I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one, that has been writing itself over and over again—one story. The story of good and evil.

Originally published 2025-04-08 13:24:24

There’s a farm road I take when I need to cross town and I’m not in a hurry. It skirts the city, wrapping around it gently, and deposits me where I need to be. There are many things on this farm road.

There’s an old sign shop with “JUNK” splashed across the yard. There’s a big red barn—metal and modern, but designed to look like something out of a North Carolina postcard. There’s a row of country homes, spaced so widely apart you couldn’t walk door-to-door without turning it into a day trip. You have to drive to visit all your neighbors out here.

One of those houses catches my eye every time. The yard is cluttered with used cars and trailers. The owner clearly sells trailers, maybe even builds them. I can see the large metal building way in the back of the property—his workshop. It reminds me of my father. He built trailers in his garage, too. He built railings, worked on cars, created things from scratch. His hands were never still.

But I think about this man now, the trailer-seller, and his neighbors. The homes flanking his are neat and manicured, with green lawns and white fences made of old oilfield pipe—a crude material turned elegant by effort and paint. The trailer man’s fence is rusted and brown, like the rest of his property. I wonder how his neighbors feel.

We can't choose our neighbors. We can only be patient with them. I try to be a good neighbor. I suppose that matters. After all, we wouldn’t want everyone to be exactly like us. The differences test our patience. They shape our character. No man is an island.

We need our culture. We need our people. We need our worker bees and queen bees. We need our ditch diggers and maybe even our politicians. More than anything, we need the Kingdom.

Under the Kingdom, people will learn to be kind. If someone builds trailers in their yard, they'll do it with care. And if they don’t, neighbors will speak with grace instead of letting resentment brew.

I’m passing a house now that’s under construction. The roof deck is up, felt paper waiting for shingles. I can see the toe boards nailed across the steep pitch—the same kind I used when I was a roofer.

I remember those days. It feels like yesterday. I knew the work so well. Even now, I could get out of the car, pick up a bundle of shingles and a hammer, and by afternoon I’d have a good-sized portion of roof done. And yet, I’m not a roofer anymore. We aren’t always what we once were, even if the knowledge never leaves us.

Some of us were once lost, and now try to do good. But we still hold the capacity for bad. We may still desire it. Sometimes it slips out in moments of passion. When does that make us wicked? Only if we willingly choose the wrong we know to be wrong. Perhaps that was Lot’s wife’s failure.

Maybe she didn’t look back out of weakness. Maybe she was simply honest. She didn’t want to leave. Her life was there. Her home. Her identity. Was it so wrong to mourn what she was being pulled from? The Bible says she became a pillar of salt. We think of that as punishment. But maybe it was mercy.

Maybe God knew she wouldn’t survive the wilderness. Maybe turning her to salt spared her a different kind of death. Maybe it was the kindest thing. The hand of flaming fire and hailstone never touched her. Maybe that was the best ending she could have. As a bonus, we get a lesson on faithfulness.

I think about that as I drive. I think about myself. I ask a question I wrote the other day: If I am becoming her. I keep looking back. I can’t seem to stop. I keep desiring, wanting. I’ve lost things—goals, faith, the hope of being someone respected. A man of standing. A man of God.

Can I reclaim those things?

No doubt—no doubt.

But the real question is:

do I want to?

Luke 19:29-44

29 And when he got near to Bethʹpha·ge and Bethʹa·ny at the mountain called Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying: “Go into the village that is within sight, and after you enter it, you will find a colt tied, on which no man has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 But if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you must say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had said to them. 33 But as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them: “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said: “The Lord needs it.” 35 And they led it to Jesus, and they threw their outer garments on the colt and seated Jesus on it.36 As he moved along, they were spreading their outer garments on the road. 37 As soon as he got near the road down the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and to praise God with a loud voice because of all the powerful works they had seen, 38 saying: “Blessed is the one coming as the King in Jehovah’s name! Peace in heaven, and glory in the heights above!” 39 However, some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to him: “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 But in reply he said: “I tell you, if these remained silent, the stones would cry out.” 41 And when he got nearby, he viewed the city and wept over it, 42 saying: “If you, even you, had discerned on this day the things having to do with peace—but now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 Because the days will come upon you when your enemies will build around you a fortification of pointed stakes and will encircle you and besiege you from every side. 44 They will dash you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave a stone upon a stone in you, because you did not discern the time of your being inspected.” 45 Then he entered the temple and started to throw out those who were selling, 46 saying to them: “It is written, ‘My house will be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers.” 47 He continued teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal ones of the people were seeking to kill him; 48 but they did not find any way to do this, for the people one and all kept hanging on to him to hear him.

#essay #existentialcrisis #travel #thoughts #bible

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

They trusted the temple to save them, but Jehovah was asking for hearts that would turn back.

Summary:

Jeremiah 7–8 is a forceful warning against false worship, shallow confidence, and refusing correction. Jehovah tells Judah that simply having the temple will not protect them if their lives are filled with injustice, idolatry, violence, and hypocrisy. The people are treating worship like a shield while ignoring the very obedience Jehovah requires: justice, mercy toward the vulnerable, and faithfulness to him. Because they refuse to listen, repent, or feel shame, judgment is coming, and their leaders’ promises of “peace” are exposed as empty comfort. The reading ends with grief rather than triumph: Jeremiah is heartbroken over the people’s spiritual sickness, asking whether there is no “balsam in Gilead” to heal them. Its core message is that true security does not come from religious identity or sacred places, but from a humble heart that actually turns back to God.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying:

“Stand in the gate of the house of Jehovah and proclaim there this message, ‘Hear the word of Jehovah, all you people of Judah who enter these gates to bow down to Jehovah. This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Reform your ways and your actions, and I will allow you to keep residing in this place. Do not put your trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah!’

For if you truly reform your ways and actions; if you truly uphold justice between a man and his neighbor; if you do not oppress foreign residents, orphans, and widows; if you do not shed innocent blood in this place; and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm; then I will allow you to keep residing in this place, in the land I gave to your forefathers for all time.”’”

“But you are putting your trust in deceptive words—it will bring absolutely no benefit. Can you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make sacrifices to Baʹal, and follow after gods you had not known, and then come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, ‘We will be saved,’ despite your doing all these detestable things? Has this house that bears my name become a cave of robbers in your eyes? Here I have seen it for myself,” declares Jehovah.

“‘However, go now to my place in Shiʹloh, where I first caused my name to reside, and see what I did to it because of the badness of my people Israel. But you kept doing all these things,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and even though I spoke to you again and again, you did not listen. I kept calling you, but you would not answer. So I will do to the house that bears my name, in which you are trusting, and to this place that I gave to you and your forefathers, just as I did to Shiʹloh. I will throw you out of my sight, just as I threw out all your brothers, all the descendants of Eʹphra·im.’

“As for you, do not pray in behalf of this people. Do not cry out or offer a prayer or plead with me in their behalf, for I will not listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The sons are gathering wood, the fathers are lighting the fire, and the wives are kneading dough in order to make sacrificial cakes to the Queen of Heaven, and they are pouring out drink offerings to other gods to offend me. ‘But am I the one they are hurting?’ declares Jehovah. ‘Is it not they themselves, to their own shame?’ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says, ‘Look! My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the fruitage of the ground; it will burn and will not be extinguished.’

