Category: DAB Readings

“I will praise^(B) you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away^(C)
and you have comforted^(D) me.
² Surely God is my salvation;^(E)
I will trust^(F) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,^(G) is my strength^(H) and my defense^[a];
he has become my salvation.^(I)”
³ With joy you will draw water^(J)
from the wells^(K) of salvation.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;^(M)
make known among the nations^(N) what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.^(O)
5 Sing^(P) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;^(Q)
let this be known to all the world.
⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy,^(R) people of Zion,
for great^(S) is the Holy One of Israel^(T) among you.^(U)”

² Raise a banner^(Z) on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates^(AA) of the nobles.
³ I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors^(AB) to carry out my wrath^(AC)—
those who rejoice^(AD) in my triumph.

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!^(AE)
Listen, an uproar^(AF) among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(AG) is mustering^(AH)
an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens^(AI)—
the Lord and the weapons^(AJ) of his wrath^(AK)—
to destroy^(AL) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(AM) for the day^(AN) of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction^(AO) from the Almighty.^[b](AP)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(AQ)
every heart will melt with fear.^(AR)
8 Terror^(AS) will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip^(AT) them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(AU)
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.^(AV)

⁹ See, the day^(AW) of the Lord is coming
—a cruel^(AX) day, with wrath^(AY) and fierce anger^(AZ)—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.^(BA)
The rising sun^(BB) will be darkened^(BC)
and the moon will not give its light.^(BD)
11 I will punish^(BE) the world for its evil,
the wicked^(BF) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^(BG)
and will humble^(BH) the pride of the ruthless.^(BI)
12 I will make people^(BJ) scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(BK)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^(BL)
and the earth will shake^(BM) from its place
at the wrath^(BN) of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.^(BO)

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(BP) gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,^(BQ)
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee^(BR) to their native land.^(BS)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall^(BT) by the sword.^(BU)
16 Their infants^(BV) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(BW)

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(BX) against them the Medes,^(BY)
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.^(BZ)
18 Their bows^(CA) will strike down the young men;^(CB)
they will have no mercy^(CC) on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.^(CD)
19 Babylon,^(CE) the jewel of kingdoms,^(CF)
the pride and glory^(CG) of the Babylonians,^[c]
will be overthrown^(CH) by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.^(CI)
20 She will never be inhabited^(CJ)
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads^(CK) will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
²¹ But desert creatures^(CL) will lie there,
jackals^(CM) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(CN) will dwell,
and there the wild goats^(CO) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(CP) will inhabit her strongholds,^(CQ)
jackals^(CR) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(CS)
and her days will not be prolonged.^(CT)

14 The Lord will have compassion^(CU) on Jacob;
once again he will choose^(CV) Israel
and will settle them in their own land.^(CW)
Foreigners^(CX) will join them
and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
² Nations will take them
and bring^(CY) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(CZ)
and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(DA) of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.^(DB)

How the oppressor^(DH) has come to an end!
How his fury^[d] has ended!
⁵ The Lord has broken the rod^(DI) of the wicked,^(DJ)
the scepter^(DK) of the rulers,
⁶ which in anger struck down peoples^(DL)
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(DM) nations
with relentless aggression.^(DN)
7 All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(DO)
they break into singing.^(DP)
8 Even the junipers^(DQ) and the cedars of Lebanon
gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no one comes to cut us down.”^(DR)

⁹ The realm of the dead^(DS) below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(DT) to greet you—
all those who were leaders^(DU) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.^(DV)
10 They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”^(DW)
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(DX)
along with the noise of your harps;^(DY)
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms^(DZ) cover you.^(EA)

¹² How you have fallen^(EB) from heaven,
morning star,^(EC) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!^(ED)
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend^(EE) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(EF)
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(EG)
on the utmost heights^(EH) of Mount Zaphon.^[e]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(EI)
I will make myself like the Most High.”^(EJ)
15 But you are brought down^(EK) to the realm of the dead,^(EL)
to the depths^(EM) of the pit.^(EN)

