'Us' in the Bible

If the Lord of Hostshad not left us a few survivors,we would be like Sodom,we would resemble Gomorrah.

“Come, let us discuss this,”says the Lord.“Though your sins are like scarlet,they will be as white as snow;though they are as red as crimson,they will be like wool.

and many peoples will come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,to the house of the God of Jacob.He will teach us about His waysso that we may walk in His paths.”For instruction will go out of Zionand the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

House of Jacob,come and let us walk in the Lord’s light.

On that day seven womenwill seize one man, saying,“We will eat our own breadand provide our own clothing.Just let us be called by your name.Take away our disgrace.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:Who should I send?Who will go for Us?I said:Here I am. Send me.

‘Let us go up against Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it for ourselves. Then we can install Tabeel’s son as king in it.’”

Devise a plan; it will fail.Make a prediction; it will not happen.For God is with us.

For a child will be born for us,a son will be given to us,and the government will be on His shoulders.He will be namedWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

Even the cypresses and the cedars of Lebanonrejoice over you:“Since you have been laid low,no woodcutter has come against us.”

They all respond to you, saying:“You too have become as weak as we are;you have become like us!

Give us counsel and make a decision.Shelter us at noondaywith shade that is as dark as night.Hide the refugees;do not betray the one who flees.

In the evening—sudden terror!Before morning—it is gone!This is the fate of those who plunder usand the lot of those who ravage us.

And the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Look, this is what has happened to those we relied on and fled to for help to rescue us from the king of Assyria! Now, how will we escape?’”

But look: joy and gladness,butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep,eating of meat, and drinking of wine—“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

On that day it will be said,“Look, this is our God;we have waited for Him, and He has saved us.This is the Lord; we have waited for Him.Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Lord, You will establish peace for us,for You have also done all our work for us.

Yahweh our God, lords other than You have ruled over us,but we remember Your name alone.

For you said, “We have cut a deal with Death,and we have made an agreement with Sheol;when the overwhelming scourge passes through,it will not touch us,because we have made falsehood our refugeand have hidden behind treachery.”

Woe to those who go to great lengthsto hide their plans from the Lord.They do their works in darkness,and say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

They say to the seers, “Do not see,”and to the prophets,“Do not prophesy the truth to us.Tell us flattering things.Prophesy illusions.

Get out of the way!Leave the pathway.Rid us of the Holy One of Israel.”

until the Spirit from heaven is poured out on us.Then the desert will become an orchard,and the orchard will seem like a forest.

Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You.Be our strength every morningand our salvation in time of trouble.

The sinners in Zion are afraid;trembling seizes the ungodly:“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”

For the majestic One, our Lord, will be there,a place of rivers and broad streamswhere ships that are rowed will not go,and majestic vessels will not pass.

For the Lord is our Judge,the Lord is our lawgiver,the Lord is our King.He will save us.

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew within earshot of the people who are on the wall.”

Don’t let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will certainly deliver us! This city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.’”

Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the power of the king of Assyria?

Now, Lord our God, save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord—You alone.

“Be silent before Me, islands!And let peoples renew their strength.Let them approach, then let them testify;let us come together for the trial.

“Let them come and tell uswhat will happen.Tell us the past events,so that we may reflect on themand know the outcome,or tell us the future.

Tell us the coming events,then we will know that you are gods.Indeed, do something good or bad,then we will be in awe and perceive.

All the nations are gathered together,and the peoples are assembled.Who among them can declare this,and tell us the former things?Let them present their witnessesto vindicate themselves,so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”

Take Me to court; let us argue our case together.State your case, so that you may be vindicated.

The One who vindicates Me is near;who will contend with Me?Let us confront each other.Who has a case against Me?Let him come near Me!

We all went astray like sheep;we all have turned to our own way;and the Lord has punished Himfor the iniquity of us all.

Therefore justice is far from us,and righteousness does not reach us.We hope for light, but there is darkness;for brightness, but we live in the night.

We all growl like bearsand moan like doves.We hope for justice, but there is none;for salvation, but it is far from us.

For our transgressions have multiplied before You,and our sins testify against us.For our transgressions are with us,and we know our iniquities:

I will make known the Lord’s faithful loveand the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,because of all the Lord has done for us—even the many good thingsHe has done for the house of Israeland has done for them based on His compassionand the abundance of His faithful love.

Yet You are our Father,even though Abraham does not know usand Israel doesn’t recognize us.You, Yahweh, are our Father;from ancient times,Your name is our Redeemer.

Why, Yahweh, do You make us stray from Your ways?You harden our hearts so we do not fear You.Return, because of Your servants,the tribes of Your heritage.

All of us have become like something unclean,and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment;all of us wither like a leaf,and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

No one calls on Your name,striving to take hold of You.For You have hidden Your face from usand made us melt because of our iniquity.

Lord, do not be terribly angryor remember our iniquity forever.Please look—all of us are Your people!

Our holy and beautiful temple,where our fathers praised You,has been burned with fire,and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.