Isaiah

¹ "Who goes there, marching out of Edom, out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red? Name yourself, so splendidly dressed, advancing, bristling with power!" "It is I: I speak what is right, I, mighty to save!"

² your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?"

³ No one was there to help me. Angrily, I stomped the grapes; raging, I trampled the people. Their blood spurted all over me— all my clothes were soaked with blood.

⁴ The time for redemption had arrived.

⁵ —no one. I couldn't believe it —not one volunteer. So I went ahead and did it myself, fed and fueled by my rage.

⁶ crushed them under foot in my wrath, soaked the earth with their lifeblood."

⁷ all the things God has done that need praising, All the generous bounties of God, his great goodness to the family of Israel— Compassion lavished, love extravagant.

⁸ children who would never betray me." So he became their Savior.

⁹ he was troubled, too. He didn't send someone else to help them. He did it himself, in person. Out of his own love and pity he redeemed them. He rescued them and carried them along for a long, long time.

¹⁰ they grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned on them, became their enemy and fought them.

¹¹ the days of Moses, God's servant: "Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock up and out of the sea? And what happened to the One who set his Holy Spirit within them?

¹² divided the waters before them, Making him famous ever after,

¹³ as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?

¹⁴ the Spirit of God gave them rest." That's how you led your people! That's how you became so famous!

¹⁵ Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house! Whatever happened to your passion, your famous mighty acts, Your heartfelt pity, your compassion? Why are you holding back?

¹⁶ Abraham and Israel are long dead. They wouldn't know us from Adam. But you're our living Father, our Redeemer, famous from eternity!

¹⁷ Why did you make us cold and stubborn so that we no longer worshiped you in awe? Turn back for the sake of your servants. You own us! We belong to you!

¹⁸ but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.

¹⁹ It's like you never knew us.