Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 22

Isaiah 20:1 – 22:14

Through My Bible – December 22

Isaiah 20:1 – 22:14 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1222db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush

Isaiah 20

1 In the year that the field commander [1] sent by Sargon king of Assyria came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord delivered a message through Isaiah son of Amoz. The Lord said, “Take off the sackcloth around your waist and remove the sandals from your feet.” Isaiah did this and went naked and barefoot. 3 The Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and an omen concerning Egypt and Cush, [2] 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot, with bare buttocks, to Egypt’s shame. 5 They will be overwhelmed and ashamed because of Cush, their hope, and Egypt, their source of confidence. 6 On that day those who live on this coast will say, “Look what happened to our hope, to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How can we escape?”

The Fall of Babylon

Isaiah 21

1 An oracle about the Wilderness by the Sea.

Like windstorms that sweep through the Negev,
it comes from the wilderness,
from a terrifying place.
2 An ominous vision has been shown to me.
The betrayer betrays; the destroyer destroys.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! [3]
I will bring all her groaning to an end.

3 That is why I am full of anguish.
Pain has taken hold of me,
    like the pain of a woman in labor.
I am stunned by what I hear,
terrified by what I see.
4 My heart pounds!
I am shaking with fear.
The twilight that I longed for is making me quake with terror.
5 They prepare the table.
They spread out the luxurious carpets.
They eat. They drink.
“Officers! Get up and oil your shields!”
6 Yes, this is what the Lord said to me:
    Go, post a watchman.
    Have him declare what he sees.
7     When he sees chariots pulled by teams of horses,
    riders on donkeys, and riders on camels,
    have him listen carefully—very carefully.
8 The lookout [4] cried out:
    Lord, [5] I stand on the watchtower day after day,
    and every night I stay at my post.
9     Now, look! Here come men in chariots pulled by teams of horses.
Then he announced:
    Fallen, fallen is Babylon!
    All the images of her gods lie broken on the ground.

10 O my people, you who have been threshed like grain on my threshing floor, everything I have heard from the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, I have proclaimed to you.

A Prophecy Against Edom

11 The oracle against Dumah. [6]

Someone calls out to me from Seir,
    Watchman, how much of the night remains?
    Watchman, how much of the night remains?
12 The watchman said:
    Morning is coming, but night is coming again.
    If you want to ask, go ahead and ask.
    Then return! Come back again.

A Prophecy Against Arabia

13 An oracle against Arabia.

You spend the night among the thickets of Arabia,
you caravans of Dedanites.
14 Bring water for the thirsty,
you who live in Tema.
Bring bread for the refugees.
15 They fled from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow,
and from the heat of battle.

16 This is what the Lord said to me: “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end, 17 and the archers who survive, the strong warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

A Prophecy About Jerusalem

Isaiah 22

1 An oracle about the Valley of Vision.

What is troubling you now?
Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops?
2 Why is the town full of shouting?
Why is the joyful city full of turmoil?
Your fallen were not run through with the sword.
Your dead did not fall in battle.
3 All your rulers fled together,
captured by archers without bows.
All your refugees were caught together.
They had fled far away.
4 That is why I said,
“Look away from me.
I will weep bitterly.
Do not try to comfort me over the destruction of the daughter
    of my people.” [7]
5 For it is a day of turmoil, trampling, and terror.
This has come from the Lord, the God of Armies,
in the Valley of Vision.
It is a day for breaking down walls
and crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam picks up the quiver, with chariots and charioteers,
and Kir removes the covering from their shields.
7 Your fertile [8] valleys are full of chariots,
and charioteers [9] are posted by the gate.
8 He removed the cover that was protecting Judah.

On that day you looked for the weapons in the House of the Forest.
9 You saw all the breaches through the walls of the City of David—
and there were many.
You collected water from the Lower Pool.
10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem.
You planned to tear them down to strengthen the wall.
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls
for the water from the Old Pool.
But you did not look to the one who had made it.
You did not consider the one who shaped this long ago.

12 On that day the Lord, the God of Armies,
called for weeping and loud mourning.
He called for shaved heads and for dressing in sackcloth.
13 But take a look and see:
    joy and gladness,
    butchering cattle, killing sheep,
    eating meat, and drinking wine.
“Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

14 The Lord of Armies has revealed this in my hearing: “I swear, your guilt will not be atoned for until your dying day, says the Lord, the God of Armies.”

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 20:1 Literally the Tartan
2. Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region, roughly corresponding to present-day Sudan
3. Isaiah 21:2 These countries are in present-day Iran.
4. Isaiah 21:8 The translation follows the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah and the Syriac. The Hebrew reads a lion.
5. Isaiah 21:8 The divine name Adonai
6. Isaiah 21:11 Dumah is a pun on the name Edom. In Hebrew dumah means silence.
7. Isaiah 22:4 Or my dear people. The term the daughter of my people is an affectionate way of referring to the people of Israel.
8. Isaiah 22:7 Or strategic
9. Isaiah 22:7 Or horsemen

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 21

Isaiah 17 – 19

Through My Bible – December 21

Isaiah 17 – 19 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1221db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

A Prophecy Against Damascus and Israel

Isaiah 17

1 An oracle against Damascus.

Soon Damascus will no longer be a city.
It will become a heap of ruins.
2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken.
They will be places for flocks.
The flocks will lie down,
and no one will make them afraid.
3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim,
and the kingdom from Damascus.
What remains of Aram will be like the glory of the people of Israel,
    declares the Lord of Armies.
4 On that day the glory of Jacob will fade,
and his sturdy body will waste away.
5 It will be like the time when a reaper has gathered the standing grain,
and his arm has reaped the heads of grain,
when someone gleans grain in the Valley of Rephaim,
6 and a few gleanings are still left there,
or when the branches of an olive tree have been beaten,
and only two or three ripe olives are left on the top of the highest bough,
or four or five remain on the fruitful branches,
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 On that day people will trust in their Maker,
and they will look to the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not look to the altars, the work of their own hands.
They will not respect what their fingers have made,
    neither the Asherah poles nor the altars for incense.
9 On that day Israel’s strong cities will be
like the forsaken hilltops of the Amorites, [1]
like the places that were abandoned when the people of Israel
    first came.
They will be desolate.

