en_t4t/23-ISA.usfm

\id ISA - Translation 4 Translators 1
\ide 65001 - Unicode (UTF-8)
\h1 Isaiah
\toc2 Isaiah
\toc3 Isa
\mt1 ISAIAH
\c 1
\p
\v 1 \add I am\add* Isaiah, the son of Amoz. \add Yahweh showed me\add* visions about Jerusalem and \add all the other places in\add* Judah. He showed me these visions during the years that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah.
\s1 A message about the rebellious nation of Judah
\p
\v 2 This is what Yahweh says:
\q1 “All you \add angels in\add* [APO] heaven and \add all you people on\add* [APO] earth, listen to me!
\q2 The people that I caused to exist and took care of [DOU]
\q2 have rebelled against me.
\q1
\v 3 Oxen know their owners,
\q2 and donkeys know who provides food for them,
\q1 but my Israeli people do not know \add me\add*;
\q2 they do not realize \add that I am the one who takes care of them\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 4 Terrible things will happen to that sinful nation,
\q2 to those people who are guilty of much sin.
\q1 They are a group of very evil people,
\q2 who act very unjustly.
\q1 They have abandoned Yahweh,
\q2 the holy one of Israel;
\q2 they have ◄abandoned/turned away from► him.
\b
\q1
\v 5 Why do you [RHQ] continue to \add do things for which\add* you should be punished?
\q2 Why do you continue to rebel against Yahweh?
\q1 \add You are like\add* [MET] someone whose head is badly injured
\q2 and whose mind is sick/corrupt.
\q1
\v 6 \add It is as though\add* [MET] from the soles/bottoms of your feet to the \add tops of your\add* heads
\q2 nothing is healthy;
\q1 there are only open wounds and cuts and sores
\q2 that have not been cleaned or bandaged,
\q1 and no \add olive\add* oil has been put on them \add to lessen the pain\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add It is as though\add* your country is ruined/desolate;
\q2 your towns have been burned.
\q1 Foreigners plunder/steal the crops in your fields while you watch;
\q2 they destroy everything \add that they see\add*.
\q1
\v 8 The city of Jerusalem has \add already\add* been abandoned,
\q2 it is like [SIM] a shelter in a vineyard that has been abandoned by the watchmen;
\q1 it is like [SIM] a watchman's hut in a field of melons that has been deserted.
\q2 It is a city surrounded by its enemies who are waiting to attack it.
\q1
\v 9 If the Commander of the armies of angels had not allowed a few of us \add his people\add* to ◄survive/remain alive►,
\q2 we would have \add all\add* been \add destroyed\add*,
\q2 like \add the cities of\add* Sodom and Gomorrah \add were destroyed\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 10 You \add leaders of Judah are as wicked as\add* the rulers of Sodom were,
\q2 and you \add other people in Jerusalem areas are as wicked as\add* the people in Gomorrah \add were\add*.
\q1 Listen to this message from Yahweh, \add all of you\add*
\q1
\v 11 He says, “You continue to bring many sacrifices to me,
\q2 but I do not [RHQ] want them \add because you do not worship me sincerely\add*
\q1 You bring me many offerings to be completely burned \add on the altar\add*,
\q1 \add but\add* I ◄am tired/do not want anymore► of your burning all those offerings,
\q2 burning rams and the fat from fat cattle.
\q1 I am not pleased with the blood of bulls and lambs and goats
\q2 that \add the priest\add* pours \add against the altar\add*.
\q1
\v 12 When you come to my temple to worship me,
\q2 no one [RHQ] told you to trample on my courtyard while you perform all those rituals.
\q1
\v 13 Stop bringing to me those offerings, because they are useless \add to me\add*;
\q2 I am disgusted with the incense that \add the priests burn\add*
\q1 And \add your feasts to celebrate\add* the new moon \add each month\add* and your ◄Sabbath \add days\add*/days of rest► and your \add other\add* festivals—
\q2 I detest them because of the wicked things \add that you do\add*
\q1
\v 14 I [SYN] hate \add all\add* your celebrations of the new moon and the \add other\add* festivals that you celebrate each year.
\q2 They are \add like\add* [MET] a heavy burden that I am tired of carrying.
\q1
\v 15 \add So\add*, when you lift up your hands when you pray \add to me\add*,
\q2 I will not \add even\add* look at you.
\q1 Even if you pray \add to me very\add* frequently,
\q1 I will not listen \add to you\add*,
\q2 \add because it is as though\add* your hands are covered with the blood \add of people whom you have killed\add*.
\q2
\v 16 Wash your inner beings, and become \add spiritually\add* clean!
\q1 Get rid of your evil behavior!
\q2 Stop doing things that are wrong!
\q1
\v 17 Learn to do \add deeds that are\add* good.
\q2 \add Try to\add* cause people to do what is just.
\q1 Help people who are ◄oppressed/treated cruelly►.
\q2 Defend orphans and widows \add when people take them to court\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 18 Yahweh says, “You need to think about the results of what you do.
\q2 Even though \add the guilt of\add* your sins be \add as evident and as difficult to get rid of\add* as [SIM] red \add stains on a white garment\add* [DOU],
\q1 \add I will get rid of them completely\add*
\q2 \add like someone who can make that stained garment\add* become as white as snow or wool [DOU].
\q1
\v 19 If you are willing to obey \add me\add*,
\q2 \add I will enable\add* you to have plenty to eat.
\q1
\v 20 But, if you turn away \add from me and\add* rebel against me,
\q2 you will be killed \add by your enemies'\add* swords.
\q1 \add That will surely happen, because I,\add* Yahweh, have said it.”
\s1 Yahweh condemned Jerusalem
\q1
\v 21 \add You people of Jerusalem previously\add* faithfully \add worshiped only\add* me,
\q2 but now you have become like [MET] prostitutes \add who are not faithful to any husband\add*.
\q1 Previously, people there always acted justly/fairly and righteously,
\q2 but now your city \add is full of\add* murderers.
\q1
\v 22 Previously, you were \add like\add* [MET] pure silver,
\q2 but now you have become \add like\add* [MET] the scum that is left \add when the silver is purified\add*.
\q1 Previously you were \add like pure\add* wine,
\q2 but you have become \add like\add* [MET] wine that has \add a lot of\add* water mixed with it.
\q1
\v 23 Your leaders are rebels;
\q2 they spend time with thieves.
\q1 They all want to get bribes
\q2 and force others to give them gifts \add in order that they do good things for them\add*.
\q1 They do not defend orphans \add in court\add*,
\q2 and they do not do all they can to enable widows to get what they should receive.
\q1
\v 24 Therefore \add I,\add* the Commander of the armies of angels, the mighty God of Israel, say to my enemies,
\q1 “I will get revenge on you;
\q2 you will not cause me any more trouble.
\q2 And I will pay you back for the evil things that you did.
\q1
\v 25 I will raise my fist to strike you.
\q2 I will \add punish you severely\add* [MET],
\q2 as though [MET] you were silver \add and I needed to heat you very greatly to\add* melt you and get rid of the impurities.
\q1
\v 26 \add After that happens\add*, I will give you good judges like you had previously;
\q2 you will have \add wise\add* counselors like you had long ago.
\q1 Then people will call your city ‘a city where people \add act\add* righteously,’
\q2 a city where people are loyal to me.”
\b
\q1
\v 27 Because the people of Jerusalem will do what is fair/just,
\q2 their city will be restored;
\q1 those who repent \add will be saved\add*
\q2 because of \add their acting\add* righteously.
\q1
\v 28 But rebels and sinners will be crushed by Yahweh,
\q2 and those who forsake him will disappear.
\b
\q1
\v 29 You will be ashamed because \add you worshiped\add* idols under the oak trees \add that you considered to be\add* sacred;
\q2 you will be disgraced because \add you worshiped idols\add* in the gardens where you chose \add to worship them\add*.
\q1
\v 30 You will be like [SIM] a very large tree which has withered leaves,
\q2 like [SIM] a garden that \add is dried up because\add* it has no water.
\q1
\v 31 Those among you who are \add very\add* strong will become \add like\add* [MET] dry wood,
\q2 and the work they do will be \add like\add* [MET] a spark;
\q1 both they and the evil things that they do will burn up completely,
\q2 and no one will be able to put out the fire.
\c 2
\s1 A message about future peace in Judah
\p
\v 1 This is the message that  \add Yahweh showed me in a vision\add*, concerning Jerusalem and  \add the rest of\add* Judea.
\q1
\v 2 \add I saw that\add* in the future, the hill on which Yahweh's temple is built
\q2 will be the most important place on the earth;
\q2 it will be  \add as though it is\add* the highest mountain,
\q1  \add as though\add* it has been raised up above all other hills;
\q2 and people from all over the world will come there.
\b
\p
\v 3 People from many people-groups will say  \add to each other\add*, 
\q1 “Come, let's go up to the hill,
\q2 to the temple of Yahweh,
\q2 to worship the God whom Jacob  \add worshiped\add*.
\q1  \add There\add* he will teach us what he  \add desires us to know\add*, 
\q2 in order that our behavior will  \add please\add* him.
\q1 His teaching will be given  \add to us\add* in Jerusalem,
\q2 and  \add we will take\add* his message from Jerusalem  \add to other places/nations\add*.
\q1
\v 4 Yahweh will listen to the disputes between nations
\q2 and he will settle their arguments.
\q1  \add Then, instead of fighting against each other\add*, they will hammer their swords into plow blades,
\q2 and they will hammer their spears into pruning knives.
\q1  \add The armies of\add* nations will no longer fight against each other,
\q2 and they will not  \add even\add* train men to fight in battles/wars.”
\b
\q1
\v 5 You Israeli people,
\q2 let's walk in the light [MET] that comes from Yahweh!
\s1 A warning about the coming judgment
\q1
\v 6 \add Yahweh,\add* you have abandoned  \add us\add* your people
\q2 who are descendants of Jacob,
\q1 because everywhere your people practice the customs of people who live east  \add of Israel\add*.
\q2 They also perform rituals to find out what will happen in the future, like the people in Philistia do.
\q2 They make agreements/treaties with ◄pagans/people who do not know you►.
\q1
\v 7 Israel is full of silver and gold;
\q2 there are very many ◄treasures/valuable things► here.
\q1 The land is full of war horses
\q2 and war chariots.
\q1
\v 8 \add But\add* the land is  \add also\add* full of idols;
\q2 the people worship things that they have made with their own hands.
\q1
\v 9 So now they will be humbled
\q2 and they will be caused to become disgraced—
\q2 Yahweh, do not forgive them!
\b
\q1
\v 10 All you people should crawl into  \add the caves in\add* the rock cliffs!
\q2 You should hide  \add in pits/holes\add* in the ground
\q2 because of being afraid of Yahweh
\q2 and of his glorious and awesome power.
\q1
\v 11 Yahweh will cause you people to no longer be arrogant
\q2 and he will stop you from being proud.
\q1 Only Yahweh will be praised/honored on that day.
\b
\q1
\v 12 The Commander of the armies of angels has chosen a day
\q2 when  \add he will judge\add* those who are proud, every one of them [DOU],
\q2 and he will humble them.
\q1
\v 13 \add He will get rid of all those who think they should be admired like\add* [MET] the tall cedar trees in Lebanon,
\q2 and  \add like\add* all the great oak trees in the Bashan  \add region\add*.
\q1
\v 14 He will  \add get rid of all those who think they are as great as\add* [MET] all the high hills
\q2 and even the high mountains.
\q1
\v 15 He will  \add get rid of all those who think that they are\add* high towers
\q2 and high strong walls  \add inside of which they are safe\add*.
\q1
\v 16 He will destroy all  \add those who are rich because they own\add* big ships that carry goods  \add to other countries\add* 
\q2 and  \add they own other\add* beautiful ships.
\q1
\v 17 He will cause people to no longer be arrogant
\q2 and he will cause them to stop being proud.
\q2 Only Yahweh will be praised/honored on that day.
\q2
\v 18 All idols will ◄disappear/be destroyed►.
\q1
\v 19 When Yahweh comes to shake/terrify the people on the earth,
\q2 they will run to hide in caves in rock cliffs
\q1 and in holes/pits in the ground,
\q2 because of being afraid of Yahweh
\q2 and of his glorious and awesome power.
\q1
\v 20 On that day, people will get rid of all their gold and silver idols
\q2 that they made to worship,
\q1 and they will throw them to the bats and rats.
\q1
\v 21 Then they will crawl into caves
\q2 and hide in the crags in the cliffs.
\q1  \add They will do that to escape from\add* the dreadful  \add punishments\add* that Yahweh will bring,
\q2 from  \add what he will do because\add* he is glorious and awesome,
\q2 when he comes to come to shake/terrify the people on the earth.
\b
\q1
\v 22 \add So,\add* do not trust that people  \add will save you\add*, 
\q2 because they are  \add as powerless as\add* [MET] a person's breath.
\q1 People certainly cannot help you [RHQ]!
\c 3
\s1 A warning that God will punish Judah
\q1
\v 1 The Commander of the armies of angels is about to take away from Jerusalem and  \add other places in\add* Judea
\q2 everything that you depend on—
\q2 all your food and water.
\q1
\v 2 He will take away your heroes and your  \add other\add* soldiers,
\q2 your judges and your prophets,
\q2 people who do rituals to find out what will happen in the future and the elders,
\q1
\v 3 army officers and  \add other\add* officials,
\q2 advisors and skilled craftsmen and those who perform rituals to predict the future.
\q1
\v 4 He will appoint boys to be your leaders;
\q2 your children will rule you.
\q1
\v 5 People will treat each other cruelly:
\q2 People will fight against their neighbors.
\q1 Young people will insult older people,
\q2 and vulgar/dishonorable people will sneer at people who should be honored.
\b
\q1
\v 6 At that time, someone will grab one of his brothers in his father's house and say to him,
\q2 “You have a coat, \add which shows that you are respected\add*.
\q1  \add So\add* you be our leader!
\q2 You rule this  \add city, which is now\add* a pile of ruins.”
\q1
\v 7 \add But\add* his brother will reply,
\q2 “\add No\add*, I cannot help you,
\q1  \add because\add* I do not have  \add any extra\add* food or clothes in this house.
\q2  \add So\add* do not appoint me to be your leader!”
\b
\q1
\v 8 Jerusalem and  \add the other towns in\add* Judah will be destroyed,
\q2 because  \add everything\add* that the people do and say there opposes Yahweh,
\q2 who is powerful and glorious,
\q1 and they refuse to obey him.
\q2 They rebel against him.
\q1
\v 9 They even show on their faces that  \add they oppose Yahweh\add*.
\q1 They are proud about their sins,
\q2 like  \add the people of\add* Sodom were  \add long ago\add*; 
\q1 they do not try to hide their sins.
\q1  \add Because of their sins\add*, terrible things will happen to them,
\q2  \add but\add* they will bring those disasters on themselves.
\b
\q1
\v 10 \add Yahweh told me to\add* tell the righteous people that good things will happen to them;
\q2 they will enjoy the blessings that they will receive for their good deeds.
\q1
\v 11 \add But\add* terrible things will happen to wicked people;
\q2 they will be ◄paid back/punished► for  \add the evil things that\add* [MTY] they have done.
\b
\q1
\v 12 \add Now\add*, youths  \add who have become leaders\add* treat my people cruelly,
\q2 and women rule over my people.
\q1 My people, your leaders are misleading you;
\q2 they are causing you to go down the wrong road [MET].
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add It is as though\add* Yahweh has sat in his place in a courtroom
\q2 and is ready to judge his people.
\q1
\v 14 He will stand up to declare why the elders and rulers of his people should be punished:
\q1  \add he says\add*, “The people of Israel are  \add like\add* [MET] a vineyard that I planted,
\q2 but you have ruined it!
\q2 Your houses are full of things that you have stolen from poor people.
\q1
\v 15 You should stop [RHQ] crushing my people!
\q2  \add It is as though\add* you are pushing the faces of poor people into the dirt!”
\q1  \add That is what\add* the Commander of the armies of angels says.
\s1 A warning to the women of Jerusalem
\p
\v 16 Yahweh says this:
\q1 “The women of Jerusalem are haughty/proud;
\q2 they walk around sticking their chins out,
\q2 and flirting  \add with men\add* with their eyes.
\q1 They walk with tiny steps
\q2 with bracelets on their ankles that jingle.
\q1
\v 17 So I, Yahweh, will cause sores to be on their heads,
\q2 and I will cause those beautiful women in Jerusalem to become bald.”
\p
\v 18 At the time  \add that Yahweh does that\add*, he will strip away everything that the women of Jerusalem wear to make themselves beautiful—the ornaments on their ankles and their headbands, their crescent necklaces,
\v 19 their earrings and bracelets and veils,
\v 20 their scarves and ankle bracelets and sashes, their perfumes and ◄charms/little things that they wear thinking that those things will protect them from evil►,
\v 21 their signet rings and nose rings,
\v 22 their nice robes and capes and cloaks and purses,
\v 23 their mirrors and nice linen clothes and shawls.
\q1
\v 24 Instead of their having a nice smell from perfume, they will stink;
\q2 instead of nice sashes, they will have ropes  \add around their waists because they will be captives\add*.
\q1 Instead of having fancy hairdos, they will be bald.
\q2 Instead of fancy/beautiful robes, they will wear rough sackcloth,
\q2 and instead of being beautiful, they will be branded.
\q1
\v 25 Their husbands will be killed by  \add their enemies'\add* swords,
\q2 and their soldiers  \add will also die\add* in battles.
\q1
\v 26 People [PRS] will mourn and cry at the gates  \add of the city\add*.
\q2 The city will  \add be like\add* [MET] a woman who sits on the ground because everything that she owned is gone.
\c 4
\q1
\v 1 When that happens, \add there will be very few unmarried men\add*.
\q2  \add As a result\add*, seven  \add unmarried\add* women will grab one man, and say,
\q1 “Allow us  \add all\add* to marry you [IDI]!
\q2 We will provide our own food and clothing.
\q1 All that we want is to no longer be disgraced  \add because of not being married\add*.”
\s1 A promise that some day Jerusalem will be restored
\q1
\v 2 \add But\add* some day, Israel [MTY] will be  \add very\add* beautiful and great/glorious.
\q2 The people of Israel who will still be there will be very proud of the wonderful fruit that grows in their land.
\q1
\v 3 All the people who will remain in Jerusalem, who were not killed when Jerusalem was destroyed,
\q2 whose names are listed among those who live there, will be  \add called\add* holy.
\q1
\v 4 \add That will happen when\add* Yahweh washes away the guilt of the women of Jerusalem,
\q2 and when he stops the violence [MET] \add on the streets of Jerusalem\add* by punishing  \add the people of Jerusalem\add*.
\q2 When he does that, it will be like a fire to burn up all the impure things.
\q1
\v 5 Then Yahweh will send a cloud of smoke during the days and a flaming fire during the nights
\q2 to cover Jerusalem and  \add all\add* those who gather there;
\q2 it will be  \add like\add* a glorious canopy over the city
\q1
\v 6 that will shelter the people from the sun during the daytime
\q2 and protect them when there are windstorms and rain.
\c 5
\s1 A song about the people who were like Yahweh's vineyard
\q1
\v 1 \add Now\add* I will sing a song about my dear friend,
\q2 and about his vineyard.
\q2 The vineyard was on a very fertile hillside.
\q1
\v 2 My friend plowed the ground and cleared away the stones.
\q2 Then he planted very good grapevines on that ground.
\q1 In the middle of the vineyard, he built a watchtower,
\q2 and he dug a ◄winepress/pit for squeezing the grapes►.
\q1 Then he waited \add each year\add* to harvest some good grapes,
\q2 but the vines produced \add only\add* sour grapes.
\b
\q1
\v 3 Now \add this is what Yahweh says\add*:
\q2 “You people of Jerusalem and \add other places in\add* Judah,
\q1 I \add am like the friend, and you are like\add* my vineyard;
\q2 \add so\add* you judge which of us \add has done what is right\add*.
\q1
\v 4 What more could I have done for you
\q2 than what I have already done?
\q1 I expected you to be doing good deeds [MET],
\q2 so it is disgusting that [RHQ] you were \add doing only evil deeds\add*
\q2 like the vineyard that produced only sour grapes!
\b
\q1
\v 5 \add So\add*, I will now tell you what I will do to \add Judah, the place that is like\add* my vineyard.
\q1 I will cut down the hedges,
\q2 and they will be destroyed.
\q1 I will tear down the walls \add of the cities\add*
\q2 and allow \add wild animals\add* to trample the land.
\q1
\v 6 I will cause it to become a wasteland
\q2 where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed.
\q1 It will be a place where briers and thorns [DOU] grow.
\q2 And I will command that no rain will fall on it.”
\b
\q1
\v 7 The nation of Israel is \add like\add* [MET] the vineyard of the Commander of the armies of angels.
\q2 The people of Judah are \add like\add* the garden that was pleasing to him.
\q1 He expected you to be doing what is just/fair,
\q2 but instead, \add what he saw was people\add* murdering [MTY] others.
\q1 \add He expected that you would be doing\add* righteous deeds,
\q2 but instead, he heard cries from people who were being \add attacked\add* violently.
\s1 Yahweh promises to punish Judah
\q1
\v 8 Terrible things will happen to you who continually \add illegally\add* acquire houses and fields.
\q1 You force one family after another to leave their homes
\q2 until you are the only ones [HYP] \add still\add* living in the land.
\p
\v 9 \add But\add* I heard the Commander of the armies of angels solemnly declare this:
\q1 “\add Some day\add*, many of those huge houses will be empty/deserted;
\q2 no one will be living in those beautiful mansions.
\q1
\v 10 The vines on ten acres of land will not produce enough grapes to make ◄six gallons/22 liters► \add of juice/wine,\add*
\q2 and ten baskets of seed will produce only one basket \add of grain\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 11 Terrible things will happen to those who get up early \add each\add* morning
\q2 to begin drinking alcoholic drinks,
\q1 and who stay awake until late at night \add drinking a lot more wine\add*
\q2 until they are completely drunk.
\q1
\v 12 They have \add big parties and provide lots of\add* wine.
\q2 At their parties, there are \add people playing\add* harps and lyres and tambourines and flutes,
\q1 but they never think about what Yahweh does
\q2 or appreciate what he has created.
\q1
\v 13 So, my people will be ◄exiled/taken to other countries► \add far away\add*
\q2 because they do not know \add about me\add*.
\q1 Those who are \add now very important and\add* honored will starve,
\q2 and the other people will die from thirst.
\q1
\v 14 \add It is as though\add* [PRS] the place where the dead people are is eagerly looking for more Israeli people,
\q2 opening its mouth to swallow them,
\q1 and a huge number of people will be thrown into that place,
\q2 including their leaders as well as a noisy crowd of people who enjoy living in Jerusalem.
\q1
\v 15 \add Yahweh\add* will get rid of a huge number of people;
\q2 and he will humble \add many more\add* people who \add now\add* are proud/arrogant.
\q1
\v 16 But the Commander of the armies of angels will be exalted/praised because of his acting justly.
\q2 God will show that he is holy by doing righteous/just deeds.
\q1
\v 17 Then lambs and fat sheep will \add be able to\add* find good grass to eat,
\q2 \add even\add* among the ruins \add of the houses of rich people.\add*
\b
\q1
\v 18 Some people constantly tell lies,
\q2 and \add it is as though\add* they are dragging behind them the wrong things that they have done.
\q1 Terrible things will happen to them!
\q1
\v 19 They \add make fun of God and\add* say \add to him,\add*
\q2 “Quickly do something \add to punish us\add*
\q2 We want to see what you will do.
\q1 You, the Holy One of Israel, should do what you are planning to do,
\q2 because we want to know what it is.”
\b
\q1
\v 20 Terrible things will happen to those who say
\q2 that evil is good, and that good is evil,
\q1 that darkness is light and that light is darkness,
\q2 that what is bitter is sweet and what is sweet is bitter.
\b
\q1
\v 21 Terrible things will happen to those who think that they are wise
\q2 and that they ◄are very clever/know everything►.
\b
\q1
\v 22 Terrible things will happen to those who \add think that\add* [IRO] they are great/heroes
\q2 because they are able to drink \add lots of\add* wine,
\q2 and boast about being able to mix good alcoholic drinks.
\q1
\v 23 If people offer them bribes in order that they will enable wicked people not to be punished,
\q2 they accept those bribes,
\q2 and they cause people who are innocent to be punished.
\b
\q1
\v 24 Therefore, just like [SIM] fires burn up stubble
\q2 and dry grass shrivels up and quickly burns in flames,
\q1 \add it will be as though\add* those people have roots that will rot
\q2 and have flowers that will wither.
\q1 \add That will happen\add* because they rejected the laws of the Commander of the armies of angels;
\q2 they have despised the messages of the Holy One of Israel.
\q1
\v 25 That is why Yahweh is \add extremely\add* angry \add with his people\add*;
\q2 \add it is as though\add* his hand is raised \add and he is ready to smash them\add*.
\q1 \add When he does that\add*, the mountains will shake,
\q2 and the corpses of people will be scattered in the streets like [SIM] manure.
\q1 But even when that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry;
\q2 he will be ready to punish his people [MET] again.
\b
\q1
\v 26 Yahweh will send a signal to summon \add armies of\add* nations far away;
\q2 \add it is as though\add* he will whistle \add to those soldiers who are\add* in very remote places on the earth.
\q1 They will come very swiftly [DOU] \add toward Jerusalem\add*.
\q1
\v 27 They will not get tired or stumble.
\q2 They will not \add stop to\add* rest or to sleep.
\q1 None of their belts will be loose
\q1 and none of them will have sandals with broken straps,
\q2 \add so they will all be ready to fight in battles\add*.
\q1
\v 28 Their arrows will be sharp,
\q2 and their bows will be ready \add to shoot those arrows in a battle\add*.
\q1 \add Because their horses pull the chariots fast\add*, sparks will shoot out from their hooves,
\q2 and the wheels of the chariots will spin like whirlwind.
\q1
\v 29 They will roar like \add very strong\add* lions [DOU]
\q2 that growl and \add then\add* pounce on the animals they want to kill
\q1 and carry them off,
\q2 and no one is able to rescue them.
\q1
\v 30 \add Similarly, your enemies\add* will roar over the people they are about to kill,
\q2 like [SIM] the sea roars.
\q1 \add On that day\add*, if someone looks across the land,
\q2 he will see \add only people who are in\add* darkness and distressed;
\q2 \add it will be as though\add* even the sunlight is hidden by dark clouds.
\c 6
\s1 God appointed Isaiah to be a prophet
\p
\v 1 During the year that King Uzziah died, \add Yahweh showed me a vision. In the vision\add*, I saw Yahweh sitting on a throne, high above everyone. He  \add was wearing a very long\add* robe that covered  \add the floor of\add* the temple.
\v 2 Above him were standing  \add several\add* winged creatures. Each of them had six wings. They covered their faces with two of their wings, they covered their feet with two of their wings, and they flew using two of their wings.
\v 3 They were calling to each other, saying,
\q1 “The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels is holy;
\q2 he is completely holy!
\q1 The entire earth is filled with his glory.”
\m
\v 4 When they spoke, it caused the doorposts/foundations of the temple to shake, and the temple was filled with smoke.
\p
\v 5 Then I said, “Terrible things will happen to me, because everything that I say [MTY] is sinful, and I live among people who constantly say [MTY] sinful things. I will be destroyed because I have seen the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels!”
\p
\v 6 Then one of the winged creatures took a hot coal from the altar, using a pair of tongs. He flew to me
\v 7 and touched my lips with the coal. Then he said, “Look  \add at what I have done\add*. I have touched your lips  \add with this coal\add*. \add Now\add* your guilt is ended, and your sins are forgiven [DOU].”
\p
\v 8 Then I heard Yahweh asking, “Whom shall I send  \add to be a messenger to my people\add*? Who will go  \add and speak\add* for us?” I replied, “I am here. Send me!”
\p
\v 9 Then he said,
\q1 “\add Okay\add*, go, and say to the  \add Israeli\add* people,
\q2 ‘You will listen carefully  \add to what I say\add*, but you will not understand it.
\q1 You will look very carefully  \add at the things that I am doing\add*, 
\q2 but you will not understand them.’
\q1
\v 10 \add What you(sg) say will\add* cause these people to become stubborn [IDI];
\q2  \add it will cause them\add* not to be able to hear  \add what I say\add* and see  \add what I do\add*.
\q1  \add As a result, they will not\add* see  \add what I want them to see\add* or hear  \add what I want them to hear\add*, 
\q2 and they will not understand it with their inner beings,
\q1 and they will not turn to me
\q2 and be saved  \add from being punished\add*.”
\p
\v 11 Then I said, “How long  \add do you want me to continue to do that\add*?” 
\q1 He replied, “\add Do it\add* until their cities are ruined  \add by their enemies\add*, 
\q2  \add until\add* no one is living in their houses,
\q1  \add do it until\add* all the crops are stolen from their fields
\q2 and the fields are ruined.
\q1
\v 12 \add Do it\add* until I have ◄exiled everyone/forced everyone to go to their enemies' lands► far away,
\q2 and the whole land  \add of Israel\add* is deserted.
\q1
\v 13 If  \add even\add* one tenth  \add of the people survive and\add* stay there,
\q2  \add their enemies\add* will  \add invade the land again and\add* burn everything.
\q1  \add But, just\add* like [MET] when an oak  \add tree\add* is cut down, a stump is left  \add from which new shoots will grow\add*, 
\q2 the people who remain  \add in this land will be a group that\add* is ◄set apart for/dedicated to► me.”
\c 7
\s1 A message of encouragement for King Ahaz
\p
\v 1 Ahaz, was the son of Jotham and grandson of Uzziah. During the time that Ahaz was the king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel marched \add with their armies\add* to attack Jerusalem. But they could not conquer it.
\p
\v 2 \add But before they attacked\add*, everyone in the palace heard a report that Syria and Israel were \add now\add* ◄allies/joined \add to attack Jerusalem►\add*. So Ahaz and the people over whom he ruled were extremely afraid; they were shaking like trees shake in a windstorm.
\p
\v 3 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take your son Shear-Jashub, and go to talk with \add King\add* Ahaz. He is at the end of the ◄aqueduct/water channel► that brings water into the upper reservoir, near the road to the place where women wash clothes.
\v 4 Tell Ahaz to stop worrying [DOU]. Tell him that he does not need to be afraid of those two kings, Rezin and Pekah. They are very angry \add with Judah\add*, but they are \add unable to harm his country any more than\add* completely burned-out coals \add can harm him\add*.
\v 5 Yes, they are planning against him and saying,
\v 6 ‘We will attack Judah and conquer it. Then we will appoint Tabeel's son to be the king of Judah.’
\v 7 But this is what Yahweh, the Lord, says:
\q1 ‘It will not happen;
\q2 They will not \add conquer Jerusalem\add*
\q1
\v 8 The capital of Syria is Damascus,
\q2 but Damascus is ruled \add only\add* its \add unimportant/insignificant\add* king Rezin.
\q1 And as for Israel, within sixty-five years it will be conquered and completely destroyed.
\q1
\v 9 Israel's capital is Samaria, and Samaria is ruled only by its \add insignificant/unimportant\add* king Pekah.
\q2 \add So you do not need to be afraid of those two countries\add*
\q1 \add But you must trust me, because\add* if you do not trust me firmly,
\q2 you will be defeated.’”
\s1 A promise of a son named Immanuel
\p
\v 10 \add Later\add*, Yahweh gave \add me another message to tell to\add* King Ahaz
\v 11 \add He said to tell him\add*, “Request me, Yahweh your God, to do something that will enable you to be sure \add that I will help/protect you\add*. What you request can be \add in a place that is\add* as high as the sky or as low as the place where the dead people are.”
\p
\v 12 But \add when I told that to the king, he refused\add*. He said, “\add No\add*, I will not request Yahweh to do something to prove \add that he will help/protect us!\add*”
\p
\v 13 Then I said \add to him\add*, “You people who are descendants of King David, listen! You are causing me to be tired of being patient. Are you also going to cause my God to stop being patient with you [RHQ]?
\v 14 Yahweh himself will do something for you \add to prove that he will help/protect you\add*. Listen to this: A young woman will become pregnant and give birth to a son. She will name him Immanuel, \add which means ‘God is with us’\add*.
\v 15 And by the time that child is old enough to eat curds/yogurt and honey, he will be able to reject what is evil and choose what is good.
\v 16 And before that child is old enough to do that, the lands of the two kings that you(sg) are very ◄afraid of/worried about► will be deserted.
\v 17 \add But then\add* Yahweh will cause you and your family and your entire nation to experience \add terrible disasters\add*. Those disasters will be worse than any disasters that have occurred since the country of Israel separated from Judah. Yahweh will cause \add the army of\add* the king of Assyria to attack you!”
\p
\v 18 At that time, \add it will be as though\add* Yahweh will whistle to summon the army from the south of Egypt as well as the army of Assyria. They will \add come and surround your country like\add* [MET] flies and bees.
\v 19 They will all come and settle/live \add everywhere \add*—in the narrow valleys and caves in the rock cliffs, on land where there are thornbushes as well as on the fertile land.
\v 20 At that time Yahweh will hire the king of Assyria to come \add with his army\add* from east of the \add Euphrates\add* River. \add They will get rid of everything in your land—the crops and the people. They will destroy everything thoroughly\add*; it will be like [MET] a barber shaving not only a man's hair but his beard and the hair on his legs.
\v 21 When that happens, a farmer will be able to have only one cow and two goats/sheep.
\v 22 \add However\add*, those animals will give plenty of milk, with the result that the farmer will have curds/yogurt to eat. And \add because there will not be many people left\add* in the land, all the people who remain there will have plenty of milk and honey.
\v 23 Now there are many areas where there are vineyards that are worth 1,000 pieces of silver, but at that time there will be only briers and thorns [DOU] in those fields.
\v 24 There will be only briers and thorns in the entire land, \add and wild animals\add*, with the result that men will take their bows and arrows and go there \add to hunt and kill animals\add*.
\v 25 No one will go to where there previously were gardens on fertile hillsides, because briers and thorns will cover those hillsides. They will be areas where \add only a few\add* cattle and sheep and goats wander around \add searching for something to eat\add*.
\c 8
\s1 A warning about the Assyrian attack
\p
\v 1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Make a large signboard. And write clearly on it, ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’ \add which means ❛quickly ◄plunder/take by force► and steal everything❜\add*.”
\v 2 \add So\add* I requested Uriah the \add Supreme\add* Priest and Jeberekiah's son Zechariah, men who were both honest/trustworthy witnesses, to watch me as I was doing that.
\p
\v 3 Then I had sex with [EUP] \add my wife, who was\add* a prophetess, and she became pregnant and \add then\add* gave birth to a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Give him the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz,
\v 4 because before he is old enough to say ‘papa’ or ‘mama’, the King of Assyria will \add come with his army and\add* take away all the valuable things in Damascus and in Samaria.”
\p
\v 5 Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “\add Tell the people of Judah,\add*
\q1
\v 6 \add I have taken good care of\add* you people,
\q2 but you have rejected that, \add thinking that\add* my help was very small,
\q1 like [MET] the small canal through which water flows from the Gihon Spring into Jerusalem.
\q2 Instead, you have been happy \add to request help from\add* King Rezin and King Pekah.
\q1
\v 7 Therefore, I will cause the people of Judah to be attacked by \add the powerful army of\add* the King of Assyria, which will be \add like\add* a great flood from the \add Euphrates\add* River.
\q2 Their soldiers will \add be everywhere in your country, like\add* a river that overflows all its banks.
\q1
\v 8 Those soldiers will go all over Judah -
\q2 \add like a river whose water\add* [MET] rises as high as a person's neck.
\q1 Their army will spread over the land \add quickly\add*, like an eagle,
\q2 and they will cover your entire land!
\q1 But I will be with you!”
\b
\q1
\v 9 Listen, all you \add people in\add* distant countries!
\q2 \add You can\add* prepare to attack Judah.
\q1 \add You can\add* prepare \add for battle, and shout your\add* war-cries,
\q2 but your \add armies will\add* be crushed/shattered!
\q1
\v 10 \add You can\add* prepare for what you will do \add to attack Judah\add*,
\q2 but what you plan to do will be useless!
\q1 You will not succeed,
\q2 because God is with us!
\s1 Isaiah is urged to have an awesome respect for Yahweh
\p
\v 11 Yahweh strongly warned me [MTY] not to act like the \add other\add* people in Judah did. He said to me,
\q1
\v 12 “Do not say that everything that people do is conspiring/rebelling \add against the government\add*,
\q2 like \add other\add* people say,
\q1 and do not ◄be afraid of/worry about► the things that other people are afraid of.
\q1
\v 13 \add I,\add* the Commander of the armies of angels, am the one you should consider to be holy.
\q2 I am the one you should fear,
\q2 the one you should revere.
\q1
\v 14 I will protect you(sg).
\q1 \add But as for\add* the \add other\add* people [MTY] in Israel and Judah,
\q2 I will be \add like\add* [MET] a stone that causes people to stumble,
\q2 like a rock that causes them to fall down.
\q1 \add And as for\add* the people of Jerusalem,
\q2 I will be \add like\add* [MET] a trap or a snare [DOU].
\q1
\v 15 Many \add people\add* will stumble and fall down
\q2 and never get up again.
\q1 They will experience great troubles;
\q2 they will be captured \add by their enemies\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 16 \add So, I say to you who are my disciples\add*, seal up this scroll
\q2 on which I have written the messages that God has given to me,
\q1 and give his instructions to \add others\add* who have accompanied me.
\q1
\v 17 I will wait to see what Yahweh \add will do\add*.
\q1 He has rejected the descendants [MTY] of Jacob,
\q2 but I will confidently expect him to help me.
