Isaiah 26-29
New American Standard Bible
Song of Trust in God’s Protection
26 (A)On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a (B)strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for [a](C)security.
2 Open the (D)gates, that the (E)righteous nation may enter,
The one that [b]remains faithful.
3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect (F)peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 (G)Trust in the Lord forever,
For in [c]God the Lord, we have an everlasting (H)Rock.
5 For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the (I)unassailable city;
(J)He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
6 (K)The foot will trample it,
The feet of the (L)poor, the steps of the helpless.”
7 The (M)way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, (N)make the path of the righteous level.
8 Indeed, while following the way of (O)Your judgments, Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
(P)Your name, and (Q)remembering You, is the desire of our souls.
9 (R)At night [d]my soul longs for You,
Indeed, [e]my spirit within me (S)seeks You diligently;
For when the earth [f]experiences Your judgments,
The inhabitants of the world (T)learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion,
He does not (U)learn righteousness;
He (V)deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they (W)do not see it.
[g]They see (X)Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, [h](Y)fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish (Z)peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 Lord, our God, (AA)other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we [i](AB)confess Your name.
14 (AC)The dead will not live, the [j]departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have (AD)punished and destroyed them,
And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.
15 (AE)You have increased the nation, Lord,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have (AF)extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they sought You (AG)in distress;
They [k]could only whisper a prayer,
Your discipline was upon them.
17 (AH)As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains;
This is how we were before You, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We (AI)gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were (AJ)inhabitants of the world [l]born.
19 Your (AK)dead will live;
[m]Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, (AL)awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the [n]dawn,
And the earth will [o]give birth to the [p]departed spirits.
20 Come, my people, (AM)enter your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little [q](AN)while
Until (AO)indignation [r]runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to (AP)come out from His place
To (AQ)punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
And the earth will (AR)reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.
God’s Blessings for Israel
27 On that day (AS)the Lord will punish [s](AT)Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
With His fierce and great and mighty sword,
Even [t]Leviathan the twisted serpent;
And (AU)He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
2 On that day,
“A [u](AV)vineyard of beauty, sing of it!
3 I, the Lord, am its keeper;
(AW)I water it every moment.
So that no one will [v]damage it,
I (AX)guard it night and day.
4 I have no wrath.
Should [w]someone give Me (AY)briars and thorns in battle,
Then I would step on them, (AZ)I would burn them [x]completely.
5 Or let him [y](BA)rely on My protection,
Let him make peace with Me,
Let him (BB)make peace with Me.”
6 [z]In the days to come Jacob (BC)will take root,
Israel will (BD)blossom and sprout,
And they will fill the [aa]whole world with (BE)fruit.
7 Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has (BF)He struck them?
Or like the slaughter of His slain, [ab]have they been slain?
8 You contended with them [ac]by banishing them, by (BG)driving them away.
With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the (BH)east wind.
9 Therefore through this Jacob’s wrongdoing will be (BI)forgiven;
And this will be [ad]the full price of the [ae](BJ)pardoning of his sin:
When he makes all the (BK)altar stones like pulverized chalk stones;
When [af]Asherim and incense altars will not stand.
10 For the fortified city is (BL)isolated,
A [ag]homestead deserted and abandoned like the desert;
(BM)There the calf will graze,
And there it will lie down and [ah]feed on its branches.
11 When its (BN)limbs are dry, they are broken off;
Women come and make a fire with them,
For they are not a people of (BO)discernment,
Therefore (BP)their Maker (BQ)will not have compassion on them.
And their Creator will not be gracious to them.
12 On that day the Lord (BR)will thresh from the flowing stream of the (BS)Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt, and you will be (BT)gathered up one by one, you sons of Israel. 13 It will come about also on that day that a great (BU)trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of (BV)Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and (BW)worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted
28 Woe to the proud crown of the (BX)habitually drunk of (BY)Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [ai]fertile valley
Of those who are [aj]overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and (BZ)mighty agent;
As a storm of (CA)hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of (CB)mighty overflowing waters,
He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is (CC)trampled underfoot.
