15 The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!

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15 The toil of fools wearies them;
    they do not know the way to town.

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“In those days and in that time,” says the Lord,
“The children of Israel shall come,
(A)They and the children of Judah together;
(B)With continual weeping they shall come,
(C)And seek the Lord their God.
They shall ask the way to Zion,
With their faces toward it, saying,
‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord
In (D)a perpetual covenant
That will not be forgotten.’

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“In those days, at that time,”
    declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together(A)
    will go in tears(B) to seek(C) the Lord their God.
They will ask the way(D) to Zion
    and turn their faces toward it.
They will come(E) and bind themselves to the Lord
    in an everlasting covenant(F)
    that will not be forgotten.

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Israel’s Futile Idolatry

57 The righteous perishes,
And no man takes it to heart;
(A)Merciful men are taken away,
(B)While no one considers
That the righteous is taken away from [a]evil.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 57:1 Lit. the face of evil

57 The righteous perish,(A)
    and no one takes it to heart;(B)
the devout are taken away,
    and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
    to be spared from evil.(C)

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A (A)highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
(B)The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
(C)No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the (D)ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And (E)sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

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And a highway(A) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;(B)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(C) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion(D) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;(E)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(F) will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued(G) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(H)
    everlasting joy(I) will crown their heads.
Gladness(J) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(K)

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Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
(A)And he shows everyone that he is a fool.

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Even as fools walk along the road,
    they lack sense
    and show everyone(A) how stupid they are.

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And He led them forth by the (A)right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

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He led them by a straight way(A)
    to a city(B) where they could settle.

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They wandered in (A)the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.

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Some wandered in desert(A) wastelands,
    finding no way to a city(B) where they could settle.

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28 Come to (A)Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you (B)and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and (C)lowly in heart, (D)and you will find rest for your souls. 30 (E)For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 11:29 meek

28 “Come to me,(A) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.(B) 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,(C) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.(D) 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(E)

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“Will not all these (A)take up a proverb against him,
And a taunting riddle against him, and say,
‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his—how long?
And to him who loads himself with [a]many pledges’?

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Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:6 Syr., Vg. thick clay

“Will not all of them taunt(A) him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!(B)
    How long must this go on?’

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Why do you [a]spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 55:2 Lit. weigh out silver

Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?(A)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(B)
    and you will delight in the richest(C) of fare.

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12 “Stand now with your enchantments
And the multitude of your sorceries,
In which you have labored from your youth—
Perhaps you will be able to profit,
Perhaps you will prevail.
13 (A)You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;
Let now (B)the[a] astrologers, the stargazers,
And [b]the monthly prognosticators
Stand up and save you
From what shall come upon you.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 47:13 Lit. viewers of the heavens
  2. Isaiah 47:13 Lit. those giving knowledge for new moons

12 “Keep on, then, with your magic spells
    and with your many sorceries,(A)
    which you have labored at since childhood.
Perhaps you will succeed,
    perhaps you will cause terror.
13 All the counsel you have received has only worn you out!(B)
    Let your astrologers(C) come forward,
those stargazers who make predictions month by month,
    let them save(D) you from what is coming upon you.

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12 (A)The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.

13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He [a]secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 44:14 Lit. appropriates

12 The blacksmith(A) takes a tool
    and works with it in the coals;
he shapes an idol with hammers,
    he forges it with the might of his arm.(B)
He gets hungry and loses his strength;
    he drinks no water and grows faint.(C)
13 The carpenter(D) measures with a line
    and makes an outline with a marker;
he roughs it out with chisels
    and marks it with compasses.
He shapes it in human form,(E)
    human form in all its glory,
    that it may dwell in a shrine.(F)
14 He cut down cedars,
    or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
    or planted a pine,(G) and the rain made it grow.
15 It is used as fuel(H) for burning;
    some of it he takes and warms himself,
    he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships(I) it;
    he makes an idol and bows(J) down to it.
16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
    over it he prepares his meal,
    he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
    “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.(K)
17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
    he bows down to it and worships.(L)
He prays(M) to it and says,
    “Save(N) me! You are my god!”

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10 If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom [a]brings success.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit. is a successful advantage

10 If the ax is dull
    and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
    but skill will bring success.

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