A Remnant in Zion

¹In that day seven womenwill take hold of one man and say,“We will eat our own breadand provide our own clothes.Just let us be called by your name.Take away our disgrace!”

²On that day the Branch of the LORDwill be beautiful and glorious,and the fruit of the landwill be the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.

³Whoever remains in Zionand whoever is left in Jerusalemwill be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are recorded among the living—

⁴when the Lord has washed awaythe filth of the daughters of Zionand cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalemby a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.

⁵Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zionand over her assembliesa cloud of smoke by dayand a glowing flame of fire by night.For over all the glorythere will be a canopy,

⁶a shelter to give shadefrom the heat by day,and a refuge and hiding placefrom the storm and the rain.

A Sign against Egypt and Cush

¹Before the year that the chief commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it,

²the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.”And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.

³Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,

⁴so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.

⁵Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.

⁶And on that day the dwellers of this coastland will say, ‘See what has happened to our source of hope, those to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?’”

Job’s Final Appeal

¹“I have made a covenant with my eyes.How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?

²For what is the allotment of God from above,or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

³Does not disaster come to the unjustand calamity to the workers of iniquity?

⁴Does He not see my waysand count my every step?

⁵If I have walked in falsehoodor my foot has rushed to deceit,

⁶let God weigh me with honest scales,that He may know my integrity.

⁷If my steps have turned from the path,if my heart has followed my eyes,or if impurity has stuck to my hands,

⁸then may another eat what I have sown,and may my crops be uprooted.

⁹If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife,or I have lurked at his door,

¹⁰then may my own wife grind grain for another,and may other men sleep with her.

¹¹For that would be a heinous crime,an iniquity to be judged.

¹²For it is a fire that burns down to Abaddon;it would root out my entire harvest.

¹³If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservantwhen they made a complaint against me,

¹⁴what will I do when God rises to judge?How will I answer when called to account?

¹⁵Did not He who made me in the womb also make them?Did not the same One form us in the womb?

¹⁶If I have denied the desires of the pooror allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

¹⁷if I have eaten my morsel alone,not sharing it with the fatherless—

¹⁸though from my youth I reared him as would a father,and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—

¹⁹if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing,or a needy man without a cloak,

²⁰if his heart has not blessed mefor warming him with the fleece of my sheep,

²¹if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherlessbecause I saw that I had support in the gate,

²²then may my arm fall from my shoulderand be torn from its socket.

²³For calamity from God terrifies me,and His splendor I cannot overpower.

²⁴If I have put my trust in goldor called pure gold my security,

²⁵if I have rejoiced in my great wealthbecause my hand had gained so much,

²⁶if I have beheld the sunin its radianceor the moon moving in splendor,

²⁷so that my heart was secretly enticedand my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

²⁸this would also be an iniquity to be judged,for I would have denied God on high.

²⁹If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin,or exulted when evil befell him—

³⁰I have not allowed my mouth to sinby asking for his life with a curse—

³¹if the men of my house have not said,‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

³²but no stranger had to lodge on the street,for my door has been open to the traveler—

³³if I have covered my transgressions like Adamby hiding my guilt in my heart,

³⁴because I greatly feared the crowdsand the contempt of the clans terrified me,so that I kept silentand would not go outside—

³⁵(Oh, that I had one to hear me!Here is my signature.Let the Almighty answer me;let my accuser compose an indictment.

³⁶Surely I would carry it on my shoulderand wear it like a crown.

³⁷I would give account of all my steps;I would approach Him like a prince.)—

³⁸if my land cries out against meand its furrows weep together,

³⁹if I have devoured its produce without paymentor broken the spirit of its tenants,

⁴⁰then let briers grow instead of wheatand stinkweed instead of barley.”Thus conclude the words of Job.

I Take Refuge in You

¹O LORD my God, I take refuge in You;save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,

²or they will shred my soul like a lionand tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

³O LORD my God, if I have done this,if injustice is on my hands,

⁴if I have rewarded my allywith evil,if I have plundered my foe without cause,

⁵then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me;may he trample me to the groundand leave my honor in the dust.Selah

⁶Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;rise up against the fury of my enemies.Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.

⁷Let the assembled peoples gather around You;take Your seat over them on high.

⁸The LORD judges the peoples;vindicate me, O LORD,according to my righteousness and integrity.

⁹Put an end to the evil of the wicked,but establish the righteous,O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.

¹⁰My shield is with God,who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹God is a righteous judgeand a God who feels indignation each day.

¹²If one does not repent,God will sharpen His sword;He has bent and strung His bow.

¹³He has prepared His deadly weapons;He ordains His arrows with fire.

¹⁴Behold, the wicked man travails with evil;he conceives trouble and births falsehood.

¹⁵He has dug a hole and hollowed it out;he has fallen into a pit of his own making.

¹⁶His trouble recoils on himself,and his violence falls on his own head.

¹⁷I will thank the LORD for His righteousnessand sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.