10 You have forgotten the God who saves you.
You have not remembered the Rock who is your strength.
Therefore, although you set out the best quality plants,
and you plant cuttings from imported vines,
11 and you put a fence around them on the day you plant them,
and you get your seed to sprout in the morning,
nevertheless, the harvest will come to nothing
    in the day of grief and desperate sorrow. [2]

12 Oh, the roar of many peoples!
They roar like the raging seas.
Oh, the uproar of nations!
It sounds like huge, crashing waves!
13 The nations will roar like the crashing of great waves,
but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away.
They will be driven off the mountains like wind-blown chaff,
like a tumbleweed blown about in a storm.
14 In the evening, terror rushes in!
Before morning they are gone.
This will be the reward for those who plunder us,
the lot of those who rob us.

A Prophecy About Cush

Isaiah 18

1 Woe to the land of the whirring wings, along the rivers of Cush. [3]

2 They send ambassadors by sea, in papyrus boats on the water.

Go, you swift messengers,
to a tall people with smooth, dark skin, [4]
to a nation feared far and near,
a nation powerful and conquering, [5]
from a land divided by rivers!

3 All you inhabitants of the world,
and you who dwell on the earth,
look for a signal flag raised on the mountains!
Listen for the blast of the ram’s horn!
4 For the Lord has said to me,
“I will look on quietly from my dwelling place,
like the shimmering heat of the sun,
like the rising mist at harvest time.”
5 For before the harvest,
after the blossom has fallen
and the flower has turned into ripening grapes,
the Lord will cut off the new shoots with pruning hooks,
and he will cut down and remove the longer vines.
6 They will all be left for the scavenging birds in the mountains
and for the wild animals in the countryside.
The scavenging birds will feed on them all summer,
and wild animals will feed on them all winter.
7 At that time people will give gifts to the Lord of Armies.
These gifts will come from a tall people with smooth, dark skin,
a nation feared far and near,
a nation powerful and conquering,
from a land divided by rivers.
They will bring their gifts to Mount Zion,
the place where the Lord of Armies has put his name.

A Prophecy About Egypt

Isaiah 19

1 An oracle against Egypt.

Look, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud, coming to Egypt!
The worthless idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence,
and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt inside them.
2 I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian,
and they will fight,
    brother against brother,
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    and kingdom against kingdom.
3 The spirit in the Egyptians will fail completely.
I will frustrate their plans.
They will turn to their worthless gods, [6]
to the spirits of the dead,
to mediums and spiritists.
4 But I will hand the Egyptians over to a cruel master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,
declares the Lord, the Lord of Armies.
5 The water will dry up from the sea, [7]
and the riverbed will dry up completely and be empty.
6 The rivers and canals will stink.
The streams in the Nile delta [8] will run low and dry up.
Reeds and rushes will wither away.
7 The plants that grow beside the Nile, at the mouth of the Nile,
and all the crops planted along the Nile will dry up.
They will blow away and vanish.
8 The fishermen will mourn.
All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament,
and those who spread nets on the waters will grieve.
9 Those who work with flax,
the women who comb the flax,
and the men who weave the linen will despair.
10 Those who make cloth will be crushed.
All the hired workers will lose heart.
11 The officials of Zoan are complete fools.
Pharaoh’s wisest counselors give unreasonable advice.
How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of wise men,
a son of ancient kings”?
12 Where then are your wise men?
Let them tell you now!
Let them make known what the Lord of Armies
    has planned against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan act like fools.
The officials of Memphis [9] are deceived.
They have caused Egypt to go astray—
these cornerstones of her tribes!
14 The Lord has poured a confused spirit into them.
They made Egypt go astray in everything it does,
like a drunken man staggering around in his own vomit.
15 No head or tail, no palm branch or reed,
    will accomplish anything for Egypt.

16 On that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the Lord of Armies, which he raises against them. 17 The land of Judah will terrify Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be filled with dread, because of what the Lord of Armies is planning against Egypt.

18 On that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear an oath to the Lord of Armies. One will be called the City of the Sun. [10]

19 On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt, and a memorial pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 There will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of Armies in the land of Egypt. They will cry to the Lord because of their oppressors, and he will send them a savior and a champion, and he will rescue them. 21 The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and on that day the Egyptians will know the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and offerings. They will swear a vow to the Lord, and they will fulfill it. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking them and then healing them. They will return to the Lord, and he will hear their prayer, and he will heal them.

23 On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will come to Egypt, and the Egyptians will come to Assyria, and Egyptians will serve together with Assyrians.

24 On that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing to the earth, 25 because the Lord of Armies has blessed them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 17:9 The Hebrew reads like the abandonment of the wooded height and the top one. The Greek Old Testament reads the forsaken places of the Amorites and Horites.
2. Isaiah 17:11 These verses are difficult and translations vary.
3. Isaiah 18:1 Cush is the ancient name for the territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile. Called Ethiopia in Roman times, it included most of present-day Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia.
4. Isaiah 18:2 Literally polished skin
5. Isaiah 18:2 Or a powerful nation with a strange language. The last two lines of the verse are difficult.
6. Isaiah 19:3 Or gods that are not gods
7. Isaiah 19:5 That is, the Nile, which is called a sea because of its size
8. Isaiah 19:6 The Hebrew word for Egypt is usually a dual form, indicating two distinct parts, Upper and Lower Egypt, but here it is singular. It probably refers to lower (that is, northern) Egypt, also known as the Delta, which has many branches of the Nile.
9. Isaiah 19:13 Hebrew Noph. Many of the English names of Egyptian cities are based on the Greek forms of their names.
10. Isaiah 19:18 City of the Sun (‘ir cheres) is the reading of some Hebrew manuscripts, the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah, and the Latin. Many Hebrew manuscripts read City of Destruction (‘ir heres), probably adding a negative twist to the word to avoid honoring the sun god.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 20

Isaiah 14:24 – 16:14

Through My Bible – December 20

Isaiah 14:24 – 16:14 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1220db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Isaiah 14

A Prophecy Against Assyria

24 The Lord of Armies has sworn:
    Certainly, this will take place just as I have planned.
    It will stand just as I have intended it.
25     I will destroy the Assyrian in my land
    and trample him on my mountains.
    Then his yoke will be removed from my people,
    and his burden will be lifted from their shoulders.