“This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go ahead, add your whole burnt offerings to your other sacrifices, and eat the flesh yourselves. For on the day I brought your forefathers out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak with them or command them concerning whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I did give them this command: “Obey my voice, and I will become your God, and you will become my people. You must walk in all the way that I command, so that it may go well with you.”’

But they did not listen or incline their ear; instead, they walked in their own schemes, stubbornly following their wicked heart, and they went backward, not forward, from the day your forefathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day. So I kept sending all my servants the prophets to you, sending them each day, again and again. But they refused to listen to me, and they did not incline their ear. Instead, they were stubborn, and they acted worse than their forefathers!

“You will speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; you will call to them, but they will not answer you. And you will say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of Jehovah their God and refused to accept discipline. Faithfulness has perished and is not even mentioned among them.’

“Shear off your uncut hair and throw it away, and on the bare hills raise a dirge, for Jehovah has rejected and will abandon this generation that has infuriated him. ‘For the people of Judah have done what is bad in my eyes,’ declares Jehovah. ‘They have set up their disgusting idols in the house that bears my name, in order to defile it. They have built the high places of Toʹpheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinʹnom, in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, something that I had not commanded and that had never even come into my heart.’

“‘Therefore look! the days are coming,’ declares Jehovah, ‘when it will no longer be called Toʹpheth or the Valley of the Son of Hinʹnom but the Valley of the Slaughter. They will bury in Toʹpheth until there is no place left. And the dead bodies of this people will become food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth, with no one to frighten them away. I will put an end to the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will be reduced to ruins.’”

Jeremiah 8

“At that time,” declares Jehovah, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be taken from their graves. They will be spread out to the sun and to the moon and to all the army of the heavens that they loved and served and followed and sought after and bowed down to. They will not be gathered, nor will they be buried. They will become like manure on the surface of the ground.”

“And the remnant of this evil family who survive will choose death over life in all the places where I disperse them,” declares Jehovah of armies.

“And you must say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah says:

“Will they fall and not get up again? If one would turn back, will the other not also turn back?

Why is this people, Jerusalem, unfaithful with an enduring unfaithfulness? They hold fast to deception; They refuse to turn back.

I paid attention and kept listening, but the way they spoke was not right. Not a man repented over his wickedness or asked, ‘What have I done?’ Each one keeps returning to the popular course, like a horse dashing into the battle.

Even the stork in the sky knows its seasons; The turtledove and the swift and the thrush keep to the time of their return. But my own people do not understand the judgment of Jehovah.”’

‘How can you say: “We are wise, and we have the law of Jehovah”? For in fact, the lying stylus of the scribes has been used only for falsehood.

The wise have been put to shame. They have become terrified and will be caught. Look! They have rejected the word of Jehovah, And what wisdom do they have?

So I will give their wives to other men, Their fields to other owners; For from the least to the greatest, each one is making dishonest gain; From the prophet to the priest, each one is practicing fraud.

And they try to heal the breakdown of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, “There is peace! There is peace!” When there is no peace.

Do they feel ashamed of the detestable things they have done? They feel no shame at all! They do not even know how to feel humiliated! So they will fall among the fallen. When I bring punishment on them they will stumble,’ says Jehovah.

‘When I gather them, I will bring them to their end,’ declares Jehovah. ‘There will be no grapes left on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and the leaves will wither. And what I gave to them will be lost to them.’”

“Why are we sitting here? Let us gather together and enter the fortified cities and perish there. For Jehovah our God will do away with us, And he gives us poisoned water to drink, Because we have sinned against Jehovah.

There was a hope for peace, but nothing good came, For a time of healing, but there is terror!

From Dan is heard the snorting of his horses. At the sound of the neighing of his stallions, The whole land quakes. They come in and devour the land and everything in it, The city and its inhabitants.”

“For here I am sending in serpents among you, Poisonous snakes that cannot be charmed, And they will certainly bite you,” declares Jehovah.

My grief is incurable; My heart is sick.

From a distant land there is a cry for help From the daughter of my people:

“Is Jehovah not in Zion? Or is her king not in her?”

“Why have they offended me with their graven images, With their worthless foreign gods?”

“The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, But we have not been saved!”

I am shattered over the breakdown of the daughter of my people; I am dejected. Horror has seized me.

Is there no balsam in Gilʹe·ad? Or is there no healer there? Why has the daughter of my people not been restored to health?

#bible #jeremiah #spokenword

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

Where rebellion leaves ashes, Jehovah plants a world of joy.

Isaiah 65 and 66

“I have let myself be searched for by those who did not ask for me; I have let myself be found by those who did not look for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that was not calling on my name.

I have spread out my hands all day long to a stubborn people, To those walking in the way that is not good, Following their own thoughts; A people who constantly offend me to my face, Sacrificing in gardens and making sacrificial smoke on bricks. They sit among graves, And they pass the night in hidden places, Eating the flesh of pigs, And the broth of foul things is in their vessels.

They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not approach me, For I am holier than you.’ These are a smoke in my nostrils, a fire burning all day long.

Look! It is written before me; I will not stand still, But I will repay them, I will repay them in full measure For their errors and for the errors of their forefathers as well,” says Jehovah.

“Because they have made sacrificial smoke on the mountains And have reproached me on the hills, I will first measure out their wages in full.”

This is what Jehovah says:

“Just as when new wine is found in a cluster of grapes And someone says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is some good in it,’ So I will do for the sake of my servants; I will not destroy them all. I will bring out of Jacob an offspring And out of Judah the one to inherit my mountains; My chosen ones will take possession of it, And my servants will reside there. Sharʹon will become a pasture for sheep And the Valley of Aʹchor a resting-place for cattle, For my people who search for me.

But you are among those forsaking Jehovah, Those forgetting my holy mountain, Those setting a table for the god of Good Luck, And those filling up cups of mixed wine for the god of Destiny. So I will destine you for the sword, And all of you will bow down to be slaughtered, Because I called, but you did not answer, I spoke, but you did not listen; You kept doing what was bad in my eyes, And you chose what displeased me.”

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says:

“Look! My servants will eat, but you will go hungry. Look! My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty. Look! My servants will rejoice, but you will suffer shame. Look! My servants will shout joyfully because of the good condition of the heart, But you will cry out because of the pain of heart And you will wail because of a broken spirit. You will leave behind a name that my chosen ones will use as a curse, And the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will put each of you to death, But his own servants he will call by another name; So that anyone who seeks a blessing for himself in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth, And anyone who swears an oath in the earth Will swear by the God of truth. For the former distresses will be forgotten; They will be concealed from my eyes.

For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be called to mind, Nor will they come up into the heart. So exult and be joyful forever in what I am creating. For look! I am creating Jerusalem a cause for joy And her people a cause for exultation. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in my people; No more will there be heard in her the sound of weeping or a cry of distress.”

