Comfort for the Exiles in Babylon
1Comfort, oh comfort My people,
Says your God.
2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
And declare to her
That her term of service is over,
That her iniquity is expiated;
For she has received at the hand of the Lord
Double for all her sins.
3A voice rings out:
“Clear in the desert
A road for the Lord!
Level in the wilderness
A highway for our God!
4Let…
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An Ideal Vision for the Future
Isaiah 32:1–8
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
And ministers shall govern with justice;
Every one of them shall be
Like a refuge from gales,
A shelter from rainstorms;
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Idol Manufacturing
Idol manufacturing, Thebes, Egypt, 15th century BCE. This is a modern artist’s rendering of a mural from the tomb of the vizier Rekh-me-re. It shows craftsmen making idols, much like the idol…
Israel, God’s Servant
Isaiah 41, 43–44 (selections)
But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
Seed of Abraham My friend—
You whom I drew from the ends of the earth
And called from its far corners,
To whom I said: You are My…
Idol-quickening Instructions
Idol-quickening instructions, Babylonia, 6th century BCE. The “mouth-washing” ritual was a ceremony for transforming a newly manufactured idol into a living deity. The instructions include these…
God Speaks to Cyrus
Isaiah 45:1, 5–7
Thus said the Lord to Cyrus, His anointed one—
Whose right hand He has grasped,
Treading down nations before him, [ . . . ].
I am the Lord and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.I engird…
Whose right hand He has grasped,
Treading down nations before him, [ . . . ].
I am the Lord and there is none else;
Beside Me, there is no god.I engird…
Cult statues in Assyrian relief
Cult statues in Assyrian relief from the Palace of Tiglath-pileser III (reigned 745–727 BCE) in Kalhu/Calah (today’s Nimrud, Iraq). Although no Mesopotamian cult statues have been found, reliefs such…