26 This is the plan that has been determined for the whole world.
This is the hand that is stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord of Armies has made plans,
and who can stop him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back?

A Prophecy Against the Philistines

28 This oracle came during the year that King Ahaz died.

29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
that the rod that struck you is broken.
From the snake’s root a viper will slither out,
and from its egg a venomous flying serpent [1] will come.
30 The poorest of the poor will eat,
and the needy will lie down in safety.
But I will kill your root with famine,
and even those of you who remain will be put to death.
31 Wail, O gate! Howl, O city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!
A cloud of dust descends from the north,
and no one in its ranks will be left behind.
32 What answer will they give to the messengers from that nation?
The Lord has established Zion,
and the afflicted people will take refuge in her.

A Prophecy Against Moab

Isaiah 15

1 An oracle against Moab.

In one night, Ar [2] of Moab has been ruined and brought to nothing.
In one night, Kir of Moab has been ruined and brought to nothing.
2 They have gone up to the temple at Dibon,
up to the high places to weep.
Moab wails over Nebo and over Medeba.
Every head is shaved.
Every beard is cut off.
3 They wear sackcloth in their streets.
On the rooftops and in the public squares, everyone wails.
They all collapse in tears.
4 Heshbon cries out with Elealeh.
Their voice is heard even in Jahaz.
Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,
and their spirit is weak.

5 My heart cries out for Moab!
Her refugees [3] flee to Zoar,
to Eglath Shelishiyah.
They go up the Ascent of Luhith,
    weeping all the way.
On the way to Horonaim,
    they weep continuously over their destruction.
6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up.
The grass has withered away.
The vegetation has died,
and no green thing remains.
7 So they will carry across the Ravine of Poplars [4]
    whatever remains from the wealth they acquired
    and from the supplies they stored up.
8 For a cry has echoed around the borders of Moab.
The wailing reaches to Eglaim
and all the way to Be’er Elim.
9 For the waters of Dimon are full of blood, [5]
and I will bring still more on Dimon.
I will bring a lion upon the refugees of Moab
and upon the survivors who remain in the land.

Isaiah 16

1 Send the tribute ram for the ruler of the land,

from Selah toward the wilderness,
to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.
2 At the fords of the Arnon, the daughters of Moab will be
like birds fleeing from a scattered nest.

3 Get advice and make a decision.
At high noon make your shade as dark as night.
Hide the refugees.
Do not betray the fugitive.
4 Let the refugees from Moab stay with you.
        Be a hiding place for them from the face of the destroyer.

For the extortionist is no longer present.
Violence has ceased,
and the oppressors have disappeared from the land.
5 A throne will be established in mercy.
In the tent of David a judge will sit on the throne in truth,
seeking justice, eager to bring righteousness.

6 We have heard about Moab’s pride,
about his egotistical conceit.
His pride, his arrogance, and his boasting are nothing but self-delusion.
7 Therefore Moab will wail for Moab.
Everyone will wail.
Completely devastated, you will mourn for the raisin cakes
    of Kir Hareseth.

8 Look, the fields of Heshbon wither,
along with the vines of Sibmah.
The rulers of the nations have trampled the choice vines,
    which reached even to Jazer,
    which spread out into the wilderness.
Their shoots were spread out all the way to the sea.
9 Therefore I will weep as Jazer weeps for the vines of Sibmah.
I will drench you with my tears, Heshbon and Elealeh,
because the noisy celebration over your ripened fruit
    and over your harvest has been silenced.
10 Gladness and joy are taken away from the rich fields.
In the vineyards there will be no cries of joy or happy shouting.
No one will tread out wine from the wine presses.
I have put a stop to the cheering.
11 That is why my deepest feelings moan like a lyre for Moab,
and everything inside me is poured out for Kir Hareseth.
12 When Moab presents himself on the high place,
he only wears himself out.
When he goes to his shrine to pray,
he will accomplish nothing.
13 This is the word that the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab.

14 But now the Lord also says, “Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the glory of Moab will fade away despite its noisy crowd, and those who remain will be few and feeble.”

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 14:29 Literally a burning, flying one
2. Isaiah 15:1 Ar and the parallel terms in this chapter are names of cities in Moab. In general, the list moves from north to south.
3. Isaiah 15:5 Or protectors, literally the bars of her gates
4. Isaiah 15:7 Probably the ravine on the border between Moab and Edom
5. Isaiah 15:9 The Hebrew word for blood (dam) sounds like the name of the city of Dimon. Dimon may be a pun on the name Dibon, the capital city of Moab.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 19

Isaiah 13:1 – 14:23

Through My Bible – December 19

Isaiah 13:1 – 14:23 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1219db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Prophecies Against the Nations
A Prophecy Against Babylon

Isaiah 13

1 The oracle [1]about Babylon, which Isaiah son of Amoz saw.

2 Raise a banner on a bare hill!
Shout to them.
Signal to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have given a command to my consecrated warriors.
I have called my elite warriors to carry out my anger—
those who rejoice in my triumph.
4 The noise of a horde is heard on the mountains,
like the noise of many people,
    like the uproar of the kingdoms of the nations
    who are massing together!
The Lord of Armies is mustering an army for war.
5 They come from a faraway country,
from the ends of the heavens.
The Lord and the weapons of his wrath
come to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the Day of the Lord is near.
It will come like destruction from the Almighty. [2]
7 Therefore all hands will hang limp,
and every heart will melt.
8 They will be terrified.
Pain will overcome them.
They will be in pain like a woman in labor.
They will look at each other in shock.
Their faces are flushed.

9 Look, the Day of the Lord is coming,
a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger,
a day to make the land desolate,
a day to destroy its sinners there.
10 For the stars of the sky and its constellations
    will not give their light.
The sun will be darkened as it rises,
and the moon will give no light.

11 I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their guilt.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the insolent,
and I will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12 I will make people rarer than fine gold,
and mankind scarcer than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken off its foundation
at the wrath of the Lord of Armies,
in the day of his fierce anger.

14 Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
each of them will turn to his own people,
and everyone will flee to his own land.
15 Everyone who is caught will be run through.
Everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes.
Their houses will be looted, and their wives will be raped.

17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who have no use for silver,
who do not delight even in gold.
18 Their bows will strike down the young,
and they will have no pity on newborn infants. [3]
There will be no compassion in their eyes for children.