“No more will there be an infant from that place who lives but a few days, Nor an old man who fails to live out his days. For anyone who dies at a hundred will be considered a mere boy, And the sinner will be cursed, even though he is a hundred years of age. They will build houses and live in them, And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage. They will not build for someone else to inhabit, Nor will they plant for others to eat. For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree, And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full. They will not toil for nothing, Nor will they bear children for distress, Because they are the offspring made up of those blessed by Jehovah, And their descendants with them. Even before they call out, I will answer; While they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, The lion will eat straw just like the bull, And the serpent’s food will be dust. They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” says Jehovah.

Isaiah 66

This is what Jehovah says:

“The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where, then, is the house that you could build for me, And where is my resting-place?”

“My own hand has made all these things, And this is how they all came to be,” declares Jehovah. “To this one, then, I will look, To the one humble and broken in spirit who trembles at my word.

The one slaughtering the bull is like one striking down a man. The one sacrificing a sheep is like one breaking the neck of a dog. The one offering a gift—like the blood of a pig! The one presenting a memorial offering of frankincense is like one saying a blessing with magical words. They have chosen their own ways, And they take delight in what is disgusting. So I will choose ways to punish them, And the very things they dread I will bring upon them. Because when I called, no one answered; When I spoke, there were none who listened. They kept doing what was bad in my eyes, And they chose to do what displeased me.”

Hear the word of Jehovah, you who tremble at his word:

“Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of my name said, ‘May Jehovah be glorified!’ But He will appear and bring you joy, And they are the ones who will be put to shame.”

There is a sound of uproar from the city, a sound from the temple! It is the sound of Jehovah repaying his enemies what they deserve. Before she went into labor, she gave birth. Before birth pangs came to her, she delivered a male child. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Will a land be brought to birth in one day? Or will a nation be born all at once? Yet, as soon as Zion went into labor, she gave birth to her sons.

“Will I bring it to the point of birth and then not bring it forth?” says Jehovah. “Or would I cause the birth and then shut the womb?” says your God.

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be joyful with her, all you who love her. Exult greatly with her, all you who are in mourning over her, For you will nurse and be fully satisfied from her breast of consolation, And you will drink deeply and find delight in the abundance of her glory.

For this is what Jehovah says:

“Here I am extending to her peace just like a river And the glory of nations like a flooding torrent. You will nurse and be carried on the hip, And you will be bounced on the knees. As a mother comforts her son, So I will keep comforting you; And over Jerusalem you will be comforted. You will see this, and your heart will rejoice, Your bones will flourish just like new grass. And the hand of Jehovah will become known to his servants, But he will denounce his enemies.”

“For Jehovah will come as a fire, And his chariots are like a storm wind, To repay in furious anger, To rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire Jehovah will execute judgment, Yes, with his sword, against all flesh; And the slain of Jehovah will be many.

Those sanctifying themselves and cleansing themselves to enter the gardens following one who is in the center, those eating the flesh of pigs and loathsome things and mice, they will all come to their end together,” declares Jehovah.

“Since I know about their works and their thoughts, I am coming to gather people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.

I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who escape to the nations—to Tarʹshish, Pul, and Lud, those who draw the bow, to Tuʹbal and Jaʹvan, and to the faraway islands—who have not heard a report about me or seen my glory; and they will proclaim my glory among the nations.

They will bring all your brothers out of all the nations as a gift to Jehovah, on horses, in chariots, in covered wagons, on mules, and on swift camels, up to my holy mountain, Jerusalem,” says Jehovah, “just as when the people of Israel bring their gift in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah.”

“I will also take some for the priests and for the Levites,” says Jehovah.

“For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain standing before me,” declares Jehovah, “so your offspring and your name will remain.”

“And from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, All flesh will come in to bow down before me,” says Jehovah.

“And they will go out and look on the carcasses of the men who rebelled against me; For the worms on them will not die, And their fire will not be extinguished, And they will become something repulsive to all people.”

#bible #reading #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

Even in ashes, Zion is not abandoned; she is clay in the hands of her Redeemer.

Isaiah 62

For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, And for the sake of Jerusalem I will not keep still Until her righteousness shines like a bright light And her salvation burns like a torch.

“The nations will see your righteousness, O woman, And all kings your glory. And you will be called by a new name, Which Jehovah’s own mouth will designate.

You will become a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, A royal turban in the palm of your God.

No more will you be called an abandoned woman, And your land will no longer be called desolate. But you will be called My Delight Is in Her, And your land will be called the Married One. For Jehovah will take delight in you, And your land will be as one married.

For just as a young man marries a virgin, Your sons will marry you. With the rejoicing of a bridegroom over a bride, Your God will rejoice over you.

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have commissioned watchmen. Continuously, all day long and all night long, they should not be silent. You who make mention of Jehovah, Do not rest, And do not give him any rest until he firmly establishes Jerusalem, Yes, until he makes her the praise of the earth.”

Jehovah has sworn an oath with his right hand, with his strong arm:

“I will no longer give your grain as food to your enemies, Nor will foreigners drink your new wine, for which you have toiled. But those gathering it will eat it and they will praise Jehovah; And those collecting it will drink it in my holy courtyards.”

Pass through, pass through the gates. Clear the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway. Rid it of stones. Raise up a signal for the peoples.

Look! Jehovah has proclaimed to the ends of the earth:

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Look! Your salvation is coming. Look! His reward is with him, And the wage he pays is before him.’”

They will be called the holy people, those repurchased by Jehovah, And you will be called Sought After, a City Not Abandoned.

Isaiah 63

Who is this coming from Edom, From Bozrah with bright-colored garments, This one with splendid clothing, Marching in his great power?

“It is I, the One speaking in righteousness, The One with great power to save.”

Why is your clothing red, And why are your garments like those of one treading the winepress?

“I have trodden the wine trough alone. No one from the peoples was with me. I kept treading them in my anger, And I kept trampling them in my wrath. My garments were spattered with their blood, And I have stained all my clothing.

For the day of vengeance is in my heart, And the year of my repurchased ones has come.

I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one offered support. So my arm brought me salvation, And my own wrath supported me.

I trampled peoples in my anger, I made them drunk with my wrath And poured out their blood on the ground.”

I will mention Jehovah’s acts of loyal love, The praiseworthy acts of Jehovah, Because of all that Jehovah has done for us, The many good things he has done for the house of Israel, According to his mercy and his great loyal love.

For he said: “Surely they are my people, sons who will not be disloyal.” So he became their Savior.

During all their distress it was distressing to him. And his own personal messenger saved them. In his love and compassion he repurchased them, And he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

But they rebelled and grieved his holy spirit. He then turned into their enemy, And he fought against them.

And they remembered the days of old, The days of Moses his servant:

“Where is the One who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is the One who put within him His holy spirit, The One who made His glorious arm go with the right hand of Moses, The One who split the waters before them To make an everlasting name for himself, The One who made them walk through the surging waters, So that they walked without stumbling, Like a horse in the open country?

Just like livestock when they go down into the valley plain, The spirit of Jehovah made them rest.”

This is how you led your people, To make a majestic name for yourself.

Look down from heaven and see From your lofty abode of holiness and glory. Where are your zeal and your mightiness, The stirring of your compassions and your mercy? They are withheld from me.

