Isaiah 46-49
New Living Translation
Babylon’s False Gods
46 Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon,
bow as they are lowered to the ground.
They are being hauled away on ox carts.
The poor beasts stagger under the weight.
2 Both the idols and their owners are bowed down.
The gods cannot protect the people,
and the people cannot protect the gods.
They go off into captivity together.
3 “Listen to me, descendants of Jacob,
all you who remain in Israel.
I have cared for you since you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
4 I will be your God throughout your lifetime—
until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.
5 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?
6 Some people pour out their silver and gold
and hire a craftsman to make a god from it.
Then they bow down and worship it!
7 They carry it around on their shoulders,
and when they set it down, it stays there.
It can’t even move!
And when someone prays to it, there is no answer.
It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.
8 “Do not forget this! Keep it in mind!
Remember this, you guilty ones.
9 Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
11 I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—
a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding.
I have said what I would do,
and I will do it.
12 “Listen to me, you stubborn people
who are so far from doing right.
13 For I am ready to set things right,
not in the distant future, but right now!
I am ready to save Jerusalem[a]
and show my glory to Israel.
Prediction of Babylon’s Fall
47 “Come down, virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit in the dust.
For your days of sitting on a throne have ended.
O daughter of Babylonia,[b] never again will you be
the lovely princess, tender and delicate.
2 Take heavy millstones and grind flour.
Remove your veil, and strip off your robe.
Expose yourself to public view.[c]
3 You will be naked and burdened with shame.
I will take vengeance against you without pity.”
4 Our Redeemer, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
is the Holy One of Israel.
5 “O beautiful Babylon, sit now in darkness and silence.
Never again will you be known as the queen of kingdoms.
6 For I was angry with my chosen people
and punished them by letting them fall into your hands.
But you, Babylon, showed them no mercy.
You oppressed even the elderly.
7 You said, ‘I will reign forever as queen of the world!’
You did not reflect on your actions
or think about their consequences.
8 “Listen to this, you pleasure-loving kingdom,
living at ease and feeling secure.
You say, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.
I will never be a widow or lose my children.’
9 Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment:
widowhood and the loss of your children.
Yes, these calamities will come upon you,
despite all your witchcraft and magic.
10 “You felt secure in your wickedness.
‘No one sees me,’ you said.
But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray,
and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’
11 So disaster will overtake you,
and you won’t be able to charm it away.
Calamity will fall upon you,
and you won’t be able to buy your way out.
A catastrophe will strike you suddenly,
one for which you are not prepared.
12 “Now use your magical charms!
Use the spells you have worked at all these years!
Maybe they will do you some good.
Maybe they can make someone afraid of you.
13 All the advice you receive has made you tired.
Where are all your astrologers,
those stargazers who make predictions each month?
Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.
14 But they are like straw burning in a fire;
they cannot save themselves from the flame.
You will get no help from them at all;
their hearth is no place to sit for warmth.
15 And all your friends,
those with whom you’ve done business since childhood,
will go their own ways,
turning a deaf ear to your cries.
God’s Stubborn People
48 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel
and born into the family of Judah.
Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord
and call on the God of Israel.
You don’t keep your promises,
2 even though you call yourself the holy city
and talk about depending on the God of Israel,
whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
3 Long ago I told you what was going to happen.
Then suddenly I took action,
and all my predictions came true.
4 For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are.
Your necks are as unbending as iron.
Your heads are as hard as bronze.
5 That is why I told you what would happen;
I told you beforehand what I was going to do.
Then you could never say, ‘My idols did it.
My wooden image and metal god commanded it to happen!’
6 You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled,
but you refuse to admit it.
Now I will tell you new things,
secrets you have not yet heard.
7 They are brand new, not things from the past.
So you cannot say, ‘We knew that all the time!’
8 “Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new,
things you never heard of before.
For I know so well what traitors you are.
You have been rebels from birth.
9 Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name,
I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out.
10 I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.
11 I will rescue you for my sake—
yes, for my own sake!
I will not let my reputation be tarnished,
and I will not share my glory with idols!
Freedom from Babylon
12 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
Israel my chosen one!
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.
13 It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
When I call out the stars,
they all appear in order.”
14 Have any of your idols ever told you this?
Come, all of you, and listen:
The Lord has chosen Cyrus as his ally.
He will use him to put an end to the empire of Babylon
and to destroy the Babylonian[d] armies.
15 “I have said it: I am calling Cyrus!
I will send him on this errand and will help him succeed.
16 Come closer, and listen to this.
From the beginning I have told you plainly what would happen.”
And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit
have sent me with this message.
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.
