Isaiah 41 Cross References - LEB

¹ Listen to me in silence, coastlands, and let nations renew their strength. Let them approach, then let them speak; let us draw near together for judgment. ² Who has roused salvation from the east, summoned* him to his foot, gives nations _⌊in his presence_⌋,* and subjugates kings? He makes* them like the dust with his sword, like scattered stubble with his bow. ³ He pursues them and passes on in peace; he does not enter the path with his feet. ⁴ Who has accomplished and done this, calling the generations from the _⌊beginning_⌋?* I, Yahweh, am first; and I am the one with the last. ⁵ The coastlands have seen and are afraid; the ends of the earth tremble. They have drawn near, and they have come. ⁶ Each one helps* his neighbor; he says to his brother, "Take courage!" ⁷ And the artisan encourages the _⌊goldsmith_⌋,* the one who makes smooth with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good!" And they strengthen it with nails so it cannot be knocked over. ⁸ But* you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you, the _⌊offspring_⌋* of Abraham my _⌊friend_⌋,* ⁹ you whom I grasped from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts and told, "You are my servant; I have chosen you and I have not rejected you." ¹⁰ You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation. ¹¹ Look! All those who are angry with you shall be ashamed and humiliated; _⌊your opponents_⌋* shall be like nothing and shall become lost. ¹² You shall seek them, but* you shall not find them; _⌊your opponents_⌋* shall be like nothing, and the men of your war like nothing. ¹³ For I, Yahweh your God, am grasping your right hand; _⌊it is I who say_⌋* to you, "You must not fear; I myself, I will help you. ¹⁴ You must not fear, O worm of Jacob; people of Israel, I myself, I will help you," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel. ¹⁵ Look! I will make you into a new sharp threshing sledge, _⌊with_⌋* sharp edges. You shall thresh and crush the mountains, and you shall make the hills like chaff. ¹⁶ You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you yourself shall rejoice in Yahweh; you shall boast in the holy one of Israel. ¹⁷ The poor and the needy are seeking water and there is none; their tongue is dried up with thirst. I, Yahweh, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. ¹⁸ I will open rivers on the barren heights and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness like a pool of water and the land of dryness like springs of water. ¹⁹ I will _⌊put_⌋* the cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive oil tree in the wilderness; I will set the cypress, elm, and box tree together in the desert ²⁰ so that they may see and know, and take to heart and understand together that the hand of Yahweh has done this, and the holy one of Israel has created it." ²¹ "Present your legal case," says Yahweh. "Bring your evidence," says the king of Jacob. ²² Let them bring them, and let them tell us what will happen. Tell us what the former things are _⌊so that_⌋* we may take them to our heart and know their outcome.* Declare to us the things to come; ²³ tell us the things coming _⌊hereafter_⌋,* that* we may know that you are gods. Indeed, do good or* do evil, that* we may be afraid and see* together. ²⁴ Look! you are nothing, and your work is something worthless; whoever chooses you is an abomination. ²⁵ I stirred up one from the north, and he has come from the rising of the sun.
He shall call on my name,
and he shall come on officials as on mortar, and as the _⌊potter_⌋* treads clay. ²⁶ Who declared it from the _⌊beginning_⌋* _⌊so that_⌋* we might know, and _⌊beforehand_⌋* _⌊so that_⌋* we might say, "He is _⌊right_⌋!"* Indeed, there was no one who declared it; Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it. Indeed there was no one who heard your words. ²⁷ First to Zion, look! Look at them!
And I give a herald* of good tidings to Jerusalem. ²⁸ But* I look and there is no man, and I look among these and there is no counselor, that* I might ask them and they might answer a word. ²⁹ Look! All of them are deception; their works are nothing; their images are wind and emptiness.

³ _⌊O that_⌋* I knew and that I might find him; O that I might come to his dwelling. ⁴ I would lay my case _⌊before him_⌋,* and I would fill my mouth with arguments. ⁵ I want to know the words with which he would answer me, and I want to understand what he would say to me. ⁶ Would he contend with me in the greatness of his strength? No, but he himself* would give heed to me. ⁷ There an upright person could reason with him, and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.

³⁵ _⌊O that_⌋* _⌊I had_⌋* someone hearing me! Here is my signature; let Shaddai answer me! _⌊As for_⌋* the written communication that _⌊my adversary_⌋* has written, ³⁶ I would _⌊surely_⌋* carry it on my shoulder; I would bind it on me like a crown.

³ _⌊Prepare yourself for a difficult task like a man_⌋,* and I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

⁷ "_⌊Prepare yourself for a difficult task like a man_⌋,* and I will question you, and you shall declare to me. ⁸ "Indeed, would you annul my justice? Would you condemn me, so that you might be righteous? ⁹ Or do you have an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? ¹⁰ Adorn* yourself with pride and dignity, and clothe yourself with splendor.

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.

¹⁸ "Come now, and let us argue," says Yahweh. "Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow; even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

⁹ Be broken, you peoples, and be dismayed. And listen, all distant parts of the earth; gird yourselves and be dismayed; gird yourselves and be dismayed! ¹⁰ _⌊Make a plan_⌋,* but it will be frustrated! Speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us!

¹¹ And this shall happen on that day:
The Lord will again extend his hand a second time to acquire the remnant of his people that is left, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coastlands of the sea,

¹ Come near, nations, to hear; and peoples, listen attentively! Let the earth hear, and that which fills it; the world and all its offspring.

⁶ Each one helps* his neighbor; he says to his brother, "Take courage!" ⁷ And the artisan encourages the _⌊goldsmith_⌋,* the one who makes smooth with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good!" And they strengthen it with nails so it cannot be knocked over.

²¹ "Present your legal case," says Yahweh. "Bring your evidence," says the king of Jacob. ²² Let them bring them, and let them tell us what will happen. Tell us what the former things are _⌊so that_⌋* we may take them to our heart and know their outcome.* Declare to us the things to come;

¹⁶ Draw near to me; hear this! I have not spoken in secrecy from the _⌊beginning_⌋;* from the time _⌊it came to be_⌋,* there I have been; And now the Lord Yahweh has sent me and his Spirit."

¹ Listen to me, coastlands, and listen attentively, peoples from far away! Yahweh called me from the womb; from the _⌊body_⌋* of my mother he made my name known.

⁸ he who obtains rights for me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is the master of my judgment? Let him approach me.

¹⁰ Beat your cutting tools of iron into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weakling say, 'I am a mighty warrior!' ¹¹ Hurry and come, all the nations, from all around, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your mighty warriors, O Yahweh!

¹ Hear now what Yahweh says: "Arise! Plead your case with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice." ² Hear, O mountains, the indictment of Yahweh, and you eternal foundations of the earth, for Yahweh has an indictment against his people, and against Israel he contends. ³ "O my people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer me!

²⁰ But Yahweh is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him."

¹³ Be silent, _⌊all people_⌋,* before Yahweh, for he is roused from _⌊his holy dwelling_⌋."*

³¹ And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, _⌊his grandson_⌋,* and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son, and went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. And they went to Haran, and they settled there.

¹ And Yahweh said to Abram, "Go out from your land and from your relatives, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great. And you will be a blessing. ³ And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse. And all families of the earth will be blessed in you."

¹⁴ When* Abram heard that his _⌊relative_⌋* was taken captive, he summoned his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and he went in pursuit up to Dan. ¹⁵ And he divided his trained men against them at night, he and his servants. And he defeated them and pursued them to Hobah, which is north of Damascus.

¹ When* Abram was ninety-nine years old Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, "I am El-Shaddai;* walk before me and be blameless

⁴³ I beat them fine, like the dust of the earth; like the mire of the streets, I crushed them, I stamped them down.

⁷ For there was no army left over for Jehoahaz except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them as the dust at threshing.

²³ "Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: 'Yahweh the God of heaven has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has appointed me to build a house for him at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you from all his people, may Yahweh his God go up with him.'"

² "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

²⁴ Indeed, hardly are they planted; indeed, hardly are they sown; indeed, hardly has their shoot taken root in the earth when* he blows on them and they wither, and the tempest carries them like stubble.

¹⁵ Look! I will make you into a new sharp threshing sledge, _⌊with_⌋* sharp edges. You shall thresh and crush the mountains, and you shall make the hills like chaff. ¹⁶ You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you yourself shall rejoice in Yahweh; you shall boast in the holy one of Israel.

²⁵ I stirred up one from the north, and he has come from the rising of the sun.
He shall call on my name,
and he shall come on officials as on mortar, and as the _⌊potter_⌋* treads clay.

¹ Thus says Yahweh to his anointed one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subjugate nations before him, and I uncover* the loins of kings to open doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut:

¹³ I myself have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his paths smooth. He himself shall build my city, and he shall set my exiles free,
not for price or a gift," says Yahweh of hosts.