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:^(EO)
“Is this the man who shook^(EP) the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,^(EQ)
who overthrew^(ER) its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”^(ES)

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.^(ET)
19 But you are cast out^(EU) of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(EV)
with those pierced by the sword,^(EW)
those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(EX)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰ you will not join them in burial,^(EY)
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(EZ) of the wicked^(FA)
never be mentioned^(FB) again.
²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(FC)
for the sins of their ancestors;^(FD)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up^(FE) against them,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(FF) and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,^(FG)”
declares the Lord.
²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls^(FH)
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(FI)”
declares the Lord Almighty.^(FJ)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(FL) so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(FM)
25 I will crush the Assyrian^(FN) in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(FO) will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(FP)”

²⁶ This is the plan^(FQ) determined for the whole world;
this is the hand^(FR) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷ For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(FS) and who can thwart him?
His hand^(FT) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(FU)

²⁹ Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(FY)
that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(FZ)
its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(GA)
30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
and the needy^(GB) will lie down in safety.^(GC)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(GD)
it will slay^(GE) your survivors.^(GF)

³¹ Wail,^(GG) you gate!^(GH) Howl, you city!
Melt away, all you Philistines!^(GI)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(GJ)
and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(GK)
32 What answer shall be given
to the envoys^(GL) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(GM)
and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(GN)”

² I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.^(F)
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,^(G)
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—^[c](H)
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.^(I)

⁴ I am in the midst of lions;^(J)
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.^(K)

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.^(L)

⁶ They spread a net for my feet^(M)—
I was bowed down^(N) in distress.
They dug a pit^(O) in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.^(P)

⁷ My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;^(Q)
I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!^(R)
I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.^(S)

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;^(T)
let your glory be over all the earth.^(U)

10 Woe^(A) to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,^(B)
2 to deprive^(C) the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,^(D)
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.^(E)
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning,^(F)
when disaster^(G) comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help?^(H)
Where will you leave your riches?
⁴ Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives^(I)
or fall among the slain.^(J)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,^(K)
his hand is still upraised.

“‘By the strength of my hand^(AK) I have done this,^(AL)
and by my wisdom, because I have understanding.
I removed the boundaries of nations,
I plundered their treasures;^(AM)
like a mighty one I subdued^[a] their kings.^(AN)
14 As one reaches into a nest,^(AO)
so my hand reached for the wealth^(AP) of the nations;
as people gather abandoned eggs,
so I gathered all the countries;^(AQ)
not one flapped a wing,
or opened its mouth to chirp.^(AR)’”

¹⁵ Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it?^(AS)
As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up,
or a club^(AT) brandish the one who is not wood!
¹⁶ Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will send a wasting disease^(AU) upon his sturdy warriors;^(AV)
under his pomp^(AW) a fire^(AX) will be kindled
like a blazing flame.
¹⁷ The Light of Israel will become a fire,^(AY)
their Holy One^(AZ) a flame;
in a single day it will burn and consume
his thorns^(BA) and his briers.^(BB)
18 The splendor of his forests^(BC) and fertile fields
it will completely destroy,^(BD)
as when a sick person wastes away.
¹⁹ And the remaining trees of his forests^(BE) will be so few^(BF)
that a child could write them down.

“My people who live in Zion,^(BU)
do not be afraid^(BV) of the Assyrians,
who beat^(BW) you with a rod^(BX)
and lift up a club against you, as Egypt did.
²⁵ Very soon^(BY) my anger against you will end
and my wrath^(BZ) will be directed to their destruction.^(CA)”

²⁶ The Lord Almighty will lash^(CB) them with a whip,
as when he struck down Midian^(CC) at the rock of Oreb;
and he will raise his staff^(CD) over the waters,^(CE)
as he did in Egypt.
²⁷ In that day^(CF) their burden^(CG) will be lifted from your shoulders,
their yoke^(CH) from your neck;^(CI)
the yoke^(CJ) will be broken
because you have grown so fat.^[c]

²⁸ They enter Aiath;
they pass through Migron;^(CK)
they store supplies^(CL) at Mikmash.^(CM)
29 They go over the pass, and say,
“We will camp overnight at Geba.^(CN)”
Ramah^(CO) trembles;
Gibeah^(CP) of Saul flees.^(CQ)
30 Cry out, Daughter Gallim!^(CR)
Listen, Laishah!
Poor Anathoth!^(CS)
31 Madmenah is in flight;
the people of Gebim take cover.
³² This day they will halt at Nob;^(CT)
they will shake their fist^(CU)
at the mount of Daughter Zion,^(CV)
at the hill of Jerusalem.

