this is what the <sc>Lordsc> says about him:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The virgin daughter Zion<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">despises you &#8211; she makes fun of you;p> <p class="poetry">daughter Jerusalemp> <p class="poetry">shakes her head after you.<n id="3" />p>

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:

Hezekiah said to Isaiah, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s word which you have announced is appropriate.&#8221;<n id="1" /> Then he thought,<n id="2" /> &#8220;For<n id="3" /> there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">who summons an eagle<n id="1" /> from the east,p> <p class="poetry">from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.p> <p class="poetry">Yes, I have decreed,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">yes, I will bring it to pass;p> <p class="poetry">I have formulated a plan,p> <p class="poetry">yes, I will carry it out.p>

<p class="poetry">Approach me! Listen to this!p> <p class="poetry">From the very first I have not spoken in secret;p> <p class="poetry">when it happens,<n id="1" /> I am there.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">So now, the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> has sent me, accompanied by his spirit.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Then you will call out, and the <sc>Lordsc> will respond;p> <p class="poetry">you will cry out, and he will reply, &#8216;Here I am.&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">You must<n id="1" /> remove the burdensome yoke from among youp> <p class="poetry">and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.p>

<p class="poetry">Then you will find joy in your relationship to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and I will give you great prosperity,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.&#8221;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Know for certain that the <sc>Lordsc> has spoken.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">No one is concerned about justice;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">no one sets forth his case truthfully.p> <p class="poetry">They depend on false words<n id="2" /> and tell lies;p> <p class="poetry">they conceive of oppression<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and give birth to sin.p>

<p class="poetry">We have rebelled and tried to deceive the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">we turned back from following our God.p> <p class="poetry">We stir up<n id="1" /> oppression and rebellion;p> <p class="poetry">we tell lies we concocted in our minds.<n id="2" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Who is this who comes from Edom,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Who<n id="3" /> is this one wearing royal attire,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">who marches confidently<n id="5" /> because of his great strength?p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;It is I, the one who announces vindication,p> <p class="poetry">and who is able to deliver!&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> said to me, &#8220;Do not say, &#8216;I am too young.&#8217; But go<n id="1" /> to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you.

In this way<n id="1" /> I will pass sentence<n id="2" /> on the people of Jerusalem and Judah<n id="3" /> because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But you, Jeremiah,<n id="1" /> get yourself ready!<n id="2" /> Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">Because of this the land will mournp> <p class="poetry">and the sky above will grow black.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For I have made my purpose known<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

Consider this:<n id="1" /> When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices.

<p class="bodytext">Then the <sc>Lordsc> said to me,<n id="1" /> &#8220;When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you. When you call out to them, they will not respond to you.

<p class="poetry">Tell your daughters and neighbors, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> says,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The dead bodies of people will lie scattered everywherep> <p class="poetry">like manure scattered on a field.p> <p class="poetry">They will lie scattered on the groundp> <p class="poetry">like grain that has been cut down but has not been gathered.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry"><sc>Lordsc>, you have always been fairp> <p class="poetry">whenever I have complained to you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Why are wicked people successful?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?p>

But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong,<n id="1" /> I will cancel the destruction<n id="2" /> I intended to do to it.

<p class="poetry">Should good be paid back with evil?p> <p class="poetry">Yet they are virtually digging a pit to kill me.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Just remember how I stood before youp> <p class="poetry">pleading on their behalf<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">to keep you from venting your anger on them.<n id="3" />p>