4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [ak]fertile valley,
Will be like the (CD)first-ripe fig prior to the summer,
Which [al]one sees,
And [am]as soon as it is in his [an]hand,
He swallows it.
5 On that day the (CE)Lord of armies will become a beautiful (CF)crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
6 A (CG)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A (CH)strength to those who repel the [ao]onslaught at the gate.
7 And these also (CI)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
(CJ)The priest and (CK)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from (CL)intoxicating drink;
They reel while [ap]having (CM)visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy (CN)vomit, without a single clean place.
9 “To (CO)whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just (CP)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says,
‘[aq](CQ)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through (CR)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “This is the (CS)place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.
13 So the word of the Lord to them will be,
“[ar]Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and (CT)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
Judah Is Warned
14 Therefore, (CU)hear the word of the Lord, you (CV)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have made a (CW)covenant with death,
And with [as]Sheol we have made a [at]pact.
(CX)The [au]gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made (CY)falsehood our refuge and we have (CZ)concealed ourselves with deception.”
16 Therefore this is what the Lord [av]God says:
“(DA)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested (DB)stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, [aw]firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be [ax]disturbed.
17 I will make (DC)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then (DD)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 Your (DE)covenant with death will be [ay](DF)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the (DG)[az]gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its (DH)trampling ground.
19 As (DI)often as it passes through, it will [ba]seize you;
For (DJ)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be [bb]sheer (DK)terror to understand [bc]what it means.”
20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the (DL)blanket is too [bd]small to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount (DM)Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of (DN)Gibeon,
To do His (DO)task, His [be](DP)unusual task,
And to work His work, His [bf]extraordinary work.
22 And now do not carry on as (DQ)scoffers,
Or your shackles will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord [bg]God of armies
Of decisive (DR)destruction on all the earth.
23 Listen and hear my voice,
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does the [bh]farmer plow [bi]continually to plant seed?
Does he continually [bj]turn and break up his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter (DS)cumin
And [bk]plant (DT)wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its [bl]area?
26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
27 For dill is not threshed with a (DU)threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel [bm]driven over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.
28 Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually [bn]damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
29 This also comes from the Lord of armies,
Who has made His counsel (DV)wonderful and His wisdom (DW)great.
Jerusalem Is Warned
29 Woe, [bo]Ariel, [bp]Ariel the city where David once (DX)camped!
Add year to year, [bq](DY)keep your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of grieving and (DZ)mourning;
And she will be like an [br]Ariel to me.
3 I will (EA)camp against you [bs]encircling you,
And I will set up siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will (EB)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a [bt]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your [bu]enemies will become like fine (EC)dust,
And the multitude of the (ED)ruthless ones like the chaff which [bv]blows away;
And it will happen (EE)instantly, suddenly.
6 From the Lord of armies you will be (EF)punished with (EG)thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the (EH)multitude of all the nations who wage war against [bw]Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a (EI)vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry person dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his [bx]hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty person dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his [by]thirst is not quenched.
(EJ)So will the multitude of all the nations be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 (EK)Be delayed and horrified,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They (EL)become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep (EM)sleep,
He has (EN)shut your eyes—the prophets;
And He has covered your heads—the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [bz](EO)book, which, when they give it to the one who [ca]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12 Then the [cb]book will be given to the one who [cc]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [cd]cannot read.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because (EP)this people approaches Me with their [ce]words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their [cf]reverence for Me [cg]consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal (EQ)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And (ER)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply (ES)hide their [ch]plans from the Lord,
And whose (ET)deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “(EU)Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [ci]as equal with the clay,
That (EV)what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Blessing after Discipline
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[cj]Before Lebanon will be turned into a (EW)fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day those who are (EX)deaf will hear (EY)words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the (EZ)eyes of those who are blind will see.