For you are our Father; Although Abraham may not know us And Israel may not recognize us, You, O Jehovah, are our Father. Our Repurchaser of long ago is your name.

Why do you, O Jehovah, let us wander from your ways? Why do you let our hearts become hard, so that we do not fear you? Return, for the sake of your servants, The tribes of your inheritance.

Your holy people possessed it for a short time. Our adversaries have trampled on your sanctuary.

For too long we have become like those you never ruled over, Like those never called by your name.

Isaiah 64

If only you had ripped the heavens apart and come down, So that the mountains would quake because of you, As when a fire ignites the brushwood, And the fire makes the water boil, Then your name would be known to your adversaries, And the nations would tremble before you!

When you did awe-inspiring things that we dared not hope for, You came down, and the mountains quaked before you.

From of old no one has heard or given ear, Nor has any eye seen a God except you, Who acts in behalf of those who keep in expectation of him.

You have met up with those who joyfully do what is right, Those who remember you and follow your ways. Look! You became indignant, while we kept sinning, We did so for a long time. Should we now be saved?

And we have all become like someone unclean, And all our acts of righteousness are like a menstrual cloth. We will all wither like a leaf, And our errors will carry us off like the wind.

There is no one calling on your name, No one who stirs himself to take hold of you, For you have hidden your face from us, And you cause us to waste away because of our error.

But now, O Jehovah, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are our Potter; We are all the work of your hand.

Do not become too indignant, O Jehovah, And do not remember our error forever. Look at us, please, for we are all your people.

Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a wasteland.

Our house of holiness and glory, Where our forefathers praised you, Has been burned with fire, And all the things we cherished lie in ruins.

In view of this, will you still restrain yourself, O Jehovah? Will you remain silent and let us be afflicted so severely?

#bible #reading #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

They will be called big trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah.

Isaiah 60

“Arise, O woman, shed light, for your light has come. The glory of Jehovah shines on you.

For look! darkness will cover the earth And thick gloom the nations; But on you Jehovah will shine, And on you his glory will be seen.

Nations will go to your light And kings to your shining splendor.

Raise your eyes and look all around you! They have all been assembled; they are coming to you. From far away your sons keep coming, And your daughters being supported on the hip.

At that time you will see and become radiant, And your heart will throb and overflow, Because the wealth of the sea will be directed to you; The resources of the nations will come to you.

Throngs of camels will cover your land, Young male camels of Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba—they will come; Gold and frankincense they will carry. They will proclaim the praises of Jehovah.

All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will come on my altar with approval, And I will beautify my glorious house.

Who are these that fly along like clouds, Like doves to their dovecotes?

For in me the islands will hope; The ships of Tarshish are in the lead, To bring your sons from far away, Along with their silver and their gold, To the name of Jehovah your God and to the Holy One of Israel, For he will glorify you.

Foreigners will build your walls, And their kings will minister to you, For in my indignation I struck you, But in my favor I will have mercy on you.

Your gates will be kept open constantly; They will not be closed by day or by night, To bring to you the resources of the nations, And their kings will take the lead.

For any nation and any kingdom that will not serve you will perish, And the nations will be utterly devastated.

To you the glory of Lebanon will come, The juniper tree, the ash tree, and the cypress together, To beautify the place of my sanctuary; I will glorify the place for my feet.

The sons of those who oppressed you will come and bow down before you; All those treating you disrespectfully must bow down at your feet, And they will have to call you the city of Jehovah, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Instead of your being abandoned and hated, with nobody passing through, I will make you a source of everlasting pride, A cause for rejoicing throughout all generations.

And you will actually drink the milk of nations,
At the breast of kings you will nurse;
And you will certainly know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior,
And the Powerful One of Jacob is your Repurchaser.

Instead of the copper I will bring in gold,
And instead of the iron I will bring in silver,
Instead of the wood, copper,
And instead of the stones, iron;
And I will appoint peace as your overseers
And righteousness as your task assigners.

No more will violence be heard in your land
Or destruction and ruin within your boundaries.
And you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.

For you the sun will no longer be a light by day,
Nor will the shining of the moon give you light,
For Jehovah will become to you an eternal light,
And your God will be your beauty.

No more will your sun set,
Nor will your moon wane,
For Jehovah will become for you an eternal light, And the days of your mourning will have ended.

And all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever. They are the sprout that I planted, The work of my hands, for me to be beautified.

The little one will become a thousand And the small one a mighty nation. I myself, Jehovah, will speed it up in its own time.”

Isaiah 61

The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me, Because Jehovah anointed me to declare good news to the meek. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And the wide opening of the eyes to the prisoners, To proclaim the year of Jehovah’s goodwill And the day of vengeance of our God, To comfort all who mourn, To provide for those mourning over Zion, To give them a headdress instead of ashes, The oil of exultation instead of mourning, The garment of praise instead of a despondent spirit. And they will be called big trees of righteousness, The planting of Jehovah, in order to glorify him.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins; They will raise up the desolated places of the past, And they will restore the devastated cities, The places that lay desolate for generation after generation.

“Strangers will stand and shepherd your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

As for you, you will be called the priests of Jehovah; They will call you the ministers of our God. You will eat the resources of the nations, And about their glory you will boast.

Instead of shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout joyfully over their share. Yes, they will possess a double portion in their land. Everlasting rejoicing will be theirs.

For I, Jehovah, love justice; I hate robbery and unrighteousness. I will faithfully give them their wages, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their offspring will be known among the nations And their descendants among the peoples. All who see them will recognize them, That they are the offspring whom Jehovah has blessed.”

I will greatly exult in Jehovah. My whole being will rejoice in my God. For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has wrapped me with the robe of righteousness, Just like a bridegroom who wears a turban like that of a priest, And like a bride who adorns herself with her ornaments.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts And as the garden makes what is sown in it sprout, So will the Sovereign Lord Jehovah Cause righteousness and praise to sprout before all the nations.

#bible #isaiah #reading

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

We asked why God would not hear us, while ignoring the cries we refused to hear.

“Call out full-throated; do not hold back! Raise your voice like a horn. Proclaim to my people their revolt, To the house of Jacob their sins.

They seek me day after day, And they express delight to know my ways, As if they were a nation that had practiced righteousness And had not abandoned the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments, Delighting to draw close to God:

‘Why do you not see when we fast? And why do you not notice when we afflict ourselves?’

Because on the day of your fast, you pursue your own interests, And you oppress your laborers. Your fasting ends in quarrels and fights, And you strike with the fist of wickedness. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice heard in heaven.

Should the fast that I choose be like this, As a day for someone to afflict himself, To bow down his head like a rush, To make his bed on sackcloth and ashes? Is this what you call a fast and a day pleasing to Jehovah?

No, this is the fast that I choose: To remove the fetters of wickedness, To untie the bands of the yoke bar, To let the oppressed go free, And to break in half every yoke bar; To share your bread with the hungry, To bring the poor and homeless into your house, To clothe someone naked when you see him, And not to turn your back on your own flesh.

Then your light will shine through like the dawn, And your healing will spring up quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, And the glory of Jehovah will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and Jehovah will answer; You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am!’

