraEl will still be His chosen), and they will find rest in their land. To them, foreign peoples will be added… to the house of Jacob they'll come. ² And [IsraEl] will accept the nations among them… as an inheritance they'll be accepted. Then, there within the land of our God, male and female servants will be many, and those who once took them as captives, will in turn be their [slaves]… they'll dominate those who once ruled them.

³ And in that day; Jehovah will bring rest from your grief and your rage, and the hard labor in which you once slaved. ⁴ Then against the king of Babylon himself, you will take up this wail… yes, you will say in that day: 'O how much rest [we now enjoy], from he who once demanded so much… how much rest [we now have from] our masters; ⁵ for, Jehovah broke the yoke of those sinners, as well as the yoke of their rulers. ⁶ In His rage, He struck down a nation, [and brought] calamity upon them… He spared none and He didn't stop; ⁷ so, now the whole earth is shouting in joy! ⁸ The trees of Lebanon are happy and say, From the time that you were laid low, no one has come here to cut us!

⁹ 'From below, the grave bitterly met you, for all the giants who once ruled the earth, have now been gathered against you. The kings of the nations will rise from their thrones, ¹⁰ and then to you they will say: Have you now been captured as we were; and are you considered as one of us? ¹¹ Your glories and joys have gone down to their graves, and beneath you they'll make a bed of decay, where you will be covered with worms!'

¹² 'O how the bright one has fallen from the sky (the one that arises at dawn); for you who [once conquered] nations, have now been broken to the ground. (Note: This text could also be rendered: 'O how you have fallen from the sky; Shriek, O one that arises at dawn, for you who [once conquered] nations, have now been broken to the ground'). ¹³ For, you once said in your heart, I will ascend to the heavens, and put my throne above all the stars. On a high mountain I'll sit… on the highest mountains to the north. ¹⁴ I'll be higher than the clouds, and like the Most High I will be.

¹⁵ 'But now you'll go down to the grave, and to the foundations of the earth. ¹⁶ Then those who see you will wonder and ask: Is this the man who provoked the whole earth… is he the one who shook kings… ¹⁷ the one who brought desolation, to the habitation of man… he who demolished its cities, and he who set no slaves free?'

¹⁸ 'So, while all the kings of the nations, go to sleep in full honor (as will every man within his own house), ¹⁹ you'll be tossed in the mountains along with the dead… you'll be abhorred like others who were stabbed through with swords, and who went to the place of the dead. ²⁰ Like clothes that are befouled by blood, you will never be pure or clean; for, you brought destruction to My land, and you murdered My people. So, no way will you last through the ages, O you seed of what's evil.

²¹ 'Prepare your children to be slaughtered, because of the sins of their fathers, so they won't arise and inherit the land, and then fill the whole earth with wars! ²² For, I will rise up against them, says Jehovah of Armies; I'll destroy their names, their remains, and their seed.

And Jehovah said: ²³ 'The land of Babylon I'll desolate, and make it a place where hedgehogs will dwell. It will then become nothing… it'll be a pit of destruction.'

²⁴ Then Jehovah of Armies said, 'This is how it will happen… this is the way it will be, for this is what I have decided: [Babylon] will remain in order ²⁵ to destroy, the Assyrians from My land and My Mountain. They'll be trampled and their yoke will be removed, as their dignity will be taken from their shoulders.'

²⁶ This is the plan that Jehovah laid out, for mankind's habitation, and as His high hand on the nations. ²⁷ For, who can erase the Holy One's plans, and who can stay His hand when He holds it high?

²⁸ In the year that King Ahaz died, these words came [to IsaiAh]:

²⁹O Philistines, do not be joyful, because He broke the yoke of those who'd attacked you. For, from the snake's seed young asps will come, and these young will become flying serpents.

³⁰ Though He will feed all the poor, and peace will rest on the paupers, your seed will starve and be wiped away… those who remain will be gone.

³¹ So shriek, O you city gates, and cry aloud O you cities, for the Philistines are being disturbed! Smoke is coming from the north, and none will be left [alive] there.

Now, what answer can the kings of the nations supply? For, the foundations of Zion were laid by the Lord, and by Him many peoples will be saved!

Chapter 15

¹ This is the word against Moab:

Moab's land will be wiped away in one night… by night its walls will be broken. ² In Dibon, your altars will all be destroyed, and you'll then go there to weep. In Moab you'll shriek upon Nebo, for every head will be shaved, and all your arms will wear shackles. ³ In your squares you'll wear sackcloth; under her roofs you will mourn; and there will be shrieking and crying, within her squares and her streets!

⁴ There will be shouting in HeshBon, as well as in EliAleh, and the sounds will be heard in JaHaz. For the loins of Moab's land will cry out, and in her soul she will know, ⁵ that in Moab's heart there'll be shouting, all the way up to ZoAr. They'll be like a three-year-old heifer, [that's being led to the slaughter]. So, up to LuHith there'll be weeping, and yelling on the road to HoroNaim, for there will be trembling and defeat!

⁶ At NimRim the waters will be gone; her crops will fail and there'll be no green grass, ⁷ so how can it be her salvation? For, I'll bring the Arabians to her valleys, and then you all will be captured.

⁸ There will be screaming and shrieking, through the land of Moab all the way to Eglaim, and there will be screams at her well. ⁹ For, the waters of Dimon will be filled up with blood, because against Dimon I'm bringing the Arabs, and they will remove Moab's seed… AriEl and all in AdaMa who remain.

Chapter 16

¹ Then I will send a male lamb, to serve as lord of the land; for, is the mountain of Zion's daughter just a bare rock? ² So you, O daughter of Moab, will become like a bird that flies all about, after her young have been taken!

And Arnon: Now sit down and discuss it, ³ then prepare to continuously mourn, because at noon there'll be darkness, and [your people] will be startled and fleeing. So, do not start your celebrations, ⁴ for with you will travel the exiles of Moab, and they will be your protection, from the faces of those who pursue you. For, your alliance in war will be lifted away, and your ruler will perish and be trampled to the ground.

⁵ Then, from a throne [based on] mercy, all [things will then be] made right; for, one from David's tent will sit [on that throne], who will judge and inquire in rightness and truth, and he will bring swift justice [to the land].

⁶ We have heard the insults of Moab, and they have been very insulting. [We've noticed] his pride, his insults, and rage… and there are no reasons for this. ⁷ So in Moab there'll be shrieking… throughout the land they will scream. But you'll think about those who are dwelling in Seth, and you won't be ashamed.

⁸ In the plains of HeshBon they'll mourn, over the grapevines of SibMah; for the nations will swallow them down, and they'll trample her grapevines to JaZer. There's no way that you'll get back together, because in the desert you'll wander! For, those she sent away are abandoned… they've crossed over the sea. ⁹ And for this I will cry, as will [the people] of JaZer, who weep for the grapevines of SibMah.

O HeshBon and EliAleh; Your trees have all been cut down, and I'll trample your harvests and crops, so they will also soon fail! ¹⁰ Then there'll be no leaping for joy in your vineyards, since the reasons for joy will be gone. None will tread wine in the wine vats, for the [growing of grapes] will have ceased. ¹¹ So, My insides will play like a harp over Moab, but My feelings are like a wall that's been rebuilt.

¹² This will cause you all to feel shame, for I'm tired of the shrines of Moab… [the places] where she went to pray, before things that she made with her hands. And now there's no way they can save her.

¹³ These are the things that Jehovah said against Moab. ¹⁴ And then Jehovah again spoke and said this: 'In just three years (in the length of employment of someone you've hired), Moab will meet her dishonor; all her wealth [will be gone], and just a few peasants will live there.'

Chapter 17

¹ This is the word against Damascus.

{Look!} Damascus will be lifted from among all the cities, for it will [soon] meet its downfall. ² Then through ages it will serve as a bed… a resting place and safe haven for flocks. ³ No more will it be a fortified place (a place of Ephraim's refuge); there'll no kingdom in Damascus, and no Syrians will thereafter be left there.

'But it will be better for you, than for IsraEl's sons and their glory,' says Jehovah of Armies. ⁴ 'For, the glory of Jacob will end in that day… his bountiful glory will be shaken. ⁵ It'll be the same as a harvest… when someone reaps grain in a valley of rocks. ⁶ For, all that remains will be stubble… just two or three olive pits, on the tops of tall trees, where four or five branches are left.'

This is what [Jehovah] the God of IsraEl has said: ⁷ 'In that day all men will have to rely, upon the One who has made them… to the Holy One of IsraEl their eyes should turn back. ⁸ They shouldn't rely on their shrines, or on the things that they've made with their hands. In that day, they'll not look to trees, or to their disgusting [idols]; ⁹ for then your cities will all be abandoned, as were those of the Amorites and Hivites, before the faces of IsraEl's sons. Desolate places they will become, ¹⁰ for you've forsaken your Savior, God… yes, you have forgotten your God!

'Because of this, you'll plant insecurely, and [you'll plant] seeds you're unsure of. ¹¹ Of the right day to plant you'll be misled… if you should sow in the morning, your seeds will rot in the harvest. So, the fathers of men will then choose by lot, to which of their sons they will [feed] it.

¹² 'Woe to the multitudes of nations, for you will also be shaken; you'll be disturbed like a sea [in a storm], ¹³ which will carry many nations by raging floods. [God] will scold them and then they will flee… He'll pursue them from a great distance. Then they'll be like dust on the mountains, which is being [blown] in the wind, and like clouds of dust raised by wheels. ¹⁴ Toward the evening there will be mourning, and before the dawn they'll no longer be.'

This is the lot of those who despoil us… it's the inheritance of those who've inherited us.

Chapter 18

¹ Woe to you, O land of winged boats, beyond Ethiopia's rivers; ² those sending papyrus treaties and letters across water; for, from an uplifted nation will come messengers of light, to a strange and ill-tempered people. Who is [this far away nation]? It's a nation by whom you don't want to be trampled. ³ It's a land where they live by the rivers, and their place will [soon] be a flag, that is lifted [atop] the tall mountains, like the signal of the blowing of trumpets. ⁴ Because, this is what I was told by Jehovah: 'Though My city is protected from noontime heat, and as by clouds of dew before harvest; ⁵ when the flowers have bloomed and young grapes have formed, I'll remove the grape clusters with a sickle, and cut the small branches from the vines, ⁶ then leave them behind for the birds of the skies, and for the wild beasts of the earth. Then all the winged creatures of the skies, and all the wild beasts of the earth, will gather there to consume them.'

⁷ Then gifts will be offered to Jehovah of Armies, by a people who've been afflicted and plucked out… a people who've been great [through] the ages; a nation that's been trampled down, but in whom some hope still remains; in part of the river in His place… in the place where the Name 'Jehovah of Armies,' can be found on His Holy Mountain.

Chapter 19

¹ This is the vision against Egypt.

{Look!} Jehovah sits upon a nimble cloud, and to Egypt He's going, to shake the idols that they've made with hands, which now stand in front of His face, and their hearts will then be pierced through. ² Egyptians will [war] with Egyptians… all men will wage war on brothers and neighbors. City will rise against city, and house [will rise] against house. ³ The spirit of the Egyptians will be disturbed, and I'll wipe away all their plans. Then they'll inquire of their statues and gods, and their prophets and those who speak from the ground; ⁴ but to those who'll make them work hard, I will assign the Egyptians; and hard kings I'll appoint over them.

And Jehovah of Armies said this: ⁵ 'Egyptians will drink water from the sea, because their river will dry up and fail… ⁶ their aqueducts and rivers will fail, and all their water will dry. ⁷ Even the reeds and papyrus marshes, as well as what's green by the rivers (all the crops that are planted thereby), will be dried and [blown] by the wind.

⁸ 'Then all those who fish, all who cast hooks, all who use dragnets, and all who cast nets in the river, will [have good reason to] moan and to mourn. ⁹ And those who shred flax, and those who weave linen, ¹⁰ will also be grieved and ashamed. Those who brew beer will be very concerned, and the lives of all will be painful.

¹¹ 'Then fools will be appointed their rulers; and as councilors to the king there in Tanis, will be those who'll speak stupid things. For they will say to the king: We are the sons of wise men, and [we were born] sons of kings! ¹² So, where are they now, all of your wise men? Let them come and now tell you, what Jehovah of Armies has planned against Egypt.'

¹³ The rulers in Tanis have failed. And the haughty rulers in Memphis, will cause Egypt and its tribes to stray. ¹⁴ Because the Lord has concocted for them, the spirit of addiction to delusions. And this will cause Egypt to [stagger], like drunks who go outside to vomit together.

¹⁵ Egypt won't know its head from its tail, or discern a beginning or an end. ¹⁶ In that day; the men of Egypt will all act like women, and before the hand of Jehovah they'll shake, for He will cause this to happen.

¹⁷ Then the Egyptians will fear the land of Judea, and they'll fear those who call themselves Jews, for Jehovah of Armies has plans against them.

¹⁸ In that day; In five cities of Egypt, they'll speak the CanaAnite tongue, and swear oaths in the Name of Jehovah of Armies; and the City of Asedek will then be renamed, 'The City of the One [God].'

¹⁹ In that day; There'll be an Altar to Jehovah in Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at their border, ²⁰ which will serve as a sign through the age, that to Jehovah Egypt belongs. Then they'll call to the Lord when they are oppressed, and He will send someone to save them… He'll deliver them and bring justice.

²¹ So, to the Egyptians Jehovah will be known… all Egypt will know the Lord in that day. Sacrifices and gifts they'll offer to Him… they'll make vows to Jehovah and pay them. ²² For, after He brings calamity on Egypt, He'll heal them and they'll turn to the Lord… He'll listen to them and He'll heal them.

²³ In that day; There'll be a road between Assyria and Egypt, where the Assyrians will travel to Egypt, and the Egyptians will travel to Assyria; and Assyrians will then serve Egyptians.

²⁴ In that day; Among Assyria and Egypt IsraEl will be third, when it comes to their land being praised. ²⁵ For, thus says the praise of Jehovah of Armies: 'Praise My people in Egypt, as well as those in Assyria, and My inheritance IsraEl.'

Chapter 20

¹ In the year that the Tartan entered AshDod (when he was sent by Sargon the king of the Assyrians, and waged a war against AshDod and took it), ² Jehovah spoke to IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) and said: 'Remove the sackcloth from your loins, and untie the sandals from your feet.' And he did so, walking naked and barefoot!

³ And Jehovah said: 'As My servant IsaiAh walks naked and barefoot, such signs and miracles will be sent, to Egyptians and Ethiopians for three years. ⁴ For, the king of Assyria will lead you as captives (both Ethiopia's and Egypt's young and old), naked and barefoot to show Egypt's shame.

⁵ 'The Ethiopians who rely on Egyptians, will then be vanquished and shamed, for their [only] glory was [Egypt]. ⁶ And then they'll say to those in the islands: {Look!} We thought we could run to them for our aid, but from the King of Assyria, they were unable to save us, so how can we be delivered?'

Chapter 21

¹ The Desert Vision.

As a wind blast in the desert, through a land that is dry, ² a frightening hard vision came to me, concerning those who ignore and disregard, and the lawless with no regard for the Law. [For I dreamed] that the the Persians had attacked me, so I moaned and tried to comfort myself. ³ But because of this, my loins became weak, and I became filled as with birth pains. Then unrighteously, I chose not to listen, and I rushed away so as not to look. ⁴ In my heart I wandered away; in lawlessness I was immersed, and my soul became wrapped in fear.

⁵ Prepare the table to eat and to drink… awaken the rulers and pull out the shields; ⁶ for this is what the Lord said to me: 'Go and stand as a watchman, and then announce what you see!'

⁷ Well, I saw two riders approaching; one [was riding] a burro, and the other [was riding] a camel.

⁸ [And then I was told]: 'Listen… call out to UriAh, from Jehovah's watch tower!'

And he said: 'I just stood there all day, and I watched the camp throughout the whole night. ⁹ Look, someone is coming… and upon a double chariot he's riding! He's shouting that Babylon has fallen, along with all of her idols… her idols have been smashed to the ground!'

¹⁰ So hear this, all you who remain, and those of you who are grieving… hear what I heard from Jehovah of Armies, for it's what the God of IsraEl is announcing to you!

¹¹ The vision of Edom.

He called to me from Seir and He said, 'Stand guard upon the [city] walls! ¹² Stand guard from morning 'til night! Keep close watch with Me and you'll live! ¹³ Then in the evening you must bed down, in the woods on the road leading to Dedan, ¹⁴ and bring some water for the thirsty you'll meet… those from the place called Tema! [Also bring] bread loaves for all who flee, ¹⁵ because of those being slaughtered… because of all who must wander… because of those who are brandishing swords… because of those with stretched bows… and because of all who've fallen in battle!'

¹⁶ Then Jehovah said this: 'In a year (as the year of someone who's hired), the glory of Kedar will be gone, ¹⁷ and few of Kedar's bowmen remain; for Jehovah the God of IsraEl has spoken.'

Chapter 22

¹ The matter of the valley of Zion.

What has happened to you, that you've foolishly climbed to your roofs? ² For, your city is now filled with screaming. Yet, your slain were not killed by the broadsword, and your people aren't dead because of a war. ³ Your rulers all fled [fearing] the bow, and now they're all tied up together. All your strong ones have run, and it's because of this that I said, 'Let me go somewhere to bawl!'

⁴ Do not offer me comfort, over the destruction of the daughter of my people, ⁵ for this is a day of disturbance, as well as trampling and destruction… it's an addiction to delusions by Jehovah of Armies.

They wander in the valley of Zion… from the small to the great, on the mountains they wander. ⁶ But the Elamites gathered [their arrows], and all their men who ride horses, and they gathered in battle array. ⁷ So with chariots your beautiful valleys will be filled, while horsemen block all your gates. ⁸ In that day they'll reveal Judah's gates, and survey the city's best houses. ⁹ In the houses of David they'll find hidden places, and they'll see how many there are.

¹⁰ But you will divert [all the] water, to the city's ancient pool, and demolish the walls of many houses, to fortify JeruSalem's walls. ¹¹ Between the two walls you'll bring water; you'll send it inside to that ancient pool; but you'll fail to look to the One who first made it… to its Creator you will not look. ¹² So, Jehovah of Armies calls for tears in that day… for the beating of chests and the shaving [of heads], as well as the wearing of sackcloth.

¹³ But they were all happy and leaping for joy… slaughtering calves and sacrificing sheep, then eating the meat and drinking the wine, saying: 'Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!'

¹⁴ Since to the ears of Jehovah of Armies, so much [bad] has been reached, these sins will not be forgiven, until the time that you die!

¹⁵ Then Jehovah of Armies said this: 'Now go and enter My [Holy Place]; go to store-keeper Shevna and ask: ¹⁶ Just why are you here… what [business] do you really have here? Why have you carved a memorial for yourself… why have you made an engraving, and in this Temple's stone depicted yourself? ¹⁷ {Look!} Jehovah of Armies will now throw you out… He'll wipe away such a man! Your [official] clothes He'll remove, as well as the crown of honor [that you wear]! ¹⁸ Then He'll throw you into a dungeon, and that is where you will die! He'll turn your good chariot into one of dishonor, and trample the palaces of your rulers… ¹⁹ [He'll] remove your position and station!

²⁰ 'In that day, I will call to My servant, EliAkim the son of HelkiAh, ²¹ and put your [official] garments on him, then I will give him your crown… I'll entrust your administration to his hands, and he'll become like a father, to those in JeruSalem and Judah.

²² 'Then the key to the palace of David, I will put 'round his shoulders… he will open and none will unlock it! To him I'll give the glory of David; he'll rule and none will dispute this. ²³ Then I'll make him the ruler of a place that's secure, and upon a throne of glory he'll sit, within the house of his father. ²⁴ And the honorable ones of his father's house (from the least to the great), will then rely upon him. And all the [sacred] small vessels and cups, will depend upon him in that day.'

²⁵ Jehovah of Armies has declared: 'This man will be removed and another entrenched, within a trustworthy place. He'll be removed and he'll fall, and all his glory will just waste away, for Jehovah [of Armies] has spoken.'

Chapter 23

¹ The matter of Tyre.

Shriek, O boats of Carthage, for [Tyre] has perished and from Cyprus they'll no longer [sail], for [Tyre] has been led as a captive!

² To whom can I liken the people who live there… to Phoenician traders, who pass through seas and deep waters, ³ and to the seed of the traders… traders that carry harvests to the nations.

⁴ 'Be ashamed, O Sidon,' said the sea! And the power of the sea then replied, 'I've not had pains and haven't given birth, nor have I fed young or raised virgins. ⁵ But when Egypt hears what has happened to Tyre, they'll be overtaken by grief.'

⁶ Go on to Carthage and shriek, all you who live on the islands! ⁷ For, wasn't she the source of your insolence… in the beginning, before she was [lost]?

⁸ Who planned these things against Tyre? Isn't she best… isn't she strong? Why, her merchants were the glorious rulers of the earth!

⁹ It was Jehovah of Armies who laid out the plans, to bring the insolence of these glorious ones to an end… to dishonor the glories of the earth!

¹⁰ Now you'll be forced to be farmers, for boats will no longer [be sailing] from Carthage, ¹¹ and your hands won't be in control the seas, O you the provoker of kings. For, it was Jehovah of Armies, who gave orders to destroy CanaAn's strength, ¹² saying: 'No longer will you continue to insult, and wrong the daughter of Zion. If you should you travel to Cyprus, you will not find any rest there. ¹³ And if you should go to the land of Chaldea, the Assyrians will destroy even that, so for you there won't be any rest, because her walls will have fallen.'

¹⁴ Therefore, Shriek, you boats out of Carthage, because your fortress has been destroyed! ¹⁵ This is how it will be in that day: For seventy years, Tyre will be forsaken… the length of the lives of both men and kings. Then after seventy years have elapsed, Tyre will become like the song of a whore. ¹⁶ So, pick up your harp and wander, O you whore who has been forgotten! Play the harp and sing well, so there'll be someone who remembers!

¹⁷ And after seventy years have passed by, God will go and revisit Tyre… she'll be restored to her ancient state. Once again she'll be a market for all kingdoms, in man's habitation on the face of the earth. ¹⁸ And then her trading will become, as a holy wage to Jehovah; for their [profits] won't be brought to them, but to those who dwell before Jehovah… all [the wealth of] her trade [will be theirs], to eat and drink and fill themselves up, as a compact memorial to Jehovah.

Chapter 24

¹ {Look!} Jehovah will waste [your] habitation… He will make it quite desolate. He will uncover its face, and scatter those living upon it. ² And [those who are left] will then be like priests; servants will then become masters; handmaids will then become ladies; those who buy will be those who sell; those who borrow will then be the lenders, and those who owe will be owed.

³ With corruption your land will be wasted, and by looting the land will be plundered… these things were said by the mouth of Jehovah. ⁴ And then the whole earth will be mourning, for the arrangement will then be laid waste, and the exalted in the land will all mourn, ⁵ for [that place] is now thought of as lawless, on account of those who live there, because they have broken the Laws of Jehovah… they've wiped away and traded away, the Sacred Agreement of the ages. ⁶ So, this curse will devour [your] land, because those who live there have sinned! Then just the poor will live in the land, and just a few men will remain there.