¹¹ who calls a bird of prey from the east, the man of his* plan from a country from afar. Indeed I have spoken; indeed I will bring it to being. I have formed it; indeed I will do it.

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham as he* was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,*

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he* was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

²⁴ And you shall know that your tent is safe, and you will inspect your fold, and you shall not be missing anything.

² he enters into peace; they will rest on their beds, walking straight ahead of him.

⁷ Remember the old days, _⌊the years long past_⌋;* ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders and they will tell you.* ⁸ _⌊When the Most High apportioned_⌋* the nations, at his dividing up of the sons of humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the children of Israel.*

¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, comprehended the dust of the earth in a third of a measure and weighed out the mountains in the scales,* and the hills in a balance?

²⁶ Lift your eyes up on high, and see! Who created these? The one who brings out their host by number. He calls all them by name. Because he is great of power and mighty of power, no man is missing.

²⁶ Who declared it from the _⌊beginning_⌋* _⌊so that_⌋* we might know, and _⌊beforehand_⌋* _⌊so that_⌋* we might say, "He is _⌊right_⌋!"* Indeed, there was no one who declared it; Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it. Indeed there was no one who heard your words.

²⁴ Who gave Jacob to a plunderer* and Israel to those who plunder?
Was it not Yahweh, against whom* we have sinned?
And they were not willing to walk in his ways, and they would not _⌊obey_⌋* his law.

¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe _⌊in_⌋* me and understand that I am he. No god was formed before _⌊me_⌋*, and none shall be after me.

⁶ Thus says Yahweh, the king of Israel, and its redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: "I am the first, and I am the last, and there is no god besides me. ⁷ And who is like me? Let him proclaim* it! And let him declare it and set it in order for me _⌊since I established an eternal people_⌋* and things that are to come, and let them tell them the things that are coming.

³ "Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel who have been carried from the belly, who have been carried from the womb: ⁴ Even* to your old age I am he; even* to your advanced age I myself will support you. I myself have made you, and I myself will carry you, and I myself will support you, and I will save you.

¹⁰ who from the beginning declares the end, and from before, things that have not been done, who says, 'My plan shall stand,' and, 'I will accomplish* all my wishes,'*

³ "I declared the former things from _⌊of old_⌋,* and they went out from my mouth. And I _⌊announced_⌋* them suddenly; I acted,* and they came to pass, ⁴ because _⌊I know_⌋* that you are obstinate, and your neck an iron sinew, and your forehead bronze. ⁵ And I declared them to you from of old; I _⌊ announced_⌋* them to you before they came to pass so that you would not say, 'My idol did them, and my image and my cast image commanded them.' ⁶ You have heard; see it all. And will you not declare it? I _⌊announce_⌋* new things to you from this time and hidden things that* you have not known. ⁷ Now they are created, and not from _⌊of old_⌋,* and before today, and you have not heard them so that you could not say, "Look! I knew them."

¹² "Listen to me, Jacob, and Israel, _⌊whom I called_⌋:* I am he. I am the first; also I am the last.

²³ "Behold, the virgin _⌊will become pregnant_⌋* and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel,"*
which is translated, "God with us."*

²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age."

¹⁸ known from of old.'*

²⁶ And he made from one man every nation of humanity to live on all the face of the earth, determining their fixed times and the fixed boundaries of their habitation,

⁸ I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming, the All-Powerful.

¹¹ saying, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."

¹⁷ And when I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead person, and he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last,

⁸ "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
"This is what the first and the last says, who was dead and came to life:

¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

⁵ From these the coastland peoples spread out through their lands, each according to his own language by their own families, in their nations.

¹⁴ Peoples heard; they trembled; anguish seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

¹⁰ For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the waters of the _⌊Red Sea_⌋* before you when you went out from Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

¹ And it happened, when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites* who were by the sea heard that Yahweh dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of the _⌊Israelites_⌋* until they crossed over, their hearts melted, and _⌊there was no courage left in them_⌋* because of the presence of the _⌊Israelites_⌋. *

⁸ so that* the inhabitants of the farthest reaches are in awe of your signs. You make the dawn and sunset sing for joy.

³ Say to God, "How awesome are your works! Because of the greatness of your strength, your enemies will cringe before you.

⁷ God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

¹⁵ Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Tyre, "Will not the coastlands shake from the sound of your downfall, at the groaning of the wounded, _⌊at people being killed_⌋* in the midst of you? ¹⁶ And all the princes of the sea will go down from their thrones, and they will remove their robes, and their _⌊beautiful garments_⌋* of finished cloth they will take off. With terror they will be clothed, and on the ground they will sit, and they will tremble _⌊continually_⌋,* and they will be appalled over you.

⁷ So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come* to the camp." And they said, "Woe to us, _⌊for this has never happened before!_⌋* ⁸ Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the same gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert. ⁹ Take courage and be men, you Philistines, lest you end up serving the Hebrews just like they have served you. Be men and fight!"

³ When the Ashdodites got up early the next morning, _⌊there was_⌋* Dagon fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh! So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. ⁴ When they got up early in the morning the next day, _⌊there was_⌋* Dagon fallen again with his face to the ground before the ark of Yahweh! The head of Dagon and the palms of his two hands were cut off, lying at* the threshold; only the body* of Dagon was left. ⁵ (Therefore the priests of Dagon and all who come into the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod until this very day.)

⁴ Say to those who are hasty of heart,
"Be strong; you must not fear! Look! your God will come with vengeance, with _⌊divine retribution_⌋.* He _⌊is the one who_⌋* will come and save you."

¹⁹ A craftsman pours out the idol, and a _⌊goldsmith_⌋* overlays it with gold, and he smelts chains of silver.

¹² The _⌊ironsmith_⌋* works in the coals with his tool and forms it with hammers. And he makes it with _⌊his strong arm_⌋;* indeed, he becomes hungry, and _⌊he lacks_⌋* strength; he does not drink water, and he is faint.

¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made a statue of gold. Its height was sixty cubits and its width was six cubits; he set it up in the valley of Dura in the province of Babylon. ² Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent directions to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all of the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the province were assembled for the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up, and were standing _⌊before_⌋* the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴ Then the herald proclaimed _⌊aloud_⌋,* "To you _⌊it is commanded_⌋,* O peoples, _⌊nations and people of all languages_⌋,* ⁵ that at the time that you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trigon, the harp, the drum and all kinds of music, you must fall down and you must worship the statue of gold* that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. ⁶ And _⌊whoever_⌋* does not fall down and worship will be thrown _⌊immediately_⌋* into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire." ⁷ _⌊Therefore_⌋,* _⌊at that time_⌋,* _⌊as soon as_⌋* all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trigon, the harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, _⌊the nations and people of all languages_⌋* were falling down and were worshiping the statue of gold* that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations: _⌊Prepare for war_⌋!* Stir up the mighty warriors; let them approach and come up; let all the men of war approach.

²⁴ For someone _⌊named_⌋* Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver replicas of the temple of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen. ²⁵ _⌊These_⌋* he gathered together, and the workers occupied with such things, and* said, "Men, you know that from this business _⌊we get our prosperity_⌋,* ²⁶ and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia* this man Paul has persuaded and* turned away a large crowd by* saying that the gods made by hands are not gods. ²⁷ So not only is there a danger this line of business of ours will come into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing—and she is about to be brought down even from her grandeur, she whom the whole of Asia* and the entire world worship!" ²⁸ And when they* heard this* and became full of rage, they began to shout,* saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

¹⁷ And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and they entered there and took the carved divine image, ephod, teraphim, and the molten image. The priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with the weapons of war. ¹⁸ When these went to Micah's house, they took the divine carved image, ephod, the teraphim, and the molten image, and the priest asked them, "What are you doing?"

²⁴ He said, "You took away my gods that I had made, and the priest, and then you go away. What is now left for me? How can you say to me, 'What is the matter?'"

¹⁹ A craftsman pours out the idol, and a _⌊goldsmith_⌋* overlays it with gold, and he smelts chains of silver. ²⁰ The one who is too impoverished for a gift chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks a skillful artisan for himself to set up an image that will not be knocked over.

¹² The _⌊ironsmith_⌋* works in the coals with his tool and forms it with hammers. And he makes it with _⌊his strong arm_⌋;* indeed, he becomes hungry, and _⌊he lacks_⌋* strength; he does not drink water, and he is faint. ¹³ The _⌊woodworker_⌋* stretches out a line; he makes an outline of it with a marker. He makes it with a knife and makes an outline of it with a compass. He makes it like the image of a man, like the beauty of a human, to dwell in a temple.* ¹⁴ Cutting down cedars for himself, he _⌊chooses_⌋* a holm tree and an oak, and he lets it grow strong for him among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. ¹⁵ And it _⌊becomes fuel for a human_⌋,* and he takes some of it and grows warm; also, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also, he makes a god and bows in worship; he makes himself an image and bows down to it!