19 Babylon is the glory of kingdoms,
the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
but it will be just like the day when God overthrew
    Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited again,
nor will anyone live in it from generation to generation.
No Arab [4] will pitch his tent there.
No shepherd will rest his flocks there.
21 Instead, wild animals from the desert will rest there.
The houses will be full of wild dogs. [5]
Ostriches will nest there,
and wild goats will frolic.
22 Hyenas will howl in its fortresses,
and jackals in the luxurious palaces.
Its time is near,
and its days will not be prolonged.

Mercy for Israel

Isaiah 14

1 Yes, the Lord will have compassion on Jacob,
and he will choose Israel once again.
He will settle them in their own land.
Aliens will join them.
They will unite with the house of Jacob.
2 The peoples will take Israel
and bring them back to their own place.
In the Lord’s land the house of Israel will possess the nations
as male and female servants.
They will take their captors captive.
They will rule over their oppressors.

3 On that day, when the Lord will give you rest from your sorrow, rest from your trouble, and rest from the bondage forced upon you, 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

“How the oppressor has ceased!
How his fury [6] has ended!”
5 The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,
6 who struck down peoples with fury, blow after blow,
who ruled the nations in anger,
with a persecution that no one restrained.

7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet.
Everything breaks into song.
8 Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you,
along with the cedars of Lebanon.
They say, “Since the time you were humbled,
no woodcutter has come to cut us down.”
9 The grave below is ready to meet you when you come.
It stirs up the departed spirits to meet you—
all those who once were the rulers of the earth.
It makes all those who were kings over nations
    rise from their thrones.
10 They will all respond to you, Babylon.
The spirits all will ask you,
“Have you also become as weak as we are?
Have you become like us?”

11 Your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
    along with the sound of your harps.
Maggots are spread out beneath you,
and worms cover you.

12 How you have fallen from heaven,
you bright morning star, [7] son of the dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to heaven!
I will raise my throne above the stars of God!
I will sit on the mountain of the assembly, in the far north!
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds!
I will make myself like the Most High!”
15 But you will be brought down to the grave,
to the bottom of the pit.
16 Those who see you will stare at you.
They will ask themselves,
“Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
who shook kingdoms?
17 Is this the man who made the world like a wilderness,
who overthrew its cities,
who did not let his prisoners go home?”

18 All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.
19 But you will be tossed out of your tomb,
like a rejected branch.
You will be covered with the dead bodies,
with those who have been run through by the sword,
with those who descend into a stone-filled pit.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
20 you will not join them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again.

God Will Destroy Babylon

21 Prepare a place to slaughter his sons
because of the guilt of their fathers,
so that they may not rise up to inherit the earth
and to cover the world with cities.

22 I will rise up against them,
declares the Lord of Armies.
I will cut off from Babylon her name and her remaining people,
her posterity and progeny, [8] declares the Lord.
23 I will turn it into a marsh, a home for porcupines, [9]
and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,
declares the Lord of Armies.

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 13:1 The Hebrew word often has the connotation something burdensome.
2. Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
3. Isaiah 13:18 Literally on the fruit of the womb
4. Isaiah 13:20 Or nomad
5. Isaiah 13:21 The identification of some of the wild animals is uncertain.
6. Isaiah 14:4 The translation follows the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah, the Greek, and the Syriac. The meaning of the Hebrew text is uncertain.
7. Isaiah 14:12 The term morning star here refers to the king of Babylon, but the Latin form of his name, Lucifer, has become a name for Satan.
8. Isaiah 14:22 The Hebrew text uses two rare words here.
9. Isaiah 14:23 Or owls

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 18

Isaiah 11 – 12

Through My Bible – December 18

Isaiah 11 – 12 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1218db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

The Third Description of Immanuel: The Branch From Jesse

Isaiah 11

1 A shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse,

and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him:
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 He will be delighted with the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears,
4 but with righteousness he will judge the poor,
and he will render fair decisions in favor of the oppressed on the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath from his lips he will put the wicked to death.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his hips.
6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together,
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze together,
and their young ones will lie down together.
The lion will eat straw like the cattle.
8 The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole,
and the weaned child will put his hand into a viper’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.

A Remnant of Israel Will Return

10 This is what will take place on that day. The peoples will seek the Root of Jesse, who will be standing like a banner [1] for the peoples, and his resting place will be glorious.

11 On that day the Lord will reach out his hand for the second time to reclaim the remnant of this people who survive from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coasts of the sea.

12 He will set up a banner for the nations,
and he will assemble the outcasts of Israel
and gather together the scattered people of Judah,
    from the four corners of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s envy will be turned aside,
and those who persecute Judah will be cut off.
Ephraim will not envy Judah,
and Judah will not persecute Ephraim.
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines in the west.
Together they will plunder the peoples in the east.
They will extend their power over Edom and Moab,
and the people of Ammon will obey them.
15 The Lord will completely dry up the gulf of the Egyptian Sea.
With his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, [2]
and he will split it into seven streams,
so that people wearing sandals will be able to march through it.
16 There will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant
    of his people that is left there,
as there was for Israel in the day when they came up
    out of the land of Egypt.

A Song of Salvation

Isaiah 12

1 In that day you will say:
    I will give thanks to you, Lord,
    for though you were angry with me,
    your anger has turned away,
    and you comfort me.
2     Surely God is my salvation.
    I will trust him and will not be afraid,
    because Yah, the Lord, [3] is my strength and song,
    and he has become my salvation.
3 Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say:
Give thanks to the Lord! Proclaim [4] his name.
Declare among the peoples what he has done.
Proclaim that his name is exalted!
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done amazing things!
Let this be known in all the earth!
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, daughter [5] of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel is great among you!