18 Oh, that you had listened to my commands!
Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river
and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.
19 Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore—
too many to count!
There would have been no need for your destruction,
or for cutting off your family name.”
20 Yet even now, be free from your captivity!
Leave Babylon and the Babylonians.[e]
Sing out this message!
Shout it to the ends of the earth!
The Lord has redeemed his servants,
the people of Israel.[f]
21 They were not thirsty
when he led them through the desert.
He divided the rock,
and water gushed out for them to drink.
22 “But there is no peace for the wicked,”
says the Lord.
The Lord’s Servant Commissioned
49 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”
4 I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”
5 And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.
6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
7 The Lord, the Redeemer
and Holy One of Israel,
says to the one who is despised and rejected by the nations,
to the one who is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will stand at attention when you pass by.
Princes will also bow low
because of the Lord, the faithful one,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Promises of Israel’s Restoration
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At just the right time, I will respond to you.[g]
On the day of salvation I will help you.
I will protect you and give you to the people
as my covenant with them.
Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel
and assign it to its own people again.
9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’
They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures
and on hills that were previously bare.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst.
The searing sun will not reach them anymore.
For the Lord in his mercy will lead them;
he will lead them beside cool waters.
11 And I will make my mountains into level paths for them.
The highways will be raised above the valleys.
12 See, my people will return from far away,
from lands to the north and west,
and from as far south as Egypt.[h]”
13 Sing for joy, O heavens!
Rejoice, O earth!
Burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on them in their suffering.
14 Yet Jerusalem[i] says, “The Lord has deserted us;
the Lord has forgotten us.”
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.
17 Soon your descendants will come back,
and all who are trying to destroy you will go away.
18 Look around you and see,
for all your children will come back to you.
As surely as I live,” says the Lord,
“they will be like jewels or bridal ornaments for you to display.
19 “Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land
will soon be crowded with your people.
Your enemies who enslaved you
will be far away.
20 The generations born in exile will return and say,
‘We need more room! It’s crowded here!’
21 Then you will think to yourself,
‘Who has given me all these descendants?
For most of my children were killed,
and the rest were carried away into exile.
I was left here all alone.
Where did all these people come from?
Who bore these children?
Who raised them for me?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I will give a signal to the godless nations.
They will carry your little sons back to you in their arms;
they will bring your daughters on their shoulders.
23 Kings and queens will serve you
and care for all your needs.
They will bow to the earth before you
and lick the dust from your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”
24 Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior?
Who can demand that a tyrant[j] let his captives go?
25 But the Lord says,
“The captives of warriors will be released,
and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved.
For I will fight those who fight you,
and I will save your children.
26 I will feed your enemies with their own flesh.
They will be drunk with rivers of their own blood.
All the world will know that I, the Lord,
am your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Israel.[k]”
Footnotes
- 46:13 Hebrew Zion.
- 47:1 Or Chaldea; also in 47:5.
- 47:2 Hebrew Bare your legs; pass through the rivers.
- 48:14 Or Chaldean.
- 48:20a Or the Chaldeans.
- 48:20b Hebrew his servant, Jacob. See note on 14:1.
- 49:8 Greek version reads I heard you. Compare 2 Cor 6:2.
- 49:12 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, which read from the region of Aswan, which is in southern Egypt. Masoretic Text reads from the region of Sinim.
- 49:14 Hebrew Zion.
- 49:24 As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Syriac version, and Latin Vulgate (also see 49:25); Masoretic Text reads a righteous person.
- 49:26 Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 14:1.
Isaiah 46-49
New American Standard Bible
Babylon’s Idols and the True God
46 (A)Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over;
Their idols have become loads for the animals and the cattle.
The things [a]that you carry are burdensome,
A load for the weary animal.
2 They stooped over, they have bowed down together;
They could not rescue the burden,
But [b]have themselves (B)gone into captivity.
3 “(C)Listen to Me, house of Jacob,
And all (D)the remnant of the house of Israel,
You who have been (E)carried by Me from [c]birth
And have been carried from the womb;
4 Even to your old age (F)I [d]will be the same,
And even to your [e](G)graying years I will [f]carry you!
I have [g]done it, and I will bear you;
And I will [h]carry you and I will save you.
5 “(H)To whom would you liken Me
And make Me equal, and compare Me,
That we would be alike?
6 Those who (I)lavish gold from the bag
And weigh silver on the scale,
Hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;
They (J)bow down, indeed they worship it.
7 They (K)lift it on the shoulder, carry it,
And set it in its place, and it stands there.
(L)It does not move from its place.
Though one may shout to it, it (M)cannot answer;
It (N)cannot save him from his distress.