⁷ The wine will mourn and the grapevines will moan, over all the lives of those they made joyful. ⁸ The joyful sounds of tambourines will have ceased, and those pleased with themselves will be gone, along with the wealth of the godless, and they'll no longer hear the sounds of the harp.

⁹ At that time they'll all be ashamed, because those who drink won't drink the wine, so it will all then turn [sour]. ¹⁰ All your cities will be empty, and all the houses will be locked, thus none will be able to enter. ¹¹ So, shriek for the wine everywhere, for the joy of the land has now ceased… yes it has all gone away! ¹² And what will be left behind, is just desolate cities, and the abandoned houses will be consumed. ¹³ All these things will happen to the land, there in the midst of the nations.

The same as you would glean olives, is how they will be gleaned… as though the harvest of crops will have ceased. ¹⁴ So they will cry in loud voices… but those who remain in the land will rejoice, to the glory of Jehovah.

Then the waters of the seas will be shaken, ¹⁵ and the glory of the Lord will be [seen], throughout the islands of the sea… and the Name Jehovah will be honored. ¹⁶ [For all the peoples will say]: 'O Jehovah, God of IsraEl; Of [Your] miracles we've heard to the [ends] of the earth, and that there's hope for those who respect You.' And once again they will say: 'Woe to those who've annulled… yes those who've annulled the Law [of Jehovah], ¹⁷ because fear, the pit, and a snare are upon you, O you who once dwelled in the land. ¹⁸ For those fleeing in fear will fall into the pit, and those climbing from the pit will be captured by snares.'

The windows of the skies will then open, and the foundations of the ground will be shaken. ¹⁹ A disturbance will disturb the whole earth, and perplexity will perplex the whole land. ²⁰ It will be shaken and tipped, as [a horn] that's filled with the fruits of the earth… it will then topple and fall, like someone who's dizzy and drunk, never to get up again, because that's [the land] where the lawless grew strong.

²¹ God will raise His hand in that day, against the arrangement of the heavens, and against the kings of the earth. ²² They'll be gathered as one congregation, and in a castle dungeon be locked up… through many generations they'll remain there.

²³ Then the bricks will melt and the walls will all fall; the moon will be sad and the sun will be shamed; for, from Zion in JeruSalem the Lord will then reign, and before the elders He'll be glorified.

Chapter 25

¹ O Jehovah my God, I'll glorify You, and to Your Name I'll sing praises, because of the wonderful things You have done, and because [Your] ancient council has proven true… May it be!

² The cities have been turned into rubble… fortified cities whose foundations were strong… these cities of the godless won't be rebuilt, throughout the rest of the age. ³ Because of this, I praise You… with the poor and the wronged I will praise You, ⁴ for You've been a helper to towns of the meek, and You've rescued all the depressed… those without any other, to save them from wicked ones. You're a protection to the thirsty, and an inviting breeze to those who've been wronged. ⁵ You rescued Zion's worried and thirsty… from godless men You have saved us!

⁶ Then Jehovah of Armies, will hold a banquet for the nations… they'll drink wine on this mountain in joy, ⁷ and anoint with perfumed oil on this hill.

You will do all these things to the gentiles, because this is a plan for all nations. ⁸ Then death [that plagues all] will be swallowed; Jehovah will take away tears from each face; and remove all disgrace from the peoples of the earth… this was said by the mouth of Jehovah.

⁹ And in that day they will say, 'Look… it's our God in whom we have hoped… it is He who brought us salvation. This is Jehovah… we've waited for Him! We'll shout praises in joy for our salvation!'

¹⁰ Then on this mountain God will bring rest, and the land of Moab will be trampled, as a threshing floor is trampled by wagons. ¹¹ He'll unfold His hands to humble and grab them… for their insolence He will destroy them, and knock the high walls of their homes to the ground.

Chapter 26

¹ In that day they'll sing this song within Judah:

'Look! [Ours will be] a strong city!
For, He'll establish a wall and a rampart to save us!
² Open O gates and then enter,
Those who guard justice and truth…
³ Those who grab truth and guard peace!

⁴ 'Upon You we've hoped through the age,
Great God of the age, O Jehovah,
⁵ For You've humbled and brought down those who lived high…
Fortified cities You've thrown down…
You've torn them down to the ground.
⁶ Putting them under Your feet as though footstools.

⁷ 'The way of the reverent has been straightened,
And a way is prepared for the Godly.
⁸ For, the way of Jehovah is justice.

'We have hoped in Your Name,
And You we've never forgotten.
⁹ For, with our souls it's what we've desired!
In the night, O my God, [I] rise early to You,
For, Your orders bring light to the land.

'Learn justice, O you who live on the earth!
¹⁰ For, the irreverent will soon be all gone,
They'll never learn justice on this earth,
Nor will they ever be truthful.
So please remove the ungodly,
That they may not gaze on Your glory!

¹¹ 'O Jehovah; Your arm was held high, but they didn't know it,
And when they realize, they'll be shamed.
Then Your zeal will snatch the ignorant away,
And fire will devour all those who oppose us.

¹² 'O Jehovah our God, bring us peace,
For, all that we have was given by You!
¹³ Jehovah our God, please own us!
We know no other, O Lord,
And we have called on Your Name.

¹⁴ 'The dead will never see life,
Nor can any doctor revive them.
For this, You attacked and destroyed,
And took every man from among them.

¹⁵ 'O Jehovah;
Add to them all the bad things…
Give bad to earth's glorious ones!
¹⁶ O Jehovah;
Though in affliction, we didn't forgot You…
In hard times, Your instructions we've followed.

¹⁷ 'And like a woman with birth pangs…
One who screams and then she gives birth,
So we are in Your presence, O Lord.

¹⁸ 'In fear of You, O Jehovah,
We have conceived in the womb.
We went into labor and then we gave birth,
By the spirit of Your salvation…
By the things that You've done on the earth.

'We will not fall, though others will fall,
¹⁹ But the dead will be raised from their tombs.
Then all on the earth will be joyful,
For, as dew You'll send them a cure,
While the lands of the godless will fall.

'Proceed, O my people, to enter your bedrooms…
Go inside and lock all your doors,
Then hide in there for a while!
Because this will happen, then that;
And the rage of Jehovah will pass.

'{Look!} From His Holy Place Jehovah sends rage,
Upon those who live in the land.
Then the ground won't cover all of the blood,
Nor [the bodies] of those He destroys.

Chapter 27

¹ 'In that day;
God will bring His great holy sword,
Against the dragon (the crooked fleeing snake)
And He'll kill the dragon (the one in the sea).'

² And in that day;
There will be a good vineyard,
And the desire to sing about it this song:

³ 'She's a fortified city that's under attack,
So, it was foolish to [offer her] water,
For, she will be captured by night,
And by day her walls will then fall.

⁴ 'Because, there are none who've failed to have her,
So Jehovah did all that He promised;
She is now to be burned ⁵ and those who live there will scream:
With Him, let us make peace…
Yes, [with Him] we should make peace!

⁶ 'Then the children of Jacob will return,
And IsraEl will burst forth and blossom…
Their habitation will be filled with its fruit.

⁷ 'Will they be struck down… those who once cut down others?
Will he who killed many, now be destroyed?
⁸ For, he sent them out to wage war
And then [He sent them out] to berate,
Those with harsh spirits… those who killed in a spirit of rage.

⁹ 'Then the lawlessness of Jacob will be gone,
And to him will be given this blessing:
I will remove all his sins.

'Then they'll take all the stones from their shrines,
And grind them to powder and dust.
Their [sacred] poles will no longer be,
And their idols chopped down like a forest.

¹⁰ 'Flocks that were spared will then dwell there…
Flocks that had been left behind.
They will spend time in its pastures,
And there they will have time to rest.
¹¹ But they won't be eating green grass,
Because it has dried [into hay].

'Come, O women, who've seen all this happen,
For, you're a people who don't understand.
Don't show pity on those who make [idols]…
Show no mercy on those who have shaped them.

¹² 'In that day; The Lord will shut it all down,
From the aquaducts to RhinoCorura,
As one by one, the sons of IsraEl are gathered…
¹³ And in that day they'll blow trumpets.

'Then those lost in Assyria will return,
As well as those down in Egypt.
And they will bow to Jehovah,
On His Holy Mountain in JeruSalem.'

Chapter 28

¹ Woe to that insolent crown… Ephraim's hired ones and his flowers… those fallen from glory on the mount of thick branches… those who are drunk without wine. ² For, {Look!} the rage of Jehovah is both strong and hard… it's like hail that falls with great force, in a place where there's nowhere to [run]. It's like a flood that drags away [homes], in the land where He gave rest to hands.

³ This isolent crown of Ephraim's hired, will soon be trampled down, ⁴ and its flower… its hope of glory will fall, on the tops of high mountains like the shoots of a fig. Then, whoever sees it in front of his hands, will wish to take it and swallow it down.

⁵ In that day, Jehovah of Armies, will be the crown of true hope… the crown of glory to the remnant of My people. ⁶ For, in the spirit of fairness they'll be spared… by justice and the strength of witheld destruction.

⁷ But there are those who stagger and wander, because of their liquor and wine. It's because of the liquor (and because they've swallowed the wine), that the priests and prophets are out of their minds. And when they sober up they will stagger, and this will be easily seen.

⁸ A curse will then devour their plans, for the plans that they have are for wealth.

⁹ To whom have we announced all this evil… to whom have we announced this great message? To those being weaned from the milk, and those being drawn from the breast.

¹⁰ Problems upon problems, hope after hope; yes, still a little, and a bit more; ¹¹ for with foul words from their lips, and in another tongue they'll speak to these men, ¹² saying, 'The starving ones are the unworthy, so we will have to destroy them.' And none of them will wish to hear this.

¹³ Then this oracle of God they'll receive: 'Problems upon problems, hope after hope; yes, still a little, and a bit more,' and they will be exposed to great danger. For, first they will have to retreat, and then they'll be broken and captured.

¹⁴ Thus, hear the word of Jehovah: 'O men who are being attacked, and rulers of JeruSalem's people: ¹⁵ You say that you've made a pact with the grave… that you've made a treaty with death, and that if a windstorm should blow, it will not blow upon you… for you've put your hope in [your] lies, and you [think] that they'll bring you shelter.

¹⁶ 'Because of this,' says Jehovah; '{Look!} Upon the foundation of Zion, I will place a valuable stone… a costly, select cornerstone, in order to serve as its base… and those trusting in it will not be disgraced.

¹⁷ 'Then, in place hope there'll be judgments, and upon My charity I'll also put weights. And those putting vain trust in the lie, will not be passed by the storm. ¹⁸ So your treaty with death will be gone, and you won't adhere to your hope in the grave.

'Then by the blast you'll be crushed… ¹⁹ when it passes through, it will take you. Morning after morning it'll blow upon you, as well as during the night, and the only hope that it brings will be bad.

²⁰ 'Learn how to hear, O you who've been squeezed! There's no way you'll be able to fight it! For, you'll be weakened and captured.

²¹ 'The Lord will make mountains of the godless, and in GibeOn's valley He'll execute His rage… yes there He'll do His bitter deed. But His rage will be brought in strange ways… the rotten deeds will be strange. ²² Then for you there'll be no joy, since in your bonds you'll be left without strength.'

Yes, all these things will soon happen… it's what He will do on the land… it's what Jehovah of Armies has told me. ²³ So, give ear and pay attention to my voice! Pay attention and hear all my words!

²⁴ Doesn't it take a full day, in order to prepare for the plowing? And doesn't the sower have to prepare, before working the ground? ²⁵ Doesn't he level its face, before planting pepperwort or cumin; or wheat, spelt, and barley on its edge? ²⁶ That is how you'll be corrected, in the fair ways of your God; and then you'll [have reasons] for joy. ²⁷ You can't scrub pepperwort to clean it, or run wagon wheels over the cumin! You beat pepperwort [to shake off the seeds], ²⁸ and cumin should be eaten with bread. So, I won't remain angry through the ages, nor will the bitterness of My words trample on you, ²⁹ for miracles will come by Jehovah of Armies.

Accept [My] counsel and know that [your reasons for] comfort are wasted!

Chapter 29

¹ Woe to the City of the Altar of God, on which King David waged war.

Gather your crops year after year, for with the Moabites you'll eat them. ² Then I'll squeeze the City of the Altar of God, and her strength and her wealth will be Mine. ³ I'll encircle [your city] like David, and throw up a siege mound against you. Siege towers I'll build around you, ⁴ and your words will be brought to the ground… into the ground your words will go down, then you'll speak like those who speak from the ground; and from the ground your voice will grow weak.

⁵ The wealth of your godless will then become, like clouds of dust from wheels that pass by. For, as many as dust will be those who oppress you.

⁶ It will happen right away (in a moment); Jehovah of Armies will then visit you, with thunder, disasters, and with great noise… with blasts of wind, and the flames of a fire that consumes. ⁷ And it will be a nightmare to you, when all the wealth of many nations, marches on the City of the Altar of God. For the soldiers of those who oppress her, against JeruSalem will gather.

⁸ Then, to all those who are sleeping, and to the awake who are eating and drinking, it will seem like a dream. And this is what they will dream: Those who get thirsty and drink, will still be thirsty when they awake. Then their lives will be without hope, for the wealth of many nations will march against Zion.

⁹ Be tipsy, be dizzy, and be amazed, but not from liquor or wine, ¹⁰ for the Lord will give you frustration to drink! Then He'll close the lids of the eyes of your prophets, as well as those of your rulers and seers; ¹¹ and all that is written within this sealed scroll, will be given to a man who knows how to read, and to him you will say 'Read these things!'

But he'll say, 'I am unable to read this, because it has all been sealed!'

¹² Then you'll hand this scroll to a man who can't read, and you will tell him to read it; but he will say, 'I can't read.'

¹³ Then Jehovah said: 'These people approach Me with their mouths, and with their lips they offer Me praise, but in their hearts they're really far away, so it's in vain that they offer worship to Me. They are teaching the ideas and instructions of men! ¹⁴ And because of this, {Look!} I will come, and bring a change on these people… yes I will transpose them! I'll destroy the wisdom of their wise, and the understanding of their discerning I will hide.'

¹⁵ So, woe to those with complicated plans, which aren't according to Jehovah! And woe to those who make secret plans, and do things in the cover of darkness. For they ask, 'Who has seen us and who will know us, or know of the things we have done?'

¹⁶ Aren't you just clay in the hands of a potter? Can the thing that is shaped say to its maker, 'You did not really shape me?' Or can the thing that is made say to its maker, 'I don't like the way that you made me?'

¹⁷ Soon the position of Lebanon will be changed. Her mountains will be changed into crop fields, and the crops on her mountains thought of as forests. ¹⁸ But in that day, even those who are deaf, will hear the words of this scroll. Then those in the darkness and those in the fog, and the eyes of blind ones will see it! ¹⁹ The poor will cheer because of Jehovah, and those without hope will be filled with joy. ²⁰ For, the lawless and evil will have failed; the proud will have been destroyed; and those who broke laws will be gone, ²¹ along with those who led men to sin with their words. Then all who reproved at the gates, will be thought of as those who have stumbled, for they have twisted [the law], and those who are righteous they've wronged.

²² 'And concerning the house of Jacob,' says Jehovah; '(those I selected from AbraHam's sons): Jacob will not be shamed, nor will their faces be sad, ²³ but when their young see the things that I'll do… {Look!} because of Me, they'll make My Name holy… they will [praise] the Holy One of Jacob, and be in fear of IsraEl's God.

²⁴ 'Then those with wandering spirits, will have to learn understanding; those who complain will learn to obey; and stuttering tongues will learn to speak peace.'

Chapter 30

¹ 'Woe, O children of apostates,' says Jehovah, 'because you searched for direction from others, and made treaties that were not by My Spirit… you added sins to your sins. ² You [sent ambassadors] down into Egypt, and asked for help from their PharaOh… you sought shelter from Egypt, but you failed to seek Me! ³ So, you'll be shamed for seeking the protection of PharaOh, and scorned for relying on Egypt; ⁴ for in Tanis the chief's messengers are evil.

⁵ 'Why, it's foolish to labor for others, who'll be no benefit or help; because they'll bring shame and scorn upon you.'

⁶ This is the vision of the four-footed creatures in the desert:

In difficult times of distress, [there stands] the lion and its cub. And there are asps and the young of winged asps… those who carry wealth upon burros and camels, to a nation that'll be no benefit or help… they'll just bring shame and scorn upon them. ⁷ The only benefits that Egypt will bring, is just emptiness and waste. So tell them that the comfort they will bring is in vain!

⁸ Sit down and write this on a tablet of a scroll, for it's about the times and the days, which [our God has] appointed… [of things that will happen] in the ages. ⁹ For a people are resisting persuasion; they're liars who refuse to listen to God's Law. ¹⁰ They're the ones who are saying to the Prophets, 'Don't come to us with His pronouncements!' And to those who see visions, 'Don't tell us! But if you must speak, tell us another addicting delusion. ¹¹ Turn us away from this road… shift us away from this course, and from us remove IsraEl's curse!'

¹² And because of this, thus says the Holy One of IsraEl: 'Since you've resisted the persuasion of these words, and put your hope in a lie… because you grumbled and had no faith, ¹³ this is what will happen to you: This sin will become like city walls, that fall and lead to a capture, for your downfall is now right at hand. ¹⁴ And like the breaking of a thin ceramic pot, this crash won't be into parts… pieces you can find and pick from the coals, with which you can hold a little water.'

¹⁵ This is what the Lord Jehovah (the Holy One of IsraEl) has said: 'You should moan, turn back, and be saved! Remember the foolish ways on which you relied… how you chose not to listen, and then how weak you became.

¹⁶ 'But you say you'll escape from those upon horses… that you'll flee and say, We're light riders! But those chasing you will be faster.

¹⁷ Thousands will flee at the voice of one man, and multitudes will flee at the voices of five. Then you will be left all alone, like a pole on top of a mountain, and like a flag flying high on a hill.'

¹⁸ And again you'll [turn] to [your] God, and [hope] that He'll have pity for you. But because of this, He'll be [moved] to show mercy, since your judge is Jehovah your God. Blest are all those who stick close to Him, ¹⁹ for in Zion the holy will still remain!

JeruSalem will cry, 'Please show me mercy!' And He will show mercy upon them. For, when He hears the sounds of your cries, He'll pay attention to you. ²⁰ Then Jehovah will give you some water and bread, and those who misled will not be around. Your eyes will see those who try to mislead you, ²¹ and your ears will hear those who follow to trick you… they'll say: 'This is the way we must go; let's go this way or that!'

²² Then you'll remove your silver-plated idols, and those that are covered with gold, and crush them into fine powder, and throw them into the wind. You'll reject them like a [menstruation rag], and throw them away like manure.

²³ Then there will be rain [to grow] seeds on your land, and bread will be plenty and fat in your land. Your cattle will graze in large fertile fields; ²⁴ your bulls will work the ground and eat straw, as they prepare the barley for harvest.

²⁵ And in that day; after many have been destroyed, and all the towers will have fallen, water will pour from the mountains and hills. ²⁶ Then the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times as bright, in that day when Jehovah brings healing, to His broken-down people, and an end to the grief of their disaster.

²⁷ {Look!} After a long time, the Name of the Lord, will come in burning rage and with glory. The omen from His lips is an omen of rage, and the flames of His rage are consuming. ²⁸ His Breath is like water that races through valleys, then comes to the neck to make borders; then, for their addiction to delusions, He will disturb all the nations; and He'll [allow] their delusions to catch them.

²⁹ So, when you enter [God's] Holy Place, you should do so in joy… as though it were a great holiday! You should do so with joy, [and play tunes] as you go, to the Mountain of Jehovah (IsraEl's God). ³⁰ You should sing to the Lord with the glory of your voice, for, by the fury of His arm He shows His rage… like lightning, He violently strikes; and as a flame [of fire] He consumes… like rain and hail being driven by storms.

³¹ By the voice of Jehovah, the Assyrians will be conquered… He'll strike and bring calamity on them. ³² But He is always nearby, to aid those relying upon Him… those carrying their harps and tambourines. Yet, He'll war against all who revolt, ³³ then after some days He'll let them return; for, wasn't the Kingdom prepared just for them?

As a ravine that is deep, and as piles of wood near a fire, so is the rage of Jehovah… like a ravine that is burning with sulfur.

Chapter 31

¹ Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help – those who put trust in chariots and horses (for there are many chariots and great numbers of horses), because they just didn't listen – for, they put no trust in IsraEl's Holy One, and they did not search for their God. ² So He wisely brought bad things upon them, that His Word would not be annulled. He'll rise against the homes of the wicked, and oppose their wicked, vain hopes.

³ Egyptians are men… they aren't Gods! And their horses are no help at all, because they too are just flesh. So, against them Jehovah will raise His hand, and make those who are helping them tired, and then they'll all perish together.

⁴ Then the Lord said this to me: 'In the same way that a lion or its cub, roars over the game that he's taken, and continues to roar over it, until the mountains are filled with his voice, and all the prey will have vanished, because they've been scared by the greatness of his rage; so Jehovah of Armies will go down, to march against Zion and her mountains. ⁵ For, Jehovah of Armies can be like a bird, and over JeruSalem fly, to rescue, protect, and to save her.'

⁶ O you sons of IsraEl who have gathered, in order to discuss lawless things; Turn back, ⁷ for the day will soon come, when you will turn from your idols – the things constructed of silver and gold – that you have made with your hands. ⁸ Because, [Assyria] will fall; however, not by swords of men… she'll not be devoured by swords, nor will she flee before swords; yet, all their young men will be beaten… ⁹ they'll be picked up and beaten like rocks for a siege mound, and those who flee will be captured.

This is what Jehovah said: 'Blest are those who have seeds in Zion, and those who have families in JeruSalem.'

Chapter 32

¹ {Look!} Then a righteous king will be reigning, and in justice the governors will rule. ² Each man will then be like a shelter from the wind, and a refuge from the storm… like streams of water in the desert, and the shadow of a great rock, in a land that is thirsty.

³ Then men won't rely upon men, but ears they'll be given to hear… ⁴ hearts of the weak will pay attention and hear, and stammering tongues will learn to speak peace. ⁵ They'll not [appoint] morons to rule anymore, or tell the officers to be quiet! ⁶ Because, the morons just say foolish things, and in their hearts plan what's wasteful. They do things that are lawless, and against Jehovah they speak delusions, to scatter the lives of the hungry, and to waste thirsty lives.

⁷ Recommendations of the wicked are just plans to do bad… what they say is done to corrupt lowly ones, and they'll use unrighteous words to overrule, the words of the lowly in legal matters. ⁸ But the godly will consult with those who'll understand, and what they suggest is the things that will last.

⁹ [Hey, all] you rich women; wake up and listen to My voice… you daughters who live in hope, hear My words! ¹⁰ Speak of each day in grief, but with hope. For, the crops have all been consumed, the planting has come to an end, and it will not soon resume.

¹¹ So, be amazed and then worry, all you who've been trying to persuade! ¹² Strip off your clothes 'til you're naked, then wrap your waists and beat your breasts, for the desirable things of the fields, as well as the produce of grapevines! ¹³ For, the land of My people has become just thorn bushes, so the grass will all dry up, and joy will be taken from each home. ¹⁴ The houses will then be abandoned; wealth will [flow] from the cities; and then the best houses and towns, will all be like caves through the age… a place of joy for wild burros, as well as pastures for shepherds.