\q1
\v 18 I and the children that Yahweh has given to me are \add like\add* signs to warn \add the people of\add* Israel;
\q2 we are warnings from the Commander of the armies of angels
\q2 the one who lives \add in his temple\add* on Zion Hill \add in Jerusalem\add*.
\p
\v 19 Some people may urge you(pl) to ◄consult/go and talk with► those who talk with the spirits of dead people or with those who say that they receive messages from those spirits. They whisper and mutter \add about what we should do in the future\add*. But God is [RHQ] the one whom we should ask to guide us! It is ridiculous [RHQ] for people who are alive to request spirits of dead people to tell us \add what we should do\add*
\v 20 Pay attention to God's instructions and teaching! If people do not say things that agree with what God teaches us, \add what they say is worthless\add*. \add It is as though\add* those people are in darkness.
\v 21 They will wander through the land, worried/discouraged and hungry. And when they become \add very\add* hungry, they will become very angry. They will look up \add toward heaven\add* and curse God and \add will also\add* curse their king.
\v 22 They will look around the land and see only trouble/distress and darkness and things that cause them to despair. And \add then\add* they will be thrown into the very black darkness \add of hell\add*.
\c 9
\s1 The promise of the future king
\p
\v 1 However, those in Judah who were distressed/worried will not \add continue to\add* suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled \add the people in\add* the land \add where the tribes of\add* Zebulun and Naphtali \add live\add*. But in the future he will honor \add the people who live in\add* the Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan \add River\add* and the \add Mediterranean\add* Sea, where \add many\add* foreigners live.
\q1
\v 2 \add Some day, it will be as though\add* [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light.
\q2 A \add great\add* light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.
\q1
\v 3 \add Yahweh\add*, you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice;
\q2 we will become very happy.
\q1 We will rejoice about what you \add have done\add*
\q2 like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops,
\q1 \add or\add* like soldiers rejoice
\q2 when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.
\q1
\v 4 You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] \add of those who captured us\add*;
\q2 you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders.
\q1 \add It will be as though\add* you will break the rods of those who oppressed us,
\q2 like you did when you destroyed \add the army of\add* the Midian people-group.
\q1
\v 5 The boots that the enemy soldiers wore
\q2 and their clothing which has stains of blood on them
\q1 will all be burned up;
\q2 they will only be fuel for a \add big\add* fire.
\q1
\v 6 Another reason that we will rejoice is that a \add special/important\add* child will be born for us,
\q2 \add a woman will give birth to\add* a son,
\q2 and he will be our ruler.
\q1 And his names will be ❛Wonderful Counselor❜, ❛Mighty/Powerful God❜, ❛ \add Our\add* Everlasting Father❜, and ❛Prince/Ruler \add who causes us to have\add* Peace❜.
\q1
\v 7 His rule, and the peace that he \add brings/causes\add*, will never end.
\q2 He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU],
\q1 like \add his ancestor King\add* David did.
\q2 This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.
\s1 God will punish Israel
\q1
\v 8 The Lord has warned the descendants of Jacob;
\q2 he has said that \add he will punish\add* Israel.
\q1
\v 9-10 And all the people in Samaria and \add other places in\add* Israel know that,
\q2 \add but\add* they were very proud and arrogant [DOU].
\q1 They said, “Our city has been destroyed,
\q2 but we will \add take away the broken bricks from the ruins\add*
\q2 \add and\add* replace them with carefully cut stones.
\q1 Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down \add by our enemies\add*,
\q2 but we will plant cedar trees \add in their place\add*.”
\q1
\v 11 But Yahweh brought the armies of \add Assyria\add*, the enemies of King Rezin \add of Syria, to fight\add* against Israel
\q2 and incited \add other\add* nations \add to attack Israel\add*.
\q1
\v 12 \add The army of\add* Syria \add came\add* from the east,
\q2 and \add the army of\add* Philistia \add came\add* from the west and they destroyed Israel
\q2 \add like a wild animal tears another animal apart and\add* [MET] devours it.
\q1 But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them.
\q2 He was ready to strike them with his fist again.
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add But even though\add* Yahweh punished his people \add like that,\add*
\q2 they \add still\add* did not return to him \add and worship him\add*.
\q1 They \add still\add* did not request the Commander of the armies of angels \add to assist them\add*.
\q1
\v 14 Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of \add those who are like\add* Israel's head and \add those who are like\add* its tail;
\q2 the \add ones who are like\add* the top of the palm tree and the \add ones who are like\add* the bottom.
\q1
\v 15 The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head,
\q2 and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.
\q1
\v 16 The leaders of the people have misled them;
\q2 they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.
\q1
\v 17 For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men \add of Israel\add*,
\q2 and he does not \add even\add* act mercifully toward the widows and orphans,
\q1 because they are all ungodly and wicked,
\q2 and they all say things that are foolish.
\q1 \add But\add* Yahweh still is angry with them;
\q2 he is ready to strike them with his fist again.
\b
\q1
\v 18 When people do wicked things,
\q2 it is like [SIM] a brushfire \add that spreads rapidly\add*.
\q1 It burns up \add not only\add* briers and thorns;
\q1 it starts a big fire in the forests
\q2 from which clouds of smoke will rise.
\q1
\v 19 \add It is as though\add* the \add whole\add* land is burned \add black\add*
\q2 because the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people.
\q1 They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire,
\q2 and no one will try to rescue even his \add own\add* brother \add from that fire\add*.
\q1
\v 20 Israeli people will attack their neighbors \add who live in houses\add* at the right \add to get food from them\add*,
\q2 but they will still be hungry.
\q1 They will \add kill and\add* eat the flesh of those \add who live in houses\add* at the left,
\q2 but their stomachs will still not be full.
\q2
\v 21 \add People of the tribes of\add* Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other,
\q2 and \add then\add* they will both attack the people of Judah.
\b
\q1 But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them;
\q2 He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.
\c 10
\s1 A warning to unjust judges
\q1
\v 1 Terrible things will happen to you judges who are unjust
\q2 and who make unfair laws.
\q1
\v 2 You refuse to help poor people,
\q2 and you do not allow them to get the things that they should get.
\q1 You \add allow people to\add* steal things from widows
\q2 and do unfair things to orphans.
\q1
\v 3 When I punish you,
\q2 by sending people from distant lands to cause you to experience disasters,
\q1 ◄to whom will you run to get help?/there will be no one who can help you.► [RHQ]
\q2 Your valuable possessions will certainly \add not be safe\add* [RHQ] anywhere.
\q1
\v 4 You will be able only to stumble along as you are taken away with other prisoners,
\q2 or \add else\add* your corpses will lie on the ground with others who have been killed.
\q1 But even after that happens,
\q2 Yahweh will still be very angry with you.
\q1 He will still be ready to strike you again with his fist.
\s1 A warning to Assyria
\q1
\v 5 \add Yahweh says\add*, “Terrible things will happen to Assyria.
\q2 \add It is true that their army\add* is like a rod/club [DOU] with which I \add punish other nations\add*
\q2 because I am very angry with those nations [DOU].
\q1
\v 6 \add Sometimes\add* I send them to attack a godless nation,
\q2 to fight against \add other\add* people who have caused me to be angry.
\q1 I send them to capture people and to seize and take away their possessions,
\q2 and to trample them like [SIM] people walk on mud in the streets.
\q1
\v 7 But the \add king of Assyria\add* does not understand,
\q2 he does not realize \add that he is only like a weapon in my hand\add*.
\q1 He wants \add only\add* to destroy people,
\q2 to get rid of many nations.
\q1
\v 8 He says, ‘All of my army commanders will soon be kings \add of these nations that I conquer\add*
\q2
\v 9 We destroyed Calno \add city\add* like we destroyed Carchemish \add city\add*,
\q1 We destroyed Hamath \add city\add* like we destroyed Arpad \add city\add*;
\q2 we destroyed Samaria just like we destroyed Damascus.
\q1
\v 10 We were able to destroy \add all\add* those kingdoms \add that were full\add* of idols,
\q2 kingdoms whose idols were greater than the idols in Jerusalem and Samaria.
\q1
\v 11 So we will defeat Jerusalem and destroy the idols that are there,
\q2 just like we destroyed Samaria and the idols that were there!’
\p
\v 12 \add But, Yahweh, say that\add* after I \add have used Assyria to\add* finish what I want to do to punish the people in Jerusalem [DOU], I will punish the king of Assyria because he has been very proud and arrogant/boastful [DOU].
\q1
\v 13 He says, ‘By my own great power [MTY] I have done these things.
\q2 I have been able to do them because I am very wise and very intelligent.
\q1 My army removed the barriers \add at the borders\add* of nations
\q2 and carried away all their valuable things.
\q1 My army has knocked down their kings like [SIM] a ferocious bull would.
\q1
\v 14 Like [MET] a farmer reaches into a bird's nest \add to take away the eggs\add*,
\q2 we have taken away the treasures of other countries [DOU].
\q1 The people were not like birds that would flap their wings or chirp loudly \add to protest about their eggs being stolen\add*;
\q2 the people did not object at all \add to their treasures being stolen\add*.’
\b
\q1
\v 15 \add But I, Yahweh, say that\add* an axe certainly cannot [RHQ] boast about being stronger than the person who uses it,
\q2 and a saw is not greater than the person who uses it.
\q1 A rod cannot control the one who holds it [RHQ],
\q2 and a wooden club cannot lift up a person [RHQ].
\q1 \add So the king of Assyria should not boast that he has done these things with his own wisdom and strength\add*.
\q1
\v 16 And \add I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, will send a plague among the proud soldiers of Assyria;
\q2 it will be like [MET] a fire that will kill them and get rid of their glory/wealth.
\q1
\v 17 \add I\add*, Yahweh, who am like [MET] a light for the people of Israel, will be the fire;
\q2 \add I\add*, the Holy One, will be like a flame.
\q1 \add The soldiers of Assyria are like\add* [MET] thorns and briers,
\q2 and I will burn them up in one night.
\q1
\v 18 There are glorious forests and fertile farmlands in Assyria, but I will completely destroy them;
\q2 they will be like [SIM] a \add very\add* sick person who shrivels up and then dies.
\q1
\v 19 There will be very few trees left in those forests;
\q2 even a child will be able to count them.”
\s1 A promise of future blessings for Israel
\q1
\v 20 In the future there will be only a few people left in Israel;
\q2 not many descendants of Jacob will still be alive.
\q1 \add But\add* they will no longer rely on \add the king of Assyria\add*,
\q2 \add the king of the nation\add* that tried to destroy them.
\q1 Instead, they will faithfully/sincerely trust in Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.
\q1
\v 21 Those Israelis will return to their mighty God.
\q1
\v 22 \add Now\add*, the people of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore,
\q2 but only a few of them will return \add from the countries to which they were exiled\add*.
\q1 Yahweh has decided to destroy \add most of the Israelis\add*
\q2 and that is what \add he must do because he is completely\add* just/righteous.
\q1
\v 23 \add Yes,\add* the Commander of the armies of angels has \add already\add* decided to destroy the entire land \add of Israel\add*.
\p
\v 24 This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says:
\q1 “My people in Jerusalem, do not be afraid of the army of Assyria when they beat you with rods and clubs,
\q2 like the men of Egypt did \add to your ancestors long ago\add*.
\q1
\v 25 Soon I will no longer be angry with you,
\q2 and \add then\add* I will be angry with the people of Assyria and destroy them!”
\q1
\v 26 The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels will strike them with his whip.
\q2 He will do to them like he did when he helped Gideon \add and his 300 soldiers\add* to defeat the \add army of the\add* Midian people-group,
\q2 and like he did when he showed his mighty power[MTY] \add by causing the army of Egypt to drown\add* in the \add Red\add* Sea.
\q1
\v 27 Some day, Yahweh will cause the army of Assyria to stop oppressing you, \add his people\add*;
\q2 he will end your suffering and your being slaves of the people of Assyria [MET];
\q1 he will take away the load that you people of Judah have been carrying,
\q2 and cause things to go well for you.
\s1 The Assyrians will invade Judah
\q1
\v 28 \add The army of Assyria will enter northern Judah\add* near Aiath \add town\add*,
\q2 they will go through Migron \add town\add*
\q2 and store their supplies at Micmash \add town north of Jerusalem\add*.
\q1
\v 29 They will cross through a mountain pass
\q2 and set up their tents at Geba \add town\add*.
\q1 \add People in\add* Ramah \add town\add* will tremble \add because of being afraid\add*.
\q2 \add The people of\add* Gibeah \add town\add*, where King Saul \add was born\add*, will \add all\add* run away.
\q1
\v 30 You people of Gallim \add town\add*, will cry out \add for help\add*
\q2 They will shout to \add the people of\add* Laish \add city near Jerusalem\add* to warn them!
\q2 \add The people of\add* Anathoth \add town\add* will suffer a lot.
\q1
\v 31 \add The people of\add* Madmenah \add town north of Jerusalem will all\add* be running away,
\q2 and \add the people of\add* Gebim \add town close to Jerusalem\add* will be trying to hide.
\q1
\v 32 The soldiers of Assyria will stop at Nob \add city outside Jerusalem\add*.
\q2 They will shake their fists
\q2 \add as they threaten the people\add* on Zion Hill in Jerusalem.
\b
\q1
\v 33 But listen to this! The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels
\q2 with his great power will destroy [MET] the mighty army of Assyria.
\q1 \add It is as though they are\add* a huge tree [MET] that he will cut down.
\q1
\v 34 He will destroy the \add soldiers of Assyria\add*
\q2 like men use big axes to cut down the tall trees in the forests of Lebanon.
\c 11
\s1 David's descendant will bring peace
\q1
\v 1 \add Like\add* [MET] a  \add new\add* branch/shoot  \add often\add* grows from the stump  \add of a tree\add*, 
\q2 there will be a descendant of King David who will be a new king.
\q1
\v 2 The Spirit of Yahweh will always be with him.
\q2 The Spirit will enable him to be wise and to understand  \add much about many things\add*; 
\q2 The Spirit will enable him to decide what is good to do and will give him great power.
\q2 The Spirit will enable him to know Yahweh and to revere him.
\q1
\v 3 He will be glad to obey Yahweh.
\q1 He will not decide  \add whether someone is righteous or not only\add* by seeing what that person looks like,
\q2 or by listening to  \add what others say about that person\add*.
\q1
\v 4 He will judge  \add the cases of\add* needy people fairly;
\q2 and he will act justly toward poor people.
\q1 He will punish evil people as a result of what he decides [MTY];
\q2 he will get rid of wicked people because of [MTY] \add their behavior\add*.
\q1
\v 5 He will always act righteously;
\q2 his doing that will  \add accompany him like\add* [MET] a belt  \add around his waist\add*.
\q1 He will always speak what is true;
\q2 his doing that will  \add accompany him like\add* [MET] a sash  \add around his waist\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 6 \add When he becomes king\add*, wolves and lambs will live together  \add peacefully\add*; 
\q1 leopards, \add instead of killing\add* baby goats,
\q2 will lie down with them.
\q1  \add Similarly\add*, calves and lions will eat food together;
\q2 and a young child will take care of them.
\q1
\v 7 Cows and bears will eat  \add together\add*; 
\q2 bear cubs and calves will lie down together.
\q1 Lions will  \add not eat other animals\add*; 
\q2  \add instead\add*, they will eat hay like cows do.
\q1
\v 8 Babies will play  \add safely\add* near the holes where cobra snakes  \add live\add*; 
\q1 small children will  \add even\add* put their hands into nests of poisonous snakes,
\q2  \add and the snakes will not harm them\add*.
\q1
\v 9 No creatures will harm or kill other creatures on  \add Zion Hill\add*, my holy hill;
\q1 and the earth will  \add be filled with people who\add* know Yahweh
\q2 like [SIM] the seas are full of water.
\p
\v 10 At that time, a descendant of King David will  \add hold up\add* a flag
\q2 to signal to the people of all people-groups  \add that they should gather around him\add*; 
\q1 they will come to him to get his advice,
\q2 and the place where he lives will be glorious.
\q
\v 11 At that time, Yahweh will ◄reach out his hand/use his power► as he did long ago;
\q1 he will enable those who had been ◄exiled from/forced to leave► Israel to return home,
\q2 from Assyria, from northern Egypt, from southern Egypt,
\q2 from Ethiopia, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath, and from all the distant countries near the sea.
\q1
\v 12 Yahweh will raise his flag among  \add all\add* the people-groups,
\q2 and he will gather together the people of Israel who had been exiled  \add long ago\add*.
\q1 He will gather from very distant places [IDI] on the earth
\q2 the people of Judah who  \add ◄had been scattered to/are living in► those places\add*.
\q1
\v 13 \add Then\add*, the people of Israel and the people of Judah will not be jealous of each other  \add any longer\add*, 
\q2 and they will no  \add longer\add* be enemies of each other.
\q1
\v 14 Their  \add armies\add* will  \add join together to\add* attack the people of Philistia to the west.
\q2 And together they will attack nations to the east;
\q1 they will  \add defeat those nations and\add* take away all their valuable possessions.
\q1 They will capture  \add the areas of\add* Edom and Moab,
\q2 and the people of the Ammon people-group will be controlled/ruled by the people of Israel and Judah.
\q1
\v 15 Yahweh will make a dry road through the sea near Egypt.
\q1 And  \add it will be as though\add* he will wave his hand over the  \add Euphrates\add* River
\q2 and send a strong wind to cause it to divide into seven streams,
\q2 with the result that people will be able to walk across  \add those streams\add*.
\q1
\v 16 And because he will make a highway for his people who are living in Assyria,
\q2 they will be able to return  \add to their own land\add*, 
\q1 just like  \add long ago\add* he made a path for  \add the people of\add* Israel
\q2  \add so that they could go through the water\add* 
\q2 when they left Egypt.
\c 12
\s1 Songs that people will sing to praise Yahweh
\p
\v 1 At that time, you  \add people of Jerusalem\add* will sing  \add this song\add*: 
\q1 “Yahweh, we praise you!
\q2  \add Previously\add*, you were angry with us,
\q1 but you are not angry now
\q2 and you have comforted us.
\q1
\v 2 Amazingly, you  \add have come to\add* save us,
\q2  \add so\add* we will trust  \add in you\add* and not be afraid.
\q1 Yahweh our God, you enable us to be strong;
\q2 you are  \add the one about whom\add* we sing;
\q2 you have rescued us  \add from our enemies\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 3 You(pl), \add his people\add*, will greatly enjoy being saved
\q2 like [MET] you enjoy drinking water from a fountain.
\b
\p
\v 4 At that time you  \add all\add* will say,
\q1 “We should thank Yahweh! We should praise him [MTY]!
\q2 We should tell  \add the people of all\add* the people-groups what he has done;
\q2 we should enable them to know that he [MTY] is very great!
\q1
\v 5 We should sing to Yahweh, because he has done wonderful things.
\q2 We should enable everyone in the world to know it!
\q1
\v 6 You people of Jerusalem, shout joyfully to praise Yahweh,
\q2 because he is the great Holy One whom we Israeli  \add people worship\add*, 
\q2 and he lives among us!”
\c 13
\s1 Yahweh will punish Babylon
\p
\v 1 \add I\add*, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, received \add from Yahweh\add* this message about Babylon \add city\add*:
\q1
\v 2 Lift up a flag on the bare \add top of a\add* hill,
\q2 to signal \add that an army should come to attack Babylon\add*.
\q1 Shout to them and wave your hand \add to signal to them\add*
\q2 that they should march through the city gates into the palaces of the proud \add rulers of Babylon\add*
\q1
\v 3 \add Yahweh says\add*, “I have commanded those soldiers to do that;
\q2 I have summoned the warriors whom I have chosen to punish \add the people of Babylon\add* because of my being very angry with them,
\q2 and those soldiers will be very proud \add when they do that\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 4 Listen to the noise on the mountains,
\q2 which is the noise of a huge army marching!
\q1 It is the noise made by people of many people-groups shouting.
\q2 The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels has summoned this army to gather together.
\q1
\v 5 They come from countries that are far away,
\q2 from the most remote places [IDI] on the earth.
\q1 They are \add like\add* [SIM] weapons that Yahweh will use \add to punish the people with whom\add* he is very angry,
\q2 and to destroy the entire country \add of Babylonia\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 6 \add You people of Babylon\add* will scream because you will be terrified,
\q2 because it will be the time that Yahweh \add has determined/chosen\add*,
\q2 the time for the all-powerful \add God\add* to destroy \add your city\add*.
\q1
\v 7 Because that will happen, all of your people will be very afraid [DOU],
\q2 with the result that they will be unable even to lift their arms.
\q1
\v 8 All of you will be terrified.
\q2 You will have [PRS] severe pains
\q2 like [SIM] a woman has when she is giving birth to a baby.
\q1 You will look at each other helplessly,
\q2 and it will show on your faces that you feel horror.
\b
\q1
\v 9 Listen to this: The day that Yahweh has appointed/chosen is near,
\q2 the day that he will furiously and fiercely \add punish you\add* because he is very angry \add with you\add*.
\q1 He will cause your land \add of Babylonia\add* to be desolate/barren,
\q2 and he will destroy \add all\add* the sinners in it.
\q1
\v 10 \add When that happens\add*, none of the stars will shine.
\q2 When the sun rises, it will be dark,
\q1 and there will be no light from the moon \add at night\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 11 \add Yahweh says\add*, “I will punish \add everyone in\add* the world for the evil things that they do;
\q2 I will punish the wicked people for the sins that they have committed.
\q1 I will stop arrogant/proud people from being proud,
\q2 and I will stop ruthless people from acting cruelly.
\q1
\v 12 \add And because I will cause most people to die\add*,
\q2 people will be harder to find than gold,
\q1 harder to find than fine gold from Ophir \add in Arabia\add*.
\q1
\v 13 I will shake the sky,
\q2 and the earth will \add also\add* move out of its place.
\q1 That will happen when \add I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, punish \add wicked people\add*,
\q2 when \add I show them that\add* I am extremely angry \add with them\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 14 And all \add the foreigners in Babylon will run around\add* like [SIM] deer that are being hunted,
\q2 like sheep that do not have a shepherd.
\q1 They will try to find other people from their countries,
\q2 and \add then\add* they will escape \add from Babylon\add* and return to their own countries.
\q1
\v 15 Anyone who is captured \add in Babylon\add*
\q2 will be killed by \add their enemies'\add* swords [DOU].
\q1
\v 16 Their little children will be dashed to pieces on the rocks while \add their parents\add* watch;
\q2 \add their enemies\add* will steal everything valuable from their houses and will rape their wives.
\b
\q1
\v 17 Look! I am going to incite the people of Media to attack Babylon.
\q2 The \add army of Media\add* will attack Babylon, even if they are offered [DOU] silver or gold \add if they promise to not attack it\add*.
\q1
\v 18 \add With\add* their arrows, the \add soldiers of Media\add* will shoot the young men \add of Babylon\add*;
\q2 they will not \add even\add* act mercifully [DOU] toward infants or children!”
\b
\q1
\v 19 Babylon has been a very beautiful [MTY] city;
\q2 \add all\add* the people of Babylonia have been very proud of Babylon, \add their capital city\add*;
\q1 \add but\add* God will destroy Babylon,
\q2 like [SIM] he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
\q1
\v 20 No one will ever live in Babylon again.
\q2 It will be deserted forever.
\q1 ◄Nomads/People who travel from place to place to live► will refuse to set up their tents there;
\q2 shepherds will not bring their flocks of sheep to rest there.
\q1
\v 21 Animals that live in the desert will be there;
\q2 jackals/wolves will live in \add the ruins of\add* the houses.
\q1 Owls (OR, Ostriches) will live in \add the ruins\add*,
\q2 and wild goats will romp/jump around \add there\add*.
\q1
\v 22 Hyenas will howl in the \add ruined\add* towers,
\q2 and jackals/wolves will make their dens in \add the ruins of\add* the palaces that \add were previously\add* very beautiful.
\q1 The time when \add Babylon will be destroyed\add* is very near;
\q2 Babylon will not exist much longer.
\c 14
\s1 God's people will return to Judah
\q1
\v 1 \add But\add* Yahweh will act mercifully toward the Israeli people;
\q2 he will choose \add the people of\add* Israel \add to be his people again\add*,
\q2 and he will allow them to \add return here and\add* live in their own land again.
\q1 Then people from \add many\add* other countries will come here
\q2 and unite with the Israeli people.
\q1
\v 2 People of other nations will help them to return to their \add own\add* land,
\q2 and those who come from other countries will ◄work for/become the servants of► the Israeli people.
\q1 Those who captured people of Israel will be captured by Israeli soldiers,
\q2 and the people of Israel will rule over the people who \add previously\add* oppressed them.
\s1 The king of Babylon will be killed
\p
\v 3 Some day Yahweh will free you \add Israeli people\add* from suffering and trouble and from being afraid, and from being cruelly treated as slaves [MTY].
\v 4 When that happens, you will make fun of the King of Babylon by saying this:
\q1 “You treated us cruelly, but that has ended!
\q2 Your insolently causing others to suffer is finished!
\q1
\v 5 You evil ruler, Yahweh will destroy your power,
\q2 and you will oppress people no longer!
\q1
\v 6 You attacked people many times
\q2 because you were very angry with them,
\q1 and you subdued/conquered \add other\add* nations
\q2 by causing them to suffer without stopping.
\q1
\v 7 \add But soon\add* everything will be quiet and peaceful on the earth.
\q2 Everyone [PRS] will sing \add again\add*
\q1
\v 8 \add It will be as though\add* even the trees in the forests will joyfully sing this song,
\q2 the cyprus/pine \add trees\add* and the cedar \add trees\add* in Lebanon will sing it:
\q1 ‘You ◄have been overthrown/are no longer a ruler►,
\q2 and now no one comes to get rid of us [MET].’
\b
\q1
\v 9 The dead people are [PRS] are eagerly waiting for you to come to the place where they are.
\q1 The spirits of the world leaders
\q2 will be delighted to welcome you;
\q1 those who were kings of many nations \add before they died\add*
\q2 will stand up \add to welcome you\add*.
\q1
\v 10 They will all shout to you \add together\add*,
\q2 ‘Now you are as weak as we are!’
\q1
\v 11 You were very proud and powerful,
\q2 \add but all\add* that ended when you died,
\q2 along with the sounds of harps \add being played in your palace\add*.
\q1 \add Now in your grave\add* maggots will be under you \add like a sheet\add* [MET],
\q2 and worms will cover you \add like a blanket\add* [MET].
\q1
\v 12 You have \add disappeared from the earth like\add* [MET] a star which has fallen from the sky;
\q1 you \add were very well-known\add*
\q2 \add like\add* [MET] the morning star \add which is seen by everyone\add*;
\q1 you destroyed \add many\add* nations,
\q2 but now you have been destroyed.
\q1
\v 13 You \add proudly\add* said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven, to my throne above God's stars.
\q2 I will rule on the mountain where \add the gods\add* gather together, far in the north.
\q1
\v 14 I will ascend above the clouds and become like the highest/greatest god!’
\q2
\v 15 \add But you were not able to do that\add*;
\q1 Instead, you were carried down to your grave,
\q2 and you went to the place where the dead people are.
\q1
\v 16 The \add other dead\add* people there stare at you;
\q2 they wonder what happened to you.
\q1 \add They say\add*, ‘Is this the man who caused the earth to shake
\q2 and caused the \add people in many\add* kingdoms to tremble?
\q1
\v 17 Is this the man who \add tried to\add* cause the world to become a desert,
\q2 who conquered its cities and did not allow the people whom he captured to return to their homes?’
\b
\q1
\v 18 All the kings of the earth \add who have died\add* were greatly honored when they were buried,
\q1
\v 19 but your \add corpse will\add* not be buried;
\q2 it will be thrown away like [SIM] a worthless branch \add of a tree\add*.
\q1 Your corpse will be under a heap of other corpses of soldiers that were killed by \add their enemies'\add* swords,
\q2 and \add their corpses\add* were not buried;
\q2 you will be with those who have gone down to the stony ground in the pit \add of hell\add*.
\q1
\v 20 Your \add corpse\add* will not be buried
\q1 because you have destroyed your nation
\q2 and have caused your people to be killed.
\b
\q1 The descendants of wicked people \add like you\add* will never be honored again.
\q1
\v 21 \add People will say\add*, ‘Slaughter this man's children
\q2 because of the sins that their ancestors committed!
\q1 Do not allow them to become rulers, and conquer \add all the nations in\add* the world,
\q2 and fill the world with the cities \add that they rule\add*!’”
\b
\q1
\v 22 \add This is what\add* the Commander of the armies of angels says:
\q2 “I \add myself\add* will cause Babylon to be conquered.
\q1 I will get rid of Babylon and its people and their descendants.
\q1
\v 23 I will cause Babylon to be a place where owls live,
\q2 a place full of swamps;
\q1 I will destroy it completely
\q2 \add as though\add* [MET] I were sweeping it with a broom.
\q1 \add That is what I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, say.”
\s1 Yahweh will punish Assyria
\p
\v 24 The Commander of the armies of angels has \add also\add* solemnly promised this:
\b
\q1 “The things that I have planned will surely happen [DOU].
\q1
\v 25 \add When the army of\add* Assyria is in my land \add of Israel\add*,
\q1 I will crush them.
\q2 \add It will be as though\add* I will trample them on my mountains.
\q1 My people will no longer be the slaves [MET] of the people of Assyria;
\q2 \add It will be as though\add* [MET] I will take away the burdens that are on their shoulders.
\b
\q1
\v 26 I have a plan for everyone on the earth,
\q2 a plan to show my power [MTY] to punish all the nations.
\q1
\v 27 \add I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, have spoken,
\q2 and no one can [RHQ] change my mind.
\q1 When I raise my fist \add to strike Assyria\add*,
\q2 no one [RHQ] will be able to stop me \add from doing that\add*.”
\s1 Yahweh will punish Philistia
\p
\v 28 I received this message \add from Yahweh\add* during the year that King Ahaz died:
\b
\q1
\v 29 You people of Philistia, do not rejoice that the enemy army [MET] that attacked you has been defeated
\q2 and that their king is dead.
\q1 He was \add as dangerous as\add* [MET] a snake,
\q2 but there will be another king,
\q1 who will be more \add dangerous\add* than a cobra;
\q2 he will be \add like\add* [MET] a quick-moving poisonous snake.
\q1
\v 30 Those of my people who are very poor will take care of their flocks of sheep,
\q2 and the needy people will lie down safely,
\q1 but I will cause you people \add of Philistia\add* who are still alive [DOU]
\q2 to die from famine.
\b
\q1
\v 31 \add So\add*, you people of Philistia, wail at the gates of your cities!
\q2 You should be extremely afraid,
\q1 because \add a very powerful army\add* will come from the north \add to attack you\add*;
\q2 \add their chariots will stir up the dust like\add* [MET] a cloud of smoke.
\q1 Each of their soldiers is ready to fight.
\q1
\v 32 If messengers \add from Philistia\add* come to us \add Israeli people\add*,
\q2 this is what we must [RHQ] tell them:
\q1 “Yahweh has established Jerusalem, \add not Philistia\add*,
\q2 and his people who are oppressed will be safe inside \add the walls of\add* Jerusalem.”
\c 15
\s1 Yahweh will destroy Moab
\p
\v 1 \add I received\add* this message  \add from Yahweh\add* about the Moab  \add people-group\add*: 
\q1 In one night  \add two important cities\add* in Moab, Ar and Kir, will be destroyed.
\q1
\v 2 The people of Dibon, \add the capital city\add*, will go to their temple to mourn/weep;
\q2 they will go to  \add their shrines\add* on the hilltops to weep.
\q1 They will wail because of  \add what happened to\add* Nebo and Medeba  \add towns in the south\add*; 
\q2 they will all shave the hair of their heads, and the men will cut off their beards  \add to show that they are grieving\add*.
\q1
\v 3 In the streets people will wear rough sackcloth,
\q2 and on their  \add flat\add* rooftops and in the  \add city\add* plazas all people will wail,
\q1 with tears streaming down their faces.
\q1
\v 4 \add The people of\add* Heshbon  \add city\add* and Elealeh  \add towns in the north of Moab\add* will cry out;
\q2 people as far away as Jahaz  \add town in the south\add* will hear them wailing.
\q1 Therefore the soldiers of Moab will tremble and cry out
\q2 and they will be very afraid [IDI].
\b
\q1
\v 5 I feel very sorry for  \add the people of\add* Moab;
\q2 they will flee to Zoar and Eglath-Shelishiyah  \add towns in the far south\add*.
\q2 They will cry as they walk up to Luhith  \add town\add*.
\q1 All along the road to Horonaim  \add town\add* people will mourn
\q2 because their country has been destroyed.
\q1
\v 6 The water in Nimrim  \add valley\add* will have dried up.
\q2 The grass there will be withered;
\q1 the green plants will  \add all\add* be gone,
\q2 and there will be nothing left that is green.
\q1
\v 7 The people will pick up their possessions
\q2 and carry them across Willows Brook.
\q1
\v 8 Throughout the country of Moab, \add people\add* will be crying;
\q2 people as far away as Eglaim  \add in the south\add* and Beer-Elim  \add in the north\add* will hear them wailing.
\q1
\v 9 The stream near Dimon will become red from the blood  \add of people who have been killed\add*, 
\q2 but I will cause the people of Moab to experience even more  \add trouble\add*: 
\q1 Lions will attack those who  \add are trying to\add* escape from Moab
\q2 and will  \add also\add* attack the people who remain in that country.
\c 16
\p
\v 1 \add The rulers of Moab will say to each other\add*, 
\q1 “We must send some  \add lambs \add*from Sela  \add city\add* as a gift to the ruler of Judah  \add to persuade him to not allow his army to attack us anymore\add*.
\q2 We should send them through the desert to the king  \add in Jerusalem\add*.
\q1
\v 2 The women of Moab will be left alone at the ◄fords of/places where people can walk across► the Arnon  \add River\add*; 
\q2 they will be like [SIM] birds that have been pushed out of their nests.
\q1
\v 3 They will cry out, ‘Help us!
\q2 Tell us what we should do!
\q1 Protect us completely [MET],
\q2 we who are running away  \add from our enemies\add*, 
\q1 and do not ◄betray us/tell our enemies where we are►.
\q1
\v 4 Allow  \add those of us\add* who are fleeing from Moab to stay with you;
\q2 hide/protect us from  \add our enemies who want to\add* destroy us!’
\b
\q1  \add Some day\add* there will be no one to oppress us,
\q2 and our enemies will stop destroying  \add our land\add*.
\q1
\v 5 Then  \add Yahweh\add* will appoint someone to be king
\q2 who will be  \add a descendant of King\add* David.
\q2 As he rules [MTY], he will be merciful and truthful.
\q1 He will always do what is fair/just
\q2 and quickly do what is righteous.”
\b
\q1
\v 6 We  \add people of Judah\add* have heard about  \add the people of\add* Moab;
\q2 we have heard that they are very proud and conceited [DOU];
\q1 they are insolent,
\q2 but what they say about themselves is not true.
\q1
\v 7 \add Some day all the people in\add* Moab will weep.
\q2 They will all mourn,
\q1 because  \add there will be no more\add* raisin cakes in Kir-Hareseth  \add city\add*.
\q1
\v 8 The  \add crops in\add* the fields at Heshbon  \add city\add* will wither,
\q2 and the vineyards at Sibmah  \add town\add* will wither also.
\q1 The armies of  \add other\add* nations will destroy Moab,
\q2 which is  \add like\add* [MET] a beautiful grapevine
\q1 whose branches spread  \add north\add* to Jazer  \add town\add* 
\q2 and  \add east\add* to the desert.
\q1 Its branches spread very far  \add west\add*, 
\q2 to the west side of the  \add Dead\add* Sea.
\q1
\v 9 So I will weep for Jazer
\q2 and for the grapevines of Sibmah.
\q1 I will shed tears for all of you.
\q1 I will cry because people will no longer shout joyfully, like they usually do
\q2 when they gather the fruit that ripens in the ◄summer/hot season► and the other crops that they harvest.
\q1
\v 10 People will no longer be glad at harvest time.
\q2 No one will sing in the vineyards,
\q1 no one will shout joyfully.
\q2 No one will tread on grapes  \add to get grape juice for wine\add*; 
\q2 there will be nothing to shout about  \add joyfully\add*.
\q1
\v 11 I cry in my inner being for Moab;
\q2 my groaning is like [SIM] \add a sad song played on\add* a harp.
\q1 I am sad in my inner being for Kir-Hareseth.
\q1
\v 12 \add The people of\add* Moab will go and pray at their sacred shrines,
\q2 but that will not help them.
\q1 They will cry out to their gods in their temples,
\q2  \add but\add* no one will be able to rescue them.
\p
\v 13 Yahweh has already spoken those things about Moab.
\v 14 But now he says that exactly three years from now, he will destroy all the things that  \add the people of\add* Moab have been proud of. Even though they have a huge number of people in Moab now, only a few people will remain alive, and they will be weak/helpless.
\c 17
\s1 Yahweh will punish Syria
\p
\v 1 \add I received\add* this message  \add from Yahweh\add* about Damascus  \add the capital of Syria\add*: 
\q1 “Listen carefully! Damascus will no longer be a city;
\q2 it will be  \add only\add* a heap of ruins!
\q1
\v 2 The towns near Aroer  \add city\add* will be abandoned.
\q2 Flocks  \add of sheep\add* will  \add eat grass in the streets and\add* lie down there,
\q2 and there will be no one to chase them away.
\q1
\v 3 The cities in Israel will not have walls around them  \add to protect them\add*.
\q2 The power of the kingdom of Damascus will be ended,
\q2 and the few people who will remain in Damascus will be disgraced like the people in Israel were disgraced.”