If you remove from among you the yoke bar And stop pointing your finger and speaking maliciously, If you grant to the hungry what you yourself desire And satisfy those who are afflicted, Then your light will shine even in the darkness, And your gloom will be like midday.

Jehovah will always lead you And satisfy you even in a parched land; He will invigorate your bones, And you will become like a well-watered garden, Like a spring whose waters never fail.

They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account, And you will restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the repairer of the broken walls, The restorer of roadways by which to dwell.

If because of the Sabbath you refrain from pursuing your own interests on my holy day And you call the Sabbath an exquisite delight, a holy day of Jehovah, a day to be glorified, And you glorify it rather than pursuing your own interests and speaking idle words, Then you will find your exquisite delight in Jehovah, And I will make you ride on the high places of the earth. I will cause you to eat from the inheritance of Jacob your forefather, For the mouth of Jehovah has spoken.”

Isaiah 59

Look! The hand of Jehovah is not too short to save, Nor is his ear too dull to hear. No, your own errors have separated you from your God. Your sins have made him hide his face from you, And he refuses to hear you.

For your palms are polluted with blood And your fingers with error. Your lips speak lies, and your tongue mutters unrighteousness. No one calls out for righteousness, And no one goes to court in truthfulness. They trust in unreality and speak what is worthless. They conceive trouble and give birth to what is harmful.

They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake, And they weave the cobweb of a spider. Anyone who eats their eggs would die, And the egg that is crushed hatches a viper. Their cobweb will not serve as a garment, Nor will they cover themselves with what they make. Their works are harmful, And deeds of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to do evil, And they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are harmful thoughts; Ruin and misery are in their ways. They have not known the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks. They make their roadways crooked; No one treading on them will know peace.

That is why justice is far away from us, And righteousness does not overtake us. We keep hoping for light, but look! there is darkness; For brightness, but we keep walking in gloom. We grope for the wall like blind men; Like those without eyes we keep groping. We stumble at high noon as in evening darkness; Among the strong we are just like the dead.

We all keep growling like bears And cooing mournfully like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far away from us. For our revolts are many before you; Each of our sins testifies against us. For our revolts are with us; We well know our errors.

We have transgressed and denied Jehovah; We have turned our backs on our God. We have spoken of oppression and revolt; We have conceived lies and muttered false words from the heart.

Justice is driven back, And righteousness stands far off; For truth has stumbled in the public square, And what is upright is unable to enter. Truth has vanished, And anyone who turns away from bad is plundered.

Jehovah saw this and was displeased, For there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And he was astonished that no one interceded, So his own arm brought about salvation, And his own righteousness supported him.

Then he put on righteousness like a coat of mail And the helmet of salvation on his head. He put on the garments of vengeance as his clothing And wrapped himself with zeal like a coat. He will reward them for what they have done: Wrath to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies. And to the islands he will repay their due.

From the sunset they will fear the name of Jehovah And from the sunrise his glory, For he will come in like a rushing river, Which the spirit of Jehovah drives along.

“To Zion the Repurchaser will come, To those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares Jehovah.

“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Jehovah. “My spirit that is on you and my words that I have placed in your mouth—they will not be removed from your mouth, from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your grandchildren,” says Jehovah, “from now on and forever.”

#poetry #bible #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

I reside in the high and holy place, but also with those crushed and lowly in spirit.

This is what Jehovah says:

“Uphold justice, and do what is righteous, For my salvation will soon come And my righteousness will be revealed.

Happy is the man who does this And the son of man who holds fast to it, Who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it And who holds his hand back from any kind of evil.

The foreigner who joins himself to Jehovah should not say, ‘Jehovah will surely separate me from his people.’ And the eunuch should not say, ‘Look! I am a dried-up tree.’

For this is what Jehovah says to the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths and who choose what I delight in and who hold fast to my covenant:

“I will give to them in my house and within my walls a monument and a name, Something better than sons and daughters. An everlasting name I will give them, One that will not perish.

As for the foreigners who join themselves to Jehovah to minister to him, To love the name of Jehovah And to be his servants, All those who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it And who hold fast to my covenant,

I will also bring them to my holy mountain And make them rejoice inside my house of prayer. Their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar. For my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

The Sovereign Lord Jehovah, who is gathering the dispersed ones of Israel, declares: “I will gather to him others besides those already gathered.”

All you wild animals of the field, come to eat, All you wild animals in the forest.

His watchmen are blind, none of them have taken note. All of them are speechless dogs, unable to bark. They are panting and lying down; they love to slumber.

They are dogs with a voracious appetite; They are never satisfied. They are shepherds who have no understanding. They have all gone their own way; Every last one of them seeks his own dishonest gain and says:

“Come, let me take some wine, And let us drink our fill of alcohol. And tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

Isaiah 57

The righteous one has perished, But no one takes it to heart. Loyal men are taken away, With no one discerning that the righteous one has been taken away Because of the calamity.

He enters into peace. They rest on their beds, all who walk uprightly.

“But as for you, come closer, You sons of a sorceress, You children of an adulterer and a prostitute:

Whom are you making fun of? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not the children of transgression, The children of deceit,

Those who are inflamed with passion among big trees, Under every luxuriant tree, Who slaughter the children in the valleys, Under the clefts of the crags?

With the smooth stones of the valley is your portion. Yes, these are your lot. Even to them you pour out drink offerings and offer gifts. Should I be satisfied with these things?

On a mountain high and lofty you prepared your bed, And you went up there to offer sacrifice.

Behind the door and the doorpost you set up your memorial. You left me and uncovered yourself; You went up and made your bed spacious. And you made a covenant with them. You loved sharing their bed, And you gazed at the male organ.

You went down to Melech with oil And with an abundance of perfume. You sent your envoys far off, So that you descended to the Grave.

You have toiled in following your many ways, But you did not say, ‘It is hopeless!’ You found renewed strength. That is why you do not give up.

Whom did you dread and fear So that you started to lie? You did not remember me. You took nothing to heart. Have I not kept silent and withdrawn? So you showed no fear of me.

I will make known your ‘righteousness’ and your works, And they will not benefit you.

When you cry for help, Your collection of idols will not rescue you. A wind will carry all of them away, A mere breath will blow them away, But the one who takes refuge in me will inherit the land And will take possession of my holy mountain.

It will be said, ‘Build up, build up a road! Prepare the way! Remove any obstacle from the way of my people.’”

For this is what the High and Lofty One says, Who lives forever and whose name is holy:

“I reside in the high and holy place, But also with those crushed and lowly in spirit, To revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of those being crushed.

For I will not oppose them forever Or always remain indignant; For a man’s spirit would grow feeble because of me, Even the breathing creatures that I have made.

I was indignant at his sinful pursuit of dishonest gain, So I struck him, I hid my face, and I was indignant. But he kept walking as a renegade, following the way of his heart.

I have seen his ways, But I will heal him and lead him And restore comfort to him and to his mourning ones.”

“I am creating the fruit of the lips. Continuous peace will be given to the one who is far away and the one who is near,” says Jehovah, “And I will heal him.”

“But the wicked are like the restless sea that cannot calm down, And its waters keep tossing up seaweed and mire.

There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

#bible #reading #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

Security is not the absence of attack, but the presence of God.