¹⁵ But when [God's] Breath flows down from the heights, the desert will be fruitful fields once again, and the fields will be thought of as forests. ¹⁶ Then judgment will rest in the desert, justice will dwell on [Mount] Carmel, ¹⁷ and righteousness and peace will abound. This righteousness will then spread out, bringing rest to the faithful through the age. ¹⁸ So, His people will live in a city of peace, and those who've been saved will rest and live richly.

¹⁹ Then, if hail should fall, it won't fall on you. And the meek who dwell in the forests, will be as those who live in the plains. ²⁰ For, those who plant will be blest, and there will be water where burros once tred.

Chapter 33

¹ Woe to those who cause misery, but who are made miserable by no one; and those who show no respect, but themselves are highly regarded. For, those who show no respect, will be captured and then handed over, like a moth that is caught in a robe and destroyed.

² O Jehovah, show mercy upon us, for we are relying on You. Destroy the seed of those who resist, but save us in our time of oppression!

³ By Your fearful sounds the peoples are startled, and in fear the nations are scattered. ⁴ Then You'll gather Your spoils great and small, as though You were picking up locusts.

⁵ Holy is the God who lives in the sky, for Zion will be filled with what's fair and just; ⁶ He'll be the sure foundation for your times… a store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; For, in Him are wisdom and knowledge, as well as reverence for God… yes indeed; these are the treasures of the righteous.

⁷ {Look!} Those fearing You will be frightened… they'll yell out in fear over You! For, messengers bringing peace You will send, which will cause the unrighteous to weep, ⁸ because their [bad] ways will have come to an end. And the nations will be in great fear, because of the treaties that they've broken, and because they've shown no respect.

⁹ Then the land will mourn and Lebanon will be shamed. But marshes will become just like Sharon, as Galilee and Carmel will shine.

¹⁰ 'And then I'll arise,' says Jehovah; 'I'll be glorified and respected. ¹¹ And when you see it you'll understand, that your strength has all been in vain. For, your spirits will be devoured by fire, ¹² and the nations will be used to consume [you], like a thorn bush in a field, that you toss into a fire.

¹³ 'From far away they'll hear what I've done; and those who approach will know of My strength. ¹⁴ For, from Zion, the lawless will be gone, and the irreverent will then start to tremble.'

Who will announce it to you… that the fire has already been started? Who will tell what has happened, to this ancient place of the ages? ¹⁵ He who is walking uprightly; he who tells it just as it is; he who hates what's lawless and unjust; he whose hands shake off bribes; he whose ears close to judgments of blood, and whose eyelids are shut to injustice. ¹⁶ He'll live high in a cave of strong rocks; his bread will be given to him; and he can trust [that he will have] water.

¹⁷ Then your eyes will see a glorious king, and a far-away land; ¹⁸ and your soul will contemplate fear.

Where are all of the scribes? Where are all the advisors? Where are the accountants who keep records? ¹⁹ From small to the great they don't take advice, nor do they listen to warnings, against their mistreating the peoples… so none understand what they're being told.

²⁰ O great city on [Mount] Zion; look and see your salvation… see JeruSalem as a rich city, filled with tents that will not be shaken; its tent poles will remain through the ages, and its cords will not be pulled up, ²¹ for you'll be called by the Name of the Lord.

There'll be aqueducts and wide rivers, but you will not travel upon them, nor will boats then be rowed there.

²² My God Jehovah will not pass me by, for the Lord is our judge… He's our ruler and king, and Jehovah Himself will bring us salvation!

²³ But, all your ropes will be torn, and your masts will be weak; they'll lean, so their sails cannot be unfurled, and their flags will never be raised, until it all has been plundered… it will be plundered by even the lame! ²⁴ But those who remain won't say they are tired, because their sins will all be forgiven.

Chapter 34

¹ Listen, O nations… pay attention you rulers! Hear, O earth, and all those who live there – the habitation of man and all those who dwell there! ² For, Jehovah's rage has come to the nations… His rage is upon all their numbers, to destroy and deliver them to slaughter. ³ Their slain and dead will be just thrown away; their smell will ascend [to the heavens], and their blood will rain on the mountains.

⁴ Then the powers of the skies will all melt; the sky will be wrapped like a scroll, and all the stars will then fall, like the leaves of a grapevine or fig tree. ⁵ For, My sword will then become drunk in the sky, and {Look!} upon the land of Edom it will fall… upon the people who've been judged for destruction. ⁶ In Bozrah, the sword of the Lord will be filled, with blood that has become thick, upon the fat of lambs, goats, and rams, which will serve as a sacrifice to God, when a great slaughter is brought upon Edom. ⁷ For, the stout will be slaughtered and thrown down, along with the rams and the bulls. The land will be drunk on their blood, all the way to its borders, and it will be filled with their fat.

⁸ For, this is the Lord's Judgment Day, and a year of payback for the judgment of Zion. ⁹ Then her valleys will be filled up with tar, and her land [will be covered with] sulfur. ¹⁰ So, her land will burn with tar day and night, and through ages it won't be extinguished. Her smoke will keep on ascending, and she will lie desolate for generations… she'll lie baren for a very long time. ¹¹ Then birds, and ibises, and hedgehogs, as well as crows will all dwell there, and a surveyor's line will mark her desolation, for she'll be inhabited [by demons].

¹² Then she will be without rulers, because her kings and her great men are gone. ¹³ So, thorns will grow in her cities and forts… they'll be the properties of chained [demons], as well as ostrich courtyards. ¹⁴ Then [loose] demons will meet with the chained ones, and they will yell to each other. So the chained [spirits] will rest there, because they'll have found a place to retire.

¹⁵ Hedgehogs too will build nests there, and in safety their young will play on the ground. There stags will all meet together, then stare at each other face to face. ¹⁶ They'll pass in large numbers and none will then perish, so they'll not have to search for each other. For, Jehovah gave them instructions, and He'll gather them with His Breath. ¹⁷ Then on their behalf He will cast lots, and divide up the land for their grazing, which they will inherit through the ages, and rest there from generation to generation.

Chapter 35

¹ Be glad, O you thirsty desert! Cry out in joy and blossom like lilies! ² Then the desert by the Jordan will cry out and bloom, for, the beauty of Lebanon will be given to it, as well as the honor of [Mount] Carmel. My people will see the glory of Jehovah, and the full stature of their God.

³ Be strong, forsaken hands and weak knees! ⁴ Take comfort, O you with faint-hearted minds! Be strong and don't be afraid, for {Look!} with His judgments our God will [bring] justice… He Himself will come here and save us! ⁵ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will then hear. ⁶ The lame will be leaping like stags, and stammering tongues will speak clearly.

For, a spring will burst forth in the desert, and through a thirsty land will flow water. ⁷ Then deserts will be turned into marshes; in a dry land there'll be springs of water; and among reeds and marshes birds will find joy.

⁸ Then there will be a pure way; it will be called, 'The Holy Way.' And nothing unclean will pass through it, so it will always be pure. Then those who were scattered will travel that way, and from it they'll not stray again. ⁹ No lions or fierce animals will walk there, nor will they even be found there. There'll be just those who've been ransomed… ¹⁰ those gathered by Jehovah will then go there.

They'll return to Zion in joy, and with the joy of ages on their heads; for blessings will be upon all their heads; they'll be filled with happiness and leaping for joy; for, from distress, moaning, and grief they've escaped.

Chapter 36

¹ It was in the fourteenth year of the reign of HezekiAh that SenNacherIb, the king of Assyria, [marched against] the fortified cities of Judea and took them. ² Then the king of Assyria sent RabShakeh from LachIsh to King HezekiAh in JeruSalem with a huge army, and he [set up camp] by the aqueduct to the upper pool, on the road to the field of the washerwomen.

³ Then EliAkim (the son of HilkiAh) [the King's] house manager, the scribe ShebNa, and JoAh (the son of Asaph) the recorder, went out to meet with him. ⁴ And RabShakeh said to them, 'Speak to HezekiAh and tell him that this is what the great king of Assyria has said: What are you relying on? ⁵ Have you worked out a plan with the words from your lips about how you're going to fight this battle? So, who are you relying on, that you are resisting my persuasion? ⁶ Look; you're relying on that fractured reed stick, Egypt, which, if a man should put his weight on it, will go all the way through his hand. This is all that PharaOh (the king of Egypt) and those who are relying on him amount to.

⁷ 'And if you should say that you're relying on your God Jehovah; isn't He the same One whose high places and altars were removed by HezekiAh, who then told Judah and JeruSalem to bow before the Altar here?

⁸ 'Why not join with my lord, the king of Assyria, and I'll give you two-thousand horses (that is, if you're able to provide enough riders for them)… ⁹ can your leaders who are relying on the Egyptians provide you with horses and riders?

¹⁰ 'Why, do you think that it was without [the aid of] Jehovah that we were able to ascend to this place to wage war against it? It was Jehovah who told me to come to this land and destroy it!'

¹¹ And EliAkim, Shebna, and JoAh told RabShakeh, 'Please speak to your servants in Syriac, so we alone can hear what you're saying. Don't speak to us in Judean! Why must you speak so that the men along the wall can hear you?'

¹² And RabShakeh replied, 'Do you think my lord sent me to speak these words just to your lord? For, aren't these men who are sitting along the walls the ones that will have to eat their own poop and drink their own pee?'

¹³ Then RabShakeh stood up and yelled in a loud voice in Judean, 'Pay attention to the words of the great king of the Assyrians! ¹⁴ This is what the king said: Don't let HezekiAh's words fool you; because, there's no way that he can save you! ¹⁵ And don't let HezekiAh tell you that God will rescue you; for there's no way that He will save this city from the hands of the king of Assyria!

¹⁶ 'The king of Assyria says, 'Don't listen to HezekiAh! If you want to receive his blessings, come here to me and you'll each eat from your own grapevines and fig trees, and drink water from your own wells. ¹⁷ Because, when I come there, I will take you to a land that will become yours! It's a land of grain, wine, bread, and vineyards!

¹⁸ 'So, don't let HezekiAh deceive you and say, God will rescue us! Have any of the gods of the nations been able to rescue his own place out of the hands of the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ Where is the god of HaMath or ArPhad? Where is the god of the City of SepharVaim? Have they been able to rescue Samaria from my hands? ²⁰ Which of the gods of all these nations is the one who rescued his own land from my hand? So, how can Jehovah save JeruSalem from my hands?'

²¹ Well, everyone stayed silent and no one answered a word to him, because the king had decreed that no one was to give a reply.

²² Then EliAkim (the son of HelkiAh) the house manager, Shebna the scribe, and JoAh (the son of Asaph) the recorder, ripped their clothes and returned to HezekiAh to tell him what RabShakeh had said.

Chapter 37

¹ Well, when King HezekiAh heard this, he tore off his clothes and put on sackcloth, then he went to the [Temple] of Jehovah. ² And he sent EliAkim his house manager, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, all wearing sack cloths, to the Prophet IsaiAh (the son of Amoz), ³ and he told them to say to him: 'This is what HezekiAh has said: Today is a day of affliction, of scorning, of scolding, and of rage; it's a day with all the pain of giving birth, but she doesn't have the strength to give birth. ⁴ May it be possible for Jehovah your God to hear the words of RabShakeh, who was sent by his lord the king of Assyria to berate the living God… may Jehovah your God hear the words that he said to berate Him! Then please go to Jehovah your God to beg before Him concerning those who are left here.'

⁵ So, the servants of King HezekiAh went to IsaiAh, ⁶ and IsaiAh told them, ⁶ 'Tell your lord this: Jehovah says that you shouldn't be afraid of the words that you heard the ambassadors of the king of Assyria say to berate Me. ⁷ For, {Look!} I will bring a spirit upon him, and when he hears its message he will return to his place; and there he will fall by the sword in his own land.'

⁸ In the meantime, RabShakeh had returned and caught up with the king of Assyria while he was attacking LibNah, because he learned that he had departed from LachIsh. ⁹ Then TirHakah, the king of Ethiopia, came to fight him, and when he heard about this, [the king] returned and sent messengers to HezekiAh, saying: ¹⁰ 'Tell HezekiAh the king of Judea not to allow his God whom he is relying upon to deceive him when He says there's no way that JeruSalem will be given into the hands of the king of the Assyrians. ¹¹ {Look!} Haven't you heard what the kings of Assyria have done to the whole earth and of the destruction they brought? So, who will rescue you? ¹² Have the gods of the nations that my father destroyed been able to rescue them… those of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph in the region of Tel Assar? ¹³ Where are the kings of HaMath, and where is ArPhad? Where are the cities of SepharVaim, Henah, and Ivah?'

¹⁴ So, HezekiAh took the scroll from the messengers and read it; and he [once again] went up to the [Temple] of Jehovah, where he unrolled [the message] before the Lord, ¹⁵ and he prayed to Jehovah saying: ¹⁶ 'O Jehovah of Armies, God of IsraEl, He who sits upon cherubs; You are the only God over all the kingdoms of the habitation of man. It is You who made the earth and the sky. ¹⁷ O Jehovah; lean Your ear toward me and hear me, O Lord! O Jehovah; open Your eyes! Look down, O Jehovah, and know and hear all the words that SenNacherIb sent to berate the living God! ¹⁸ It's a fact, O Jehovah, that the kings of the Assyrians have conquered the entire habitation of man everywhere. ¹⁹ And amid the flames, they erected their idols in place of those that were not gods but just the works of the hands of men – things made of wood and stone – and they destroyed them.

²⁰ 'But now, O Jehovah our God; rescue us from his hands, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You're the only God!'

²¹Then IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) was sent to HezekiAh, and he said to him, 'Jehovah the God of IsraEl said, I have heard what you prayed concerning SenNacherIb, the king of Assyria. ²² And this is what Jehovah God said concerning him: Against the virgin daughter of Zion you've sneered, and treated her as though she is worthless; so against you Jerusalem's daughter, has now nodded her head. ²³ Do you know whom you've berated and provoked, or against whom you've raised your voice, and raised your eyes to the heights? It's against IsraEl's Holy One! ²⁴ Through messengers you've berated Jehovah, when you said, I will climb up their mountains, with a vast number of chariots, to the ends of Lebanon's borders. Then on the heights I will cut down theirs cedars, and the beauty of their cypress trees. Why, I went into the heights of their forests, ²⁵ where I built dams to [dry up] their [rivers]. ²⁶ Have you not heard of these things that I've done? The order to do it I gave long ago. And now I've shown how I can destroy, nations and fortified places, as well as those living in cities and forts. ²⁷ I have weakened and dried up their hands, and they became like dry grass and hay of the roofs.

²⁸ 'But I know that you're taking some rest, from all your comings and goings; ²⁹ and now all of your bitterness and rage, has been directed toward Me! So, I'll put a rein through your nose, and a bit in your lips, and I'll send you back by the way that you came. ³⁰ And this is the sign that I'm giving you: This year you'll eat what you planted, and in the second you'll eat what remains. Then in the third you will plant and reap… you'll plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ³¹ And the same will be true of all those, who still remain in Judea. They will sprout roots below, and from above they'll reap grain. ³² Then those who are left in JeruSalem (those who're preserved on Mount Zion), will thereafter come to the fore, for the zeal of Jehovah of Armies will do this.'

³³ So, this is what Jehovah said concerning the king of the Assyrians: 'There's no way that he will enter this city… he won't shoot an arrow against it, nor will he lift a shield, or build a siege mound around it. ³⁴ But he will return by the way that he came… he will not enter this city!'

Jehovah said, ³⁵ 'I'll put a shield round this city and save it, because of Myself and My servant David.'

³⁶ And thereafter, one of Jehovah's [heavenly] messengers came and destroyed the camp of the Assyrians… a hundred and eighty-five thousand of them… the [people] woke up the next morning and found just dead bodies! ³⁷ So SenNacherIb, the king of the Assyrians, [packed up] and left for Nineveh, where he went to live. ³⁸ And it was while he was there bowing in the temple of his god Nisroch that AdramMelech and ShaRezer (his sons) struck him with swords, and then they fled to Armenia. So, his son EsarHaddon started reigning in place of him.

Chapter 38

¹ At that time, HezekiAh became ill to the point of death. So, the Prophet IsaiAh (the son of Amoz) went to him and said, 'This is what Jehovah has said: Give orders regarding your house, because you won't live… you will die.'

² Then HezekiAh turned his face to the wall and prayed to Jehovah, ³ saying, 'O Jehovah; Remember that I've walked before You in truth, with a true heart, and I've done [many] things to please You.'

And with that, HezekiAh broke down and cried.

⁴ Then the word of Jehovah came to IsaiAh, saying, ⁵ 'Go tell HezekiAh that Jehovah said this: The God of your ancestor David, has heard your prayer and seen your tears. So, {Look!} I will add fifteen years to your [life]. ⁶ I will also rescue you and this city, from the hands of the Assyria's king, and I will put a shield 'round this city.

⁷ 'And this is your sign from Jehovah, that God will do the things that He said: ⁸ {Look!} I will turn the shadow of the sun, that moves down ten stairs in the house of your fathers, and I will cause the shadow of the sun, to go up the ten stairs it went down.'

⁹ Then this is the prayer that HezekiAh the king of Judea prayed after [learning that he would] recover from his illness:

¹⁰ I prayed about my days to the heights,
For, I was at the gates of the place of the dead,
And I'd forsaken the years that remained.

¹¹ So I said: 'No more will I look to God for salvation,
Within the land of the living.
No way will I [be seen] anymore,
Among all those who still live here.

¹² 'My family I've failed, and I've forsaken the rest of my life.
For, it left me and departed like those,
Who [who just spend the night] in a tent.
My breath has become like the end of the weaving,
To be cut off like wool on a loom.

¹³ 'In that day I was spared until morning.
And as a lion, He broke all my bones.
From morning 'til night I was conquered,
¹⁴ So, like a swallow I let out a call,
And like a dove I meditated.

'For my eyes failed to see the heights of the skies.
But then the Lord became my salvation…
¹⁵ He acted and removed the sadness from my life.'

¹⁶ O Jehovah; It was concerning this that I [prayed],
Then You reawakened my spirit…
And I'm alive because of Your comfort.

¹⁷ For, {Look!} [the thought of such] peace was bitter for me,
But You picked up my life so it would not perish,
And pushed all my sins to the rear.
¹⁸ So, those in the grave will praise You,
And those who are dying will bless You.

Those in the grave can't wait on Your care,
¹⁹ But the living can praise You, as I did.
So, from today on I'll produce many children,
Who will shout in praise of Your justice.

²⁰ O [Jehovah] my Savior; For the rest of my life I will praise You…
And I won't cease to play on my harp,
Before the [Temple] of God.

²¹ Then IsaiAh said to HezekiAh: 'Take a cluster of dried figs and grind them up to make a plaster [for your chest], and your health will return.'

²² And that's when HezekiAh asked, 'What is the sign that I'll be able to go up to the [Temple] of God?'

Chapter 39

¹ During that time, Merodach Baladan (the son of Baladan, the king of Babylonia) sent letters, ambassadors, and gifts to HezekiAh, because he heard that he was ill to the point of death, and that he was [granted a recovery]; ² so HezekiAh was very joyful over this. As the result, he showed them his storehouses filled with spices, silver, gold, balsam, incense, perfumes, his treasury buildings, and everything in his treasuries… there wasn't anything that HezekiAh failed to show them.

³ Then the Prophet IsaiAh came to King HezekiAh and asked, 'What did you say to those men, and where did they come to visit you from?'

And HezekiAh replied, 'They came from a far away land… from the land of Babylon.'

⁴ Then IsaiAh asked, 'Did they see your [palace]?'

And HezekiAh said, 'Yes, they saw everything in my house… there isn't anything that I failed to show them, including everything in my treasuries.'

⁵ Then IsaiAh said, 'Hear the word of Jehovah of Armies: ⁶ Look; the day will now come, when they will take all these things – all that your ancestors collected to this day – and carry it off to Babylon. Nothing will be left behind then!

⁷ 'And God also said that they will take your children (those whom you have fathered), and make them eunuchs in the houses of Babylon.'

⁸ Then HezekiAh said to IsaiAh, 'The word of Jehovah that you spoke to me is good, but may there be peace and justice in the days [of my reign]!'

Chapter 40

¹ 'Take comfort, take comfort, My people,' says Your God! ² 'O priests, you must speak and bring comfort, to JeruSalem's heart, for her humiliation has been filled, and all her sins are untied. It was because of her sins, that she received twice as much from His hand.'

³ There was a voice that called from the desert: 'Prepare the way for the Lord! Straighten the roads of our God! ⁴ Fill every valley… flatten the mountains and hills! All crooked paths must be straightened, and the ruts in the fields must be smoothed! ⁵ Then the glory and salvation of God will be seen, for Jehovah is He who told us to do this.'

⁶ Then the voice shouted, 'Yell!'

And I asked, 'What should I yell?'

'Yell that all flesh is just grass, and the glory of man is as the grass flowers. ⁷ For, the grass has dried up and its flowers have fallen, for the Spirit of God breathed upon it. And the grass is truly the people… ⁸ this grass has dried and its flowers have dropped, but the word of our God remains through the age.

⁹ 'Climb upon the high mountain, O you announcing to Zion good news; then shout it as loud as you can, O you with good news for JeruSalem! Raise [your voice] high and don't be afraid! To the cities of Judah [you should] say: Look; Here is Your God! ¹⁰ Your Lord Jehovah is coming in strength… to conquer His arm has been raised! Look; He is carrying the wages, for the things being done before Him! ¹¹ Like a shepherd, He'll tend His flock, then gather His lambs in His arms, and comfort them in His womb.

¹² 'Who [else] could have measured all the water in the sky, with just the span of His hand, and held all the earth in a handful? Who established the weight of the mountains, and all the forests in the yoke of a scale? ¹³ And who knows the mind of Jehovah? Who has become His advisor, and who can give Him instructions? ¹⁴ Of whom has He asked for advice, and who has told Him the things He should do? Who has taught Him to be just, or shown Him the right understanding? ¹⁵ For, the nations [are to Him] as a drop from a bucket… they've been [weighed] from the crux of the yoke on a scale, and found to be [no more than] spit.

¹⁶ 'Why, to Him all of Lebanon is unfit to burn, and all four-footed creatures unfit to be offered. ¹⁷ All the nations are nothing before Him; He views them as just nothing at all.

¹⁸ 'To whom can the Lord be compared? Just how would you [make an image] of Him? ¹⁹ Aren't all statues created by [artists]? Aren't they each carefully prepared, then cast and gilded by smiths? ²⁰ Doesn't the maker choose durable wood, and in wisdom seek the best place to stand it, so it then cannot be shaken? ²¹ Do you not know… will you not hear… hasn't this been announced since most ancient times?

'Do you know how the land was established? ²² Why, it's He who set the curve of the earth, and those living on it are like locusts. It was He who established the skies like a vault, and stretched them out like a tent. ²³ He established the rulers from nothing, and out of nothing He made the earth.

²⁴ '[Without Him] they can't plant or sow, nor can plants grow roots in the ground. For, He can just breathe and they'll dry… with a blast, like twigs, they'll blow away.'