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 11:10 Or signal flag
2. Isaiah 11:15 That is, the Euphrates
3. Isaiah 12:2 The Hebrew uses both forms of the divine name, the short form Yah and the full form Yahweh, which EHV usually translates Lord.
4. Isaiah 12:4 Or call on
5. Isaiah 12:6 The word daughter has been added to reflect the feminine form of the phrase those who live in Zion.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 17

Isaiah 10:5-34

Through My Bible – December 17

Isaiah 10:5-34 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1217db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Isaiah 10

The Proud Assyrian Is God’s Instrument

5 Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger.
The club of my rage is in his hand!
6 I will send him against a godless nation
and against the people who anger me.
I will command him to take the plunder,
to seize the spoils,
and to tread them down like mud in the streets.
7 But he does not intend to do this.
This is not what he has in mind.
The intention of his heart is to destroy
and to cut off more than just a few nations.
8 This is what he says:
Aren’t all of my officials kings?
9     Isn’t Kalno like Carchemish?
    Isn’t Hamath like Arpad?
    Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?
10     Just as my hand has reached the kingdoms of those petty gods,
    kingdoms whose images were greater than those
        of Jerusalem and of Samaria,
11     just as I have done to Samaria and her petty gods,
    will I not do the same to Jerusalem and her worthless idols?

12 But it will not happen that way. When the Lord has completed all of his work against Mount Zion and against Jerusalem, I [1] will bring punishment against the bloated fruit of [2] the willful heart of the king of Assyria and against the glare in his haughty eyes. 13 For he has said:

By the strength of my hand I have done this,
and by my wisdom,
for I have understanding.
I have abolished the borders of the peoples
and have plundered their treasures.
Like a mighty warrior I have brought down their inhabitants. [3]
14 My hand has found the riches of the peoples like eggs in a nest.
I have gathered all the earth the way one gathers abandoned eggs.
Not one of them flapped its wings
or opened its mouth or chirped.

15 Should an ax brag that it is better than the woodsman
who chops with it?
Should a saw think that it is greater than the one who saws with it?
That would be like a scepter waving the one who raised it up,
or like a club lifting up a person, who is not made of wood.
16 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Armies, will make
    the sturdy Assyrians waste away,
and in place of their glory, he will light a fire, a blazing fire.

17 The Light of Israel will be a fire, and his Holy One a flame, and it will burn and devour its thorns and its briers in a single day. 18 He will consume the splendor of its forest and of its fruitful field completely. [4] It will be like a sick man wasting away. 19 The remaining trees in its forest will be so few that a child could record their number.

A Remnant of Israel Will Return

20 It will come about in that day that those who remain from Israel and those from the house of Jacob who have survived will never again lean on the one who struck them, but they will truly lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 21 A remnant will return to the mighty God, namely, the remnant of Jacob.

22 Although your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Complete destruction has been decreed—overwhelming, but righteous. 23 For the Lord, the Lord of Armies, will bring about the destruction decreed for the whole earth.

24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord of Armies, says, “You my people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strikes you with the rod and lifts up his club against you as Egypt did. 25 For in a very little while, my rage against you will be finished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction.”

26 The Lord of Armies will raise up a whip against him, as he did in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will stretch over the sea, and he will lift it up as he did against Egypt. 27 In that day he will remove the burden that he placed on your shoulder and the yoke he placed on your neck. The yoke will be destroyed because your neck has grown so fat. [5]

But First, Assyria Will Come

28 The Assyrian has come to Aiath. [6]
He has passed through Migron.
At Mikmash he stores his supplies.
29 They have crossed over the pass.
They made their camp at Geba.
Ramah trembles.
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30 Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim.
Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!
31 Madmenah is a fugitive.
The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.
32 This very day he will halt at Nob.
He will shake his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33 But look! The Lord, the Lord of Armies,
will chop off his branches with terrifying power.
The tall trees will be cut down,
and the lofty will be laid low.
34 He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron ax,
and mighty Lebanon will fall. [7]

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 10:12 Here there is a sudden shift from the third person he to the first person I. This is not unusual in Isaiah.
2. Isaiah 10:12 Many English translations simply ignore the words translated the bloated fruit of.
3. Isaiah 10:13 Or kings. The verbal form may be translated those who live there or those who are enthroned there.
4. Isaiah 10:18 Literally both soul and flesh
5. Isaiah 10:27 Literally because of the oil. The meaning of this phrase is uncertain. The Greek text reads from your shoulders.
6. Isaiah 10:28 The towns named in this section are towns the Assyrians would pass as they approached Jerusalem from the north.
7. Isaiah 10:34 Or Lebanon will be felled by the Mighty One

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 16

Isaiah 8:16 – 10:4

Through My Bible – December 16

Isaiah 8:16 – 10:4 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1216db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Isaiah 8

16 Roll up the scroll of testimony. Seal the law among my disciples. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will wait hopefully for him. 18 Look, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and warnings to Israel from the Lord of Armies, who dwells in Mount Zion.

19 When they tell you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists, who whisper and mutter,” shouldn’t a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If people do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them. 21 They will pass through the land, distressed and starving, but when this takes place and they are starving, they will be frustrated, and they will curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward, 22 and then they will look down to the ground, but I tell you, they will see only distress, darkness, and the gloom that brings anguish. They will be banished into thick darkness.

A Second Description of Immanuel:
The Child Who Is Born to Us

Isaiah 9

1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for the land that was in anguish. [1] In former times, he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time [2] he will cause it to be glorious, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. [3]

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
For those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned.
3 You have multiplied the nation. You have increased its joy. [4]
They rejoice before you like the joy at harvest time,
like the celebration when people divide the plunder.
4 For you have shattered the yoke that burdened them.
You have broken the bar on their shoulders and
    the rod of their oppressor,
as you did in the day of Midian.
5 Every boot that marched in battle
and the garments rolled in blood will be burned.
They will be fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born.
To us a son is given.
The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders.
He will be named:
    Wonderful Counselor,
    Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father,
    Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no limit to his authority
and no end to the peace he brings.
He will rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
    from now on, into eternity.
The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Judgment on Aram and Samaria

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
and it falls upon Israel.
9 All the people will know,
including Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say with pride and with an arrogant heart,
10 “The mud bricks have fallen down,
but we will build with cut stone.
The sycamore fig trees have been cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Then the Lord will raise up Rezin’s adversaries against him,
and he will stir up his enemies.
12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
will devour Israel with an open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.

13 But the people have not returned to the one who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord of Armies.
14 Therefore, in one day the Lord will cut off from Israel
head and tail, palm branch and reed.
15 The elder and the honored man are the head,
and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail.
16 It is the leaders of this people who lead them astray,
and those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore, the Lord will not rejoice over their young men,
nor will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows,
because everyone is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks foolishness.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.