\q1  \add That is what\add* the Commander of the armies of angels says.
\s1 The destruction of Israel
\q1
\v 4 “At that time, Israel will become insignificant.
\q2 It will be  \add like\add* [MET] a fat person who has become very thin.
\q1
\v 5 The entire land will be like [SIM] a field where the harvesters have cut all the grain;
\q2 there will be nothing left,
\q2 like [SIM] the fields in the Rephaim Valley after all the crops have been harvested.
\q1
\v 6 Only a few of the Israeli people will remain [MET],
\q2 like [SIM] the few olives that remain on the top of a tree after the workers have caused all the other olives to fall  \add to the ground\add*.
\q1  \add There will be only\add* two or three olives in the top branches,
\q2  \add or\add* four or five olives on the other branches.”
\q1  \add That is what\add* the Commander of the armies of angels says.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add Then\add*, at that time, \add you\add* people  \add of Israel\add* will ◄turn for help to/look up to► God, your creator,
\q2 the Holy One of Israel.
\q1
\v 8 You will no  \add longer\add* seek to get help from your idols
\q2 or worship the idols that you have made with your own hands [DOU].
\q1 You will never again bow down in front of the poles  \add where you worship the goddess\add* Asherah.
\q2 You will never again worship at the shrines  \add that you have built for burning incense\add*.
\p
\v 9 The largest cities in Israel will be abandoned, like the land that the Hiv and Amor people-groups abandoned (OR, like the forests that the  \add Canaan people-group\add* abandoned) when the Israelis  \add attacked them long ago\add*. No people will live there.
\q1
\v 10 \add That will happen\add* because you have stopped worshiping God
\q2 who is  \add like\add* [MET] a huge rock under which you can be safe.
\q1 You have forgotten that he is the one who can hide/protect you.
\q1 So, \add now\add* you plant very nice grapevines
\q2 and  \add even\add* plant very expensive ones that come from other countries.
\q1
\v 11 \add But\add* even if they sprout leaves on the day that you plant them,
\q2 and even if they produce blossoms on that same morning,
\q1 at harvest time, there will not be any grapes for you to pick.
\q2 All that you will get is a lot of agony/misery.
\b
\q1
\v 12 Listen! \add The armies of\add* many nations will roar like the sea roars.
\q2 It will sound like noise of crashing waves.
\q1
\v 13 But even though their loud roaring will be like the sound of crashing waves,
\q2 when Yahweh rebukes them, they will run far away.
\q1 They will flee like [SIM] chaff on the hills scatters when the wind  \add blows\add*, 
\q2 like tumbleweeds scatter when a windstorm blows.
\q1
\v 14 And, even though you people of Israel will be terrified,
\q2 in the morning  \add your enemies\add* will all be gone/dead.
\q1 That is what will happen to those who invade our land and  \add then\add* steal our possessions.
\c 18
\s1 The destruction of Ethiopia
\q1
\v 1 Terrible things will happen to  \add you people\add* of Ethiopia!
\q2 In your land there are many sailboats at the upper part of the Nile River.
\q1
\v 2 Your rulers send ambassadors that sail  \add quickly\add* down the river in papyrus boats.
\q1 You messengers to Ethiopia, go quickly!
\q1 Go  \add up the river\add* to people who are tall and who have smooth skins.
\q2 People everywhere are afraid of those people,
\q1 because they conquer and destroy  \add other nations\add*; 
\q2 they are people who live in a land that is divided by branches of one large river.
\b
\q1
\v 3 \add You messengers\add* must tell to the people of the world,
\q2 to all people everywhere,
\q1 “Look when I lift up my battle flag on top of the mountain,
\q1 and listen when I blow the ram's horn
\q2  \add to signal that the battle is about to begin\add*.”
\q1
\v 4 \add Listen\add* because Yahweh has told me this:
\q1 “I will watch quietly from where I live.
\q2 I will watch as quietly as [SIM] the heat that shimmers as it rises on a day during the ◄summer/hot season►,
\q2 as quietly as the dew forms  \add on the ground\add* during harvest time.”
\q1
\v 5 But  \add even\add* before the army of Ethiopia starts to attack,
\q2 while their plans are  \add slowly forming\add* like [SIM] grapes that are ripening,
\q1 Yahweh will  \add get rid of them like a farmer who\add* [MET] cuts off the new shoots of the grapevines with his shears,
\q2 and prunes the branches that have become very long.
\q1
\v 6 All  \add the soldiers in the army of Ethiopia\add* will be killed,
\q2 and their corpses will lie in the fields for vultures to eat their flesh in the ◄summer/hot season►.
\q1 Then wild animals will  \add chew on their bones\add* all during the ◄winter/cold season►.
\b
\p
\v 7 At that time, the people of that land that is divided by the branches of one big river will take gifts to Yahweh in Jerusalem.
\q1 Those tall people who have smooth/dark skins, whom people everywhere are afraid of,
\q2 because they conquer and destroy many countries,
\q1 will take gifts to Jerusalem, the city where the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels lives.
\c 19
\s1 A prophecy about the destruction of Egypt
\p
\v 1 \add I received\add* this message  \add from Yahweh\add* about Egypt:
\q1 Listen to this! I, Yahweh, am coming toward Egypt,
\q2 riding on a fast-moving cloud.
\q1 The idols in Egypt will tremble when  \add I appear\add*, 
\q2 and the people of Egypt will be extremely afraid [IDI].
\b
\q1
\v 2 I will cause the people of Egypt to fight against each other:
\q2 Men will fight against their brothers,
\q2 neighbors will fight against each other,
\q2 people of one city will fight against the people of another city,
\q2 people of one province will fight against the people of another province.
\q1
\v 3 The people of Egypt will become very discouraged,
\q2 and I will cause their plans to not be successful.
\q1 They will plead with idols and sorcerers and those who talk with spirits of dead people
\q2 to tell them what they should do.
\q1
\v 4 Then I will enable someone who will treat them very cruelly to become their king [DOU].
\q1 That is what I, the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, say.
\b
\q1
\v 5 \add Some day\add* the water in the  \add Nile\add* River will dry up,
\q2 and the riverbed will become very dry [DOU].
\q1
\v 6 The branches of the river will all dry up [DOU].
\q1 The canals along the river will stink
\q2 because of the rotting reeds and ◄bulrushes/tall grass►.
\q1
\v 7 All the plants along the river and all the crops will dry up;
\q2 then they will blow away and disappear.
\q1
\v 8 The fishermen will throw into the river lines with hooks on them and nets,
\q2 and then they will groan and be very discouraged;
\q2 they will be sad  \add because there will be no fish in the river\add*.
\q1
\v 9 Those who weave cloth from flax will not know what to do
\q2 because there will be no thread for them to weave.
\q1
\v 10 They will all despair
\q2 and be very discouraged.
\b
\q1
\v 11 The officials in Zoan  \add city in northern Egypt\add* are foolish.
\q2 The advice that they gave to the king was worthless.
\q1 Why do they continue to tell the king that they are wise,
\q2 that they are descendants of wise kings who lived long ago [RHQ]?
\b
\q1
\v 12 King, ◄where are your wise counselors now?/You have no wise counselors now!► [RHQ]
\q2 If you had any wise counselors, they could tell you what the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels has planned to do to Egypt [SAR]!
\q1
\v 13 \add Yes\add*, the officials of Zoan have become foolish,
\q2 and the leaders in Memphis  \add city in northern Egypt\add* have deceived themselves.
\q1  \add All  \add*the leaders of the people have ◄caused their people to do wrong things/led their people astray►.
\q1
\v 14 Yahweh has caused them to be very foolish,
\q2 with the result that in everything that they do, \add it is as though the people of\add* Egypt stagger
\q2 like [SIM] a drunken person staggers  \add and slips\add* in his own vomit.
\q1
\v 15 There is no one in Egypt, rich or poor, important or unimportant, \add who will be able to help them\add*.
\p
\v 16 At that time, the people of Egypt will be  \add as helpless\add* as [SIM] women. They will tremble, being terrified  \add because they know that\add* the Commander of the armies of angels has raised his fist, \add ready to strike/punish them\add*.
\v 17 The people of Egypt will be afraid of the people of Judah, and anyone who mentions Judah to them will cause them to be terrified, because  \add that will remind them\add* of what Yahweh, the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, is planning to do to them.
\p
\v 18 At that time, \add people in\add* five cities in Egypt will solemnly declare that they will serve Yahweh. They will  \add learn to\add* speak the Hebrew language. One of those cities will be called ❛City of the Sun❜.
\p
\v 19 At that time, there will be an altar for worshiping Yahweh in the center of Egypt, and there will be a ◄pillar/large rock► to honor Yahweh at the border  \add between Egypt and Israel\add*.
\v 20 That will be a sign to indicate that the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels is worshiped in the land of Egypt. And when the people cry out to Yahweh to help them because others are ◄oppressing them/causing them to suffer►, he will send to them someone who will defend and rescue them.
\v 21 Yahweh will enable the people of Egypt to know who he is, and at that time they will have a close relationship with Yahweh and worship him and bring to him offerings of grain and other sacrifices. They will solemnly promise to do things for Yahweh, and they will do what they promise.
\v 22 After Yahweh has punished Egypt, he will cause their troubles to end. The people of Egypt will turn to Yahweh, and he will listen when they plead to him  \add for help\add*, and he will cause their troubles to cease.
\p
\v 23 At that time, there will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria. \add As a result\add*, the people of Egypt will  \add be able to\add* travel  \add easily\add* to Assyria, and the people of Assyria  \add will be able to travel easily\add* to Egypt. And the people of both countries will worship  \add Yahweh\add*.
\v 24 And Israel will be their ally. All three nations will be  \add friendly to\add* each other, and the people of Israel will be a blessing to the people of the entire world.
\v 25 The Commander of the armies of angels will bless them, saying, “\add You people of\add* Egypt are now my people. You people of Assyria, I have established your country. You people of Israel are the people whom I have chosen to belong to me.”
\c 20
\s1 A message about Egypt and Ethiopia
\p
\v 1 One year King Sargon of Assyria sent the chief commander of his army  \add to take his soldiers\add* to capture Ashdod  \add city in Philistia\add*.
\v 2 At that time, Yahweh told me, “Take off the rough sackcloth that you have been wearing and take off your sandals.” \add So\add* I did what he told me to do, and  \add then\add* I walked around naked and barefoot  \add for three years\add*.
\p
\v 3 \add Then\add* Yahweh said this  \add to the people of Judah\add*:  “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the past three years. That is to show the terrible disasters that  \add I will cause the people of\add* Egypt and Ethiopia to experience.
\v 4 What will happen is that the  \add army of the\add* King of Assyria will  \add invade those countries and capture many of the people and\add* take them away as their prisoners. They will force all them, including both the young ones and the old ones, to walk naked and barefoot. They will  \add also\add* force them to have no clothes around their buttocks, which will cause  \add the people of\add* Egypt to be ashamed.
\v 5 Then the people of other countries who trusted that the armies of Egypt and Ethiopia would be able to help them will be very dismayed/confused and afraid/disappointed.
\v 6 They will say, ‘We trusted that the armies of Egypt and Ethiopia  \add would help us and defend us, but they have been destroyed\add*, so there is no way [RHQ] that we can escape from  \add being destroyed by the army of\add* the King of Assyria!’”
\c 21
\s1 A message about the destruction of Babylon
\p
\v 1 \add I received\add* this message \add from Yahweh about Babylonia\add*, \add a land that is\add* near the \add Persian\add* Gulf \add but which will soon be\add* a desert.
\q1 \add An army\add* will soon come from the desert to invade that land;
\q2 they are an army that causes their enemies to be terrified,
\q2 an army that will come like a whirlwind from the south.
\b
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh showed me a terrifying vision:
\q1 \add In the vision I saw an army\add*
\q2 that will betray/deceive people and steal their possessions \add after they conquer them\add*.
\q1 \add Yahweh said\add*, “You armies from Elam and Media, surround \add Babylon\add* and prepare to attack it!
\q2 I will cause the groaning \add and suffering\add* that Babylon caused to cease!”
\b
\q1
\v 3 Because of that, my body is full of pain;
\q2 my pain is like the pain that women who are giving birth experience.
\q1 When I hear about and see \add what God is planning to do\add*,
\q2 I am shocked.
\q1
\v 4 I cannot think straight/correctly, and I tremble.
\q2 I was eager for it to be nighttime,
\q2 but now it is night, and I am horrified.
\b
\q1
\v 5 \add In the vision I saw that the leaders of Babylonia\add* were preparing a great feast.
\q2 They had spread rugs \add for people to sit on\add*;
\q2 everyone was eating and drinking.
\q1 \add But\add* they should get up and prepare their shields,
\q2 \add because they are about to be attacked!\add*
\p
\v 6 Then Yahweh said to me,
\q1 “Put a watchman \add on the wall of Jerusalem\add*,
\q2 and tell him to shout/proclaim what he sees.
\q1
\v 7 Tell him to watch for chariots pulled by pairs of horses,
\q2 and \add men riding\add* camels and donkeys, \add coming from Babylon\add*.
\q1 Tell the watchman to watch and listen carefully!”
\p
\v 8 \add So I did that\add*, and one day the watchman called out,
\q1 “Day after day I have stood on this watchtower,
\q2 and I have continued to watch during the day and during the night.
\q1
\v 9 Now, I saw a man riding in a chariot pulled by two horses.
\q2 \add I called out to him\add*, and he answered/shouted,
\q1 ‘Babylon has been destroyed!
\q2 All the idols in Babylon lie in pieces on the ground!’”
\b
\q1
\v 10 My people \add in Judah\add*, \add the army of Babylon has caused\add* you to suffer greatly
\q2 \add as though\add* [MET] you were grain that was threshed and ◄winnowed/thrown up into the air for the wind to blow away the chaff►.
\q1 \add But now\add* I have told you what the Commander of the armies of angels the God whom we Israelis \add worship\add*, told me \add about Babylon\add*.
\s1 A message about Edom
\p
\v 11 \add I received\add* this message \add from Yahweh\add* about Edom:
\q1 Someone from Edom has been calling/shouting to me saying,
\q2 “Watchman, how long will it be before the night is ended? [DOU]”
\q1
\v 12 \add I\add*, the watchman, replied,
\q2 “It will \add soon\add* be morning, but after that, it will \add soon\add* be night again.
\q1 If you want to inquire \add again about what will happen in our country\add*,
\q2 come back and inquire again.”
\s1 A message about Arabia
\p
\v 13 \add I received\add* this message about Arabia:
\q1 Give this message to people traveling in caravans from Dedan \add town in northwest Arabia\add*, who camp in the scrub there.
\q1 Tell them to bring water for those who are thirsty.
\q2
\v 14 And you people who live in Tema \add city in northwest Arabia\add*,
\q2 must bring food for the ◄refugees/people who are fleeing from their enemies►.
\q1
\v 15 They are fleeing in order not to be killed by \add their enemies'\add* swords
\q2 and not to be shot in battles by arrows.
\b
\p
\v 16 Yahweh said to me,
\q1 “Exactly one year from now,
\q2 all the greatness of the Kedar \add area in Arabia\add* will end.
\q1
\v 17 Only a few of their soldiers who are know well how to shoot arrows will remain alive.
\q1 \add That will surely happen\add* because \add I\add*, Yahweh, have said it.”
\c 22
\s1 A message about Jerusalem
\p
\v 1 \add I received\add* this message  \add from Yahweh\add* about Jerusalem, about the valley where  \add Yahweh showed me\add* this vision.
\q1 Why is everyone foolishly running up to their  \add flat\add* rooftops?
\q1
\v 2 Everyone in the city  \add seems to\add* be shouting.
\q2  \add There are a lot of\add* corpses  \add in the city\add*, 
\q1  \add but they\add* were not killed by  \add their enemies'\add* swords.
\q2 They did not die in battles;
\q2  \add instead, they died from diseases and hunger\add*.
\q1
\v 3 All the leaders of the city fled.
\q2  \add But then\add* they were captured because they did not have bows  \add and arrows to defend themselves\add*.
\q1 Your  \add soldiers tried to\add* flee while the enemy  \add army\add* was still far away,
\q2 but they also were captured.
\q1
\v 4 That is why I said, “Allow me to cry alone;
\q2 do not try to comfort me  \add about my people being slaughtered\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 5 The Commander of the armies of angels has  \add chosen\add* a time when there will be a great uproar, \add soldiers\add* marching, and people being terrified
\q2 in the valley  \add where I received this\add* vision.
\q1  \add It will be a time when our city\add* walls will be battered down
\q2 and  \add the people's\add* cries  \add for help\add* will be heard in the mountains.
\b
\q1
\v 6 The armies from Elam and Kir  \add in Media\add* will attack,
\q2 driving chariots and carrying shields.
\q1
\v 7 Our beautiful valleys will be filled with  \add our enemies'\add* chariots
\q2 and the men who drive the chariots will stand outside  \add our city\add* gates.
\q1
\v 8 The walls that protect  \add the cities in\add* Judah will fall down.
\q2 You  \add people of Jerusalem\add* will run to get the weapons  \add that are stored in the building called\add* ❛the Hall of the Forest❜.
\q1
\v 9 You will see that there are many breaks/holes in the walls of Jerusalem.
\q2 You will store water in the lower pool  \add in the city\add*.
\q1
\v 10 You will inspect the houses in Jerusalem,
\q2 and  \add some of\add* them you will tear down to use the stones to repair the  \add city\add* wall.
\q1
\v 11 Between the walls  \add of the city\add* you will build a reservoir to  \add store\add* water from the old pool.
\q1 But you will never request help from the one who made the city;
\q2 you have never depended on Yahweh, who planned this city long ago.
\b
\q1
\v 12 The Commander of the armies of angels told you to weep and mourn;
\q2 he told you to shave your heads and to wear rough sackcloth
\q1 to show that you were sorry for the sins that you had committed
\q1
\v 13 But instead of doing that, you were happy and celebrating;
\q1 you slaughtered cattle and sheep,
\q2  \add in order to cook their\add* meat and eat it and drink wine.
\q1 You said, “Let's eat and drink  \add all that we want to\add*, 
\q2 because  \add it is possible that\add* we will die tomorrow!”
\p
\v 14 \add So\add* the Commander of the armies of angels revealed this to me: “I will never forgive my people for sinning like this!”
\s1 A message for Shebna
\p
\v 15 The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels said this  \add to me\add*:  “Go to Shebna, the official who supervises the workers in the palace, and give this message to him:
\q1
\v 16 \add Who do you think you are?\add*
\q2 Who gave you the authority to build a beautiful tomb where you will be buried,
\q2 chiseling it out of the rocky cliff high above this valley?
\q1
\v 17 You  \add think that you are\add* [IRO] a great man, but Yahweh is about to hurl you away.
\q2  \add It will be as though\add* he will seize you,
\q1
\v 18 and roll/crumple you into a ball
\q2 and throw you away in a large distant land.
\q1 You will die  \add and be buried\add* there,
\q2 and your beautiful chariots will stay there  \add in the hands of your enemies\add*.
\q2 And  \add because of what happens to you\add*, your master, \add the king\add*, will be  \add very\add* ashamed/disgraced.
\q1
\v 19 Yahweh will force you to quit working in the palace;
\q2 you will be demoted from your important position.
\p
\v 20 Then I will summon Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who has served serve me  \add well\add*, to replace you.
\v 21 I will allow him to wear your robe, and to fasten your sash around him, and I will give to him the authority that you had. He will be like [MET] a father to the people of Jerusalem and  \add all the other\add* towns in Judah.
\v 22 I will give to him authority [MTY] over  \add what happens in\add* the palace where King David  \add lived\add*; when he decides something [MET], no one will be able to oppose it; when he refuses to do something, no one will be able to force him to do it.
\v 23 I will cause his family to be greatly respected, because I will put him firmly in his position  \add as supervisor of the workers in the palace\add*, like [SIM] a nail that is firmly hammered into a wall.
\v 24 Others will enable him to have much responsibility, with the result that all the members of his family, even the most insignificant ones, will be honored.”
\p
\v 25 \add But\add* the Commander of the armies of angels also says, “\add Shebna is like\add* [MET] a peg that is firmly fastened to the wall. But there will be a time when I will  \add remove him from his position\add*; he will lose his power/influence, and everything that he promoted [MET] will fail. \add That will surely happen\add* because  \add I\add*, Yahweh, have said it.”
\c 23
\s1 A message about Tyre's punishment
\p
\v 1 \add I received\add* this message  \add from Yahweh\add* about Tyre  \add city\add*: 
\q1 You  \add sailors on\add* [APO] ships from Tarshish,
\q2 weep, because  \add the harbor of\add* Tyre and all the houses  \add in the city\add* have been destroyed.
\q2 The reports that you heard in Cyprus  \add island\add* about Tyre  \add are true\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 2 You people who live along the coast  \add near Tyre\add*, and merchants of Sidon  \add city\add*, mourn silently.
\q2 Your sailors went across the seas  \add to many places like Tyre\add*.
\q1
\v 3 They sailed across deep seas
\q2 to buy grain in Egypt
\q1 and  \add other\add* crops that are grown along the Nile  \add River\add*.
\q2 Tyre became the city where people from  \add all\add* nations bought and sold goods.
\b
\q1
\v 4 But now you people in Sidon should be ashamed,
\q2 because  \add you trusted in Tyre\add*, which has been a strong fortress  \add on an island\add* in the sea.
\q1  \add Tyre is like a woman who is saying\add*, 
\q2 “\add Now it is as though\add* I have not given birth to  \add any\add* children,
\q2 or raised  \add any\add* sons or daughters.”
\b
\q1
\v 5 When  \add the people of\add* Egypt hear what has happened to Tyre,
\q2 they will grieve very much.
\q1
\v 6 Sail to Tarshish  \add and tell them what happened\add*; 
\q2 weep, you people who live along the coast.
\q1
\v 7 \add The people in\add* the very old city  \add of Tyre\add* were [RHQ] previously joyful.
\q2 Traders [PRS] from Tyre established colonies in many distant nations.
\q1
\v 8 People from Tyre appointed kings  \add over other places\add*; 
\q2 their traders were wealthy;
\q1 they were  \add as powerful and wealthy as\add* [MET] kings.
\q2  \add So\add*, who [RHQ] caused the people of Tyre to experience this disaster?
\q1
\v 9 It was the Commander of the armies of angels who did it;
\q2 he did it in order to cause  \add you people in\add* Tyre to not be proud anymore,
\q2 to humiliate you men who are honored all over the world.
\b
\q1
\v 10 You people of Tarshish, you must grow crops in your land  \add instead of trading\add*; 
\q2 spread out over your land like [SIM] the Nile  \add River\add* spreads over the land  \add of Egypt\add* when it floods,
\q2 because there is no harbor  \add in Tyre for your ships\add* now.
\q1
\v 11 \add It is as though\add* Yahweh stretched out his hand over the sea
\q2 and shook the kingdoms of the earth.
\q1 He commanded that in Phoenicia/Canaan
\q2 all its fortresses must be destroyed.
\q1
\v 12 He said to the people of Sidon,
\q2 “You will never rejoice again, because you will be crushed;
\q1 even if you flee to Cyprus  \add island\add*, 
\q2 you will not escape from troubles.”
\b
\q1
\v 13 Think about what happened in Babylonia:
\q2 The people who were in that land have disappeared.
\q1  \add The armies of\add* Assyria have caused that land to become a place where wild animals from the desert live.
\q1 They built dirt ramps to the top of the walls  \add of the city of Babylon\add*; 
\q2  \add then they entered the city and\add* tore down the palaces
\q2 and caused the city to become  \add a heap of\add* rubble.
\b
\q1
\v 14 \add So\add* wail, you  \add sailors on the\add* ships of Tarshish,
\q2 because the harbor  \add in Tyre where your ships stop\add* is destroyed!
\p
\v 15 For seventy years, which is as long as kings usually live, people will forget about Tyre. \add But then it will be rebuilt\add*. What will happen there will be like what happened to a prostitute in this song:
\q1
\v 16 You harlot, whom people had forgotten,
\q2 play your harp well,
\q1 and sing many songs,
\q2 in order that people will remember you again.
\p
\v 17 \add It is true that\add* after seventy years Yahweh will restore Tyre. Their merchants will again earn a lot of money by buying things from and selling things to many  \add other\add* nations [HYP].
\q1
\v 18 \add But\add* their profits will be given to Yahweh.
\q2  \add The merchants\add* will not hoard their money;
\q1 instead, they will give it to Yahweh's priests
\q2 in order that they  \add can\add* buy food and nice clothes.
\c 24
\s1 The destruction of everything on the earth
\q1
\v 1 Some day, Yahweh is going to destroy the earth.
\q2 He will devastate it and cause it to become a desert
\q2 and scatter its people.
\q1
\v 2 He will scatter everyone—
\q2 priests and common people,
\q2 servants and their masters,
\q2 maids and their mistresses,
\q2 buyers and sellers,
\q2 lenders and borrowers,
\q2 people who owe money and people who are owed money.
\q1
\v 3 Nothing that is worth anything will be left on earth;
\q2 everything valuable will be destroyed.
\q1  \add That will surely happen because\add* Yahweh has said it.
\b
\q1
\v 4 \add Everything on\add* the earth will dry up and die [DOU];
\q2 its important people will become weak and unimportant.
\q1
\v 5 The earth has become unacceptable to Yahweh because the people who live on it have disobeyed his laws;
\q2 they have rejected the agreement that he intended to last forever.
\q1
\v 6 Therefore, \add Yahweh\add* will curse the earth;
\q2 the people who live on it must be punished because of the sins that they have committed.
\q1 They will be destroyed by fire,
\q2 and  \add only a\add* few people will remain  \add alive\add*.
\q1
\v 7 The grapevines will wither,
\q2 and there will be no  \add grapes to make\add* wine.
\q1 All  \add the people\add* who were previously happy will now groan and mourn.
\q1
\v 8 People will no longer play cheerful songs with tambourines,
\q2 people will no longer play joyfully on their harps,
\q2 and people will no longer shout noisily  \add during their celebrations\add*.
\q1
\v 9 People will no longer sing while they drink wine,
\q2 and  \add all\add* their alcoholic drinks will taste bitter.
\q1
\v 10 \add Towns and\add* cities will be desolate;
\q2 every house will be locked to prevent thieves from entering.
\q1
\v 11 \add Mobs\add* will gather in the streets, wanting wine;
\q2 no one on the earth will be happy [DOU] anymore.
\q1
\v 12 Cities will be ruined
\q2 and  \add all\add* their gates will be battered/broken into pieces.
\q1
\v 13 It will be like that all over the earth:
\q2  \add there will only be a few people still alive\add*, 
\q1 like what happens when  \add workers\add* beat all the olives off a tree  \add and there are only a few left\add*, 
\q2  \add or\add* when they harvest the grapes and there are only a few left  \add on the vines\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 14 But  \add those who are left alive\add* will sing joyfully;
\q2 people  \add in nations\add* to the west  \add of Israel\add* will declare that Yahweh is very great;
\q1
\v 15 people in nations to the east  \add of Israel will also\add* praise Yahweh [MTY];
\q2 in countries across the sea, people will praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis  \add worship\add*.
\q1
\v 16 We will hear  \add people\add* in the most distant places on the earth singing praise to  \add Yahweh\add*, the  \add truly\add* righteous one.
\b
\q1 But  \add now\add*, I am [SYN] very sad.
\q2 Weep for me, \add because\add* I have become thin and weak.
\q1 Terrible things are happening!
\q2 Treacherous  \add people still\add* betray/deceive others everywhere [DOU].
\q1
\v 17 You people all over the earth,
\q2 you will be terrified,
\q2 and you will fall into deep pits and traps/snares.
\q1
\v 18 Those who  \add try to\add* flee because they are terrified
\q2 will fall into  \add deep\add* pits,
\q1 and those who climb out of the pits
\q2 will be caught by traps/snares.
\b
\q1 The sky will split open and torrents [SIM] \add of rain will fall\add*; 
\q2 the foundations of the earth will shake.
\q1
\v 19 The earth will split apart and be shattered;
\q2 it will shake violently.
\q1
\v 20 \add It will be as though\add* the earth will stagger like [SIM] a drunk;
\q2 it will shake like [SIM] a hut  \add shakes in a windstorm\add*.
\q1 It will collapse and not  \add be able to\add* rise again,
\q2  \add because\add* the guilt of the people who rebel  \add against Yahweh\add* is very great.
\b
\q1
\v 21 At that time, Yahweh will punish the  \add wicked\add* powerful beings in the skies
\q2 and the wicked kings on the earth.
\q1
\v 22 They will  \add all\add* be gathered together and thrown into a dungeon/pit.
\q2 They will be shut/locked in that dungeon/pit,
\q1 and later they will be punished.
\q1
\v 23 At that time the light of the moon and the sun will be lessened;
\q2  \add it will be as though\add* they are ashamed  \add in the presence of\add* Yahweh,
\q1 because he, the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, will rule gloriously ◄on Zion Hill/in Jerusalem►,
\q2 in the presence of  \add all\add* the leaders  \add of his people\add*.
\c 25
\s1 Isaiah praises God for his judgment and his salvation
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh, you are my God;
\q2 I will honor you and praise you [MTY].
\q1 You do wonderful things;
\q2 you said long ago that you would do those things,
\q2 and now you have done them like you said that you would.
\q1
\v 2 \add Sometimes\add* you have caused cities to become heaps of rubble,
\q2 cities that had strong walls around them.
\q1 You have caused palaces in foreign countries to disappear;
\q2 they will never be rebuilt.
\q1
\v 3 Therefore, people in powerful nations will declare that you are very great,
\q2 and people in nations  \add whose leaders are\add* ruthless/cruel will revere you.
\q1
\v 4 Yahweh, you are  \add like\add* [SIM] a strong tower where poor people can ◄find refuge/be safe►,
\q2 a place where needy people can go when they are distressed.
\q1  \add You are like\add* [MET] a place where people can find refuge in a storm
\q2 and where they can be shaded from the hot sun.
\q1 Ruthless/Cruel  \add people\add* oppress us;
\q2 they are like [SIM] a storm beating against a wall,
\q2
\v 5 and like [SIM] \add the very strong\add* heat in the desert.
\q1  \add But\add* you cause the roaring of people in foreign nations to cease.
\q2 Like the air cools when a cloud comes overhead,
\q2 you stop ruthless/cruel  \add people\add* from singing songs boasting about their being very great.
\b
\q1
\v 6 Here in Jerusalem the Commander of the armies of angels will prepare a wonderful feast for all the people  \add of the world\add*.
\q2 It will be a banquet with plenty of good meat and fine well-aged [DOU] wine.
\q1
\v 7 \add People here are\add* sad;
\q2 their being sad is  \add like\add* a dark cloud that hangs over them,
\q2 like they experience when someone dies.
\q1 But Yahweh will enable them to quit being sad.
\q2
\v 8 He will get rid of death forever!
\q1 Yahweh our God will cause people to no longer mourn because someone has died.
\q2 And he will stop other people insulting and making fun of his land and  \add us\add* his people.
\q1  \add That will surely happen because\add* Yahweh has said it!
\b
\p
\v 9 At that time, \add people\add* will proclaim,
\q1 “Yahweh is our God!
\q2 We trusted in him, and he rescued us!
\q1 Yahweh, in whom we trusted, has done it;
\q2 we should rejoice because of his saving/rescuing  \add us\add*!” 
\b
\q1
\v 10 Yahweh [MTY] will protect and bless Jerusalem.
\q2  \add But\add* he will crush  \add the people in the land of\add* Moab;
\q2 they will be like [SIM] straw that is trampled in the manure  \add and left to rot\add*.
\q1
\v 11 Yahweh will push down the people of Moab
\q2 like [SIM] a swimmer pushes down  \add the water\add* with his hands.
\q1 He will cause them to cease being proud,
\q2 and he will show that all the things that they have done are worthless.
\q1
\v 12 The high walls  \add around the cities\add* of Moab will be torn down;
\q2 they will be demolished and fall into the dust/dirt.
\c 26
\s1 A song to praise Yahweh
\p
\v 1 Some day, \add people in\add* Judah will sing this song:
\q1 Our city  \add of Jerusalem\add* is strong!
\q2 Yahweh protects our city;
\q2 He is like [MET] a wall that surrounds it.
\q1
\v 2 Open the gates of the city for people who are righteous;
\q2 allow people who faithfully  \add obey Yahweh\add* to enter the city.
\q1
\v 3 Yahweh, those who trust in you,
\q2 those who firmly resolve to never doubt you,
\q2 you will enable them to be perfectly peaceful  \add in their inner beings\add*.
\q1
\v 4 \add So\add* always trust in Yahweh,
\q2 because Yahweh, \add our God\add*, is forever  \add like\add* [MET] a huge rock  \add under which we are sheltered/protected/safe\add*.
\q1
\v 5 He humbles proud people
\q2 and destroys cities whose people are arrogant.
\q1 He causes those cities to collapse into the dust/dirt.
\q1
\v 6 \add When that happens\add*, poor and oppressed people will trample on the ruins.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add But as for\add* the righteous people,
\q2 Yahweh, you do what is right;
\q1  \add it is as though\add* you cause the paths where they walk to be level and smooth.
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh, by obeying your laws
\q2 we show that we trust you to help us;
\q1 and what we desire in our inner beings is that you will be honored/praised/exalted.
\q1
\v 9 \add All\add* during the nights I [SYN] desire to know you better,
\q2 and in the mornings I still want to be with you.
\q1  \add Only\add* when you come to judge  \add and punish\add* people who live on the earth
\q2 will they learn to do what is right.
\q1
\v 10 \add But\add* your acting kindly toward wicked people does not cause them to do what is good.
\q1  \add Even\add* in places where people do what is right, the wicked people continue to do what is evil,
\q2 and they do not realize that you, Yahweh, are great.
\q1
\v 11 Yahweh, \add it is as though\add* your fist is raised up  \add ready to strike them\add*, 
\q2 but they do not realize that.
\q1 Show them that you are very eager to help your people.
\q2 If your enemies would realize that, they would be ashamed;
\q1 allow your fire to burn them up  \add because they are\add* your enemies.
\b
\q1
\v 12 Yahweh, \add we desire that\add* you will allow things to go well for us;
\q2 all that we have done is what you have enabled us to do.
\q1
\v 13 Yahweh, our God, others have ruled over us,
\q2 but you [MTY] are the only one whom we honor.
\q1
\v 14 Those who ruled us are  \add now\add* gone; they are dead;
\q2 their spirits have left this earth and they will not become alive  \add again\add*.
\q1 You punished those rulers and got rid of them,
\q2 and people do not even remember them anymore.
\q1
\v 15 Yahweh, you have enabled our nation to become great;
\q2 we are more people  \add now\add*, and we have more land,
\q1  \add so we\add* thank/praise you.
\b
\q1
\v 16 Yahweh, when we were distressed, we asked you  \add to help us\add*; 
\q2 when you disciplined/punished us, we were able only to whisper when we prayed to you.
\q1
\v 17 Like pregnant women writhe and cry out
\q2 when they are giving birth,
\q2 we suffered very much, too.
\q1
\v 18 We had severe pain,
\q2 but nothing good resulted [MET] from it.
\q1 We have not rescued our people  \add from being conquered by our enemies\add*, 
\q2 and we have not given birth to children  \add who will rule the world correctly\add* (OR, not defeated the armies  \add that have attacked other nations\add*.
\s1 God's punishment for Israel
\q1
\v 19 But Yahweh's people who have died will become alive  \add again\add*, 
\q2 their corpses will become alive!
\q1 Those whose bodies lie in graves will rise and shout joyfully!
\q1 His light will be  \add like\add* dew that falls on his people who have died,
\q2 who are  \add now\add* in the place where the dead people are,
\q2  \add and will cause them to become alive\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 20 But now, my people/fellow-citizens, go home
\q2 and lock your doors!
\q1 Hide for a short time,
\q2 until  \add Yahweh\add* is no longer angry.
\q1
\v 21 Listen to this: Yahweh will come from heaven
\q2 to punish  \add all\add* the people on the earth for the sins that they have committed.
\q1 People will be able to see [PRS] the ◄blood of those/the people► who have been murdered;
\q2 their murderers will no longer be able to hide.
\c 27
\s1 God's future blessings on Israel
\q1
\v 1 At that time, Yahweh will punish Leviathan,
\q2 the swift-moving monster/dragon,
\q1 that coiling serpent that lives in the sea.
\q1 Yahweh will kill it with his sharp, huge, and powerful sword.
\p
\v 2 At that time, \add Yahweh will say\add*, 
\q1 “You  \add Israeli people, who are like\add* [MET] a fruitful vineyard, must sing!
\q2
\v 3 I will  \add protect you\add* 
\q2  \add like a farmer\add* [MET] waters his crops carefully  \add in order that they will grow well\add*.
\q1 I will guard you day and night, in order that no one harms you.
\q1
\v 4 I am no  \add longer\add* angry  \add with my people\add*; 
\q1  \add if any of your enemies try to injure you like briers and thorns injure people\add* [MET],
\q2 I will attack them  \add in battles\add*; 
\q2 I will get rid of them completely,
\q1
\v 5 unless they request me to protect them;
\q2 I strongly invite them to make peace with me [DOU]!”
\b
\q1
\v 6 There will be a time when the ◄descendants of Jacob/Israeli people► will  \add prosper like\add* a plant that has good roots;
\q2 they will be like [MET] trees that bud and blossom and bear a lot of fruit;
\q2  \add what they do will bless\add* all the people in the world.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add But now I ask\add*, has Yahweh punished us Israelis
\q2 like he punished our enemies?
\q1 Has he punished us as much as he punished them?
