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Isaiah 62:6-65:25
The Message
Isaiah 62:6-65:25
The Message
6-7 I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out,
reminding God to remember.
They are to give him no peace until he does what he said,
until he makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.
8-9 God has taken a solemn oath,
an oath he means to keep:
“Never again will I open your grain-filled barns
to your enemies to loot and eat.
Never again will foreigners drink the wine
that you worked so hard to produce.
No. The farmers who grow the food will eat the food
and praise God for it.
And those who make the wine will drink the wine
in my holy courtyards.”
10-12 Walk out of the gates. Get going!
Get the road ready for the people.
Build the highway. Get at it!
Clear the debris,
hoist high a flag, a signal to all peoples!
Yes! God has broadcast to all the world:
“Tell daughter Zion, ‘Look! Your Savior comes,
Ready to do what he said he’d do,
prepared to complete what he promised.’”
Zion will be called new names: Holy People, God-Redeemed,
Sought-Out, City-Not-Forsaken.
Who Goes There?
63 The watchmen call out,
“Who goes there, marching out of Edom,
out of Bozrah in clothes dyed red?
Name yourself, so splendidly dressed,
advancing, bristling with power!”
“It is I: I speak what is right,
I, mighty to save!”
2 “And why are your robes so red,
your clothes dyed red like those who tread grapes?”
3-6 “I’ve been treading the winepress alone.
No one was there to help me.
Angrily, I stomped the grapes;
raging, I trampled the people.
Their blood spurted all over me—
all my clothes were soaked with blood.
I was set on vengeance.
The time for redemption had arrived.
I looked around for someone to help
—no one.
I couldn’t believe it
—not one volunteer.
So I went ahead and did it myself,
fed and fueled by my rage.
I trampled the people in my anger,
crushed them under foot in my wrath,
soaked the earth with their lifeblood.”
All the Things God Has Done That Need Praising
7-9 I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
love extravagant.
He said, “Without question these are my people,
children who would never betray me.”
So he became their Savior.
In all their troubles,
he was troubled, too.
He didn’t send someone else to help them.
He did it himself, in person.
Out of his own love and pity
he redeemed them.
He rescued them and carried them along
for a long, long time.
10 But they turned on him;
they grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he turned on them,
became their enemy and fought them.
11-14 Then they remembered the old days,
the days of Moses, God’s servant:
“Where is he who brought the shepherds of his flock
up and out of the sea?
And what happened to the One who set
his Holy Spirit within them?
Who linked his arm with Moses’ right arm,
divided the waters before them,
Making him famous ever after,
and led them through the muddy abyss
as surefooted as horses on hard, level ground?
Like a herd of cattle led to pasture,
the Spirit of God gave them rest.”
14-19 That’s how you led your people!
That’s how you became so famous!
Look down from heaven, look at us!
Look out the window of your holy and magnificent house!
Whatever happened to your passion,
your famous mighty acts,
Your heartfelt pity, your compassion?
Why are you holding back?
You are our Father.
Abraham and Israel are long dead.
They wouldn’t know us from Adam.
But you’re our living Father,
our Redeemer, famous from eternity!
Why, God, did you make us wander from your ways?
Why did you make us cold and stubborn
so that we no longer worshiped you in awe?
Turn back for the sake of your servants.
You own us! We belong to you!
For a while your holy people had it good,
but now our enemies have wrecked your holy place.
For a long time now, you’ve paid no attention to us.
It’s like you never knew us.
Can We Be Saved?
64 1-7 Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and descend,
make the mountains shudder at your presence—
As when a forest catches fire,
as when fire makes a pot to boil—
To shock your enemies into facing you,
make the nations shake in their boots!
You did terrible things we never expected,
descended and made the mountains shudder at your presence.
Since before time began
no one has ever imagined,
No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you
who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who happily do what is right,
who keep a good memory of the way you work.
But how angry you’ve been with us!
We’ve sinned and kept at it so long!
Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved?
We’re all sin-infected, sin-contaminated.
Our best efforts are grease-stained rags.
We dry up like autumn leaves—
sin-dried, we’re blown off by the wind.
No one prays to you
or makes the effort to reach out to you
Because you’ve turned away from us,
left us to stew in our sins.
8-12 Still, God, you are our Father.
We’re the clay and you’re our potter:
All of us are what you made us.
Don’t be too angry with us, O God.
Don’t keep a permanent account of wrongdoing.
Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us.
Your holy cities are all ghost towns:
Zion’s a ghost town,
Jerusalem’s a field of weeds.
Our holy and beautiful Temple,
which our ancestors filled with your praises,
Was burned down by fire,
all our lovely parks and gardens in ruins.