⁶ Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh out silver in the balance scales; hire _⌊a goldsmith_⌋* and he makes him a god; they bow down, indeed they bow in worship. ⁷ They carry it on their shoulder; they support it and they set it in its place, and it stands in position. It cannot be removed from its place; even when he cries out to it, it does not answer. It does not save him from his trouble.

³ For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, for it is a tree cut down from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with the tool. ⁴ He decorates it with silver and gold, they strengthen it with nails and hammers, so that it does not stagger. ⁵ They are like scarecrows* in a cucumber field, they cannot speak. Indeed, they must be carried, for they cannot march. You must not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil; furthermore, to do good is not in them."

⁹ Silver beaten from Tarshish is brought, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and the hands of the goldsmith. Blue and purple are their clothing, all of them are the work of skillful people.

⁵ And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, _⌊for all the earth is mine_⌋,* ⁶ but you, you will belong to me as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you will speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋."*

⁴² Because they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they shall not be sold _⌊as a slave_⌋.*

⁶ For you are a holy people for Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be for him a people, a treasured possession from among all the peoples that are on the face* of the earth. ⁷ "Yahweh loved you and chose you not _⌊because of your great number_⌋* exceeding all other peoples, for you are fewer than all of the peoples, ⁸ but* _⌊because of_⌋* the love of Yahweh for you and because of his keeping of the sworn oath that he swore to your ancestors,* Yahweh brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

¹⁵ _⌊Yet_⌋* to your ancestors* Yahweh was very attached, so as to love them, and so he chose their offspring after them, namely you, from all the peoples, as it is _⌊today_⌋.*

² For you are a people holy to Yahweh your God, and you Yahweh has chosen to be a treasured possession from among all of the peoples that are on the surface* of the earth.

⁷ O, our God, did you yourself not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it to the descendants* of Abraham your friend forever?

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people he has chosen for his inheritance.

⁶ O offspring of Abraham his servant, you descendants* of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁴² For he remembered his holy _⌊promise_⌋;* he remembered Abraham his servant. ⁴³ And so he brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing. ⁴⁴ And he gave to them the lands of the nations, and they inherited the labor of the peoples, ⁴⁵ so that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise Yah.*

⁴ For Yah has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel as his special possession.

²² Therefore Yahweh, who redeemed Abraham, says this to the house of Jacob:
"Jacob will no longer be ashamed, and his face will no longer grow pale.

¹ But now thus says Yahweh,
he who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "You must not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; _⌊you are mine_⌋.*

¹ "But now hear, Jacob my servant, and Israel, whom I have chosen. ² Thus says Yahweh, who made you, and who formed you in* the womb and will help you: you must not fear, my servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

²¹ "Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant: I formed you; you are my servant; Israel, you will not be forgotten by me!

³ And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will show my glory."

² Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah; she brought you forth. For I called him _⌊alone_⌋,* but* I blessed him and made him numerous."

¹⁶ For you are our father, although Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, Yahweh are our father, Our Redeemer from of old is your name.

²⁴ "Have you not seen how these people speak, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'The two clans* whom Yahweh chose, he has also rejected them'? Thus they spurn my people from being a nation _⌊before them_⌋* any longer.

⁹ And do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

³³ They replied to him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have not been enslaved to anyone at any time. How do you say, 'You will become free'?" ³⁴ Jesus replied to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, that everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And the slave does not remain in the household _⌊forever_⌋;* the son remains _⌊forever_⌋.* ³⁶ So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free. ³⁷ I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are seeking to kill me, because my word makes no progress among you. ³⁸ I speak the things that I have seen with the Father; so also you do the things that you have heard from the Father." ³⁹ They answered and said to him, "Abraham is our father!" Jesus said to them, "If you are children of Abraham, do the deeds of Abraham! ⁴⁰ But now you are seeking to kill me, a man who spoke to you the truth which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. ⁴¹ You are doing the deeds of your father!"
They said* to him, "We were not born from sexual immorality! We have one father, God!" ⁴² Jesus said to them, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I have come forth from God and have come. For I have not come from myself, but that one sent me. ⁴³ _⌊Why_⌋* do you not understand my way of speaking? Because you are not able to listen to my message. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature,* because he is a liar and the father _⌊of lies_⌋.*

¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you.

¹² and the father _⌊of those who are circumcised_⌋* to those who are not only from the circumcision, but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham _⌊which he had while uncircumcised_⌋*. ¹³ For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants, that he would be heir of the world, was not through the law, but through the righteousness by faith.

⁴ who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the temple service, and the promises, ⁵ to whom belong the patriarchs, and from whom is the Christ according to human descent, who is God over all, blessed _⌊forever_⌋*! Amen. ⁶ But it is not as if the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, ⁷ nor are they all children because they are descendants of Abraham, but "In Isaac will your descendants be named."* ⁸ That is, it is not the children _⌊by human descent_⌋* who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants.

¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added on account of transgressions, until the descendant should come to whom it had been promised, having been ordered through angels by the hand of a mediator.

²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the female slave and one by the free woman. ²³ But the one by the female slave was born according to human descent, and the one by the free woman through the promise, ²⁴ which things are spoken allegorically, for these women are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery, who is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is a slave with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem above is free, which is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,
"Rejoice, O barren woman, who does not give birth to children; burst out and shout, you who do not have birth pains, because many are the children of the desolate woman, even more than those of the one who has a husband."* ²⁸ But you, brothers, are children of the promise, just as Isaac. ²⁹ But just as at that time the child born according to human descent persecuted the child born according to the Spirit, so also now. ³⁰ But what does the scripture say? "Drive out the female slave and her son, for the son of the female slave will never inherit with the son"* of the free woman. ³¹ Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the female slave but of the free woman.

²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,"* and he was called God's friend.

⁶ For you are a holy people for Yahweh your God; Yahweh your God has chosen you to be for him a people, a treasured possession from among all the peoples that are on the face* of the earth. ⁷ "Yahweh loved you and chose you not _⌊because of your great number_⌋* exceeding all other peoples, for you are fewer than all of the peoples,

² And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: '_⌊Long ago_⌋* your ancestors*—Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor—lived beyond the river,* and they served other gods. ³ I took your ancestor* Abraham from beyond the river* and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I increased his offspring; I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

²² For Yahweh will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name, because Yahweh has decided to make you his own people.

⁷ You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. ⁸ You found his heart faithful before you and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—to give it to his seed. And you have kept your word because you are righteous. ⁹ "You saw the misery of our ancestors* in Egypt, and you heard their shout at the Red Sea. ¹⁰ You gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all of his servants, and all of the people of his land because you knew that they acted arrogantly against them. You made a name for yourself, as it is this day. ¹¹ And you divided the sea before them, and they passed through the sea on dry ground, but their pursuers you threw into the depths like a stone into mighty waters. ¹² You led them by day with a column of cloud and with a column of fire by night, to give them light on the way that they were to go. ¹³ Then you came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right judgments and true teachings, good regulations and commandments. ¹⁴ You made known your holy Sabbath to them and gave them commandments, regulations, and law* by the hand of your servant Moses. ¹⁵ You gave them bread from heaven for their starvation, and you caused water to go out from a rock for their thirst. You told them to go in order to take into possession the land that you have sworn by your hand to give to them. ¹⁶ "But they and our ancestors* acted arrogantly and stiffened their neck and did not listen to your commandments. ¹⁷ They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders that you did among them. They stiffened their neck and in their rebellion _⌊determined_⌋* to return to their slavery. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, _⌊slow to anger_⌋,* abundant in loyal love, so you did not abandon them. ¹⁸ Even when they made for themselves a molten idol of a calf and said, 'This is your God who brought you out from Egypt,' and committed great blasphemies. ¹⁹ But you in your many mercies did not abandon them in the desert. The column of cloud that was over them in the day did not cease to leave them on the way, and the column of fire by night that gave light to them on the way that they went. ²⁰ And you gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. ²¹ Forty years you sustained them in the desert—they were not in need. Their clothing did not wear out and their feet did not swell. ²² And you gave them kingdoms and nations and allotted them a portion. They took into possession the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. ²³ You made their children* numerous like the stars of the heavens and brought them to the land that you told their ancestors* to enter in order to take possession. ²⁴ So the children* went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites; you gave them into their hand, and their kings and the nations of the land to do with them according to their pleasure. ²⁵ And they captured fortified cities and a fertile land and took possession of houses filled with every good thing: hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, and many fruit trees. They ate and became full, and they became fat and took delight in your great goodness. ²⁶ "But they rebelled and were rebellious against you and cast your law* behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them to turn back to you, and they did great blasphemies. ²⁷ Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemy, and they brought trouble to them. Then in the time of their trouble they cried out to you, and you heard from the heavens, and according to your great compassions, you gave them saviors, and you saved them from the hand of their enemies. ²⁸ But when they had rest they returned to doing evil before you, and you abandoned them in the hand of their enemies, and they ruled over them. Then they returned and cried out to you, and from the heavens you heard and many times rescued them according to your compassions. ²⁹ You warned them so that they would return to your law.* Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commandments but sinned against your judgments that a person must do so that they may live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not listen. ³⁰ You were patient toward them for many years, and you have warned them by your spirit through the hand of your prophets, but they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the nations of the lands. ³¹ But in your great compassions you did not put an end to them, and you did not abandon them. For you are a gracious and compassionate God. ³² "And now our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God who keeps his covenant and loyal love, do not belittle in your presence all of the hardship that is found in us, our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors,* and all of our people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. ³³ You are righteous in everything that has come on us, for you dealt faithfully, and we have acted wickedly. ³⁴ Our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors* did not keep your law* and did not listen to your commandments and statutes that you declared to them. ³⁵ And in their kingdom and in the greatness you gave to them, and in the wide and fertile land that you gave before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their evil deeds. ³⁶ Behold, we are slaves to this day, and the land that you have given to our ancestors* to eat its fruits and enjoy its goodness—behold, we are slaves in it! ³⁷ Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have given over us because of our sins, and they are ruling over our dead bodies and our livestock at their pleasure. We are in great trouble. ³⁸ * "Now because of all of this we make a binding written agreement and are writing on the sealed documents the names of our commanders, our Levites, and our priests."

