Isaiah 28-30; Psalms 115 - Prayer Tents

A Message about Samaria

28What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria—the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine.H1945H5850H1348H7910H669H6643H8597H5034H6731H7218H8081H1516H1986H3196 2For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.H136H2389H533H2230H1259H6986H8178H2230H3524H4325H7857H3240H776H3027 3The proud city of Samaria—the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel—will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet.H5850H1348H7910H669H7429H7272 4It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.H6643H8597H7218H8081H1516H5034H6733H1061H7019H7200H7200H3709H1104 5Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people.H3117H3068H6635H5850H6643H6843H8597H7605H5971 6He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates.H7307H4941H3427H4941H1369H7725H4421H8179 7Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions.H428H7686H3196H7941H8582H3548H5030H7686H7941H1104H4480H3196H8582H7941H7686H7203H6328H6417 8Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere.H7979H4390H6892H6675H4725 9“Who does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned?H3384H1844H995H8052H1580H2461H6267H7699 10He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”H6673H6673H6673H6673H6957H6957H6957H6957H2191H2191 11So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!H3934H8193H312H3956H1696H5971 12God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen.H559H4496H5889H5117H4774H14H8085 13So the Lord will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured.H1697H3068H6673H6673H6673H6673H6957H6957H6957H6957H2191H2191H3212H3782H268H7665H3369H3920 14Therefore, listen to this message from the Lord, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem.H8085H1697H3068H3944H582H4910H5971H3389 15You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.”H559H3772H1285H4194H7585H6213H2374H7857H7752H7885H5674H5674H935H7760H3577H4268H8267H5641 16Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says. “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.H559H136H3069H3245H6726H68H976H68H3368H6438H3245H4143H539H2363 17I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.H4941H7760H6957H6666H4949H1259H3261H4268H3577H4325H7857H5643 18I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground.H1285H4194H3722H2380H7585H6965H7857H7752H5674H4823 19Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people.H1767H5674H3947H1242H1242H5674H3117H3915H2113H995H8052 20The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you.H4702H7114H8311H4541H6887H3664 21The Lord will come as he did against the Philistines at Mount Perazim and against the Amorites at Gibeon. He will come to do a strange thing; he will come to do an unusual deed.H3068H6965H2022H6559H7264H6010H1391H6213H4639H2114H4639H5647H5656H5237H5656 22For the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, has plainly said that he is determined to crush the whole land. So scoff no more, or your punishment will be even greater.H3887H4147H2388H8085H136H3069H6635H3617H2782H776 23Listen to me; listen, and pay close attention.H238H8085H6963H7181H8085H565 24Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting?H2790H2790H3117H2232H6605H7702H127 25Does he not finally plant his seeds—black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat—each in its proper way, and each in its proper place?H7737H6440H6327H7100H2236H3646H7760H7795H2406H5567H8184H3698H1367 26The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.H430H3256H4941H3384 27A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail.H7100H1758H2742H5699H212H5437H3646H7100H2251H4294H3646H7626 28Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it.H3899H1854H5331H156H1758H2000H1536H5699H1854H6571 29The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.H3318H3068H6635H6381H6098H1431H8454

