Isaiah 40:1-5

New International Version

Comfort for God’s People

40 Comfort, comfort^(A) my people,
    says your God.
²Speak tenderly^(B) to Jerusalem,
    and proclaim to her
that her hard service^(C) has been completed,^(D)
    that her sin has been paid for,^(E)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double^(F) for all her sins.

³A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way^(G) for the Lord^[a];
make straight^(H) in the desert
    a highway for our God.^[b]^(I)
⁴Every valley shall be raised up,^(J)
    every mountain and hill^(K) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,^(L)
    the rugged places a plain.
⁵And the glory^(M) of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.^(N)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”^(O)

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Footnotes

Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God

Acts 13:13-26

New International Version

In Pisidian Antioch

¹³From Paphos,^(A) Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,^(B) where John^(C) left them to return to Jerusalem. ¹⁴From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.^(D) On the Sabbath^(E) they entered the synagogue^(F) and sat down. ¹⁵After the reading from the Law^(G) and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

¹⁶Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand^(H) and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! ¹⁷The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country;^(I) ¹⁸for about forty years he endured their conduct^[a]^(J) in the wilderness;^(K) ¹⁹and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan,^(L) giving their land to his people^(M) as their inheritance.^(N) ²⁰All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges^(O) until the time of Samuel the prophet.^(P) ²¹Then the people asked for a king,^(Q) and he gave them Saul^(R) son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,^(S) who ruled forty years. ²²After removing Saul,^(T) he made David their king.^(U) God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;^(V) he will do everything I want him to do.’^(W)

²³“From this man’s descendants^(X) God has brought to Israel the Savior^(Y) Jesus,^(Z) as he promised.^(AA) ²⁴Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel.^(AB) ²⁵As John was completing his work,^(AC) he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for.^(AD) But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’^(AE)

²⁶“Fellow children of Abraham^(AF) and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation^(AG) has been sent.

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Footnotes

Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he cared for them

Luke 1:57-80

New International Version

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹On the eighth day they came to circumcise^(A) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”^(B)

⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

⁶²Then they made signs^(C) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”^(D) ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,^(E) praising God. ⁶⁵All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea^(F) people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.^(G)

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(H) and prophesied:^(I)

⁶⁸“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,^(J)
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.^(K)
⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[a]^(L) of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David^(M)
⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),^(N)
⁷¹salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷²to show mercy to our ancestors^(O)
    and to remember his holy covenant,^(P)
⁷³    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:^(Q)
⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him^(R) without fear^(S)
⁷⁵    in holiness and righteousness^(T) before him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet^(U) of the Most High;^(V)
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,^(W)
⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,^(X)
⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun^(Y) will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,^(Z)
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”^(AA)