³³ See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
will lop off^(CW) the boughs with great power.
The lofty trees will be felled,^(CX)
the tall^(CY) ones will be brought low.^(CZ)
34 He will cut down^(DA) the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon^(DB) will fall before the Mighty One.^(DC)

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,^(DM)
or decide by what he hears with his ears;^(DN)
4 but with righteousness^(DO) he will judge the needy,^(DP)
with justice^(DQ) he will give decisions for the poor^(DR) of the earth.
He will strike^(DS) the earth with the rod of his mouth;^(DT)
with the breath^(DU) of his lips he will slay the wicked.^(DV)
5 Righteousness will be his belt^(DW)
and faithfulness^(DX) the sash around his waist.^(DY)

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,^(DZ)
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling^[d] together;
and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.^(EA)
8 The infant^(EB) will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s^(EC) nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy^(ED)
on all my holy mountain,^(EE)
for the earth^(EF) will be filled with the knowledge^(EG) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

¹² He will raise a banner^(EX) for the nations
and gather^(EY) the exiles of Israel;^(EZ)
he will assemble the scattered people^(FA) of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.^(FB)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies^[g] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.^(FC)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia^(FD) to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.^(FE)
They will subdue Edom^(FF) and Moab,^(FG)
and the Ammonites^(FH) will be subject to them.^(FI)
15 The Lord will dry up^(FJ)
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind^(FK) he will sweep his hand^(FL)
over the Euphrates River.^(FM)
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.^(FN)
16 There will be a highway^(FO) for the remnant^(FP) of his people
that is left from Assyria,^(FQ)
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.^(FR)

³ When I am afraid,^(F) I put my trust in you.^(G)
4 In God, whose word I praise—^(H)
in God I trust and am not afraid.^(I)
What can mere mortals do to me?^(J)

⁵ All day long they twist my words;^(K)
all their schemes are for my ruin.
⁶ They conspire,^(L) they lurk,
they watch my steps,^(M)
hoping to take my life.^(N)
7 Because of their wickedness do not^[c] let them escape;^(O)
in your anger, God, bring the nations down.^(P)

⁸ Record my misery;
list my tears on your scroll^[d](Q)—
are they not in your record?^(R)
9 Then my enemies will turn back^(S)
when I call for help.^(T)
By this I will know that God is for me.^(U)

¹⁰ In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise—
¹¹ in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can man do to me?

¹² I am under vows^(V) to you, my God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
¹³ For you have delivered me from death^(W)
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.^(X)

⁶ “Because this people has rejected^(K)
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah^(L)
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,^(M)
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
the mighty floodwaters^(N) of the Euphrates—
the king of Assyria^(O) with all his pomp.^(P)
It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks^(Q)
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,^(R)
passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings^(S) will cover the breadth of your land,
Immanuel^[b]!”^(T)

⁹ Raise the war cry,^[c](U) you nations, and be shattered!^(V)
Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare^(W) for battle, and be shattered!
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
¹⁰ Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;^(X)
propose your plan, but it will not stand,^(Y)
for God is with us.^[d](Z)

¹² “Do not call conspiracy^(AC)
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,^(AD)
and do not dread it.^(AE)
13 The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,^(AF)
he is the one you are to fear,^(AG)
he is the one you are to dread.^(AH)
14 He will be a holy place;^(AI)
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone^(AJ) that causes people to stumble^(AK)
and a rock that makes them fall.^(AL)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.^(AM)
15 Many of them will stumble;^(AN)
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”

