Isaiah 49:8-16

New International Version

Restoration of Israel

⁸This is what the Lord says:

“In the time of my favor^(A) I will answer you,
    and in the day of salvation I will help you;^(B)
I will keep^(C) you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people,^(D)
to restore the land^(E)
    and to reassign its desolate inheritances,^(F)
⁹to say to the captives,^(G) ‘Come out,’
    and to those in darkness,^(H) ‘Be free!’

“They will feed beside the roads
    and find pasture on every barren hill.^(I)
¹⁰They will neither hunger nor thirst,^(J)
    nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.^(K)
He who has compassion^(L) on them will guide^(M) them
    and lead them beside springs^(N) of water.
¹¹I will turn all my mountains into roads,
    and my highways^(O) will be raised up.^(P)
¹²See, they will come from afar^(Q)—
    some from the north, some from the west,^(R)
    some from the region of Aswan.^[a]”

¹³Shout for joy,^(S) you heavens;
    rejoice, you earth;^(T)
    burst into song, you mountains!^(U)
For the Lord comforts^(V) his people
    and will have compassion^(W) on his afflicted ones.^(X)

¹⁴But Zion^(Y) said, “The Lord has forsaken^(Z) me,
the Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child^(AA) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!^(AB)
¹⁶See, I have engraved^(AC) you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls^(AD) are ever before me.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim

Psalm 131

New International Version

Psalm 131

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹My heart is not proud,^(A) Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;^(B)
I do not concern myself with great matters^(C)
    or things too wonderful for me.^(D)
²But I have calmed and quieted myself,^(E)
    I am like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child I am content.^(F)

³Israel, put your hope^(G) in the Lord
both now and forevermore.^(H)

1 Corinthians 4:1-5

New International Version

The Nature of True Apostleship

4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants^(A) of Christ and as those entrusted^(B) with the mysteries^(C) God has revealed. ²Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ³I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴My conscience^(D) is clear, but that does not make me innocent.^(E) It is the Lord who judges me.^(F) ⁵Therefore judge nothing^(G) before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.^(H) He will bring to light^(I) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.^(J)

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Matthew 6:24-34

New International Version

²⁴“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.^(A)

Do Not Worry^(B)

²⁵“Therefore I tell you, do not worry^(C) about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.^(D) Are you not much more valuable than they?^(E) ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?^(F)

²⁸“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor^(G) was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?^(H) ³¹So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.^(I) ³³But seek first his kingdom^(J) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.^(K) ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.