63
Yahweh's punishment on the nations
1 Who is this who is coming from Bozrah city in Edom,
whose clothes are stained red from blood?
Who is this man who is wearing beautiful robes?
“It is I, Yahweh, declaring that I have defeated your enemies,
and I am able to rescue you!”
2 What are those red spots on your clothes?
It appears that you have been treading on grapes to make wine.
3 “I have been treading on my enemies, not on grapes.
I did it myself; no one helped me.
I trampled on them because I was very angry with them,
and my clothes became stained with their blood.
4 I did that because it was time for me to get revenge,
time to rescue my people from those who had oppressed them.
5 I looked for someone who would enable me to help my people,
but I was amazed/shocked that there was no one to help me.
So I defeated their enemies with my own power/strength,
and my anger sustained me.
6 Because I was extremely angry, I trampled on the nations;
I caused them to stagger/become drunk,
and caused their blood to pour out on the ground.”
Yahweh's kindness to his people
7 I will tell about how Yahweh faithfully loves his people,
and I will praise him for all that he has done.
Yahweh has done good things for the people of Israel;
he has acted mercifully toward us
and has steadfastly and faithfully loved us.
8 Yahweh said, “These are my people;
they will not deceive me;”
so he rescued them.
9 In all their troubles,
it was as though he was afflicted also.
He send his angel to rescue them.
Because he loved them and was merciful to them,
he saved them;
he picked them up and carried them all those years during which they were oppressed in Egypt.
10 But they rebelled against him,
and they caused his Holy Spirit to be sad.
So he became like an enemy
who fought against them.
11 Then they remembered what happened long ago,
during the time when Moses led the Israeli people out of Egypt.
They cried out, “Where is the one who brought the Israeli people through the Red Sea
while Moses led them?
Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit
to be among his people?
12 Where is the one who showed his glorious power,
and caused the water to separate when Moses lifted his arm above the water,
with the result that he will be praised forever?
13 Where is the one who led the people as they walked through the sea bed?
They were like [SIM] horses that were racing along, and never stumbled.
14 Like cattle that walk down into a peaceful valley,
the spirit of Yahweh enabled them to go to a place where they could rest.
Yahweh, you led your people,
and you caused yourself to get a wonderful reputation [MTY].
A prayer for God's mercy and pardon
15 Yahweh, look down from heaven;
look down on us from your holy and glorious home.
You were [RHQ] previously very concerned about us, and you acted powerfully to help us.
But it seems that you do not act mercifully and zealously for us any more.
16 You are still our father.
Abraham does not know what is happening to us,
and Jacob does not know that we are descended from him,
but Yahweh, you are our father;
you rescued us long ago.
17 Yahweh, why did you cause us to wander away from your road?
Why did you cause us to be stubborn in our inner beings,
with the result that we no longer revere you?
Return to us and help us,
because we are the people who serve you and belong to you.
18 Your holy people possessed your sacred temple for only a short time,
and now our enemies have destroyed it.
19 Now we act as though we never belonged to you,
as though we were never your family [MTY].
Note: The Old Testament in this translation is still being worked on, and is in draft form. Updates will be posted at eBible.org/t4t/.