'Says' in the Bible

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?”Says the Lord.“I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience];And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].

“Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet,They shall be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They shall be like wool.

Therefore the Lord God of hosts,The Mighty One of Israel, declares:“Ah, I will be freed of My adversariesAnd avenge Myself on My enemies.

“What do you mean by crushing My peopleAnd grinding the face of the poor?”Declares the Lord God of hosts.

“And now, says the Lord, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,Judge between Me and My vineyard (My people).

for this is what the Lord God says, “It shall not stand nor shall it happen.

For Assyria says, “Are not my princes all kings?

Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her imagesJust as I have done to Samaria and her idols?” [declares Assyria].

Therefore, the Lord God of hosts says this, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian who strikes you with a rod and lifts up his staff against you, as [the king of] Egypt did.

I [the Lord] have commanded My consecrated ones,I have even called My great warriors,My proudly exulting ones [the Medes and the Persians who triumph for My honor]—To execute My anger.

“I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, and son and grandson,” declares the Lord.

“I will also make Babylon a possession of the hedgehog and of swamps of water, and I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

“The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,And the kingdom from DamascusAnd the remnant of Aram (Syria);They will be like the [departed] glory of [her ally] the children of Israel,”Declares the Lord of hosts.

“Yet gleanings will be left in the land [of Israel] like the shaking of the olive tree,Two or three olives on the topmost branch,Four or five on the [outermost] branches of the fruitful tree,”Declares the Lord, the God of Israel.

“And I will hand over the Egyptians to a hard and cruel master,And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord God of hosts.

A harsh vision has been shown to me;The treacherous one deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys.Go up, Elam! Lay siege, Media!All the groaning [caused by Babylon’s ruthless oppressions] I [the Lord] have brought to an end.

But the Lord of hosts revealed Himself in my ears,“This sin absolutely will not be forgiven youUntil you die,” says the Lord God of hosts.

In that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “the peg (Eliakim) that was driven into the firm place will give way; it will even break off and fall, and the burden hanging on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.”

Indeed, the Lord will teach this people [in a more humiliating way]By [men with] stammering lips and a foreign tongue,

Therefore the Lord God says this,“Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone,A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed.He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].

The entire vision [of all these things] will be to you like the words of a scroll that is sealed, which they give to one who can read, saying, “Read this, please,” he shall say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

Then the book will be given to the one who cannot read, saying, “Read this, please.” And he will say, “I cannot read.”

Therefore, the Lord, who redeemed Abraham [from paganism] says this, concerning the house of Jacob (Israel):“Jacob will not be ashamed, nor will his face turn pale [with disappointment because of his children’s degenerate behavior];

“Woe (judgment is coming) to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,“Who carry out a plan, but not Mine,And make an alliance [by pouring out a libation], but not of My Spirit,In order to add sin to sin;

Therefore, the Holy One of Israel says this,“Because you have refused and rejected this word [of Mine]And have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them,

“His rock [his stronghold] will pass away because of panic,And his princes will be terrified at the [sight of the battle] standard,”Declares the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

“Now I will arise,” says the Lord.“Now I will be exalted; now I will be lifted up.

“You who are far away, hear what I have done;And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says, “What is [the reason for] this confidence that you have?

This is what the king says, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to rescue you;

Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Make peace with me and come out to me, and each one of you will eat from his own vine and each from his own fig tree and each [one of you] drink from the water of his own cistern,

They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke and disgrace; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.

Isaiah said to them, “You shall say the following to your master: ‘This is what the Lord says, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “For the Lord, the God of Israel says this, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria,

“Have you not heard [says the God of Israel]That I did it long ago,That I planned it in ancient times?Now I have brought it to pass,That you [king of Assyria] would [be My instrument to] turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

“This shall be the sign [of these things] to you [Hezekiah]: you are to eat this year what grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from the same, and in the third year you are to sow and harvest, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

“Therefore, the Lord says this concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with shield, or raise an assault ramp against it.

By the way that he came, by the same way he will return, and he will not come into this city,’ declares the Lord.

In those days Hezekiah [king of Judah] became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said, “For the Lord says this, ‘Set your house in order and prepare a will, for you shall die; you will not live.’”

“Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘For the Lord, the God of David your father says this, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; listen carefully, I will add fifteen years to your life.

‘Listen carefully, the days are coming when everything that is in your house and everything that your predecessors have stored up until this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.

“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

A voice says, “Call out [prophesy].”Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”[The voice answered:] All humanity is [as frail as] grass, and all that makes it attractive [its charm, its loveliness] is [momentary] like the flower of the field.

“To whom then will you compare MeThat I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.

“For I the Lord your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord],Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

“Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

“Present your case [for idols made by men’s hands],” says the Lord.“Produce your evidence [of divinity],”Says the king of Jacob.

This is what God the Lord says,He who created the heavens and stretched them out,Who spread out the earth and its produce,Who gives breath to the people on itAnd spirit to those who walk on it,

“I [the Lord] have been silent for a long time,I have been still and restrained Myself.Now I will moan like a woman in labor,I will both gasp and pant.

But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob,And He who formed you, O Israel,“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];I have called you by name; you are Mine!

“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,“And My servant whom I have chosen,That you may know and believe MeAnd understand that I am He.Before Me there was no God formed,And there will be none after Me.

“I have declared [the future] and saved [the nation] and proclaimed [that I am God],And there was no strange (alien) god among you;Therefore you are My witnesses [among the pagans],” declares the Lord,“That I am God.

This is what the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,“For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon,And I will bring down all of them as fugitives,Even the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon], into the ships over which they rejoiced.