\q1
\v 8 \add No, he has not done that\add*, 
\q2  \add but\add* he punished us Israeli people and ◄exiled us/forced us to leave our country►;
\q2 we were taken away from our land
\q2 as though [SIM] we were struck by a windstorm from the east.
\q1
\v 9 Yahweh did that in order to punish us for our sins,
\q2 and remove our guilt.
\q1 As a result  \add of our being exiled\add*, all the altars to other gods  \add in Israel\add* will be demolished,
\q2 and we will be forgiven for the sins that we have committed.
\q1 There will be no more poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah or altars for burning incense to other gods;
\q2 they will all be torn down.
\q1
\v 10 The cities that have strong walls around them will be empty;
\q2 like the desert, they will have no one living in them.
\q1 The houses will be abandoned,
\q2 and the streets will be full of weeds.
\q1 Calves will eat grass there and lie down there;
\q2 they will chew up all the leaves on the trees.
\q1
\v 11 \add The Israeli people are like\add* [MET] dry branches on a tree;
\q2 women break them off and use them to make fires  \add under their cooking pots\add*.
\q1 Our Israeli people do not have any sense;
\q2 so Yahweh, who created them, will not act mercifully toward them
\q2 or be kind to them.
\p
\v 12 \add However\add*, there will be a time when Yahweh will gather them together  \add again; he will separate them from the people who have conquered them, like people\add* separate wheat from chaff. He will bring them  \add back to Israel\add*, one by one, from  \add the land between\add* the Euphrates River  \add in the northeast  \add*and the brook at the border of Egypt  \add in the southwest\add*.
\v 13 At that time, a trumpet will be blown very loudly. And those who were exiled to Assyria and Egypt and who almost died there will return to Jerusalem, to worship Yahweh on  \add Zion\add*, his holy hill.
\c 28
\s1 Warnings to Israel
\q1
\v 1 Terrible things will happen to \add Samaria city, the capital of Israel\add*
\q2 It is on a hill above a fertile valley;
\q1 the people who live there, who get drunk by drinking too much wine, are very proud;
\q2 it is a beautiful and glorious city,
\q2 but some day that beauty will disappear like [MET] a flower that wilts and dries up.
\q1
\v 2 Listen to this: Yahweh will cause a great army to attack it.
\q2 Their soldiers will be like [SIM] a huge hailstorm \add or\add* a very strong wind;
\q1 they will be everywhere, like the water of a huge flood,
\q2 and they will smash to the ground \add the buildings in Samaria\add*.
\q1
\v 3 The people of Samaria are proud,
\q2 but everything that the drunks who live there think is wonderful/glorious will be trampled on by their enemies.
\q1
\v 4 \add Yes\add*, Samaria is beautiful, set on a hill above a fertile valley, but that beauty will disappear
\q2 like [MET] a flower that wilts and dries up.
\q1 Whenever someone sees a good fig at the beginning of the season \add when figs become ripe\add*, he quickly picks and eats it;
\q2 \add similarly, when the enemies of Israel see all the beautiful things in Samaria\add*,
\q2 \add they will quickly conquer the city and take away all those things\add*.
\q1
\v 5 At that time, the Commander of the armies of angels will be \add like\add* a glorious wreath of flowers for \add us\add* Israeli people
\q2 who are still alive \add after being exiled\add*.
\q1
\v 6 He will cause our judges to want to do what is fair/just
\q2 when they decide people's cases.
\q1 He will enable the soldiers who stand at the city gates
\q2 to strongly defend \add the city when our enemies attack it\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add But now,\add* our leaders stagger/stumble
\q2 because they have drunk a lot of wine and \add other\add* alcoholic drinks.
\q1 The priests and prophets also stagger
\q2 because of drinking a lot of wine and other alcoholic drinks.
\q1 They are not able to think right;
\q2 they see visions but they cannot understand what they mean;
\q2 they are unable to decide things correctly.
\q1
\v 8 All their tables are covered with \add their\add* vomit;
\q2 filth is everywhere.
\b
\q1
\v 9 They ridicule Yahweh saying, “Who does he think that he is teaching?
\q2 Why is he talking to us like this?
\q1 \add Does he think that\add* we are little children
\q2 who have recently been weaned?
\q1
\v 10 \add He continually tells us\add*, ‘Do this, do that;’
\q2 first he tells us one rule, then another rule,
\q2 he tells us only one line at a time.”
\b
\q1
\v 11 So now, Yahweh will need to force them to listen to \add Assyrians\add*
\q2 speaking to them in a language that they do not understand.
\q1
\v 12 Yahweh told his people \add long ago\add*,
\q2 “\add This is\add* a place where you can rest;
\q1 you are exhausted \add from all your travels through the desert\add*,
\q2 but you will be able to rest \add in this land\add*.”
\q1 But they refused to pay attention to what he said.
\q1
\v 13 So Yahweh continues to tell the people of Samaria,
\q1 one line at a time, “Do this, do that,”
\q2 first one rule and then another rule.
\q1 But because \add of their ignoring what God said\add*, they will be attacked and defeated;
\q2 they will be wounded and snared and captured.
\s1 Warnings to Judah
\q1
\v 14 Because of \add what will happen in Samaria\add*,
\q2 you rulers in Jerusalem who make fun of me,
\q2 listen to this message from Yahweh:
\q1
\v 15 You \add boast\add* saying,
\q1 “We have made an alliance with \add the leaders of Egypt\add*,
\q2 so we will not be killed \add in battles\add*;
\q2 we will never go to the place where the dead people are.
\q1 When the \add army of Assyria\add* attacks us, they will never defeat us,
\q2 because we have made \add an agreement with Egypt\add* to protect us!”
\q1 \add But that agreement consists of\add* a lot of lies [DOU].
\p
\v 16 Therefore, Yahweh \add our\add* Lord says this:
\q1 “Listen to this! I am going to place in Jerusalem \add someone who is like\add* [MET] a foundation stone,
\q2 \add he is like\add* a stone that has been tested \add to determine if it is solid\add*.
\q1 \add He will be like\add* a valuable cornerstone around which it will be safe to build a house;
\q2 and whoever trusts in him will never be disappointed.
\q1
\v 17 I will test you \add people of Jerusalem\add* to find out if you will act justly and righteously
\q2 \add like\add* [MET] someone uses a plumb line \add to determine if a wall is straight and level\add*.
\q1 But because your agreement \add with Egypt\add* to protect you \add was made by leaders\add* lying to each other and deceiving each other,
\q2 you will be defeated and taken away \add from your country\add*
\q2 by \add an army that will come against you like\add* [MET] a flood.
\q1
\v 18 I will annul/destroy the agreement that you made \add with the leaders of Egypt\add*.
\q2 You thought that \add because of that agreement\add* you would not be killed and you would not go to the place where the dead are.
\q1 \add But\add* when the vast \add army of Assyria\add* overwhelms you like a flood,
\q2 they will trample you into the ground.
\q1
\v 19 Their soldiers will come during the morning, at noontime, and at night,
\q2 and they will carry you all away.”
\b
\q1 And when you understand this message,
\q2 you will be terrified.
\q1
\v 20 \add You have heard people say\add*, “Your bed is very short, you will not be able to sleep in it;
\q2 your blankets are very narrow; they will not cover you!”
\q2 \add That means for you that your agreement with Egypt is not going to save you\add*.
\q1
\v 21 Yahweh will come \add and cause you to be defeated\add*;
\q2 he will do to you like he did to the army of Philistia at Perizim Mountain
\q2 and like he did to the Amor people-group at Gibeon Valley.
\q1 What he will do will be \add very\add* strange and unusual [DOU].
\q1
\v 22 The Almighty Commander of the armies of angels has told me that he is going to destroy the entire land.
\q1 So do not ridicule \add what I say anymore\add*,
\q2 because if you do that
\q2 he will punish you \add even\add* more severely.
\b
\q1
\v 23 Listen [IDI] to what I say;
\q2 pay attention carefully.
\q1
\v 24 When a farmer plows some ground, does he never plant seeds [RHQ]?
\q2 Does he continue to plow it and never plant anything [RHQ]?
\q1
\v 25 No, he makes the ground very level,
\q2 and then he plants seeds—
\q2 dill and cumin and wheat and barley.
\q1 He plants each kind of seed in the correct manner.
\q1
\v 26 \add He does that\add* because God has taught him the correct way to do it.
\q1
\v 27 \add Farmers\add* never thresh caraway/dill with a heavy sledge/club;
\q2 instead, they beat it only with a stick.
\q1 \add Farmers\add* never thresh cumin by driving a cart over it;
\q2 instead, they hit it \add only\add* with a rod.
\q1
\v 28 And grain for baking bread is crushed easily,
\q2 so the farmers do not continue to pound it for a long time.
\q1 They sometimes cause their horses to pull a cart over it \add to thresh it\add*,
\q2 \add but\add* doing that does not grind the grain.
\q1
\v 29 The Commander of the armies of angels
\q2 gives \add us\add* wonderful advice \add about how to do things\add*; he gives \add us\add* great wisdom.
\q1 \add So what the farmers do is very smart/wise, but what your leaders are doing is very stupid\add*.
\c 29
\s1 Warnings for Jerusalem
\p
\v 1 \add This is a message from Yahweh\add*: 
\q1 Terrible things will happen to Jerusalem, the city where  \add King\add* David lived.
\q2 You people continue to celebrate your festivals each year.
\q1
\v 2 But I will cause you to experience a great disaster,
\q2  \add and when that happens\add*, 
\q2 people will weep and lament  \add very much\add*.
\q1 Your city will become like [MET] an altar  \add to me\add* 
\q2  \add where people are burned as sacrifices\add*.
\q1
\v 3 I will cause your enemies  \add to come to your city\add*; 
\q2 they will surround it by  \add building\add* towers
\q2 and putting in place other things with which to attack you.
\q1
\v 4 Then you will talk  \add as though you were\add* buried deep in the ground [DOU];
\q2 it will sound like someone whispering from under the ground,
\q1 like [SIM] a ghost speaking from a grave.
\q1
\v 5 But, suddenly your enemies will be blown away like dust;
\q1 their armies will disappear
\q2 like [SIM] chaff that is blown away  \add by the wind\add*.
\q1  \add It will happen\add* very suddenly:
\q1
\v 6 The Commander of the armies of angels will come  \add to help you\add* 
\q1 with thunder and an earthquake and a very loud noise,
\q2 with a strong wind and a big storm and a fire that will burn up everything.
\q1
\v 7 \add Then\add* the armies of all the nations that will be attacking Jerusalem will quickly disappear like a dream in the night [DOU].
\q2 Those who will be attacking Jerusalem will suddenly vanish/disappear.
\q1
\v 8 People who are asleep dream about eating food,
\q2  \add but\add* when they wake up, they are still hungry.
\q1 People who are thirsty dream about drinking something,
\q2  \add but\add* when they wake up they are still thirsty.
\q1 It will be like that when your enemies come to attack Zion Hill;
\q2  \add they will dream about conquering you, but when they wake up\add*, 
\q2  \add they will realize that they have not succeeded\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 9 You  \add people of Jerusalem\add*, be amazed and surprised  \add about this\add* [IRO]!
\q2 Do not believe  \add what I have said\add* [SAR]!
\q1 And continue to be blind [IRO] \add about what Yahweh is doing\add*.
\q2 You are stupid, but it is not because you have drunk a lot of wine.
\q2 You stagger, but not from drinking alcoholic drinks.
\q1
\v 10 Because Yahweh has prevented the prophets [DOU] from understanding  \add and telling you his messages\add*, 
\q2  \add it is as though\add* he has caused you to be fast/deeply asleep.
\b
\p
\v 11 \add Yahweh gave me\add* this vision; \add but\add* for you, it is only words on a scroll that is sealed shut. If you give it to those who can read  \add and request that they read it\add*, they will say, “We cannot read it because the scroll is sealed.”
\v 12 When you give it to  \add others\add* who cannot read, they will say, “\add We cannot read it because\add* we do not know how to read.”
\p
\v 13 \add So\add* the Lord says, “These people say that they belong to me.
\q1 They honor me by what they say [MTY],
\q2 but they do not think [IDI] about what I  \add desire\add*.
\q1 When they worship me,
\q2 all they do is recite rules that people have made and that they have memorized.
\q1
\v 14 Therefore, again I will do something to amaze these people;
\q2 I will perform many miracles.
\q1 And  \add I will show that\add* the people  \add who tell others that they\add* are wise are not really wise,
\q2 and  \add I will show that\add* the people  \add who tell others that they\add* are intelligent are not really intelligent.
\q1
\v 15 Terrible things will happen to those who try to conceal from me, Yahweh,
\q2 the  \add evil\add* things that they plan to do;
\q1 they do those deeds in the darkness
\q2 and they think, ‘Yahweh certainly cannot [RHQ] see us;
\q2 he cannot [RHQ] know what we are doing!’
\q1
\v 16 They are extremely foolish!
\q2  \add They act as though\add* they were the potters and I was the clay!
\q1 Something that was created should certainly never [RHQ] say to the one who made it,
\q2 ‘You did not make me!’
\q1 A jar should never say,
\q2 ‘The potter who made me did not know what he was doing!’”
\b
\q1
\v 17 Soon  \add the forests in\add* Lebanon will become fertile fields,
\q2 and abundant crops will grow in those fields,
\q2 and that will happen very soon.
\q1
\v 18 At that time, deaf people will  \add be able to hear\add*; 
\q2  \add they will be able to\add* hear when someone reads from a book;
\q1 and blind people will  \add be able to see\add*; 
\q2  \add they will be able to\add* see things when it is gloomy and  \add even\add* when it is dark.
\q1
\v 19 Yahweh will enable humble people to be very joyful again.
\q2 Poor people will rejoice about what the Holy One of Israel  \add has done\add*.
\q1
\v 20 There will be no more people who ridicule  \add others\add* 
\q2 and no more arrogant people.
\q2 And those who plan to do evil things will be executed.
\q1
\v 21 Those who testify falsely in order to persuade judges to punish innocent people will vanish/disappear.
\q2 Similar things will happen to those who by lying in court  \add persuade the judges to\add* make unjust decisions.
\p
\v 22 That is why Yahweh, who rescued Abraham, says about the people of Israel,
\q1 “My people will no longer be ashamed;
\q2 no longer will they show on their faces that they are ashamed.
\q1
\v 23 When they see that I have blessed them by giving them many children and doing many other things for them,
\q2 they will realize that I am the Holy One of Israel,
\q2 and they will revere me, the God to whom they, the descendants of Jacob, belong.
\q1
\v 24 When that happens, those who are not able to think well will think clearly,
\q2 and those who complain  \add about what I am doing\add* will accept what I am teaching them.”
\c 30
\s1 Judah's worthless treaty with Egypt
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh says, “Terrible things will happen to you, my people who rebel against me.
\q2 You make plans, but what you plan is not what I want.
\q1 You have made an alliance  \add with the rulers of Egypt\add*, 
\q2 but you did not ask my Spirit  \add if that was what you should do\add*.
\q2 By doing that, you have increased the number of your sins.
\q1
\v 2 You went to Egypt  \add to ask their rulers for help\add*, 
\q2 without asking for my advice.
\q1 You have trusted in  \add the army of\add* the king of Egypt to protect you;
\q1 you have  \add trusted in them\add* 
\q2  \add like\add* people sit in the shade  \add to protect themselves from the sun\add* [MET].
\q1
\v 3 \add But\add* the result of your trusting in the king of Egypt is that you will be  \add disappointed and\add* disgraced;
\q2 because of trusting in him, you will be humiliated.
\q1
\v 4 Officials/ambassadors  \add from Judah\add* have gone to Zoan and Hanes  \add cities in Egypt to make treaties\add*, 
\q1
\v 5 but all those  \add who trust in the King of Egypt\add* will be humiliated,
\q2 because that nation will not be able to help you;
\q1 the treaty that you have made  \add requesting help from them\add* will be useless;
\q2 instead, the result will be that you will be humiliated and disgraced [DOU].”
\p
\v 6 \add I received from Yahweh\add* this message about the animals in the southern part of Judah:
\q1 That area is one where  \add people experience a lot of\add* troubles and difficulties,
\q2 an area where there are male and female lions
\q2 and various kinds of poisonous snakes.
\q1 Caravans go through that area
\q2 taking donkeys and camels loaded with valuable goods.
\q1  \add They are taking them\add* to Egypt to seek for protection  \add by the army of Egypt\add*, 
\q2  \add but\add* it will be useless.
\q2
\v 7 The promises made by  \add the king of\add* Egypt are worthless;
\q1 therefore I call Egypt ❛the sea monster/dragon that does nothing❜.
\s1 A warning for Judah
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh told me to write on a scroll a message,
\q2 in order that it would be a witness  \add to the people of Judah\add* 
\q1 that would endure forever.
\q1
\v 9 \add It would remind them that\add* that they are deceitful and always rebelling against Yahweh;
\q2 they refuse to pay attention to what he tells/teaches them.
\q1
\v 10 They tell the people who see/receive visions  \add from Yahweh\add*, 
\q2 “Stop seeing visions!”
\q1 They tell the prophets,
\q2 “Do not reveal to us what is right!
\q1 Tell us pleasant things;
\q2 do not tell us visions about things that are true!
\q1
\v 11 Stop doing what you have been doing [DOU];
\q2 stop telling us what the Holy One of Israel  \add says to us\add*!” 
\p
\v 12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
\q1 “You have rejected my message,
\q2 and you are relying on those who oppress and deceive others.
\q1
\v 13 Therefore, the result of your sin  \add of rejecting me\add* will be that you will  \add suddenly experience disasters\add*; 
\q2 what will happen to you will be like [SIM] a cracked wall that suddenly collapses [DOU].
\q1
\v 14 You will be smashed like a clay jar is smashed  \add when it is dropped\add*, 
\q1 and it shatters completely, with the result that there is not one piece big enough
\q2 to carry some coals from a stove
\q2 or to carry a little bit of water from a well.”
\p
\v 15 Yahweh, \add our\add* God, the Holy One of Israel, \add also\add* says this:
\q1 “You will be rescued  \add from your enemies only\add* if you repent and trust  \add in what I will do for you\add*; 
\q2 you will be strong  \add only\add* if you quit worrying and trust in me.
\q1 But you do not want  \add to do that\add*.
\q1
\v 16 You said, ‘No, we will escape on horses  \add that the army of Egypt will give us\add*!’
\q2 So, you will  \add try to\add* flee.
\q1 You said, ‘We will  \add escape from the army of Assyria\add* by riding on swift horses!’
\q2  \add But\add* those who pursue you will  \add also ride\add* swiftly.
\q1
\v 17 \add As a result\add*, a thousand  \add of you\add* will flee when  \add only\add* one of them pursues you!
\q1 When five  \add of their soldiers\add* threaten  \add to kill you\add*, 
\q2  \add all of \add*you will flee.
\q1  \add Only a few of\add* you will be left, like [SIM] a  \add single\add* flagpole on top of a mountain
\q2 with one signal flag on the pole.”
\b
\q1
\v 18 \add But  \add*Yahweh wants to act kindly toward you;
\q2 he desires to show you that he acts mercifully.
\q1  \add Do not forget that\add* Yahweh is a God who acts justly;
\q2 he is pleased with those who patiently trust in him.
\s1 Yahweh will help his people
\p
\v 19 You people who live in Jerusalem [DOU], \add some day\add* you will not cry anymore. Yahweh will be kind to you when you call out to him for help. He will answer/help you as soon as he hears you call.
\v 20 Although  \add now\add* Yahweh has caused you to  \add daily\add* experience [MET] great troubles and suffer much, \add he\add*, your teacher, will not hide himself from you. He [SYN] will teach you many things clearly.
\v 21 And you will hear him speak to you to guide you. \add Right\add* behind you he will say, “This is the road on which you should walk; walk on this road!”
\v 22 When that happens, you will destroy  \add all\add* your idols that are covered with silver or gold. You will throw them away like you throw away a filthy rag, and you will say to them, “We do not need you anymore!”
\p
\v 23 \add If you do that\add*, Yahweh will bless you by giving you good rain at the time that you plant your crops. You will have good harvests, and plenty of big fields with grass for your cattle to eat.
\v 24 After the wind  \add blows away the chaff\add*, the oxen and donkeys that  \add pull the plow to\add* plow your ground will have good grain to eat.
\v 25 At that time, when  \add your enemies\add* have been slaughtered and their towers have ◄collapsed/been destroyed►, there will be streams flowing down every hill and mountain  \add in Judah\add*.
\v 26 The moon will seem to shine as brightly as the sun, and the sun will seem to shine seven times as brightly as previously. That is what it will be like when Yahweh causes  \add the suffering of\add* his people  \add to cease; it will be as though\add* [MET] he will be putting bandages on their wounds and healing them.
\b
\q1
\v 27 \add It is as though\add* we see Yahweh coming from far away;
\q2 he is extremely angry,
\q1 and there are thick clouds of smoke around him.
\q2 By what he says [MTY] he shows that he is angry;
\q2 what he says is like [SIM] a devastating/destructive fire.
\q1
\v 28 His breath is like [SIM] a flood that covers  \add his enemies\add* up to their necks.
\q2 He will separate [MET] the nations in order to destroy  \add some of them\add*; 
\q2  \add it is as though\add* he will put hooks in their mouths and take them away.
\q1
\v 29 But  \add his people\add* will sing joyfully
\q2 like they sing during the nights when they celebrate a holy festival.
\q1 They will be very joyful,
\q2 like [SIM] \add a large group of his people\add* are joyful when they go up to Zion Hill in Jerusalem,
\q1 along with men playing flutes
\q  \add when they are all going there to worship Yahweh\add*.
\q2 He is  \add like\add* [MET] a huge rock under which  \add we\add* Israeli people  \add are safe\add*.
\q1
\v 30 And Yahweh will enable  \add us\add* to hear him speaking powerfully/majestically.
\q2 He will show us that he [SYN] is very powerful.
\q1  \add We\add* will see him [SYN] smash  \add his enemies\add*.
\q2 Being very angry, he will descend with a big rainstorm and thunder and hail  \add to punish them\add*.
\q1
\v 31 \add The soldiers of\add* Assyria will be terrified when they hear the voice of Yahweh
\q2 and when he strikes them with his rod.
\q1
\v 32 And while Yahweh strikes them to punish them,
\q2  \add his people\add* will  \add celebrate by\add* playing tambourines and harps.
\q1  \add It will be as though\add* Yahweh will lift up his powerful hand/arm and defeat the Assyrian army in battle.
\q1
\v 33 The valley of Topheth  \add outside Jerusalem\add* has been prepared for a long time;
\q2 it is ready for the king  \add of Assyria\add*; 
\q1 the ◄funeral pyre/pile of wood► \add for burning his body\add* is wide and high,
\q2 and  \add it will be as though\add* Yahweh will light the fire with his breath,
\q2 which will come out like a stream of burning sulfur.
\c 31
\s1 A warning about relying on Egypt
\q1
\v 1 Terrible things will happen to those who reply on Egypt to help them,
\q2 trusting in their soldiers' horses and their many chariots and their strong chariot-drivers,
\q1 instead of trusting that Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, will help them.
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh is \add very\add* wise,
\q2 \add but\add* he also causes people to experience disaster!
\q1 And \add when he decides to do that\add*,
\q2 he does not change his mind!
\q1 He will strike/punish the wicked people
\q2 and \add all\add* those who help them.
\q1
\v 3 The soldiers of Egypt \add that you people of Judah are relying on\add* are humans, not God!
\q2 And their horses are only horses; they are not \add powerful\add* spirits!
\q1 So when Yahweh raises his fist
\q2 to strike/punish the \add soldiers of Egypt whom you thought would help you\add*,
\q2 he will also strike \add you who thought that you would be helped\add*,
\q2 and you and they will stumble and fall down;
\q2 all of you will die together.
\b
\p
\v 4 But this is what Yahweh said to me:
\q1 “When a huge lion stands over the body of a sheep that he has killed and growls,
\q2 even if a large group of shepherds comes \add to chase/shoo away the lion\add*,
\q1 even if they shout loudly,
\q2 the lion will not be afraid and will not leave.
\q1 Similarly, I, the Commander of the armies of angels, will come down
\q2 to fight \add my enemies\add* on Zion Hill,
\q2 \add and nothing will hinder me\add*.
\q1
\v 5 \add I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, will protect Jerusalem
\q2 like [SIM] a \add mother\add* bird protects \add the baby birds in\add* her nest:
\q1 I will defend the city
\q2 and rescue it from its enemies.”
\b
\p
\v 6 My people, \add even though\add* you have greatly rebelled against Yahweh, return to him.
\v 7 When you do that, each of you will throw away the idols that you [SYN] have sinned by making, idols that are \add covered with\add* silver and gold.
\b
\q1
\v 8 \add Many of the\add* Assyrian \add soldiers\add* will be killed,
\q2 but not by swords that men use.
\q1 They will be destroyed by the sword of God;
\q2 and \add those who are not killed\add* will ◄panic/be very afraid► and flee.
\q1 And some of them will \add be captured\add* and forced to become slaves.
\q1
\v 9 \add Even\add* their very strong soldiers [MTY] will be terrified;
\q2 they will abandon their battle flags and run away!
\q1 Yahweh will cause his enemies who attack Jerusalem to be destroyed.
\q1 Yahweh's presence on Zion Hill is \add like\add* a fire,
\q2 \add like\add* a furnace that blazes in Jerusalem;
\q2 and that is what Yahweh says \add about the Assyrian army.\add*
\c 32
\s1 What will happen when the great king comes
\q1
\v 1 Listen to this! Some day there will, be a righteous king,
\q2 and his officials will help him to rule justly/fairly.
\q1
\v 2 Each  \add of them\add* will be like [MET] a shelter from the wind
\q2 and a ◄refuge/place to be protected► from the storm.
\q1 They will be like [SIM] streams of water in the desert,
\q2 like the shade under a huge rock in a very hot and dry land.
\b
\q1
\v 3 When that happens, \add those leaders will enable\add* people who have not understood [MET] \add God's truth\add* to understand it,
\q2 and  \add they will enable\add* those who have not paid attention to [MET] \add God's truth\add* to pay attention to it.
\q1
\v 4 \add Even\add* those who act very hastily will have good sense,
\q2 and those who cannot speak well will speak fluently and clearly.
\q1
\v 5 \add At that time\add*, people who are foolish/unwise will no longer be ◄admired/looked up to►,
\q2 and scoundrels will no longer be respected.
\q1
\v 6 Foolish people say things that are foolish,
\q2 and they plan to do evil things.
\q1 Their behavior is disgraceful,
\q2 and they say things about Yahweh that are false.
\q1 They do not give food to those who are hungry,
\q2 and they do not give water to those who are thirsty.
\q1
\v 7 Scoundrels do things that are evil and that deceive people;
\q2 they plan to do evil things;
\q1 by telling lies  \add in court\add* they cause poor people to ◄have trouble/be convicted►,
\q2 even when what the poor  \add people\add* are requesting is fair/just.
\q1
\v 8 But honorable people plan to do honorable/good things,
\q2 and they do the honorable/good things that they plan to do.
\s1 A message for the women of Jerusalem
\q1
\v 9 You women  \add of Jerusalem\add* who think that you are very secure/safe
\q2 and think that everything is going well,
\q1 listen to [IDI] what I say!
\q1
\v 10 After one year is ended, you who now ◄are not worried about anything/think that everything is going well► will tremble,
\q2 because there will be no grapes for you to harvest
\q1 and no  \add other\add* crops to harvest.
\q1
\v 11 \add So\add* tremble  \add now\add*, you women who are not worried about anything!
\q2 Take off your  \add fancy\add* clothes and put rough sackcloth around your waists.
\q1
\v 12 Beat/Hit your breasts to show that you are grieving about  \add what will happen in\add* your fertile fields and to your fruitful grapevines,
\q1
\v 13 because  \add only\add* thorns and thistles will grow in your soil.
\q2 Your houses where you had joyful parties and your city where you have been happy will be gone.
\q1
\v 14 The  \add king's\add* palace will be empty;
\q2 there will be no people in the city that  \add now\add* is very noisy.
\q1 Wild donkeys will walk around and flocks of sheep will eat grass
\q2 in the empty forts and watchtowers.
\q1
\v 15 \add It will be like that\add* until God pours his Spirit out on us from heaven.
\q2  \add When that happens\add*, the deserts will become fertile fields,
\q2 and abundant crops will grow in those fertile fields.
\q1
\v 16 People [PRS] will act/rule justly/fairly in those desert areas,
\q2 and people will act/rule righteously in those fertile fields.
\q1
\v 17 And the result of their acting righteously will be that there will be peace,
\q2 the land will be tranquil/quiet, and people will be secure/safe forever.
\q1
\v 18 My people will live in their homes peacefully, and safely, and calmly,
\q2 in places of rest.
\q1
\v 19 \add Even if a severe\add* hailstorm knocks down  \add the trees in\add* the forest,
\q2 and  \add all the buildings in\add* the city are blown down,
\q1
\v 20 Yahweh  \add will greatly\add* bless you;
\q2 you will plant  \add seeds in fields\add* alongside the streams
\q2  \add and there will be abundant crops\add*.
\q2 Your donkeys and cattle will easily find grass to eat.
\c 33
\s1 Warnings to Assyria and promises to God's people
\q1
\v 1 Terrible things will happen to you \add people of Assyria\add*
\q1 You have destroyed \add others\add*,
\q2 \add but\add* you have not been destroyed \add yet\add*.
\q1 You have betrayed/deceived \add others\add*,
\q2 \add but\add* you have not been betrayed/deceived \add yet\add*.
\q1 When you stop destroying \add others\add*\f + \f*,
\q2 others will destroy you.
\q1 When you stop betraying/deceiving others,
\q2 \add others \add*will betray you.
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh, act kindly toward us,
\q2 because we have patiently waited for you \add to help us\add*.
\q1 Enable us to be strong every day,
\q2 and rescue us when we have troubles.
\q1
\v 3 Our enemies run away when they hear your voice.
\q2 When you stand up and show that you are powerful [IDI], the people of all nations flee.
\q1
\v 4 \add And after our enemies have been defeated\add*,
\q1 we, your people, will take away all our enemies' possessions
\q2 like [SIM] caterpillars and locusts strip off all the leaves of plants.
\b
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh is greater than anyone else, and he lives in heaven,
\q2 and he will rule justly and righteously in Jerusalem.
\q1
\v 6 \add When that happens\add*, he will enable you to live securely/safely;
\q2 he will fully protect your possessions,
\q2 he will enable you to be wise and to know \add all that you need to know\add*;
\q1 and revering Yahweh will be \add like\add* [MET] a valuable treasure for you.
\b
\q1
\v 7 \add But now\add*, look, our brave men are crying out in the streets;
\q1 our ambassadors \add have gone to other countries to make peace treaties\add*,
\q2 \add but they will\add* cry bitterly \add because they will not succeed\add*.
\q1
\v 8 No one travels on our roads [DOU].
\q2 \add The leaders of Assyria\add* have broken/disregarded their peace treaty \add with us\add*;
\q1 they despise the people who made those treaties,
\q2 and they do not respect anyone.
\q1
\v 9 The land \add of Judah\add* is dry and barren.
\q2 The \add cedar trees in\add* Lebanon are drying up and decaying.
\q1 The Sharon \add Plain along the coast\add* is now a desert.
\q2 There are no more leaves on the trees in the Bashan and Carmel \add areas\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 10 Yahweh says, “Now I will arise and show that I am very powerful [DOU].
\q1
\v 11 You \add people of Assyria\add* make plans that are \add as useless as\add* [MET] chaff and straw.
\q2 Your breath will become a fire that will burn you up.
\q1
\v 12 \add Your\add* people will be burned until only ashes remain [MET]
\q2 like [SIM] thornbushes are cut down and burned up in a fire.
\q1
\v 13 You people who live far away and you people who live nearby,
\q2 pay attention to what I have done and realize that I am \add very\add* powerful.”
\b
\q1
\v 14 The sinners in Jerusalem will tremble because of being very afraid;
\q2 godless people will be terrified.
\q1 \add They say\add*, “None of us can [RHQ] remain alive because this fire is burning everything;
\q2 it is like the fire on Yahweh's altar that will burn forever!”
\q1
\v 15 Those who act honestly and say what is right,
\q2 those who do not try to become rich by ◄extortion/forcing people to give them money►,
\q1 those who do not try to get bribes,
\q2 those who refuse to listen to people who are planning to murder someone,
\q1 those who do not join others who urge them to do what is wrong,
\q1
\v 16 they are the people who will live safely [MTY];
\q2 they will find places to be safe in the caves in the mountains.
\q1 They will have plenty of food
\q2 and water.
\b
\q1
\v 17 You [SYN] \add people of Judah\add* will see the king wearing all his beautiful \add robes\add*,
\q2 and you will see that he rules a land that extends far away.
\q1
\v 18 When you see that, you will think about when you were previously terrified,
\q2 \add and you will say\add*, “\add The officers of Assyria\add* who counted the tax money that we were forced to pay to them \add have disappeared\add* [RHQ]!
\q2 Those men who counted our towers \add are gone\add* [RHQ]!
\q1
\v 19 Those arrogant people who spoke a language that we could not understand are no longer here!”
\b
\q1
\v 20 \add At that time\add*, you will see Zion Hill, the place where we celebrate our festivals;
\q2 You will see that Jerusalem has become a place that is calm and safe.
\q2 It will be \add secure\add*,
\q1 \add like\add* [SIM] a tent \add that cannot be moved because\add* its ropes are tight
\q2 and its stakes are firmly in the ground.
\q1
\v 21 Yahweh will be our mighty God;
\q1 he will be \add like\add* [SIM] a mighty river that will protect us
\q2 because \add our enemies\add* will not be able to cross it;
\q2 no one will be able to row across it
\q2 and no ships will be able to sail across it.
\q1
\v 22 Yahweh is our judge;
\q2 he is the one who gives us laws,
\q1 and he is our king.
\q2 He will rescue us.
\b
\q1
\v 23 The ropes on our enemies' boats will hang loose,
\q2 their masts will not be fastened firmly,
\q2 and their sails will not be spread out.
\q1 The treasures that they have seized will be divided \add among us, God's people\add*,
\q2 and even lame \add people among us\add* will get some.
\q1
\v 24 And the people in Jerusalem will no \add longer\add* say, “We are sick,”
\q2 \add because Yahweh\add* will forgive the sins that have been committed by the people who live there.
\c 34
\s1 God will punish all his enemies
\q1
\v 1 You people of all nations, come near and listen
\q2 and pay careful attention.
\q1 I want the world and everything that is in it to hear what I say.
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh is angry with  \add the people of\add* all nations;
\q2 he is ◄furious/very angry► with all their armies.
\q1 He has decided that they must be destroyed,
\q2 and he will slaughter them.
\q1
\v 3 Their corpses will not be buried,
\q2 and  \add as a result\add* their corpses will stink,
\q2 and their blood will  \add fill the streams that\add* flow down the mountains.
\q1
\v 4 The sky will disappear like [SIM] a scroll that is rolled up  \add and thrown away\add*.
\q2 Stars will fall  \add from the sky\add* 
\q1 like [SIM] \add withered\add* leaves fall from grapevines,
\q2  \add or\add* like [SIM] shriveled figs fall from fig trees.
\q1
\v 5 When Yahweh has finished his work of destroying objects in the sky,
\q2 he will punish  \add the people of\add* Edom,
\q2 the people-group that he has said must be destroyed/exterminated.
\q1
\v 6 \add It is as though\add* Yahweh has a sword that is covered with blood and fat—
\q2 the blood of lambs and goats
\q2 and the fat of the kidneys of rams to be sacrificed.
\q1  \add It is as though\add* Yahweh will offer a sacrifice in  \add the city of\add* Bozrah
\q2  \add and kill many people\add* in other cities in Edom.
\q1
\v 7 \add Even\add* wild oxen will be killed,
\q2 as well as young calves and big bulls.
\q1 The ground will be soaked with blood,
\q2 and the dirt will be covered with the fat of those animals.
\b
\q1
\v 8 That will be the time when Yahweh gets revenge
\q2 for what those people did to the people of Judah.
\q1
\v 9 The streams in Edom will be full of burning pitch/tar,
\q2 and the ground will be covered with burning sulfur.
\q1
\v 10 Yahweh will never finish punishing Edom with fire;
\q2 the smoke will rise forever.
\q1 No one will ever live in that land,
\q2 and no one will  \add even\add* travel through it.
\q1
\v 11 Ravens and various kinds of owls and small animals will live there.
\q1 Yahweh will measure that land carefully:
\q2 He will measure it to  \add to decide where\add* to cause chaos and destruction.
\q1
\v 12 There will be no princes;
\q2 the people who have authority will have no kingdom to rule.
\q1
\v 13 The deserted palaces and fortified buildings will be full of thorns and thistles.
\q1 The ruins will be a place for jackals/wolves and owls to live.
\q1
\v 14 Animals that live in the desert and hyenas/wolves will be there,
\q2 and wild goats will bleat/call to each other.
\q1 There will also be creatures/animals that  \add roam around\add* at night.
\q1
\v 15 Owls will make their nests there and lay their eggs in the nests;
\q2 and when the eggs hatch, the mother birds will cover them  \add with their wings\add*.
\q1 There will also be falcons/hawks there,
\q2 each with its mate.
\b
\p
\v 16 If you read what is written in the book that contains messages from Yahweh, you will find out what he will do  \add in Edom\add*.
\q1 All of those animals and birds will be there,
\q2 and each one will have a mate,
\q1 because that is what Yahweh has promised,
\q2 and his Spirit will cause them  \add all\add* to gather  \add there\add*.