18 Now wickedness burns like a fire.
It devours the briers and thorns.
Look, it flares up in the thickets of the forest,
and it swirls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the Lord of Armies, the land is burned up,
and the people are the fuel for the fire.
No one spares his brother.
20 On the right hand they will gobble down food,
    but they will still be hungry.
On the left hand they will keep eating, but they will not be satisfied.
Everyone will eat the flesh of his own arm. [5]
21 Manasseh will be against Ephraim, and Ephraim against Manasseh,
and together they will be against Judah.

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.

Judgment on Corrupt Rulers

Isaiah 10

1 Woe to those who prescribe unjust decrees,
and to those who issue oppressive rulings,
2 to deprive the needy of justice,
and to rob the poor among my people of their rights,
to plunder widows,
and to make the fatherless their prey!
3 What will you do when the day comes to settle accounts,
during the devastation that will descend from far away?
To whom will you flee for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?
4 The only thing left for you will be to kneel among the prisoners
and to fall under the dead bodies.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 9:1 Literally for her who was in anguish
2. Isaiah 9:1 The term latter time usually refers to the distant future, often to the end times, the Messianic era.
3. Isaiah 9:1 Verse 9:1 in English is verse 8:23 in Hebrew. Throughout the rest of chapter 9, the English verse numbers are one number higher than the Hebrew numbers.
4. Isaiah 9:3 The translation follows a Hebrew reading in the margin. The main reading of the Hebrew text is you have not increased their joy.
5. Isaiah 9:20 Or his own offspring

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 15

Isaiah 7:1 – 8:15

Through My Bible – December 15

Isaiah 7:1 – 8:15 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1215db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Immanuel Is the Answer to Judah’s Hardness

Isaiah 7

1 This took place in the days when Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah. Rezin king of Aram, [1] and Pekah son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, marched up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not capture it.

2 The house of David was told, “Aram has allied itself with Ephraim.” The heart of Ahaz trembled, and the heart of his people trembled as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah:

Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear Jashub. [2] Meet him at the end of the water channel from the upper pool, on the road that goes to the launderers [3] field.

4 Tell Ahaz, “Get control of yourself, and remain calm. Do not be afraid. Do not lose your courage because of these two stubs of smoldering torches. Do not be afraid because of the fierce anger of Rezin, Aram, and the son of Remaliah, 5 even though Aram, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you and said, 6 ‘Let’s go up against Judah and tear it apart. Let’s divide it among ourselves and set up a king over it, namely, this son of Tabe’el.’”

7 This is what the Lord God says.

Their plan shall not succeed.

It shall not take place.

8 Yes, the head of Aram is Damascus,

and the head of Damascus is Rezin,

but within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken into pieces,

so that it will no longer be a people.

9 The head of Ephraim is only Samaria,

and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.

If you do not stand firm in faith,

you will not stand at all. [4]

10 The Lord spoke to Ahaz again. He said, 11 “Ask for a sign from the Lord your God. Ask for it either in the depths below or in the heights above.”

12 But Ahaz responded, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”

13 So Isaiah said:

Listen now, you house of David. Is it not enough for you to test the patience of men? Will you test the patience of my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give a sign for all of you. [5] Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and name him Immanuel. [6] 15 He will eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse evil and choose good, 16 because even before the child knows how to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days worse than any since the day that Ephraim broke away from Judah. The Lord will bring the king of Assyria.

18 This is what will take place in that day: The Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the farthest end of Egypt’s rivers and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will come and settle in the deep ravines, in the clefts in the rocks, among all the thorn hedges, and in all the pastures. [7]

20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired from the regions beyond the River Euphrates, namely, the king of Assyria. This razor will shave their head and the hair on their legs, and it will also scrape away their beard.

21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundant milk they give, he will eat curds. So everyone left in the land will eat curds and honey. 23 In that day, in every place where a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels were growing, there will be only briers and thorns. 24 Hunters will go there with a bow and arrow, because all that land will be briers and thorns. 25 You will no longer venture into all the hills that once were cultivated with the hoe, because you will be afraid of the briers and thorns, and the hills will be a pasture for grazing oxen, a land trampled by sheep.

Isaiah and His Sons Are a Sign

Isaiah 8

1 The Lord said to me, “Get a large tablet and write on it with a man’s stylus: For Maher Shalal Hash Baz.”

2 I also swore in faithful witnesses: Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah. [8]

3 I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher Shalal Hash Baz. [9] 4 For before the child knows how to say ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”

5 Then the Lord spoke to me again and said:

6 Because these people have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, and they rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son, 7 therefore, the Lord is now about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the River, [10] that is, the king of Assyria in all his glory. It will overflow all its channels, and it will flood all its banks. 8 It will sweep onward into Judah. It will overflow and pass through the land. It will rise up all the way to the neck, and its wingspan will reach across the width of your land, Immanuel.

9 Be broken to pieces, you peoples.
Be shattered! [11]
Listen, all of you from faraway countries.
Dress for battle, and be shattered!
Dress for battle, and be shattered!
10 Get together, make your plans,
but they will not succeed.
Speak the word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us. [12]

11 Listen! This is how the Lord spoke to me with a strong hand upon me. He instructed me not to walk in the way of this people. He said:

12 Do not say “A conspiracy!” about everything that this people calls a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear. [13] Do not be terrified. 13 The Lord of Armies is the one you are to respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. 14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone they stumble over and a rock they fall over, and he will be a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over it. They will fall and be broken. They will be snared and captured.

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 7:1 Aram is in the territory of the present-day country of Syria.
2. Isaiah 7:3 Shear Jashub means a remnant will return.
3. Isaiah 7:3 Or wool-cleaners
4. Isaiah 7:9 There is a play on the word amen in the verbs stand firm and stand at all.
5. Isaiah 7:14 The pronoun you is plural here, so it is translated in a way that makes this apparent.
6. Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel means God with us.
7. Isaiah 7:19 Or water holes or perhaps another variety of thorn bush. The meaning of this term is uncertain.
8. Isaiah 8:2 It is uncertain if this verse is part of the Lord’s command or is an action taken by Isaiah.
9. Isaiah 8:3 Maher Shalal Hash Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the prey.
10. Isaiah 8:7 That is, the Euphrates
11. Isaiah 8:9 Or terrified
12. Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew immanu el
13. Isaiah 8:12 Or their threats

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 14

Isaiah 6

Through My Bible – December 14

Isaiah 6 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1214db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Isaiah’s Call and Mission

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3 One called to another and said,

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies!
The whole earth is full of his glory!