8 “(O)Remember this, and be [i]assured;
(P)Recall it to [j]mind, you (Q)wrongdoers.
9 Remember the (R)former things long past,
For I am God, and there is (S)no other;
I am God, and there is (T)no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘(U)My plan will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
11 Calling a (V)bird of prey from the (W)east,
The man of [k]My purpose from a distant country.
Truly I have (X)spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have planned it, I will certainly do it.
12 “(Y)Listen to Me, you (Z)stubborn-minded,
Who are (AA)far from righteousness.
13 I (AB)bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant (AC)salvation in Zion,
And My (AD)glory for Israel.
Mourning for Babylon
47 “(AE)Come down and sit in the dust,
(AF)Virgin (AG)daughter of Babylon;
Sit on the ground without a throne,
Daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you will no longer be called (AH)tender and delicate.
2 Take the (AI)millstones and (AJ)grind flour.
Remove your (AK)veil, (AL)strip off the skirt,
Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.
3 Your (AM)nakedness will be uncovered,
Your shame will also be exposed;
I will (AN)take vengeance and will not spare anyone.”
4 Our (AO)Redeemer, the Lord of armies is His name,
The Holy One of Israel.
5 “(AP)Sit silently, and go into (AQ)darkness,
Daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you will no longer be called
The (AR)queen of (AS)kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people,
I profaned My heritage
And handed them over to you.
You did not show mercy to them,
On the (AT)aged you made your yoke very heavy.
7 Yet you said, ‘I will be a (AU)queen forever.’
These things you did not (AV)consider
Nor remember the (AW)outcome of [l]them.
8 “Now, then, hear this, you (AX)luxuriant one,
Who (AY)lives securely,
Who says in her heart,
‘(AZ)I am, and there is no one besides me.
I will (BA)not sit as a widow,
Nor know the loss of children.’
9 But these (BB)two things will come on you (BC)suddenly in one day:
Loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you in full measure
In spite of your many (BD)sorceries,
In spite of the great power of your spells.
10 You felt (BE)secure in your wickedness and said,
‘(BF)No one sees me,’
Your (BG)wisdom and your knowledge, [m]they have led you astray;
For you have said in your heart,
‘(BH)I am, and there is no one besides me.’
11 But (BI)evil will come on you
Which you will not know how to charm away;
And disaster will fall on you
For which you cannot atone;
And (BJ)destruction about which you do not know
Will come on you (BK)suddenly.
12 “Persist now in your (BL)spells
And in your many sorceries
With which you have labored from your youth;
Perhaps you will be able to benefit,
Perhaps you may cause trembling.
13 You are (BM)wearied with your many counsels;
Let now the (BN)astrologers,
Those who prophesy by the stars,
Those who predict by the new moons,
Stand up and (BO)save you from what will come upon you.
14 Behold, they have become (BP)like stubble,
(BQ)Fire burns them;
They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame;
There will be (BR)no coal to warm by
Nor a fire to sit before!
15 So have those become to you with whom you have labored,
Those who have (BS)done business with you from your youth;
Each has wandered in his own [n]way;
There is (BT)no one to save you.
Israel’s Obstinacy
48 “(BU)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (BV)waters of Judah,
Who (BW)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (BX)righteousness.
2 For they name themselves after the (BY)holy city,
And (BZ)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
3 I (CA)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(CB)Suddenly I acted, and they (CC)came to pass.
4 Because I know that you are [o](CD)obstinate,
And your (CE)neck is an iron tendon
And your (CF)forehead bronze,
5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [p]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (CG)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
6 You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (CH)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
7 They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have not (CI)heard, you have not known.
Even from long ago your ear has not been open,
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a [q](CJ)rebel from [r]birth.
9 (CK)For the sake of My name I (CL)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (CM)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (CN)furnace of affliction.
11 (CO)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (CP)glory to another.
Rescue Promised
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [s]whom I called;
(CQ)I am He, (CR)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (CS)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (CT)call to them, they stand together.
14 (CU)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(CV)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (CW)carry out His good pleasure against (CX)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (CY)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (CZ)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (DA)not spoken in secret,
(DB)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (DC)the Lord [t]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (DD)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (DE)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (DF)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [u](DG)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (DH)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [v](DI)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [w]your offspring like its grains;
(DJ)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (DK)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (DL)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(DM)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(DN)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (DO)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (DP)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (DQ)the water gushed out.
22 “(DR)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Salvation Reaches to the Ends of the Earth
49 Listen to Me, you (DS)islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
(DT)The Lord called Me from the womb;
From the [x]body of My mother He named Me.