\q1
\v 17 He has decided what parts of the land  \add of Edom\add* each will live in,
\q2 and those are the places where each bird or animal will live.
\q1 Their descendants will possess those areas forever,
\q2 throughout all generations.
\c 35
\s1 The promise of restoration
\q1
\v 1 \add Some day, it will be as though\add* the desert  \add and other very\add* dry areas are glad [DOU];
\q2 the desert will rejoice and flowers will blossom.
\q1 Like crocuses/daffodils,
\q1
\v 2 the desert will produce flowers abundantly;
\q2  \add it will be as though\add* everything is rejoicing and singing!
\q1 The deserts will become as beautiful as [SIM] \add the trees in\add* Lebanon,
\q2 as fertile [SIM] as the plains of the Sharon and Carmel  \add areas\add*.
\q1  \add There\add* people will see the glory of Yahweh;
\q2 they will see that he is magnificent.
\q1
\v 3 \add So\add*, encourage those who are tired and weak.
\q1
\v 4 Say to those who are afraid,
\q1 “Be strong and do not be afraid,
\q2 because our God is going to come to get revenge  \add on his enemies\add*; 
\q1 he will ◄pay them back/punish them► for what they have done,
\q2 and he will rescue you.”
\b
\q1
\v 5 When he does that, \add he will enable\add* blind people to see
\q2 and  \add enable\add* deaf people to hear.
\q1
\v 6 Lame people will leap like deer,
\q2 and those who have been unable to speak will sing joyfully.
\q1 Water will gush out  \add from springs\add* in the desert,
\q2 and streams will flow in the desert.
\q1
\v 7 The very dry ground will become a pool of water,
\q2 and springs will provide water for the dry land.
\q1 Grass and reeds and papyrus will grow in places where the jackals/wolves lived previously.
\b
\q1
\v 8 And there will be a highway through that land;
\q2 it will be called ❛the Holy Highway❜.
\q1 People who are not acceptable to God will not walk on that road;
\q2 it will be only for those who conduct their lives as God wants them to,
\q2 and not even foolish people will become lost while walking on that road.
\q1
\v 9 There will not be any lions there
\q2 or any other dangerous animals along that road.
\q1 Only those who have been freed  \add from being slaves in Babylonia\add* will walk on it.
\q2
\v 10 Those whom Yahweh has freed will return to Jerusalem;
\q1 they will sing as they enter the city,
\q2 and they will be extremely joyful [MET, PRS] forever.
\q1 No longer will they be sad or mourn;
\q2 they will be  \add completely\add* joyful and glad [DOU].
\c 36
\s1 The army of Assyria invaded Judah
\p
\v 1 When King Hezekiah had been \add ruling Judah\add* for almost fourteen years, King Sennacherib of Assyria came \add with his army\add* to attack the cities in Judah that had walls around them. \add They did not conquer Jerusalem, but\add* they conquered all the other cities.
\v 2 Then the king of Assyria sent a large army with some of his important officials from Lachish \add city\add* to \add persuade\add* King Hezekiah \add to surrender\add*. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they stood in their positions alongside the aqueduct/channel in which water flows into the upper pool \add into Jerusalem\add*, near the road to the field where the women wash clothes.
\v 3 The Israeli officials who went out of the city to talk with them were Hilkiah's son Eliakim, the ◄palace administrator/man who supervised the workers in the palace►, Shebna the king's secretary, and Asaph's son Joah, who wrote down the government decisions.
\p
\v 4 Then one of Sennacherib's important officials told them to take this message to Hezekiah:
\pi This is what the King of Assyria, the great king, says: “What are you trusting in to rescue you?
\v 5 You say that you have weapons to fight us and some country's promises \add to help you\add*, \add and that will enable you to defeat us\add*, but that is only talk [RHQ]. Who do you think will help you to rebel against my \add soldiers from Assyria\add*?
\v 6 Listen to me! You are relying on \add the army of\add* Egypt. But \add that will be like\add* [MET] using a broken reed for a walking stick on which you could lean. \add But\add* it would pierce the hand of anyone who would lean on it! That is what the King of Egypt would be like for anyone who relied on him \add for help\add*.
\v 7 But perhaps you will say to me, ‘\add No\add*, we are relying on Yahweh our God \add to help us\add*.’ \add I would reply\add*, ‘Is he not the one whom \add you insulted by\add* tearing down his shrines and altars and forcing everyone in Jerusalem and \add other places in\add* Judah to worship \add only\add* in front of the altar \add in Jerusalem\add*?’
\pi
\v 8 So I suggest that you make a deal with my master/boss, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses, but \add I do not think that\add* you can find 2,000 of your men who can ride on them!
\v 9 You are expecting the king of Egypt to send chariots and men riding horses \add to assist you\add*. But they certainly would not [RHQ] be able to resist/defeat even the most insignificant/unimportant official in the army of Assyria!
\v 10 Furthermore, \add do not think that\add* [RHQ] we have come here to attack and destroy this land without Yahweh's orders! It is Yahweh himself who told us to come here and destroy this land!”
\p
\v 11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the official from Assyria, “Please speak to us in \add your\add* Aramaic language, because we understand it. Do not speak to us in \add our\add* Hebrew language, because the people who are standing on the wall will understand it \add and become frightened\add*.”
\p
\v 12 But the official replied, “Do you think that my master sent me to say these things \add only\add* to you, and not to the people standing on the wall [RHQ]? \add If you reject this message\add*, the \add people in this city\add* will soon need to eat their own dung and drink their own urine, just like you will, \add because there will be nothing more for you to eat or drink\add*.”
\p
\v 13 Then the official stood up and shouted in the Hebrew language \add to the people sitting on the wall\add*. He said, “Listen to this message from the great king, the King of Assyria!
\v 14 He says, ‘Do not allow Hezekiah to deceive you! He will not be able to rescue you!
\v 15 Do not allow him to persuade you to trust in Yahweh, saying that Yahweh will rescue you, and that \add the army of\add* the King of Assyria will never capture this city!
\p
\v 16 Do not pay attention to what Hezekiah says! This is what the king \add of Assyria\add* says: “Come out of the city and surrender to me. \add If you do that, I will arrange for\add* each of you to drink the juice from your own grapevines and to eat figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own well.
\v 17 \add You will be able to do that\add* until we come and take you to a land that is like your land—a land where there is grain to make bread and \add vineyards to produce grapes for making\add* new wine and, and where we make lots of bread.”
\p
\v 18 Do not allow Hezekiah to mislead you by saying, “Yahweh will rescue us.” The gods that people of other nations worship have never [RHQ] rescued any of them from the power [MTY] of the King of Assyria!
\v 19 Why were the gods of Hamath and Arpad \add cities\add*, and the gods of Sepharvaim unable to rescue Samaria from my power [MTY]?
\v 20 No, no god [RHQ] of any nation \add which that army has attacked\add* has been able to rescue their people from me. So why do you think that Yahweh will rescue you people of Jerusalem from my power [MTY]?’”
\p
\v 21 But the people \add who were listening\add* were silent. No one said anything, because King \add Hezekiah\add* had commanded, “\add When the official from Assyria talks to you\add*, do not answer him.”
\p
\v 22 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah returned to Hezekiah with their clothes torn \add because they were extremely distressed\add*. They told him what the official from Assyria had said.
\c 37
\s1 Hezekiah asked Isaiah for advice
\p
\v 1 When King Hezekiah heard what they reported, he tore his clothes and put on clothes made of rough sackcloth \add because he was very distressed\add*. Then he went into the temple of Yahweh \add and prayed\add*.
\v 2 Then he sent Eliakim, Shebna, and the ◄older/most important► priests, who were also wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, to talk to me.
\v 3 He said to them, “Tell this to Isaiah: ‘King Hezekiah says that this is a day when we have great distress. Other nations are causing us to be insulted and disgraced. We are like [SIM] a woman who is about to give birth to a baby, but she does not have the strength that she needs to do it.
\v 4 \add But\add* perhaps Yahweh our God has heard what the official from Assyria said. Perhaps he knows that his boss, the King of Assyria, sent him to insult the all-powerful God, and that Yahweh will punish the King of Assyria for what he said. And he requests that you pray for the few of us who are still alive \add here in Jerusalem\add*.’”
\p
\v 5 After those men gave me that message,
\v 6 I replied, “Tell the King, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “Those messengers from the King of Assyria have said evil things about me. But do not be disturbed about what they said.
\v 7 Listen to this: I will cause Sennacherib to hear a rumor \add that the armies of Babylon are about to attack his country\add*, and that will worry him. So he will return to his own country, and there I will cause him to be assassinated by \add men using\add* swords.”’”
\p
\v 8 The official from Assyria found out that the King of Assyria \add and his army\add* had captured Lachish \add city\add* and that they were attacking Libnah, \add which is a nearby city\add*. So the official left Jerusalem and went to Libnah \add to report to the king what had happened in Jerusalem\add*.
\p
\v 9 Soon after that, King \add Sennacherib\add* received a report that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was leading his army to attack them. So before King Sennacherib left Libnah \add to fight against the army from Ethiopia\add*, he sent other messengers to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with a letter. \add In the letter he wrote this\add* to Hezekiah:
\p
\v 10 “Do not allow your god, on whom you are relying, to deceive you by promising you that Jerusalem will not be captured by my army.
\v 11 You have certainly heard what the armies of the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries; our armies have destroyed them completely. So, ◄do you think that you will escape?/do not think that your god will save you!► [RHQ]
\v 12 Did the gods of the nations that were about to be destroyed by the armies of the previous kings of Assyria rescue them? Did those gods rescue Gozan \add region\add*, and Haran and Rezeph \add cities in northern Syria\add*, and the people of Eden \add region\add* who were forced to go to Tel-Assar \add city\add*?
\v 13 What happened to the King of Hamath and the King of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah \add cities\add*? \add Did their gods rescue them\add* [RHQ]?”
\s1 Hezekiah's prayer
\p
\v 14 Hezekiah received the letter that the messengers gave him, and he read it. Then he went up to the temple and spread out the letter in front of Yahweh.
\v 15 And \add then\add* Hezekiah prayed this:
\v 16 “The Commander of the armies of angels the God to whom \add we\add* Israelis belong, you are seated on your throne above the statues of the creatures with wings, \add above the Sacred Chest\add*. Only you are \add truly\add* God. You rule all the kingdoms on this earth. You are the one who created everything on the earth and in the sky.
\v 17 \add So\add*, Yahweh, \add please\add* listen to what I am saying, and look at \add what is happening\add* And listen to what Sennacherib has said to insult you, the all-powerful God!
\p
\v 18 Yahweh, it is true that \add the armies of\add* the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and ruined their land.
\v 19 And they have thrown all the idols of those nations into fires and burned them. But they were not \add really\add* gods. They were only idols made of wood and stone, \add and that is why they were destroyed easily\add*.
\v 20 So now, Yahweh our God, \add please\add* rescue us from the power [MTY] of \add the King of Assyria\add*, in order that \add the people in\add* all the kingdoms of the world will know that you, Yahweh, are the only one who is \add truly\add* God.”
\s1 Isaiah predicted that the Assyrians would not conquer Jerusalem
\p
\v 21 Then I sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what Yahweh, the God to whom \add we\add* Israelis belong, says: Because you prayed about what King Sennacherib of Assyria \add said\add*,
\v 22 this is what I say to him:
\q1 ‘The people of Jerusalem despise you and make fun of you.
\q2 They will wag/shake their heads to mock you while you flee from here.
\q1
\v 23 Whom do you think you have been despising and ridiculing?
\q2 Whom do you think you were shouting at?
\q1 Whom do you think you were looking at \add very\add* proudly/arrogantly?
\q2 \add It was I\add*, the Holy One whom the Israelis worship!
\q1
\v 24 The messengers whom you sent made fun of me.
\q1 You said, “With my many chariots I have gone to the highest mountains,
\q2 \add even\add* to the highest mountains in Lebanon.
\q1 We have cut down its tallest cedar \add trees\add*
\q2 and its nicest pine/cypress \add trees\add*.
\q1 We have been to the most distant/remote peaks
\q2 and to its densest forests.
\q1
\v 25 We have dug wells \add in many countries\add* and drunk water \add from them\add*.
\q1 And by marching through [MTY] the streams of Egypt,
\q2 we dried them all up [HYP]!”
\b
\q1
\v 26 \add But I reply\add*, “Have you never heard that long ago I determined \add those things\add*;
\q1 I planned it long ago,
\q2 and now I have been causing it to occur.
\q1 I planned that your army would destroy cities
\q2 and cause them to become piles of rubble.
\q1
\v 27 The people in those cities have no power,
\q2 and as a result they are dismayed and discouraged.
\q1 They are \add as frail as\add* [MET] grass and plants in the fields
\q2 as frail as grass that grows on the roofs of houses
\q2 and is scorched by the hot east wind.
\b
\q1
\v 28 \add But\add* I know \add everything about you\add*;
\q2 I know when you are \add in your house and\add* when you go outside;
\q2 I also know that you are ◄raging/speaking very angrily► against me.
\q1
\v 29 \add So\add*, because you have raged against me
\q2 and because I have heard you speak very proudly/arrogantly,
\q1 \add it will be as though\add* I will put a hook in your nose
\q2 and I will put an iron ◄bit/metal bar► in your mouth \add in order that I can take you where I want you to go\add*,
\q1 and I will force you to return \add to your own country\add*,
\q2 on the same road on which you came \add here, without conquering Jerusalem\add*.”’
\b
\p
\v 30 \add Then I said to Hezekiah\add*, ‘This will prove to you \add that what I said will happen\add*:
\q1 “This year, you(pl) will eat \add only the crops\add* that grow by themselves,
\q2 and next year the same thing will happen.
\q1 But in the third year you will plant \add crops\add* and harvest them;
\q2 you will take care of your vineyards and eat the grapes.
\q1
\v 31 And \add you\add* people who are still \add here\add* in Judah,
\q2 will be strong and prosper again [MET].
\q1
\v 32 A small number of my people will survive,
\q2 and they will spread out from Jerusalem [DOU].”
\p That will happen because \add I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, am desiring very much to accomplish it.’
\b
\p
\v 33 And this is what \add I\add*, Yahweh, say about the King of Assyria:
\q1 ‘His \add armies\add* will not enter Jerusalem;
\q2 they will not \add even\add* shoot arrows into it.
\q1 His soldiers will not \add march outside\add* the city gates holding their shields,
\q2 and they will not build high mounds of dirt against the walls of the city
\q2 \add to enable them to attack the city\add*.
\q1
\v 34 And their king will return \add to his own country\add*
\q2 on the same road on which he came \add here\add*.
\q1 He will not enter this city!’
\p \add That will happen because I\add*, Yahweh, have said it!
\b
\q1
\v 35 For the sake of my own reputation and because of what I promised King David, who served me \add well\add*,
\q2 I will defend this city and prevent it from being destroyed.”
\b
\p
\v 36 \add That night\add*, an angel from Yahweh went out to where the army of Assyria had set up their tents and killed 185,000 of their soldiers. When \add the rest of the soldiers\add* woke up the next morning, they saw that there were corpses everywhere.
\v 37 Then King Sennacherib left and returned home to Nineveh \add in Assyria\add*, and stayed there.
\p
\v 38 \add One day\add*, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords. Then they escaped and went to the Ararat \add region northwest of Nineveh\add*. And another of Sennacherib's sons, Esarhaddon, became the King of Assyria.
\c 38
\s1 Hezekiah's sickness and his recovery
\p
\v 1 About that time, Hezekiah became  \add very\add* ill and was close to dying. \add So\add* I went to see him. And I gave him this message: “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You should tell the people in your palace what you want them to do after you die because you will not recover from this illness. You are going to die’”
\p
\v 2 Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed this:
\v 3 “Yahweh, do not forget that I have always served you faithfully with all my inner being, and I have done things that pleased you!” Then Hezekiah  \add started to\add* cry loudly.
\p
\v 4 \add I left his room, but\add* Yahweh gave me this message:
\v 5 “Go  \add back\add* to Hezekiah and tell him that this is what I, the God to whom your ancestor King David belonged, say: ‘I have heard what you prayed, and I have seen you crying. So listen: I will enable you to live fifteen years more.
\v 6 And, I will rescue and this city from the power [MTY] of the King of Assyria. I will defend this city.
\p
\v 7 And this is what I will do to prove that I will do what I have just now promised. I will cause the shadow of the sun to move ten steps backward on the sundial that was built by King Ahaz.’”
\v 8 So the shadow of the sun on the sundial moved backward ten steps.
\p
\v 9 When King Hezekiah was almost well again, he wrote this:
\q1
\v 10 I said to myself, “Is it necessary for me to die and go to the place where the dead people are
\q2 during this time of my life when I am still strong?
\q2 Is Yahweh going to rob me of the remaining years that I  \add should live\add*?” 
\q1
\v 11 I said, “I will not see Yahweh  \add again\add* 
\q2 in this world where people are alive.
\q1 I will not see my friends again,
\q2 or be with others who  \add now\add* are alive in this world.
\q1
\v 12 \add It is as if\add* my life has been taken away
\q2 like [SIM] a tent  \add whose pegs\add* have been pulled up by a shepherd and taken away.
\q1 My time to live has been cut short,
\q2 like a piece of cloth that a weaver  \add cuts and\add* rolls up  \add after he has finished weaving a cloth\add*.”
\q2 Suddenly, \add it seemed that\add* my life was ending.
\q1
\v 13 I waited patiently all during the night,
\q2 but  \add my pain was as though\add* [MET] I was being torn apart by lions.
\q2  \add It seemed that\add* my life was finished.
\q1
\v 14 \add I was delirious, and\add* I chirped like a swift or a swallow,
\q2 and moaned like a dove.
\q1 My eyes became tired looking up  \add toward heaven\add* for help.
\q2 I cried out, “Yahweh, help me, \add because\add* I am distressed!”
\b
\q1
\v 15 But there was really nothing[RHQ] that I could say and ask him to reply to me,
\q2 because it was Yahweh who sent this illness.
\q1  \add So now\add* I will live humbly during my  \add remaining\add* years
\q2 because I am very anguished in my soul.
\q1
\v 16 Yahweh, the sufferings (OR, the promises) that you give are good,
\q2  \add because\add* what you do and what you say bring  \add new\add* life and health to us.
\q1 And you have restored/healed me
\q2 and allowed me  \add to continue\add* to live!
\q1
\v 17 Truly, my suffering was good for me;
\q2 you loved me,
\q1 and as a result you have rescued me from dying
\q2 and have also forgiven all my sins.
\q1
\v 18 Dead people [MTY] cannot praise you;
\q2 they cannot sing to praise you.
\q1 Those who have descended to their graves
\q2 cannot confidently expect you to faithfully  \add do things for them\add*.
\q1
\v 19 Only people who are still alive, like I am, can praise you.
\q1 Fathers tell their children how you are faithful,
\q2  \add and if I remain alive, I will do the same thing\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 20 \add I know that\add* Yahweh will fully heal me,
\q2  \add so\add* I will sing to praise him
\q1 while others praise him playing musical instruments;
\q2 I will do that every day of my life, in the temple of Yahweh.
\p
\v 21 I had  \add previously\add* said to Hezekiah's servants, “Prepare an ointment from  \add mashed\add* figs, and spread it on his boil, and then he will recover.” \add So they did that, and Hezekiah recovered\add*.
\p
\v 22 And Hezekiah had  \add previously\add* asked, “What will Yahweh do to prove that I will  \add recover and be able to\add* go to his temple?”
\c 39
\s1 The messengers from Babylon
\p
\v 1 Soon after that, Baladan's son Merodach-Baladan, the King of Babylon, heard a report that Hezekiah had been very sick but that he had recovered. So he wrote some notes and gave them to some messengers to take to Hezekiah, along with a gift.
\v 2 \add When the messengers arrived\add*, Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. \add Then\add* he showed them everything that was in his ◄treasure houses/places where very valuable things were kept►—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the nice-smelling  \add olive\add* oil. He also took them to see the place where they kept their soldiers' weapons, and he showed them the other valuable things that were in the storehouses. Hezekiah showed them everything [LIT] that was in the palace or in other places [HYP].
\p
\v 3 Then I went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did those men come from, and what did they want?”
\p He replied, “They came from the far away land of Babylon.”
\p
\v 4 I asked him, “What did they see in your palace?”
\p Hezekiah replied, “They saw everything. I showed them absolutely everything that I own—all my valuable things.”
\p
\v 5 Then I said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels:
\v 6 There will be a time when everything in your palace, all the valuable things that your ancestors stored there up until the present time, will be carried away to Babylon. Yahweh says that there will be nothing left.
\v 7 Furthermore, some of your sons will be forced to go to Babylon. They will be castrated in order that they can become servants in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
\p
\v 8 Then Hezekiah replied to me, “That message from Yahweh that you have given to me is good.” He said that because he was thinking, “Even if that happens, there will be peace, and people in this country will be safe during the time that I am alive.”
\c 40
\s1 Encouragement for God's people
\q1
\v 1 Our God says, “Encourage my people!
\q2 Encourage them!
\q1
\v 2 Speak kindly to \add the people of\add* Jerusalem;
\q2 tell them that their suffering is ended,
\q1 and that I have forgiven them for the sins that they have committed;
\q2 I [SYN] have fully punished them for their sins.”
\q1
\v 3 I hear someone who is shouting,
\q1 “Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh to come \add to you\add*;
\q2 make a smooth road for our God (OR, Prepare yourselves to receive Yahweh when he comes, like people make a straight road for an important official [MET]).
\q1
\v 4 Fill in the valleys;
\q2 flatten every hill and every mountain.
\q1 Make the uneven ground smooth,
\q2 and make the rough places smooth.
\q1
\v 5 \add If you do that\add*, it will become known that Yahweh is glorious/great,
\q2 and all people will realize it at the same time.
\q1 \add Those things will surely happen\add* because it is Yahweh who has said [MTY] it.”
\b
\q1
\v 6 Someone said to me, “Shout!”
\q2 I replied, “What should I shout?”
\q1 \add He replied\add*, “\add Shout that\add* people are like [SIM] grass;
\q2 their influence fades as quickly as flowers in the field.
\q1
\v 7 Grass withers and flowers dry up
\q2 when Yahweh causes a hot wind from the desert to blow on them.
\q2 And people are [MET] like that.
\q1
\v 8 The grass withers and the flowers dry up,
\q2 but what our God promises will last forever.”
\b
\q1
\v 9 You \add people of\add* Jerusalem, you have good news to tell to people,
\q2 so, shout it from the top of a high mountain!
\q1 Shout it loudly, and do not be afraid!
\q1 Tell the people in the towns of Judah,
\q2 “Your God is coming here!”
\q1
\v 10 Yahweh your God will be coming with power;
\q2 he will rule powerfully [MTY].
\q1 And when he comes, he will bring with him the people whom he has freed [MET] \add from being slaves in Babylonia\add*.
\q1
\v 11 He will take care of his people
\q2 like [SIM] a shepherd takes care of his sheep,
\q2 and carries the young lambs in his arms.
\q1 He carries them close to his chest
\q2 and he gently leads the female sheep
\q2 that are nursing/breast-feeding their young lambs.
\b
\q1
\v 12 \add There is no one like Yahweh\add*
\q2 ◄Who else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand?/No one else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand!► [RHQ]
\q1 ◄Who else has measured the sky with his fingers?/No one else has measured the sky with his fingers!► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Who else knows how much the earth weighs?/No one else knows how much the earth weighs!► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Who else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales?/No one else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales!► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 13 And ◄who else can advise Yahweh's Spirit?/No one else can advise Yahweh's Spirit!► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Who can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do?/No one can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do!► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 14 ◄Has Yahweh consulted anyone else to get advice?/Yahweh has certainly not consulted anyone else to get advice!► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Does he need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly?/He certainly does not need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly!► [RHQ]
\b
\q1
\v 15 \add Yahweh considers that\add* the nations are \add as insignificant as\add* [MET] one drop from a bucket \add full of water\add*.
\q2 They are \add as insignificant as\add* dust on scales.
\q1 He is able to weigh islands
\q2 \add as though they weighed no more than\add* specks of dust/sand.
\q1
\v 16 There would be \add not\add* enough wood from all the trees in Lebanon
\q2 to make a suitable fire for \add sacrificing animals to\add* him,
\q1 and there are not enough animals in Lebanon to offer as sacrifices to him.
\q1
\v 17 The nations of the world are completely insignificant/unimportant to him;
\q2 he considers that they are worthless and less than nothing [HYP, DOU].
\b
\q1
\v 18 So, to whom can you compare God?
\q2 What image resembles him?
\q1
\v 19 Can you compare him to an idol that is made in a mold,
\q2 and then is covered with \add a thin sheet of\add* gold
\q2 and decorated with silver chains?
\q1
\v 20 A man who is poor \add cannot buy silver or gold for his idol\add*;
\q2 \add so\add* he selects a piece of wood that will not rot,
\q1 and he gives it to a craftsman
\q2 to carve an idol that will not fall down!
\b
\q1
\v 21 Have you(pl) not heard this?
\q2 Do you not understand it?
\q1 Are you unable to hear what God said long ago—
\q2 \add messages that he gave\add* before he created the earth?
\q1
\v 22 God sits \add on his throne\add* above the earth,
\q2 and the people \add on the earth\add* below seem to be \add as small\add* as [SIM] grasshoppers.
\q1 He spreads out the sky like a curtain;
\q2 it is like [SIM] a tent for him to live in.
\q1
\v 23 He causes kings to have no more power,
\q2 and he causes the rulers to be worth nothing.
\q1
\v 24 They start to rule, like small plants start to grow and form roots;
\q2 but then \add he gets rid of them\add*
\q2 as though [MET] they withered when he blew on them,
\q1 like [SIM] chaff that is blown away by the wind.
\b
\q1
\v 25 The Holy One asks,
\q2 “To whom will you compare me?
\q2 Is anyone equal to me?”
\q1
\v 26 Look up toward the sky:
\q2 Consider who [RHQ] created all the stars.
\q1 \add Yahweh created them\add*, and at night he causes them to appear;
\q2 he calls each one by its name.
\q1 Because he is extremely powerful [DOU],
\q2 all of the stars are there [LIT] \add when he calls out their names\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 27 You people of Israel [DOU], why do you complain that Yahweh does not see the \add troubles that you are experiencing\add*?
\q2 Why do you say that he does not act fairly toward you?
\q1
\v 28 Have you never heard
\q2 and have you never understood
\q1 that Yahweh is the everlasting God;
\q2 he is the one who created the earth, \add even the\add* most distant places on the earth.
\q1 He never becomes weak or weary,
\q2 and no one can find out how much he understands.
\q1
\v 29 He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
\q1
\v 30 Even youths become faint and weary,
\q2 and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
\q1
\v 31 But those who trust in Yahweh will become strong again;
\q2 \add it will be as though\add* they will soar/fly high like [SIM] eagles do.
\q1 They will run \add for a long time\add* and not become weary;
\q2 they will walk \add long distances\add* and not faint.
\c 41
\s1 Yahweh will help Israel
\q1
\v 1 \add Yahweh says\add*, “You \add people who live on\add* [APO] islands in the ocean,
\q2 be silent in front of me \add while I ask you some questions\add*
\q1 Then you can be courageous and talk to me.
\q2 We will meet together and decide \add which one of us is right\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 2 Who has urged this king to come from the east?
\q1 Who has enabled his \add army\add* to righteously defeat many nations
\q2 and to trample their kings under their feet?
\q1 With their swords they cut \add their enemies\add* into tiny pieces [HYP];
\q2 with their arrows they cause their enemies to scatter like [SIM] the wind scatters chaff.
\q1
\v 3 Even though they march through areas where they have not gone previously,
\q2 they pursue \add their enemies\add* and continue to march, and nothing stops them.
\q1
\v 4 Who has enabled rulers to do [DOU] mighty deeds like that?
\q2 Who has done that throughout all generations?
\q1 It is I, Yahweh;
\q2 I was the first \add one to do things like that\add*, and I will be the last one \add to do them\add*.”
\s1 Idols are useless
\q1
\v 5 \add People who live on\add* [PRS] islands in the ocean are afraid while they watch.
\q2 People in remote areas tremble and gather together.
\q1
\v 6 They encourage each other and say to each other,
\q2 “Be strong!”
\q1
\v 7 The craftsmen encourage those who make things from gold,
\q2 and the men who flatten metal encourage those who hammer metal ◄on an anvil/into shape►.
\q1 They all say, “The idol has been well made!”
\q2 And then they carefully nail down the idol in order that it will not topple over!
\s1 Yahweh chose Israel
\q1
\v 8 \add Yahweh says\add*, “\add You people of\add* Israel \add are like\add* my servants;
\q2 you are \add descendants of\add* Jacob, whom I chose;
\q2 \add you are\add* descendants of Abraham, who \add I said is\add* my friend.
\q1
\v 9 I summoned you from very distant places [DOU] on the earth,
\q2 and I said ‘I \add want you to\add* serve me;
\q1 I have chosen you,
\q2 and I will not reject you.’
\q1
\v 10 Do not be afraid,
\q2 because I will ◄be with/help► you.
\q1 Do not be discouraged, because I am your God.
\q2 I will enable you to be strong, and I will help you;
\q2 I will hold you up with my powerful arm by which you will be rescued.
\b
\q1
\v 11 It is certain that all those who are angry with you \add Israeli people\add* will be disgraced [DOU].
\q2 Those who oppose you will be wiped out;
\q2 they will all die.
\q1
\v 12 If you search for those who tried to conquer you,
\q1 you will not find them,
\q2 \add because they will all have disappeared\add*.
\q1 Those who attacked you
\q2 will not exist \add anymore\add*,
\q1
\v 13 because \add it will be as though\add* I will hold you up by your right hand.
\q2 I am Yahweh, your God,
\q1 and I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid,
\q2 \add because\add* I will help you.’
\q1
\v 14 Although you people of Israel [DOU] \add think that you are as insignificant as\add* worms,
\q2 do not be afraid \add of your enemies\add*,
\q1 because I will help you.
\q1 I am Yahweh, the one who rescues you;
\q2 I am the Holy One of Israel.
\q1
\v 15 \add I will cause\add* you to be like [MET] a ◄threshing sledge/big piece of metal that has sharp teeth for separating grain from chaff►.
\q1 You will tear \add your enemies to bits\add*
\q2 causing them to be like bits of chaff on the mountains.
\q1
\v 16 You will toss them up into the air,
\q2 and a strong wind will blow them away [DOU].
\q1 \add When that happens\add*, you will rejoice about what I \add have done for you\add*;
\q2 you will praise me, the Holy One of Israel.
\b
\q1
\v 17 When poor and needy people need water and they have no water,
\q2 and their tongues are very dry because they are very thirsty,
\q2 I, Yahweh, will come and help them.
\q1 I, the God to whom you Israeli people belong, will never abandon them.
\q1
\v 18 I will cause rivers to flow for them on the barren hills.
\q2 I will give them fountains in the valleys.
\q1 I will fill [HYP] the desert with pools of water.
\q2 Water from springs will flow into rivers,
\q2 and the rivers will flow across the dry ground.
\q1
\v 19 I will plant \add trees\add* in the desert—
\q2 cedar \add trees\add*, acacia \add trees\add*, myrtle \add trees\add*, olive \add trees\add*, cypress \add trees\add*, fir \add trees\add*, and pine \add trees\add*.
\q1
\v 20 \add I will do that\add* in order that people who see it will think about it, and they will know and understand [DOU]
\q2 that it is \add I\add*, Yahweh, who has done it;
\q1 it is what \add I\add*, the Holy One of Israel, have done.”
\s1 Yahweh mocks the idols
\q1
\v 21 \add I\add*, Yahweh, the king of Israel say \add to you nations\add*,
\q2 “Tell what your idols can do for you!
\q1
\v 22 Bring them here to tell us what is going to happen!
\q2 Ask them to tell us what things happened long ago,
\q1 in order that we may think about those things,
\q2 and learn if those things that they predicted really happened.
\q1 Or, ask them to tell us about the future,
\q2 in order that we can know what will happen.
\q1
\v 23 \add Yes\add*, those idols should tell us what will happen in the future.
\q2 If they do that, we will know that they are really gods.
\q1 Tell them to do something—either something good or something bad!
\q2 Tell them to do something that will cause us to be amazed and afraid!
\q1
\v 24 But \add that is impossible, because\add* idols are absolutely worthless [HYP];
\q2 they can do nothing,
\q2 and I detest those who decide \add to worship\add* idols.”
\s1 A prediction about Cyrus
\q1
\v 25 “\add But\add* I have incited/urged a ruler who will come \add with his army\add* from the north.
\q2 I have summoned him to come from \add his country, which is\add* east \add of Israel\add*,
\q1 and I have given him my authority [MTY].
\q2 I will \add enable his army to conquer other rulers\add*;
\q2 they will trample those leaders like [SIM] a man who makes clay pots first tramples the clay.
\q1
\v 26 ◄Who told you people long ago that this would happen?/No one told you people long ago that this would happen!► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Who predicted it, with the result that we can say, ‘What he predicted was correct!’?/No one predicted it, with the result that we can say, ‘What he predicted was correct!’► [RHQ]
\q1 No one else said that it would happen.
\q1
\v 27 I was the first one to tell \add the people of\add* Jerusalem,
\q2 ‘Listen to this! I have appointed a messenger to tell good news to you!’
\q1
\v 28 None of your idols told you that [DOU].
\q2 And when I asked them questions, none of them was able to give me any answers.
\q1
\v 29 Think about it: Those idols are all useless, worthless [DOU] things.
\q2 They are \add as meaningless as\add* [MET] the wind.”
\c 42
\s1 Yahweh's special servant
\q1
\v 1 \add Yahweh says, “I want you people to know about\add* my servant, whom I encourage.
\q2 I have chosen him, and I am pleased with him.
\q1 I have given him my Spirit,
\q2 and he will make certain that all the people-groups do what is right/just.
\q1
\v 2 He will not \add show his power by\add* shouting [DOU]
\q2 or by talking very loudly.
\q1
\v 3 He will not get rid of \add anyone who is weak like\add* [MET] a smashed reed,
\q2 and he will not \add end the life of anyone who is helpless like\add* [MET] someone would extinguish a dimly burning wick \add of an oil lamp\add*.
\q1 He will faithfully/continually make sure that judges decide cases justly.
\q2
\v 4 He will not become exhausted or discouraged all during the time that he is causing things to be done justly throughout the earth.
\q1 Even \add people living on the islands in\add* [MTY] the oceans will confidently wait for \add him to teach them\add* his laws.”
\b
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh our God created the sky
\q2 and spread it out.
\q1 He also created the earth and everything on it.
\q2 He gives breath to all the people on the earth and causes them to live [DOU].
\q1 \add And he is the one who says to his special servant\add*,
\q1
\v 6 “I, Yahweh, have chosen you
\q2 to show people that I always act righteously/fairly.
\q1 I will grasp your hand and protect you,
\q2 and I will present you to \add my Israeli\add* people
\q2 to be the one who will put into effect my agreement with them.
\q1 \add You will be like\add* a light to the \add other\add* nations.
\q1
\v 7 You will enable blind [IDI] people to see,
\q2 you will free those who are in prison (OR, who are bound \add by the guilt of their sins\add*) [MET]
\q2 and release those who are in dark dungeons.
\b
\q1
\v 8 I am Yahweh; that is my name.
\q2 I will not allow anyone else to receive the honor that only I deserve.
\q2 And I will not allow idols to be praised like only I should be praised.
\q1
\v 9 Everything that I have prophesied has happened,
\q2 and now I will tell about other things that will happen.
\q1 I will tell you things that will happen before they happen.”
\s1 A song of praise to Yahweh
\q1
\v 10 Sing a new song to Yahweh!
\q2 Sing to praise him throughout the world!
\q1 All you people who sail across the oceans, and all you creatures that live in the oceans,
\q2 and all you people who live on islands far away, sing!
\q1
\v 11 You people who live in towns in the desert, sing loudly!
\q2 You people who live in the Kedar \add area in the north of Arabia\add*, you rejoice also!
\q1 You people in Sela \add city in Edom\add*, you also should sing joyfully;
\q2 shout \add to praise him\add* from the tops of your mountains!
\q1
\v 12 Even people who live on distant islands should honor Yahweh
\q2 and sing to praise him.
\q1
\v 13 \add It will be as though\add* Yahweh will march out like [SIM] a mighty soldier;
\q2 he will show that he is very angry.
\q1 He will shout a battle-cry,
\q2 and \add then\add* he will defeat all his enemies.
\b
\q1
\v 14 \add He will say\add*, “I have remained silent [DOU] for a long time;
\q2 I have restrained myself \add from doing what I need to do\add*.
\q1 But now, like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby, I will cry out and gasp and pant.
\q1
\v 15 I will level off the hills and mountains,
\q2 and I will cause all the plants and trees to dry up.
\q1 I will cause the rivers to become small streams, and little islands will appear in them,
\q2 and I will cause all the pools to become dry.
\q1
\v 16 \add My people who have been taken to Babylonia are like\add* [MET] blind people,
\q2 \add but\add* I will lead them along a road on which they have not walked before,
\q1 on a road that they have not seen before.
\q2 They have felt \add very helpless, as though\add* they were walking in the darkness,
\q1 but I will take away that darkness
\q2 and I will make smooth the road that is in front of them.
\q1 Those are the things that I will do for them;
\q2 I will not abandon them.
\q1
\v 17 But those who trust in carved idols,
\q2 and say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
\q2 will be completely humiliated/disgraced.”
\s1 The people of Israel refused to heed Yahweh
\q1
\v 18 You \add Israeli people who have acted toward God like\add* deaf \add people\add*, listen \add to what Yahweh says\add*
\q2 “You \add who have been like\add* [MET] blind \add people\add*, look!
