Isaiah

Vision of Isaiah concerning Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; heaven and earth called as witnesses against rebellious Israel. The nation is compared to a sick body, wounded from head to foot; their religious sacrifices are meaningless without justice—God is weary of their offerings. "Come now, let us reason together"—though sins are like scarlet, they can be white as snow if they're willing and obedient. Jerusalem, once faithful, has become a harlot; God will purge away her dross and restore righteous judges.

Vision of the last days when the mountain of the LORD's house will be established as highest of mountains. All nations will flow to it saying "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD" to learn His ways; the law will go forth from Zion. He will judge between nations; they'll beat swords into plowshares—nation won't lift sword against nation anymore. The day of the LORD will humble all human pride; people will cast away idols and hide in caves from the terror of His majesty.

God will remove from Jerusalem every support: food, water, and leadership—the mighty man, judge, prophet, elder. Children will be their princes; people will oppress one another; Jerusalem staggers because their speech and deeds are against the LORD. Judgment on the haughty daughters of Zion with their jingling ornaments, stretched necks, and wanton eyes. The LORD will strip away all their finery—anklets, headbands, crescents, perfume boxes—leaving baldness and shame.

Seven women will take hold of one man saying "We'll provide our own food and clothes, just let us be called by your name to take away our reproach." In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride of Israel's survivors. Those left in Zion will be called holy; the LORD will wash away the filth and purge Jerusalem's bloodstains by a spirit of judgment and burning. God will create over Mount Zion a cloud by day and flaming fire by night—a canopy of glory for shade, shelter, and refuge.

Song of the vineyard: God's beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill; He cleared it, planted choice vines, built a tower and winepress. He expected good grapes but it yielded wild grapes; what more could He have done? Now He'll remove its hedge and let it be trampled. The vineyard is Israel; God looked for justice but saw bloodshed, for righteousness but heard cries of distress. Six woes pronounced: against land grabbers, drunkards, those who drag sin with cords, those who call evil good, the wise in their own eyes, and unjust judges.

In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah sees the Lord on His throne, high and lifted up; seraphim cry "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!" Isaiah cries "Woe is me! I am undone!" for he's a man of unclean lips; a seraph touches his lips with a burning coal from the altar. God asks "Whom shall I send?" Isaiah responds "Here am I, send me!" Commissioned to preach to people who will hear but not understand. The message will harden hearts until cities lie waste without inhabitant; yet a holy seed remains like a stump when a tree is felled.

Syria and Israel attack Judah; King Ahaz's heart shakes like trees in the wind; God sends Isaiah to say "Take heed, be quiet, fear not." These two kings are just smoldering stubs of firewood; their plan won't succeed—within 65 years Ephraim will be shattered. The sign of Immanuel: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son"; before the child knows to refuse evil and choose good, both enemy lands will be forsaken. The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon Judah—days unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah.

God tells Isaiah to write "Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz" (swift is booty, speedy is prey) on a large scroll with witnesses. Isaiah's son by the prophetess receives this name; before he can say "father" or "mother," Damascus and Samaria's wealth will be carried away by Assyria. Because people refuse Shiloah's gentle waters, God brings Assyria's mighty flood waters that will overflow into Judah reaching up to the neck. "Do not say 'A conspiracy' concerning all that this people call conspiracy"; the LORD of hosts should be your fear and dread.

No more gloom for her who was in anguish; Galilee of the Gentiles will be made glorious—people walking in darkness see a great light. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given"; the government will be on his shoulders with names: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end on David's throne, establishing it with justice forever. Yet God's anger burns against Israel for their pride and arrogance; they say "bricks have fallen but we'll rebuild with hewn stones"—His hand is stretched out still.

Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who rob the poor of justice and make widows their prey—what will you do in the day of punishment? Assyria is the rod of God's anger sent against a godless nation, but Assyria doesn't know this and intends to destroy many nations. When God finishes His work on Mount Zion, He'll punish Assyria's arrogant heart for boasting "By my own strength I have done this." A remnant of Israel will return; though your people be as sand of the sea, only a remnant will return—destruction is determined.

A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse, a Branch from his roots will bear fruit; the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—wisdom, understanding, counsel, might. He'll judge the poor with righteousness, strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; righteousness will be his belt, faithfulness his sash. The wolf will dwell with the lamb, leopard lie down with goat, calf and lion together with a little child leading them. The earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as waters cover the sea; in that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples.

"In that day you will say: 'I will praise you, O LORD, though you were angry, your anger turned away and you comforted me.'" "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD is my strength and song; He has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation saying "Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name, make known His deeds among the peoples." "Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel!"

Oracle concerning Babylon: Lift up a banner on a bare hilltop, beckon them to enter the gates of the nobles. The day of the LORD comes cruel with wrath and fierce anger; stars and sun will be darkened, moon won't give light. God will punish the world for evil; make mortals scarcer than gold of Ophir; heavens will tremble, earth shake from its place. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, will be overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah—never inhabited again, wild animals will live there.