¹⁴ For Yahweh will not abandon his people, nor forsake his inheritance.

² Let the redeemed of Yahweh declare* it, those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy ³ and gathered from the lands, from east and from west, from north and from south.*

² Who has roused salvation from the east, summoned* him to his foot, gives nations _⌊in his presence_⌋,* and subjugates kings? He makes* them like the dust with his sword, like scattered stubble with his bow.

⁸ But* you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you, the _⌊offspring_⌋* of Abraham my _⌊friend_⌋,*

⁵ You must not fear, for I am with you. I will bring your _⌊offspring_⌋* from the east, and I will gather you from the west. ⁶ I will say to the north, 'Give!' and to the south, 'You must not withhold!' Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the end of the earth—

²⁵ Thus says Yahweh: 'If my covenant with day and with night, the regulations of heaven and earth, I had not established, ²⁶ then the offspring of Jacob and David my servant I would reject, from choosing rulers from his offspring over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will restore their fortunes* and I will have compassion on them.'"

²⁹ And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

¹ Therefore I say, God has not rejected his people, has he?* May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, from the descendants of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not rejected his people, whom he foreknew! Or do you not know, in the passage about* Elijah, what the scripture says—how he appeals to God against Israel?

²⁶ For consider your calling, brothers, that not many were wise according to human standards,* not many were powerful, not many were well born. ²⁷ But the foolish things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the wise, and the weak things of the world God chose in order that he might put to shame the strong, ²⁸ and the insignificant of the world, and the despised, God chose, the things that are not, in order that he might abolish the things that are, ²⁹ so that all flesh may not boast before God.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! Did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

⁹ And they were singing a new song, saying,
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and bought people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation,

¹ After these things the word of Yahweh came* to Abram in a vision, saying: "Do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield, and your reward shall be very great."

¹ "If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, _⌊an army_⌋* larger that you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt.

⁶ Be strong and be courageous; you should not be afraid, and you _⌊should not be in dread from their presence_⌋,* for Yahweh your God is the one going with you; he will not leave you alone and he will not forsake you." ⁷ Then Moses summoned Joshua, and he said to him _⌊in the presence of all Israel_⌋,* "Be strong and be courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that Yahweh swore to their ancestors* to give to them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. ⁸ Yahweh is the one going _⌊before you_⌋;* he will be with you, and he will not leave you alone, and he will not forsake you; you shall not be afraid, and you shall not be discouraged."

²⁷ The God of _⌊ancient time_⌋* is a hiding place, and underneath are the arms of eternity,* and he drove out _⌊from before_⌋* you your enemy, and he said, 'Destroy them!' ²⁸ So Israel dwells alone and carefree, the spring of Jacob in a land of grain and wine; his heavens even drip dew. ²⁹ Blessed are you, O Israel. Who is like you, a people who is saved by Yahweh, the shield of your help, and who is the sword of your triumph, and your enemies, they shall fawn before you,* and you shall tread on their backs."

⁹ Did I not command you? Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you _⌊wherever you go_⌋."*

¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:
"We are yours, O David! And we are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace! Peace to you, and peace to those who help you, for your God helps you."
So David appointed them as heads of the troops.

¹⁷ There will be no need for you to fight in this battle. Take your stand! Stand and see the deliverance of Yahweh among you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out before them and Yahweh will be with you.'"

⁸ With him is the arm of flesh, and with us is Yahweh our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people took confidence with the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

¹ Of David.*
Yahweh is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the refuge of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

¹¹ May Yahweh give strength to his people. May Yahweh bless his people with peace.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but Yahweh supports the righteous.

²⁴ Though he fall, he will not be cast headlong, for Yahweh supports him with his hand.

¹² As for me, you have upheld me in my integrity, and you have set me in your presence forever.

¹ For the music director. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song.*
God is our refuge and strength, a very sufficient help in troubles. ² Therefore we will not fear though the earth change, and though the mountains totter into the _⌊midst_⌋* of the sea,

⁷ Yahweh of hosts is with us; our high stronghold is the God of Jacob. Selah

¹¹ Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our high stronghold.

⁸ My soul clings to* you; your right hand upholds me.

⁵ By awesome deeds in righteousness you will answer us, O God of our salvation, you who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of the far-off seas,

¹³ You have a mighty arm; Your hand is strong; your right hand reaches high. ¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne. Loyal love and faithfulness* come before your face.*

⁴ And the strength of the king loves justice.* You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

⁸ whose mouth speaks falsely, and their right hand is a false right hand.

¹¹ Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouth speaks falsely, and whose right hand is a false right hand,

¹⁴ Yahweh upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.

¹² Laud Yahweh, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,

² Look! God is my salvation; I will trust, and I will not be afraid, for my strength and might is Yah, Yahweh; and he has become salvation for me."

²⁹ He gives power to the weary, and he increases power for _⌊the powerless_⌋.* ³⁰ Even* young people will be faint and grow weary, and the young will stumble, exhausted. ³¹ But* those who wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength. They shall go up with wings* like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.

¹³ For I, Yahweh your God, am grasping your right hand; _⌊it is I who say_⌋* to you, "You must not fear; I myself, I will help you. ¹⁴ You must not fear, O worm of Jacob; people of Israel, I myself, I will help you," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel.

¹ But now thus says Yahweh,
he who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "You must not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; _⌊you are mine_⌋.* ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not flow over you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not scorch* you.

⁵ You must not fear, for I am with you. I will bring your _⌊offspring_⌋* from the east, and I will gather you from the west.

² Thus says Yahweh, who made you, and who formed you in* the womb and will help you: you must not fear, my servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

⁸ Thus says Yahweh:
"I have answered you in a time of favor, and helped you on a day of salvation, and watched over you, and given you as a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to give the desolate hereditary property as an inheritance,

¹² "I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that* you are afraid of man? He dies! And of the son of humankind? He is _⌊sacrificed_⌋* as grass! ¹³ And you have forgotten Yahweh, your maker, who stretched out the heavens, and founded the earth. And you tremble continually, all day, because of the wrath of the oppressor when he _⌊takes aim_⌋* to destroy. But* where is the wrath of the oppressor?

⁷ How delightful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns as a king."

¹⁹ The sun shall no longer be your light by day, and for bright light the moon shall not give you light, but* Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and your God your glory.

⁹ And he* said, "_⌊Name him_⌋* Lo-ammi,* for you are not my people and I am not your God.*

¹² I will make them strong in Yahweh, and in his name they will walk, _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁹ And I will bring the remaining third into the fire, and I will refine them like one refines silver, and I will test them like one tests gold. They* will call my name, and I will answer them.* I will say, 'They* are my people,' and they* will say, 'Yahweh is my God.'"

¹³ But the angel said to him,
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.

³⁰ And the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

¹⁰ And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring good news to you of great joy which will be for all the people: ¹¹ that today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.

⁵⁴ Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you say, 'He is our God.' ⁵⁵ And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you! But I know him and I keep his word.

³¹ What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

⁹ And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, because the* power is perfected in weakness." Therefore rather I will boast most gladly in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may reside in me.

¹⁶ that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

¹³ I am able to do all things by the one who strengthens me.