¹⁶ Bind up this testimony of warning^(AO)
and seal^(AP) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
¹⁷ I will wait^(AQ) for the Lord,
who is hiding^(AR) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.^(AS)

² The people walking in darkness^(BL)
have seen a great light;^(BM)
on those living in the land of deep darkness^(BN)
a light has dawned.^(BO)
3 You have enlarged the nation^(BP)
and increased their joy;^(BQ)
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.^(BR)
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,^(BS)
you have shattered^(BT)
the yoke^(BU) that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,^(BV)
the rod of their oppressor.^(BW)
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,^(BX)
will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,^(BY)
to us a son is given,^(BZ)
and the government^(CA) will be on his shoulders.^(CB)
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,^(CC) Mighty God,^(CD)
Everlasting^(CE) Father,^(CF) Prince of Peace.^(CG)
7 Of the greatness of his government^(CH) and peace^(CI)
there will be no end.^(CJ)
He will reign^(CK) on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice^(CL) and righteousness^(CM)
from that time on and forever.^(CN)
The zeal^(CO) of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

Yet for all this, his anger^(DA) is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(DB)

¹³ But the people have not returned^(DC) to him who struck^(DD) them,
nor have they sought^(DE) the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴ So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed^(DF) in a single day;^(DG)
15 the elders^(DH) and dignitaries^(DI) are the head,
the prophets^(DJ) who teach lies^(DK) are the tail.
¹⁶ Those who guide^(DL) this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.^(DM)
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,^(DN)
nor will he pity^(DO) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly^(DP) and wicked,^(DQ)
every mouth speaks folly.^(DR)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(DS)

¹⁸ Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(DT)
it consumes briers and thorns,^(DU)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(DV)
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹ By the wrath^(DW) of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched^(DX)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(DY)
they will not spare one another.^(DZ)
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;^(EA)
on the left they will eat,^(EB)
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[f]:
²¹ Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(EC)
together they will turn against Judah.^(ED)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(EE)

⁴ My heart is in anguish^(G) within me;
the terrors^(H) of death have fallen on me.
⁵ Fear and trembling^(I) have beset me;
horror^(J) has overwhelmed me.
⁶ I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷ I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;^[c](K)
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,^(L)
far from the tempest and storm.^(M)”

⁹ Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,^(N)
for I see violence and strife^(O) in the city.^(P)
10 Day and night they prowl^(Q) about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹ Destructive forces^(R) are at work in the city;
threats and lies^(S) never leave its streets.

¹² If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
¹³ But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,^(T)
14 with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship^(U)
at the house of God,^(V)
as we walked about
among the worshipers.

¹⁵ Let death take my enemies by surprise;^(W)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,^(X)
for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶ As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷ Evening,^(Y) morning^(Z) and noon^(AA)
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
¹⁸ He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
¹⁹ God, who is enthroned from of old,^(AB)
who does not change—
he will hear^(AC) them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.^(AD)

²⁰ My companion attacks his friends;^(AE)
he violates his covenant.^(AF)
21 His talk is smooth as butter,^(AG)
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,^(AH)
yet they are drawn swords.^(AI)

²² Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;^(AJ)
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.^(AK)
23 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit^(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful^(AM)
will not live out half their days.^(AN)

But as for me, I trust in you.^(AO)

³ Strangers have attacked me.
Ruthless people seek my life.
They do not think about God. Selah

⁴ God is my helper!
The Lord is the provider for my life.
⁵ My enemies spy on me.
Pay them back with evil.
Destroy them with your truth!

⁶ I will make a sacrifice to you along with a freewill offering.
I will give thanks to your good name, O Lord.
⁷ Your name rescues me from every trouble.
My eyes will gloat over my enemies.

⁴ “I will make boys their leaders.
Children will govern them.”

