ARKCODEX
Isaiah
Ch. 14–15
The Return from Exile
1The Lord will once again be merciful to his people Israel and choose them as his own. He will let them live in their own land again, and foreigners will come and live there with them.
2Many nations will help the people of Israel return to the land which the Lord gave them, and there the nations will serve Israel as slaves. Those who once captured Israel will now be captured by Israel, and the people of Israel will rule over those who once oppressed them.
The King of Babylon in the World of the Dead
3The Lord will give the people of Israel relief from their pain and suffering and from the hard work they were forced to do.
4When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say: “The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again!
5The Lord has ended the power of the evil rulers
6who angrily oppressed the peoples and never stopped persecuting the nations they had conquered.
7Now at last the whole world enjoys rest and peace, and everyone sings for joy.
8The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fallen king, because there is no one to cut them down, now that he is gone!
9“The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones.
10They all call out to him, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! You are one of us!
11You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.’”
12King of Babylon, bright morning star, you have fallen from heaven! In the past you conquered nations, but now you have been thrown to the ground.
13You were determined to climb up to heaven and to place your throne above the highest stars. You thought you would sit like a king on that mountain in the north where the gods assemble.
14You said you would climb to the tops of the clouds and be like the Almighty.
15But instead, you have been brought down to the deepest part of the world of the dead.
16The dead will stare and gape at you. They will ask, “Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble?
17Is this the man who destroyed cities and turned the world into a desert? Is this the man who never freed his prisoners or let them go home?”
18All the kings of the earth lie in their magnificent tombs,
19but you have no tomb, and your corpse is thrown out to rot. It is covered by the bodies of soldiers killed in battle, thrown with them into a rocky pit, and trampled down.
20Because you ruined your country and killed your own people, you will not be buried like other kings. None of your evil family will survive.
21Let the slaughter begin! The sons of this king will die because of their ancestors' sins. None of them will ever rule the earth or cover it with cities.
God Will Destroy Babylon
22The Lord Almighty says, “I will attack Babylon and bring it to ruin. I will leave nothing—no children, no survivors at all. I, the Lord, have spoken.
23I will turn Babylon into a marsh, and owls will live there. I will sweep Babylon with a broom that will sweep everything away. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
God Will Destroy the Assyrians
24The Lord Almighty has sworn an oath: “What I have planned will happen. What I have determined to do will be done.
25I will destroy the Assyrians in my land of Israel and trample them on my mountains. I will free my people from the Assyrian yoke and from the burdens they have had to bear.
26This is my plan for the world, and my arm is stretched out to punish the nations.”
27The Lord Almighty is determined to do this; he has stretched out his arm to punish, and no one can stop him.
God Will Destroy the Philistines
28This is a message that was proclaimed in the year that King Ahaz died.
29People of Philistia, the rod that beat you is broken, but you have no reason to be glad. When one snake dies, a worse one comes in its place. A snake's egg hatches a flying dragon.
30The Lord will be a shepherd to the poor of his people and will let them live in safety. But he will send a terrible famine on you Philistines, and it will not leave any of you alive.
31Howl and cry for help, all you Philistine cities! Be terrified, all of you! A cloud of dust is coming from the north—it is an army with no cowards in its ranks.
32How shall we answer the messengers that come to us from Philistia? We will tell them that the Lord has established Zion and that his suffering people will find safety there.
Isaiah 15
God Will Destroy Moab
1This is a message about Moab. The cities of Ar and Kir are destroyed in a single night, and silence covers the land of Moab.
2The people of Dibon climb the hill to weep at the shrine. The people of Moab wail in grief over the cities of Nebo and Medeba; they have shaved their heads and their beards in grief.
3The people in the streets are dressed in sackcloth; in the city squares and on the rooftops people mourn and cry.
4The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out, and their cry can be heard as far away as Jahaz. Even the soldiers tremble; their courage is gone.
5My heart cries out for Moab! The people have fled to the town of Zoar, and to Eglath Shelishiyah. Some climb the road to Luhith, weeping as they go; some escape to Horonaim, grieving loudly.
6Nimrim Brook is dry, the grass beside it has withered, and nothing green is left.
7The people go across the Valley of Willows, trying to escape with all their possessions.
8Everywhere at Moab's borders the sound of crying is heard. It is heard at the towns of Eglaim and Beerelim.
9At the town of Dibon the river is red with blood, and God has something even worse in store for the people there. Yes, there will be a bloody slaughter of everyone left in Moab.
Joel
Ch. 1–2
1This is the Lord's message to Joel son of Pethuel.
The People Mourn the Destruction of the Crops
2Pay attention, you older people; everyone in Judah, listen. Has anything like this ever happened in your time or the time of your ancestors?
3Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation.
4Swarm after swarm of locusts settled on the crops; what one swarm left, the next swarm devoured.
5Wake up and weep, you drunkards; cry, you wine-drinkers; the grapes for making new wine have been destroyed.