²⁵ 'Now, whom can you liken to Me… can you make Me look more important, asked the Holy One? ²⁶ Look high in the sky [and then tell Me]: Who introduced all these things? It is He who assembled them all… all the things in His cosmos; then in His great glory and strength, He named it all when you were unaware!

²⁷ 'Would you dare to say before Jacob, O IsraEl, why have you spoken? For, my ways have been hidden from God, so He's been unable to judge me, therefore, He has just gone away.

²⁸ 'Don't you know… have you not heard? God [exists] through the ages! It was God who prepared the ends of the earth. Yet, He doesn't tire or get hungry, nor can His wisdom be understood. ²⁹ It is He who gives hungry ones strength, and who brings comfort to the grieving. ³⁰ Why, the youngest of men will get hungry and tired, and the best of men will lose all their strength. ³¹ But those who wait upon God will grow strong… like eagles they will grow wings. They will run and not tire… they'll keep going and going without hunger.'

Chapter 41

¹ 'O islands; to Me you should dedicate a feast, for the power of the rulers will be altered. Let them approach and speak with each other, then announce what they have decided!'

² Who in the east wakened justice, and called for it to walk on its feet? It is He who decides between nations, and He who alone removes kings. So He'll force them to bury their swords, and break their bows up like twigs. ³ And though it is He who pursues them, in ways of peace His feet walk.

⁴ Who used His might to do all these things? He who called her from first generations; He who said 'I am God… I'm the first, and into [the future] I am! ⁵ Nations will see Me and fear; to the ends of the earth they'll be startled, so they'll [come to Me] and be drawn together. ⁶ Then neighbors will decide [to do good for] each other… they'll offer help to their brothers and say, ⁷ 'He who made this was strong (the blacksmith who forged it with a hammer), but just how much longer can it all last?'

And He will reply, 'The bond [between them] is good, for I've made it stronger with rivets… I've established them so they won't be shaken!'

⁸ But you, O IsraEl, My servant… Jacob whom I have chosen… AbraHam's seed whom I've loved… ⁹ those whom I've snatched from the ends of the earth… those whom I called from its heights, and to whom I have said: 'As My servant I chose you, and you I have never abandoned. ¹⁰ So, don't be afraid, for I'm with you… don't stray, because I'm your God… the One who gives you your strength. So, with My righteous right hand, I will help you and save you.'

¹¹ {Look!} Your enemies will all be ashamed, and they will not fail to respect you, for, [as enemies] they will not exist… all who oppose you will perish! ¹² You will search and not find them… those drunks who shout insults at you, because they will no longer be… there'll be none to wage war against you, ¹³ for I am your God who's at your right hand!

I'm the One who is saying to you, ¹⁴ 'O Jacob, don't be afraid; O remnants of IsraEl, [don't fear], for I'm your helper' says your God. 'And IsraEl; it is I who paid your ransom. ¹⁵ {Look!} Like the wheels of a threshing device, that has new teeth I have made you; so you can thresh mountains and thin out hills… into dust you can turn them. ¹⁶ Yes, you will winnow them all, and the wind will blow them away… by a windstorm they will be scattered. But,there will be joy among IsraEl's holy ones.'

¹⁷ Then the poor and the needy will rejoice… those searching for water but find none, and whose tongues are drying from thirst. For, I am Jehovah, IsraEl's God; I'll pay attention and I'll not desert them. ¹⁸ On the mountains I'll open up rivers, and I'll put springs in the plains. I'll turn deserts into marshes, and in thirsty ground put canals. ¹⁹ In the waterless land I'll plant cedars and boxwoods… white poplars, myrtles, and cypress trees; ²⁰ then all who see them will think and realize, that it came by the hand of Jehovah… it was the Holy One of IsraEl who [planted] them there.

²¹ 'But your time of judgment has approached,' says Jehovah. 'The time of decision has arrived,' says the Great King of Jacob. ²² So, let all [your idols] approach you, and tell you the things that will happen… the same as you did once before, when you said: With our minds we'll pay close attention, then we will know what is coming, and how it will be in the end.

²³ 'So, tell us [O idols]… announce the things that will be, and then we will know you are gods, who can choose for yourselves good or bad… we'll wonder and see it at the same time. ²⁴ Then we will know where you've come from, and the source of the things that you do. For, they've chosen you from this land… you disgusting things they've preferred.

²⁵ 'So, I've raised the one from the north, and he from the east's rising sun, and they'll both be called by My Name. Let these rulers now come, and like the clay of a potter (the clay that he works [with his feet]), you will be trampled by them.

²⁶ 'Who'll tell them about the beginning, so we should know how it all came to be, and say how it all truly happened? But, there's no one who's willing to speak, and no one who's heard a reply! ²⁷ It is I who raised Zion high, and to JeruSalem brought comfort on the way. ²⁸ But, {Look!} from the nations there's been no one, and no announcements have come from their idols. So, if I should ask where they're from, no way can they give Me an answer. ²⁹ Yet, you say it was they who created you, so they've misled you into folly.

Chapter 42

¹ 'Jacob, My child, I'll hold onto you; for IsraEl, my chosen, I've accepted. I've poured My Breath out upon him, and he will pass judgment on nations. ² He won't cry out or raise his voice, and his voice won't be heard out of doors. ³ No crushed reed will he break, and no smoking flax wick will he snuff. For, he will truly bring fairness; ⁴ he'll endure it and not be destroyed, until He brings justice to the earth. For in his name the nations will hope… ' ⁵ so said [Jehovah our] God; He who made and assembled the sky; He who established the earth, and all the things that are in it; He who gave His breath to the people… breath [of life] to those who walk [in His ways].

⁶ 'I (Jehovah) have called you in justice… I'll grab hold of your hand and give strength. A Sacred Agreement I gave you, to make you a light to the nations; ⁷ to open the eyes of the blind; to lead out those who are tied up in bonds, and those who sit in dark dungeons.

⁸ 'I am [Jehovah your] God… [yes], that is My Name. My glory I'll give to no other, and My supremacy I will not give, to things that have been carved [by hands].

⁹ 'Things of ancient times… {Look!} they have happened! But new things I'll also announce. Yet, before I announce them I'll show them to you. ¹⁰ So, sing a new hymn to Jehovah! Glorify His Name to the ends of the earth, you who sail and go down to the sea, and you who live in the islands!'

¹¹ So, be glad, O you deserts… and all their lands and their towns, as well as those living among cedars! For, those living in [caves] will be joyful, and they'll yell from the tops of the mountains. ¹² They'll all give glory to God, and tell the islands of His virtues. ¹³ Then Jehovah, the God of Armies, will [arrive], and bring an end to all wars. He will awaken His zeal and His strength, then against His enemies He'll rail: ¹⁴ 'Throughout the age, I've been silent; but, must I be quiet and always endure it… as a woman giving birth, must I always endure it?

'[NO!] I'll now amaze and I'll make it wither. ¹⁵ I'll destroy their mountains and hills, and all their grass I will dry out. I'll turn their rivers into islands, and all their marshes into dry lands. ¹⁶ I'll lead the blind in ways they don't know, and make them walk on roads they can't see. For, their darkness I'll turn into light, and all their crooked ways I will straighten.

'These are the things that I'll do, for I won't leave them abandoned, ¹⁷ though they have been forced to retreat.

'Be ashamed and feel shame, O you who rely on carved [idols]… you who say to things that were formed: You are [truly] our gods! ¹⁸ Hear, O all you deaf mutes… look up and see, O you blind! ¹⁹ Who are the blind but My servants? And who are the deaf but those [ruling] them? Who is as blind as those who've had all? For, the servants of God have been blinded. ²⁰ Many times you've seen, but you didn't look… your ears were opened, but you didn't hear.'

²¹ Jehovah God's Will is to be proven righteous… just to be praised and held high.

²² I beheld and it all came to pass… the people were plundered and despoiled. In their stores there were snares, and they gathered to hide inside their homes. For, they had all become plunder… there was no one to save the ones being seized… there was no one to say, Give them back!

²³ Who will give ear to these things, and hear of the things that will happen? ²⁴ Who gave Jacob to be ravaged, and who gave IsraEl as plunder? Hadn't they sinned against God? Didn't they refuse to walk in His ways, or listen to all of His Laws? ²⁵ So, He sent upon them His anger and rage; He sent them war and neighbors to burn them. Yet, none understood or took it to heart.

Chapter 43

¹ Thus says Jehovah [our] God (the One who made you, O Jacob; the One who shaped you, O IsraEl): 'Don't be afraid, for I've [paid] your ransom. To My Name I called you, and now you are Mine! ² If you pass through water, I'll be there with you, and rivers won't swallow you down. Or if you should travel through fire, you will not be consumed… no, its flames will not burn you. ³ For, I am Jehovah your God; the Holy One of IsraEl who saves you. It was I who bargained for you, with Egypt, Ethiopia, and SheBah.

⁴ 'You were valued and esteemed before Me… you were glorious and loved [in My eyes]. For you I [traded] other men, and I gave rulers in behalf of your head. ⁵ So don't be afraid, for I'm with you. From the east I'll lead back your seed; from the west I'll bring you together, ⁶ and say to the north, Bring the south… don't hold back! Bring My sons from far away lands, and My daughters from the ends of the earth… ⁷ bring all those who've called on My Name!

'It was for My glory that I carefully prepared him… it was I who shaped him and made him. ⁸ I brought out a people who were blind (those who couldn't see with their eyes, and those who were deaf, although they had ears), and it was I who assembled their rulers.

⁹ 'So, who will announce all these things… who'll announce the things from ancient times? Bring on their witnesses and let them be just… let them hear and then tell the truth!

¹⁰ 'Be a witness for Me,' says Jehovah, 'And I'll serve as a witness [for you]… that you are the servant I've chosen… know, trust, and perceive that I am!

¹¹ 'Before Me there were no other gods, and none will there be after Me! For I am God… and other than Me there are none, for I am the One who can save! ¹² Because, I've announced, delivered, and berated, when no alien God was among you. So, you're My witnesses and I am your God!

¹³ 'Even from ancient times, no one could wrest you out of My hands. For when I do, who can change it?' ¹⁴ Thus says IsraEl's Holy One… Jehovah God, who [paid] your ransom.

'Because of you, I sent [a message] to Babylon, to arouse all those who have fled there… so the Chaldeans will [return] their captives in boats. ¹⁵ For, I am [Jehovah, your] Holy God; IsraEl's defender and king.'

¹⁶ Thus says Jehovah; He who made the roads in the sea; He who made paths between mighty waters; ¹⁷ the One who led chariots with their horses, as well as many strong [men], to a sleep from which they will not arise… who extinguished them like flax wicks: ¹⁸ 'Do not remember the first things, and ancient things don't consider. ¹⁹ For, {Look!} now I'll make new things arise… and you will all know what they are! I'll make a road through the desert, and rivers through waterless places. ²⁰ Then all the wild beasts will praise Me… ostrich daughters and the chained ones. For, I will put water in the deserts, and rivers in [all the] dry places, for a chosen people to drink.

²¹ 'They are My people whom I purchased; those who'll describe all My virtues. ²² Yes, O IsraEl and Jacob; I am He who has called you, and I've done nothing to tire you out. ²³ You've brought Me no sheep or [burnt] offerings… no sacrifices to glorify Me. So, by sacrifices you weren't enslaved, and with frankincense you were never made weary. ²⁴ You offered no silver to Me, nor did I desire the sacrificial fat. Then before Me you stood in your sins, and in all your unrighteous ways.

²⁵ 'I am… I am He who wiped out, all of your lawless ways. ²⁶ And because of Myself I'll forget all your sins, but you… you must remember, and then let's discuss them together! First; Confess to Me about your lawless ways, so you can then be found righteous!

²⁷ 'Your fathers were the first to have sinned, and your rulers were lawless against Me. ²⁸ Your rulers have defiled My holy things, so I gave Jacob to be destroyed, and IsraEl I gave to be scorned.'

Chapter 44

¹ Now hear, O Jacob My child, and IsraEl whom I have chosen! ² For, Jehovah God (He who created and shaped you from the belly) says this: 'Don't be afraid, for I'll help you! O Jacob, My dearly-loved servant… IsraEl, whom I have chosen; ³ for the thirsty I'll provide water, as they go to a waterless place. Then I'll place My Breath on your seed, and My blessings upon all your children, ⁴ then they will grow like grass near [a pond], and like willows growing next to a stream. ⁵ This one will say I'm God's [servant]; that one will say he is Jacob's; and another will write, I am God's, and call himself by IsraEl's name.

⁶ This is what God has said (IsraEl's King, their Savior, and God of Armies): 'I am the first and the last; there is no God other than Me! ⁷ Who else is there that is like Me? Let him arise then shout and announce it, and speak of how I made man in the age! Have them tell things before they occur! ⁸ Don't let them [hide] or wander away! Haven't you heard since long ago; didn't I report [all these things]? Why, you are those who can testify, whether there's a god other than Me!

⁹ 'But they failed to listen back then… those who shaped and carved worthless idols; those who did whatever they pleased, but which did them no good. Against themselves they testify, for they did not see, nor did they know, [how much reason] they had to be shamed… those who gave shape to their mighty, and carved cast moldings of worthless things. And {Look!} those sharing with them will also be shamed – ¹⁰ those who shaped gods and carved worthless things – ¹¹ for the places they came from have withered. Let these dumb ones now gather, then stand together and feel some remorse… let them be shamed altogether!

¹² 'The smith sharpens his tools, and he works it with a hammer in the coals, then he drills holes for its [handle]. With his mighty arm he creates it, as he grows hungry and weak, because he doesn't drink any water.

¹³ 'Then the carver selects a good piece of wood; he measures and shapes it in the beauty of a man. ¹⁴ He cuts down a cedar or an oak for himself… he takes a tree that was planted by [God], and which He made grow with the rain. ¹⁵ Then with part he [builds a fire] to get warm; some he burns to bake bread; and with whatever remains he shapes into gods, and then he bows down before them!

¹⁶ 'He makes the carvings and then bows before them… yet, half he burned to cook meat… to prepare a roast in order to fill him. And as he sits there warming himself, he says, This is good! I've seen the fire and now I am warm! ¹⁷ Then the rest he carves into a god, and bows before it and prays to it saying, O save me, for you are my god!

¹⁸ 'They don't know, nor do they think, for their eyes have been blurred not to see, and they can't comprehend with their hearts. ¹⁹ The man within is too stupid to see, that he burned half in a fire to bake bread, then over the flames roasted meat (which he ate), and with the rest he made something disgusting; and then, to it he bowed down!

²⁰ 'Know that these [men] have all erred, for the hearts [of their gods] are just ashes, and none are able to save him!

'{Look!} Don't say there's a lie in My right hand. ²¹ O IsraEl and Jacob, forget not these things! Because, you [alone] are My servant… it was I who shaped you as My servant! So you, O IsraEl, must not forget Me!

²² '{Look!} Your lawless deeds I've wiped out like clouds, and thrown all your sins in the shadows. So, return to Me and I'll ransom you back!'

²³ Therefore, be glad, O you heavens, for IsraEl's God has shown mercy! Trumpet, O foundations of the earth… yell in joy, O mountains and hills, and all the trees that are on them. For, Jehovah has glorified IsraEl, and for Jacob He has [paid the] ransom!

²⁴ This is what Jehovah (He who [paid your] ransom and shaped you from the belly) has said: 'I am Jehovah… He who accomplishes all things. I alone stretched out the sky, and it is I who solidified the earth. ²⁵ Who else can erase the signs of all those, who bring omens and divinations from their hearts, and then make the intelligent retreat, by turning their counsel into foolishness… ²⁶ He who makes happen what His servants say in prayers, and proves the council of His messengers as true?'

He says to JeruSalem, 'You'll be lived in;' to the cities of Judah, 'You'll be rebuilt;' and to her desolate places, 'I'll raise you!' ²⁷ To the abyss He says, 'You'll be empty;' and to your rivers, 'I'll dry you up.'

It is He who is saying to Cyrus, 'Think and then do all I want you to do.' And to JeruSalem, 'You'll be rebuilt; and the foundation of My [Temple] I will lay.'

Chapter 45

¹ This is what Jehovah God says, to Cyrus [the one He] anointed… he to whom He grabbed hold of his right hand, and caused nations to pay attention before him: '[For you] the strength of kings I will rip, and before you no doors or gates will be closed! ² I'll travel before you and level the mountains; doors of brass I will break; and I'll shatter all iron bars.

³ I'll give you treasures unknown; I'll open to you what's concealed and unseen, so you'll know I'm Jehovah your God; the God of IsraEl who called you by name.

⁴ 'Because of Jacob My servant, and [because of] IsraEl My chosen, I'll call you by name and accept you, although you [are one] who's not known Me.

⁵ 'I am Jehovah, The God! There is no god who's not Me! It is I who made you strong when you didn't know Me. ⁶ So those from the sun in the east, and those [from its setting] in the west… would know there are none beside Me.

'I'm Jehovah God and there is no more. ⁷ It is I who prepared light and I who made dark; it is I who made peace and bad [times].

'I'm Jehovah the God who accomplishes all. ⁸ So, be glad you heavens above, and let the clouds sprinkle justice… let the ground arise and grow mercy, and together let justice burst forth!

'I'm Jehovah, who created [all things]. ⁹ And what excellent things I did make, as with the clay of a potter. Will he who plows, plow the earth in a day? And will the clay then dare ask the potter, What do you do, since you do not work, nor do you have any hands?

¹⁰ 'Woe to he who asks of his father, Why did you give me [life]? And he who asks of his mother, Why did you [give me birth]?'

¹¹ So says Jehovah, the Holy One of IsraEl; He who makes the things that will be: 'Ask Me concerning My sons, and concerning the works of My hands… just ask Me! ¹² For, I made the earth and [put] man upon it. It is I who established the sky with My hands. It is I who gave instructions to the stars, ¹³ and it is I who raised a just king, and I made all his ways straight, so he will rebuild My city, and My captive people thereafter return… but not for a ransom or gifts.' So says Jehovah of Armies.

¹⁴ Thus says Jehovah of Armies: 'I'll tire out Egypt before you, as well as Ethiopians and Sabean traders… you'll pass over men who were haughty before you, and they will then be your servants. After you they will follow… tied up and walking in chains. They will be [handed over] to you, and before you they must then bow. To you they will pray [as though] you're a god, and to them there will be none other than you. ¹⁵ For, [I am] a God that you've never known; the God of IsraEl… their Savior.

¹⁶ 'His enemies will be shamed and remorseful, then they'll be led off in shame.

'Be dedicated to Me, O islands, ¹⁷ for IsraEl is released by Jehovah… they'll [be free] though the age, and through ages they'll not be shamed or remorseful.'

¹⁸ For, thus says Jehovah (He who made the sky, and who [formed] the earth and made it distinct; He who did not leave it empty, but shaped it as a dwelling [for mankind]): 'I am Jehovah; there are none other than Me. ¹⁹ And I haven't spoken in secret, or in dark places on the earth. Nor did I tell Jacob's seed, that they should seek what is foolish!

'I am Jehovah, the One speaking justly, and who is announcing the truth. ²⁰ So, gather together and come here! Yes meet together, you who've been rescued from the nations!

'Yet, they are unknowing… those who [cut] wood and carve it, and those praying to gods who can't save. ²¹ May all the announcers approach, so they altogether will know, and hear who did all these things.

'From ancient times it's been announced, that I am [Jehovah your] God! There is no other who is righteous and saves… there are none other than Me! ²² So, turn to Me and I'll save you, O you from the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other.

²³ 'I have sworn an oath by Myself, that what comes from My mouth will be righteous, and none of My words will be twisted. ²⁴ For, to Me every knee will [soon] bend, and by God every tongue will swear oaths. ²⁵ Justice and glory will be offered before Him, and those leaving Jehovah will be shamed. ²⁶ Then the seed of IsraEl will be righteous, and they will find glory in God.'

Chapter 46

¹ 'Bel has fallen and Dagon was broken, for their images were bound to wild beasts and cattle, and the load proved to be just too heavy, so they tired and fainted from hunger. ² Thus, they were unable to save them in war, and they too were taken as captives.

³ 'Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and the rest of you, O IsraEl… those whom I lifted from the belly, and whom I've corrected since childhood, ⁴ until the time you grew up: I am and [will be] until you grow old… I am and I've had to endure you. Because I made [you], I'll spare [you]; I'll re erect you save you!

⁵ 'To whom else can you compare Me? {Look!} Contrive [and answer], O you who mislead, ⁶ and those who mix silver and gold in a bag; for the yoke of a scale will establish [your] weight.

'You hire a goldsmith to make idols by hand, and then you bow to your faces before them. ⁷ When you carry them on your shoulders they move, but when you put them down they just sit there. There's no way they can move by themselves, and if you should yell they can't hear you; so, no way are they able to save you.

⁸ 'Remember these things and then moan! Change your minds, O you the mislead… yes, turn around in your hearts! ⁹ Remember what happened before this age came! For, I am The God, and there are none other than Me, ¹⁰ who can tell what will happen before it takes place, and before these things are completed. I said that My purpose will stand, and all that I've planned I will do.

¹¹ 'I summoned the [eagle] from the far east, to do the things that I spoke of and planned. I led, I created, and I did it… it was I who led him and prospered his way.

¹² 'Hear Me, O you destroyers of hearts; O you who are far off from justice. ¹³ It was I who brought My justice to you, and it was never far away, so I'll not be slow about your salvation. It is I who appointed Zion to be, IsraEl's savior and glory!

Chapter 47

¹ 'Get down and sit on the ground, O virgin daughter of Babylon… yes, sit down on the ground! For, there is no throne, O daughter of Chaldea; tender and delicate you'll no longer be called. ² So, get a millstone and go grind the flour; remove the veil from your face! Expose your gray hairs and uncover your legs, for your rivers will also be breached. ³ Your shame and scorn will soon be uncovered, and I'll remove all the righteous from you… no more will I hand men over to you.

⁴ 'The Name of this Savior is Jehovah of Armies… He is IsraEl's Holy One. ⁵ So, sit down and then be stabbed through! Go into the darkness, O daughter of Chaldea! For, you'll be called a strong kingdom no more.

⁶ 'I was provoked by My people, but My inheritance was then defiled by you… I gave them into your hands, but you showed no mercy upon them… you oppressed the old men and made them work hard under yokes ⁷ (as, you said), I will rule through the age.

'You had no comprehension in your hearts, nor will you remember these things in the end. ⁸ So, hear [what I say], O delicate one… the one sitting down, the one who gives in, the one who says in her heart, I am, and there is no other! I'll never sit as a widow, and I will never know sorrow!

⁹ 'For, these two things will happen to you, suddenly and in just one day: You will be childless and widowed; they'll instantly come upon you, despite your sorcery and strengths of enchantments. ¹⁰ For, trusting in your wickedness, you said, I am, and there is no other!

Know and understand all these things: Your whoring will bring shame upon you! For, you have said in your heart, 'I am, and there is no other!'

¹¹ 'So, instant destruction will come… you'll not know that you've fallen into a cesspool, then you'll be miserable and never get clean. Sudden destruction will come upon you; yet, you'll not know 'til it [happens]!

¹² 'So now; Stand there in your enchantments, and in all the sorcery that you've learned since your youth, and see if it will do any good; ¹³ for all your [magic] words have grown tired.