⁵ People will oppress each other,
and everyone will oppress his neighbor.
The young will make fun of the old,
and common people will make fun of their superiors.
⁶ A person will grab one of his relatives
from his father’s family and say,
“You have a coat.
You’ll be our leader.
This pile of ruins will be under your control.”
⁷ When that day comes the relative will cry out,
“I’m not a doctor!
I don’t have any food or a coat in my home.
Don’t make me a leader of our family.”

⁸ Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen,
because what they say and what they do is against the Lord.
They are defiant in his honored presence.
⁹ The look on their faces will be held against them.
They boast about their sins,
which are like ⌞those of the people of⌟ Sodom.
They don’t even bother to hide them.
How horrible it will be for these people,
because they have brought disaster on themselves.

¹⁰ Tell the righteous that blessings will come to them.
They will taste the fruit of their labor.

¹¹ How horrible it will be for the wicked! Disaster will strike them.
What they have done will be done to them.
¹² “Children will oppress my people.
Women will rule them.
My people, your guides mislead you,
and you don’t know which way to go.”
¹³ The Lord takes his place in the courtroom.
He stands to judge his people.
¹⁴ The Lord presents his case to the respected leaders
and the officials of his people:
“You have burned down the vineyard!
Your houses are filled with goods stolen from the poor.”
¹⁵ The Almighty Lord of Armies asks,
“How can you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor ⌞into the ground⌟?”
¹⁶ The Lord adds,
“The women of Zion are arrogant.
They walk with their noses in the air,
making seductive glances,
taking short little steps,
jingling the ankle bracelets on their feet.”
¹⁷ The Lord will cause sores ⌞to appear⌟
on the heads of the women of Zion,
and the Lord will make their foreheads bare.

³ Now then, you inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard!
⁴ What more could have been done for my vineyard
than what I have already done for it?
When I waited for it to produce good grapes,
why did it produce only sour, wild grapes?

⁵ Now then, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard.
I will tear away its hedge so that it can be devoured
and tear down its wall so that it can be trampled.
⁶ I will make it a wasteland.
It will never be pruned or hoed.
Thorns and weeds will grow in it,
and I will command the clouds not to rain on it.

⁷ The vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight.
He hoped for justice but saw only slaughter,
for righteousness but heard only cries of distress.

⁹ With my own ears I heard the Lord of Armies say,
“Many houses will become empty.
Large, beautiful houses will be without people to live in them.
¹⁰ A ten-acre vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine,
and two quarts of seed will produce only four quarts of grain.”

¹¹ How horrible it will be for those
who get up early to look for a drink,
who sit up late until they are drunk from wine.
¹² At their feasts there are lyres and harps,
tambourines and flutes, and wine.
Yet, they don’t pay attention to what the Lord is doing
or see what his hands have done.

¹³ “My people will go into exile
because they don’t understand what I’m doing.
Honored men will starve,
and common people will be parched with thirst.”
¹⁴ That is why the grave’s appetite increases.
It opens its mouth very wide
so that honored people and common people will go down into it.
Those who are noisy and joyous will go down into it.
¹⁵ People will be brought down. Everyone will be humbled.
And the eyes of arrogant people will be humbled.
¹⁶ The Lord of Armies will be honored when he judges.
The holy God will show himself to be holy when he does what is right.
¹⁷ Then lambs will graze as if they were in their own pasture,
and foreigners will eat among the ruins of the rich.

¹⁸ How horrible it will be for those
who string people along with lies and empty promises,
whose lives are sinful.
¹⁹ They say,
“Let God hurry and quickly do his work
so that we may see what he has in mind.
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen quickly
so that we may understand what he is doing.”

²⁰ How horrible it will be for those
who call evil good and good evil,
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn what is bitter into something sweet
and what is sweet into something bitter.

²¹ How horrible it will be for those
who think they are wise
and consider themselves to be clever.

²² How horrible it will be for those
who are heroes at drinking wine,
who are champions at mixing drinks,
²³ who declare the guilty innocent for a bribe,
who take away the rights of righteous people.

²⁵ That’s why the anger of the Lord burns hot against his people,
and he is ready to use his power to strike them down.
The hills tremble,
and dead bodies lie like garbage in the streets.
Even after all this, his anger has not disappeared,
and he is still ready to use his power.