Isaiah 54

Isaiah 54

Jehovah says:

“Shout joyfully, you barren woman who has not given birth! Become cheerful and cry out for joy, you who never had birth pains, For the sons of the desolate one are more numerous Than the sons of the woman with a husband.

Make the place of your tent more spacious. Stretch out the tent cloths of your grand tabernacle. Do not hold back, lengthen your tent cords, And make your tent pins strong.

For you will spread out to the right and to the left. Your offspring will take possession of nations, And they will inhabit the desolated cities.

Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disappointed. For you will forget the shame of your youth, And the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.”

“For your Grand Maker is as your husband, Jehovah of armies is his name, And the Holy One of Israel is your Repurchaser. He will be called the God of the whole earth.

For Jehovah called you as if you were an abandoned wife and grief-stricken, Like a wife married in youth and then rejected,” says your God.

“For a brief moment I abandoned you, But with great mercy I will gather you back.

In a flood of indignation I hid my face from you for a moment, But with everlasting loyal love I will have mercy on you,” says your Repurchaser, Jehovah.

“This is like the days of Noah to me. Just as I have sworn that the waters of Noah will no more cover the earth, So I swear that I will no more become indignant toward you or rebuke you.

For the mountains may be removed And the hills may be shaken, But my loyal love will not be removed from you, Nor will my covenant of peace be shaken,” says Jehovah, the One having mercy on you.

“O afflicted woman, storm-tossed, uncomforted, I am laying your stones with hard mortar And your foundation with sapphires.

I will make your battlements of rubies, Your gates of sparkling stones, And all your boundaries of precious stones.

And all your sons will be taught by Jehovah, And the peace of your sons will be abundant.

You will be firmly established in righteousness. You will be far removed from oppression, You will fear nothing and have no cause for terror, For it will not come near you.

If anyone should attack you, It will not be at my orders. Whoever makes an attack on you will fall because of you.”

“Look! I myself created the craftsman, Who blows on the charcoal fire, And his work produces a weapon. I myself also created the destructive man to bring ruin.

No weapon formed against you will have any success, And you will condemn any tongue that rises up against you in the judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, And their righteousness is from me,” declares Jehovah.

Isaiah 55

Jehovah says:

“Come, all you thirsty ones, come to the water! You with no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Why do you keep paying out money for what is not bread, And why spend your earnings for what brings no satisfaction? Listen intently to me, and eat what is good, And you will find great delight in what is truly rich.

Incline your ear and come to me. Listen, and you will keep alive, And I will readily make with you an everlasting covenant In harmony with the expressions of loyal love to David, which are faithful.

Look! I made him a witness to the nations, A leader and commander to the nations.

Look! You will call a nation that you do not know, And those of a nation who have not known you will run to you For the sake of Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel, Because he will glorify you.

Search for Jehovah while he may be found. Call to him while he is near.

Let the wicked man leave his way And the evil man his thoughts; Let him return to Jehovah, who will have mercy on him, To our God, for he will forgive in a large way.”

Jehovah declares:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, And your ways are not my ways.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So my ways are higher than your ways And my thoughts than your thoughts.

For just as the rain and the snow pour down from heaven And do not return there until they saturate the earth, making it produce and sprout, Giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So my word that goes out of my mouth will be. It will not return to me without results, But it will certainly accomplish whatever is my delight, And it will have sure success in what I send it to do.

For you will go out with rejoicing, And in peace you will be brought back. The mountains and the hills will become cheerful before you with a joyful cry, And the trees of the field will all clap their hands.

Instead of thornbushes the juniper tree will grow, And instead of the stinging nettle the myrtle tree will grow. And it will bring fame to Jehovah, An everlasting sign that will never perish.”

#biblereading #bible #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

here we go again

“Where Is the Certificate?” (50:1–3) > Speaker: Jehovah

This is what Jehovah says: “Where is the divorce certificate of your mother, whom I sent away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Look! It was because of your own errors you were sold, And because of your own transgressions your mother was sent away. Why, then, was no one here when I came? Why did no one answer when I called? Is my hand too short to redeem, Or is there no power in me to rescue? Look! With my rebuke I dry up the sea; I make rivers a desert. Their fish rot for lack of water, And they die because of thirst. I clothe the heavens with gloom, And I make sackcloth their covering.”

👂 The Obedient Servant (50:4–9)

Speaker: The Servant

The Sovereign Lord Jehovah has given me the tongue of those taught, So that I may know how to answer the tired one with the right word. He awakens me morning by morning; He awakens my ear to listen like the taught ones. The Sovereign Lord Jehovah has opened my ear, And I was not rebellious. I did not turn in the opposite direction. I offered my back to those striking me And my cheeks to those who plucked them bare. I did not hide my face from humiliating things and from spit. But the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will help me. That is why I will not feel humiliated. That is why I have set my face like a flint, And I know that I will not be put to shame. The One who declares me righteous is near. Who can accuse me? Let us stand up together. Who has a case against me? Let him approach me. Look! The Sovereign Lord Jehovah will help me. Who will pronounce me guilty? Look! They will all wear out like a garment. A moth will eat them up.

🔥 Two Ways to Walk (50:10–11)

Speaker: Jehovah

Who among you fears Jehovah And listens to the voice of his servant? Who has walked in deep darkness, without any brightness? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah and support himself on his God. “Look! All of you who are igniting a fire, Making sparks fly, Walk in the light of your fire, Among the sparks you have set ablaze. This is what you will have from my hand: In sheer pain you will lie down.

🪨 Look to the Rock (51:1–3)

Speaker: Jehovah

“Listen to me, you who are pursuing righteousness, You who are seeking Jehovah. Look to the rock from which you were hewn And to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father And to Sarah who gave birth to you. For he was only one when I called him, And I blessed him and made him many. For Jehovah will comfort Zion. He will bring comfort to all her ruins, And he will make her wilderness like Eden And her desert plain like the garden of Jehovah. Exultation and rejoicing will be found in her, Thanksgiving and melodious song.

🌍 What Lasts Forever (51:4–8)

Speaker: Jehovah

“Pay attention to me, O my people, And give ear to me, my nation. For a law will go out from me, And my justice I will establish as a light to the peoples. My righteousness draws near. My salvation will go out, And my arms will judge the peoples. In me the islands will hope, And for my arm they will wait. Raise your eyes to the heavens, And look at the earth below. For the heavens will disperse in fragments like smoke; The earth will wear out like a garment, And its inhabitants will die like gnats. But my salvation will be eternal, And my righteousness will never fail. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, The people with my law in their heart. Do not be afraid of the taunts of mortal men, And do not be terrified because of their insults. For a moth will eat them up just like a garment; The clothes moth will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever, And my salvation for all generations.”

💪 “Awake, Arm of Jehovah!” (51:9–11)

Speaker: The People

Awake! Awake! Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of Jehovah! Awake as in the days of long ago, as in past generations. Was it not you who broke Rahab to pieces, Who pierced the sea monster? Are you not the one who dried up the sea, the waters of the vast deep? The one who made the depths of the sea a roadway for the repurchased ones to cross? The redeemed ones of Jehovah will return. They will come to Zion with a joyful cry, And unending joy will crown them. Exultation and rejoicing will be theirs, And grief and sighing will flee away.