The LORD will have compassion on Jacob, choose Israel again; foreigners will join them and unite with the house of Jacob. Israel will take captive their captors and rule over their oppressors; they'll take up this taunt against the king of Babylon. "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You said 'I will ascend to heaven, raise my throne above God's stars.'" The LORD has purposed to break Assyria in His land; His hand is stretched out over all nations—who can turn it back?

Oracle concerning Moab: In a night Ar of Moab is ruined; in a night Kir of Moab is destroyed and brought to silence. Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba; every head is shaved, every beard cut off; in streets they wear sackcloth, everyone wailing and melting in tears. The waters of Nimrim are desolate; grass is withered, vegetation fails; they carry their wealth across the Brook of Willows. The cry of distress goes around Moab's borders; wailing reaches Eglaim and Beer-elim.

Send lambs to the ruler of the land from Sela through the desert to Mount Zion; be a shelter to Moab's outcasts. A throne will be established in steadfast love in the tent of David; one who judges and seeks justice will sit on it. We have heard of Moab's pride—his extreme arrogance—but his boasts are empty; let Moab wail for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth. The LORD declares: Within three years, as a hired worker counts years, Moab's glory will be brought into contempt despite all his great multitude.

Oracle concerning Damascus: It will cease to be a city and become a heap of ruins; the fortress will disappear from Ephraim. In that day Jacob's glory will fade, his fat body grow lean; it will be like when a harvester gathers standing grain—only gleanings remain. Men will look to their Maker, their eyes to the Holy One of Israel, not to altars their hands have made. Though nations roar like roaring of many waters, God will rebuke them and they'll flee far away, chased like chaff on mountains before wind.

Woe to the land of whirring wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, which sends ambassadors by sea in papyrus boats. Go, swift messengers, to a tall and smooth people feared far and wide, a powerful nation that treads down, whose land rivers divide. All inhabitants of the world will see when a banner is raised on mountains; the LORD will quietly look from His dwelling like shimmering heat in sunshine. In that time gifts will be brought to the LORD of hosts from this tall and smooth people to Mount Zion, the place of the LORD's name.

Oracle concerning Egypt: The LORD rides on a swift cloud coming to Egypt; idols tremble, Egyptians' hearts melt within them. Egyptian will fight Egyptian; spirit of Egypt will fail; they'll consult idols, sorcerers, mediums, and spiritists. The LORD will give Egypt into the hand of a hard master; waters of the Nile will fail, the river will be parched and dry. In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan; there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt.

The LORD tells Isaiah to remove sackcloth and sandals and walk naked and barefoot three years as a sign against Egypt and Ethiopia. Just as Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot, so will the king of Assyria lead away Egyptian captives and Ethiopian exiles. Those who trusted in Ethiopia and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and ashamed. The inhabitants of this coastland will say "If this is what happened to those we relied on for help against Assyria, how shall we escape?"

Oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev, it comes from the desert, from a terrifying land. A dire vision: the traitor betrays, the destroyer destroys. "Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media!" God will bring an end to Babylon's groaning. Watchman, what of the night? "Morning comes, and also the night. If you would inquire, inquire; come back again." Oracle concerning Arabia: You will lodge in the thickets in Arabia, O caravans of Dedanites; inhabitants of Tema bring water to the thirsty.

Oracle concerning the valley of vision: What troubles you that everyone has gone up to the housetops? The city full of commotion is in uproar. The Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning, but instead there's joy and revelry: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" The LORD revealed in my ears: "Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die." Shebna the steward will be thrust from office; God will call Eliakim who will be a father to Jerusalem's inhabitants—the key of David's house on his shoulder.

Oracle concerning Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed, without house or harbor; from the land of Cyprus it's revealed to them. Be silent, inhabitants of the coast; your merchants crossed many waters; your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile. The LORD has stretched His hand over the sea and shaken kingdoms; He has given command to destroy Phoenicia's strongholds. After seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre; she'll return to her hire and prostitute herself with all earth's kingdoms—but her profits will be dedicated to the LORD.

The LORD will lay waste the earth and devastate it; He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—priest and people, servant and master alike. The earth mourns and withers; the exalted people languish; the earth is defiled by its people who have broken the everlasting covenant. The city of chaos is broken down; all joy has gone, gladness is banished; desolation is left in the city, the gates are battered to ruins. They raise their voices and sing for joy over the LORD's majesty; but terror, pit, and snare await earth's inhabitants.

"O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name"—You have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin; the palace of foreigners is a city no more. On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make a feast for all peoples; He will swallow up death forever and wipe away tears from all faces. In that day it will be said: "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

Song in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter." "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD is the Rock eternal." The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, You make the way of the righteous smooth. "Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy—the earth will give birth to her dead."

In that day the LORD with His fierce, great, and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent. "In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit." Has the LORD struck Israel as He struck down those who struck her? By warfare and exile you contend with her. In that day the LORD will thresh from the Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O Israelites, will be gathered one by one.

Woe to the proud crown of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley. The Lord has one who is powerful and strong; like a hailstorm and destructive wind, He will throw it forcefully to the ground. Priests and prophets stagger from beer, are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, stagger when seeing visions. "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."

Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel (Jerusalem), the city where David encamped! Yet I will besiege Ariel; she will mourn and lament. The LORD will come with thunder, earthquake, and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of devouring fire. These people come near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.