This is what the Lord says,He who makes a way through the seaAnd a path through the mighty waters,

This is what the Lord who made youAnd formed you from the womb, who will help you says,‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;And Jeshurun (Israel, the upright one) whom I have chosen.

“For the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts says this,‘I am the First and I am the Last;And there is no God besides Me.

He burns half of the wood in the fire; over this half he [cooks and] eats meat, he roasts meat and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

But from what is left of the wood he makes a god, his carved idol. He falls down before it, he worships it and prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god.”

For the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb says this,“I am the Lord, Maker of all things,Who alone stretches out the heavens,Who spreads out the earth by Myself,

Confirming the word of His servantAnd carrying out the plan of His messengers.It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be inhabited!’And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall [again] be built.’And I will raise up and restore her ruins.

“It is I who says to the deep, ‘Be dried up!’And I will make your rivers dry.

“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd (ruler),And he will carry out all that I desire—’Saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall [again] be built,’And of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall [again] be laid.’”

This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus [king of Persia],Whose right hand I have heldTo subdue nations before him,And I will ungird the loins of kings [disarming them];To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

“Woe (judgment is coming) to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’Or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

For the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker says this,“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,And give Me orders concerning the work of My hands.

“I have stirred up Cyrus and put him into action in righteousness [to accomplish My purpose]And I will make all his ways smooth;He will build My city and let My exiles go,Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of hosts.

For this is what the Lord says,“The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush (ancient Ethiopia)And the Sabeans, men of stature,Will come over to you and they will be yours;They will walk behind you, in chains [of subjection to you] they will come over,And they will bow down before you;They will make supplication to you, [humbly and earnestly] saying,‘Most certainly God is with you, and there is no other,No other God [besides Him].’”

For the Lord, who created the heavens (He is God, who formed the earth and made it; He established it and did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited) says this,“I am the Lord, and there is no one else.

“Listen to Me,” [says the Lord], “O house of Jacob,And all the remnant of the house of Israel,You who have been carried by Me from your birthAnd have been carried [in My arms] from the womb,

Our Redeemer [will do all this], the Lord of hosts is His name,The Holy One of Israel.

“I have declared the former things [which happened to Israel] in times past;They went forth from My mouth and I proclaimed them;Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit (benefit),Who leads you in the way that you should go.

“There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.

And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,To bring Jacob back to Him and that Israel might be gathered to Him,—For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,And My God is My strength—

He says, “It is too trivial a thing that You should be My ServantTo raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel;I will also make You a light to the nationsThat My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One says,To the thoroughly despised One,To the One hated by the nationTo the Servant of rulers,“Kings will see and arise,Princes shall also bow down,Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

This is what the Lord says,“In a favorable time I have answered You,And in a day of salvation I have helped You;And I will keep watch over You and give You for a covenant of the people,To restore the land [from its present state of ruin] and to apportion and give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands,

“Lift up your eyes and look around [at the returning exiles];All these gather together and they come to you [to rebuild you].As I live,” declares the Lord,“You [Zion] will indeed clothe yourself with all of them as jewels and tie them on as a bride.

This is what the Lord God says,“Listen carefully, I will lift up My hand to the [Gentile] nationsAnd set up My banner to the peoples;And they will bring your sons in the fold of their garments,And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.

Indeed, this is what the Lord says,“Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away,And the tyrant’s spoils of war will be rescued;For I will contend with your opponent,And I will save your children.

The Lord declares this;“Where is the certificate of divorceBy which I have sent your mother away, [O Israel]?Or to which one of My creditors did I sell you [as slaves]?In fact, You were sold for your wickedness [your sin, your injustice, your wrongdoing],And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

The Lord God has given Me [His Servant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught],That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.He awakens Me morning by morning,He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple [as One who is taught].

So the redeemed of the Lord will returnAnd come with joyful shouting to Zion;Everlasting joy will be on their heads.They will obtain gladness and joy,And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

So says your Lord, the Lord, who is also your GodWho pleads the cause of His people,“Listen carefully, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering and intoxication,The cup of My wrath;You shall never drink it again.

For the Lord says this, “You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed, but not with money.”

For the Lord God says this, “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there; and [many years later Sennacherib] the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

But now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason? Those who rule over them howl [with taunting and mockery of salvation],” declares the Lord, “and My name is continually blasphemed all day long.

How beautiful and delightful on the mountainsAre the feet of him who brings good news,Who announces peace,Who brings good news of good [things],Who announces salvation,Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

As a result of the anguish of His soul,He shall see it and be satisfied;By His knowledge [of what He has accomplished] the Righteous One,My Servant, shall justify the many [making them righteous—upright before God, in right standing with Him],For He shall bear [the responsibility for] their sins.

“Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth;Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor [with child]!For the [spiritual] sons of the desolate one will be more numerousThan the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.

“For the Lord has called you,Like a wife who has been abandoned, grieved in spirit,And like a wife [married] in her youth when she is [later] rejected and scorned,”Says your God.

“In an outburst of wrathI hid My face from you for a moment,But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”Says the Lord your Redeemer.

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

“No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

This is what the Lord says,“Maintain justice and do righteousness,For My salvation is soon to come,And My righteousness and justice is soon to be revealed.

This is what the Lord says,“To the eunuchs who keep My SabbathsAnd choose what pleases Me,And hold firmly to My covenant,

The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares:“I will gather yet others to them (Israel), to those [already] gathered.”

For the high and exalted OneHe who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy says this,“I dwell on the high and holy place,But also with the contrite and humble in spiritIn order to revive the spirit of the humbleAnd to revive the heart of the contrite [overcome with sorrow for sin].

As I create the praise of his lips,Peace, peace, to him who is far away [both Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near!”Says the Lord;“And I will heal him [making his lips blossom anew with thankful praise].”