🫂 “I Am the One Comforting You” (51:12–16)

Speaker: Jehovah

“I myself am the One comforting you. Why should you be afraid of a mortal man who will die And of a son of man who will wither like green grass? Why do you forget Jehovah your Maker, The One who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth? And all day long you were in constant fear of the rage of the oppressor, As though he were in a position to bring you to ruin. Where, now, is the rage of the oppressor? The one bent over in chains will soon be set free; He will not die and go into the pit, Nor will his bread be lacking. But I am Jehovah your God, Who stirs up the sea and makes its waves boisterous —Jehovah of armies is his name. I will put my words in your mouth, And with the shadow of my hand I will cover you, In order to plant the heavens and to lay the foundation of the earth And to say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”

🍷 The Cup Removed (51:17–23)

Speaker: Jehovah

Awake! Awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk from the hand of Jehovah his cup of wrath. You have drunk the goblet; You have drained out the cup causing staggering. Not one of all the sons whom she bore is there to guide her, And not one of all the sons whom she raised has taken hold of her hand. These two things have befallen you. Who will sympathize with you? Destruction and devastation, hunger and sword! Who will comfort you? Your sons have fainted. They lie down at every street corner Like wild sheep in the net. They are full of the wrath of Jehovah, the rebuke of your God. So please listen to this, O woman afflicted and drunk, though not with wine. This is what your Lord Jehovah says, your God who defends his people: “Look! I will take from your hand the cup causing staggering, The goblet, my cup of wrath; You will never drink it again. I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, Those who said to you, ‘Bow down so that we may walk over you!’ So you made your back like the ground, Like a street for them to walk on.”

#poetry #bible #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper

“If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river.”

Isaiah 48

Jehovah:

Hear this, O house of Jacob, You who call yourselves by the name of Israel And who have come from the waters of Judah, You who swear by the name of Jehovah And who call on the God of Israel, Though not in truth and righteousness.

For they call themselves after the holy city And seek the support of the God of Israel, Whose name is Jehovah of armies.

“The former things I told you long ago. From my own mouth they went out, And I made them known. Suddenly I took action, and they came about.

Because I knew how stubborn you are —That your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead is copper—

I told you long ago. Before it came about, I caused you to hear it, So that you could not say, ‘My idol did this; My carved image and my metal image commanded this.’

You have heard and seen all of this. Will you not declare it?

From now on I am announcing new things to you, Guarded secrets that you have not known.

Only now are they being created, and not long ago, Things that you never heard before today, So that you cannot say, ‘Look! I already know them.’

No, you have not heard, you have not known, And in the past your ears were not opened. For I know that you are very treacherous, And you have been called a transgressor from birth.

But for the sake of my name I will hold back my anger; For my own praise I will restrain myself toward you, And I will not do away with you.

Look! I have refined you, but not in the form of silver. I have tested you in the smelting furnace of affliction.

For my own sake, for my own sake I will act, For how could I let myself be profaned? I give my glory to no one else.

Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called. I am the same One. I am the first; I am also the last.

My own hand laid the foundation of the earth, And my right hand spread out the heavens. When I call to them, they stand up together.

Gather together, all of you, and listen. Who among them has announced these things? Jehovah has loved him. He will carry out his delight against Babylon, And his arm will come against the Chaldeans.

I myself have spoken, and I have called him. I have brought him, and his way will be successful.

Come near to me, and hear this. From the very start I have not spoken in secret. From the time it happened I was there.”

Narrator:

And now the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has sent me, and his spirit.

Jehovah:

“This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel:

‘I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk.

If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Your offspring would be as many as the sand And your descendants as its grains. Their name would never be cut off or annihilated from before me.’

Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Announce it with a joyful cry! Proclaim it! Make it known to the ends of the earth.

Say: ‘Jehovah has repurchased his servant Jacob. They did not become thirsty when he led them through devastated places. He caused water to flow out of the rock for them; He split a rock and made water gush out.’”

“There is no peace,” says Jehovah, “for the wicked.”

Isaiah 49

Servant:

Listen to me, you islands, And pay attention, you faraway nations.

Jehovah has called me before I was born. From the time I was in my mother’s womb he has made mention of my name.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword; He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. He made me a polished arrow; He concealed me in his quiver.

He said to me: “You are my servant, O Israel, Through whom I will show my splendor.”

But I said:

“I have toiled for nothing. I used up my strength for an unreality, in vain. But surely my judgment is with Jehovah, And my wages with my God.”

And now Jehovah, the One who formed me from the womb as his servant, Has said for me to bring Jacob back to him, So that Israel may be gathered to him.

I will be glorified in the eyes of Jehovah, And my God will have become my strength.

Jehovah:

“And he said:

‘It is not enough that you are my servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob And to bring back those who were preserved of Israel.

I have also given you as a light of nations, So that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’”

“This is what Jehovah, the Repurchaser of Israel, his Holy One, says To the one who is despised, To the one who is detested by the nation, To the servant of rulers:

‘Kings will see and rise up, And princes will bow down Because of Jehovah, who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’”

“This is what Jehovah says:

‘In a time of favor I answered you, And in a day of salvation I helped you; I kept safeguarding you to give you as a covenant for the people, To rehabilitate the land, To cause them to possess their desolate inheritances,

To say to the prisoners, “Come out!” And to those in the darkness, “Show yourselves!”

By the roadways they will feed, Along all the worn paths will be their pastures.

They will not go hungry, nor will they thirst, Nor will scorching heat or the sun beat down on them. For the One who has mercy on them will lead them, And he will guide them by the springs of water.

I will make all my mountains into a road, And my highways will be raised up.

Look! These are coming from far away, And look! these from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim.’”

Shout for joy, you heavens, and rejoice, you earth. Let the mountains become cheerful with a joyful cry. For Jehovah has comforted his people, And he shows mercy to his own afflicted ones.

Zion:

“Jehovah has abandoned me, And Jehovah has forgotten me.”

Jehovah:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child Or have no compassion for the son of her womb? Even if these women forget, I would never forget you.

Look! On my palms I have engraved you. Your walls are always before me.

Your sons hurry back. Those who tore you down and devastated you will depart from you.

Raise your eyes and look all around. They are all gathering together. They are coming to you.

As surely as I am living,” declares Jehovah, “You will clothe yourself with all of them as with ornaments, And you will fasten them on yourself as a bride does.

Although your places were devastated and desolate and your land was in ruins, Now it will become too cramped for those dwelling there, And those who swallowed you down will be far away.

The sons born when you were bereaved will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too cramped for me. Make room for me to dwell here.’

And you will say in your heart, ‘Who has fathered these for me, Since I am a woman bereaved of children and barren, Exiled and taken prisoner? Who has raised these? Look! I was left all alone, So where have these come from?’”

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says:

‘Look! I will raise up my hand to the nations, And I will lift up my signal to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms And carry your daughters on their shoulders.

Kings will become caretakers for you, And their princesses will be your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground And lick the dust of your feet, And you will have to know that I am Jehovah; Those hoping in me will not be put to shame.’”