'Let all your astrologers who look in the sky, and all who look to the stars, stand up and announce the things that will be. ¹⁴ {Look!} Like torches made of sticks they'll all burn… there's no way that they'll save their own lives from the flames. Then you'll have to sit on their coals, ¹⁵ because they're the ones whom you looked to for aid.

'You've worn yourself out with the traffic of your youth, and now that the men have all wandered away, there'll be no salvation for you!

Chapter 48

¹ 'Hear these things, O house of Jacob; O ones who are called by IsraEl's name; those who've come from the waters of Judah; those swearing oaths by IsraEl's God; ² those who've forgotten both justice and truth; those holding as holy [His] city's name; those who lean on IsraEl's God, whose Name is Jehovah of Armies! ³ Again I must speak, the same as before… the things that came from My mouth… the things that you heard and then happened… I spoke and it suddenly happened!

⁴ 'I know that you are hard [people]; that the nerves in your necks are like iron, and your heads are [hard as] bronze. ⁵ Yet, I told you in the past what would happen, before it really did happen. I said it out loud so you couldn't say, This was done by my idols. Or, My carvings and idols told me about it.

⁶ 'You heard it all, but you didn't know. And now I'm telling you new things; yet you have not spoken a word. ⁷ So, these will all happen, but not as before; not like they've happened in the past, and not in the same way that you heard them, lest you'd say, Yes, I already know them. ⁸ For, you've not known of such things, since I opened your ears long ago. I knew that you'd disregard them, for, since you were called from the belly, you have continued in your lawless ways. ⁹ So, because of My Name, I'll show you My rage… upon you I'll bring My noble deeds, but I won't totally destroy you.

¹⁰ '{Look!} I've bartered for you not with silver, and from poverty's furnace I rescued you. ¹¹ Because of Myself I will act… because My Name is being profaned, and My glory I'll not give to others!

¹² 'Hear Me, O Jacob and IsraEl… yes, O you whom I've called! I'm the first and I'm into the ages! ¹³ The foundation of earth I laid with My hand, and with My right hand I fixed the sky. So, I'll call to them and they'll gather… ¹⁴ they will assemble and together they'll hear!

'Who will tell them these things, which I will do against Babylon, because of the love that I have for you? For, I lifted away the seed of Chaldea; ¹⁵ I spoke, I called out, and brought you, and I have prospered your ways. ¹⁶ So, lean toward Me and now listen!'

What I said long ago wasn't spoken in secret, and when it all happened I was there. And now the Lord Jehovah has sent me, along with His Spirit (His Breath). ¹⁷ And thus says Jehovah your Savior, IsraEl's Holy One: 'I am Jehovah your God, and I've shown you how to find the way you should go. ¹⁸ And if you had listened to all My Commandments, your peace would have flowed like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. ¹⁹ Your seed [would be numbered] as the sands, and the children from your bellies as the dust on the ground. You'd not be destroyed, and your names not erased.'

²⁰ Come out of Babylon… flee the Chaldeans! In joyful shouts, announce it aloud, and may it be known to all [ears]! Report it to the ends of the earth! Say, 'Jehovah has saved His servant Jacob! ²¹ And if they grow thirsty as they're led through the desert, He'll bring them water out of rock… I will split the rock and water will pour, and then My people will drink… ²² but for the godless there'll be no rejoicing,' says Jehovah [our God].

Chapter 49

¹ 'Hear O islands; pay attention O nations; for, after some time it will happen, says Jehovah.

'From the belly of my mother He called me by name, ² and made my mouth a sharp sword. Then He hid me in the protection of His hand; He made me the favored arrow in His quiver. ³ He said, You are My servant, and through you I'll be glorified.

⁴ 'But I replied, I'm useless and tired… yes, all is in vain, since I've used my strength to gain nothing. For, I've been judged by Jehovah, and all my works [were examined] by God.

⁵ 'And now, says Jehovah (He who shaped me, to be His servant from the belly), you collect Jacob for Me, so all IsraEl will be gathered.

'He says that before Him I'll be glorified, and in my God I'll gain strength. ⁶ He said, To be called My servant is a great thing… in order to reestablish Jacob's tribes, and to return IsraEl's scattered ones.

'{Look!} A Sacred Agreement I've made with you, for a race that's a light of the nations, and for you [to be brought] from the ends of the earth… ⁷ so says Jehovah, IsraEl's God; He who is your salvation. Make holy all those who think their lives worthless; those who are hated by the nations, and those who are servants of rulers. For, they will be seen by all kings, and all the rulers will then stand before them, and because of Jehovah those [rulers] will bow.

'The Holy One of IsraEl can be trusted, and I'm the One who chose you, ⁸ says Jehovah. At the appropriate time, I'll pay attention to you, and I'll help you in the Day of Salvation. I shaped you and gave you a promise over nations, in order to reestablish the land, and to inherit the things lying desolate.

⁹ 'So, say to those held in bonds, Come out! To those in the darkness, Be uncovered! In all the paths they'll be grazing, and all of the roads will serve as their pastures. ¹⁰ They won't be hungry or thirsty, and they won't be struck by the sun or hot winds. For, He who shows mercy will bring comfort, and lead them beside springs of water. ¹¹ I'll flatten every mountain along the way, and all roads will serve as their pastures.

¹² '{Look!} They will come from a distance… some from the north, some from the west, and others from the land of the Persians. ¹³ So, be glad, O you heavens; shout in joy, O you earth; O mountains, split apart with gladness! For, God has shown mercy to His people, and He has brought comfort to the meek.

¹⁴ 'But then, by Zion this was said: I was abandoned by Jehovah; by the Lord I was forgotten.

¹⁵ 'And Jehovah replied: Will a woman forget her own child… will she not show mercy on the offspring of her belly? Yet, even if a woman could forget such things, I will never forget you. ¹⁶ For, {Look!} I've sketched your walls on My hands, so you are always before Me. ¹⁷ What was demolished will be quickly rebuilt, and those who destroyed them will be gone.

¹⁸ 'Look up; look around; see it with your eyes! Look! They're all gathered and returned!'

'As I live, says Jehovah, You'll wear them as ornaments on your clothes… you'll wear them as the ornaments of a bride. ¹⁹ For, your desolate places which had been destroyed, as well as those that had fallen, will become too confining for those who will dwell there, and those swallowing you down will be far away. ²⁰ Then [the people] will say in your ears, This place is too cramped for the sons we had lost, so make us new places in which to dwell! ²¹ And then you will ask in your heart, Who made me a father to them? For I'm childless, widowed, and an unwelcome stranger. But these… who required me to feed them? I have been left all alone. But these… from where did I get them?'

²² 'Look, says the [great] Lord Jehovah, I'm lifting My hand to the nations, and to the islands I'll lift My sign. Then they will raise your sons to their chests, and your daughters they'll lift on their shoulders. ²³ Then their kings will serve as your [butlers], and their queens will be your wet nurses. They'll bow before you with their faces to the ground, and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am Jehovah, and those waiting for Me will never be shamed.'

²⁴ 'Can someone take loot from a giant, and will someone who's captured be saved for no ransom? ²⁵ Jehovah replies: If someone can capture a giant, he can take all the things that he owns; yes, he can safely take from the strong. But I am pleading your case, and I will rescue your sons. ²⁶ So, those who oppress you will eat their own flesh, and the new wine that they drink will be their own blood. Then they will get drunk and all flesh will see, that I am Jehovah your Savior… He who gives Jacob his strength.'

Chapter 50

¹ 'So says Jehovah: What kind divorce certificate is this, by which I sent your mother away, and whom do I owe that I've had to sell you? {Look!} You were sold because of your sins, and I sent you home to your mother, because of your lawless ways!

² 'Why, when I was here, was there no man? But when I called, no one replied.

'Is there not enough strength in My hand, to also recue you back? Am I unable to save? Look; I can scold and wipe out the sea; I can turn rivers into desolation, leaving their fish without water, and then they will die in their thirst. ³ It is I who clothes skies with darkness, and wrap them in a robe of sackcloth.'

(A Messianic Prophecy) ⁴ 'Jehovah gave me a tongue to instruct, and a knowledge of when to speak words. Morning after morning He stood there beside me, and He gave me an ear so I'd hear. ⁵ [He] opens my ears to instructions, and I don't resist or argue with Him.

⁶ 'So, my back I have given to whips; my jaws [I have given] to slaps; and to shame all those who were spitting, I did not turn my face. ⁷ For, the Lord Jehovah is my helper, and because of this, I'm not ashamed. I set my face as solid as rock, for, I know there's no way I'll be shamed; ⁸ since He who calls me righteous is coming… He by whom I am judged.

'So, which [of you] would now judge me? Let him [stand and] oppose me! Yes, who is the one that would judge me? Let him come here to me! ⁹ Look! Jehovah will come to my aid! So who can now do me harm? Look… like coats you all will grow old, and then you'll be eaten by moths.

¹⁰ 'Who of you fears Jehovah? Then let him obey His servant's voice! Let those who travel in darkness (those for whom there's no light), yield to the Name of the Lord, and lean for support upon God!

¹¹ '{Look!} You've all lit a fire and helped the flame grow, then you were [drawn] to its light… toward the very flame that you kindled! Because of me this has happened to you, and you'll spend your nights in distress!'

Chapter 51

¹ 'Listen to me, O you who'd be righteous… those who are seeking Jehovah; look to the rock that you've quarried, and into the pit of the well that you've dug! ² Look to AbraHam your father, and to SarAh who bore you. Though he was just [flesh] I once called to him… yes I loved him and blest him, and I prospered his [ways]. ³ So to you I'll give comfort, O Zion, and I will comfort your desolate places; a paradise I'll make of your desolate places; I'll make your western lands a paradise of [God]; there they'll be happy and leaping for joy… [shouting] in praise with their voices.

⁴ 'Hear me… listen me O my people; and kings, give ear to what I am saying! For, from me will come forth a Law, and my judgments will become the light of the nations. ⁵ Because my justice comes swiftly… the light of my salvation comes soon, so in my arm they will put hope. Even the islands will wait upon me, and in my arm they will hope.

⁶ 'Lift your eyes to the skies, and look to the earth underneath you! For the sky [will become filled with] smoke, and the earth (like a wrap) will grow old, then those who live there will die. But my salvation will last through the age… there's no way that my justice will fail.

⁷ 'Hear Me, O you who know justice! You're a people who have My Law in your hearts. Do not fear the scorning of men, and don't let their bad words defeat you! ⁸ For, though clothes will be eaten with time, and though moths will eat wool, my justice will last through the ages, and my salvation through generations of generations.

⁹ 'Wake up… wake up, O JeruSalem, and put on the strength of your arm! Wake up as you did in days of old, and as the generations of that age! Are you not the one that's been dug up, and being torn by the dragon? ¹⁰ And are you not her who desolates the sea… all that abundant deep water; the one who put a road through its depths, creating a ford for those being saved… ¹¹ for those whose ransom is paid?

'It's by Jehovah that they'll be returned, and then they'll come to Zion with gladness, and leap for joy through the age. Upon their heads there'll be praises, and with happiness they'll be overcome, for grief, and anguish, and moaning will have fled.

¹² 'I am… I am he who brings comfort! Know the one whom you should fear, for man and his sons have dried up like grass! ¹³ Yet, you have forgotten your Maker, God… He who created the sky, and laid the foundation of the earth! So, fear Him throughout all your days, before the rage of he who afflicts you… he who had you carried away!'

'So now; Where is the rage of the one who afflicts you? ¹⁴ When it comes to bringing salvation, I'll not stop or waste time. ¹⁵ For I am your God who shakes the seas – it's me who makes its waves roar – Jehovah of Armies is My Name. ¹⁶ I will put My words in your mouths, and keep you in the shelter of My hand. It was I who established the heavens, and I who founded the earth. And it is I who'll tell Zion, You're My people!'

¹⁷ 'Wake up… get up, O JeruSalem, the one who drank rage from the cup… [the rage which came] from the hand of Jehovah! Take the blows from that cup, for you'll drink of that cup 'til it's gone.

¹⁸ 'None offered comfort to the children that you bore… none held the hands of the sons that you raised. ¹⁹ For, all these bad things will happen to you, and who else will share in your grief? There'll be downfall, defeat, hunger, and the sword; and who will then offer you comfort? ²⁰ Your sons will all be confused, and like half-boiled beets they'll sleep in the streets… they will feel the rage of Jehovah, and before Jehovah they'll faint.

²¹ 'So, you who've been humbled should listen… yes you who are drunk, but not from the wine! ²² For, thus says [Jehovah your] God, the One who is judging His people: {Look!} I've taken the cup of blows from your hands, which is the cup of My rage, so you no longer must drink it. ²³ Then I'll put it in the hands of those wronging you… those who are humbling you… those telling your souls to bow as they pass… those who cut your belongings to the ground, and laid them outside for those passing by.'

Chapter 52

¹ 'Wake up… wake up, O Zion! O Zion, put on your strength! And you, O JeruSalem, the city so holy; put on [all of] your glory! For, the uncircumcised and unclean, will no longer be passing through you. ² So, shake off the dust and then stand! Then sit back down, O JeruSalem; and remove the shackles from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! ³ For, thus says [your God] Jehovah: Without a price you were sold, so without silver you will be ransomed.

⁴ 'Thus says Jehovah the Lord: My people went down into Egypt, to spend time in this place where they lived, and then to Assyria they were taken by force. ⁵ So, do you know why you are there?'

And then the Lord told me this: 'Since My people were taken without price, [all should] wonder and shriek! For [God] Jehovah says this: Because of you, My Name has been blasphemed, among [all other] nations. ⁶ But My people will [soon] know My Name… in that day they'll know I am He, for I who am speaking will be there.

⁷ 'As a time of beauty on the mountains… as [calmly] as feet announcing good news… as when there's a message of peace… as when there's an announcing of good things, I will bring your salvation… I'll say that your God reigns on Zion.

⁸ 'The voices of the guards will be raised, and all the voices will be glad. For, eye to eye you will see it, when Jehovah shows mercy on Zion. ⁹ So, let JeruSalem's desolate places, applaud together in joy, for Jehovah's shown mercy upon her… He has rescued JeruSalem!

¹⁰ 'Jehovah will bare His holy arm, in the presence of all the nations… to the ends of the earth all will see it… the salvation that comes from our God.

¹¹ 'Leave… leave… get out! And do not touch the thing that's unclean! Get out of its midst and stay far away, you who carry Jehovah's [sacred things]! ¹² For, when you leave there'll be no disturbance, and you will not run as you leave, because the Lord will travel before you, and the God of IsraEl will cover your rear.

¹³ '{Look!} My servant will then understand, and he'll be glorified and exalted… he'll be raised exceedingly high, ¹⁴ in a way that will bring many amazement. But men will despise his appearance, and the sons of men [will hate all] his glory. ¹⁵ But many nations will wonder about him, and [their] kings [will then cover] their mouths. For things untold they'll see about him… things they've not heard they'll perceive.'

Chapter 53

¹ O Lord; Who has trusted our report, and to whom was the arm of Jehovah revealed?

² We've announced a male child who's appeared before Him, as a root in land that is dry. He doesn't have looks, nor has he glory… we've seen him and he doesn't have beauty. ³ He appeared to be without value, and by sons of men he seemed lacking. He's a man [who was born] for disaster… one who knows how to bear illness.

He turned his face and he was dishonored; he was never considered. ⁴ It was he who carried our sins, and because of us he came to know grief. We thought of his [lot] to be misery… for calamity and ill treatment by God. ⁵ Then he was wounded because of our sins, and for our lawless deeds he was bruised.

[To bring us] peace he was disciplined, and by his stripes we've been healed. ⁶ For like sheep we have all strayed, and in his own ways man has wandered. So, he was sent by [God] for our sins; ⁷ and when evil was inflicted upon him, he did not open his mouth… he was led like a sheep to the slaughter… voiceless like a lamb before shearers, he did not open his mouth.

⁸ In humiliation his justice was taken away, for who can describe his generation… his life was lifted away from the earth… he was led to his death, for the lawless ways of My people.

⁹ Among the wicked I'll have him be buried… [in a tomb of] the rich for his death. For, he committed no lawless deeds, nor was treachery found in his mouth.

¹⁰ It was Jehovah's will to cleanse him [with stripes]. But [because he] was brought as an offering for sin, you will see long-lived seed.

¹¹ It was Jehovah's will to remove, the misery in that life with His hand, for this showed him light and shaped his understanding, and proved this righteous one just… this good one who was serving for many, so as to bear all their sins. ¹² For this reason, many he'll inherit, and he'll share his spoils with the mighty. For, his life was handed over to death, and among the lawless he was considered. The sins of many he bore… for their lawless deeds he was given to them.

Chapter 54

¹ So, be glad all you who are sterile! Yell, O you who did not give birth… O you, the one without birth pains! For, many are the children of she who is childless… [more so] than the one with a husband. For, Jehovah spoke and said this: ² 'Widen the place for your tent, and hang the hide coverings on [its walls]! Don't scrimp… take plenty of land, and then strengthen your tent pegs… ³ spread out [your tent] to the right and the left! For, your seed will inherit the nations, and in their empty cities you will live.'

⁴ Don't fear that you've been disgraced, or feel ashamed that you've been berated, for you'll soon forget all this shame, and your scorn by the widows will be forgotten. ⁵ Because, the Lord is the One who remade you… Jehovah of Armies is His Name. Yes, He is the One who is rescuing you. And at that time; IsraEl's God will be called, the God of the whole earth.

⁶ [He] called you not as a woman forsaken; not as one who's broken-hearted; nor as a woman detested since youth. For, this is what was said by your God: ⁷ 'I abandoned you for just a little while, but [now] I'll show you great mercy. ⁸ In rage I turned My face for a while, and now ages of mercy I'll show you,' said He who saves you, Jehovah.

⁹ 'This has long been My plan, since the waters fell upon Noah. And the oath that I swore toward the earth at that time, was: not to bring My rage against you again, or to send intimidation to you. ¹⁰ So, your mountains [will never] be changed; your hills will not be taken away; and My mercy upon you won't fail, nor will My Agreement for peace be removed.' That's how Jehovah spoke kindly of you.

¹¹ 'You've been humbled and confused, and you've not received any comfort. But {Look!} I've prepared garnets as your stones, and sapphires for your foundations. ¹² I'll make your parapets of jasper, give you crystal stones for your gates, and the choicest of [gems] for your doors. ¹³ Then all your sons will be taught about God, and much peace will come to your children. ¹⁴ Upon justice you will be built, far away from all the unrighteous. No more will you have to fear, and trembling will never approach you.

¹⁵ '{Look!} Because of Me, strangers will come! With you they will then stay, and they'll run to you as their refuge. ¹⁶ {Look!} I did not make you a forge blowing coals, nor have I brought you as tools to do work. For corruption or destruction I didn't make you, ¹⁷ so no weapons that they bring will succeed… you'll vanquish the voices they raise to condemn you. Yes, this is the inheritance of Jehovah's servants, for you'll be found righteous by Me,' says the Lord.

Chapter 55

¹ [You who are] thirsty, come to the water! And you without money, go buy and eat… yes, go and buy without money, even best wines and fat calves! ² Why place money over bread… your efforts into things that won't fill you? Listen to Me and eat good things… your soul will find joy in the good things! ³ So, pay close attention with your ears, and then walk in My ways!

Listen to Me and your soul will have good things! I'll proclaim an Agreement with you through the age, [which includes] the sacred things of David, and of those who are worthy of trust. ⁴ {Look!} A witness to the nations I made him… a ruler and a signal to the nations.

⁵ {Look!} Nations you don't know will call upon you… peoples you don't know will seek refuge in you, because of your God Jehovah… because of the Holy One of IsraEl, for He will have glorified you.

⁶ Search for Jehovah, and when you find Him, call upon Him so He will approach you. ⁷ Let the irreverent leave their bad ways, and lawless men all their plans! Let them return to Jehovah, then He (our God) will show mercy upon them… He'll even forgive their greatest of sins!

⁸ 'Your plans are not like My plans, and your ways are not like My ways,' says Jehovah. ⁹ 'But as far as the heavens are from the earth, is the distance between My ways and your ways, and the things that you think from My mind. ¹⁰ For, as rain and snow fall from the skies, and don't return 'til they saturate the ground, and the earth brings forth and sprouts [plants], giving seeds to the planter and bread as his food; ¹¹ so are the words that come from My mouth… to Me they won't return empty, until they complete what I've wanted. So, I'll prosper your ways in ways I see fit.

¹² Then you will travel in joy, and you will be led out in gladness. For, the mountains and hills will leap out, and receive you in favor and care, as the trees in the fields clap their tender branches. ¹³ Instead of brush piles, cypress will grow; and instead of briars, myrtles will sprout. Then the Name Jehovah will be known… it will serve as a sign through the ages, and this will not ever end.

Chapter 56

¹ Jehovah says: 'Guard right decisions and justice, for salvation from Me is now near… mercy from Me is about to be shown. ² Blest is the man who is doing these things, as well as he who's holding them [dear]; the one who is guarding the Sabbaths, so he will never profane them; and he who watches his hands, so he doesn't do what's unrighteous.'

³ Do not let the foreigner say (he who has come to be joined to the Lord): 'Jehovah has set me apart from His people.' And may the eunuch not say: 'I am just a dry tree!' ⁴ For, thus says Jehovah to eunuchs: 'To all who are keeping My Sabbaths; to all who choose to do what I want; and to all who hold to My Sacred Agreement, ⁵ I'll give something that's better than daughters and sons. From My [Temple] and famous walled [city], I'll give them a name through the ages… [a name] that will never end. ⁶ And I'll give it to those foreign peoples, who [come to] join to Jehovah; to those who will serve and love the Lord's Name, and wish to be His male and female servants; to all those keeping My Sabbaths (those who do not profane them), and those holding to My Sacred Agreement.

⁷ 'To My Holy Mountain I'll bring them, and give them joy in My House of Prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, will be accepted there on My Altar. My [Temple] will then come to be called, a House of Prayer for all nations,' ⁸ said Jehovah… He who's collecting IsraEl's scattered.

'Then to him, I'll gather a whole congregation, ⁹ where all the wild animals will come… let all beasts of the forests come and eat!

¹⁰ See how they've all been blinded… those dumb dogs who don't know how to bark… those dreaming of beds and those fond of slumber… ¹¹ those impudent dogs with unfulfilled lives, because they are wicked and don't understand… those who have followed the ways that they chose, to gain an unfair advantage. They say: ¹² Come, let's get wine and drink 'til we're drunk, and tomorrow will be better than today!'

Chapter 57

¹ See how the righteous ones perish, because none are watching over their hearts. So, the righteous men are lifted away, and no one gives it a thought… the just have been lifted away, before the face of injustice. ² And though their graves will be peaceful, they've been lifted away from your midst. ³ Then you lead before [Me] the sons [of the] lawless… the seed of adulterers and whores!

⁴ In what have you found such enjoyment? Against whom have you opened your mouth? Against whom have you slackened your tongue? Are you not the children of destruction… a seed without any honor?

⁵ Aren't you those who call upon idols, under all bushes and trees? Aren't you those who slay their own infants, between the rocks in the valleys? ⁶ Yes, this is your portion… this is your lot. For, to them you've poured out drink offerings… to them you have sacrificed. Don't such things provoke Me to rage?