⁸ And all of these your servants will come down to me and bow to me, saying, 'Go out, you and all the people who are at your feet.' And afterward I will go out." And he went out from Pharaoh _⌊in great anger_⌋.*

²² But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

⁸ And it shall be as when the hungry person dreams—look, he is eating! And he wakes up and his inner self is empty. Or* as when the thirsty person dreams—look, he is drinking! And he wakes up and look, he is faint, and his inner self is longing for water. So shall be the multitude of all the nations who fight against Mount Zion.

¹⁷ All the nations are like nothing before him; they are counted by him as* nothing and emptiness.

²⁴ Look! you are nothing, and your work is something worthless; whoever chooses you is an abomination.

²⁹ Look! All of them are deception; their works are nothing; their images are wind and emptiness.

²⁴ 'Only in Yahweh,' one shall say to me, 'are righteousness and strength.' He shall come to him, and all those who were angry with him shall be ashamed.

²⁶ And I will feed your oppressors their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their blood as with wine. Then* all flesh shall know that I am Yahweh, your savior and redeemer, the strong one of Jacob."

¹⁷ Every weapon formed against you shall not succeed, and you shall declare guilty every tongue that rises against you for judgment. This is the inheritance of the servants of Yahweh, and their _⌊legal right_⌋* from me,"
_⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹² For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you shall perish, and the nations shall be utterly devastated. ¹³ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you; the cypress, the plane, and the pine together, to glorify the place of my sanctuary, and I will do honor to the place of my feet. ¹⁴ And the children of those who oppressed you shall come to you bending low, and all those who treated you disrespectfully shall bow down at the soles of your feet. And they shall call you the city of Yahweh, Zion of the holy one of Israel.

³⁵ And all the dwellers of the earth are regarded as nothing, and he does _⌊according to_⌋* his desire in the host of heaven and among the dwellers of earth, and there is not one who can hold back his hand, or _⌊ask him_⌋,* 'What are you doing?'

³ _⌊And then_⌋* on that day I will make Jerusalem a stone weight* for all the peoples. All those lifting it up will grievously hurt themselves, and all the nations of the earth will assemble against it.

⁸ But Elymas the magician (for his name is translated in this way) opposed them, attempting to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul (also called Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and* said, "O you who are full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord! ¹¹ And now behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun _⌊for a while_⌋.* And immediately mist and darkness fell over him, and he was going around looking for people* to lead him* by the hand.

³⁹ And they came and* apologized to* them, and after they* brought them* out they asked them* to depart from the city.

⁹ Behold, I am causing those of the synagogue of Satan, the ones who call themselves Jews and are not, but are lying—behold, I will make them _⌊come_⌋* and kneel down before your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.

⁷ he will perish forever like his dung; those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?' ⁸ He will fly away like a dream, and they will not find him, and he will be chased away like a vision of the night. ⁹ The eye that saw him _⌊will not see him again_⌋,* and his place will no longer behold him.

³⁵ I have seen the wicked acting violently and spreading himself out like a luxuriant native tree. ³⁶ Then he passed on* and behold, he was not. And I sought him, but he could not be found.

¹⁴ At the time of evening, and look, terror! Before morning he is no more. This is the fate of those who plunder us and the lot of those who plunder us.

²⁶ "There is no one like God, O, Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, and with his majesty through the skies.

²³ But I am continually with you; you have hold of my right hand.

³¹ for he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those judging his life.*

¹⁰ You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.

⁶ "I am Yahweh; I have called you in righteousness, and I have grasped your hand and watched over you; and I have given you as a covenant of the people, as a light of the nations,

⁶ I will say to the north, 'Give!' and to the south, 'You must not withhold!' Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the end of the earth—

¹⁸ There is no one who guides her among* all the children she has borne, and there is no one who grasps her by the hand among* all the children she raised.

¹⁷ But the Lord helped me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fulfilled and all the Gentiles might hear, and he rescued me from the lion's mouth.

⁷ "Yahweh loved you and chose you not _⌊because of your great number_⌋* exceeding all other peoples, for you are fewer than all of the peoples,

²⁵ But* I myself* know that my redeemer is alive, and at the last he will stand up upon _⌊the earth_⌋.*

⁶ _⌊How much less_⌋* for a human being who is a maggot, and _⌊a human_⌋* who is a worm?"

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your presence, O Yahweh, my rock and my redeemer.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by humankind and despised by people.

¹⁴ Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel: "For your sake I will send to Babylon, and I will cause all of them to fall down as fugitives, and _⌊the Chaldeans_⌋,* their rejoicing on the ships.

⁶ Thus says Yahweh, the king of Israel, and its redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: "I am the first, and I am the last, and there is no god besides me.

²⁴ Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, and he who formed you in* the womb: "I am Yahweh, who made everything, who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread out the earth—who was with me?—

⁴ Our redeemer, Yahweh of hosts is his name, the holy one of Israel.

¹⁷ Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, the holy one of Israel:
"I am Yahweh your God, _⌊who teaches_⌋* you to profit, leads you in the way you should go.

⁷ Thus says Yahweh, the redeemer of Israel, his holy one,
to the one who despises* life, to the one who abhors the nation, to the slave of rulers: "Kings shall see and stand up; princes, and they shall bow down, for the sake of Yahweh, who is faithful, the holy one of Israel, and he has chosen you."

⁵ For your husband* is your maker,* his name is Yahweh of hosts; and your redeemer is the holy one of Israel, he is called the God of all of the earth.

⁸ I hid my face from you for a moment, in the flowing of anger, but* I will have compassion on you with everlasting faithfulness" says your redeemer, Yahweh.

²⁰ "And a redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn away from transgression,"
_⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

¹⁶ And you shall suck the milk of nations, and suck the breast of kings, and you shall know that I am Yahweh your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Strong One of Jacob.

³⁴ Their redeemer is strong, his name is Yahweh of hosts. Surely he will plead their case, in order to make peace for the earth, but to cause unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

¹⁴ because narrow* is the gate and constricted is the road that leads to life, and there are few who find it!

³² "Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom.

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel,
"Even if the number of the sons of Israel is like the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved,

¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by* becoming a curse for us, because it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"*

¹⁴ who gave himself for us, in order that he might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds.

⁴² And I ground them like dust _⌊in the wind_⌋,* I emptied them* out like mud of the streets.

¹⁰ My downtrodden people and the son of my threshing floor,
I will announce to you what I have heard from Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel.

²⁷ For dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a wheel of a utility cart _⌊rolled_⌋* over cumin, but dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.

¹³ Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for your horn I will make as iron and your hooves as bronze. And you will break many peoples in pieces, and their gain you will devote to destruction to Yahweh, and their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth."

¹² In fury you marched through the earth; in anger you trampled the nations.

⁷ 'Who are you O great mountain? _⌊Before_⌋* Zerubbabel you will become level ground, and he will bring out the top stone amid the shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" '"

⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but powerful to God for the tearing down of fortresses, tearing down arguments ⁵ and all pride that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

¹ Then Hannah prayed and said,
"My heart exults in Yahweh, my strength is exalted in Yahweh; _⌊I grin_⌋* over my enemies, for I rejoice over your salvation. ² There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one besides you, and there is no rock like our God.

⁴ Not so the wicked. Instead, they are like the chaff that the wind scatters.

⁶ Inhabitant of Zion, shout out and sing for joy, for the holy one of Israel is great in your midst."

¹³ The nations roar like the roar of many waters, but he will rebuke him, and he will flee far away. And they are chased like chaff of the mountains before the wind and like tumbleweed before the storm.

¹ Yahweh, you are my God; I will exalt you. I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things,* plans* _⌊of old_⌋,* in faithfulness, trustworthiness. ² For you have _⌊made_⌋* the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin, the palace of foreigners _⌊is no longer_⌋* a city; it will _⌊never_⌋* be rebuilt. ³ Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; a city of ruthless nations, they will fear you.

²⁴ 'Only in Yahweh,' one shall say to me, 'are righteousness and strength.' He shall come to him, and all those who were angry with him shall be ashamed. ²⁵ In Yahweh all the offspring of Israel shall be in the right, and they shall boast."

¹⁰ I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh; my being shall shout in exultation in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns himself with a head wrap like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewelry. ¹¹ For as the earth _⌊produces_⌋* its sprout, and as a garden makes its plants sprout, so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout, and praise before all the nations.

²³ Thus says Yahweh,
"The wise man must not boast in his wisdom, and the warrior must not boast in his might, the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth. ²⁴ _⌊But only_⌋* in this must the one who boasts boast, that he has insight, and that he knows me, that I am Yahweh, showing loyal love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh.

⁷ And I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land. I am bereaved. I have destroyed my people. They did not turn back from their ways.

² And I will send winnowers to Babylon, and they will winnow her, and they will lay waste her land, for they will be against her from all sides on the day of disaster.

¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh; I will exult in the God of my salvation.

