so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old. They will be in undergarments and barefoot, with the buttocks exposed; the Egyptians will be publicly humiliated.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">For when they see their children,p> <p class="poetry">whom I will produce among them,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">they will honor<n id="2" /> my name.p> <p class="poetry">They will honor the Holy One of Jacob;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">they will respect<n id="4" /> the God of Israel.p>

<p class="poetry">You will desecrate your silver-plated idols<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and your gold-plated images.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,p> <p class="poetry">saying to them, &#8220;Get out!&#8221;p>

Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will rescue us.&#8221; Has any of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?<n id="1" />

Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the <sc>Lordsc> rescue Jerusalem from my power?&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />

Isaiah replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;This is your sign from the <sc>Lordsc> confirming that the <sc>Lordsc> will do what he has said:

<p class="poetry">The craftsman encourages the metalsmith,p> <p class="poetry">the one who wields the hammer encourages<n id="1" /> the one who pounds on the anvil.p> <p class="poetry">He approves the quality of the welding,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and nails it down so it won&#8217;t fall over.&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="poetry">One who argues with his creator is in grave danger,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">one who is like a mere<n id="2" /> shard among the other shards on the ground!p> <p class="poetry">The clay should not say to the potter,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;What in the world<n id="4" /> are you doing?p> <p class="poetry">Your work lacks skill!&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;p> <p class="poetry">they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Then all humankind<n id="2" /> will recognize thatp> <p class="poetry">I am the <sc>Lordsc>, your deliverer,p> <p class="poetry">your protector,<n id="3" /> the powerful ruler of Jacob.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Wake up! Wake up!p> <p class="poetry">Get up, O Jerusalem!p> <p class="poetry">You drank from the cup the <sc>Lordsc> passed to you,p> <p class="poetry">which was full of his anger!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You drained dryp> <p class="poetry">the goblet full of intoxicating wine.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> reveals<n id="1" /> his royal power<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in the sight of all the nations;p> <p class="poetry">the entire<n id="3" /> earth seesp> <p class="poetry">our God deliver.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">In the west, people respect<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s reputation;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">in the east they recognize his splendor.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">For he comes like a rushing<n id="4" /> streamp> <p class="poetry">driven on by wind sent from the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="5" />p>

&#8220;I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming<n id="1" /> to gather all the nations and ethnic groups;<n id="2" /> they will come and witness my splendor.

<p class="poetry">and the <sc>Lordsc> has sent the people off to a distant place,p> <p class="poetry">and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned.<n id="1" />p>

But Ahaz responded, &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to ask; I don&#8217;t want to put the <sc>Lordsc> to a test.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">You counted the houses in Jerusalem,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and demolished houses so you could have material to reinforce the wall.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I know where you livep> <p class="poetry">and everything you dop> <p class="poetry">and how you rage against me.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Who comprehends<n id="1" /> the mind<n id="2" /> of the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">or gives him instruction as his counselor?<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">They help one another;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">one says to the other, &#8216;Be strong!&#8217;p>

<t /><p class="poetry">&#8220;But you did not call for me, O Jacob;p> <p class="poetry">you did not long<n id="1" /> for me, O Israel.p>