6An army of locusts has attacked our land; they are powerful and too many to count; their teeth are as sharp as those of a lion.
7They have destroyed our grapevines and chewed up our fig trees. They have stripped off the bark, till the branches are white.
8Cry, you people, like a young woman who mourns the death of the man she was going to marry.
9There is no grain or wine to offer in the Temple; the priests mourn because they have no offerings for the Lord.
10The fields are bare; the ground mourns because the grain is destroyed, the grapes are dried up, and the olive trees are withered.
11Grieve, you farmers; cry, you that take care of the vineyards, because the wheat, the barley, yes all the crops are destroyed.
12The grapevines and fig trees have withered; all the fruit trees have wilted and died. The joy of the people is gone.
13Put on sackcloth and weep, you priests who serve at the altar! Go into the Temple and mourn all night! There is no grain or wine to offer your God.
14Give orders for a fast; call an assembly! Gather the leaders and all the people of Judah into the Temple of the Lord your God and cry out to him!
15The day of the Lord is near, the day when the Almighty brings destruction. What terror that day will bring!
16We look on helpless as our crops are destroyed. There is no joy in the Temple of our God.
17The seeds die in the dry earth. There is no grain to be stored, and so the empty granaries are in ruins.
18The cattle are bellowing in distress because there is no pasture for them; the flocks of sheep also suffer.
19I cry out to you, Lord, because the pastures and trees are dried up, as though a fire had burned them.
20Even the wild animals cry out to you because the streams have become dry.
Joel 2
The Locusts as a Warning of the Day of the Lord
1Blow the trumpet; sound the alarm on Zion, God's sacred hill. Tremble, people of Judah! The day of the Lord is coming soon.
2It will be a dark and gloomy day, a black and cloudy day. The great army of locusts advances like darkness spreading over the mountains. There has never been anything like it, and there never will be again.
3Like fire they eat up the plants. In front of them the land is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them it is a barren desert. Nothing escapes them.
4They look like horses; they run like war-horses.
5As they leap on the tops of the mountains, they rattle like chariots; they crackle like dry grass on fire. They are lined up like a great army ready for battle.
6As they approach, everyone is terrified; every face turns pale.
7They attack like warriors; they climb the walls like soldiers. They all keep marching straight ahead and do not change direction
8or get in each other's way. They swarm through defenses, and nothing can stop them.
9They rush against the city; they run over the walls; they climb up the houses and go in through the windows like thieves.
10The earth shakes as they advance; the sky trembles. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine.
11The Lord thunders commands to his army. The troops that obey him are many and mighty. How terrible is the day of the Lord! Who will survive it?
A Call to Repentance
12“But even now,” says the Lord, “repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning.
13Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough.” Come back to the Lord your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish.
14Perhaps the Lord your God will change his mind and bless you with abundant crops. Then you can offer him grain and wine.
15Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion; give orders for a fast and call an assembly!
16Gather the people together; prepare them for a sacred meeting; bring the old people; gather the children and the babies too. Even newly married couples must leave their homes and come.
17The priests, serving the Lord between the altar and the entrance of the Temple, must weep and pray: “Have pity on your people, Lord. Do not let other nations despise us and mock us by saying, ‘Where is your God?’”
God Restores Fertility to the Land
18Then the Lord showed concern for his land; he had mercy on his people.
19He answered them: “Now I am going to give you grain and wine and olive oil, and you will be satisfied. Other nations will no longer despise you.
20I will remove the locust army that came from the north and will drive some of them into the desert. Their front ranks will be driven into the Dead Sea, their rear ranks into the Mediterranean. Their dead bodies will stink. I will destroy them because of all they have done to you.
21“Fields, don't be afraid, but be joyful and glad because of all the Lord has done for you.
22Animals, don't be afraid. The pastures are green; the trees bear their fruit, and there are plenty of figs and grapes.
23“Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice at what the Lord your God has done for you. He has given you the right amount of autumn rain; he has poured down the winter rain for you and the spring rain as before.
24The threshing places will be full of grain; the pits beside the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.
25I will give you back what you lost in the years when swarms of locusts ate your crops. It was I who sent this army against you.
26Now you will have plenty to eat, and be satisfied. You will praise the Lord your God, who has done wonderful things for you. My people will never be despised again.
27Then, Israel, you will know that I am among you and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. My people will never be despised again.
The Day of the Lord
28“Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone: your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old people will have dreams, and your young people will see visions.
29At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women.
30“I will give warnings of that day in the sky and on the earth; there will be bloodshed, fire, and clouds of smoke.
31The sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
32But all who ask the Lord for help will be saved. As the Lord has said, ‘Some in Jerusalem will escape; those whom I choose will survive.’”
Proverbs
Ch. 10
17People who listen when they are corrected will live, but those who will not admit that they are wrong are in danger.
18Anyone who hides hatred is a liar. Anyone who spreads gossip is a fool.
19The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.
20A good person's words are like pure silver; a wicked person's ideas are worthless.