19 The (FA)afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord,
And the (FB)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (FC)ruthless will come to an end and the (FD)scorner will be finished,
Indeed (FE)all who [ck]are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,
21 Who [cl]cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And (FF)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,
And [cm](FG)defraud the one in the right with [cn]meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed (FH)Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob (FI)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;
23 But when [co]he sees his (FJ)children, the (FK)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will (FL)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who (FM)err in [cp]mind will (FN)know [cq]the truth,
And those who [cr]criticize will [cs](FO)accept instruction.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:1 Or salvation
- Isaiah 26:2 Lit keeps faithfulness
- Isaiah 26:4 Heb Yah, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my soul I long
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my spirit...I seek
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit has
- Isaiah 26:11 Or Let them see...and be
- Isaiah 26:11 Or let the fire for Your adversaries devour them
- Isaiah 26:13 Or make Your name known
- Isaiah 26:14 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:16 Lit sound forth a whisper
- Isaiah 26:18 Lit fallen
- Isaiah 26:19 As in some ancient versions; MT My
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit lights
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit cause to fall
- Isaiah 26:19 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit moment
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit passes over
- Isaiah 27:1 Or sea monster
- Isaiah 27:1 Or sea monster
- Isaiah 27:2 Some mss a vineyard of wine
- Isaiah 27:3 Lit punish
- Isaiah 27:4 Lit who
- Isaiah 27:4 Lit altogether
- Isaiah 27:5 Lit take hold of
- Isaiah 27:6 Lit Those coming
- Isaiah 27:6 Lit face of the world
- Isaiah 27:7 Lit he was slain
- Isaiah 27:8 Some ancient versions by exact measure
- Isaiah 27:9 Lit all the fruit
- Isaiah 27:9 Lit removing
- Isaiah 27:9 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- Isaiah 27:10 Lit pasture
- Isaiah 27:10 Lit consume
- Isaiah 28:1 Lit valley of fatness
- Isaiah 28:1 Lit stricken
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit valley of fatness
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit the one seeing sees
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit while it is yet
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit palm
- Isaiah 28:6 Lit battle
- Isaiah 28:7 Lit seeing
- Isaiah 28:10 Heb Sav lasav, sav lasav, Kav lakav, kav lakav, Zeer sham, zeer sham. These Hebrew fragments, imitating the babbling of a child, mock the prophet’s preaching.
- Isaiah 28:13 See note v 10. The Lord responds to their scoffing by imitating their mockery, to represent the unintelligible language of a conqueror.
- Isaiah 28:15 I.e., the netherworld
- Isaiah 28:15 As in some ancient versions; MT seer
- Isaiah 28:15 Or overwhelming scourge
- Isaiah 28:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 28:16 Lit well-laid
- Isaiah 28:16 Lit in a hurry
- Isaiah 28:18 Lit covered over
- Isaiah 28:18 Or overwhelming scourge
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit take
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit only
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit the report; or the message
- Isaiah 28:20 Lit narrow
- Isaiah 28:21 Lit task is strange
- Isaiah 28:21 Lit work is foreign
- Isaiah 28:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit plowman
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit all day
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit open
- Isaiah 28:25 Lit put
- Isaiah 28:25 Lit region
- Isaiah 28:27 Lit rolled
- Isaiah 28:28 Lit discomfit
- Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
- Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
- Isaiah 29:1 Lit let your feasts run their round
- Isaiah 29:2 Ariel (i.e., Jerusalem) is a Heb word for “altar hearth” where offerings were burned
- Isaiah 29:3 Lit like a circle
- Isaiah 29:4 Or ghost
- Isaiah 29:5 Lit strangers
- Isaiah 29:5 Lit passes away
- Isaiah 29:7 See note 1 v 1
- Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
- Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
- Isaiah 29:11 Or scroll
- Isaiah 29:11 Lit knows books
- Isaiah 29:12 Or scroll
- Isaiah 29:12 Lit does not know books
- Isaiah 29:12 Lit do not know books
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit mouth
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit fear of Me
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit is
- Isaiah 29:15 Lit counsel
- Isaiah 29:16 Lit like
- Isaiah 29:17 Lit And
- Isaiah 29:20 Lit watch evil
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit bring a person under condemnation
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit turn aside
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit confusion
- Isaiah 29:23 Or his children see
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit spirit
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit understanding
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit murmur
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit learn
1 Corinthians 4
New American Standard Bible
Servants of Christ
4 This is the way any person is to regard us: as (A)servants of Christ and (B)stewards of (C)the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required [a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is an insignificant matter that I would be examined by you, or by any human [b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I (D)am not aware of anything against myself; however I am not (E)vindicated by this, but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore (F)do not go on [c]passing judgment before [d]the time, but wait (G)until the Lord comes, who will both (H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then (I)praise will come to each person from God.