“Can those already captured be taken from a mighty man, Or can the captives of the tyrant be rescued?”

“But this is what Jehovah says:

‘Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken away, And those captured by the tyrant will be rescued.

I will oppose those who oppose you, And I will save your own sons.

I will make those who mistreat you eat their own flesh, And as with sweet wine, they will become drunk with their own blood.

And all people will have to know that I am Jehovah, Your Savior and your Repurchaser, The Powerful One of Jacob.’”

—

Hear this, O house of Jacob, You who call yourselves by the name of Israel+ And who have come from the waters of* Judah, You who swear by the name of Jehovah+ And who call on the God of Israel, Though not in truth and righteousness.+ 2 For they call themselves after the holy city+ And seek the support of the God of Israel,+ Whose name is Jehovah of armies. 3 “The former* things I told you long ago. From my own mouth they went out, And I made them known.+ Suddenly I took action, and they came about.+ 4 Because I knew how stubborn you are —That your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead is copper+— 5 I told you long ago. Before it came about, I caused you to hear it, So that you could not say, ‘My idol did this; My carved image and my metal image* commanded this.’ 6 You have heard and seen all of this. Will you not declare it?+ From now on I am announcing new things to you,+ Guarded secrets that you have not known. 7 Only now are they being created, and not long ago, Things that you never heard before today, So that you cannot say, ‘Look! I already know them.’ 8 No, you have not heard,+ you have not known, And in the past your ears were not opened. For I know that you are very treacherous,+ And you have been called a transgressor from birth.+ 9 But for the sake of my name I will hold back my anger;+ For my own praise I will restrain myself toward you, And I will not do away with you.+ 10 Look! I have refined you, but not in the form of silver.+ I have tested* you in the smelting furnace of affliction.+ 11 For my own sake, for my own sake I will act,+ For how could I let myself be profaned?+ I give my glory to no one else.* 12 Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called. I am the same One.+ I am the first; I am also the last.+ 13 My own hand laid the foundation of the earth,+ And my right hand spread out the heavens.+ When I call to them, they stand up together. 14 Gather together, all of you, and listen. Who among them has announced these things? Jehovah has loved him.+ He will carry out his delight against Babylon,+ And his arm will come against the Chal·deʹans.+ 15 I myself have spoken, and I have called him.+ I have brought him, and his way will be successful.+ 16 Come near to me, and hear this. From the very start I have not spoken in secret.+ From the time it happened I was there.” And now the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has sent me, and* his spirit. 17 This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel:+ “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself,+ The One guiding you in the way you should walk.+ 18 If only you would pay attention to my commandments!+ Then your peace would become just like a river+ And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.+ 19 Your offspring would be as many as the sand And your descendants as its grains.+ Their name would never be cut off or annihilated from before me.” 20 Go out from Babylon!+ Flee from the Chal·deʹans! Announce it with a joyful cry! Proclaim it!+ Make it known to the ends of the earth.+ Say: “Jehovah has repurchased his servant Jacob.+ 21 They did not become thirsty when he led them through devastated places.+ He caused water to flow out of the rock for them; He split a rock and made water gush out.”+ 22 “There is no peace,” says Jehovah, “for the wicked.”+ 49 Listen to me, you islands, And pay attention, you faraway nations.+ Jehovah has called me before I was born.+ From the time I was in my mother’s womb he has made mention of my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword; He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.+ He made me a polished arrow; He concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me: “You are my servant, O Israel,+ Through whom I will show my splendor.”+ 4 But I said: “I have toiled for nothing. I used up my strength for an unreality, in vain. But surely my judgment is with Jehovah, And my wages* with my God.”+ 5 And now Jehovah, the One who formed me from the womb as his servant, Has said for me to bring Jacob back to him, So that Israel may be gathered to him.+ I will be glorified in the eyes of Jehovah, And my God will have become my strength. 6 And he said: “It is not enough that you are my servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob And to bring back those who were preserved of Israel. I have also given you as a light of nations,+ So that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.”+ 7 This is what Jehovah, the Repurchaser of Israel, his Holy One,+ says to the one who is despised,+ to the one who is detested by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see and rise up, And princes will bow down Because of Jehovah, who is faithful,+ The Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”+ 8 This is what Jehovah says: “In a time of favor I answered you,+ And in a day of salvation I helped you;+ I kept safeguarding you to give you as a covenant for the people,+ To rehabilitate the land, To cause them to possess their desolate inheritances,+ 9 To say to the prisoners, ‘Come out!’+ And to those in the darkness,+ ‘Show yourselves!’ By the roadways they will feed, Along all the worn paths* will be their pastures. 10 They will not go hungry, nor will they thirst,+ Nor will scorching heat or the sun beat down on them.+ For the One who has mercy on them will lead them,+ And he will guide them by the springs of water.+ 11 I will make all my mountains into a road, And my highways will be raised up.+ 12 Look! These are coming from far away,+ And look! these from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Siʹnim.”+ 13 Shout for joy, you heavens, and rejoice, you earth.+ Let the mountains become cheerful with a joyful cry.+ For Jehovah has comforted his people,+ And he shows mercy to his own afflicted ones.+ 14 But Zion kept saying: “Jehovah has abandoned me,+ and Jehovah has forgotten me.”+ 15 Can a woman forget her nursing child Or have no compassion for the son of her womb? Even if these women forget, I would never forget you.+ 16 Look! On my palms I have engraved you. Your walls are always before me. 17 Your sons hurry back. Those who tore you down and devastated you will depart from you. 18 Raise your eyes and look all around. They are all gathering together.+ They are coming to you. “As surely as I am living,” declares Jehovah, “You will clothe yourself with all of them as with ornaments, And you will fasten them on yourself as a bride does. 19 Although your places were devastated and desolate and your land was in ruins,+ Now it will become too cramped for those dwelling there,+ And those who swallowed you down+ will be far away.+ 20 The sons born when you were bereaved will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too cramped for me. Make room for me to dwell here.’+ 21 And you will say in your heart, ‘Who has fathered these for me, Since I am a woman bereaved of children and barren, Exiled and taken prisoner? Who has raised these?+ Look! I was left all alone,+ So where have these come from?’”+ 22 This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: “Look! I will raise up my hand to the nations, And I will lift up my signal* to the peoples.+ They will bring your sons in their arms* And carry your daughters on their shoulders.+ 23 Kings will become caretakers for you,+ And their princesses will be your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground+ And lick the dust of your feet,+ And you will have to know that I am Jehovah; Those hoping in me will not be put to shame.”+ 24 Can those already captured be taken from a mighty man, Or can the captives of the tyrant be rescued? 25 But this is what Jehovah says: “Even the captives of a mighty man will be taken away,+ And those captured by the tyrant will be rescued.+ I will oppose those who oppose you,+ And I will save your own sons. 26 I will make those who mistreat you eat their own flesh, And as with sweet wine, they will become drunk with their own blood. And all people* will have to know that I am Jehovah,+ Your Savior+ and your Repurchaser,+ The Powerful One of Jacob.”+

#poetry #bible #isaiah

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“May your seas be wide enough for wonder, your harbor always waiting, and your light never fail when another soul is searching.” – The Lantern Keeper