HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1006
IS A IA H 3 9
17
18
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page 636
Yes, this anguish was good for me,
for you have rescued me from death
and forgiven all my sins.
For the dead* cannot praise you;
they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to the grave
can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
Only the living can praise you as I do today.
Each generation tells of your faithfulness
to the next.
Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me!
I will sing his praises with instruments
every day of my life
in the Temple of the Lord.
21 Isaiah had said to Hezekiah’s servants,
“Make an ointment from figs and spread it over
the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.”
22 And Hezekiah had asked, “What sign will
prove that I will go to the Temple of the Lord?”
— promises —
from God
“The grass withers and the
flowers fade, but the word
of our God stands forever.”
7 ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away
into exile. They will become eunuchs who will
serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’”
8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message
you have given me from the Lord is good.” For
the king was thinking, “At least there will be
peace and security during my lifetime.”
Comfort for God’s People
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
40
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4
5
I SA I A H 4 0:8
6
Envoys from Babylon
Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son
of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift. He had heard
that Hezekiah had been very sick and that he
had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was delighted with
the Babylonian envoys and showed them
everything in his treasure-houses—the silver,
the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He
also took them to see his armory and showed
them everything in his royal treasuries! There
was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men
want? Where were they from?”
Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.”
4 “What did they see in your palace?” asked
Isaiah.
“They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied.
“I showed them everything I own—all my royal
treasuries.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to
this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 6 ‘The time is coming when everything
in your palace—all the treasures stored up by
your ancestors until now—will be carried off to
Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.
39
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Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the
wasteland
for our God!
Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
Then the glory of the Lord will be
revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”*
A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands
forever.”
O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.*
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming
in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him
as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
38:18 Hebrew Sheol. 40:3-5 Greek version reads He is a voice
shouting in the wilderness, / “Prepare the way for the Lord’s
coming! / Clear a road for our God! / Fill in the valleys, / and
level the mountains and hills. / And then the glory of the Lord
will be revealed, / and all people will see the salvation sent from
God. / The Lord has spoken!” Compare Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3;
Luke 3:4-6. 40:9 Or O messenger of good news, shout to Zion
from the mountaintops! Shout it louder to Jerusalem.