6 Now these things, brothers and sisters, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos on your account, so that in us you may learn not to exceed (J)what is written, so that no one of you will (K)become [e]arrogant (L)in behalf of one against the other. 7 For who considers you as superior? (M)What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are (N)already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think, God has exhibited us, the apostles, last of all as men (O)condemned to death, because we (P)have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to mankind. 10 We are (Q)fools on account of Christ, but (R)you are prudent in Christ! (S)We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are without honor! 11 Up to this present hour we are both (T)hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed and roughly treated and homeless; 12 and we labor, (U)working with our own hands; when we are (V)verbally abused, we bless; when we are (W)persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we [f]reply as friends; we have (X)become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
14 I do not write these things to (Y)shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved (Z)children. 15 For if you were to have countless (AA)tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in (AB)Christ Jesus I (AC)became your father through the (AD)gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, be (AE)imitators of me. 17 For this reason I (AF)have sent to you (AG)Timothy, who is my (AH)beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, (AI)just as I teach everywhere in every church. 18 Now some have become [g](AJ)arrogant, as though I were not (AK)coming to you. 19 But I (AL)will come to you soon, (AM)if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the [h]words of those who are (AN)arrogant, but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God is (AO)not in [i]words, but in power. 21 What do you desire? (AP)That I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 4:2 Lit in
- 1 Corinthians 4:3 Lit day
- 1 Corinthians 4:5 Lit judging anything
- 1 Corinthians 4:5 I.e., the appointed time of judgment
- 1 Corinthians 4:6 Lit puffed up
- 1 Corinthians 4:13 Or conciliate
- 1 Corinthians 4:18 Lit puffed up
- 1 Corinthians 4:19 Lit word
- 1 Corinthians 4:20 Lit word
Psalm 65
New American Standard Bible
God’s Abundant Favor to Earth and Mankind.
For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 There will be silence [a]before You, and praise in Zion, God,
And the (A)vow will be fulfilled for You.
2 You who hear prayer,
To You (B)all [b]mankind comes.
3 [c](C)Wrongdoings prevail against me;
As for our offenses, You [d](D)forgive them.
4 (E)Blessed is the one You (F)choose and allow to approach You;
He will dwell in Your courtyards.
We will be (G)satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.
5 By (H)awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, (I)God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the (J)ends of the earth and the farthest [e](K)sea;
6 Who (L)establishes the mountains by His strength,
Who is (M)encircled with might;
7 Who (N)stills the roaring of the seas,
The roaring of their waves,
And the (O)turmoil of the nations.
8 They who dwell at the (P)ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs;
You make the [f]sunrise and the sunset shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and (Q)cause it to overflow;
You greatly (R)enrich it;
The [g](S)stream of God is full of water;
You prepare their (T)grain, for so You prepare [h]the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You [i]settle its ridges,
You soften it (U)with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You have crowned the year [j]with Your (V)goodness,
And Your [k]paths (W)drip with fatness.
12 (X)The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the (Y)hills encircle themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are (Z)clothed with flocks
And the valleys are (AA)covered with grain;
They (AB)shout for joy, yes, they sing.
Footnotes
- Psalm 65:1 Lit to
- Psalm 65:2 Lit flesh comes
- Psalm 65:3 Or Confessions of wrongdoings
- Psalm 65:3 Lit cover, atone for
- Psalm 65:5 Or seas
- Psalm 65:8 Lit outgoings of the morning and evening
- Psalm 65:9 Or channel
- Psalm 65:9 Lit it
- Psalm 65:10 Or smooth
- Psalm 65:11 Lit of
- Psalm 65:11 I.e., wagon tracks
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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