A Message about Jerusalem

29“What sorrow awaits Ariel, the City of David. Year after year you celebrate your feasts.H1945H740H740H7151H1732H2583H5595H8141H8141H5362H2282 2Yet I will bring disaster upon you, and there will be much weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem will become what her name Ariel means—an altar covered with blood.H6693H740H8386H592H740 3I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. I will build siege towers and destroy it.H2583H1754H6696H4674H6965H4694 4Then deep from the earth you will speak; from low in the dust your words will come. Your voice will whisper from the ground like a ghost conjured up from the grave.H8213H1696H776H565H7817H6083H6963H178H776H565H6850H6083 5“But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind. Suddenly, in an instant,H1995H2114H1851H80H1995H6184H4671H5674H6621H6597 6I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire.H6485H3068H6635H7482H7494H1419H6963H5492H5591H3851H398H784 7All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night.H1995H1471H6633H740H6638H4685H6693H2472H3915H2377 8A hungry person dreams of eating but wakes up still hungry. A thirsty person dreams of drinking but is still faint from thirst when morning comes. So it will be with your enemies, with those who attack Mount Zion.”H7457H2492H398H6974H5315H7386H834H6771H2492H8354H6974H5889H5315H8264H1995H1471H6633H2022H6726 9Are you amazed and incredulous? Don’t you believe it? Then go ahead and be blind. You are stupid, but not from wine! You stagger, but not from liquor!H4102H8539H8173H8173H7937H3196H5128H7941 10For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries.H3068H5258H7307H8639H6105H5869H5030H7218H2374H3680 11All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say, “We can’t read it because it is sealed.”H2380H1697H5612H2856H5414H3045H559H7121H559H3201H2856 12When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say, “We don’t know how to read.”H5612H5414H3045H5612H559H7121H559H3045 13And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.H136H559H3282H5971H5066H6310H8193H3513H7368H3820H7368H3374H3925H4687H582 14Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”H3254H6381H5971H6381H6382H2451H2450H6H998H995H5641 15What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The Lord can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!”H1945H6009H5641H6098H3068H4639H4285H559H7200H3045 16How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?H2017H2803H3335H2563H4639H559H6213H6213H3336H559H3335H995 17Soon—and it will not be very long—the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.H4213H4592H3844H7725H3759H3759H2803H3293 18In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.H3117H2795H8085H1697H5612H5869H5787H7200H652H2822 19The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.H6035H3254H8057H3068H34H120H1523H6918H3478 20The scoffer will be gone, the arrogant will disappear, and those who plot evil will be killed.H6184H656H3887H3615H8245H205H3772 21Those who convict the innocent by their false testimony will disappear. A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.H120H2398H1697H6983H3198H8179H5186H6662H8414 22That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel, “My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear.H559H3068H6299H85H1004H3290H3290H954H6440H2357 23For when they see their many children and all the blessings I have given them, they will recognize the holiness of the Holy One of Israel. They will stand in awe of the God of Jacob.H7200H3206H4639H3027H7130H6942H8034H6942H6918H3290H6206H430H3478 24Then the wayward will gain understanding, and complainers will accept instruction.H8582H7307H3045H998H7279H3925H3948

Judah’s Worthless Treaty with Egypt

30“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.H1945H5637H1121H5002H3068H6213H6098H5258H4541H7307H5595H2403H2403 2For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade.H1980H3381H4714H7592H6310H5810H4581H6547H2620H6738H4714 3But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced.H4581H6547H1322H2622H6738H4714H3639 4For though his power extends to Zoan and his officials have arrived in Hanes,H8269H6814H4397H5060H2609 5all who trust in him will be ashamed. He will not help you. Instead, he will disgrace you.”H3001H5971H3276H5828H3276H1322H2781 6This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev. The caravan moves slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt—donkeys weighed down with riches and camels loaded with treasure—all to pay for Egypt’s protection. They travel through the wilderness, a place of lionesses and lions, a place where vipers and poisonous snakes live. All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return.H4853H929H5045H776H6869H6695H3833H3918H660H8314H5774H8314H5375H2428H3802H5895H214H1707H1581H5971H3276 7Egypt’s promises are worthless! Therefore, I call her Rahab—the Harmless Dragon.H4714H5826H1892H7385H7121H2063H1992H7293H7674

A Warning for Rebellious Judah

8Now go and write down these words. Write them in a book. They will stand until the end of time as a witnessH935H3789H3871H2710H5612H3117H314H5704H5703H5769 9that these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.H4805H5971H3586H1121H1121H14H8085H8451H3068 10They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.H559H7200H7200H2374H2372H5229H1696H2513H2372H4123 11Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’”H5493H1870H5186H734H6918H3478H7673H6440 12This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel. “Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies,H559H6918H3478H3988H1697H982H6233H3868H8172 13calamity will come upon you suddenly—like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.H5771H6556H5307H1158H7682H2346H7667H935H6597H6621 14You will be smashed like a piece of pottery—shattered so completely that there won’t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.”H7665H7667H3335H5035H3807H2550H4672H4386H2789H2846H784H3344H2834H4325H1360 15This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says. “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.H559H136H3069H6918H3478H7729H5183H3467H8252H985H1369H14 16You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!H559H5127H5483H5127H7392H7031H7291H7043 17One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop.”H259H505H6440H1606H259H6440H1606H2568H5127H3498H8650H7218H2022H5251H1389