¹² His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

⁴⁶ And Mary said,
"My soul exalts the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit has rejoiced greatly in God my Savior,

¹¹ And not only this, but also we are boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

³⁰ But from him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, ³¹ so that, just as it is written, "The one who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."*

³ For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship* by the Spirit* of God and boast in Christ Jesus and do not put confidence in the flesh,

¹⁵ Now behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. And I will bring you to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you."

³ And the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why _⌊ever_⌋* did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me* and my sons and my cattle with thirst?"

⁶ Look, I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink."
And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.

¹⁸ And he was very thirsty, and he called to Yahweh and said, "You gave this great victory into the hand of your servant, but now I must die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" ¹⁹ So God split the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it; and he drank, and his spirit returned, and he was revived. Thus he called its name _⌊The Spring of Ha-Qore_⌋,* which is at Lehi to this day.

¹⁵ My strength is dry like a potsherd, and my tongue is sticking to my jaws; and you have placed me in the dust of death.

⁶ This poor man called and Yahweh heard, and saved him from all his troubles.

² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?*

¹⁵ And call me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me."

¹ A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.*
O God, you are my God; I will seek you diligently. My soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you as in a dry and weary land without water. ² Thus I have seen you in the sanctuary, beholding your strength and glory.

⁹ You caused abundant rain to fall, O God. When your inheritance was weary you revived it. ¹⁰ Your community dwelled in it. You provided in your goodness for the poor, O God.

¹² Indeed he will deliver the needy who is crying for help, and the afflicted who has no helper. ¹³ He will take pity on the helpless and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save.

¹⁶ For Yahweh will rebuild Zion; he will appear in his glory. ¹⁷ He will turn his attention to the prayer of the destitute and will not despise their prayer.

⁵ Hungry and thirsty, their soul grew faint within them. ⁶ Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble. He delivered them from their distresses

¹⁹ For people will live in Zion; in Jerusalem, you will surely not weep. Surely he will be gracious to you; when he hears the sound of your cry, he will answer you.

¹⁶ And I will lead the blind by a road they do not know; I will cause them to tread on paths they have not known. I will make darkness _⌊in their presence_⌋* into light and rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

²⁰ The animals of the field will honor me, jackals and daughters of the ostrich, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give a drink to my chosen people,

³ For I will pour out water on a thirsty land and streams on dry ground. I will pour my spirit out on your descendants* and my blessing on your offspring.

¹ "Ho! Everyone thirsty, come to the waters! And whoever has no money, come, buy and eat, and come, buy without money, wine and milk without price!

¹ The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up _⌊the brokenhearted_⌋,* to _⌊proclaim_⌋* release to the captives and liberation to those who are bound,

² And my hand has made all these things, and all these _⌊came to be_⌋,"*
_⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "but* I look to this one:
to the humble and the contrite of spirit and the one frightened at my word.

⁴ The tongue of the nursling cleaves to its palate in thirst. Children beg for food, _⌊no one lays it out before them_⌋.*

¹¹ Look, the days are coming," _⌊declares_⌋* my Lord Yahweh, "when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine for bread and not a thirst for water, but _⌊of hearing_⌋* the words of Yahweh! ¹² And they will wander from sea to sea and from the north and to the east. They will roam about to seek the word of Yahweh, but they will not find it! ¹³ In that day the beautiful young women and the young men will faint because of thirst.

³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁶ Blessed are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be satisfied.

²⁴ And he called out and* said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!'

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'Give me water* to drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." ¹¹ The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket and the well is deep! From where then do you get this living water? ¹² You are not greater than our father Jacob, are you,* who gave us the well and drank from it himself, and his sons and his livestock?" ¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. ¹⁴ But whoever drinks of this water which I will give to him will never be thirsty for eternity, but the water which I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." ¹⁵ The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or come here to draw water!"*

³⁷ Now on the last day of the feast—the great day—Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let him drink, ³⁸ the one who believes in me.* Just as the scripture said, 'Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.'"* ³⁹ Now he said this concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet given,* because Jesus had not yet been glorified.)

⁵ Your lifestyle must be free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For he himself has said, "I will never desert you, and I will never abandon you."* ⁶ So then, we can say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.* What will man do to me?"*

⁶ And he said to me, "It is done! I am* the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water from the spring of the water of life freely.*

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And the one who hears, let him say, "Come!" And the one who is thirsty, let him come. The one who wants, let him take the water of life freely.*

⁴ There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God, the holiest of the dwellings of the Most High.

¹⁵ He caused rocks to split in the wilderness and provided drink abundantly as from the depths. ¹⁶ And he brought streams out of the rock and caused water to flow down like rivers.

⁴¹ He opened the rock and waters flowed; they coursed* through the dry places like a river.

³⁵ He turns a wilderness into a pool of water and a dry land into springs of water.

³ And you will draw water from the wells of salvation in joy.

²⁵ And there will be streams on every high mountain and elevated hill, watercourses of water, on a day of great slaughter, when towers fall.

² And each one will be like a hiding place from the wind and a covering from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a dry region, like the shade of a large rock in a weary land.

⁶ Then the lame shall leap like the deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy, for waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. ⁷ And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. Her resting place is in a settlement of jackals; the grass shall become like reeds* and rushes.*

¹⁹ Look! I am about to do a new thing! Now it sprouts! Do you not perceive* it? Indeed, I will _⌊make_⌋* a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. ²⁰ The animals of the field will honor me, jackals and daughters of the ostrich, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give a drink to my chosen people,

²¹ And when he led them through the deserts, they were not thirsty; he made water flow from the rock for them, and he split the rock, and the water gushed out.

⁹ saying to the _⌊prisoners_⌋,* "Come out!" to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves!" they shall feed _⌊along_⌋* the ways, and their pasturage shall be on all the barren heights. ¹⁰ They shall not be hungry or thirsty, and heat and sun shall not strike them, for he who takes pity on them will lead them, and he will guide them to springs of water.

¹¹ And Yahweh will lead you continually, and satisfy your soul in a barren land, and he will strengthen your bones, and you shall be like a well-watered garden, and like a spring of water whose water does not fail.

¹ And he brought me back to the doorway of the temple and, look! There was water coming out from under the threshold of the temple eastward, because the face of the temple was eastwards; and the water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, from south of the altar. ² And he brought me out by the way of the north gate and he led me around by the _⌊way leading to the outside of the outer gate_⌋* by way of the gate facing east, and look, there was water trickling from the south side. ³ As the man went eastward a measuring line was in his hand, and he measured a thousand _⌊cubits_⌋.* And he led me through on into the water; it was _⌊ankle deep_⌋.* ⁴ And he measured a thousand cubits,* and he brought me over into the waters and it was _⌊knee deep_⌋.* And he measured a thousand cubits,* and he brought me over into the waters and it was _⌊waist deep_⌋.* ⁵ And he measured a thousand cubits,* and it became a stream that I was not able to cross, because the water rose, _⌊waters a person could swim in_⌋,* and became a stream that could not be crossed. ⁶ And he asked me, "Son of man,* did you see this?" And he made me go, and he brought me back along the bank of the stream. ⁷ _⌊When I returned_⌋,* then look! On the bank of the river were many trees _⌊on both sides_⌋.* ⁸ And he said to me, "These waters are going out to the eastern region, and they go down to the _⌊Jordan Valley_⌋,* and they come to the sea* and flow into the sea where _⌊they issue out_⌋,* and the waters in the sea will be healed.*

¹⁸ And it will happen on that day; the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the channels of Judah will flow with water. A spring from the house of Yahweh will come forth, and it will water the valley of Acacia Trees.*

⁸ _⌊And then_⌋* on that day, living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea,* and the other half to the western sea;* it will happen both in the summer and in the winter.

¹⁷ because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and will lead them to springs of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."*

¹ And he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming out from the throne of God and of the Lamb

¹³ Planted in the house* of Yahweh, they will flourish in the courts of our God. ¹⁴ They will still prosper in old age. They will be fat and luxuriant,*

⁶ _⌊Days are coming_⌋,* let Jacob take root; Israel will blossom and send out shoots, and they will fill the face of the world with fruit.

¹⁵ Until a spirit is poured out on us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is reckoned as the forest.

¹ Wilderness and dry land shall be glad,* and desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus.

³¹ And the remnant of the house of Judah that remain shall _⌊grow_⌋* roots* downwards and make fruit upwards. ³² For a remnant shall go out from Jerusalem and survivors* from mountain Zion.
The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will do this.'

³ For Yahweh will comfort Zion; he will comfort all its sites of ruins. And he will _⌊make_⌋* its wilderness like Eden, and its desert like the garden of Yahweh. Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the _⌊sound_⌋* of song.

¹³ Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper shall go up; instead of the brier, the myrtle shall go up, and it shall serve as a memorial to Yahweh, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

¹³ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you; the cypress, the plane, and the pine together, to glorify the place of my sanctuary, and I will do honor to the place of my feet.

²¹ And all your people shall be righteous; they shall take possession of the land forever, the shoot of his* planting, the work of my hands, to show my glory.