4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 Then I said, “I am doomed! [1] I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

9 He said:

Go! You are to tell this people,
“Keep listening, but you will never understand.
Keep looking, but you will never get it.”
10 Make the heart of this people calloused. [2]
Make their ears deaf [3] and blind their eyes,
so that they do not see with their eyes,
or hear with their ears,
or understand with their hearts,
and turn again and be healed.

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”

He answered:

Until the cities are a wasteland without a single inhabitant,
until the houses are totally deserted,
and the farmland is completely devastated,
12 until the Lord has removed the people far away,
and the abandoned places within the land are many.
13 If there is only a tenth left in it, that too will be burned in its turn.
Like a terebinth or an oak,
whose stump remains when it is cut down,
so the holy seed is its stump. [4]

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 6:5 Or woe is me
2. Isaiah 6:10 Literally fat
3. Isaiah 6:10 Literally heavy
4. Isaiah 6:13 The last line is difficult, because the word translated stump usually means pillar.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 13

Isaiah 5

Through My Bible – December 13

Isaiah 5 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1213db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

The Song About the Lord’s Vineyard

1 Let me sing for my loved one a song about my loved one’s vineyard.
My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile ridge. [1]
2 He dug it up [2] and gathered the stones out of it.
He planted it with the best vines.
He built a tower in the middle of it.
He also cut a winepress into it.
He expected it to produce clusters of sweet grapes,
but it produced only sour grapes.

3 So now, you residents of Jerusalem and you men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
that I have not already done for it?
When I expected it to produce clusters of sweet grapes,
why did it produce sour grapes?
5 Now, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard.
I will take away its hedge, and it will become a pasture.
I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled down.
6 I will make it a wasteland.
It will not be pruned or hoed.
So briers and thorns will shoot up.
I will also command the clouds not to pour rain on it.

7 Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah are the planting that was pleasing to him.
He expected justice, but instead there was oppression.
He expected righteousness, but there was an outcry.

Woe to the Wicked

8 Woe to you [3] who join house to house,
who connect field to field, until there is no room left,
except room for you alone to live in the middle of the land!
9 The Lord of Armies announces this in my hearing:
    I swear that many houses will be deserted.
    Even the large and beautiful houses will be unoccupied.
10     Then ten acres [4] of vineyard will yield only six gallons [5] of wine,
    and six bushels [6] of seed will yield less than a bushel. [7]

11 Woe to those who rise up early in the morning to chase after beer, [8]
who stay up late into the night until wine inflames them.
12 Harp, lyre, drum, flute, and wine are at their drinking parties,
but they have no regard for the work of the Lord,
nor have they paid attention to what his hands are doing.
13 This is why my people go into captivity—lack of knowledge.
Their dignitaries starve to death,
and the whole crowd is parched with thirst.
14 That is why the grave has increased its appetite,
and its mouth is wide open.
Their [9] splendor and their noisy crowds, their loud revelry,
    and their celebration will go down into the grave.
15 So mankind is humbled,
man is brought low,
and the eyes of the arrogant are brought low,
16 but the Lord of Armies is exalted by justice,
and God, the Holy One, reveals his holiness by righteousness.
17 Then lambs will graze there as their pasture,
and aliens will eat among the ruins of the rich. [10]

18 Woe to those who drag their guilt behind them with cords of lies
and their wickedness with cart ropes.
19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him speed up his work,
so that we may see it,
and let the plan of the Holy One of Israel draw near.
Let it come, so that we may know it!”

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil,
who substitute darkness for light, and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight!

22 Woe to those who are champions at drinking wine
and heroes at mixing drinks,
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice for the innocent!

24 Therefore, as the flames of a fire devour stubble,
and as dry grass sinks down into the flames,
in the same way their roots will rot,
and their blossoms will dry up like dust,
because they have rejected the law [11] of the Lord of Armies,
and they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore, the Lord’s anger burns against his people,
and he has stretched out his hand against them and has struck them.
The mountains tremble,
and their dead bodies will lie like garbage in the middle of the streets.
In spite of all this, his anger is not turned away,
and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike.
26 He will raise a signal flag for the nations from far away,
and he will whistle for them to come from the end of the earth.
Watch, they will come quickly and swiftly.
27 No one among them will be weary or stumble.
No one will slumber or sleep.
The belt around their waist will not be unbuckled.
The straps of their sandals will not be broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp,
and all their bows bent.
Their horses’ hoofs will be like flint,
and their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roar will sound like a lioness.
They will roar like young lions.
Yes, they will growl.
They will seize their prey and carry it off,
and there will be no one to rescue anyone from them.
30 In that day the roar against them will be like the roaring of the sea.
If anyone looks at the land, he sees only darkness and distress.
The light is darkened by clouds.

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 5:1 Literally on a horn, a son of oil
2. Isaiah 5:2 Or built a fence around it
3. Isaiah 5:8 Or how terrible it will be for you
4. Isaiah 5:10 Literally ten yokes
5. Isaiah 5:10 Literally one bath
6. Isaiah 5:10 Literally a homer
7. Isaiah 5:10 Literally an ephah
8. Isaiah 5:11 Beer refers to any fermented drink not made from grapes. Distilled alcohol was not used in biblical times.
9. Isaiah 5:14 Literally her, referring to Jerusalem
10. Isaiah 5:17 The meaning of this text is uncertain. Literally the text reads ruins, fatlings, resident aliens, will eat.
11. Isaiah 5:24 Here law refers to the whole Word of God.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Through My Bible Yr 01 – December 12

Isaiah 2 – 4

Through My Bible – December 12

Isaiah 2 – 4 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/01-1212db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible

Isaiah 2

1 This is the message that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

The Glory of the Mountain of the Lord

2 This will take place in the latter days:
The mountain of the Lord’s house will be established
as the chief of the mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it like a river.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
Then he will instruct us about his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For from Zion the law [1] will go out,
and the Lord’s word will go out from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations,
and he will mediate for many peoples.
Then they will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into blades for trimming vines.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
nor will they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob, come,
and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The Glory of the Lord Comes in Judgment

6 But you, Lord, have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob,
because they are filled up with practices from the East
and with fortune tellers like the Philistines,
and they join themselves to the heathen. [2]
7 Their land is full of silver and gold,
and there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is also full of horses,
and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is full of gods that are not gods. [3]
They worship the work made by their own hands,
things that their own fingers have made.
9 Mankind is humbled,
and man is brought low.
Do not forgive them.