Woe to the obstinate children who carry out plans that are not Mine, forming an alliance not of My Spirit, heaping sin upon sin. They go down to Egypt without consulting Me, looking for help to Pharaoh's protection, seeking Egypt's shade for refuge. "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it." Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. Blessed are all who wait for Him!

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many. But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel or seek help from the LORD; the Egyptians are men and not God, their horses are flesh and not spirit. The LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; like birds hovering overhead, He will shield it and deliver it. Return to Him you have so greatly revolted against, O Israelites; in that day they will reject their idols of silver and gold.

See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice; each will be like a shelter from the wind. The noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands; but the scoundrel's methods are wicked. You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; in little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble. Till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field—then justice will dwell in the desert.

Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed. O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. "Now will I arise," says the LORD. "Now will I be exalted; now will I be lifted up. You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw." The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?"

Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! The LORD is angry with all nations; His wrath is upon all their armies. The mountains will be soaked with their blood; all the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll. The LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause; Edom's streams will be turned into pitch. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again—the owl and raven will possess it.

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped; water will gush forth in the wilderness. A highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness—only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

In Hezekiah's fourteenth year, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacks all the fortified cities of Judah and captures them. The Assyrian field commander stands at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool and calls out in Hebrew to the people on Jerusalem's wall. "Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the king of Assyria?" The people remain silent and say nothing in reply because the king commanded, "Do not answer him."

When Hezekiah hears this, he tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and goes into the temple; sends word to Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah responds: "Tell your master the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard. I will put a spirit in him so he will hear a rumor and return to his own country." Hezekiah receives a threatening letter from Sennacherib; spreads it before the LORD and prays for deliverance. That night the angel of the LORD goes out and puts to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp; Sennacherib withdraws and is later killed by his own sons.

Hezekiah becomes ill and is at the point of death; Isaiah tells him to set his house in order because he will die. Hezekiah weeps bitterly and prays, reminding God of his faithfulness; God adds fifteen years to his life. As a sign, the shadow goes back ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz; Hezekiah writes a psalm about his illness and recovery. "I said, 'In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death?' But You have delivered my soul from the pit of destruction."

Envoys from Babylon's king visit Hezekiah after his recovery; Hezekiah shows them everything in his storehouses and palace. Isaiah asks what they saw; when he learns Hezekiah showed them everything, he prophesies that all will be carried off to Babylon. "Some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away and become eunuchs in the palace of Babylon's king." Hezekiah replies, "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," thinking, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim that her hard service has been completed." A voice cries: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." "All men are like grass, their glory like flowers of the field; the grass withers but the word of our God stands forever." "Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint."

"Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength!" God is stirring up one from the east (Cyrus). "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you." "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I chose you and have not rejected you." Present your case, says the LORD; bring forth your arguments—tell us what will happen so we may know you are gods.

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations." He will not shout or cry out; a bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth; the LORD will march out like a mighty man.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." "You are precious and honored in my sight, and I love you; I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life." "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! I am making a way in the desert." "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

"I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring." The folly of idolatry: A man cuts down cedars, uses part for fuel to warm himself and bake bread, and from the rest makes a god and worships it. "Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant; I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you." This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus: "He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please."

"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron." "I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster." "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground." "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn."

Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden—images that are carried about are burdensome. "Listen to me, O house of Jacob: Even to your old age I am he, even when you turn gray I will carry you." "Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other." "I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion."

"Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne. No more will you be called tender or delicate." "You said, 'I will continue forever—the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen." "Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away; a calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off." "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror."

"I have revealed things from of old; they came from my mouth and I made them known—then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass." "For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off." "I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this." "Leave Babylon, flee from the Babylonians! Announce this with shouts of joy: 'The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob.'"

"Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name." "He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.' It is too small a thing for you to restore Jacob—I will make you a light for the Gentiles." "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." "Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones."

"Where is your mother's certificate of divorce? Which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Because of your sins you were sold." "The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning." "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting." "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark trust in the name of the LORD."

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn." "Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many." "My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations." "Awake, awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old."

"Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city." "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings." "Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the LORD." "See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man."

"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot." "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows." "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him." "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent."

"Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy—your descendants will dispossess nations." "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood." "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment." "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed."

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Why spend money on what is not bread?" "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts." "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways." "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth, so is my word that goes out from my mouth."

"Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed." "Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.'" "And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD—these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer." "Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream."

"The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands." "But you—come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes! Whom are you mocking?" "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly." "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked. The wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest."

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins." "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke?" "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, then your light will rise in the darkness." "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, then you will find your joy in the LORD."

"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God." "Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things." "Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice." "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth but the LORD rises upon you." "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you." "Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations." "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light."

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor." "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." "To proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn." "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities."

"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn." "You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand." "No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah." "Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones."

"Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." "I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath." "I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised. In all their distress he too was distressed." "Yet you, O LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."

"Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!" "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf." "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure."

"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I.'" "All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations." "See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food."

"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?" "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." "Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing?" "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."