In the face of all this,
are you going to sit there unmoved, God?
Aren’t you going to say something?
Haven’t you made us miserable long enough?
The People Who Bothered to Reach Out to God
65 1-7 “I’ve made myself available
to those who haven’t bothered to ask.
I’m here, ready to be found
by those who haven’t bothered to look.
I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’
to a nation that ignored me.
I reached out day after day
to a people who turned their backs on me,
People who make wrong turns,
who insist on doing things their own way.
They get on my nerves,
are rude to my face day after day,
Make up their own kitchen religion,
a potluck religious stew.
They spend the night in tombs
to get messages from the dead,
Eat forbidden foods
and drink a witch’s brew of potions and charms.
They say, ‘Keep your distance.
Don’t touch me. I’m holier than thou.’
These people gag me.
I can’t stand their stench.
Look at this! Their sins are all written out—
I have the list before me.
I’m not putting up with this any longer.
I’ll pay them the wages
They have coming for their sins.
And for the sins of their parents lumped in,
a bonus.” God says so.
“Because they’ve practiced their blasphemous worship,
mocking me at their hillside shrines,
I’ll let loose the consequences
and pay them in full for their actions.”
* * *
8-10 God’s Message:
“But just as one bad apple doesn’t ruin the whole bushel,
there are still plenty of good apples left.
So I’ll preserve those in Israel who obey me.
I won’t destroy the whole nation.
I’ll bring out my true children from Jacob
and the heirs of my mountains from Judah.
My chosen will inherit the land,
my servants will move in.
The lush valley of Sharon in the west
will be a pasture for flocks,
And in the east, the valley of Achor,
a place for herds to graze.
These will be for the people
who bothered to reach out to me, who wanted me in their lives,
who actually bothered to look for me.
* * *
11-12 “But you who abandon me, your God,
who forget the holy mountains,
Who hold dinners for Lady Luck
and throw cocktail parties for Sir Fate,
Well, you asked for it. Fate it will be:
your destiny, Death.
For when I invited you, you ignored me;
when I spoke to you, you brushed me off.
You did the very things I exposed as evil;
you chose what I hate.”
13-16 Therefore, this is the Message from the Master, God:
“My servants will eat,
and you’ll go hungry;
My servants will drink,
and you’ll go thirsty;
My servants will rejoice,
and you’ll hang your heads.
My servants will laugh from full hearts,
and you’ll cry out heartbroken,
yes, wail from crushed spirits.
Your legacy to my chosen
will be your name reduced to a cussword.
I, God, will put you to death
and give a new name to my servants.
Then whoever prays a blessing in the land
will use my faithful name for the blessing,
And whoever takes an oath in the land
will use my faithful name for the oath,
Because the earlier troubles are gone and forgotten,
banished far from my sight.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17-25 “Pay close attention now:
I’m creating new heavens and a new earth.
All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain
are things of the past, to be forgotten.
Look ahead with joy.
Anticipate what I’m creating:
I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy,
create my people as pure delight.
I’ll take joy in Jerusalem,
take delight in my people:
No more sounds of weeping in the city,
no cries of anguish;
No more babies dying in the cradle,
or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime;
One-hundredth birthdays will be considered normal—
anything less will seem like a cheat.
They’ll build houses
and move in.
They’ll plant fields
and eat what they grow.
No more building a house
that some outsider takes over,
No more planting fields
that some enemy confiscates,
For my people will be as long-lived as trees,
my chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work.
They won’t work and have nothing come of it,
they won’t have children snatched out from under them.
For they themselves are plantings blessed by God,
with their children and grandchildren likewise God-blessed.
Before they call out, I’ll answer.
Before they’ve finished speaking, I’ll have heard.
Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow,
lion and ox eat straw from the same trough,
but snakes—they’ll get a diet of dirt!
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill
anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God.
Isaiah 62:6-65:25
New International Version
Isaiah 62:6-65:25
New International Version
6 I have posted watchmen(A) on your walls, Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
give yourselves no rest,(B)
7 and give him no rest(C) till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise(D) of the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn(E) by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(F)
as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat(G) it
and praise the Lord,(H)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”(I)
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(J)
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(K)
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(L) for the nations.
11 The Lord has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:(M)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(N)
‘See, your Savior comes!(O)
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.’”(P)
12 They will be called(Q) the Holy People,(R)
the Redeemed(S) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.(T)
God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption
63 Who is this coming from Edom,(U)
from Bozrah,(V) with his garments stained crimson?(W)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(X)
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save.”(Y)
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?(Z)
3 “I have trodden the winepress(AA) alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(AB) them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;(AC)
their blood spattered my garments,(AD)
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;(AE)
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one(AF) to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(AG) achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.(AH)
6 I trampled(AI) the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk(AJ)
and poured their blood(AK) on the ground.”