10 Go into the rocks,
and hide in the dust,
from the terror of the Lord
and from the glory of his majesty.
11 The proud eyes of mankind will be brought low,
the arrogance of man will be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 There is a day coming for the Lord of Armies,
a day against everyone who is proud and arrogant,
against everyone who is lifted up—
he will be pressed down—
13 against all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so tall and lofty,
against all the oaks of Bashan,
14 against all the high mountains,
against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 against every tall tower,
against every fortified wall,
16 against all the ships of Tarshish, [4]
and against all the beautiful ships. [5]

17 The pride of mankind will be humbled,
and the arrogance of man will be brought low.
Then the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
18 Those gods that are not gods will disappear completely.
19 People will flee into caves in the rocks
and into holes in the ground,
to hide from the terror of the Lord
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to make the earth tremble.
20 In that day people will throw away to the moles [6] and bats
    their worthless gods of silver
    and their worthless gods of gold,
    that they made for themselves to worship.
21 They will go into the clefts in the rocks
and into the crevices in the cliffs,
to hide from the terror of the Lord
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to make the earth tremble.

22 Give up trusting in mankind.
All they have is breath in their nostrils.
What are they worth anyway?

Judgment on Jerusalem

Isaiah 3

1 
Pay attention to this.
    The Lord, the Lord of Armies, is about to remove from Jerusalem
    and Judah
every kind of support:
the entire supply of bread,
and the entire supply of water,
2 the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
the omen reader and the elder,
3 the commander of fifty and the respected leader,
the adviser and the clever practitioner of occult arts,
and the skillful caster of spells. [7]
4 I will give them young men as their officials,
and immature children [8] will rule over them.
5 The people will tyrannize each other,
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young man will behave arrogantly against the elder,
and the dishonorable against the honorable.

6 Then a man will take hold of his brother in his father’s house and say, “You have fine clothing. You be our ruler. You take charge of these ruins.”

7 But in that day his brother will cry out, “I am not a healer. [9] In my house I have neither bread nor fine clothing. Don’t make me ruler of this people.”

8 Yes, Jerusalem has stumbled,
and Judah has fallen,
because their speech and their actions are against the Lord.
They defy his glorious presence. [10]
9 The look on their faces testifies against them.
They parade their sin like Sodom.
They do not bother to hide it.
How terrible it will be for them!
Look, they have brought disaster upon themselves.

10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them,
and they will eat the fruit of their labors.

11 How terrible it will be for the wicked!
Disaster is coming upon them.
Yes, whatever they have done with their hands will be paid back to them.
12 As for my people, children will oppress them, [11]
and women will rule over them.
My people, your guides are leading you astray.
They are confusing you about the way you should go.
13 The Lord stands up to make his case.
He stands to judge the peoples.

14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of his people and with their officials. He says, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard. The things you have stolen from the poor are in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor? declares the Lord, the Lord of Armies.”

Judgment on the Proud Women of Jerusalem

16 The Lord also says this. Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and they walk with their heads held high, [12] flirting with their eyes, walking seductively with quick little steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles, 17 the Lord will crown the heads of the daughters of Zion with scabs. The Lord will make their scalps bald. [13] 18 In that day the Lord will take away the beautiful anklets, the headbands, the crescent ornaments, 19 the earrings, the bracelets, the veils, 20 the headdresses, the ankle chains, the sashes, the perfume bottles, the magic charms, 21 the signet rings, the nose rings, 22 the elegant dresses, the capes, the shawls, the purses, 23 the hand mirrors, the fine linen wraps, the tiaras, and the gowns. [14]

24 This is what will take place:
    Instead of fragrant perfumes, there will be a stench,
    instead of styled hair, baldness,
    instead of a robe, a garment made of sackcloth,
    and there will be branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
and your mighty warriors in battle.
26 Her gates will groan and grieve,
and she will sit on the ground, deserted.

Isaiah 4

1 On that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothing. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our shame.”

The Branch of the Lord Will Be Beautiful

2 On that day, the Branch [15] of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the beauty and glory of the survivors of Israel. 3 Then whoever is left in Zion and whoever remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, that is, everyone who is registered for life in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the disgusting filth [16] of the daughters of Zion and cleanse the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by the Spirit [17] of judgment and by the Spirit of burning. 5 Then over the entire site [18] of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, the Lord will create a cloud of smoke by day and a bright flaming fire by night, so there will be a canopy over all the glory. 6 In the daytime there will be a shelter to provide shade from the heat and to provide refuge and a hiding place from the storm and the rain.

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 2:3 Here law refers to the whole word of God.
2. Isaiah 2:6 Literally they clasp [hands] with the children of foreigners. The verse is difficult.
3. Isaiah 2:8 The Hebrew means nothings or mini-gods.
4. Isaiah 2:16 That is, long-distance freighters
5. Isaiah 2:16 Or precious vessels or everything that is beautiful. The Hebrew word translated beautiful ships occurs only here in the Old Testament.
6. Isaiah 2:20 With a different word division: rat holes
7. Isaiah 3:3 The difference between the various kinds of practitioners of occult arts is uncertain.
8. Isaiah 3:4 Or troublemakers
9. Isaiah 3:7 Literally binder of wounds
10. Isaiah 3:8 Literally rebel against the eyes of his glory. Their actions are very brazen.
11. Isaiah 3:12 Or oppressors treat my people cruelly. Literally the sentence reads my people, his oppressors, he deals severely. The word he deals severely may also be read as children. The reading children fits the parallelism and is used above.
12. Isaiah 3:16 Literally with stretched necks
13. Isaiah 3:17 Or expose their nakedness
14. Isaiah 3:23 The precise meaning of many of these terms is uncertain. Translations vary widely.
15. Isaiah 4:2 The Branch is a title of the Messiah.
16. Isaiah 4:4 The Hebrew word refers to vomit and feces.
17. Isaiah 4:4 Or spirit or wind
18. Isaiah 4:5 Literally foundation

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

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