⁷ You make your beds on the tops of high hills, and haul your sacrifices there… ⁸ and behind your doorposts placed [idols]. Did you think that if you left Me you'd prosper?

You've loved all those that you've gone to bed with, ⁹ for, with them you have done so much whoring, and many you've left in your [wake]. You've sent ambassadors from your borders, and for this you've been [cursed] to the place of the dead. ¹⁰ Although you've tired of your many [bad] ways, you haven't said, 'I'll turn back!' Yes, you have done all these bad things, and for this you can't come to beg before Me.

¹¹ Because you've held sacred the things that you fear, and you have even lied against Me… no you did not consider, or think of Me in your hearts! ¹² So, I will report your [in]justice, and your evils will not benefit you.

¹³ Then in your [time of] affliction, whenever you yell out [for aid], let [your idols] come and save you! For, the wind will take all these things, and a gale will blow them away. But those who choose to hold onto Me, are those who'll acquire the land, and they will inherit My Holy Mountain. ¹⁴ Then they will say, Come clear out the roads, and remove the rocks from My people's paths!'

¹⁵ Thus says the Most High in the heights, where through the ages He dwells… there in the Holiest of Holies; He who rests in the Holiest high places… Jehovah is His [great] Name; He who is patient with the meek, and to the brokenhearted gives life: ¹⁶ 'I'll not punish you [again] through the ages, nor will I always be angry with you. And from Me My Breath will then flow, for it is I who made everyone's breath.

¹⁷ 'Because of their sins I grieved them a while… I struck them and turned My face away… I grieved them and they traveled in gloom. ¹⁸ But I saw all their ways and I healed them; I gave them comfort… comfort that's true, ¹⁹ bringing peace upon peace, to those both near and far away.'

And Jehovah said: 'As the result I will heal them, ²⁰ but the unrighteous will roll like the waves, and they'll be unable to rest… ²¹ there'll be no peace for the godless,' said God.

Chapter 58

¹ 'Yell out loudly… don't hold it back! Raise your voice like a trumpet, and announce to My people their sins… to the house of Jacob their lawless ways!

² 'In that day they will seek Me, and wish to know all My ways. For they'll be a people who are righteous, and they won't abandon the justice of God.

'Even now they ask Me for righteous judgments, and they desire to come near to their God, ³ for they say: Why haven't You looked when we fasted… why didn't You notice when we humbled our souls?

'On the days that you fast, you still do as you please… you goad all those who are under your hands. ⁴ You fast [to win] lawsuits and battles, as you beat the humble with your fists. Why are you fasting to Me, in the way that you're doing today… just to hear your own voices? ⁵ I did not choose that kind of fast… fasting's a day to humble your soul. So, don't bend your neck in a hook, with sackcloth and spread ashes beneath you; because, when you call such a fast, I just will not accept it.

⁶ 'I haven't asked you to fast for such things,' says Jehovah, 'but for you to untie the bonds of injustice! Leave the perverseness of violent exchanges; send away freely those who've been wronged; and tear up your unrighteous [contracts]! ⁷ Break your bread with the hungry, and into your homes bring the homeless and poor!

'If you see someone naked, give him clothes! And concerning the seed of your family; No longer should you dislike them! ⁸ Then, the next morning, light will break through, and the things that need cures will be gone; righteousness will travel before you, and the glory of God will protect you. ⁹ When you call to Jehovah He'll listen, and while you're yet speaking, say, 'Look, I am here!'

'If you'll remove all your evil plans, then stretch out your hands and not grumble; ¹⁰ if you'll give bread to the hungry with open hearts, so the lives of the humble are filled; then your light will rise from the darkness, and your darkness will be as midday; ¹¹your God will always be with you, and your souls will be filled with all you desire.

'Like well-watered gardens your bones will grow fat, as a spring where rain never fails. ¹² Your desolate places will be rebuilt; for generations of generations their foundations will [last]; you'll be called a builder of walls, and in your roads there'll be no stones.

¹³ 'If you'll turn your feet toward the Sabbaths, and not do your will on this holy day, and call the Sabbath something delightful (something that's holy to your God); if you won't lift your foot to do work, nor let angry words flow from your mouths, ¹⁴ and just rely on Jehovah, to your land He'll send good things, to feed the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.'

From the mouth of Jehovah these things were said.

Chapter 59

¹ Is the hand of Jehovah too weak to save? Are His ears too heavy to hear? ² Your sins have brought a division, between yourselves and your God… it's because of your sins that He's turned away, so as not to show mercy upon you. ³ For, your hands are tainted with blood, and your fingers [are covered with] sins. Your lips speak about lawless things, and your tongues talk about what's unrighteous.

⁴ No one says righteous things, nor is there any true justice. They rely on what's foolish and speak empty words; to what's lawless they've given birth, and to misery they are a father. ⁵ They hatch eggs of asps and weave spider webs, but before anyone can come to eat them, a rotten egg breaks and there is a cobra.

⁶ Their webs won't be made into clothes, nor will they wear their own works, for the things that they do are all lawless.

⁷ They run to wickedness with their feet, and they're quick to shed innocent blood. For, their thoughts are all about murder, and their paths are misery and destruction. ⁸ The ways of peace they don't know, and in their ways there's no justice, because they walk twisted roads, and they do not know ways of peace. ⁹ Due to this, fairness has left them, and there's no way that justice will find them.

As they were waiting for light (as they were waiting for daylight), darkness arrived and they walked as at midnight. ¹⁰ Along the walls, like blind men they groped (they groped like men without eyes); they stumbled at noon as at midnight, then like those who were dying, they moaned… ¹¹ like a bear and a dove they traveled together.

And though we have waited for justice, salvation for us is still far away. ¹² Our lawlessness before You is great, and our sins are remaining within us. For, our lawless deeds are still in us, and we're aware of all our offences. ¹³ We have lied and been godless; we have departed from God; we've spoken unjustly and resisted persuasion; we've thought unrighteous words in our hearts; ¹⁴ we have left behind what is fair, and justice is now far away. For, truth was consumed in our ways, and we're unable to walk in straight paths… ¹⁵ truth has been lifted away, and the thoughts of the understanding have been twisted.

Jehovah saw this and He was not pleased, for nowhere could fairness be found. ¹⁶ He thought and beheld there was not a man… there was no one to bring them some help. So, with His arm He provided their defense, and in His mercy, gave them support. ¹⁷ He clothed Himself with the chest plate of justice, and put the helmet of salvation on His head. ¹⁸ In the coat of vengeance He wrapped Himself (in the robe of retribution), to bring the reward for His enemy's scorn.

¹⁹ The Name of the Lord will be feared in the west, and in the east, His honor they'll fear. For, like the rage of a river, Jehovah's anger will come. ²⁰ Then a savior will come out of Zion, who'll remove the irreverence from Jacob,' said Jehovah. ²¹ 'And this is My Agreement with them: My Breath will then come upon you, and I'll put My words in your mouths. At that time, your mouths not will fail you, nor will the mouths of your seed, from now and into the ages.'

Chapter 60

¹ Come into the light… O JeruSalem, be enlightened; for your light is shining upon you, and the glory of Jehovah has risen! ² {Look!} Darkness will cover the earth, and gloom will come over the nations! But, upon you, the Lord will appear, and on you His glory will shine. ³ Then nations will go to your light, and kings will [head toward] your brightness.

⁴ Lift your eyes and look all around, for you'll see the gathering of your children! From far-away places your sons will return, and your daughters will be carried on shoulders. ⁵ You'll see it in fear and your hearts will [skip beats]; for the wealth of the sea will then turn toward you, and to you the nations and peoples will come. ⁶ Herds of camels you'll have, for the camels of Midian, Ephah, and Sheba, will come bringing frankincense and gold, announcing good news of Jehovah's salvation. ⁷ The sheep of Cypress will be gathered to you, and the rams of NebAiOth will come also, to be offered as sacrifices on My Altar, and My House of Prayer will be glorified.

⁸ Who are these that fly by like clouds… that fly like doves with their young? ⁹ Islands have waited upon Me, and boats of TarShish are some of the first. They're returning your children from far away lands, all carrying silver and gold, for the Name Jehovah is holy, and the Holy One of IsraEl is glorious. ¹⁰ Then foreigners will rebuild all your walls, and their kings will then stand there beside you.

It was because of My rage that I struck you, and it's because of My mercy that I've loved you.

¹¹ Then your gates will be always be open (both day and night they'll never be locked), to bring in the might of the nations, with their kings in the forefront. ¹² The nations and kings who won't serve you will die; they'll be wiped away and desolation. ¹³ But to you the glory of Lebanon will come, bringing cypress, pine trees, and cedars, in order to glorify My Holy Place… and I'll glorify the Place where you stand.

¹⁴ Then the sons of those who once humbled you, will come before you in awe. And those who provoked you will then bow before you, with their heads at the soles of your feet. You'll be called the City of Jehovah… Zion the Holy Place of IsraEl.

¹⁵ Because you were detested and abandoned, and no one came to your aid, I'll make you leap for joy through the ages, and be glad for generations of generations. ¹⁶ From the milk of the nations you'll be nourished, and from the wealth of kings you will eat. Then you will know that I am Jehovah, your Rescuer and Savior… Jacob's God.

¹⁷ Then instead of bronze, I'll bring gold, and instead of iron, I'll bring silver. Instead of wood I'll bring bronze, and instead of stones I'll bring iron.

I will appoint your rulers for peace, and [appoint] your overseers for justice. ¹⁸ No more will injustice be heard in your land… no destruction or misery within your borders. For your walls will be called Salvation, and your gates will be called the Engravings.

¹⁹ Then your days won't be lit by the sun, nor will the moon light your nights. For, Jehovah will be your light through the ages… even God will serve as your glory. ²⁰ Then, on you, the sun will not set, and the moon will never subside. For, the Lord is your light through the ages, and your period of mourning will have ended.

²¹ Then all your people will be righteous, and through the ages they'll inherit the land. They will keep all the things that they plant, and the works of their hands will be their own glory. ²² The remnant will then become thousands, and the least will become a great nation; for, in time I (Jehovah) will bring them together.

Chapter 61

¹ The Breath of Jehovah is upon me; I've been anointed by Him to announce good news to the poor; ² to heal broken hearts He has sent me; to proclaim a release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; to call for a year of [God's] favor, and a day of payback to comfort the sad; ³ and in place of ashes bring glory, to those who mourn over Zion… the oil of joy to all those who [weep]… a clothing of praise for the spirit of dispair. Generations of the righteous they'll be called… a planting by Jehovah for His glory.

⁴ Then through the ages they'll build in the deserts… places that were desolate before. They'll arise and revive cities in the deserts, which have lain desolate through generations. ⁵ Then foreigners will come to shepherd your sheep… Philistines will serve as vinedressers and plowmen.

⁶ Then priests of Jehovah you will be called; they'll say you're the servants of God. You'll devour the strength of the nations, and be admired because of their wealth. ⁷ So, once again you'll inherit the land, with ages of joy over your heads.

⁸ For, I am Jehovah, He who loves justice, and detests all unrighteous seizures. So, I'll return to the righteous those things, for which they've labored so hard, and proclaim an Agreement with them through the ages. ⁹ Then their seed will be known by the nations, as will their descendants among peoples. All who see them will recognize them, for they are a seed blest by God. ¹⁰ And they will find joy in the Lord.

May my soul shout in praise to Jehovah, for He's wrapped me in the robe of salvation, and an inner garment of joy! As a groom, He's placed a turban on my [head], and as a bride, adorned me with jewelry.

¹¹ Just as the earth grows its flowers, and as seeds in a garden put out sprouts, the Lord Jehovah will raise righteousness, and jumping for joy before all the nations.

Chapter 62

¹ On account of Zion I'll not stay silent, and because of JeruSalem I'll spare none, until my justice goes forth like the light, and my salvation burns like a lamp. ² Then the nations will look at your justice, and their kings will see all your glory.

Then He'll call you by your new name… a name to be assigned by the mouth of the Lord. ³ Then you'll be a crown in [His] hand… a royal turban of the kingdom in the hand of your God.

⁴ Then you'll not be called the Forsaken, and your land won't be called Desolation. For, you will be called My Will, and your land will be called Being Lived In, because Jehovah found pleasure in you, together you'll live in your land.

⁵ As a young man joins with a virgin, so your sons will then live among you. For, you'll be as happy as a groom with his bride… and that's how Jehovah will find joy in you.

⁶ O JeruSalem; I will put guards on your walls, who through day and night won't stay silent… through the end they will speak of Jehovah. ⁷ And to you there'll be no other like Him, for He will set matters straight, and He'll make JeruSalem a place of dancing on the earth.

⁸ Jehovah swore by His right hand, and by the strength of His arm: 'I won't give enemies your food or your grain, nor will foreigner's sons drink your wine. ⁹ But those who do the picking will eat it, and they will then praise Jehovah; and those who are gathering [the grapes], will drink [the wine] in My Holy estates.'

¹⁰ Now, go through My gates and open the way for My people! Remove the stones from the roads, and raise the recognized sign to the nations; ¹¹ for, {Look!} Jehovah made this heard to the ends of the earth: 'Say to the daughter of Zion, Look, the savior has come; and before his face is his work and reward!'

¹² Then He'll call them a most holy people (those being ransomed by [God]), but you will be called The City We've Looked For, and no longer The One That's Abandoned.

Chapter 63

¹ Who is this; the one that's coming out of Edom… from BozRah wearing clothes with red stains… this beautiful one with the strong arm?

'I have [come to bring] justice, and [to plead] the case of salvation.'

² But why are you wearing red clothes, which appear as though you've been treading a wine vat?

³ 'I'm covered with things I've trampled, and no man of the nations is with me, for I've trampled them all in my rage. I broke them up [like breaking] the ground, and poured their blood out on the earth; so all my clothes are defiled. ⁴ For, a day of payback has come upon them, and the year of ransom is at hand. ⁵ I searched and found none to aid me; I paid attention and no one would help. So, I brought salvation with my mighty arm, and attended to it in my rage. ⁶ I trampled them down in my anger, and led their blood into the ground!'

⁷ I've thought about the mercy of [God], and all the virtues of His retribution, [and I've found that His] judgment upon IsraEl is just, for what He brings on us is justice and mercy. ⁸ He said, 'My children must all respect Me.' Then, from oppression He saved them… not an envoy or angel, Himself!

⁹ Because He loved them He saved them… He spared them and [paid] their ransom. But though He took them and raised them, through all the days of that age, ¹⁰ they refused to listen to Him, and His Holy Breath they provoked. So, the Lord turned against them in hatred, and then He waged war against them. ¹¹ But He thought of the days of their ages, and from the ground He then raised one, who would shepherd His sheep.

¹² Where is this one who poured [God's] Breath on them… he who led Moses with His right hand… he with the glorious arm? Before [Moses} he conquered the waters, and made a name for himself through the ages. ¹³ Through the deep [sea] he led them, and like horses, they didn't tire out in the desert. ¹⁴ Then, as though they were cattle, [they moved on through] the plains, while Jehovah's Breath descended to guide them.

That is how you've led your people, to make a glorious name for yourself. ¹⁵ So now, turn from the heavens… look down from your holiness and glory! Where is your zeal and your strength? Where is your mercy and compassion, which you've been withholding from us? ¹⁶ Our father you've now become; for, AbraHam wouldn't know us, nor would IsraEl recognize us. So, O Lord, please come to our aid, for you are have become our [true] father!

¹⁷ From ancient times [God's] Name has been on us, so why did He let us stray from His ways? Why have You hardened our hearts not to fear You? Please return because of Your servants… because we're the tribes that You chose by lot, ¹⁸ and so we might inherit Your Holy Mountain.

Our enemies have trampled on Your Holy Place, ¹⁹ and we have become as we were long ago… a time when You didn't rule us, and we were not called by Your Name.

Chapter 64

¹ If You should choose to open the sky, the mountains would tremble and melt, as though they were beeswax in fire. ² So, a fire will incinerate our enemies, and Your Name will then shine among [them]… before You the nations will quiver. ³ For, whenever You do Your honorable deeds, trembling takes hold of the mountains.

⁴ Through the ages no one has heard, nor have eyes seen a God beside You, or the deeds that You do, on behalf of those awaiting [Your] mercy.

⁵ He will meet with the righteous, and their [righteous] ways [He'll] remember. {Look!} But you have sinned and provoked Him to rage, and because of this we must wander. ⁶ For, we've set aside what is righteous, as a rag that's used for menstruation. In our lawless ways we have fallen like leaves, and the wind will blow us away; ⁷ since, no one calls on Your Name, nor do any remember to take hold of You. So Your face You've now turned away, and You've handed us over because of our sins.

⁸ And now, O Jehovah; You are our only [true] Father, and we are just [clay]… the works of Your hands. ⁹ So, [please] don't stay angry with us… don't remember our sins for a long time!

Now, O Jehovah, look down upon us, because we are your people! ¹⁰ Your Holy City, Zion, has become a desolation, and JeruSalem has been cursed with destruction. ¹¹ The [Temple] and the Holy Place of glory, by which our fathers were blest, is scorched and its honorable things are thrown down. ¹² All of this You've endured, O Lord… You've kept silent and humbled us much.

Chapter 65

¹ 'I was seen by those not searching for Me; I was found by those not asking for Me. And I said Here I am to a nation, that had never called on My Name. ² For, I'd held out My hands all day long, to a people who just will not listen, and to those who talk back… those who've not followed in good ways, but who keep on [walking] in sin. ³ They stand before Me and always provoke Me… they sacrifice in their gardens, and burn incense on bricks before demons; ⁴ they sleep in tombs and in caves to have dreams, and they eat meat of pigs, then [offer their] broth as sacrifices to Me. So, all that [they offer] is tainted, ⁵ but then they say, Stay away! Don't approach, for I'm clean!

'This is the smoke of My rage… it's a fire that burns through the days. ⁶ {Look} It's written that here in My presence, I won't stay silent until I've repaid; I'll [rake] all their sins onto their chests, ⁷ as well as the sins of their fathers,' says Jehovah. 'Upon all who burned incense on mountains, and spoke ill of Me in the hills, I'll [heap] their [bad] deeds on their chests!'

⁸ Jehovah says: 'When they find seeds in grape clusters they say: Don't throw them away, for they'll bring good luck! And that's what I'll do with My servants… that's what I'll do, so I don't destroy all. ⁹ From Jacob and Judah I'll pick out one seed, and He will inherit My Holy Mountain… he will inherit My elected, and they will live with him there. ¹⁰ Then flocks will live in their groves, and there in the Valley of Achor, My people's herds will find rest… those who are searching for Me.

¹¹ 'But you are the ones who have left Me… those who My Holy Mountain have forgotten… those preparing a table for demons, and mixing [potions] for good luck. ¹² So, to the sword I will give you, and you will fall in the slaughter; for, I called to you, but you wouldn't hear… I spoke and you paid no attention; you kept doing what's wicked before Me, and the things I didn't want are the things that you chose.

¹³ 'And because of this,' says Jehovah, '{Look!} Those who serve Me will eat, but you in turn will go hungry. {Look!} All My servants will drink, but you in turn will be thirsty. {Look!} Those serving Me will be happy, but you will just be ashamed. ¹⁴ {Look!} Those serving Me will cry out in joy, but you'll cry out in misery of heart, and you'll shriek for the destruction of your lives.

¹⁵ 'The name that you're leaving behind, to My elected ones will be just a glut, so the Lord will do away with you all. Then I'll give a new name to all those who serve Me, ¹⁶ which will be praised throughout the whole earth. For, they will praise the true God, and those who swear oaths on the earth, will swear by the [only] true God. Then they will forget the trials they endured… such things won't come into their hearts.

¹⁷ 'For, a new earth and new sky there will be, and no more will they remember past things, nor will any of it come into their hearts. ¹⁸ Then all will be leaping for joy, in the happiness that they will find there!

'{Look!} I'll make JeruSalem a leaping for joy, over the happiness of My people. ¹⁹ And about JeruSalem I'll shout in praise, and be happy along with My people. No more will there be sounds of weeping, or the sounds of crying among them. ²⁰ No way will there be a miscarriage, or old men who don't live out their time. For, a man will be young at a hundred years old, and the sinner will die cursed at a hundred.

²¹ 'Then they will build houses and live there; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit, and they will drink their own wine. ²² There's no way that they'll build for others, and no way will they plant for others to eat.

'Then the days of My people will be, as the days of a tree; and things they make with their hands will grow old.

²³ 'My elected won't labor for nothing, nor will they produce children for a curse; since their seed and all their descendants, will then be blessings from God. ²⁴ Before they call I will hear them, and when they speak, I'll be asking, What is it?

²⁵ 'Then wolves and lambs together will graze, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The snake will eat the ground as its bread, and they will not harm or destroy, on My Holy Mountain,' says Jehovah.

Chapter 66

¹ Jehovah said: 'The heavens are My Throne and the earth is My footstool, so what kind of House can you build Me… what kind of place [can you build] for My rest? ² For, I made all of this with My hand, so these things are [already] Mine!'

Then Jehovah said: 'Upon whom will I look [in favor]? Just on the humble and unassuming… those who tremble at My words. ³ But a calf that is offered to Me by the lawless, [I view as] the slaps of a man… their sacrifice [of a sheep] from the flock, is as one who has slaughtered a dog. [I view] their offerings of fine flour, as the blood of a pig… and their offerings of frankincense in remembrance, as one who is blaspheming Me.

'They each have chosen their own ways, and what their souls choose is disgusting. ⁴ So I will choose how to mock them, and I'll pay them back for their sins. For I called out to them and they didn't hear… I spoke and they wouldn't listen. They've acted wickedly before Me, and chose the things that I didn't want.'

⁵ Hear the word of Jehovah, O you who tremble at His voice! Tell your brothers who hate and detest you, that they should give glory to the Name of the Lord, and [that Name] should be looked on in gladness… but they will just be ashamed!

⁶ The sound of a voice now cries from the city… a voice [that comes] from the Temple… it is the voice of Jehovah, and it's about [His bringing] of retribution: ⁷ 'Before her labor to give birth, and before the misery of birth pangs, she fled and gave birth to a male… ⁸ why, who's ever heard such a thing… who's seen anything like it… has the earth given birth in a day… has a nation given birth all at once, as Zion has labored and her children were born?'

⁹ Jehovah said: 'I told them what to expect, but they failed to remember [My words]. For, {Look!} I made the one who gives birth, as well as the one who is sterile.'

And your God says: ¹⁰ 'So, O JeruSalem, be glad… declare a celebration, all you who love her. Celebrate in joy, all you who live there… yes all of you who have mourned her! ¹¹ For, you can now nurse and be filled, with the comfort that comes from her breasts… by sucking you too may indulge, when her glory is shown.'

¹² Jehovah said: '{Look!} Toward them I'll divert a river of peace, and with the glory of the nations they'll be covered. ¹³ Their children will be carried on shoulders, and they'll be comforted on knees, ¹³ as any [good] mother gives comfort. And that's how I'll comfort you… for JeruSalem; you will find comfort. ¹⁴ You'll see it and rejoice in your heart and your bones… as in a pasture I'll raise you. It'll be seen as coming from the hand of the Lord, by all of those fearing Him… and He will threaten all those, who would resist His persuasion.'