Praise and Prayer
7 I will tell of the kindnesses(AL) of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things(AM)
he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion(AN) and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,(AO)
children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.(AP)
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel(AQ) of his presence(AR) saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(AS) them;
he lifted them up and carried(AT) them
all the days of old.(AU)
10 Yet they rebelled(AV)
and grieved his Holy Spirit.(AW)
So he turned and became their enemy(AX)
and he himself fought(AY) against them.
11 Then his people recalled[b] the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(AZ)
with the shepherd of his flock?(BA)
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit(BB) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(BC) of power
to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(BD) before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,(BE)
13 who led(BF) them through the depths?(BG)
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;(BH)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest(BI) by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is how you guided your people
to make for yourself a glorious name.
15 Look down from heaven(BJ) and see,
from your lofty throne,(BK) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(BL) and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion(BM) are withheld(BN) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(BO)
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge(BP) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer(BQ) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(BR) from your ways
and harden our hearts(BS) so we do not revere(BT) you?
Return(BU) for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.(BV)
18 For a little while(BW) your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled(BX) down your sanctuary.(BY)
19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called[c] by your name.(BZ)
64 [d]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(CA) and come down,(CB)
that the mountains(CC) would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(CD) known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake(CE) before you!
3 For when you did awesome(CF) things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled(CG) before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(CH)
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(CI)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(CJ)
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.(CK)
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,(CL)
and all our righteous(CM) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(CN)
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(CO)
7 No one(CP) calls on your name(CQ)
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(CR) your face from us
and have given us over(CS) to[e] our sins.
8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(CT)
We are the clay, you are the potter;(CU)
we are all the work of your hand.(CV)
9 Do not be angry(CW) beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins(CX) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.(CY)
10 Your sacred cities(CZ) have become a wasteland;
even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(DA)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(DB) where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured(DC) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(DD)
Will you keep silent(DE) and punish us beyond measure?
Judgment and Salvation
65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.(DF)
To a nation(DG) that did not call on my name,(DH)
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,(DI)
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations(DJ)—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,(DK)
offering sacrifices in gardens(DL)
and burning incense(DM) on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves(DN)
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(DO)
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred(DP) for you!’
Such people are smoke(DQ) in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent(DR) but will pay back(DS) in full;
I will pay it back into their laps(DT)—
7 both your sins(DU) and the sins of your ancestors,”(DV)
says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,(DW)
I will measure into their laps
the full payment(DX) for their former deeds.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(DY)
and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(DZ)
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants(EA) from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will possess(EB) my mountains;
my chosen(EC) people will inherit them,
and there will my servants live.(ED)
10 Sharon(EE) will become a pasture for flocks,(EF)
and the Valley of Achor(EG) a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek(EH) me.
11 “But as for you who forsake(EI) the Lord
and forget my holy mountain,(EJ)
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine(EK) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(EL)
and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(EM)
for I called but you did not answer,(EN)
I spoke but you did not listen.(EO)
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(EP)
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat,(EQ)
but you will go hungry;(ER)
my servants will drink,(ES)
but you will go thirsty;(ET)
my servants will rejoice,(EU)
but you will be put to shame.(EV)
14 My servants will sing(EW)
out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(EX)
from anguish of heart
and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
for my chosen ones to use in their curses;(EY)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give another name.(EZ)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(FA) in the land
will do so by the one true God;(FB)
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear(FC) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(FD) will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.(FE)
The former things will not be remembered,(FF)
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(FG) forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(FH) to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(FI) over Jerusalem
and take delight(FJ) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(FK)
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant(FL) who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;(FM)
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[f] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(FN) and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(FO)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(FP)
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(FQ)
so will be the days(FR) of my people;
my chosen(FS) ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(FT)
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(FU)
for they will be a people blessed(FV) by the Lord,
they and their descendants(FW) with them.
24 Before they call(FX) I will answer;(FY)
while they are still speaking(FZ) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(GA) will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(GB)
and dust will be the serpent’s(GC) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”(GD)
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 63:9 Or Savior 9 in their distress. / It was no envoy or angel / but his own presence that saved them
- Isaiah 63:11 Or But may he recall
- Isaiah 63:19 Or We are like those you have never ruled, / like those never called
- Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
- Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of
- Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches
Philippians 2:19-3:6
The Message
Philippians 2:19-3:6
The Message
19-24 I plan (according to Jesus’ plan) to send Timothy to you very soon so he can bring back all the news of you he can gather. Oh, how that will do my heart good! I have no one quite like Timothy. He is loyal, and genuinely concerned for you. Most people around here are looking out for themselves, with little concern for the things of Jesus. But you know yourselves that Timothy’s the real thing. He’s been a devoted son to me as together we’ve delivered the Message. As soon as I see how things are going to fall out for me here, I plan to send him off. And then I’m hoping and praying to be right on his heels.