²⁶ The Lord raises up a flag for the nations far away.
With a whistle he signals those at the ends of the earth.
Look, they are coming very quickly!
²⁷ None of them grow tired or stumble.
None of them slumber or sleep.
The belts on their waists aren’t loose
or their sandal straps broken.
²⁸ Their arrows are sharpened; all their bows are ready to shoot.
Their horses’ hoofs are as hard as flint.
Their chariot wheels are as quick as the wind.
²⁹ They roar like a lioness.
They growl like a young lion.
They growl as they snatch their prey
and carry it off to where no one can rescue it.
³⁰ On that day they will roar over their prey
as the sea roars.
If they look at the land,
they will see only darkness and distress.
Even the light will be darkened by thick clouds.

⁶ If only salvation for Israel would come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice.
Israel will be glad.

⁴ “How horrible it will be for a nation that sins.
⌞Its⌟ people are loaded down with guilt.
They are descendants of evildoers
and destructive children.
They have abandoned the Lord.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel.
They have turned their backs on him.

⁵ “Why do you still want to be beaten?
Why do you continue to rebel?
Your whole head is infected.
Your whole heart is failing.
⁶ From the bottom of your feet to the top of your head
there is no healthy spot left on your ⌞body⌟—
only bruises, sores, and fresh wounds.
They haven’t been cleansed, bandaged,
or soothed with oil.

⁷ “Your country is devastated.
Your cities are burned down.
Your fields are destroyed right before your eyes by foreigners.
Your fields are devastated and taken over by foreigners.
⁸ My people Zion are left like a hut in a vineyard,
like a shack in a cucumber field,
like a city under attack.”

⁹ If the Lord of Armies hadn’t left us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.

¹⁸ “Come on now, let’s discuss this!” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are bright red,
they will become as white as snow.
Though they are dark red,
they will become as white as wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land.
²⁰ But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be destroyed by swords.”
The Lord has spoken.

²⁷ Zion will be pardoned by ⌞the Lord’s⌟ justice,
and those who return will be pardoned
by ⌞the Lord’s⌟ righteousness.
²⁸ Rebels and sinners will be crushed at the same time,
and those who abandon the Lord will come to an end.
²⁹ You will be ashamed of the oaks that you wanted to worship
and embarrassed by the garden that you have chosen for your gods.
³⁰ You will be like an oak whose leaves wither
and like a garden without water.
³¹ Strong people will become tinder for a fire,
and their work will be the spark.
Both of them will burn together,
and there will be no one to put out the fire.

¹⁷ Then arrogant people will be brought down,
and high and mighty people will be humbled.
On that day the Lord alone will be honored.
¹⁸ Then idols will disappear completely.
¹⁹ People will go into caves in the rocks
and into holes in the ground
because of the Lord’s terrifying presence
and the honor of his majesty
when he rises to terrify the earth.
²⁰ On that day people will throw to the moles and the bats
the silver and gold idols that they made
for themselves to worship.
²¹ They will go into caves in the rocks
and into cracks in the cliffs
because of the Lord’s terrifying presence
and the honor of his majesty
when he rises to terrify the earth.

²² Stop trusting people.
Their life is in their nostrils.
How can they be worth anything?

⁵ But God will ruin you forever.
He will grab you and drag you out of your tent.
He will pull your roots out of this world of the living. Selah
⁶ Righteous people will see ⌞this⌟ and be struck with fear.
They will laugh at you and say,
⁷ “Look at this person who refused to make God his fortress!
Instead, he trusted his great wealth
and became strong through his greed.”

⁸ But I am like a large olive tree in God’s house.
I trust the mercy of God forever and ever.
⁹ I will give thanks to you forever
for what you have done.
In the presence of your godly people,
I will wait with hope in your good name.

²⁶ Do not be ⌞found⌟ among those who make deals with a handshake,
among those who guarantee other people’s loans.
²⁷ If you have no money to pay back a loan,
why should your bed be repossessed?