The Lord's Power To Punish
50 (A) 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 (B) 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 (C) 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.
11 Go ahead and walk in the light
of the fires you have set.
But with his own hand,
the Lord will punish you
and make you suffer.
Footnotes
- 50.10
- 50.11
Cross references
- 50.1 : Ba 4.6.
- 50.6 : Mt 26.67; Mk 14.65.
- 50.8,9 : Ro 8.33,34.