\q1
\v 19 No people are [RHQ] as blind as my people, who \add should have been\add* serving me.
\q2 No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] deaf people as \add the Israelis, who should have been\add* my messengers.
\q1 No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] blind people as those whom I chose to serve me.
\q1
\v 20 You see and know what are the right things to do, but you do not do them.
\q2 You hear \add what I say to you\add*, but you do not pay attention.”
\q1
\v 21 Because Yahweh is righteous,
\q2 he has honored his glorious laws.
\q1
\v 22 But \add the armies of Babylon have destroyed Jerusalem\add* and have completely ◄plundered/taken away► [DOU] all the valuable things,
\q2 and they have captured Yahweh's people
\q2 and taken them away and put them in prison.
\q1 They have been captured easily,
\q2 because there was no one to protect them;
\q1 there was no one to say that they should be allowed to return home.
\b
\q1
\v 23 Who among you will listen carefully to these things?
\q2 Who will pay attention from now on?
\q1
\v 24 Who allowed the valuable possessions of the people of Israel to be stolen [RHQ, DOU]?
\q2 It was Yahweh, because he is he one against whom we had sinned;
\q1 we did not conduct our lives like he wanted us to,
\q2 and we did not obey his laws.
\q1
\v 25 Therefore, he was extremely angry with us,
\q2 and he caused our soldiers to be destroyed in battles.
\q1 \add It was as though\add* [MET] he lit a fire around us,
\q2 but we did not understand \add what he was trying to tell us\add*.
\q1 \add His being angry with us was like\add* a fire that would burn us up,
\q2 but we did not pay attention [IDI].
\c 43
\s1 Israel's only Savior
\q1
\v 1 But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation.
\q2 The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this:
\q1 “Do not be afraid,
\q2 because I previously rescued you.
\q1 I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.
\q1
\v 2 When you  \add experience dangerous situations\add*, 
\q1 and  \add you feel like\add* [MET] you are crossing deep rivers,
\q2 I will be with you.
\q1 When you have very big troubles/difficulties,
\q2 you will [LIT] be able to endure them.
\q1 When  \add people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel's three friends by\add* throwing them in a fire,
\q2 you will not  \add die, just like Daniel's three friends were not\add* burned up,
\q1
\v 3 because I am Yahweh, your God,
\q2 the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you.
\q1 I will enable  \add the army of the emperor of Persia\add* to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you;
\q2 similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia, and Seba  \add in Arabia\add*, in order that you can be saved.
\q1
\v 4 I will cause other countries to be conquered instead of your country;
\q2 I will trade them for you,
\q2 in order that you will not be killed,
\q1 because you are very precious [DOU] to me
\q2 and because I love you.
\q1
\v 5 Do not be afraid, because I am with you.
\q2  \add Some day\add* I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.
\q1
\v 6 I will command the  \add rulers of the nations to\add* the north and to the south,
\q2 ‘Allow all the people of Israel to return  \add to their country\add*, 
\q2 from the most distant places on the earth.
\q1
\v 7 Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return,
\q2 because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me;
\q2 I am the one who has done that [DOU].’
\q1
\v 8 Summon the people who have eyes but  \add it is as though\add* they are blind;
\q2 summon those who have ears but  \add because they do not listen to me, it is as though\add* they are deaf.
\q1
\v 9 Gather people of all nations together,
\q2 ones from all people-groups,
\q1  \add and ask them this\add*:  ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now?
\q2 And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’
\q1 Then bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things,
\q2 and what they predicted was what happened,’
\q2  \add but they will be lying\add*.”
\q1
\v 10 But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel ◄are my witnesses/know what I have done►,
\q2 and you are the ones who serve me.
\q1 I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me,
\q2 and understand that I am the only one who is  \add truly\add* God.
\q1 There is no other  \add true\add* God.
\q2 There was no other  \add true\add* God previously,
\q2 and there will never be another  \add true\add* God.
\q1
\v 11 I, \add only\add* I, am Yahweh,
\q2 and there is no other one who can save you.
\q1
\v 12 I said that I would rescue  \add your ancestors\add*, 
\q2 and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed  \add that I had done it\add*.
\q1 No foreign god among you did that!
\q2 And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.
\q2
\v 13 I am God, the one who has existed forever and who will exist forever;
\q1 no one can snatch people from my hand,
\q2 and no one can alter/change what I have done.”
\s1 God promises to rescue his people from Babylon
\q1
\v 14 Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says:
\q2 “For your sake, I will send  \add an army\add* to  \add attack\add* Babylon.
\q2 They will force the people of the city to flee in ships which they have been proud of.
\q1
\v 15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One,
\q2 the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.
\q1
\v 16 I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water,
\q2 making a road through the Red Sea.
\q1
\v 17 Then I summoned the great army  \add of Egypt\add* 
\q2 to come with all their chariots and horses.
\q1  \add But when they tried to pursue my people\add*, 
\q1 I caused the waves to flow over them  \add and they drowned\add*; 
\q2 their lives ended  \add like the light of a candle ends when someone\add* [MET] snuffs out the wick.
\q1
\v 18 But do not think  \add only\add* about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].
\q1
\v 19 Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do.
\q2 I have already started to do it;
\q2 can you see it?
\q1 I am going to make a road through the desert.
\q2 And I will cause there to be streams in the wasteland/desert.
\q1
\v 20 The jackals/wolves and owls and other wild creatures will thank me
\q2 for giving them water in the desert.
\q1 I will cause streams to appear in the dry desert
\q2 in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;
\q2
\v 21 I will do that for the people whom I have created  \add and chosen\add* to belong to me,
\q2 and  \add some day\add* they will cause many others to praise me.
\s1 God's grievances concerning Israel
\q1
\v 22 But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to request my help.
\q2 It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of worshiping me.
\q1
\v 23 You have not brought to me sheep or goats for offerings that will be completely burned  \add on the altar\add*; 
\q2 you have not honored me by  \add bringing to me any\add* sacrifices,
\q1 even though the offerings of grain and incense  \add that I asked you\add* to bring to me were not a burden to you.
\q1
\v 24 You have bought for me fragrant reeds,
\q2 and you have brought me the fat from your sacrifices.
\q1 But these have not pleased me,
\q2 because you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed,
\q2 and made me weary because of all ◄your iniquities/the wrong things that you have done►.
\b
\q1
\v 25 I am the one who is able to forgive you for all your sins;
\q2 I am the only one who can do that,
\q2 with the result that I will never think about them again.
\q1
\v 26 Tell me what I have done that you do not like.
\q2 Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you ◄are innocent/have done nothing wrong► [IRO]?
\q1
\v 27 No, \add what has happened is that\add* the first ancestor of you Israelis' sinned  \add against me\add*, 
\q2 and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.
\q1
\v 28 That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced;
\q2 and I have allowed others to destroy you people of Israel
\q2 and caused you to be despised.”
\c 44
\s1 Yahweh promised to bless Israel
\q1
\v 1 But now, you people of Israel whom Yahweh has chosen to serve him, listen to me.
\q1
\v 2 Yahweh, the one who created you and helps you, says this:
\q2 “You dear people of Israel whom I have chosen,
\q2 you who serve me,
\q2 do not be afraid.
\q1
\v 3 I will pour water on your dry land
\q2 and cause streams to flow.
\q1 And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants
\q2 and greatly bless them.
\q1
\v 4 They will grow up like [SIM] grass grows along the water,
\q2 like [SIM] willow/poplar \add trees\add* grow well along a riverbank.
\q1
\v 5 Some of them will say, ‘I belong to Yahweh,’
\q2 and others will say, ‘We are descendants of Jacob,’
\q1 and others will write on their hands, ‘We belong to Yahweh,’
\q2 and others will say, ‘We are Israelis.’”
\s1 Foolish worship of idols
\q1
\v 6 Yahweh, the King of Israel, the one who saves us, the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, says this:
\q1 “I am the one who begins everything and who ends everything;
\q2 there is no other God.
\q1
\v 7 If there is anyone like me [RHQ],
\q2 he should proclaim it!
\q1 He should speak and tell me \add now\add*
\q2 He should tell what has happened since I caused my people \add of Israel\add* to become a nation long ago,
\q1 and he should also tell what things will happen;
\q2 he should predict what will happen in the future.
\q1
\v 8 \add My people\add*, do not be afraid.
\q2 Long ago I told you things that would happen [RHQ];
\q1 I predicted them, and you can testify that I did that.
\q1 There certainly is not [RHQ] any other God.
\q2 There is no other God who is able to protect you [MET];
\q2 I know that there is no other God!”
\b
\q1
\v 9 All those who make idols are foolish,
\q2 and the idols that they ◄think highly of/greatly respect► are worthless.
\q1 And the people who worship those idols— \add it is as though\add* they are blind,
\q2 and they will be ashamed \add for having worshiped those idols\add*.
\q1
\v 10 Only \add foolish people\add* [RHQ] would make idols in a mold,
\q2 idols that would never help them at all.
\q1
\v 11 Those who make idols and those who worship them will be ashamed.
\q1 Those who make idols are only human beings,
\q2 \add but they claim that they are making gods\add*
\q1 They should stand in front of God in a court,
\q2 and \add when they hear what he says\add*, they will be terrified,
\q2 and they will all be disgraced.
\b
\q1
\v 12 Metalworkers stand in front of hot coals
\q2 in order to make idols.
\q1 They pound them strongly with hammers, and shape them.
\q1 Because they work very hard, they become hungry and weak;
\q2 they become very thirsty and feel exhausted.
\q1
\v 13 Then a woodcarver takes a big block/piece of wood and he measures it;
\q2 then he marks it to show where he will cut it.
\q1 He uses a chisel and other tools
\q2 to carve it to resemble a human.
\q1 He causes it to become a very beautiful \add idol\add*,
\q2 and then he puts it in a shrine.
\q1
\v 14 \add Before he carves an idol from that block of wood\add*, he has cut down a cedar tree,
\q2 or he has selected a cypress tree or an oak tree
\q2 and allowed it to grow tall in the forest.
\q1 Or, he has planted a pine/evergreen tree
\q2 and the rain has watered it \add and caused it to grow tall\add*.
\q1
\v 15 \add And after he uses part of the tree to make an idol\add*,
\q2 he uses the other part of the tree to make a fire,
\q2 either to warm himself or to bake bread.
\q1 But he uses \add part of the same tree\add* to make for himself an idol to worship!
\q2 He makes an idol and then he bows down to worship it.
\q1
\v 16 He burns part of the wood of the tree to cook his meat and eats it and his stomach becomes full,
\q2 and he burns part of it to warm his body,
\q2 and he says, “I feel warm while I am watching the flames in the fire.”
\q1
\v 17 Then he takes the rest of the wood
\q2 and makes an idol which is his god.
\q1 He bows down to it and worships it,
\q2 and prays to it and says,
\q2 “You are my god, so save me!”
\q1
\v 18 Those people are very stupid and ignorant [SAR].
\q2 \add It is as though\add* they are blind and cannot see
\q2 and their minds are closed and they cannot think well.
\q1
\v 19 They do not think about what they are doing,
\q1 that they are taking a block of wood
\q2 and burning half of it to warm themselves
\q2 and using some of the rest to bake bread and roast some meat!
\q1 \add They do not say to themselves\add*,
\q1 “It is stupid [RHQ] to take the rest of the wood to make a detestable idol!
\q2 It does not make sense to bow down to a block of wood!”
\q1
\v 20 They are very stupid to \add worship something that if you burn it, it becomes\add* ashes!
\q2 They trust in something that cannot save them;
\q2 they do not admit, “In my hand I hold something that is not really a god! [RHQ]”
\s1 A plea to the Israelis
\q1
\v 21 \add Yahweh says, “You descendants of\add* [MTY] Jacob,
\q2 you people of Israel who should be serving me,
\q1 I created you,
\q2 and I will not forget you.
\q1
\v 22 I have gotten rid of your sins
\q2 like [SIM] \add the wind blows away\add* a cloud.
\q1 \add It is as though\add* your transgressions were a morning mist
\q2 [SIM] that I have blown away.
\q1 Return to me
\q2 because I have rescued you.”
\b
\q1
\v 23 \add The sun and moon and stars\add* in the sky, should sing,
\q2 and all the things that are beneath the ground should shout joyfully!
\q1 All the mountains and forests, and all you trees,
\q should sing loudly,
\q2 because Yahweh has rescued \add the descendants of\add* [MTY] Jacob,
\q2 and \add the people of\add* Israel will praise/honor him.
\s1 Jerusalem will be rebuilt and inhabited again
\q1
\v 24 Yahweh, who saved you and created you, says this:
\q1 “I am Yahweh, the one who created everything.
\q1 I am the only one who stretched out the sky.
\q1 There was [RHQ] no one who ◄was with/helped► me
\q2 when I created the earth.
\q1
\v 25 I show that the false prophets are liars,
\q2 and I show that those who perform rituals to predict the future are fools.
\q1 Some people who \add falsely think that they\add* are [IRO] wise \add say that they\add* know much,
\q2 but I show that they are foolish.
\q1
\v 26 But I always cause to happen what my prophets predict [DOU].
\q2 \add I tell them to\add* say to \add the people of\add* [MTY] Jerusalem, ‘\add Some day\add* people will live here again.’
\q1 \add And I tell them to\add* say to \add the people in other\add* towns in Judah \add that Yahweh says\add*,
\q1 ‘Your towns will be rebuilt;
\q2 I will cause the places that are only ruins to be rebuilt.’
\q1
\v 27 When I say to the rivers, ‘Dry up!’,
\q2 they will become dry.
\q1
\v 28 When I say about King Cyrus, ‘He will \add take care of my people like\add* [MET] a shepherd \add takes care of his sheep\add*,
\q2 he will do what I want him to do,’
\q2 he will say about Jerusalem,
\q2 ‘We must rebuild it!’,
\q1 and he will also say, ‘We must rebuild the temple!’”
\c 45
\s1 Yahweh chose Cyrus to free the Israelis
\q1
\v 1 Cyrus is the one whom Yahweh has appointed \add to be the emperor of Persia\add*
\q2 and to whom he will give great power [IDI];
\q1 Yahweh will enable him to defeat other nations
\q2 and to take away the power of their kings.
\q1 He will cause gates of cities to be opened,
\q2 and no one will ever be able to shut them.
\q1
\v 2 This is what Yahweh says to him:
\q1 “Cyrus, I will go ahead of you
\q2 and level the mountains.
\q1 I will smash down bronze gates
\q2 and cut through iron bars.
\q1
\v 3 I will give you treasures \add that people have hidden\add* in dark secret places [DOU].
\q1 I will do that in order that you will know that I am Yahweh,
\q2 the God to whom the Israelis belong,
\q2 the God who calls you by your name.
\q1
\v 4 I have summoned you, calling out your name,
\q2 for the sake of \add the people of\add* Israel [DOU] whom I have chosen, who serve me.
\q1 Even though you do not know me,
\q2 I will give you a title which has great honor.
\q1
\v 5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other God [DOU].
\q1 Even though you do not know me,
\q2 I will give you power
\q1
\v 6 in order that everyone in the world, from the east to the west, will know that there is no other \add God\add*.
\q2 I am Yahweh, and there is no other \add God\add*.
\q1
\v 7 I created the light and the darkness.
\q2 I cause there to be peace and I cause there to be disasters.
\q2 I, Yahweh, do all those things.”
\b
\q1
\v 8 \add And Yahweh also says, “I want my\add* rescue \add of my people\add* [MET] to fall from the sky like rain.
\q1 Just like the earth opens wide to accept rain,
\q2 I will rescue/save my people and cause them to be treated justly.
\q1 I, Yahweh, am the one who will cause both of those things to happen.
\b
\q1
\v 9 Terrible things will happen to those who argue with me, the one who created them.
\q2 \add They are like\add* [MET] a clay pot and \add I am like\add* the one who made it;
\q2 so they certainly cannot [RHQ] criticize me.
\q1 A lump of clay certainly cannot [RHQ] argue with the one who shapes it \add to form a pot\add*, saying,
\q2 ‘Why are you making me like this?’
\q1 The pot cannot say ‘\add You have no skill, because\add* what you made has no handles!’
\q1
\v 10 And it would be terrible if an unborn baby would say to its father,
\q2 ‘Why are you [RHQ] causing me to be born?’
\q1 or if it said to its mother,
\q2 ‘The result of your labor pains will be useless?’”
\b
\q1
\v 11 Yahweh, the Holy One of the Israeli people, the one who created Israel, says this to them:
\q2 “◄Why do you ask questions about \add what I do for you\add*, my children?/You should not ask questions about \add what I do for you\add*, my children.► [RHQ]
\q1 ◄Why do you tell me about the work that I should do?/You should not tell me about the work that I should do.► [RHQ]
\q1
\v 12 I am the one who created the earth
\q2 and created people to live on it.
\q1 I stretched out the sky with my hands,
\q2 and I put the stars in their places.
\q1
\v 13 And I will appoint Cyrus to do things that are right/just,
\q2 and I will enable him to do all those things easily [MET].
\q1 His \add workers\add* will rebuild my city,
\q2 and he will free my people who have been ◄exiled/forced to leave their country►.
\q1 And he will do it without my rewarding/paying him!
\q2 \add Those things will surely happen because\add* I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it.
\b
\p
\v 14 And this is \add also\add* what \add I\add*, Yahweh, say \add to you, my people\add*:
\q1 ‘You will rule the people of Egypt and Ethiopia,
\q2 and the tall people of Seba \add in Arabia\add* will become your slaves.
\q1 They will come to you bringing all the things that they sell,
\q2 and it will all be yours.
\q1 They will have chains on their arms as they follow you.
\q1 They will prostrate themselves in front of you and say,
\q2 “God is with/helping you
\q1 and he is the only God;
\q2 there is no other God.” ’”
\b
\q1
\v 15 God, although we cannot see you,
\q2 you are the one to whom \add we\add* Israeli people belong, the one who saves us.
\q1
\v 16 All those who make idols will be humiliated.
\q2 They will all be disgraced together.
\q1
\v 17 But you, Yahweh, will rescue \add us, your\add* Israeli people,
\q2 and we will be free forever.
\q1 Never again, during all the future, will we again be humiliated and disgraced.
\b
\q1
\v 18 Yahweh is God;
\q1 he is the one who created the sky
\q2 and created and formed the earth.
\q1 He did not want it to remain with nothing living on it;
\q2 he wanted people to live on it.
\q1 \add He says\add*, “I am Yahweh;
\q2 there is no other \add God\add*.
\q1
\v 19 \add What I proclaimed\add*, I did not speak secretly
\q2 or \add hide what I was saying by speaking\add* in a dark place.
\q1 When I spoke to the descendants of Jacob,
\q2 I did not tell them
\q1 ‘It will be useless for you to ◄seek for/pray to► me!’
\q2 I, Yahweh, speak \add only\add* what is true and what is right.
\b
\q1
\v 20 You people who are still alive after experiencing great disasters,
\q2 should come and gather together \add and listen to this\add*:
\q1 The people who carry around their wooden idols
\q2 and pray to them are foolish, because those idols cannot rescue them!
\q1
\v 21 Talk among yourselves, and decide what you will say to prove that \add your praying to idols is good\add*.
\q2 \add And when you do that, I will ask you\add*,
\q1 ‘Who predicted long ago \add what has now happened\add*?
\q2 Did any idol tell you \add that those things would happen\add* [RHQ]?’
\q1 No, it was [RHQ] only I, Yahweh, who told you,
\q2 because I am the only God; there is no other God.
\q1 I am a God who acts righteously and saves people;
\q2 there is no other one \add who does these things\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 22 Everyone in the world should ask me to save them,
\q2 because I am the only God who can do that;
\q2 there is no other one.
\q1
\v 23 I have solemnly declared, using my own name;
\q2 I [SYN] have spoken what is true,
\q2 and I will never change what I have said:
\q1 \add Some day\add*, everyone [SYN] will bow in front of me,
\q2 and they will all solemnly promise to be loyal to me.
\q1
\v 24 They will declare,
\q2 ‘Yahweh is the one who enables us to live righteously and to be strong.’”
\q1 And all those who have been angry at him will come to him,
\q2 and they will be ashamed \add for having been angry with him\add*.
\q1
\v 25 Yahweh is the only one who will enable \add us\add* Israeli people in all future times to defeat our enemies,
\q2 \add and then\add* we will boast about what he \add has done for us\add*.
\c 46
\s1 The gods of Babylonia are useless
\q1
\v 1 \add It is as though\add* Bel and Nebo, the statues of the gods  \add of Babylonia\add*, 
\q2 are bowing down as they are put on animals and carried away!
\q1 The statues are heavy burdens and will cause the animals to become tired [SAR]!
\q1
\v 2 \add It seems like\add* both gods are bowing down;
\q2 not only can they not save themselves,
\q2 but they themselves are being ◄exiled/taken to another country►!
\b
\q1
\v 3 \add Yahweh says\add*, “You descendants of Jacob who were exiled,
\q1  \add I am not like the gods of Babylonia that must be carried\add*; 
\q2  \add instead, it is as though\add* I have carried you
\q1 since you first became a nation [MET].
\q2 I carried you  \add even\add* before you became a nation.
\q1
\v 4 I will be your God, and I will carry you for many years,
\q2 until  \add it is as though\add* [MET] your nation is an old man with gray hair.
\q1 I caused  \add you to become a nation\add*, 
\q2 and I will sustain you and rescue you.
\b
\q1
\v 5 There is certainly [RHQ] no one to whom I can be compared.
\q2 There is [RHQ] no one who is equal to me [DOU].
\q1
\v 6 \add So it is stupid/ridiculous that\add* some people pour out gold and silver from their bags
\q2 and weigh it on a scale.
\q1  \add Then\add* they hire a man who makes things from gold to make an idol from it.
\q2  \add After he makes an idol\add*, they bow down and worship it!
\q1
\v 7 They lift it up and carry it on their shoulders.
\q2 They put it in a  \add special\add* place,
\q2 and it stays there.
\q1 It cannot move!
\q1 And when someone prays to it, it does not answer.
\q2 So  \add obviously\add* it cannot rescue anyone from his troubles!
\b
\q1
\v 8 \add You people of Judah\add*, do not forget this;
\q2 keep thinking about it, you sinful people!
\q1
\v 9 Think about the things  \add that I did\add* long ago.
\q2 Only I am God; I am God, and there is no one like me.
\q1
\v 10 Only I can tell what will happen in the future before it occurs;
\q2 I tell it long before it happens.
\q1 I will accomplish everything that I plan to accomplish,
\q2 and I will do everything that I want to do.
\q1
\v 11 So I will summon  \add someone to come\add* from the east  \add like a swift and powerful\add* eagle;
\q2 he will come from a distant country.
\q1 He will accomplish what I want him to.
\q2  \add He is the one who\add* will do what I have said that I want him to do,
\q2 what I have planned.
\q1
\v 12 You stubborn people  \add of Israel\add*, 
\q2  \add you think that\add* it will be a long time before you are allowed to return to your own country.
\q1
\v 13 But I will rescue you,
\q2 and it will not be a long time  \add before that happens\add*.
\q2 I will do it soon.
\q1 I will rescue Jerusalem
\q2 and show to you Israeli  \add people\add* that I am glorious.”
\c 47
\s1 Prediction of the destruction of Babylon
\q1
\v 1 \add Yahweh also says\add*, “You people of Babylon,
\q2 you should go and sit in the dust/dirt,
\q1 because your time to rule [MTY] \add other countries\add* is almost ended.
\q1 People will never again say that Babylonia is beautiful
\q2  \add like\add* a very attractive/beautiful young woman.
\q1
\v 2 \add You will be slaves, so\add* take heavy stones
\q2 and grind grain  \add like slave women do\add*.
\q1 Take off your  \add beautiful\add* veils
\q2 and take off your robes  \add as you prepare to cross streams to go where you will be forced to go\add*.
\q1
\v 3 You will be naked and  \add very\add* ashamed.
\q2 I will get vengeance on you and not pity you.”
\b
\q1
\v 4 The one who frees us  \add people of Judah\add*, whom we call ❛the Commander of the armies of angels❜,
\q2 is the Holy One of Israel.
\b
\q1
\v 5 \add Yahweh says\add*, “You people of Babylon,
\q2 sit silently in the darkness,
\q1 because people will never again say that your city is  \add like\add* [MET] a queen that rules many kingdoms.
\q1
\v 6 I was angry with the people whom I chose  \add to belong to me\add*, 
\q2 and I punished them.
\q1 I allowed you  \add people of Babylon\add* to conquer them.
\q1 But  \add when you conquered them\add*, you did not act mercifully toward them.
\q2 You ◄oppressed/treated cruelly► [MET] even the old people.
\q1
\v 7 You said, ‘We will rule  \add other nations\add* forever;
\q2  \add it is as though our city\add* will be the queen  \add of the world\add* forever!’
\q1 But you did not think about the things  \add that you were doing\add*, 
\q2 or think about what would result.
\b
\q1
\v 8 You people  \add of Babylon\add* who enjoy pleasure and sex,
\q2 listen to this:
\q1 You enjoy a luxurious life and you feel secure.
\q1 You say, ‘We are  \add like gods\add*, 
\q2 and there are no others like us.
\q1 Our women will never become widows,
\q2 and our children will never be killed  \add in wars\add*.’
\q1
\v 9 But both of those things will happen to you suddenly:
\q2 Many of your women \bd will\bd* become widows
\q2 and many of your children \bd will\bd* die,
\q1 even though you perform much sorcery and many kinds of magic  \add to prevent bad things from happening to you\add*.
\q1
\v 10 You felt protected even though you were doing many wicked things,
\q2 and you said, ‘No one will see what we  \add are doing\add*!’
\q1  \add You thought that\add* you were very wise and knew many things,
\q2 and you said, ‘We are gods, and there are no others like us,’
\q2 but you deceived yourselves.
\q1
\v 11 So you will experience terrible things,
\q2 and you will not be able to prevent them by working magic.
\q1 You will experience disasters,
\q2 and you will not be able to pay anyone to prevent those things from happening.
\q1 ◄A catastrophe/Something terrible► will happen to you suddenly,
\q2 something that you will not realize  \add is about to happen\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 12 So you can continue to perform all your magic spells [IRO]!
\q2 You can perform the many kinds of sorcery that you have practiced for many years!
\q1 Perhaps  \add doing those things will enable you to\add* be successful;
\q2 perhaps you will be able to cause your enemies to be afraid of you!
\q1
\v 13 But  \add all that has resulted from your\add* doing all the things that the magicians have told you to do is that you have become tired!
\q1 The men who look at the stars every month and predict what will happen
\q2 should come forward and rescue you  \add from the disasters that you are about to experience\add*.
\q1
\v 14 But  \add they cannot do that, because\add* they are like [SIM] straw that is burning in a fire;
\q2 they cannot save themselves from being burned up in the flames.
\q1 Those men are unable to help you [MET];
\q2 they are as useless as stubble  \add that burns quickly and produces no heat\add* for you.
\q1
\v 15 The people whom you have associated with and worked with since you were young
\q2  \add will not help you\add*, 
\q1 because they will just continue doing their own foolish things,
\q1 and they will not pay any attention to you
\q2  \add when you cry out for help\add*.”
\c 48
\s1 The people of Israel are stubborn
\q1
\v 1 \add Yahweh says\add*, “You descendants [MTY] of Jacob,
\q2 who are  \add also\add* descendants of Judah and are now called  \add the people of\add* Israel,
\q2 Listen to me!
\q1 You make solemn promises using my name, Yahweh,
\q2 and you request that I, the God to whom you Israeli people belong, \add will hear you\add*, 
\q2 but you do not do it sincerely.
\q1
\v 2 You say that you live in the holy city  \add of Jerusalem\add* 
\q2 and  \add you insincerely say\add* that you are relying on me, the God to whom you  \add people of\add* Israel belong,
\q2 the one who is the Commander of the armies of angels.
\q1
\v 3 Long ago I [MTY] predicted what would happen [DOU].
\q2 And then suddenly, I caused those things to happen.
\q1
\v 4 I knew that you people are very stubborn;
\q2 I knew that your heads are [MET] \add as hard as\add* iron or brass [DOU].
\q1
\v 5 That is why I told you those things long ago.
\q2 Long before they occurred, I announced that they would occur,
\q1 in order that  \add when they happened\add* you could not say
\q2 ‘Our idols did it;
\q2 our statue made of wood and our idol made of metal caused them to happen.’
\q1
\v 6 You have heard those things  \add that I predicted\add* 
\q2 and now you have seen that they have all occurred,
\q1 so why do you not admit it [RHQ]?
\b
\q1 Now I will tell you new things,
\q2 things that you have not known previously.
\q1
\v 7 I am causing them to happen now;
\q2 they are not things I did long ago.
\q1 So you cannot say, ‘We already knew about those things.’
\q1
\v 8 \add I will tell you about\add* things that you have never heard about or understood before.
\q2 Even long ago you did not pay attention to me [IDI].
\q1 I know that you act very deceitfully/treacherously;
\q2 you have rebelled against me since you first became a nation [MTY].
\q1
\v 9 But, for my own sake, in order that I will be honored,
\q2 I will not punish [MTY] you immediately
\q2 and I will not completely get rid of you.
\q1
\v 10 I have purified you, but not the way  \add people refine\add* silver.
\q1 Instead, I have caused you to suffer very much  \add to get rid of your impure behavior\add* 
\q2 like [MET] \add people put metal in a very hot\add* furnace  \add to get rid of the impurities\add*.
\q1
\v 11 But for my [MTY] own sake I will delay punishing you more;
\q1 I will do it for my own sake
\q2 in order that my reputation will not be damaged [RHQ].
\q1 I will not allow any  \add person or any idol\add* to be honored as I  \add deserve to be\add* honored.”
\s1 The people of Israel should leave Babylon because that city will be destroyed
\q1
\v 12 “You descendants [MTY] of Jacob, you people of Israel whom I have chosen,
\q2 listen to me!
\q1  \add Only\add* I am God;
\q2 I am the one who begins everything and who causes everything to end.
\q1
\v 13 I [SYN] am the one who laid the foundation of he earth.
\q2 I stretched out the sky with my hand.
\q1 And when I tell  \add the stars\add* to appear,
\q2 they all do what I tell them.
\b
\q1
\v 14 All of you, gather together and listen to me.
\q2 None of your idols has [RHQ] told this to you:
\q1 I, Yahweh, have chosen  \add Cyrus\add* to assist me,
\q2 and he will do to Babylon what I want him to do,
\q2 and his army will get rid of  \add the army of\add* Babylonia.
\q1
\v 15 I have said it;
\q2 I have summoned  \add Cyrus\add*.
\q1 I have appointed him,
\q2 and he will accomplish everything that he attempts to do.
\b
\p
\v 16 Come close to me and listen to what I say.
\q1 Long ago [MTY] I told you plainly/clearly [LIT] \add what would happen\add*, 
\q2 and when those things occurred, I was  \add causing them to happen\add*.”
\b
\q1 And now Yahweh the Lord and his Spirit have sent me  \add to give you a message\add*.
\q1
\v 17 This is what Yahweh, the one who saves you, the Holy God of  \add us\add* Israelis, says:
\q2 “I am Yahweh, your God;
\q1 I teach you what is important for you  \add to know\add*; 
\q2 I direct you and lead you to the roads that you should walk on [MET].
\q1
\v 18 I wish that you had paid attention to my commands!
\q2 If you had done that, things would have gone well for you
\q2 like [SIM] a river that flows gently;
\q1 you would have been successful again and again,
\q2 like [SIM] waves that come without ceasing.
\q1
\v 19 Your descendants would have been  \add as many as\add* [MET] the grains of sand  \add on the seashore\add* 
\q2  \add which no one can count\add*.
\q1 I would not have needed to get rid of them;
\q2 the country of [MTY] \add Israel\add* would not have been destroyed.”
\b
\q1
\v 20 \add However, now I tell you\add*, 
\q2 leave Babylon!
\q1 Flee from  \add being slaves of the people of\add* Babylonia!
\q1 Proclaim this message joyfully;
\q2 send it to the most remote/distant places on the earth:
\q1 Yahweh, freed the people of Israel  \add from being slaves in Egypt\add*.
\q2
\v 21 They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert,
\q1 because he split open the rock
\q2 and caused water to gush/flow out for them  \add to drink\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 22 “But things will not go well  \add like that\add* for wicked people,” says Yahweh.
\c 49
\s1 Yahweh appointed his special servant
\q1
\v 1 All you people who live on islands  \add in the ocean\add* and in other distant areas,
\q2 pay attention [DOU] to what I will say!
\q1 Yahweh called/chose me before was born;
\q2 he chose/appointed me when I was still in my mother's womb.
\q1
\v 2 \add When I grew up\add*, he caused my messages to be like [SIM] a sharp sword.
\q1 He has protected me by his hand [SYN].
\q2  \add He protects me\add* [MET] like someone protects sharp arrows in a quiver.
\q1
\v 3 He said to me, “You will serve my Israeli  \add people\add*, 
\q2 and you will cause people to honor me.”
\q1
\v 4 I replied, “My work has been useless;
\q2 I have used my strength, but I have accomplished nothing worthwhile;
\q2 everything that I have done has been ◄in vain/useless►.
\q1 However, Yahweh can honor me as he pleases;
\q2 my God is the one who will reward me  \add as I deserve\add*.”
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh formed me when I was in  \add my mother's\add* womb in order that I would serve him;
\q2 he appointed me to bring  \add the people of\add* Israel back to himself [DOU].
\q1 Yahweh has honored me,
\q2 and he is the one who has caused me to be strong.
\q1
\v 6 He says to me,
\q1 “It is not enough for you to serve me
\q2 by bringing the descendants of Jacob back to worship me again [DOU];
\q1 I also want you to be like [MET] a light for the non-Jews;
\q2 I want you to take my  \add my message\add* about how to be saved to  \add people\add* all over the world.”
\b
\q1
\v 7 Yahweh, the one who saves us,
\q2 the Holy God of us Israeli  \add people\add*, 
\q1 says to the one who was despised and rejected by the  \add people of many\add* nations,
\q2 to the one who is the slave of rulers,
\q1 “\add Some day\add* kings will stand up to respect you when they see you,
\q2 and princes will bow down before you
\q1 because  \add you serve\add* me, Yahweh, the one who faithfully  \add does what I promise\add*.
\q2 I am the Holy God to whom you Israelis belong, the one who has chosen you.”
\s1 The promise to restore Israel
\p
\v 8 This is also what Yahweh says:
\q1 “At a time when it pleases me, I will answer your prayers.
\q2 On the day when you will be rescued  \add from your oppressors\add*, I will help you.
\q1 I will protect you and enable you to establish an agreement with other nations.
\q2 And by what you do, I will re-establish your nation of Israel
\q1 and allow you to live/settle again in your land that was abandoned.
\q1
\v 9 I will say to those who were captured  \add and ◄exiled/taken to Babylonia►\add*, 
\q2 ‘Leave  \add Babylonia\add* and return to your own country!’
\q1 And I will say to those who are in dark prisons,
\q2 ‘Come out into the light!’
\q1 When that happens, they will again be like [MET] sheep
\q2 that eat grass in green pastures,
\q2 on hills where  \add previously\add* there was no grass.
\q1
\v 10 They will not be hungry or thirsty  \add anymore\add*; 
\q2 the hot sun will not beat upon them again [DOU].
\q1 I, Yahweh, will act mercifully toward them and lead them;
\q2 I will lead them to where there are springs of cool water.
\q1
\v 11 And I will cause the mountains to become  \add as though they were\add* level roads,
\q2 and I will prepare good highways  \add for my people to travel on, to return to Jerusalem\add*.
\q1
\v 12 My people will return from far away;
\q2 some will come from the north, some from the west,
\q2 some from southern Egypt.”
\b
\q1
\v 13 \add Because of what Yahweh has promised to do\add*, 
\q1 everything should shout joyfully—
\q2 the sky and the earth and the mountains should sing,
\q2 because Yahweh comforts his people,
\q1 and he will pity those who are suffering.
\b
\q1
\v 14 \add The people of\add* Jerusalem say,
\q1 “Yahweh has abandoned us;
\q2 he has forgotten about us.”
\b
\q1
\v 15 But  \add Yahweh replies\add*, 
\q1 “That is not true! ◄Can a woman forget the infant that she is nursing?/A woman certainly cannot forget the infant that she is nursing!► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Can she stop acting kindly toward the child to whom she has given birth?/She certainly cannot stop acting kindly toward the child to whom she has given birth!► [RHQ]
\q1 But even if a woman would do that,
\q2 I will not forget you!
\q1
\v 16 Note that I have written your  \add names\add* on the palms of my hands;
\q2 in my mind I can always see the walls of your city.
\q1
\v 17 Soon your children will be returning there (OR, Those who rebuild your city will work more quickly than those who destroyed it),
\q2 and all those who destroyed your city will leave.
\q1
\v 18 You will look around and see
\q2 all of your children coming back to you.
\q1 As surely as I live,
\q2 they will be around you  \add for you to show to people\add* 
\q2 like [SIM] a bride shows her wedding ornaments!
\b
\q1
\v 19 Your land has been ruined and caused to become desolate/abandoned [DOU],
\q2 but  \add some day\add* it will be filled with people,
\q2 and those who conquered you will be far away.
\q1
\v 20 The children who were born while you were ◄exiled/in Babylonia► [MET] will return  \add to Jerusalem\add* and say,
\q2 ‘This city is too small for us;
\q2 We need more space to live in!’
\q1
\v 21 Then you will think to yourselves [MTY],
\q2 ‘It is amazing that we have [RHQ] all these children!