³ to _⌊give_⌋* for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And _⌊they will be called_⌋* oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.

¹¹ For as the earth _⌊produces_⌋* its sprout, and as a garden makes its plants sprout, so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout, and praise before all the nations.

²² Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 'And I will take, even I, from the treetop of the high cedar, and I will plant it, from the head of its new plant shoot I will pluck a tender one, and I will plant it, even I, on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ On the height of the mountain of Israel I will plant it, and it will carry* branches,* and it will bear fruit, and _⌊it will become a noble cedar_⌋,* and all of the birds of all wings* will dwell under it in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ And all of the trees of the field will know that I, Yahweh, I will bring low a high tree, and I will exalt a low, fresh tree, and I will make a dry tree flourish. I, Yahweh, I have spoken, and I will do it.'"

¹² And along the stream will go up on its banks _⌊from both sides_⌋* every tree _⌊producing food_⌋;* its leaf will not wither and it will not cease producing its fruit. _⌊Every month_⌋* it will bear early fruit, for its waters are going out from the sanctuary, and its fruit will be as food, and its leaf for healing."

¹⁶ But for the sake of this I have caused you to stand—for the sake of showing you my strength and in order to proclaim my name in all the earth.

²³ Because there is no sorcery against Jacob, and there is no divination against Israel. Now* it will be said to Jacob and Israel, what God has done!

⁹ Who among all of these does not know that Yahweh's hand has done this?

²⁷ that they may know that this is your hand, that you, O Yahweh, you have done it.

⁷ everyone who is called by my name, and whom I created for my glory, whom I formed, indeed whom I made." ⁸ Bring out the people blind yet* with eyes, and deaf, though* they have ears. ⁹ Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them has declared this, and _⌊declared_⌋* the former things to us? Let them bring* their witnesses, that* they may be in the right, and let them hear and say, "It is true!" ¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe _⌊in_⌋* me and understand that I am he. No god was formed before _⌊me_⌋*, and none shall be after me. ¹¹ I myself am Yahweh, and there is no savior besides me! ¹² I myself declared and saved, and I _⌊proclaimed_⌋.* And there was no _⌊strange god_⌋* among you. And you are my witnesses," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and I am God. ¹³ Indeed, from this day I am the one, and no one can deliver from my hand. I perform,* and who can _⌊cancel it_⌋?"*

²¹ this people whom I formed for myself, so they might _⌊make known_⌋* my praise.

²³ Sing for joy, heavens, for Yahweh has done it! Shout, depths of the earth! Break forth, mountains, in rejoicing, forest and every tree in it, for Yahweh has redeemed Jacob, and he will show his glory in Israel!

⁶ so that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none besides me; I am Yahweh and there is none besides me. ⁷ I form light and I create darkness; I make peace and I create evil; I am Yahweh; I do all these things. ⁸ Trickle, O heavens, from above, and let clouds trickle with righteousness; let the earth open so that* salvation may be fruitful, and let it cause righteousness to sprout along with it.* I myself, Yahweh, have created it.

¹⁸ "And I—their works and thoughts!—am about to come to gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and see my glory.

⁶ and raised us together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ it is not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.

¹⁰ whenever he should come to be glorified on that day by his saints and to be marveled at by all who believe, because our testimony was believed among you,

³ _⌊O that_⌋* I knew and that I might find him; O that I might come to his dwelling. ⁴ I would lay my case _⌊before him_⌋,* and I would fill my mouth with arguments.

³⁷ I would give him an account of my steps; I would approach him like a noble.

⁷ "_⌊Prepare yourself for a difficult task like a man_⌋,* and I will question you, and you shall declare to me. ⁸ "Indeed, would you annul my justice? Would you condemn me, so that you might be righteous? ⁹ Or do you have an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?

¹ Hear now what Yahweh says: "Arise! Plead your case with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice." ² Hear, O mountains, the indictment of Yahweh, and you eternal foundations of the earth, for Yahweh has an indictment against his people, and against Israel he contends.

⁹ Look! the former things have come, and I declare new things. I _⌊announce_⌋* them to you before they sprout up."

⁹ Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them has declared this, and _⌊declared_⌋* the former things to us? Let them bring* their witnesses, that* they may be in the right, and let them hear and say, "It is true!" ¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and my servant whom I have chosen so that you may know and believe _⌊in_⌋* me and understand that I am he. No god was formed before _⌊me_⌋*, and none shall be after me. ¹¹ I myself am Yahweh, and there is no savior besides me! ¹² I myself declared and saved, and I _⌊proclaimed_⌋.* And there was no _⌊strange god_⌋* among you. And you are my witnesses," _⌊declares_⌋* Yahweh, "and I am God.

⁷ And who is like me? Let him proclaim* it! And let him declare it and set it in order for me _⌊since I established an eternal people_⌋* and things that are to come, and let them tell them the things that are coming.

²¹ Declare and present your case, also let them consult together! Who _⌊made this known_⌋* from _⌊former times_⌋,* declared it from _⌊of old_⌋?* Was it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God besides me, and no savior besides me.

¹⁴ Assemble, all of you, and hear! Who among them declared these things? Yahweh loves him; he shall perform* his wish against Babylon and his arm against _⌊the Chaldeans_⌋.*

¹⁹ From now on I am telling you before it happens, in order that when it happens you may believe that I am he.*

¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and will proclaim it* to you.

⁷ And who is like me? Let him proclaim* it! And let him declare it and set it in order for me _⌊since I established an eternal people_⌋* and things that are to come, and let them tell them the things that are coming. ⁸ You must not tremble,* and you must not be paralyzed with fear. Have I not made you hear from of old* and declared it, and you are my witnesses? Is there a god besides me? And there is no rock! I know none!"

³ And I will give you the treasures of darkness and treasures of secret places so that you may know that I am Yahweh, the one who calls you by your name, the God of Israel,

⁷ They carry it on their shoulder; they support it and they set it in its place, and it stands in position. It cannot be removed from its place; even when he cries out to it, it does not answer. It does not save him from his trouble.

⁹ Remember the former things from _⌊a long time ago_⌋,* for I am God and there is none besides me, God and there is none like me, ¹⁰ who from the beginning declares the end, and from before, things that have not been done, who says, 'My plan shall stand,' and, 'I will accomplish* all my wishes,'*

⁵ They are like scarecrows* in a cucumber field, they cannot speak. Indeed, they must be carried, for they cannot march. You must not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil; furthermore, to do good is not in them."

²⁶ And you must not bring a detestable thing into your house, or you will become a thing devoted to destruction like it; you must utterly detest it, and you must utterly abhor it, for it is an object devoted to destruction.

¹⁵ 'Cursed be the man that makes a divine image or a cast image, which is a detestable thing for Yahweh, the work of the hand of a skilled craftsman, and then sets it in a hiding place.'* And _⌊all the people shall respond_⌋,* 'Amen.'

⁸ Those who make them become like them, as does everyone who trusts in them.

¹⁹ to _⌊set_⌋* their gods in the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of human hands, wood and stone, and they destroyed them.

⁹ All those who form an idol are nothing, and their delightful things do not profit. And their witnesses do not see or know, so they will be ashamed. ¹⁰ Who would form a god and cast an image of which he cannot profit?

²⁴ "And they shall go out and look at the corpses of the people* _⌊who have rebelled_⌋* against me,
for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."

⁸ _⌊At the same time_⌋* they are stupid and foolish, in the instruction of idols, it is wood.

¹⁴ _⌊Everyone_⌋* is stupid, _⌊without knowledge_⌋,* every goldsmith is ashamed by his divine image, for his cast image is an illusion, and there is no breath in them.

¹⁷ All humankind turns out to be stupid, without knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by the divine image. For his cast image is a lie, and there is no breath in them. ¹⁸ They are worthless, a work of mockery. At the time of their punishment, they will perish.

⁴ Therefore, concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols, we know that "an idol is nothing in the world" and that "there is no God except one."*

⁵ And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth."

² "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³ Whoever among you who is from all of his people, may his God be with him and may he go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may he build the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He is the God who is in Jerusalem.

⁶ I send him against a godless nation, and I command him against the people of my wrath, to capture spoil and to carry off plunder, and to make them* a trampling place, like the clay of the streets.

² A hard revelation is told to me;
the treacherous deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; lay siege, Media!
I put an end to all of her sighing.

²⁸ who says of Cyrus, 'My shepherd,' and he shall carry out all my wishes*; and saying of Jerusalem, 'It shall be rebuilt,' and the temple, 'It shall be founded.'"

¹⁰ who from the beginning declares the end, and from before, things that have not been done, who says, 'My plan shall stand,' and, 'I will accomplish* all my wishes,'* ¹¹ who calls a bird of prey from the east, the man of his* plan from a country from afar. Indeed I have spoken; indeed I will bring it to being. I have formed it; indeed I will do it.

