<p class="poetry">They will not work in vain,p> <p class="poetry">or give birth to children that will experience disaster.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> will bless their childrenp> <p class="poetry">and their descendants.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Hear the word of the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">you who respect what he has to say!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Your countrymen,<n id="2" /> who hate youp> <p class="poetry">and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,p> <p class="poetry">say, &#8220;May the <sc>Lordsc> be glorified,p> <p class="poetry">then we will witness your joy.&#8221;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">But they will be put to shame.p>

<p class="poetry">Manasseh fought against<n id="1" /> Ephraim,p> <p class="poetry">and Ephraim against Manasseh;p> <p class="poetry">together they fought against Judah.p> <p class="poetry">Despite all this, his anger does not subside,p> <p class="poetry">and his hand is ready to strike again.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">So the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s word to them will sound likep> <p class="poetry">meaningless gibberish,p> <p class="poetry">senseless babbling,p> <p class="poetry">a syllable here, a syllable there.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">As a result, they will fall on their backsides when they try to walk,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and be injured, ensnared, and captured.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">This is a message<n id="1" /> about the animals in the Negev:p> <p class="poetry">Through a land of distress and danger,p> <p class="poetry">inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">by snakes and darting adders,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">they transport<n id="4" /> their wealth on the backs of donkeys,p> <p class="poetry">their riches on the humps of camels,p> <p class="poetry">to a nation that cannot help them.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Let it richly bloom;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">let it rejoice and shout with delight!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">It is given the grandeur<n id="3" /> of Lebanon,p> <p class="poetry">the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.p> <p class="poetry">They will see the grandeur of the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">the splendor of our God.p>

One day,<n id="1" /> as he was worshiping<n id="2" /> in the temple of his god Nisroch,<n id="3" /> his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword.<n id="4" /> They ran away to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness.<n id="1" /> The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;Give instructions to your household, for you are about to die; you will not get well.&#8217;&#8221;

<p class="poetry">Then you will think to yourself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Who bore these children for me?p> <p class="poetry">I was bereaved and barren,p> <p class="poetry">dismissed and divorced.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Who raised these children?p> <p class="poetry">Look, I was left all alone;p> <p class="poetry">where did these children come from?&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog&#8217;s neck;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who presents an offering includes pig&#8217;s blood with it;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who offers incense also praises an idol.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">They have decided to behave this way;<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">they enjoy these disgusting practices.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">So I will choose severe punishment<n id="1" /> for them;p> <p class="poetry">I will bring on them what they dread,p> <p class="poetry">because I called, and no one responded,p> <p class="poetry">I spoke and they did not listen.p> <p class="poetry">They did evil before me;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they chose to do what displeases me.&#8221;p>

I will perform a mighty act among them<n id="1" /> and then send some of those who remain to the nations &#8211; to Tarshish, Pul,<n id="2" /> Lud<n id="3" /> (known for its archers<n id="4" />), Tubal, Javan,<n id="5" /> and to the distant coastlands<n id="6" /> that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.