\q1 Most of our children were dead,
\q2 and the rest were exiled.
\q2 We were left here alone;
\q1 so we do not know [RHQ] where all these children have come from!
\q2 Who raised them?’”
\b
\p
\v 22 This is what Yahweh our God says:
\q1 “Watch! \add It is as though\add* I will lift up my hand to signal to those who are not Israelis.
\q2 And they will carry your little sons and daughters on their shoulders
\q2 and bring them back to you.
\q1
\v 23 Kings will serve you and will tutor/teach your children,
\q2 and their queens will take care of your young children.
\q1 They will prostrate themselves in front of you
\q2 and lick the dust off your feet.
\q1 When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, \add have the power to do what I say that I will do\add*; 
\q2 and those who trust in me will never be disappointed.”
\b
\q1
\v 24 There is no one [RHQ] who can snatch valuable things from a soldier who has captured those things  \add in a war\add*; 
\q2 there is no one [RHQ] who can force a ◄tyrant/cruel man► to free the people whom he has captured.
\p
\v 25 But Yahweh says this:
\q1 “\add Some day\add*, those who have been captured will be freed,
\q2 and the valuable things that ◄tyrants/cruel men► have snatched from others will be returned,
\q1 because I will fight against those who fight against you,
\q2 and I will rescue your children.
\q1
\v 26 And I will cause your enemies to destroy themselves [MET]
\q2 instead of murdering others.
\q1 When that happens, everyone  \add in the world\add* will know that I, Yahweh, am the one who saves you,
\q2 the one who rescues you from your enemies;
\q2 everyone will know that I am the mighty God to whom  \add you descendants of\add* [MTY] Jacob belong.”
\c 50
\s1 Yahweh's power
\p
\v 1 This is  \add also\add* what Yahweh says:
\q1 “You  \add Israeli children\add*, do not think [RHQ] that I  \add forced your parents to be exiled/taken to Babylonia\add* [MET]
\q2 like some men send away their wives
\q1 after giving them a paper
\q2 on which they state that they were divorcing them!
\q1 I certainly did not [RHQ] get rid of you like a man who sells his children to get money to pay what he owes.
\q1 No, the reason that I forced you to be exiled
\q2  \add was to punish you\add* because of the sins that you have committed [DOU].
\q1
\v 2 When I came to you  \add to rescue you\add*, 
\q2 why did no one answer when I called out to you [RHQ]?
\q1 Was there no one there [RHQ]?
\q2 Or, did you think that I do not have the power [MTY] to rescue you [DOU]?
\q1 Think about this:
\q2 I can speak to a sea and cause it to become dry!
\q1 I can cause rivers to become deserts
\q2 with the result that the fish in the rivers die from thirst and rot.
\q1
\v 3 I cause the sky to become dark,
\q2  \add as though\add* [MET] it was wearing black clothes  \add because it was mourning because someone had died\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 4 Yahweh our God has given me his wise message [MTY]
\q2 in order that I may encourage those who are weary.
\q1 Each morning he awakens me,
\q2 in order that I [SYN] may listen to what he teaches [SIM] me.
\q1
\v 5 Yahweh our God has spoken to me [IDI],
\q2 and I have not rejected what he told me;
\q2 I have accepted [LIT] it.
\q1
\v 6 I allowed people to beat me on my back
\q2 and to pull out the whiskers in my beard  \add because they hated me\add*.
\q1 I did not turn away [MTY] from them
\q2 when they made fun of me and spat on me.
\q1
\v 7 But, because the Lord our God helps me,
\q2 I will never be humiliated.
\q1 Therefore, I am strongly determined [IDI] to face/endure difficulties,
\q2 and I know that nothing will cause me to be ashamed.
\q1
\v 8 God, the one who vindicates me, is near to me;
\q2 so if anyone [RHQ] stands in front of me and accuses me in a court,
\q2 he will not be able  \add to show that I have done anything that is wrong\add*.
\q1
\v 9 The Lord our God defends me  \add in court\add*, 
\q2 so no one [RHQ] will be able to ◄condemn me/declare that I am guilty►.
\q1 All those who accuse me will disappear
\q2 like [SIM] old clothes that have been eaten by ◄\add larvae of\add* moths/cockroaches►.
\b
\q1
\v 10 If you revere Yahweh
\q2 and do what his servant tells you to do,
\q1 even if you are ◄walking in darkness/enduring suffering►, and it seems that [MET] there is no light,
\q2 trust in Yahweh your God [DOU] \add to help you\add*.
\q1
\v 11 But you people who  \add oppose me\add*, 
\q2  \add who would like to throw\add* me into a blazing fire,
\q1 walk in your own fires
\q2 and burn yourselves with your own torches!
\q1 This is what Yahweh will cause to happen to you:
\q2 You will be enduring great torment when you die [EUP]!
\c 51
\s1 Yahweh will bless the descendants of Abraham
\q1
\v 1 \add Yahweh says\add*, “You people who desire to act righteously/justly,
\q2 who want to do what I want you to do,
\q1 listen to me!
\q2 Think about Abraham!
\q2 \add It is as though\add* [MET] he was a huge rock cliff;
\q1 and when you \add people of Israel became a nation\add*,
\q2 \add it was as though\add* [MET] you were cut from that rock [DOU].
\q1
\v 2 Think about your ancestor Abraham and \add his wife\add* Sarah, of whom \add all of\add* you are descendants.
\q2 When I first spoke to Abraham,
\q1 he had no children.
\q2 But after I blessed him, he had a huge number of descendants.
\q1
\v 3 \add Some day I\add*, Yahweh, will encourage his descendants \add again\add*,
\q2 and I will comfort all \add the people who live in\add* the ruins \add of Jerusalem\add*.
\q1 The desert in that area will become like Eden;
\q2 it will be like the garden that I, Yahweh, \add made/planted\add*.
\q1 All the people there will be joyful and happy;
\q2 they will thank me and sing.
\b
\q1
\v 4 My people of Judah, listen carefully [DOU] to me,
\q2 because \add I want you to\add* proclaim my laws;
\q1 the just/right things that I do will be \add like\add* [MET] a light for the people of the nations.
\q1
\v 5 I will soon/quickly rescue you [DOU];
\q2 by my power [MTY] I will bring you back \add from being exiled in Babylonia\add* [DOU].
\q1 The people who live on islands in the ocean will wait for me \add to help them\add*,
\q2 confidently expecting for me to use my power [MTY].
\q1
\v 6 Look up at the sky,
\q2 and look at the earth,
\q2 \add and see what they are like now\add*,
\q1 because \add some day\add* the sky will disappear like [SIM] smoke,
\q2 and the earth will wear out like [SIM] old clothes wear out,
\q2 and people on the earth will die like gnats/flies.
\q1 But I will rescue/save you, and you will remain free forever,
\q2 and I will rule you righteously/fairly forever.
\b
\q1
\v 7 You people who know what things are right to do,
\q2 and who know in your inner beings \add what is written in\add* my laws,
\q1 listen to me!
\q2 Do not be afraid of people who taunt/insult you;
\q2 do not be disturbed/upset when people revile you,
\q1
\v 8 because \add some day they will be destroyed\add*
\q2 like [MET] clothing that is eaten by ◄\add larvae of\add* moths/cockroaches►,
\q1 like wool garments that have been eaten by worms.
\q2 I will save them, and they will be saved forever.”
\s1 A prayer for God's help
\b
\q1
\v 9 Yahweh, wake up \add and do something for us\add*
\q2 Show your power!
\q1 Do mighty things
\q2 like you did long ago,
\q2 when you stabbed [RHQ] that sea monster/dragon Rahab and cut it into pieces.
\q1
\v 10 Surely you are [RHQ] the one who caused the Red Sea to become dry
\q1 and made a path through that deep water
\q2 in order that your people could cross it!
\q1
\v 11 And those whom Yahweh will rescue \add from being exiled in Babylonia\add*
\q2 will \add similarly\add* return to Jerusalem, singing.
\q2 Their being joyful forever will be \add like\add* [MET] a crown on their heads.
\q1 They will not be sad or mourn anymore;
\q2 they will be \add completely\add* joyful and happy.
\b
\q1
\v 12 \add Yahweh says\add*,
\q2 “I am the one who encourages you.
\q1 So ◄why are you/you should not be► [RHQ] afraid of humans
\q2 who will \add wither and disappear like\add* [MET] grass.
\q1
\v 13 ◄Why have you/You should not have► [RHQ] forgotten \add me\add*, Yahweh, the one who created your nation,
\q2 the one who stretched out the sky
\q2 and laid the foundations of the earth.
\q1 ◄Why are you/You should not be► [RHQ] continually afraid of those who are angry with you and ◄oppress you/treat you cruelly►
\q2 and want to get rid of you.
\q1 \add You should not be afraid of them now\add*,
\q2 because those angry people have now disappeared!
\q2
\v 14 Soon you people who have been caused to be slaves \add in Babylonia\add* will be freed!
\q1 You will not remain in prison, and you will not die of hunger,
\q1
\v 15 because I am Yahweh, your God,
\q2 the one who stirs up the sea and causes the waves to roar;
\q2 I am the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels!
\q1
\v 16 I have given you my message [MTY] to proclaim,
\q2 and I have protected you by my hand [MTY].
\q1 I stretched out the sky
\q2 and laid the foundation of the earth.
\q1 And I am the one who says to you Israeli people,
\q2 ‘You are my people!’”
\s1 A warning to the people of Jerusalem
\q1
\v 17 \add You people of\add* [APO] Jerusalem, wake up [DOU]!
\q2 You have experienced Yahweh severely punishing [MTY] you.
\q1 Yahweh has caused you to suffer much,
\q2 all that he wanted you to suffer,
\q1 like [MET] someone who causes another person to suffer
\q2 by forcing him to drink every drop of [MTY] a cupful of bitter liquid.
\q1
\v 18 \add Now\add* you do not have any children who are alive [DOU]
\q2 and able to take your hand and guide you.
\q1
\v 19 You have experienced several disasters:
\q2 Your country has become desolate/deserted;
\q1 \add your cities have been\add* destroyed;
\q2 \add many people have\add* died from hunger;
\q2 \add many people have been\add* killed by your enemies' swords.
\q1 Now, there is no one [RHQ] left to console/comfort you and sympathize with you.
\q1
\v 20 Your children have fainted and lie in the streets;
\q2 they are \add as helpless as\add* [SIM] an antelope \add that has been caught\add* in a net.
\q1 What has happened to them is because Yahweh has been very angry with them;
\q2 he has rebuked them severely.
\b
\q1
\v 21 So now, you people who have suffered much,
\q1 \add you act as though\add* you are drunk,
\q2 but it is not because you have drunk a lot of wine.
\q1
\v 22 Yahweh, your Lord and your God,
\q2 the one who argues/pleads your case, says this:
\q1 “Note this: \add It is as though\add* [MET] I have taken that cup of bitter liquid from your hands;
\q2 I will not be angry with you and cause you to suffer anymore.
\q1
\v 23 Instead, I will cause those who have tormented you to suffer;
\q2 \add I will severely punish\add* those who said to you,
\q2 ‘Prostrate yourselves in order that we may walk on you;
\q1 \add lie down on your stomachs\add*
\q2 in order that your backs will be like [SIM] streets that we can walk on.’”
\c 52
\s1 Jerusalem's suffering will end
\q1
\v 1 \add You people who live in the\add* holy city of Jerusalem [APO], wake up!
\q2 Be strong again!
\q1 Show that [MTY] your city is beautiful and glorious;
\q2 foreigners who do not believe in God will not enter your city again  \add to attack you\add*.
\q1
\v 2 People of Jerusalem, get up from sitting in the dust
\q2 and sit in places where people are honored!
\q1 You people who have returned from being exiled,
\q2 take off from your neck the chains which were fastened around you  \add in Babylonia\add*, 
\q1
\v 3 because this is what Yahweh says:
\q1 “\add When you were taken to Babylonia\add*, 
\q2 no one paid me for doing that.
\q1 So now I will bring you back
\q2 without  \add being required to\add* pay for you!”
\b
\p
\v 4 Yahweh  \add our\add* Lord  \add also\add* says this:
\q1 “Long ago, my people went to Egypt to live there.
\q2  \add Later\add* they were being ◄oppressed/treated cruelly► by  \add the soldiers of\add* Assyria.
\p
\v 5 But now think about what is happening:
\q1 My people are being forced to be slaves again, this time by the  \add people of Babylonia\add*.
\q2 And  \add those who have conquered them this time have also\add* paid me nothing,
\q1 and they despise me [MTY] continually [DOU].
\q1
\v 6 But my people will then have a close relationship with [MTY] me,
\q2 and when that happens, they will know that I am the one who predicted/promised  \add that it would happen\add*.
\q1 It is I, \add Yahweh, who will do it\add*.”
\s1 A message of encouragement for Jerusalem
\q1
\v 7 It is a wonderful thing when messengers [MTY] arrive on the mountains/hills,
\q2 bringing good news,
\q1 the news about  \add God giving us\add* peace and saving us,
\q1 the news that the God to whom we  \add Israeli people\add* belong is now ruling/king!
\q1
\v 8 The watchmen  \add who are guarding the city\add* will shout and sing joyfully,
\q2 because while they are watching
\q1 they will see Yahweh returning to Jerusalem.
\q1
\v 9 Jerusalem has been ruined,
\q2 but the people who are there now should start to sing joyfully,
\q1 because Yahweh will encourage his people;
\q2 he will set his people free and bring them back to Jerusalem.
\b
\q1
\v 10 Yahweh will show all the nations that he is holy and powerful.
\q1 People in the most remote/distant places on earth will know
\q2 that he has rescued his people.
\b
\q1
\v 11 So, leave  \add the places where you were taken to when you were captured\add*, 
\q2 where  \add everything is\add* unacceptable to God.
\q1 You men who carry the items used for the worship of Yahweh,
\q2 leave there  \add and return to Jerusalem\add*, 
\q2 and purify yourselves  \add in order to be acceptable to worship God\add*.
\q1
\v 12 But it will not  \add be necessary\add* for you to leave suddenly,
\q2 to flee in panic,
\q1 because Yahweh will ◄go in front of/lead► you;
\q2 and he will  \add also\add* protect you  \add from being attacked\add* at the rear  \add while you travel\add*.
\s1 God's suffering servant
\q1
\v 13 \add Yahweh says\add*, “Listen carefully!
\q2 My servant will act wisely (OR, do the right things to accomplish what he wants to),
\q1 and I will highly exalt him.”
\q1
\v 14 But many people will be appalled when they see what has happened to him.
\q2  \add Because of his being beaten very badly\add*, his appearance will be changed;
\q3 people will hardly recognize that he is a human.
\q1
\v 15 But he will cause  \add people of\add* many nations to be surprised;
\q2  \add even\add* kings will be silent when they stand in front of him,
\q1 because they will see someone that no one had told them about  \add previously\add*, 
\q2 and they will understand things that they had not heard about  \add before\add*.
\c 53
\q1
\v 1 ◄Who will believe what we will tell them  \add about God's servant\add*?/Hardly anyone will believe what we will tell them  \add about God's servant\add*. ► [RHQ]
\q2 ◄Who will see what Yahweh does by his great power?/Very few people will see what Yahweh does by his great power.► [MTY, RHQ]
\q1
\v 2 While God watches, his servant will grow up  \add appearing/seeming to be very insignificant/unimportant\add*, 
\q2 like a weak young plant that shoots up from a root  \add of a tree that is growing\add* in dry ground.
\q1 There will be nothing beautiful or majestic about him,
\q2 nothing that would cause us to want to be with him.
\q1
\v 3 People will despise and reject him. {He will be despised and rejected.}
\q1 He will endure much pain, and he will suffer much.
\q2  \add Because his face will be very disfigured\add*, people will not  \add want to\add* look at him;
\q1 people will despise him and think that he is not worth paying any attention to.
\b
\q1
\v 4 But he will be  \add punished for\add* the sicknesses  \add of our souls\add*; 
\q2 he will endure great pain for us.
\q1 But we will think that he is being punished by God,
\q2 afflicted/punished  \add for his own sins\add*.
\q1
\v 5 But his body will be bruised because of the evil things that we did;
\q1 he will be wounded because of our sins.
\q2 He will be beaten in order that things will go well for our  \add souls\add*; 
\q1 and because he will be whipped, \add our souls\add* can be healed.
\q1
\v 6 All of us have gone away  \add from God\add* like [SIM] sheep who have strayed away  \add from their shepherd\add*.
\q2 We have turned away  \add from doing the things that God wants in order\add* to do the things that we want [MET].
\q1  \add We deserve to be punished, but\add* Yahweh will punish him instead of punishing us for all of our sins.
\q1
\v 7 He will be abused and caused to suffer,
\q2 but he will not say anything  \add to complain\add*.
\q1 They will lead him  \add to where they will execute him\add*, 
\q2  \add like they lead\add* a lamb to where it will be slaughtered.
\q1 And like a sheep does not ◄bleat/make any noise► when the shearer  \add cuts off its wool\add*, 
\q2 he will not say anything [MTY] \add to defend himself when he is killed\add*.
\q1
\v 8 After he is arrested and put on trial,
\q2 he will be taken away  \add and executed\add*.
\q1 And no one [RHQ] will be able to talk about his descendants,
\q2 because he will die [EUP] \add without being married and having children\add*; 
\q2 he will be ◄afflicted/caused to suffer► for the wrong things that we have done.
\q1
\v 9 Although he will never have done any wrong or deceived [MTY] anyone,
\q2 people will plan to bury his corpse where wicked people are buried,
\q1 but instead, a rich man will  \add bury him\add* after he dies.
\b
\q1
\v 10 But it will be Yahweh's will that he be afflicted and caused to suffer.
\q2 And  \add when he dies\add*, Yahweh will cause him to be an offering to remove the guilt of sinners.
\q1 But later he will have many  \add spiritual\add* children,
\q2 and he will live ◄a long time/forever► after he  \add dies and\add* becomes alive  \add again\add*, 
\q2 and he [MTY] will accomplish everything that Yahweh has planned.
\q2
\v 11 When he sees all that he will accomplish because of his suffering,
\q1 he will be satisfied.
\q2 And because of what will have happened to him,
\q1 Yahweh's righteous servant will cause the guilt of many people to be ended,
\q2 because he will remove  \add the guilt for\add* their sins.
\q1
\v 12 So Yahweh will consider him to be one of the truly great people;
\q2 he will  \add be like a king who\add* divides up  \add among his soldiers\add* the ◄spoils/things they took from their enemies after defeating them► [MET],
\q1 because he will sacrifice himself and die.
\q2  \add Even though people\add* will consider him to be a sinner,
\q1 he will remove the guilt of many  \add people\add*, 
\q2 and he will intercede/pray that those who have done things that are wrong  \add will be forgiven\add*.
\c 54
\s1 Yahweh promised that his people would return to Jerusalem
\q1
\v 1 Yahweh says, “You  \add people of Jerusalem\add* [MET], start to sing!
\q2 You  \add who are like\add* [MET] women who have never given birth to children, sing loudly and shout joyfully,
\q1 because you, \add who are like\add* [MET] childless women who have been abandoned  \add by their husbands\add*, will  \add soon\add* have more children
\q2 than women who have never had any children.
\q1
\v 2 Make your tents larger;
\q2 make them wider,
\q2 and fasten them firmly with tent pegs.
\q1
\v 3 \add You will need to make your city much larger\add* 
\q2 because  \add soon\add* you and your descendants will spread all over the land.
\q1 They will force the people of  \add other\add* nations  \add who now live in your cities\add* to leave,
\q2 and you will live  \add again\add* in those cities  \add that were previously abandoned\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 4 Do not be afraid; you will no  \add longer\add* be ashamed.
\q1 Previously you were ashamed  \add because your enemies conquered you\add* 
\q2 and caused many of your women to become widows,
\q1 but  \add soon\add* you will not even remember that.
\q1
\v 5 \add I\add*, the Commander of the armies of angels, the Holy one of Israel, who rules over the whole earth,
\q1 the one who created you,
\q2 will be  \add like\add* [MET] a husband to you.
\q1
\v 6 You were like a woman whose husband left her,
\q2 and caused you to be very sad;
\q1 you were like a young woman who
\q1 got married when she was  \add very\add* young,
\q2 and then her husband abandoned her.
\q1
\v 7 I abandoned you  \add people of Jerusalem\add* for a while,
\q2 but  \add now\add* I am saying, ‘I will take you back.’
\q1
\v 8 I was very angry with you for a while,
\q2 and I turned away from you.
\q1 But I will act mercifully toward you
\q2 and I will faithfully love you forever.
\q2 That is what  \add I\add*, Yahweh, your protector, say to you.
\b
\q1
\v 9 During the time that Noah lived,
\q2 I solemnly promised that I would never again allow a flood to cover the earth.
\q1 So  \add now\add* I solemnly promise that I will not be angry with you again and ◄rebuke you/threaten to punish you►.
\q1
\v 10 Even if the mountains and hills shake and collapse,
\q2 I will not stop faithfully loving you,
\q1 and I will not cancel my agreement
\q2 to cause things to go well for you.
\q2 That is what  \add I\add*, Yahweh, who act mercifully, say.
\b
\q1
\v 11 You  \add people of Jerusalem\add* [APO], \add your enemies acted very violently toward you\add*; 
\q2  \add it was as though\add* your city was battered by a severe storm,
\q2 and no one helped you.
\q1 But  \add now\add* I will cause your city to be rebuilt with stones made of ◄turquoise/valuable stones►,
\q2 and will cause the foundations of the city to be made of ◄sapphires/valuable blue stones►.
\q1
\v 12 I will cause the towers on the city wall to be made of ◄rubies/valuable red stones►,
\q2 and all the gates of the city will be made of  \add other\add* very valuable stones.
\q1
\v 13 I will be the one who will teach you people
\q2 and cause things to go well with you.
\q1
\v 14 Your  \add government\add* will be strong because of acting justly/fairly;
\q1 no one will ◄oppress you/cause you to suffer►;
\q2 you will not be afraid,
\q2 because there will be nothing [PRS] that will ◄terrorize you/cause you to become extremely afraid►.
\q1
\v 15 If any army attacks you,
\q2 it will not be because I have incited them to do that,
\q1 and you will defeat any group that attacks you.
\b
\q1
\v 16 Think about this:
\q2 ◄Blacksmiths/Men who make things from metal► fan the coals to make a very hot flame
\q2 in order to produce weapons that can be used  \add in battles\add*, 
\q1 but I am the one who has produced blacksmiths!
\q1 And I am also the one who created people who destroy  \add other people and cities\add*.
\q1
\v 17 \add But I am promising you that I will\add* not allow you to be defeated/injured by soldiers using weapons
\q2 that have been made to attack you,
\q1 and when others try to accuse you, you will ◄refute them/show that they are wrong►.
\q2 That is the reward that I will give to the people who serve me;
\q1 I will defend them;
\q2 that is what  \add I\add*, Yahweh, promise.”
\c 55
\s1 The future glory of Jerusalem
\q1
\v 1 “All you  \add people who are in exile\add*, 
\q2 listen to me!
\q1  \add It is as though\add* [MET] you are thirsty,
\q2 so come and get water from me!
\q1  \add It is as though\add* you have no money,
\q2 but you can come and get things from me  \add that are like\add* wine and milk!
\q1 You can get  \add what you need from me\add*, 
\q2  \add and\add* you will not need to give me any money for them!
\q1
\v 2 \add What you really need is to have a close relationship with me\add*, 
\q2 so ◄why do you spend money to buy things that do not supply what you really need?/you should not spend money to buy things that do not supply what you really need.► [RHQ]
\q1 ◄Why do you work hard to get money to buy things that do not <satisfy your  \add inner beings\add*/cause you to be happy>?/You should not work hard to get money to buy things that do not <satisfy your  \add inner beings\add*/cause you to be happy>.► [RHQ]
\q1 Pay attention to what I say
\q2 and acquire what is really good [MET]!
\q1 If you do that, then in your soul you will truly be happy [MET].
\q1
\v 3 Listen to me and come to me;
\q2 pay attention to me, and if you do that, you will have new life in your soul.
\q1 I will make an agreement with you that will last forever
\q2 to faithfully love you like I loved  \add King\add* David.
\q1
\v 4 By what he did, I showed  \add my power to many\add* people-groups;
\q2 I caused him to be a leader and commander [DOU] over  \add the people of many nations\add*.
\q1
\v 5 And similarly, you will summon people of other nations to come to you,
\q1 nations that previously you have not heard about,
\q2 and they had not heard about you;
\q1 and they will come to you quickly
\q2 because  \add they will have heard that I\add*, Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel, have honored you.
\q1
\v 6 Seek  \add to know\add* me while it is still possible for you to do that;
\q2 call to me while I am near!
\q1
\v 7 Wicked  \add people\add* should abandon their wicked behavior,
\q2 and evil people should stop thinking what is evil.
\q1 They should turn to me,
\q2 and if they do that, I will act mercifully toward them;
\q1 they should turn to me, their God,
\q2 because I will fully pardon them  \add for all the wicked things that they have done\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 8 I, Yahweh, declare that what I think is not the same as what you think,
\q2 and what I do is very different from what you do.
\q1
\v 9 Just as the sky is far above the earth,
\q2 what I do is far greater than what you do,
\q1 and what I think is much greater than what you think.
\q1
\v 10 Rain and snow come down from the sky,
\q2 and they cause the ground to be moist before the moisture returns  \add to the sky and produces more clouds\add*.
\q1 When the ground becomes moist, it causes plants to sprout and grow,
\q2 with the result that the soil produces seed for the farmer  \add to plant\add* and  \add grain to produce flour to make\add* bread for people to eat.
\q1
\v 11 And similarly the things that I promise to do, I will  \add always\add* cause to happen;
\q2 my promises will  \add always\add* be fulfilled [LIT].
\q1 They will accomplish the things that I gave them to accomplish [DOU].
\q1
\v 12 You will leave  \add Babylon\add* joyfully,
\q2 you will have peace as I lead you out.
\q1  \add It will be as though\add* the hills and mountains will sing joyfully,
\q2 and the trees in the fields will clap their hands.
\q1
\v 13 Instead of thornbushes and briers,
\q2 pine/cypress  \add trees\add* and myrtle  \add trees\add* will grow  \add in your land\add*.
\q1 As a result of that, people will honor me much more;
\q2 and what I do will remind everyone that  \add I do what I have promised\add*.”
\c 56
\s1 God will bless all the nations
\p
\v 1 Yahweh says \add to all the people of Judah\add*,
\q1 “Do the things that are fair and just,
\q2 because I will soon come to rescue [DOU] you.
\q1
\v 2 I will bless those who faithfully obey my laws about the Sabbath/rest days.
\q1 I will bless those who ◄keep sacred/honor► my Sabbath/rest days,
\q2 and who do not do any work on those days,
\q2 and who refrain from [MTY] doing anything that is evil.
\b
\q1
\v 3 And foreigners who have believed in me should not say,
\q2 ‘Yahweh will surely not allow me to belong to his people.’
\q1 And eunuchs should not say,
\q2 ‘\add Because I am unable to have children I cannot belong to Yahweh\add*;
\q2 I am like [MET] a tree that has completely withered.’
\q1
\v 4 They should not say that, because \add I\add*, Yahweh, say this to the eunuchs
\q2 who obey my laws about the Sabbath,
\q1 and who choose to do the things that please me,
\q2 and who obey all \add the other laws of\add* the agreement that I \add made with the Israeli people\add*:
\q1
\v 5 I will cause to be put inside the walls of my temple a monument [DOU] to them;
\q2 because of that monument, they will be honored more than they would have if they had children;
\q1 they will be honored forever.
\q1
\v 6 I will also bless those who are not Israelis,
\q2 who ◄join themselves to/believe in► me,
\q1 and who serve me and worship and love me,
\q2 and who obey my laws about the Sabbath,
\q1 and who faithfully obey \add all the other laws of\add* the agreement that I \add made with the Israeli people\add*.
\q1
\v 7 I will bring them to my sacred hill \add in Jerusalem\add*,
\q2 I will cause them to be \add very\add* joyful in my temple where people pray to me,
\q1 and I will accept the sacrifices that they completely burn \add on my altar\add* and other sacrifices that they offer.
\q2 I will do those things for them because I want my temple to be a building where people of \bd all\bd* nations pray to me.
\q1
\v 8 \add I\add*, Yahweh, the Lord, the one who will bring back the people of Israel who have been ◄forced to go/exiled► to other countries, say this:
\q I will bring \add from other countries\add* many more people to join those Israelis whom I have brought back.”
\s1 God promised to punish the Israeli leaders
\q1
\v 9 “You \add surrounding nations have armies that are like\add* [MET] animals in the forest;
\q2 come and attack/destroy \add Israel\add*
\q1
\v 10 The Israeli leaders \add should be like\add* watchdogs to protect the people,
\q2 but \add it is as though\add* they are blind.
\q1 They are stupid.
\q2 They are all \add like\add* [MET] dogs that cannot bark.
\q1 \add Good watchdogs bark when strangers approach\add*,
\q2 \add but the Israeli leaders do not warn the people that their enemies are coming\add*.
\q1 Instead, they just want to lie down and sleep and dream.
\q1
\v 11 \add And they are like\add* greedy dogs;
\q2 they never get all that they want.
\q1 They are \add supposed to lead the people, like good\add* shepherds \add lead their flocks\add*,
\q2 but they are ignorant,
\q2 and they each do whatever they want to do.
\q1
\v 12 They say to each other, ‘Come, let's go and get some wine and \add other\add* alcoholic/strong drinks,
\q2 and let's become drunk!
\q1 And tomorrow we will enjoy drinking even more!’”
\c 57
\s1 Israel's idolatry condemned
\q1
\v 1 Righteous people \add sometimes\add* die \add when they are still young\add*,
\q2 and no one is concerned about it.
\q1 Godly people \add sometimes\add* die because of disasters,
\q2 and no one understands why.
\q1 They are taken away in order that they will not endure more calamities,
\q2
\v 2 and now they have peace.
\q1 They \add continually\add* lived righteously,
\q2 and \add now\add* they rest \add peacefully\add* in their graves.
\b
\q1
\v 3 \add Yahweh says,\add* “But you who practice sorcery, come here!
\q2 You who worship idols [MET],
\q2 \add listen to me\add*
\q1
\v 4 Do you realize [RHQ] whom you are ridiculing,
\q2 and whom you are insulting?
\q2 Do you realize [RHQ] to whom you are sticking out your tongues?
\q1 \add You are insulting me, Yahweh\add*
\q2 You are [RHQ] always rebelling against me and always lying.
\q1
\v 5 You are eager to have sex under every \add big\add* green tree where you worship your gods.
\q1 You kill your children as sacrifices \add to your idols\add* in the dry riverbeds,
\q2 and \add also\add* offer them \add as sacrifices to your idols\add* in the rocky caves.
\q1
\v 6 \add You take big\add* smooth stones from the riverbeds
\q2 and worship them as your gods.
\q1 You pour out \add wine\add* to be an offering to them,
\q2 and you bring grain \add to burn for\add* an offering to them.
\q1 Do you think that I should not punish you for doing all those things?
\q1
\v 7 You have sex [EUP] \add with cult prostitutes\add* on every hill and mountain,
\q2 and you go there to offer sacrifices \add to your gods\add*.
\q1
\v 8 You have put ◄fetishes/pagan symbols► behind your doors and doorposts
\q2 and you have deserted me.
\q1 You have taken off your clothes [EUP]
\q2 and climbed into your bed
\q1 and invited more \add of your lovers\add* to come to bed with you.
\q1 You have paid them to have sex with you,
\q2 and you have fondled their sexual organs.
\q1
\v 9 You have given \add fragrant\add* oil and lots of perfume to your god Molech,
\q2 and you sent messengers to distant countries \add to find other gods to worship\add*;
\q1 you \add even tried to\add* send \add messengers\add* to the place of the dead \add to search for new gods\add*.
\q1
\v 10 You became weary because of doing all those things,
\q2 but you never said, ‘It is useless \add for us to do that\add*.’
\q1 You found new strength for worshiping idols,
\q2 so you continued to do that [LIT].
\b
\q1
\v 11 Was it because you were afraid \add of those idols more than you were afraid of me\add* that you lied \add about what you were doing\add*,
\q2 and you do not even think about [DOU, RHQ] me?
\q1 Was it because I did not punish you for a long time that you are not afraid of me [RHQ]?
\q1
\v 12 You \add think that\add* [IRO] the things that you have done are right,
\q2 but I will tell the truth.
\q1 It will not help you to do any of those things.
\q1
\v 13 When you cry out \add for help\add* to your collection of idols,
\q2 they will not rescue you.
\q1 The wind will blow them away [DOU].
\q2 But those who trust in me will live in the land \add of Israel\add*,
\q1 and \add they will worship me on Zion\add*, my sacred hill.”
\s1 Yahweh will rescue his people.
\p
\v 14 Yahweh will say, “Prepare \add yourselves to receive\add* me,
\q2 \add like\add* [MET] people build and prepare a road \add for a king to come on\add*.
\q1 Get rid of \add the things that are causing you to sin\add*
\q2 \add like\add* [MET] people remove from a road ◄obstacles/things that cause people to stumble►.
\q1
\v 15 Because this is what \add I\add*, Yahweh, who am holy and greatly honored and who live forever, say:
\q1 I live in the highest heaven, where \add everything\add* is holy,
\q2 but I also am with those who are humble and who are sorry for the sinful things that they have done.
\q1 I will greatly encourage [DOU] those who have repented.
\q1
\v 16 I will not accuse \add people\add* forever;
\q2 I will not always be angry \add with them\add*,
\q1 because \add if I did that\add*, people would become weak/discouraged;
\q2 all the people whom I created and caused to live would die.
\q1
\v 17 I was angry \add with my people\add* because they sinned by wanting the things that others had.
\q2 So because I was angry, I punished them and turned away from them,
\q2 but they continued sinning.
\q1
\v 18 I have seen the evil things that they continually do,
\q2 but I will restore them and lead them.
\q1 I will encourage/comfort them.
\q2 And to those who are mourning,
\q2
\v 19 I will enable them to sing songs to praise me.
\q1 I will restore \add all my people\add*, those who live near \add Jerusalem\add* and those who live far away,
\q2 and I will cause things to go well for them.
\q1
\v 20 Wicked \add people do not have peace in their inner beings\add*;
\q2 they are like [SIM] a sea \add whose waves are\add* always churning up mud,
\q1
\v 21 and \add I\add*, Yahweh, say that things will never ◄go well/be peaceful► for those who are evil.”
\c 58
\s1 True worship
\p
\v 1 \add Yahweh said to me\add*, 
\q1 “Shout loudly!
\q2 Shout like [SIM] a loud trumpet!
\q1 Shout to warn my Israeli people about their sins [DOU]!
\q1
\v 2 They worship me every day;
\q2  \add they come to my temple because they say that\add* they are eager to know what I want them to do.
\q1 They act as though they are a nation that does things that are righteous,
\q2 who would never abandon the commands of  \add me\add*, their God.
\q1 They request me to decide matters justly,
\q2 and they delight to come to worship me.
\q1
\v 3 \add They say\add*, ‘We have ◄fasted/abstained from eating food► to please you,
\q2 but you did not [RHQ] notice our doing that.
\q1 We humbled ourselves,
\q2 but you did not [RHQ] pay any attention!’
\b
\q1 I will tell you why I did not pay attention.
\q2 It is because when you fast,
\q1 you do it only to please yourselves,
\q2 and you act cruelly toward all your workers.
\q1
\v 4 You fast, but you also quarrel and fight  \add with each other\add* with your fists.
\q2  \add Doing things like that while\add* you fast will  \add certainly\add* not cause  \add me\add* to hear your prayers  \add where I am\add*, high in heaven.
\q1
\v 5 You  \add act as though\add* [IRO] you humble yourselves [RHQ] by bowing your heads
\q2 like [SIM] \add the tops of\add* reeds bend  \add when the wind blows\add*, 
\q1 and you wear [RHQ] rough clothes and cover your heads with ashes  \add like people do when they are grieving\add*.
\q1 That is what you do when you are fasting,
\q2 but do you really think [RHQ] that will please me?
\b
\q1
\v 6 No, that is not the kind of fasting that I desire.
\q1 What I really want [RHQ] is for you to free those who have been unjustly put in prison [DOU],
\q2 and to encourage those who are ◄treated cruelly/oppressed►;
\q2 I want you to free those who have been oppressed in any way.
\q1
\v 7 I want you to [RHQ] share your food with those who are hungry
\q2 and to allow those who have no houses to stay in your houses.
\q1 Give clothes to those who do not have clothes,
\q2 and do not hide from your relatives who need help from you.
\q1
\v 8 If you do those things,
\q1  \add what you do for others will be like\add* [SIM] a light that shines when it dawns.
\q2 The troubles  \add that have been caused by your sins\add* will end quickly.
\q1 Others will know about your righteous behavior,
\q2 and with my glorious presence I will protect you from behind
\q2  \add like I protected the Israeli people when they left Egypt\add*.
\q1
\v 9 Then you will call out to me,
\q2 and I will  \add quickly\add* answer and say ‘I am here  \add to help you\add*.’
\b
\q1 Stop ◄oppressing people/treating people cruelly►;
\q2 stop falsely accusing people;
\q2 and stop saying evil  \add things about people\add*.
\q1
\v 10 Give food to those who are hungry,
\q2 and give to people who are afflicted/suffering the things that they need.
\q1  \add Your doing that will be like\add* [MET] a light that shines in the darkness;
\q2 instead of doing evil to people [MET], \add the good things that you do for them will be like\add* [SIM] sunshine at noontime.
\q1
\v 11 \add I\add*, Yahweh, will guide you continually,
\q2 and I will give you good things to satisfy you.
