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The Lord punishes the nations

63 Who is this who is coming from Edom?
He is coming from Bozrah
    and his clothes are bright red.
He wears beautiful royal clothes,
    and he marches forward with great strength.
He says, ‘It is me! I, the Lord, tell you that I have won the fight!
    I have the power to save you.’
But why are your clothes red?
You look like someone who has walked on grapes,
    and you have squeezed them to make wine.
He says, ‘I have walked on the grapes alone.
    Nobody from the nations came to help me.
I walked on them because I was angry.
    I squeezed them to pieces in my anger.
Their blood splashed on my clothes,
    and it made all my clothes dirty.
I decided that it was time to punish my enemies.
    Then I would save my people from their power.
I looked for somebody to give help,
    but there was nobody.
I was very upset,
    because nobody was there to help.
So I used my own strength to rescue my people.
    My anger helped me to be strong.
Because I was angry,
    I walked on the nations to punish them.
My anger was like strong wine that made them drunk.
    I poured their blood onto the ground.’

Isaiah's prayer

I will speak about all the good things that the Lord does because he loves his people. We should praise him for everything that he does for us. He has done many good things for us, Israel's family. He helps us because he loves us very much, and he is very kind.

The Lord said, ‘Surely, they are my own people. As my children, they will not turn against me.’ So he became their Saviour. When his people suffered, he also had pain. He sent his own angel to go and save them. Because he loved them and he was kind to them, he redeemed them. He lifted them up and he carried them, through all the years long ago.

10 But they turned against him. They made his Holy Spirit angry. So he then became their enemy. He fought against them.

11 Then they remembered past years, when Moses led their ancestors out of Egypt. They said, ‘Where is the Lord now, when we need him? He brought his people safely through the sea, with Moses as their leader. He caused his Holy Spirit to work among them. 12 He caused his power to be with Moses, as Moses raised his arm over the sea. He caused the waters to become separate so that his people could go across. In that way, he caused his name always to be famous. 13 He led them through the deep water of the sea. They ran across like horses on open ground, and they did not fall. 14 The Lord's Spirit led them to a place of rest, like cows that go down to a quiet valley.’

Yes, Lord, you were your people's guide. In that way, you made your name great.

15 So now, do something to help us! Look down from your beautiful, holy home in heaven. Use your power to show that we are your special people. Have you forgotten how to be kind to us?

16 Remember that you are our Father. Maybe our ancestor Abraham does not recognize us. Even Israel himself may not recognize us. But you, Lord, are our Father. Since times long ago, your name has been our Redeemer.

17 Lord, why do you cause us to turn away from your ways? You make our minds become hard, so that we do not obey you. Please come back to help us, because we are your servants. We are the tribes that you have chosen for yourself!

18 For only a short time, the holy place belonged to us, your special people. Then our enemies knocked down your temple. 19 It seems that we have not belonged to you for a long time. You no longer rule over us or take care of us.