¹⁵ For, {Look!} Jehovah will come like a fire… as a blast from his chariot wheels in His rage, to pay back and punish in flames, all those who've rejected [Him] in contempt. ¹⁶ By the fire of the Lord the earth will be judged, and all flesh [will be judged] by his broadsword. Many will be slain by the Lord… ¹⁷ those who sought cleansing in their gardens, and those who ate pork on their thresholds (the disgusting things and the mouse)… together they'll all be consumed,' said Jehovah.

¹⁸ 'I know their works and their ways, and I've come to gather all nations and tongues. To see My glory they'll gather, ¹⁹ and I will leave a sign upon them.

'I'll return all those who were given to the nations… to TarShish, Pul, Lud, and MeShach; to Tubal, Greece, and the islands… those far away who've not heard of My Name, and those who've not seen My glory. They'll announce My glory to the nations, ²⁰ and then as a gift to the Lord, I'll return your brothers from the nations, along with horses and wagons, and royal chariots with awnings drawn by mules.'

And Jehovah said: 'Then the sons of IsraEl will sacrifice to Me, with songs in the [Temple] of Jehovah. ²¹ And I'll choose Levites and Priests from among them,' said Jehovah. ²² For, just as a new earth and sky, which I will make are waiting before Me,' says Jehovah, 'so I will establish your seed and your name. ²³ Then in JeruSalem; from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will come and bow before Me,' said Jehovah.

²⁴ 'They'll go out and see the bodies of men (those who rebelled against Me), whose worms won't come to an end, and whose fire will not be extinguished… they'll be a sight for all flesh [to see].'

Notes

Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the Wikipedia definition Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus' promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn't used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as EzekiEl 18:4 says, 'The person (gr. psyche or soul) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).'

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of 'My Soul' in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a 'soul' as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn't talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life or His person.

Then there are Jesus' words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, 'Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but can't kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.' Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn't referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of non-living creation divided into just three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (or the waters) and rivers.

Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can't be found. So, Genesis 1:1 is literally translated herein as, 'In the beginning, The God created the skies and the lands.' This is very accurate, because it was man's view of creation from the earth. There was just the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. He had no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men had never seen the earth as a globe in space, as most of us have done today. However, because of these distinctions that we are aware of, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text. And as you will see, something as simple as selecting another synonym can give us a quite different view of the meanings of some common verses.

The Greek word ourano(n), for example, can be correctly translated as heaven, heavens, sky, and skies, depending on the context and tense. But if the translator should choose the wrong word, people will reach very different (and often wrong) conclusions, because of the nuances implied in English.

Likewise, the Greek words ge, ges, and gen can be translated as earth, earths, ground, grounds, land, or lands, depending on the context and tense. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, 'The thing that they don't want to understand is this: That the ancient skies and land were out of the water, but (in obedience to God's instructions) they stood together between the waters.' (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge, ges, and gen, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the 'skies and land' were located 'between the water.' So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the 'heavens and earth,' the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the skies.

The same is true of the famous words of Jesus at Matthew 5:5, which read in Greek: 'Makarioi oi praeis hoti outoi kleronomesousin ten gen,' or, Blest the gentle for they will/inherit the (earth, ground, or land).' Notice that in some Bibles Jesus is recorded as saying, 'The meek will inherit the earth;' while in others he said, 'The meek will inherit the land.' Do you see the difference in nuances implied here? Yet, both word choices are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. tas thalassan), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassan and rivers are called potamos (or 'flowing'). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water; 'The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.'

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, whIch we have translated as saying, 'Then I saw new skies and new lands, because the previous sky and land had disappeared, as did the sea.' So, did John see 'a new heavens and a new earth,' as some translate his words, or did he see 'new skies and new lands,' as we have quoted him? The Greek words that are used in the beginning of this verse are both in the plural tense, but in the singular tense in the latter half of the verse. So, what John says that he saw was 'new skies and new lands' which took the place of the old 'sky, land, and sea' that had just disappeared before him (he didn't see the globe and the realm of God disappear).

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken away in a celestial chariot; most people think he was taken (as their Bibles put it) 'to heaven,' where he went to live with God. This isn't true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into 'the sky' (the proper translation here), where he was then sent to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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Hades: Hell or the Grave?

The Greek word Hades (the Greeks pronounced it hah-dess) has been translated both as Hell (which many today think of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can't mean two very different things, which translation is correct?

Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop and creep into Christianity, the later-day Greek view of Hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?

An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained from looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (the 'Old Testament' Bible of Jesus' day). There, the Hebrew word Sheol is translated into Greek as Hades in every instance; yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).

Another revealing application of the word Hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, 'The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.'

So, notice that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (Hades) and in other places (thanatos). Therefore, Hades is better translated as grave, and even better translated as the place of the dead.

In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian-era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found twice. That Greek word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information on this and other words that are translated as Hell, see the linked document, Is There a Burning Hell?

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Blest or Happy?

There is quite a debate as to whether the Greek word makarios found in many places throughout the Bible should be translated as blessed or happy.

Notice that we have chosen to translate it as blest, which is an older spelling of the word blessed, to get rid the affected pronunciation that was likely introduced by early preachers (bless-ed).

According to Zodhiates' Complete Word Study Dictionary, the word should never translated as happy, because happy is derived from the words happen, happening, or happenstance (luck). His reasoning (which we agree with) is that, when someone suffers for the sake of righteous principles, his/her reward isn't just happiness (which can come from any source of good luck or fortune), but rather, it is a joy that comes from gaining a better relationship with God.

In other words, there is no exact word in English to use here, but blest seems to be a closer alternative than happy.

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Jealousy and Zeal

At Psalm 37:8 we read, 'Stop being angry and abandon your rage. Don't allow zeal to make you act wicked' (yes, we know, the word should be wickedly, but this is poetic license). However, those words could also be translated as, 'Do not allow jealously to cause you to act wickedly,' because the Greek word zelos can either be translated as zealous or as jealous, depending on the circumstances, for both words mean the same thing. Yet, the two words imply different things in English.

Zeal is usually thought of as something good… something that all Christians should have, as in zeal for God and righteousness. And jealously is thought of as something bad… as wanting something that belongs to someone else. Yet, God may be spoken of as being jealous over His Name and His position as God, so jealously isn't always a bad thing. And we can have zeal for things that are ours and we are proud of (which is not bad), and be jealous for things that belong to others (which is bad). So, the same Greek word (zelos) may be correctly translated as zeal in one place, and as jealously in another, depending on the context.

Then, is it proper for a man to be jealous of his wife, or for a wife to be jealous of her husband? No, we should never be jealous of each other, but rather, for each other. We shouldn't want what the other has, but we should have a burning zeal for each other. So, if one has good reason to worry about losing the love of the other, that is zeal. However, if such concern is baseless, that is wicked suspicion, not jealously.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus alone as having it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God's Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos, which is used throughout the Bible in various conjugated forms and is often translated as eternal and forever, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age or era.

Where the singular form (aionos) is used, this appears to mean a period such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the plural form of the word (aiōnōn) is used, it refers to a longer time… at least multiple generations. Also, where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can't mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus' Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: 'Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?' Notice that aionos is also translated as world here in many Bibles, such as the KJ, and as system of things in other Bibles, such as the NWT. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those things, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or arrangement), not aionos.

You can see that aionos obviously doesn't mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age, or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God's Temple in JeruSalem would be destroyed, because that's what Jesus was explaining to them.

Yet, there are instances when some forms of the word could imply forever, such as when we find it in the form aiōniŏn. This is an adjective in the singular case, which, when combined with the Greek word zoe (in its various forms) is usually translated in other Bibles as everlasting life. However, that isn't a totally-accurate description.

In the past, we had tried to reconcile the words zoe aiōniŏn as meaning, life in the age. However, the word age in this instance would not be an adjective, so we have recently chosen, in most cases where we find this word combination, to translate them more accurately as age-long life, which we will agree could mean everlasting life.

For more information, see the linked Scriptural Commentary, Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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Breath

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

In the Bible, the most common use of the word pneuma is to convey the idea of a force that can't be seen, such as breath or wind. And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost, is that those words have been given religious meanings that aren't implied by the Greek texts.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as 'spirits.' Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God's Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God's] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, 'Breath of Life.' This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It's the unseen force of life for all creatures… it's what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the 'pneuma' as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) 'return to God' at death,' because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God's Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, 'Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?' As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God's Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3, God said concerning the wicked people on earth before the Downpour: 'I won't allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.' In Greek that reads, 'Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,' or, 'Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.'

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God's Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though what God was saying here, is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as 'My Breath,' there may be a link implied between God's Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, 'The Powers of God's Holy Spirit.'

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), 'he hung his head and gave up the breath' (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to 'the breath of life,' or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Why the Name Changes?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we've started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiAh, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

Of course, the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] JehovAH, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. Yet, there are other names (such as EliJah), where the IEs have been changed to Js.

So, why have translators substituted a capital 'J' for the letters 'Ie' in both of the above cases? Well, there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter 'J' in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, the letters were changed to coincide with the common English pronunciations of these names. Unfortunately though, this process wasn't followed consistently by ancient translators; so while some names are spelled with a J, many others are still spelled with an Ie or Iah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is 'El' (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped), should actually be pronounced Elee-ehzer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to 'the Lord' or 'the God.' Also, the prefixes 'Ben' and 'Bar' mean 'the son of.' 'Beth' means 'the house of,' 'Beer' refers to a 'well,' 'Is' or 'Ish' means 'Man,' etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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The Day of the Lord

Throughout the Bible, we find references to 'the Day of Jehovah,' and 'the Day of the Lord' (Jesus). Are both of these references to the same time, and if so, how do we know?

There is no conflict between the two Days; in fact, they appear to be the same. Notice what we are told in the Revelation, when it is speaking of the beginning of that Day (at Revelation 12:10), 'Now it has come to pass; the salvation, the power, the Kingdom of our God, and the empowerment of His Anointed One!'

As you can see, the purposes of that Day are tied together. For, the establishment of God's Kingdom (with the battle in heaven and the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers) and the empowerment for Jesus (the Lord) to begin his rule, appear to begin at the same time.

So, does the Lord's Day begin when the things spoken of in the Revelation start to happen? It appears to be so, because it starts out with John's words (at Revelation 1:10), 'Through the Breath [of God] I found myself in the Lord's Day.'

What are some of the features of that Day? Well, they appear to start with the ouster of the Opposer and his messengers from heaven (See Revelation 12), which is followed by the destruction of 'The Great Babylon' (See Revelation 17, 18). Then in rapid succession there comes the 'marriage of the Lamb,' the Battle of Armageddon, tossing the Opposer and his messengers into the abyss, and the resurrection (see Revelation 19, 20). And finally, the Opposer is released for a short time, which precipitates the battle against Gog of Magog , and is thereafter followed by the descent of 'New JeruSalem' to the earth and the making of the 'new earth and sky' (see Revelation 21).

Also, in the prophecy found at Joel 2:1-12, 'the Day of the Lord' appears to start with the destruction of JeruSalem by worldly armies, and this is followed by the destruction of the worldly armies (see Joel Chapter Three). Then, in between these two events, we read of the marvelous outpouring of God's Breath upon His faithful servants (Joel 2:28-32).

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Demons

2 Peter 2:4 speaks of 'messengers' or 'angels' who were put into 'Tartarus' for bad acts they committed during the time of Noah. Genesis 6:3 speaks of these as 'sons of God' (gr. uioi tou Theou) and it tells of their coming to earth to marry 'the daughters of men' (gr. thygateras ton anthropon). However, these 'sons of God' don't appear to be quite the same as the 'messengers' who are to be thrown out of heaven during 'the Lord's Day,' mentioned at Revelation 12:7-9. Since the 'sons of God' who came to earth and assumed human bodies in Noah's day couldn't be destroyed by the downpour (flood) and they had forsaken heaven, they were apparently put into a prison-like state here on the earth, where they are no longer able to roam. This group is specifically referred to as the demons in the Bible.

It is interesting that; except among modern materialistic and scientific societies, demons are recognized as real throughout the world by almost all of its religions. And such universal acknowledgement by diverse peoples with no cultural ties, is one of the strongest arguments for their existence.

Demon is a Greek word that seems to be derived from diameno, which means, fixed in one place. From other Bible accounts about demons, it appears as though this 'fixing in one place' means that they must be associated with either living or non-living things, which is referred to as 'possession.'

At Acts 17:18 the Epicureans and Stoic Philosophers of Greece asked about Paul's teaching a 'foreign demon.' And although most translations render his words as 'foreign god,' they truly said 'demon' (gr. daimonion). This is also true of Paul's reply found at Acts 17:22, 'Men of Athens; I see that you have a greater fear of the demons than do others.'

The reason why this term was used is obvious: The many pagan idols and Gods of Athens, although made of metal and stone, had the backing of demons. And the people recognized the power that was given to these lifeless objects through 'possession' by their gods.

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Satan, Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub

It is appropriate that the heavenly name of the great Opposer and Slanderer of God is never given in the Bible. However, several terms (and one mistakenly) have been used to describe him. Here is a list of those descriptions:

· Satan: This is a Hebrew word meaning, opposer, resistor, and a wily person who does things just to serve his own interests. It was applied to the Evil One, because of his opposition to God. And so, to keep from misleading people into thinking of Satan as a name, it is translated as 'the Opposer' herein.

· Devil: This is the only Greek word (Diabolos) used in the Bible to describe the evil one. The first part of the word, dia, means through, and bolos means throw (it's where we get the English words ball and bowl). So, Devil means one who throws through, which amounts to being a slanderer (using the Greek colloquialism), so that's the way it's translated herein.

· Lucifer: Lucifer is commonly thought of as another name for the Biblical Opposer. However, this word doesn't appear as a name in most translations of the Bible. It does appear once in the King James Version, at Isaiah 14:12, in which the King of Babylon is referred to as Lucifer, Son of the Morning. However, the original Hebrew words were: Helel ben Shahar or, Day/star, son/of the/dawn. So, there is no direct link in the Bible between the entity known in Hebrew as Satan to Lucifer. Changing the description day star son of the dawn into a name (Lucifer) was done by Augustine, when he was translating the text in IsaiAh from the original Hebrew into Latin.

· BeelZebub: There are eight references in the Bible to this Hebrew noun, and it does refer to the Slanderer. However, once again, this is not a proper name. It appears to be a title. Beel (like Baal) means Lord, and Zebub appears to refer to flies (the insects). So, BeelZebub likely means Lord of Flies.

Is the Opposer (Slanderer or BeelZebub) a real person? All one has to do is look at the titles he was given above to realize that he is. To deny his existence negates the rest of the Bible. For example, when dealing with Adam's sin, why did God adhere so closely to a law, when other options were available to Him? Why didn't he just destroy rebellious Adam and create another man?

The fact is, He created men and His spirit sons (messengers or angels with the ability to choose whether to serve Him or not; so none are automatons. And as a man failed in the Paradise of Pleasure, we can assume (and as the Scriptures support) that there were failures (and rebels) in the heavens also. This is the reason why it became necessary to have a law that clearly outlined what rebellion against God constituted, and what the consequences for violating that law would be. It was obviously for the sake of the millions of millions of heavenly spirit (breath) creatures that the issue of rebellion here on the earth had to be resolved by legal means, and in a way that demonstrated the love and loyalty of God's first-born son, which resulted in the painful need for a 'ransom' (Jesus' death).

The idea (which some religions have promoted) that the Slanderer isn't real, but only a state of mind, creates some conundrums. For example:

· When Jesus was being tempted in the desert, was he simply struggling with the bad within himself rather than against a real, evil personality? If so, we would have to conclude that there was bad in Jesus.

· Is the battle in heaven that is spoken of at Revelation the Twelfth Chapter to be just figurative, and not a real war against the Opposer and his messengers? If so, then in what sense would 'the Opposer' and his 'messengers' lose the battle and be confined to the earth? Also, why would this entity, if just internal evil be 'angry' in knowing that he just has 'a short period of time left?'

· And lastly, when the Opposer entered God's presence and spoke to Him (as spoken of in Job the First Chapter), could we assume that this inherent evil was found in God? That isn't likely.

However, there is some question as to the use of the Greek word Diabolos found at 1 Chronicles 21:1 (in the Greek Septuagint), where 'a slanderer' had urged King David to take a census of Israel. Since Diabolos is a Greek word and First Chronicles was written in Hebrew, we would assume that Diabolos (Slanderer) was substituted for the Hebrew word Satan (Opposer) when the Bible was first translated into Greek. But the text seems to imply that a slanderer, not the Slanderer, had come to David. So, we don't really know if the text implies that the Evil One came to him personally, if it was just an evil spirit that came over or to him, or if some bad human had urged David to defy God and take a census of IsraEl.

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Tarshish, Spain or Carthage?

When looking up the name of the land called Tarshish, we found that one noted reference says: 'Most scholars associate Tarshish with Spain, based on ancient references to a place or region in Spain called Tartessus by Greek and Roman writers… ' And this could be true. However, the Jewish translators of the 3rd Century B.C.E. say that the place spoken of in Isaiah 23 (specifically) wasn't Spain (as other Bibles indicate), but Carthage, a major ancient city along the Mediterranean Sea in the Bay of Tunis, about 100 miles SW of Sicily. And this appears to be more in line with the words of the prophecy; for Isaiah 23:1 then says, 'Shriek O boats of Carthage, for [Tyre] has perished.'

Since people from Tyre originally populated Carthage, it is logical that they would be the ones to shriek its destruction.

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Dragon

That the Bible speaks about what is translated as dragons several times, raises some interesting questions. The dragon (although supposedly a mythical animal) is one of the world's most widely recognized creatures. It is highly regarded in the Buddhist religion and is seen in ancient religious carvings from around the world. This testifies that people have believed in the existence of dragons for as far back as human records go. Why?

Note that dragons are thought of as animals with the bodies of snakes (gr. orphis), but they also have feet and legs. However, other Bible references seem to imply that the ancient use of the term dragon (gr. drakonta) and its apparent Hebrew counterparts, leviathan or behemoth, described any sort of fearsome wild beast.

What was the dragon? Revelation 12:9 tells us, when it says, 'So, the huge dragon was thrown out. He is the first snake, the one who is called the Slanderer and Opposer, who is misleading the whole earth.'

So from the above, we see that this vision in Revelation identifies the dragon as 'the Opposer' and 'the Slanderer,' and it says that he was the first snake, the one who seduced Eve in the 'Paradise of Delights' (see Genesis 3:2).

The fact that the dragon is viewed as a snake with legs in religious legends throughout the world, testifies to the fact that people everywhere once believed in the Bible account in Genesis, and they also believed that when God cursed the snake to 'travel on its chest and belly,' it lost its legs.

It is interesting that dragons are also part of the folklore of Europe, for who hasn't heard the story of St. George and the dragon. Yet, if you read that story, you'll see that it is actually an allegory about man's fight against sin and the Slanderer. So in that case, it refers to the original dragon, or the first creature of terror.

Notice that faithful Job asked God (at Job 7:12), 'Am I the sea or the dragon that guards it?' This view that a dragon guarded the edges of the seas was common throughout Europe until after the Sixteenth Century, for dragons were usually drawn at the edges of maps of seas during that time. Yet, the actual original reference may have been to animals and fish that men feared and didn't understand (fearsome beasts), not to snakes with legs.

However, notice how vividly Job described the Slanderer as the dragon at Job 26:12, 13, where we read, 'By His strength He has settled the sea in its bed, and in His wisdom He's filled it with whales. The bolts from the skies stand in awe, and He's ordered the death of the dragon that rebelled.'

We find a whole Chapter in Job (Chapter 41) that is obviously a description of the evil one, but has gone mistranslated for centuries, simply because its meaning has been misunderstood. Other Bibles speak of a leviathan or a behemoth here, and some of a crocodile. However, in the Septuagint, we find no name at all or any explanation, leaving us to guess what is being described.

It is unusual that some translators have thought that this creature was a crocodile, for crocodile is a Greek word that is easily recognized, since it is spelled almost the same as in English. There is one place where that word is found in the Law of Moses, at Leviticus 11:25, when listing animals that shouldn't be eaten, and in that place, most Bibles also translate the word crocodile wrong.

Yet, if you read the text of Job 41, you'll see an obvious reference to a fire-breathing dragon. For notice how verses 18-21 describe it: 'His sneezing brings about brightness, and his eyes are like the morning star. From out of his mouth comes burning lamps, like the scattered grates of a fire. From out of his nostrils comes the smoke of a furnace, burning with the fire from coals. His life is much like live coals, and flames shoot from his mouth.'

At this point, critics could say the Bible was talking about a mythical dragon, and others would say that God is describing a wild ox. Yet, notice the further description in verses 31, 32: 'He breaks from the abyss as though a brass cauldron; he thinks of the sea as his own ointment jar, and the abyss of Tartarus as his captive. For, to him the abyss just a promenade.'

If you examine these verses, you'll see that God is using cryptic text to explain to Job just who is to blame for his problems. Yet, the word Tartarus (the place where evil gods are sent) isn't found again in the Bible until the reference at 2 Peter 2:4, and the only mention of his coming out of his prison (pit or abyss) is found at Revelation 20:7.

Clearly, this second-to-the-last Chapter in Job, as in any good writing, brings back into play all the characters that the book started with.

Then, why did Jewish scribes and translators have so much trouble understanding this Chapter, so that there are obvious deletions? There are four likely reasons:

· They didn't believe in fire-breathing dragons

· They didn't know that the Slanderer was the dragon

· They didn't know of the Slanderer's position in Tartarus or the pit

· A correct understanding would have linked the Book of Job to the Scriptures of the Christian era.

It is interesting that we again find mention of a dragon at Isaiah 27:1, where we read: 'In that day, God will bring His great, holy, and strong sword against the dragon – the crooked and fleeing snake – and He will do away with the dragon, the one in the sea.' This is an obvious reference to the destruction of the same dragon mentioned at Revelation 12:9 above, but it goes unnoticed in Hebrew texts, where the word leviathan is once more misunderstood. Of course, the word dragon is of Greek origin, so its use came after the Hebrew text was written; and regardless of popular (mis)conceptions, leviathan is probably its Hebrew equivalent.

What is particularly interesting about this scripture, is that it speaks of the dragon from the sea in the same words as found at EzekiEl 32:2, where the reference is obviously to the land of Egypt and to its destruction. And you will also find references to the land of Egypt in this song (Isaiah Chapters 26 and 27). However, notice that the song seems to speak of some future time when God's people (IsraEl) are released from a symbolic Egypt at Armageddon, for notice the words of the prophecy (Isaiah 26:19-21), which say:

'We will not fall, though others will fall,
But the dead will be raised from their tombs.
Then all on the earth will be joyful,
For, as dew You'll send them a cure,
While the lands of the godless will fall.

'Proceed, O my people, to enter your bedrooms…
Go inside and lock your doors,
Then hide in there for a while!
Because this will happen, then that;
And the rage of Jehovah will pass.

'{Look!} From His Holy Place Jehovah sends rage,
Upon those who live in the land.
Then the ground won't cover all of the blood,
Nor [the bodies] of those He destroys.'

So, Egypt seems to be used here as a symbol of the godless nations that are destroyed in the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16) and the dragon that represents them, appears to be the Opposer.

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Cosmos or World?