\q2 I will enable you to remain strong and healthy.
\q1 You will be like [SIM] a garden that is well watered,
\q2 like [SIM] a spring that never dries up.
\q1
\v 12 \add Your people\add* will rebuild the cities that were destroyed long ago;
\q2 they will build  \add houses\add* on top of the old foundations.
\q1 People will say that you are the ones who are repairing the holes  \add in the city walls\add*, 
\q2 and who are repairing the streets where people live.
\b
\q1
\v 13 Do not travel [MTY] long distances on Sabbath/rest days,
\q2 and on Sabbath days do not do only the things that you delight to do.
\q1 Enjoy the Sabbath days, and consider them to be delightful.
\q2 The Sabbath days are my holy days.
\q2 Honor me, Yahweh, in everything that you do  \add on the Sabbath days\add*.
\q1 Do not talk about and do things  \add only\add* to please yourselves.
\q2 If you do all the things that I have just now told you to do,
\q1
\v 14 I will enable you to be joyful.
\q2 I will greatly honor you;
\q1  \add it will be as though\add* [MET] you are riding with me above the highest mountains!
\q2 I will give to you the  \add blessings\add* that I gave to your ancestor Jacob.
\q1  \add Those things will surely happen because I\add*, Yahweh, have said it.”
\c 59
\s1 Yahweh will rescue the people of Judah in spite of the evil things they have done
\q1
\v 1 Listen to this! Yahweh's power [MTY] is not ended/gone, with the result that he cannot save  \add you\add*.
\q2 He has not become deaf [MTY], with the result that he cannot hear  \add you when you call to him for help\add*.
\q1
\v 2 But, you have separated yourselves from your God by the sins that you have committed.
\q1 Because of your sins, he has turned away from you,
\q2 with the result that he does not pay attention to what you request him to do.
\q1
\v 3 You do violent things [MTY] \add to others\add*, 
\q2 with the result that your hands are stained with their blood.
\q1 You  \add constantly\add* tell [MTY] lies,
\q2 and you say [MTY] evil things  \add about others\add*.
\q1
\v 4 When you accuse someone in court, what you say is not fair and it is not true.
\q2 You accuse people falsely.
\q1 You are  \add constantly\add* planning to cause trouble for others,
\q2 and then you do those evil things that you planned.
\q1
\v 5 What you plan to do to harm people [MET] is as dangerous as the eggs of a ◄cobra/poisonous snake►,
\q2 because cobras will hatch from those eggs.
\q2 You trap people like [MET] spiders trap/catch insects in their webs.
\q1
\v 6 We people cannot hide/cover our skins with clothes made of spider webs [MET],
\q2 and similarly you cannot hide the evil deeds that you have done.
\q1 You are  \add constantly\add* acting [MTY] violently.
\q1
\v 7 You [SYN] are very quick to go and do evil deeds,
\q2 and you hurry to murder people [MTY] who are innocent.
\q1 You are  \add continually\add* thinking about sinning.
\q2 Wherever you go, you destroy things and cause people to suffer.
\q1
\v 8 You do not know how to act peacefully or to treat others fairly.
\q1 You always are ◄dishonest/deceiving others► [MET],
\q2 and those who imitate your behavior never have any peace within themselves.
\b
\q1
\v 9 Because of that, God does not rescue us  \add from our enemies\add*, 
\q2  \add it seems that\add* he is not acting fairly/righteously toward us.
\q1 We expect  \add God to give us\add* light,
\q2 but all  \add he gives us\add* is darkness [DOU].
\q1
\v 10 We are like [SIM] blind people who have to feel along the wall to be able to walk anywhere.
\q2 We stumble  \add and trip\add* at noontime like [SIM] we would when it is dark.
\q1 We are like [SIM] dead people who are among healthy people.
\q1
\v 11 We growl like [SIM] \add hungry\add* bears;
\q2 we continually moan like [SIM] doves.
\q1 We seek  \add people who do\add* what is just/fair,
\q2 but we cannot find any  \add anywhere\add*.
\q1  \add We want God\add* to rescue us,
\q2 but  \add it seems that\add* he is far away.
\b
\q1
\v 12 \add But these things are happening\add* because  \add it is as though\add* our sins are piled high in the presence of God,
\q2 and that they testify [PRS] against us.
\q1 We cannot deny it;
\q2 we know that we have done many wrong things.
\q1
\v 13 \add We know that\add* we have rebelled against Yahweh;
\q2 we have turned away from him.
\q1 We ◄oppress people/treat people cruelly► by what we testify  \add against them\add*; 
\q2 we do not allow them to get what they have a right to get.
\q1 We [SYN] think about the lies that we can tell,
\q2 and then we tell them.
\q1
\v 14 \add In our courts, the judges\add* do not decide cases/matters fairly;
\q2 no one is acting righteously.
\q1 In plazas where people gather together, no one tells the truth [PRS];
\q2  \add it seems that people\add* are not allowed to say what is true.
\q1
\v 15 No one tells the truth,
\q2 and people try to ruin  \add the reputations of\add* those who quit doing evil.
\b
\q1 Yahweh looked around, and he saw that no one was doing what is just/fair,
\q2 and he was  \add very\add* displeased.
\q1
\v 16 He was disgusted when he saw that no one tried to help  \add those who were being treated cruelly\add*.
\q2 So he used his own power [MTY] to rescue them;
\q1 it is because he is always righteous that he did that [PRS].
\q1
\v 17 \add It is as though he is a soldier who\add* [MET] puts on his armor and a helmet;
\q2 his continually doing what is right is like [MET] his armor, and his ability to rescue people is  \add like\add* his helmet.
\q1 His being extremely angry and his being ready to get revenge  \add on those who do evil\add* are like [MET] his robes.
\q1
\v 18 He will repay his enemies for the evil things that they have done.
\q2 He will severely punish [MTY] even those who live far  \add from Jerusalem\add*.
\q1
\v 19 When that happens, people everywhere, from the east to the west, will respect and honor Yahweh [MTY],
\q2 because he will come like [SIM] a rushing river that is pushed along by the strong wind that Yahweh sent.
\b
\q1
\v 20 And Yahweh says that he will come to Jerusalem to free  \add his people\add*; 
\q2 he will come to rescue those in Judah who have quit ◄doing sinful things/their sinful behavior►.
\p
\v 21 This is what Yahweh says to his people: “This is the agreement that I will make with you:
\q1 My Spirit will not leave you,
\q2 and you will always have my message.
\q1 You will  \add be able to\add* declare it [MTY],
\q2 and your children and grandchildren will  \add be able to\add* declare it forever.”
\c 60
\s1 Israel's future glory
\q1
\v 1 \add You people of\add* Jerusalem [PRS], stand up!
\q2 Yahweh has done glorious things for you,
\q1 and he has acted powerfully for you;
\q2 so show others that he is very great!
\q1
\v 2 \add But spiritual\add* darkness has covered  \add all the other people-groups on\add* the earth,
\q2 complete darkness,
\q1 but Yahweh will show you how great he is,
\q2 and other people will also see it.
\q1
\v 3 \add People of all\add* people-groups will see that he is very great by seeing what he has done for you,
\q2 and kings will come to see the wonderful things that have happened to you.
\b
\q1
\v 4 \add Yahweh says\add*, “Look around and you will see the people who will be returning from ◄exile/countries to which they have been forced to go►!
\q1 Your sons will come from distant countries;
\q2 others will carry your  \add little\add* daughters home.
\q1
\v 5 When you look at this happening,
\q2 you will be very joyful [DOU] in your inner beings,
\q1 because people will bring valuable goods to you  \add from all around the world\add*.
\q2 They will bring in ships valuable things from  \add many\add* nations.
\q1
\v 6 People will  \add also\add* bring valuable goods to you on herds/caravans of camels:
\q2 Camels from the Midian and Ephah  \add areas of northern Arabia\add*.
\q1 And from Sheba  \add in southern Arabia\add* they will come, bringing gold and frankincense;
\q2 they will all come to praise  \add me\add*, Yahweh.
\q1
\v 7 They will bring flocks  \add of sheep and goats\add* from Kedar  \add in northern Arabia and give them\add* to you.
\q2  \add They will bring\add* [PRS] rams from Nebaioth for you  \add to sacrifice\add* on my altars,
\q1 and I will accept them  \add happily\add*.
\q2  \add At that time\add* I will cause my temple to be very beautifully decorated.
\b
\q1
\v 8 And what are those things that are
\q2 moving swiftly like [SIM] clouds?
\q1 They resemble [SIM] doves  \add returning\add* to their nests.
\q1
\v 9 But they are really ships from Tarshish that are bringing your people back here.
\q2 When your people come, they will bring with them  \add all\add* the valuable possessions that they have acquired,
\q1 and  \add they will do that\add* to honor  \add me\add*, Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel,
\q2 because I will have greatly honored you.
\b
\q1
\v 10 Foreigners will  \add come and\add* rebuild the walls of your  \add cities\add*, 
\q2 and their kings will serve/help you.
\q2 Although I punished you because I was angry with you,
\q2 these things will happen now because I will act mercifully toward you because I am kind.
\q1
\v 11 The gates of your  \add cities\add* will be open during the day and  \add also\add* during the night,
\q2 in order that people will be able to bring into your cities valuable things from  \add many\add* countries,
\q2 with their kings being led to you in the processions.
\q1
\v 12 And the kingdoms and nations whose  \add people\add* refuse to allow you to rule them will be completely destroyed [DOU].
\q1
\v 13 The glorious/beautiful things in Lebanon will be brought to you—
\q2  \add lumber from\add* cypress  \add trees\add* and fir  \add trees\add* and pine  \add trees \add*—
\q1 to be used to enable my temple to be beautiful.
\q2 When that is done, my temple [MTY] will  \add truly\add* be glorious!
\q1
\v 14 The descendants of those who ◄oppressed you/treated you cruelly► will come and bow down to you;
\q2 those who despised you will prostrate themselves in front of your feet.
\q1 They will say that your city on Zion Hill
\q2 is the City of Yahweh,
\q2 where the Holy One of Israel lives.
\b
\q1
\v 15 Previously everyone hated you and ignored you,
\q2 but now your  \add city\add* will be majestic/honored forever;
\q1 and  \add I will cause you to be\add* joyful forever.
\q1
\v 16 People of all nations and their kings will gladly bring [MET] their wealth to you.
\q1 And  \add when that happens\add*, you will realize that I truly am Yahweh,
\q2 the one who saves you and rescues you  \add from your enemies\add*, 
\q2 and that I am the mighty one to whom you Israeli people belong.
\q1
\v 17 Instead of  \add metals that are not valuable, like\add* bronze and iron,
\q2 I will bring to you silver and gold.
\q1 Instead of wood and stones,
\q2 I will bring you bronze and iron  \add for your buildings\add*.
\q1 There will be peace in your country,
\q2 and your rulers will do what is fair/just.
\q1
\v 18 People in your country will no longer act violently,
\q2 and people will no longer destroy your land and cause it to become desolate/ruined.
\q1 The people in the city will be safe,
\q2 and everyone there will praise me [MTY].
\b
\q1
\v 19 And you will no longer need the sun and moon to give you light,
\q2 because  \add I\add*, Yahweh, will give you more light  \add than the sun and moon\add*; 
\q1 I will be a glorious light for you forever.
\q1
\v 20 \add It will seem as though\add* the sun and moon will always be shining [LIT],
\q2 because  \add I\add*, Yahweh, will be an everlasting light for you.
\q1 You will never again be sad  \add because of things that happen to you\add*.
\q1
\v 21 Your people will all be righteous,
\q2 and they will occupy the land forever,
\q1 because I myself have put you there  \add like people plant trees\add* [MET]
\q2 in order that you will show others that I am very great.
\q1
\v 22 At that time, the  \add groups that are\add* very small now will become  \add very large\add* clans,
\q2 and small clans will become great nations.
\q1  \add All those things will happen because\add*, I, Yahweh, will cause them to happen at the right time.”
\c 61
\s1 Good news for oppressed people
\q1
\v 1 The Spirit of Yahweh \add our\add* Lord is on me;
\q2 he has appointed [MTY] me to bring good news to those who are oppressed,
\q1 to comfort those who are discouraged,
\q2 to free \add all\add* those who are \add as though they are chained/tied\add* [DOU] \add by the wrong things that they continually do\add*.
\q1
\v 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn \add about the members of their families who died\add* (OR, \add who are still in Babylonia)\add*
\q2 that now is the time when Yahweh will act kindly \add toward his people\add*;
\q1 now is the time when our God will ◄get revenge on/punish► \add their enemies\add*.
\q1
\v 3 To \add all\add* those in Jerusalem who mourn,
\q1 he will give flower necklaces \add to wear\add*
\q2 instead of ashes \add that they put on their heads to show that they are sad\add*;
\q1 he will cause them to rejoice [MTY] instead of being sad;
\q2 he will enable them to be [MET] happy instead of being discouraged.
\q1 They will be called ❛people who continually do what is right,
\q2 people who are \add like tall/strong\add* oak \add trees\add* that Yahweh has planted❜
\q1 to show others that he is very great.
\b
\q1
\v 4 \add Those who return from Babylon\add* will rebuild the cities that \add the soldiers from Babylon\add* tore down.
\q2 \add Even though\add* those cities have been destroyed and abandoned for many years,
\q1 they will be restored/rebuilt.
\q1
\v 5 Foreigners will be the ones who will take care of your flocks \add of sheep and goats\add*,
\q2 and plow your fields and take care of your grapevines.
\q1
\v 6 But you \add are the ones who\add* will be like the priests to serve Yahweh,
\q2 to work for God.
\q1 You will enjoy valuable goods \add that are brought\add* from other nations,
\q2 and you will be happy that those things have become yours.
\q1
\v 7 Previously you were shamed and disgraced,
\q2 but now you will have great blessings;
\q1 previously \add your enemies\add* humbled you,
\q2 but now you will have many good things;
\q1 you will be happy because of being in your land again,
\q2 and you will rejoice forever.
\b
\q1
\v 8 “I, Yahweh, am very pleased with those/judges who decide matters fairly;
\q2 I hate \add those who illegally\add* take things from other people.
\q1 I will surely repay my people
\q2 ◄for/because of► all that they have suffered \add in the past\add*.
\q1 And I will make an everlasting agreement with them.
\q1
\v 9 Their descendants will be honored by people of other nations [DOU].
\q2 Everyone who sees them will know that they are a nation that \add I\add*, Yahweh, have blessed.”
\b
\q1
\v 10 I greatly rejoice because of what Yahweh \add has done\add*
\q2 I am happy in all my inner being,
\q1 because he has saved me and declared that I am righteous;
\q2 \add those blessings are like\add* [MET] a robe that he has put on me.
\q1 I am \add as happy as\add* [SIM] a bridegroom in his wedding suit,
\q2 or a bride wearing jewels.
\q1
\v 11 Just as \add seeds sown in\add* a garden sprout from the soil and grow [DOU],
\q2 Yahweh \add our\add* God will cause \add people of\add* all nations to act righteously,
\q1 with the result that they will praise him for doing that.
\c 62
\s1 Isaiah's prayer for Jerusalem
\q1
\v 1 Because I am very concerned about \add the people of\add* Jerusalem [DOU],
\q2 I will do something to help them.
\q1 I will not stop praying for them
\q2 until they are rescued/freed \add from their oppressors\add*,
\q1 until that becomes as apparent to everyone as the dawn \add every morning\add*,
\q2 until people can see it as clearly as [SIM] they see a torch shining brightly \add at night\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 2 \add Some day\add* the \add people of many\add* nations will know that Yahweh has rescued you, \add his people\add*.
\q2 Their kings will see that your city is \add very\add* great/glorious.
\q1 And Yahweh [MTY] will give your \add city\add* a new name.
\q1
\v 3 \add It will be as though\add* Yahweh will hold you up in his hands in order that everyone can see you.
\q2 Under his authority [MTY], you will be \add like\add* a glorious headband/turban worn by a king.
\q1
\v 4 Your \add city\add* will never again be called ❛the deserted/abandoned city❜ and your country will never again be called ❛the desolate land;❜ 
\q2 it will be called ❛the land that Yahweh delights in❜,
\q2 and \add it will also be called\add* ❛married to Yahweh❜.
\q1 It will be called that because Yahweh will be delighted with you,
\q2 \add and it will be as though\add* you are his bride [MET].
\q1
\v 5 You people will live in all the country of Judah
\q2 like [SIM] a young man lives with his bride.
\q1 And our God will be happy that you \add belong to\add* him
\q2 like [SIM] a bridegroom is happy that his bride \add belongs to him\add*.
\q1
\v 6 \add You people of\add* Jerusalem, I have placed watchmen on your walls;
\q2 they will [LIT] earnestly pray to Yahweh day and night.
\q1 You watchmen, you must not stop \add praying\add*
\q2 \add and\add* reminding Yahweh \add about what he has promised to do\add*.
\q1
\v 7 And tell Yahweh that he should not rest
\q2 until he causes Jerusalem to be \add a city that is\add* famous throughout the world.
\b
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh has raised his right hand to solemnly promise \add to the people of Jerusalem\add*,
\q2 “I will use my power [MTY] and never again allow your enemies to defeat you;
\q1 \add soldiers from other nations will never come again\add* to take away your grain
\q2 and the wine that you worked hard \add to produce\add*.
\q1
\v 9 You yourselves grew the grain,
\q2 and you will be the ones who will praise \add me\add*, Yahweh, while you eat \add the bread made from\add* the grain.
\q1 Inside the courtyards of my temple
\q2 you yourselves will drink the wine made from the grapes \add that you harvested\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 10 Go out through the \add city\add* gates!
\q2 Prepare the highway on which people \add will return from other countries\add*
\q1 Cause the road to become smooth;
\q2 clear off \add all\add* the stones;
\q1 set up signal flags to help the people-groups to see \add where the road to Jerusalem is\add*.
\b
\q1
\v 11 This is the message that Yahweh has sent to \add the people of\add* every nation:
\q2 “Tell the people of Israel, ‘The one who will rescue/save you is coming!
\q1 Look! He will be bringing to you ◄your reward/what you deserve \add for the good things that you have done\add*►;
\q2 those whom he is setting free will be going ahead of him.’”
\q1
\v 12 They will be called ❛Yahweh's own people,
\q2 the ones whom he rescued❜.
\q1 And Jerusalem will be known as the city that \add Yahweh\add* loves,
\q2 the city that is no \add longer\add* abandoned.
\c 63
\s1 Yahweh's punishment on the nations
\q1
\v 1 \add I ask\add*, “Who is this who is coming from Bozrah  \add city\add* in Edom,
\q2 whose clothes are stained red  \add from blood\add*? 
\q1 Who is this who is wearing beautiful robes?”
\q2  \add He replies\add*, “It is I, \add Yahweh\add*, declaring that I have defeated  \add your enemies\add*, 
\q1 and I am able to rescue you!”
\b
\q1
\v 2 \add I ask him\add*, “What are those red spots on your clothes?
\q2 It appears that [SIM] you have been treading/tramping on grapes  \add to make wine\add*.”
\b
\q1
\v 3 \add He replies\add*, “I have been treading on  \add my enemies, not\add* on grapes.
\q2 I did it myself; no one helped me.
\q1 I punished them because I was very angry with them,
\q2 and my clothes became stained with their blood.
\q1
\v 4 I did that because it was time for me [SYN] to get revenge;
\q2 it was time to rescue  \add my people from those who had oppressed them\add*.
\q1
\v 5 I searched for someone who would enable me to help  \add my people\add*, 
\q2 but I was amazed/shocked that there was no one to help me.
\q1 So I defeated  \add their enemies\add* with my own power/strength [MTY];
\q2 I was able [PRS] to do that because of my being very angry.
\q1
\v 6 Because I was extremely angry, I punished the nations;
\q2 I caused them  \add to stagger like\add* [MET] drunk men,
\q1 and I caused their blood to pour out on the ground.”
\s1 Yahweh's kindness to his people
\q1
\v 7 I will tell about Yahweh faithfully loving his people,
\q2 and I will praise him for all that he has done.
\q1 Yahweh has done good things for  \add us\add* people [MTY] of Israel;
\q2 he has acted mercifully toward us
\q2 and he has steadfastly and faithfully loved us.
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh said, “These are my people;
\q2 they will not deceive me;”
\q2 so he rescued us.
\q1
\v 9 When we had many troubles,
\q2 he was sad  \add also\add*.
\q1 He sent his angel to rescue us.
\q2 Because he loved us and was merciful to us,
\q2 he saved us;
\q2  \add it was as though\add* he picked our ancestors up and carried them all those years  \add during which they were oppressed in Egypt\add*.
\q1
\v 10 But we rebelled against him,
\q2 and we caused his Holy Spirit to be sad.
\q1 So he became  \add like\add* [MET] an enemy
\q2 who fought against us.
\b
\q1
\v 11 Then we thought about  \add what happened\add* long ago,
\q2 during the time when Moses led  \add our ancestors out of Egypt\add*.
\q1 We cried out, “Where is the one who brought our ancestors through the  \add Red\add* Sea
\q2 while Moses led them?
\q1 Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit
\q2 to be among our ancestors?
\q1
\v 12 Where is the one who showed his glorious power [MTY],
\q2 and caused the water to separate when Moses lifted his arm above it,
\q1 with the result that he will be honored/praised forever?
\q1
\v 13 Where is the one who led our ancestors while they walked through the sea bed?
\q2 They were like [SIM] horses that were racing along and never stumbled.
\q1
\v 14 They were like [SIM] cattle that walk down into a valley  \add to rest\add*, 
\q2 and the Spirit of Yahweh enabled them to go to a place where they could rest.
\q1 Yahweh, you led your people,
\q2 and you caused yourself [MTY] to ◄get a wonderful reputation/be greatly honored►.”
\s1 A prayer for God's mercy and pardon
\q1
\v 15 “\add Yahweh\add*, look down from heaven;
\q2 look down on us from your holy and glorious home.
\q1 You were [RHQ] previously very concerned  \add about us\add*, and you acted powerfully  \add to help us\add*.
\q2 But it seems that you do not act mercifully and zealously for us anymore.
\q1
\v 16 You are our father.
\q2 Abraham does not know  \add what is happening to\add* us,
\q2 and Jacob is not concerned about us, \add either\add*, 
\q1 but Yahweh, you are our father;
\q2 you rescued us long ago.
\q1
\v 17 Yahweh, why did you cause us to wander away from your road [RHQ]?
\q2 Why did you cause us to be stubborn in our inner beings,
\q2 with the result that we no  \add longer\add* revere you [RHQ]?
\q1 Help us like you did previously,
\q2 because we are the people who serve you and belong to you.
\q1
\v 18 We, your holy people, possessed your sacred temple for only a short time,
\q2  \add and now\add* our enemies have destroyed it.
\q1
\v 19 Now it seems as though we never were ruled by you,
\q2 as though we were never part of your family [MTY].”
\c 64
\q1
\v 1 “\add Yahweh\add*, I wish that you would tear open the sky and come down,
\q2 and cause the mountains to shake in your presence.
\q1
\v 2 \add Be\add* like a fire that burns twigs
\q2 and causes water to boil!
\q1  \add Come down\add* in order that your enemies will know who you are,
\q2 and the  \add people of other\add* nations will tremble in your presence.
\q1
\v 3 You have done awesome deeds which we were not expecting you to do;
\q2 the mountains shook when you came down  \add at Horeb Mountain\add*.
\q1
\v 4 Since ◄long ago/the world began►, no one [SYN] has  \add ever\add* seen or heard about a God like you;
\q2 you help those who ◄depend on/trust in► you.
\q1
\v 5 You help those who joyfully do what is right,
\q2 those who conduct their lives as you want them to.
\q1 But  \add we did not do that\add*; we continued to sin,
\q2 and so you became angry with us.
\q1 We have been sinning for a long time,
\q2 so only if we continually do what you want us to do will we be saved.
\q1
\v 6 We have all become people who are not fit to worship you;
\q2 all of the good things that we have done are only like [SIM] filthy/blood-stained rags.
\q1 Because of our sins, we are like [SIM] leaves that dry up
\q2 and are blown away by the wind.
\q1
\v 7 None  \add of our people\add* worships you,
\q2 and no one is completely dedicated to [IDI] you.
\q1 You have turned away from us.
\q2  \add It is as though\add* you have caused us to be forced to continue our sinful behavior.
\q1
\v 8 Yahweh, you are our father.
\q2 We are  \add like\add* [MET] clay,
\q2 and you created us, \add like\add* [MET] a potter  \add creates pottery\add*.
\q1
\v 9 Yahweh, do not continue to be angry  \add with us\add*; 
\q2 do not keep thinking about  \add our\add* sins forever.
\q1 Do not forget that we are all your people.
\q1
\v 10 \add All of\add* your towns  \add in Judah\add* have become like [MET] deserts;
\q2  \add even\add* Jerusalem has been destroyed.
\q1
\v 11 Your glorious temple on Zion Hill, where our ancestors worshiped you,
\q2 has been destroyed by fire.
\q2 And all our  \add other\add* beautiful things have been ruined.
\q1
\v 12 Yahweh, you see all those things, so we worry that you will refrain  \add from helping us\add*, 
\q2 and that you will cause us to suffer much more.”
\c 65
\s1 God's punishment of the rebellious Israelis
\p
\v 1 \add This is what Yahweh said\add*: 
\q1 “I was ready to reply  \add to my people\add*, 
\q2 but no one requested me  \add to help them\add*.
\q1 I was ready to help  \add even\add* those who did not call out to me.
\q2 I continued to say, ‘I am here  \add to help you\add*!’
\q1
\v 2 \add It is as though\add* I have continually held out my arms  \add to show that I am ready to help\add* my people who rebel  \add against me\add*, 
\q2 and who  \add continually\add* do the evil things that they want to do.
\q1
\v 3 They boldly continue to do things that cause me to be angry:
\q2 They offer sacrifices  \add to their idols\add* in their gardens,
\q1 and they burn incense  \add to them\add* on  \add altars made of\add* bricks.
\q1
\v 4 They secretly remain awake at night in burial caves,
\q2  \add talking with the spirits of\add* ◄\add dead people/their ancestors\add*►.
\q1 They eat the meat of pigs,
\q2 and their pots are full of  \add other\add* meat that is  \add also\add* unacceptable to me.
\q1
\v 5 \add Then\add* they say  \add to others\add*, 
\q2 ‘Stay away from me; do not come near me,
\q1 because I am very holy,
\q2  \add with the result that you should not touch me\add*.’
\q1 People like that are  \add like\add* [MET] smoke in my nose
\q2  \add from\add* a fire that burns continually.
\q1
\v 6 I have written  \add a record of all the evil things that they have done\add*.
\q2 And I will not do nothing about all those things;
\q1 I will certainly punish them
\q2
\v 7 for the sins that they and their ancestors have committed.
\q1 They have mocked/insulted me by burning incense  \add to their idols\add* on the hilltops.
\q2 So I will punish them like they deserve for doing those things.”
\p
\v 8 This is  \add also\add* what Yahweh said:
\q1 “When there is a cluster of nice grapes on a vine,
\q1 people do not throw them away,
\q2 because they know that there is good juice in those grapes.
\q1 Similarly, because there are some people  \add in Judah\add* who faithfully serve/worship me,
\q2 I will not get rid of all of them.
\q1
\v 9 I will spare some of the descendants of Jacob
\q2 who are living on the hills of Judah.
\q1 I have chosen them, and they will possess that land;
\q2 they will worship/serve me, and they will live there.
\q1
\v 10 \add Then all the land from the\add* Sharon  \add Plain near the Mediterranean Sea\add* and  \add as far east as\add* Achor Valley  \add near Jericho\add* will become pastureland
\q2 where their cattle and sheep will rest.
\b
\q1
\v 11 But  \add it will be different\add* for you who have abandoned me,
\q2 you who do not worship me on Zion my sacred hill,
\q1 you who worship Gad and Meni, \add the gods who you think will bring you\add* good luck and good fortune.
\q1
\v 12 \add It is I, not Meni, who will decide/say what will happen to you\add*; 
\q2 you will all  \add be slaughtered by\add* swords.
\q1  \add That will happen\add* because you did not answer
\q2 when I called out to you.
\q1 I spoke to you,
\q2 but you did not pay attention.
\q1 Instead, you did things that I said are evil;
\q2 you chose to do things that do not please me.
\q1
\v 13 I, Yahweh the Lord, will give to those who worship and obey me things to eat and drink,
\q2 and they will be happy;
\q1 but  \add all\add* you evil people will be hungry and thirsty,
\q2 and you will be  \add sad and\add* disgraced.
\q1
\v 14 Those who worship and obey me will sing joyfully,
\q but you  \add evil people\add* will wail loudly
\q2 because you will be suffering in your inner beings.
\q1
\v 15 Those whom I have chosen will use your names when they curse people;
\q1  \add I\add*, Yahweh the Lord, will get rid of you.
\q2 But I will give to those who worship and obey me a new name  \add that they will use when they bless people\add*.
\q1
\v 16 The people in this land have had many troubles,
\q2 but I will cause those troubles to occur no more.
\q1 Therefore those who request me to bless them and those who solemnly promise to do something
\q2 should never forget that I am God, who faithfully  \add do what I promise to do\add*.”
\s1 Yahweh's new creation
\q1
\v 17 “Note this: \add Some day\add* I will create a new heaven and a new earth.
\q2  \add They will be very wonderful, with the result that\add* you will no longer think about all  \add the troubles\add* you had previously.
\q1
\v 18 Be glad and always rejoice because of what I will do:
\q2 Jerusalem will be a place where  \add people\add* rejoice;
\q2 the people who live there will always be happy.
\q1
\v 19 I will rejoice about Jerusalem,
\q2 and I will be delighted with my people.
\q1  \add People\add* will no longer weep or cry because of being distressed.
\b
\q1
\v 20 No child will die when it is still an infant;
\q2 all people will live until they are very old.
\q1  \add People will consider that\add* anyone who is a hundred years old is still young;
\q2  \add they will consider that\add* anyone who dies who is younger than that has been cursed.
\q1
\v 21 My people will build houses and  \add then\add* live in them.
\q2 They will plant vineyards and then eat grapes from those vineyards.
\q1
\v 22 The houses that they build, no one will  \add take those houses away from them and\add* live in them.
\q2 No one will take a vineyard away from its owner.
\q1 My chosen people will live a long time, like trees do,
\q2 and they will enjoy the things that they have done—
\q1  \add the houses that they have built and the crops that they have planted\add*.
\q1
\v 23 They will not work hard in vain,
\q2 and their children will not die from some ◄calamity/terrible thing happening to them►.
\q1 I will  \add certainly\add* bless their children and their grandchildren.
\q1
\v 24 Before they call to me  \add to help them\add*, I will answer;
\q2 I will answer their prayers while they are still praying  \add for me to do something for them\add*.
\q1
\v 25 No one will be harmed or injured anywhere on  \add Zion\add*, my sacred hill:
\q1 Wolves and lambs will eat grass together  \add peacefully\add*; 
\q2 lions will eat hay like oxen do, \add and they will not attack people\add*.
\q2 Snakes will  \add not hurt anyone; they will lie on the ground and\add* eat  \add only\add* dirt.
\q1  \add That is surely what it will be like because I\add*, Yahweh, have said it.”
\c 66
\s1 Yahweh will judge all the nations
\p
\v 1 Yahweh \add also\add* said this:
\q1 “\add All of\add* heaven is \add like\add* my throne,
\q2 and the whole earth is \add like\add* my footstool.
\q1 So you could certainly not [RHQ] build a house
\q2 \add that would be adequate\add* for me to live in and rest!
\q1
\v 2 I [MTY] have created everything;
\q2 all things exist because I made them.
\q1 \add That is true because I\add*, Yahweh have said it.
\b
\q1 The people I am \add most\add* pleased with are those who are humble,
\q2 who \add patiently endure it when they\add* ◄suffer/are afflicted►,
\q2 and who tremble when they hear me \add rebuking them\add*.
\q1
\v 3 You have chosen to \add continually\add* do the things that you want to do:
\q1 \add Some of\add* you slaughter oxen \add to sacrifice them to me\add*,
\q2 but you also bring human sacrifices \add to your idols\add*
\q1 You sacrifice lambs \add to me\add*,
\q2 but you kill dogs \add to offer them to your gods\add*.
\q1 You offer grain to me,
\q2 but you also bring pigs' blood \add to your idols\add*.
\q1 You burn incense \add to me\add*,
\q2 but you also praise your idols.
\q1 You delight to do those disgusting things.
\q1
\v 4 When I called \add out to you\add*,
\q2 you did not answer.
\q1 When I spoke, you did not pay attention.
\q1 You did \add many\add* things that I say are evil,
\q2 and you chose \add to do\add* things that I did not like.
\q1 So \add now\add* I will punish you by causing you to experience the things that you are \add very\add* afraid of.”
\s1 Yahweh will help the people of Jerusalem
\q1
\v 5 But you people who tremble when you hear what Yahweh says,
\q2 listen to what he says \add now\add*:
\q1 “Some of your people hate you and expel you
\q2 because you belong to me.
\q1 They make fun of you, and they say,
\q2 ‘Yahweh should show his glorious power!
\q2 We want to see him \add do something to cause\add* you to be truly happy.’
\q1 But \add some day\add* those people will be \add very\add* disgraced.”
\q1
\v 6 \add At that time\add*, you will listen to the noise in the city.
\q2 You will hear the shouting in the temple.
\q1 It will be the sound of Yahweh shouting
\q2 while he is punishing his enemies!
\b
\q1
\v 7 No one [RHQ] ever heard that a woman gave birth to a baby
\q2 when she was just starting to have birth pains.
\q1
\v 8 Certainly no one [RHQ] ever heard about such a thing happening,
\q2 and no one has ever seen it happen.
\q1 \add Similarly\add*, no one ever [RHQ] heard that a nation was created in one instant,
\q2 not even in one day.
\q1 But Jerusalem is like [MET] \add a woman who\add* gives birth to children
\q2 as soon as she starts to have birth pains.
\q1
\v 9 Women certainly do not [RHQ] bring infants to the time when they are ready to be born and then do not allow them to be born.
\q2 \add Similarly, he will do for Jerusalem\add* [MET] \add what he has promised to do\add*:
\q1 \add He will cause Jerusalem to be full of people again\add*.
\q2 \add That will happen because\add* Yahweh has said it.
\q1
\v 10 You people in [APO] Jerusalem, rejoice!
\q2 And all you people who love Jerusalem should also be happy.
\q1 You people who were sad because of \add what happened to Jerusalem\add*,
\q2 you should now be glad.
\q1
\v 11 \add You people in Jerusalem\add* will \add have everything that you need\add*
\q2 like [MET] a baby that gets all it needs from its mother's breasts.
\q1 You will enjoy all the abundant and glorious things [MET] in the city.
\p
\v 12 Yahweh has promised,
\q1 “I will cause Jerusalem to be full of valuable things that come from other nations;
\q2 those things will pour into Jerusalem; it will be like [SIM] a big flood.
\q1 I will take care of the people of Jerusalem
\q2 like women care for the babies that they nurse.
\q1
\v 13 I will comfort you people in Jerusalem like [MET] mothers comfort their children.”
\b
\q1
\v 14 When you see \add those things happen\add*,
\q2 you [SYN] will rejoice.
\q1 Your \add old\add* bones will become strong \add again\add*
\q2 like [SIM] grass \add that grows quickly/well in the springtime\add*.
\q1 \add When that happens, everyone\add* will know that Yahweh has power [MTY] to help those who worship and obey him,
\q2 but that he is angry with his enemies.
\q1
\v 15 Yahweh will come down with flames of fire,
\q2 and his chariots \add will come down\add* like [SIM] a whirlwind;
\q1 he will be extremely angry,
\q2 and he will punish \add his enemies\add* by burning them in a fire.
\q1
\v 16 \add It is as though\add* [MET] Yahweh has a \add big\add* sword,
\q2 and he will judge and execute many people.
\b
\p
\v 17 Yahweh says, “Some of you people purify/bathe yourselves and \add then\add* go to a garden to worship your gods. You eat the meat of pigs and lizards and mice, \add and other things that I have forbidden you to eat\add*. So I will get rid of you \add for doing that\add*.
\p
\v 18 I know \add all\add* the \add evil\add* things that you think and do. \add It is now time\add* for me to gather together the people who live in all nations and who speak all languages, and to show them that I am very great.
\p
\v 19 I will put a mark on them, and those whom I have spared will go to various \add distant\add* countries: To Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal, Javan, and to distant islands. I will send them to proclaim to nations that have never heard about me that I am very great and glorious.
\v 20 Then they will bring back here your relatives \add who have been ◄exiled/forced to go to other countries►\add*, to be like [SIM] an offering to me. They will come on horses, in chariots, on mules, and on camels. They will come to Zion, my sacred Hill in Jerusalem. That will be like [SIM] the offerings that \add my\add* Israeli people used to bring in the correct manner to the temple.
\v 21 \add I solemnly promise that\add* I will appoint some of them to be priests, and others to do other work in my temple. \add That will surely happen because I\add*, Yahweh, have said it.
\b
\p
\v 22 I \add also\add* promise that just like the new heaven and the new earth will last forever, you will always have descendants, and you [MTY] will always be honored.
\v 23 At every festival to celebrate the Sabbath \add each week\add* and the new moon \add each month\add*, everyone will \add come and\add* worship me. \add That will surely happen because\add* I, Yahweh, have said it.
\v 24 Then they will go out \add of Jerusalem\add* and look at the corpses of those who rebelled against me. The maggots in those corpses will never die, the fire will never stop burning them, and everyone \add who sees their corpses\add* will detest them.”