The Lord’s Power To Punish
1 Ba 4.6. The Lord says, "Children,
I didn’t divorce your mother
or sell you to pay debts;
I divorced her and sold you
because of your sins.
2 I came and called out,
but you didn’t answer.
Have I lost my power
to rescue and save?
At my command oceans and rivers
turn into deserts;
fish rot and stink
for lack of water.
3 I make the sky turn dark
like the sackcloth
you wear at funerals."
God’s Servant Must Suffer
4 The Lord God gives me
the right words
to encourage the weary.
Each morning he awakens me
eager to learn his teaching;
5 he made me willing to listen
and not rebel or run away.
6 Mt 26.67;Mk 14.65. I let them beat my back
and pull out my beard.
I didn’t turn aside
when they insulted me
and spit in my face.
7 But the Lord God keeps me
from being disgraced.
So I refuse to give up,
because I know
God will never let me down.
8 Ro 8.33,34. My protector is nearby;
no one can stand here
to accuse me of wrong.
9 The Lord God will help me
and prove I am innocent.
My accusers will wear out
like moth-eaten clothes.
10 None of you respect the Lord
or obey his servant.
You walk in the dark
instead of the light;
you don’t trust the name
of the Lord your God.50.10 God: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 10.
11 Go ahead and walk in the light
of the fires you have set.50.11 Go … set: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
But with his own hand,
the Lord will punish you
and make you suffer.