In Jesus' discussion about the sheep and goats, found at Matthew 25:34, he said, 'Then the king will tell those on his right, Come, you who've been praised by my Father, inherit the Kingdom that's been prepared for you from the founding of the arrangement.'

In Greek, the words we have translated as founding of the arrangement are katabole kosmou. You may recognize that the English word cosmos is a derivative of kosmou. And cosmos is the word that modern peoples usually use when referring to the universe today. So, why have we translated it as arrangement, and what is meant by the term, founding of the arrangement?

Actually, the closest English meaning of Greek word kosmos is arrangement. For example, when Paul urged Christian women to dress modestly, he used the word kosmos to describe well-arranged clothing. However, in other Bibles kosmos is usually translated as world.

Although it has been said that the word world doesn't appear at all in the Hebrew texts of the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT), the word kosmos does appear there several times in the Greek Septuagint. The reason why some say that world (or kosmos) doesn't appear there, is because the equivalent Hebrew word (te·vel) is often translated (in different Bibles and in different places) as arrangement, ornamentation, honor, delight, universe, earth, army, etc. Yet, in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), where kosmos appears several times, it is usually translated as world… as in the world of Noah, the light of the world, the field is the world, etc. However, there are some fifteen definitions given to the word world in English dictionaries, and most don't carry the same meaning as the Greek word. So, world is a poor choice when translating kosmos. For example: kosmos never seems to apply to the earth (which is how we often think of it). Rather, it often applies to the arrangement or situation of human society… system of things might be a better word choice.

Actually, two different Greek words are often translated as world in the Septuagint, kosmos and oichonomeo; and oichonomeo does appear to refer to the earth, because it means the habitation, or, the place where [man] dwells. So the Greek text clearly delineates the two meanings, which are both commonly translated as world in other Bibles.

Notice how the word kosmos was used by Paul at Romans 5:12, 'Sin entered the arrangement (kosmos) through one man, and this sin resulted in death. So, death spread to all men and everyone has sinned.'

Thus, it seems likely that the arrangement we call 'the world' started around the time of Adam's sin in Paradise, when man created for himself (and for all life on earth) a new arrangement or set of circumstances… which was something other than what God had planned. We have come to this conclusion based on the many scriptures that refer to the world (or kosmos) in a negative context, and that it (the current set of negative circumstances) will soon be done away with.

Yet, the Scriptures also indicate that the present worldly arrangement or system of things began after the Downpour of Noah's day, and that Noah had inherited the arrangement prior to that time. For, notice what we are told at Hebrews 11:7: 'Because of his faith, Noah (after being given a divine warning of things he hadn't seen yet) trusted in God and built a large chest to save his family. And due to this righteous faith, he condemned the arrangement (or world) and became its heir.'

Also notice what was said at 2 Peter 2:4, 5: 'Why, God didn't spare the messengers who sinned, but by threw them into the dark pits of Tartarus, where they are awaiting His justice. And He didn't spare the first arrangement. Yet, He guarded Noah (who was a preacher of righteousness) along with seven others, when He brought a downpour on a system (kosmos or world) of godless people.'

So, apparently there have been at least two different worlds or arrangements; the one that Noah inherited and which started before the Downpour, followed by the second arrangement or system of things that we are now living in, which will also be destroyed. For, we read at 1 John 2:17, 'The system (kosmos) with all its desires is passing away, but he who does God's Will lives for the age.' And Romans 4:13 says, 'AbraHam and his seed weren't given the promise of inheriting the arrangement because of the Law, but because of his righteousness, which came from his faith!'

Thus (from the above), we may conclude that: What Jesus said about the Kingdom having been prepared for the sheep since the founding of the arrangement could mean that the Kingdom was God’s plan for the righteous since at least the time of the Downpour, and possibly since the time of Adam’s sin in Paradise.

However, the words of Revelation 13:8 could indicated that a third world began with the death of Jesus. For, there it says concerning him: 'he who had been slaughtered from the founding of the arrangement' (gr. esphagmenou apo kataboles kosmou or, who/was/slaughtered from foundation – or down-throw – cosmos). Therefore, we could be living in an entirely new world, arrangement, or system of things since the time of Jesus' death. And if so, then what Jesus may have been foretelling at Matthew 25:34, is that people would start being selected as 'Kingdom inheritors' after his death, or after the latest 'founding (or down-throwing) of the world.'

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Crowns, Turbans, and Diadems

In the Bible, we read of two different types of royal headgear that was worn by Kings… crowns (gr. stephanos) and turbans (gr. diademas). Which did the kings of IsraEl, such as David and Solomon, wear?

A study of history shows that most kings wore some sort of hat on official occasions, which varied by time and by country. The gold headpiece that was worn by the PharaOhs of Egypt, for example, was not referred to as either a crown (due to the lack of a corona) or a turban. However, in ancient IsraEl and in other middle-eastern countries, the common headgear for kings was a turban that was set with gold and jewels. And this custom remained true throughout the history of the Jews, because crowns were generally thought of by the faithful as representing the rays of the sun (an idol). However, gold crowns were used by pagan kings in many places throughout the world, as their sign of appointment by (the Sun) God.

The first mention of a crown being worn by a king of IsraEl is found at 2 Samuel 12:30, where David took the gold crown from the head of the Ammonite king of RabBath, named Malchom, and placed it on his own head. However, it doesn't appear as though this was the custom of kings of IsraEl thereafter, for the placing of Malchom's crown on his head seems to represent David's victory, not his envy of the Pagan king's headgear. And the fact that all IsraElite men wore turbans can be seen in the depictions of IsraElites in war scenes from Assyria that are currently on display at the British Museum.

At Revelation 12:3, the dragon is shown as having seven heads and ten horns, and 'on its heads were seven royal turbans.' We have translated this verse as saying that they were 'turbans,' because the Greek word used there was diadema, or through wraps, indicating that he was seen wearing turbans (although many religious depictions incorrectly show him wearing crowns).

However, there appear to be good uses in the Bible for the word crown as a symbol of athletic victory, not necessarily of kingship. Take for example, the following occurrences:

· 'A crown that rots away. However, we receive one that doesn't rot.'

· 'He will receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to all those who love him.'

· 'You will walk away with the enduring crown of glory.'

· 'But be faithful to death and I'll give you the crown of life.'

So, if it is true that the crown is more a sign of victory (a garland) in the Bible than of kingship, this gives us a better understanding of verses such as the following:

· 'A crown of twelve stars.'

· 'He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.'

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Seismos

The Greek words seismos and seismoi are usually thought of as meaning earthquake and earthquakes, for the modern study of earthquakes is called seismology. Therefore, when Jesus was speaking about the signs of his being near, and he said one of the signs would be seismoi (Matthew 24:7), most have assumed that this referred just to a greater frequency of earthquakes.

However, the Greek word seismos appears to actually refer to a shaking or disturbance, which doesn't necessarily imply just earthquakes. For, Matthew used the word (at Matthew 8:24) to describe an agitated sea when Jesus was on a boat with his disciples. Then at 2 Kings 2:11, when the Prophet EliJah was taken into the sky in a flaming chariot, the word that was used to describe the storm that took him, was once again seismos. So, Jesus' use of the word at Matthew 24:7 implies more than just earthquakes. It could be speaking of any natural disasters, such as those brought by earthquakes, high winds, floods, or tsunamis.

It has also been recently brought to our attention that seismos could be translated as turmoil or unrest. So, could Jesus have implied even more than natural disasters in that single word? This is probably so.

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Apostasy and Apostates

The Greek word apostasis (in its various conjugated forms) is used several times in the Ancient Scriptures of IsraEl (OT). We find it used at 2 Chronicles 28:19, for example, where we've rendered it as 'turned away,' because that's what the term really means. It refers to a turning away from a righteous God-fearing way of life. For, the Greek word (which we pronounce as apostasy in English) literally means, 'turn away from (apo)' a 'standing or state (stasis).' So, it doesn't refer to a disagreement over the way some doctrine is viewed, as the word is misapplied by some religious groups.

Almost all Bible references to apostasy are speaking of a turning away from the way of IsraElite life that is outlined in the Law. And there are just two places where this term (apostasy) is used to indicate someone's unfaithfulness in the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), at Acts 21:21 and at 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

At Acts 21:21 we read (concerning the Apostle Paul): 'But they have heard the rumor that you've been teaching Judeans who live among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or to follow the traditions.'

Notice that Paul's teaching wasn't being called an apostasy; rather, the apostasy was not following the traditional Jewish way of life as outlined by Moses.

Actually, the proper word to use when speaking of teaching something that deviates from established doctrine is heresy, which is the word that the Catholic Church used extensively to accuse faithful Christians (and others) during their 'Inquisition' of 1400s and 1500s. Notice that they didn't accuse anyone of apostasy (turning from a Christian way of life), but of heresy (disagreeing with their established doctrines). So, they understood the difference.

There was at least one instance where Paul himself seemed to accuse and impose sanctions against other Christians for heresy. We find this account at 2 Timothy 2:17, 18, where he wrote: 'That was the problem with Hymenaeus and Philetus; they got away from the truth and started teaching that the resurrection has already happened, which misdirected the faith of some.'

So, deviating from teaching the truth of the Bible was a serious matter among First-Century Christians. However, in view of what Jesus said at Matthew 5:22 and what was said about Jesus at Jude 9, calling anyone such a thing as 'an apostate' or a 'heretic,' when there might be some question as to who is right, would be an even more serious matter before God.

The only other places in the Christian-Era Scriptures (NT) where the Greek word for apostasy is found, is where a 'certificate of dismissal' (divorce certificate) is mentioned (see Mark 10:4, for example). The words there are biblion apostasiu, which literally mean 'scroll of apostasy (or turning away).'

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Isaiah 14:12 (contributed)

At Isaiah 14:12, we find a word that is often translated as bright (or shining) one. But, what we find in the Hebrew and Aramaic texts are the words heh-lehl eill, which is a form of the Hebrew stem yah-lahl ill. And the meaning of ill is howl! So, why has it been translated as bright or shining in almost all modern texts?

It has been suggested that the translators of the Septuagint could have overlooked the smallest of the Hebrew letters or used a copy in which it had been inadvertently omitted. And if the form of the world eill, as it occurs in this particular text, was shortened to ell, its meaning would be corrupted, which appears to be what happened. For, Kittel's Hebrew Text reads ah-lahl, or HOWL.

And notice that the Hebrew verb eill in Isaiah 14:12 is identical to the word found at Zechariah 11:2, where the trees are shown to be howling (not bright ones). For it says there: 'Let all the pine trees now shriek, because the cedar has fallen.'

So, a correct translation of Isaiah 14:12 will read: 'O how you have fallen from the sky; Shriek, O one that arises at dawn, for you who [once conquered] all nations, have now been broken to the ground.' Notice that this rendering fits the context perfectly, for the King of Babylon should shriek or howl, as he was broken to the ground.

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Who Are the Dead?

Revelation 20:12 speaks of the 'dead' 'standing before the throne' and 'being judged.' Since they are able to stand for judgment, in what sense are they dead?

Note that at Matthew 9:60, Jesus said, 'Let the dead bury their dead.' And at Romans 8:10, Paul speaks of the body being 'dead' because of sin. Then at 1 Corinthians 15:22 he explains that, 'Because of Adam, all men are dying.'

So the conclusion we must reach is that all men are considered as dead and dying before God, due to inherited (and their own) sins. Thus, the scriptures in Revelation Twenty appear to be speaking of people who are no longer physically dead (for they will have already been resurrected), that will stand before God and be judged either to age-long life, or to the permanent destruction of the 'lake of fire.'

However, from the promises of Jesus, it does appear as though people can be considered no longer dead even before the resurrection. For, notice what is recorded that he said, at John 5:24: 'I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have age-long life… he won't come into the judgment, for he has crossed over out of the death and into the life!'

And John wrote again at 1 John 3:14 'Because we love our brothers, we know that we've crossed over from death to life. However, those who don't love stay dead.'

So, it appears as though a person is no longer considered to be 'dead' by God, when his/her name is written in 'the book of life.' This doesn't mean that they won't die, but that they are considered as 'alive' in God's eyes, and they will not be counted among the dead who are raised in the resurrection (for more information, see the linked document, The Resurrection).

This appears to be the meaning of Jesus' words at Matthew 22:32, which say, 'Haven't you read what God told you about the resurrection of the dead, [when he said], I am the God of AbraHam, the God of IsaAc, and the God of Jacob? He isn't the God of the dead, but of the living!'

Also, this appears to be the meaning of his words as found at John 6:54-56, where he said, 'For, if you chew my flesh and drink my blood, you will have life within yourselves, and then I'll resurrect you on the Last Day, because my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. Those who chew on my flesh and drink my blood will stay in me and I [will stay] in them.'

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Fool, Foolish, Moron, or Uncaring?

The Greek word μωραι (pronounced, moe-rai) is often translated foolish or fool in other Bibles. However, μωραι is what the English word moron is derived from. The term moron, as used by Jesus and his Apostles, doesn't imply to someone who has no comprehension, as the medical term moron does today. Rather, it meant someone who knows right from wrong but just doesn't care to do what is right.

The ten virgins of Jesus' parable in Matthew 25 (for example) weren't just 'foolish' girls; they knew what to do and didn't care enough to do it.

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Hate, Dislike, or Care Less for?

The Greek word meso means middle (as in the English term, meso soprano). However, it is often translated as middle, midst, among, and HATE in other Bibles. Obviously, hate (an extreme emotion) isn't conveyed by the word middle, which simply means less. For that reason, the word is translated as dislike (or the equivalent) herein, when it refers to the emotion.

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Eunuchs

When we hear the word eunuch, we usually think of a man who has been castrated, because that's what the term has come to mean through the years. However, when someone is described as a eunuch in the Bible, it doesn't necessarily mean that he was sexually mutilated. In fact, during the reigns of faithful kings of IsraEl, such mutilation would have been considered repulsive; for a sexually-mutilated person, by Law, couldn't serve as a Priest or worship at the Temple of Jehovah.

Does this mean then, that God dislikes men whose testicles have been forcibly or accidentally removed? No, surely the reasons for this law involved His knowledge that some men, in their desire to better serve Him, may have considered castration to remove any carnal desires; and He clearly didn't want that to happen. So, God provided a law to disallow any who were castrated from serving Him in these special ways.

Notice that the Greek word eunuch doesn't really carry the meaning of castration. Rather, it means bed keeper. However, most bed keepers (or harem watchers) for kings were in fact castrated to keep them from temptation. Yet, eunuchs are frequently mentioned in the Bible as holding other offices (such as the Ethiopian Eunuch), which didn't necessarily require castration. So, why were they then referred to as bed keepers? Because the term had come under common use to apply to all trusted servants of kings.

Was DaniEl (who served under the chief Babylonian eunuch) a eunuch? His position as a special servant to the king would indicate that he held the title of eunuch. But is it possible that he had also been castrated? Well, as an early captive from JeruSalem, he was a member of the nobility or royalty, and notice the prophecy that God gave to King HezekiAh at Isaiah 39:7, where we read, 'They will take your children – those who you have fathered – and make them eunuchs in the houses of the Babylonians.'

In the above case, the Greek word that we have translated as eunuch (which is also a Greek word) is castrati, or one who has been sexually mutilated. And the fact that there is no mention of DaniEl having a wife or children, and that none of his descendants are listed among those who returned to JeruSalem, makes this a possible conclusion.

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Did God Create Evil?

The wording of Isaiah 45:7 has created quite a debate among some, for they have drawn the conclusion from this text that God is responsible for everything, including good and evil. And because of this, they teach that man has no choice in his destiny.

But, let's see what the verse actually says in Greek: 'εγω ο κατασκευασας φως και ποιησας σκοτος ο ποιων ειρηνην και κτιζων κακα.' Or, 'I prepared light and made darkness; the/One who/made peace(s) and created bad.'

Notice that the Greek text doesn't actually say anything about God creating good and evil. Rather, as we have translated it: 'It is I who prepared light and I who made darkness; it is I who made peace and bad [times].'

Notice that the Greek words used here are eirenen (which means peace or peacefulness, since the tense is plural) and kaka (which simply means bad, not evil). We trust the Greek text here, because it makes more sense, and it better reflects what Jews understood this scripture to mean some twenty-two-hundred years ago.

Since the previous stanza used contrasting things (light and darkness); following the rules of Hebrew poetry (which is what this verse is), the next stanza must also reflect an opposite. And since the leading word (as found in the Septuagint) is peace or peacefulness, not good (gr kalon), this requires the next word to be an opposite. And in this case, the opposite of peace or peacefulness is bad times… which God brings to the willfully wicked.

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Called and Chosen

There seems to be quite a bit of difference between the Bible's use of the words, called, and chosen, and their implications for the people involved. For, notice what Jesus said (as recorded at Matthew 22:14): 'Many are called but few are chosen (gr. polloi eisin gar cletoi, oligoi de eclectoi).' And this verse could be possibly even be translated as 'Many are nominated but few are elected.'

These words of Jesus seem to put an end to the notion that everyone who is called by God was foreordained to a favored position before his/her specific birth. Rather, what is implied in this parable, is that there would be people in general (not specific individuals) who would be chosen from among a larger number of those who are 'called.' Because, as Jesus makes clear here, not all who are among the called (or the nominated) to this hope are thereafter counted among the chosen (elected). For, why would God call people if He already knew that there was no chance of their being chosen?

Notice how this was stated at Revelation 17:14; for there we are told: 'Then they will go and fight against the Lamb. But, because he's the Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb and those who are with him (the called, elected, and faithful) will conquer them.'

So, 'the called' also have prove faithful in order to become 'the elected' who will serve with Jesus.

Yes, that was the point of Jesus' parable at Matthew 22:1-14, which (as Jesus said) was an illustration concerning 'the Kingdom of Heaven.' In that parable, many were initially 'called' to the banquet of the King, but they didn't want to come. The obvious reference here is to the Jews who were invited first to become kings in that Kingdom, but who, for the most part, rejected the invitation.

The king then ordered his slaves to go out into the streets and 'call' anyone who wishes to come to the banquet. These words obviously refer to the calling of people of the nations, or the gentiles (gr. tas ethne – the ethnics).

So, is this parable talking about being called to heaven to rule there with Jesus… for isn't the wedding banquet for God's son to be held in heaven, and aren't those who are invited to God's banquet the bride who will be with Jesus in heaven? We have always thought so, but notice that the guests in this parable aren't referred to as virgins (as was the case of those mentioned in Revelation 14:1-4). Rather, they are called 'both the wicked and the good,' which is a strange way to refer to the 'Saints.'

Also, notice that in the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 65:23, the elected are spoken of as fathering children, for there it says: 'My elected won't labor for nothing, nor will they produce children for a curse; for their seed and all their descendants, will then be a blessing from God.'

Next, as the parable continues, the king noticed a guest who wasn't properly dressed for a wedding feast (he didn't have the required qualities). This guest was then bound and thrown back outside (but not killed). So, as you can see, he was called but not chosen. Now, if we were to assume that this banquet is held in heaven (since the man was already there at the feast), we must ask: Was he then kicked out of heaven… and if so, then we would also have to ask, Why was he taken there to begin with?

Now, we do suspect that there are those who are taken to heaven to rule with Jesus, but if so, they are likely the bride at the wedding feast, not the guests (see Revelation 19:7-9). For, notice what Paul said of himself at Philippians 3:11, '… so I can somehow be found worthy of an out-resurrection from the dead'

What was Paul talking about here? It appears as though (when speaking of 'the out resurrection') he was saying that although he had been 'called,' he may not have been 'chosen' yet for heavenly life. That this is what he was likely talking about, can be seen from what he said at Philippians 3:12, '[I'm not saying] that I've made it yet, or that I'm already perfect.' Then he continued with the words (at Philippians 3:14), 'I'm running toward the goal, the prize of the higher (gr. ano – upward or higher) calling from God, through the Anointed Jesus.'

So, notice that the Bible speaks both of a 'calling' and of an 'upward calling,' which we assume refers to being called to heaven. And how would Paul know that he had been 'chosen' for this lofty reward? It appears as though such a person must first endure incredible suffering for his/her beliefs (as did Jesus), for notice what Paul wrote at Romans 8:17, 'We have to suffer together so we can also be glorified together.'

Such suffering must be much more than what is typical of the common suffering and death of mankind. Does this 'suffering' require a dying a martyr's death? That seems to be the gist of the prophecy at Revelation 6:9-11, which says, 'When he opened the fifth seal, I saw the lives of those who had been slaughtered because of the Word of God and because of the testimony that they gave, underneath the altar… Then they were each given a white robe and they were told to take it easy for just a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow slaves and brothers was filled (who were going to be killed, as they were).'

But in the case of Jesus' words found Matthew 22:14 ('Many are called but few are chosen'), we would have to conclude that God calls many people from among mankind to become His faithful slaves and to thereafter attend the wedding banquet of the Lamb (whether in heaven or earth is not stated), but not all who are called are found worthy.

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No Marriage in the Resurrection?

At Matthew 22:30 Jesus said, 'In the resurrection, men won't marry nor will women be given in marriage, but they are like the messengers in heaven.'

This scripture is often quoted to show that those who are resurrected won't marry (as Jesus said). However, does this apply to all those whom the Bible says will be raised? We can't say for sure, but notice what Luke's parallel account says (Luke 20:34-36): 'The sons of this age marry and are married. But those who have been found worthy of that age and the resurrection from the dead don't marry, nor do they get married; neither can they die anymore, because they are equal to [God's] messengers and they are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.'

As you can see, it appears as though Luke's account quotes Jesus as speaking specifically of immortal 'God's sons' (gr. uioi eisin Theou – sons are/of God) not marrying in the resurrection. So, was he then just referring to only those who are raised in the 'first resurrection?' It is difficult to tell, because, no matter how you interpret Jesus' words in any of the three parallel Bible accounts, the answers are still unclear.

Notice that the question the Sadducees had asked was just about the resurrection in general. So, was Jesus just avoiding mention of the 'resurrection of the unrighteous,' sidestepping the question in order to avoid a common pitfall that the Sadducees had successfully used in past arguments, or was he saying that there would be no marrying in any form of the resurrection? Again, we simply don't know.

Yet, there may be another explanation for the meaning of what Jesus said. Notice how the words are laid out in Mark 12:24-27: 'Then Jesus answered, This is why you are so misled. You don't understand the Scriptures or the power of God! When the dead are resurrected, they won't marry or be married, they are as the messengers in heaven. As for the dead who are raised, didn't you read in the book of Moses – in the story about the thorn bush – how God said to him, I am the God of AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob? He isn't a God of the dead, but of the living. Yes, you are very misled.'

So, could Jesus have been saying that only those who are dead in God's eyes won't marry, but those whom He considers among the living will marry? That sounds logical. However, such a conclusion would seem to be contradicted by Jesus' words, 'neither can they die anymore, because they are equal to [God's] messengers and they are sons of God, because they are sons of the resurrection.'

And all of this raises the question: 'Will children be born after the Battle of Armageddon?' If you believe that the prophecy found in Isaiah 65 is talking about the same period, then yes. For at Isaiah 65:23, we were told, 'And My elected won't labor for nothing, nor will they produce children for a curse, for their seed will be blest by God, as well as even their children.' So, what Jesus really meant when he replied to the Sadducees is still unclear and open to interpretation.

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