25-27 But for right now, I’m dispatching Epaphroditus, my good friend and companion in my work. You sent him to help me out; now I’m sending him to help you out. He has been wanting in the worst way to get back with you. Especially since recovering from the illness you heard about, he’s been wanting to get back and reassure you that he is just fine. He nearly died, as you know, but God had mercy on him. And not only on him—he had mercy on me, too. His death would have been one huge grief piled on top of all the others.
28-30 So you can see why I’m so delighted to send him on to you. When you see him again, strong and strapping, how you’ll rejoice and how relieved I’ll be. Give him a grand welcome, a joyful embrace! People like him deserve the best you can give. Remember the ministry to me that you started but weren’t able to complete? Well, in the process of finishing up that work, he put his life on the line and nearly died doing it.
To Know Him Personally
3 And that’s about it, friends. Be glad in God!
I don’t mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry—so here goes.
2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.
Philippians 2:19-3:3
New International Version
Philippians 2:19-3:3
New International Version
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy(A) to you soon,(B) that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him,(C) who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests,(D) not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father(E) he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.(F) 24 And I am confident(G) in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker(H) and fellow soldier,(I) who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.(J) 26 For he longs for all of you(K) and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,(L) so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,(M) 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.(N)
No Confidence in the Flesh
3 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,(O) and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs,(P) those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision,(Q) we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus,(R) and who put no confidence in the flesh—
Psalm 73
The Message
Psalm 73
The Message
73 1-5 No doubt about it! God is good—
good to good people, good to the good-hearted.
But I nearly missed it,
missed seeing his goodness.
I was looking the other way,
looking up to the people
At the top,
envying the wicked who have it made,
Who have nothing to worry about,
not a care in the whole wide world.
6-10 Pretentious with arrogance,
they wear the latest fashions in violence,
Pampered and overfed,
decked out in silk bows of silliness.
They jeer, using words to kill;
they bully their way with words.
They’re full of hot air,
loudmouths disturbing the peace.
People actually listen to them—can you believe it?
Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.
11-14 What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobody’s tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
I’ve been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, that’s what—
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
15-20 If I’d have given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still, when I tried to figure it out,
all I got was a splitting headache . . .
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture:
The slippery road you’ve put them on,
with a final crash in a ditch of delusions.
In the blink of an eye, disaster!
A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare!
We wake up and rub our eyes. . . . Nothing.
There’s nothing to them. And there never was.
21-24 When I was beleaguered and bitter,
totally consumed by envy,
I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox
in your very presence.
I’m still in your presence,
but you’ve taken my hand.
You wisely and tenderly lead me,
and then you bless me.
25-28 You’re all I want in heaven!
You’re all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again.
But I’m in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I’ve made Lord God my home.
God, I’m telling the world what you do!
Psalm 73
New International Version
Psalm 73
New International Version
BOOK III
Psalms 73–89
Psalm 73
A psalm of Asaph.
1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.(A)
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(B)
I had nearly lost my foothold.(C)
3 For I envied(D) the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(E)
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free(F) from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride(G) is their necklace;(H)
they clothe themselves with violence.(I)
7 From their callous hearts(J) comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;(K)
with arrogance(L) they threaten oppression.(M)
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”
13 Surely in vain(P) I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.(Q)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(R)
and every morning brings new punishments.
15 If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(S) all this,
it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(T) of God;
then I understood their final destiny.(U)
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(V)
you cast them down to ruin.(W)
19 How suddenly(X) are they destroyed,
completely swept away(Y) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(Z) when one awakes;(AA)
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.(AB)
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(AC) and ignorant;
I was a brute beast(AD) before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.(AE)
24 You guide(AF) me with your counsel,(AG)
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(AH)
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(AI)
26 My flesh and my heart(AJ) may fail,(AK)
but God is the strength(AL) of my heart
and my portion(AM) forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
- Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
- Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.
Proverbs 24:13-14
The Message
Proverbs 24:13-14
The Message
26
13-14 Eat honey, dear child—it’s good for you—
and delicacies that melt in your mouth.
Likewise knowledge,
and wisdom for your soul—
Get that and your future’s secured,
your hope is on solid rock.
Proverbs 24:13-14
New International Version
Proverbs 24:13-14
New International Version
Saying 26
13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14 Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
If you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.(A)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.