Blessings for the Lord’s People

18So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.H3068H2442H2603H7311H7355H3068H430H4941H835H2442 19O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.H5971H3427H6726H3389H1058H1058H2603H2603H6963H2199H8085H6030 20Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.H136H5414H3899H6862H4325H3906H3384H3670H5869H7200H3384 21Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.H241H8085H1697H310H559H1870H3212H541H8041 22Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, “Good riddance!”H2930H6826H6456H3701H642H4541H2091H2219H1739H559H3318 23Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock.H5414H4306H2233H2232H127H3899H8393H127H1879H8082H3117H4735H7462H7337H3733 24The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind.H504H5895H5647H127H398H2548H1098H2219H7371H4214 25In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill.H1364H2022H5375H1389H6388H2988H4325H3117H7227H2027H4026H5307 26The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds he gave them.H216H3842H216H2535H216H2535H7659H216H7651H3117H3117H3068H2280H7667H5971H7495H4273H4347 27Look! The Lord is coming from far away, burning with anger, surrounded by thick, rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury; his words consume like fire.H8034H3068H935H4801H1197H639H4858H3514H8193H4390H2195H3956H398H784 28His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of his enemies. He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin.H7307H7857H5158H2673H6677H5130H1471H5299H7723H7448H3895H5971H8582 29But the people of God will sing a song of joy, like the songs at the holy festivals. You will be filled with joy, as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, the mountain of the Lord—to the Rock of Israel.H7892H3915H6942H2282H6942H8057H3824H1980H2485H935H2022H3068H6697H3478 30And the Lord will make his majestic voice heard. He will display the strength of his mighty arm. It will descend with devouring flames, with cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and huge hailstones.H3068H1935H6963H8085H7200H5183H2220H2197H639H3851H398H784H5311H2230H68H1259 31At the Lord’s command, the Assyrians will be shattered. He will strike them down with his royal scepter.H6963H3068H804H2865H5221H7626 32And as the Lord strikes them with his rod of punishment, his people will celebrate with tambourines and harps. Lifting his mighty arm, he will fight the Assyrians.H3605H4145H4294H4569H3068H5117H8596H3658H4421H8573H3898 33Topheth—the place of burning—has long been ready for the Assyrian king; the pyre is piled high with wood. The breath of the Lord, like fire from a volcano, will set it ablaze.H8613H6186H865H4428H3559H6009H7337H4071H784H7235H6086H5397H3068H5158H1614H1197

115Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.H3068H8034H5414H3519H2617H571 2Why let the nations say, “Where is their God?”H1471H559H430 3Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.H430H8064H6213H2654 4Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.H6091H3701H2091H4639H120H3027 5They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.H6310H1696H5869H7200 6They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell.H241H8085H639H7306 7They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.H3027H4184H7272H1980H1897H1627 8And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.H6213H982 9O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.H3478H982H3068H5828H4043 10O priests, descendants of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.H1004H175H982H3068H5828H4043 11All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.H3373H3068H982H3068H5828H4043 12The Lord remembers us and will bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and bless the priests, the descendants of Aaron.H3068H2142H1288H1288H1004H3478H1288H1004H175 13He will bless those who fear the Lord, both great and lowly.H1288H3373H3068H6996H1419 14May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.H3068H3254H1121 15May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.H1288H3068H6213H8064H776 16The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.H8064H8064H3068H776H5414H1121H120 17The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.H4191H1984H3050H3381H1745 18But we can praise the Lord both now and forever! Praise the Lord!H1288H3050H5704H5769H1984H3050