The Good News of Deliverance

¹The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.

²He has sent me to proclaim That the time has come When the Lord will save his people And defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,

³To give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and gladness instead of grief, A song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees That the Lord himself has planted. They will all do what is right, And God will be praised for what he has done.

⁴They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins.

⁵My people, foreigners will serve you. They will take care of your flocks And farm your land and tend your vineyards.

⁶And you will be known as the priests of the Lord, The servants of our God. You will enjoy the wealth of the nations And be proud that it is yours.

⁷Your shame and disgrace are ended. You will live in your own land, And your wealth will be doubled; Your joy will last forever.

⁸The Lord says, “I love justice and I hate oppression and crime. I will faithfully reward my people And make an eternal covenant with them.

⁹They will be famous among the nations; Everyone who sees them will know That they are a people whom I have blessed.”

¹⁰Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done. She is like a bride dressed for her wedding. God has clothed her with salvation and victory.

¹¹As surely as seeds sprout and grow, The Sovereign Lord will save his people, And all the nations will praise him.

¹I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem; I will not be silent until she is saved, And her victory shines like a torch in the night.

²Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious! All their kings will see your glory. You will be called by a new name, A name given by the Lord himself.

³You will be like a beautiful crown for the Lord.

⁴No longer will you be called “Forsaken,” Or your land be called “The Deserted Wife.” Your new name will be “God Is Pleased with Her.” Your land will be called “Happily Married,” Because the Lord is pleased with you And will be like a husband to your land.

⁵Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride, He who formed you will marry you. As a groom is delighted with his bride, So your God will delight in you.

⁶On your walls, Jerusalem, I have placed sentries; They must never be silent day or night. They must remind the Lord of his promises And never let him forget them.

⁷They must give him no rest until he restores Jerusalem And makes it a city the whole world praises.

⁸The Lord has made a solemn promise, And by his power he will carry it out: “Your grain will no longer be food for your enemies, And foreigners will no longer drink your wine.

⁹But you that planted and harvested the grain Will eat the bread and praise the Lord. You that tended and gathered the grapes Will drink the wine in the courts of my Temple.”

¹⁰People of Jerusalem, go out of the city And build a road for your returning people! Prepare a highway; clear it of stones! Put up a signal so that the nations can know

¹¹That the Lord is announcing to all the earth: “Tell the people of Jerusalem That the Lord is coming to save you, Bringing with him the people he has rescued.”

¹²You will be called “God's Holy People,” “The People the Lord Has Saved.” Jerusalem will be called “The City That God Loves,” “The City That God Did Not Forsake.”

The Lord's Will and Human Defiance

¹It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile. Some of the leaders of the Israelite community came to consult me about the Lord's will, and they sat down in front of me.

²Then the Lord spoke to me.

³“Mortal man,” he said, “speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign Lord is saying: You have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

⁴“Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did.

⁵Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God.

⁶It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.

⁷I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the Lord their God.

⁸But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt.

⁹But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.

¹⁰“And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert.

¹¹I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them.

¹²I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy.

¹³But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them.

¹⁴But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.

¹⁵So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.

¹⁶I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath—they preferred to worship their idols.

¹⁷“But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert.

¹⁸Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols.

¹⁹I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands.

²⁰Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God.

²¹“But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all.

²²But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt.

²³So I made another vow in the desert. I vowed that I would scatter them all over the world.

²⁴I did this because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, profaned the Sabbath, and worshiped the same idols their ancestors had served.

²⁵“Then I gave them laws that are not good and commands that do not bring life.

²⁶I let them defile themselves with their own offerings, and I let them sacrifice their first-born sons. This was to punish them and show them that I am the Lord.

²⁷“Now then, mortal man, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This is another way their ancestors insulted me by their unfaithfulness.

²⁸I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings.

²⁹I asked them: What are these high places where you go? So they have been called ‘High Places’ ever since.

³⁰Now tell the Israelites what I am saying: Why must you commit the same sins your ancestors did and go running after their idols?

³¹Even today you offer the same gifts and defile yourselves with the same idols by sacrificing your children to them in the fire. And then you Israelites still come to ask what my will is! As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything.

³²You have made up your minds that you want to be like the other nations, like the people who live in other countries and worship trees and rocks. But that will never be.

God Punishes and Forgives

³³“As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I warn you that in my anger I will rule over you with a strong hand, with all my power.

³⁴I will show you my power and my anger when I gather you together and bring you back from all the countries where you have been scattered.

³⁵I will bring you into the ‘Desert of the Nations,’ and there I will condemn you to your face.

³⁶I will now condemn you just as I condemned your ancestors in the Sinai Desert,” says the Sovereign Lord.

³⁷“I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant.

³⁸I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

³⁹The Sovereign Lord says, “And now, all you Israelites, suit yourselves! Go on and serve your idols! But I warn you that after this you will have to obey me and stop dishonoring my holy name by offering gifts to your idols.

⁴⁰There in the land, on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts.

⁴¹After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy.

⁴²When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁴³Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did.

⁴⁴When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the Lord, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Fire in the South

⁴⁵The Lord spoke to me.

⁴⁶“Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south.

⁴⁷Tell the southern forest to hear what the Sovereign Lord is saying: Look! I am starting a fire, and it will burn up every tree in you, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put it out. It will spread from south to north, and everyone will feel the heat of the flames.

⁴⁸They will all see that I, the Lord, set it on fire and that no one can put it out.”

⁴⁹But I protested, “Sovereign Lord, don't make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles.”

¹³If you refuse good advice, you are asking for trouble; follow it and you are safe.

¹⁴The teachings of the wise are a fountain of life; they will help you escape when your life is in danger.

¹⁵Intelligence wins respect, but those who can't be trusted are on the road to ruin.

¹⁶Sensible people always think before they act, but stupid people advertise their ignorance.