³ For a nation will come up against her from the north. It will make her land as a horror, and an inhabitant will not be in her. From humans* to animals* they all will wander off. They will go away.

²⁷ Raise a banner in the land; blow a horn among the nations; prepare for holy war against her; summon the nations against her, the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz; summon against her an official; bring up horses* like bristling creeping locusts.* ²⁸ Prepare the nations for holy war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors and all their officials, and every land of their dominion. ²⁹ And the land quakes and writhes, for the plans of Yahweh against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon as a horror, _⌊without_⌋* inhabitant.

¹⁰ Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is Yahweh your God?" My eyes will look upon her; now she will become a trampling place, like mud in the streets.

⁵ And they will be like warriors, trampling in the mud of the streets in the battle. They will fight, because Yahweh is with them, and they will put to shame the riders on horses.

²² Let them bring them, and let them tell us what will happen. Tell us what the former things are _⌊so that_⌋* we may take them to our heart and know their outcome.* Declare to us the things to come;

⁹ Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them has declared this, and _⌊declared_⌋* the former things to us? Let them bring* their witnesses, that* they may be in the right, and let them hear and say, "It is true!"

¹⁸ What value is an idol when its carver has fashioned it, a molten idol, a teacher of lies? For he who fashioned his creation trusts in it, though making mute idols! ¹⁹ Woe to him who says to the wood, 'Wake up!' And to a lifeless stone, 'Arise!' Can he teach? Look, it is covered with gold and silver, and there is no breath within it. ²⁰ But Yahweh is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him."

¹ In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to accomplish the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, Yahweh stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia and he sent a message to all of his kingdom and also put the message in writing: ² "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

⁹ _⌊Get yourself_⌋* up to a high mountain, Zion, bringer of good news! Lift up your voice with strength, Jerusalem, bringer of good news! Lift it up; you must not fear! Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"

⁴ Who has accomplished and done this, calling the generations from the _⌊beginning_⌋?* I, Yahweh, am first; and I am the one with the last.

²⁸ who says of Cyrus, 'My shepherd,' and he shall carry out all my wishes*; and saying of Jerusalem, 'It shall be rebuilt,' and the temple, 'It shall be founded.'"

³ "I declared the former things from _⌊of old_⌋,* and they went out from my mouth. And I _⌊announced_⌋* them suddenly; I acted,* and they came to pass,

¹⁵ * Look! On the mountains! The feet of the one who brings good tidings, the one who proclaims peace! "Celebrate a festival, O Judah, Fulfill your vows! For he will not invade you again; the wicked one is cut off completely!"

¹⁵ And how will they preach, unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How timely are the feet of those who bring good news of good things."*

¹³ Who has measured up the spirit of Yahweh or informed him as _⌊his counselor_⌋*? ¹⁴ With whom has he consulted, that* he enlightened him* and taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and made the way of understanding known to him?

² Why was there no man when I came, no one who answered when I called? _⌊Do I lack the strength to save_⌋?* Or is there no power in me to deliver? Look! by my rebuke I dry up the sea; I _⌊make_⌋* the rivers a desert; their fish stink because there is no water, and they* die because of thirst.

¹⁶ And he saw that there was no man, and he was appalled that there was no one who intercedes, so* his arm came to assist him, and his righteousness _⌊was what_⌋* sustained him.

⁵ And I looked, but* there was no helper, and I was appalled, but* there was no one who sustains, so* my arm came to assist me, and my wrath _⌊was what_⌋* sustained me.

¹⁰ The _⌊astrologers_⌋* answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth that is able to reveal the word of the king; _⌊in fact_⌋,* no great and powerful king has ever asked a thing like this of any magician* or conjurer* or _⌊astrologer_⌋.* ¹¹ And the thing that the king is asking is too difficult and _⌊there is no one who_⌋* can reveal it to the king except the gods _⌊whose dwelling is not with mortals_⌋."*

⁷ Then the magicians,* the conjurers,* the _⌊astrologers_⌋* and the diviners came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its explanation.* ⁸ Then _⌊at last_⌋* Daniel came before me _⌊whose name was_⌋* Belteshazzar, _⌊according to_⌋* the name of my god, and _⌊in whom was the spirit of the holy gods_⌋,* _⌊and I related the dream to him_⌋.*

⁸ Then all the wise men of the king came in, but they were not able to read the writing or to make known its explanation.*

⁴ Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. ⁵ They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; ⁶ they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; ⁷ they have their hands, but they cannot feel, their feet, but they cannot walk; they cannot utter a sound in their throats. ⁸ Those who make them become like them, as does everyone who trusts in them.

¹⁵ The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of the hands of humankind. ¹⁶ They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; ¹⁷ they have ears, but cannot hear; there is not even breath in their mouths. ¹⁸ Those who make them become like them, as does everyone who trusts in them.

⁹ All those who form an idol are nothing, and their delightful things do not profit. And their witnesses do not see or know, so they will be ashamed. ¹⁰ Who would form a god and cast an image of which he cannot profit? ¹¹ Look! all his companions shall be ashamed, and the artisans are human! Let all of them assemble; let them stand up. They shall tremble;* they shall be ashamed together. ¹² The _⌊ironsmith_⌋* works in the coals with his tool and forms it with hammers. And he makes it with _⌊his strong arm_⌋;* indeed, he becomes hungry, and _⌊he lacks_⌋* strength; he does not drink water, and he is faint. ¹³ The _⌊woodworker_⌋* stretches out a line; he makes an outline of it with a marker. He makes it with a knife and makes an outline of it with a compass. He makes it like the image of a man, like the beauty of a human, to dwell in a temple.* ¹⁴ Cutting down cedars for himself, he _⌊chooses_⌋* a holm tree and an oak, and he lets it grow strong for him among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar, and the rain makes it grow. ¹⁵ And it _⌊becomes fuel for a human_⌋,* and he takes some of it and grows warm; also, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also, he makes a god and bows in worship; he makes himself an image and bows down to it! ¹⁶ He burns half of it in the fire; he eats meat over half of it; he roasts a roast and is satisfied. Also he grows warm and says, "Ah! I am warm! I see the fire!" ¹⁷ And he makes the remainder of it into a god! He bows down to his idol, and he bows in worship and prays to him, and he says, "Save me, for you are my god!" ¹⁸ They do not know, and they do not understand, for their eyes are besmeared _⌊so that they cannot see_⌋,* their _⌊minds_⌋* _⌊so that they have no insight_⌋.* ¹⁹ And _⌊no one takes it to heart_⌋,* and there is no knowledge and no understanding to say, "I burned half of it in the fire and also I baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat, and I have eaten. And I shall make the rest of it into an abomination! I shall bow down to a block of wood!" ²⁰ He feeds on ashes; a _⌊deceived mind_⌋* misleads him. And he cannot save _⌊himself_⌋,* and he cannot say, "Is this not an illusion in my right hand?"

¹³ And the prophets are like wind, and the word is not in them.' Thus it will be done to them."

² Thus says Yahweh:
"You must not learn the way of the nations, and you must not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens, for the nations are dismayed by them. ³ For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, for it is a tree cut down from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with the tool. ⁴ He decorates it with silver and gold, they strengthen it with nails and hammers, so that it does not stagger. ⁵ They are like scarecrows* in a cucumber field, they cannot speak. Indeed, they must be carried, for they cannot march. You must not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil; furthermore, to do good is not in them." ⁶ There is none like you, O Yahweh, you are great and your name is great in might. ⁷ Who would not revere you, O king of the nations? For you it is fitting. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms,* there is none like you. ⁸ _⌊At the same time_⌋* they are stupid and foolish, in the instruction of idols, it is wood. ⁹ Silver beaten from Tarshish is brought, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the craftsman and the hands of the goldsmith. Blue and purple are their clothing, all of them are the work of skillful people. ¹⁰ But Yahweh is the true God, he is the living God, and _⌊an everlasting king_⌋.* Because of his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his anger. ¹¹ "_⌊Thus_⌋* you shall say to them,
'Gods who did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens. ¹² He is the maker of the earth by his power, who created the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding he stretched out heaven. ¹³ _⌊When he utters his voice_⌋* there is a noise of water in the heavens, and he causes the mist to rise from the ends* of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he causes the wind to go out from his storehouses. ¹⁴ _⌊Everyone_⌋* is stupid, _⌊without knowledge_⌋,* every goldsmith is ashamed by his divine image, for his cast image is an illusion, and there is no breath in them. ¹⁵ They are vanity, a work of mockery, at the time of their punishment, they will perish. ¹⁶ The portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the creator of everything, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance, Yahweh of hosts is his name.

¹⁸ What value is an idol when its carver has fashioned it, a molten idol, a teacher of lies? For he who fashioned his creation trusts in it, though making mute idols!