2 He has made My (DU)mouth like a sharp sword,
In the (DV)shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;
And He has also made Me a sharpened (DW)arrow,
He has hidden Me in His quiver.
3 He said to Me, “(DX)You are My Servant, Israel,
(DY)In whom I will show My glory.”
4 But I said, “I have (DZ)labored in vain,
I have spent My strength for nothing and futility;
Nevertheless, the justice due to Me is with the Lord,
And My (EA)reward is with My God.”
5 And now says (EB)the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that (EC)Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am (ED)honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My (EE)strength),
6 He says, “It is too [y]small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the (EF)protected ones of Israel;
I will also make You a (EG)light [z]of the nations
So that My salvation may [aa]reach to the (EH)end of the earth.”
7 This is what the Lord, the (EI)Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
Says to the [ab](EJ)despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers:
“(EK)Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also (EL)bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“At a (EM)favorable time I answered You,
And on a day of salvation I helped You;
And I will (EN)watch over You and (EO)make You a covenant of the people,
To [ac](EP)restore the land, to give as inheritances the deserted hereditary lands;
9 Saying to those who are (EQ)bound, ‘[ad]Go free,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the roads,
And their pasture will be on all (ER)bare heights.
10 They will (ES)not hunger or thirst,
Nor will the scorching (ET)heat or sun strike them down;
For (EU)He who has compassion on them will (EV)lead them,
And He will guide them to (EW)springs of water.
11 I will make all (EX)My mountains a road,
And My (EY)highways will be raised up.
12 Behold, these will come (EZ)from afar;
And behold, these will come from the (FA)north and from the west,
And these from the land of Aswan.”
13 (FB)Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains!
For the (FC)Lord has comforted His people
And will (FD)have compassion on His afflicted.
Promise to Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has abandoned me,
And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but (FE)I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have (FF)inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your (FG)walls are continually before Me.
17 Your [ae]builders hurry;
Your (FH)destroyers and devastators
Will leave you.
18 (FI)Raise your eyes and look around;
(FJ)All of them gather together, (FK)they come to you.
(FL)As I live,” declares the Lord,
“You will certainly (FM)put them all on as [af]jewelry and bind them on as a bride.
19 For (FN)your ruins and deserted places and your destroyed land—
Now you will certainly be (FO)too cramped for the inhabitants,
And those who (FP)swallowed you will be far away.
20 The (FQ)children [ag]you lost will yet say in your ears,
‘The place is too cramped for me;
Make room for me that I may live here.’
21 Then you will (FR)say in your heart,
‘Who has fathered these for me,
Since I have been bereaved of my children
And (FS)cannot conceive, and I am an (FT)exile, and a wanderer?
And who has raised these?
Behold, I was (FU)left alone;
[ah](FV)Where are these from?’”
22 This is what the Lord [ai]God says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations
And set up My (FW)flag to the peoples;
And they will (FX)bring your sons [aj]in their arms,
And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23 (FY)Kings will be your guardians,
And their princesses your nurses.
They will (FZ)bow down to you with their faces to the ground
And (GA)lick the dust from your feet;
And you will (GB)know that I am the Lord;
Those who hopefully (GC)wait for Me will (GD)not be put to shame.
25 Indeed, this is what the Lord says:
“Even the (GF)captives of the mighty man will be taken away,
And the prey of a tyrant will be rescued;
For I will contend with the one who contends with you,
And I will (GG)save your sons.
26 I will feed your (GH)oppressors with their (GI)own flesh,
And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine;
And [al](GJ)humanity will know that I, the Lord, am your (GK)Savior
And your (GL)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 46:1 Lit carried by you
- Isaiah 46:2 Or their soul has
- Isaiah 46:3 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 46:4 Lit will be He
- Isaiah 46:4 Lit gray hairs
- Isaiah 46:4 Or support
- Isaiah 46:4 Or made you
- Isaiah 46:4 Or support
- Isaiah 46:8 Lit firm
- Isaiah 46:8 Lit heart
- Isaiah 46:11 Lit His
- Isaiah 47:7 Lit it
- Isaiah 47:10 Lit it has
- Isaiah 47:15 Lit side, region
- Isaiah 48:4 Or harsh
- Isaiah 48:5 Lit it
- Isaiah 48:8 Or transgressor
- Isaiah 48:8 Lit the belly
- Isaiah 48:12 Lit My called one
- Isaiah 48:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 48:18 Or peace
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit seed
- Isaiah 48:19 Lit the offspring of your inward parts
- Isaiah 49:1 Lit inward parts
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit light
- Isaiah 49:6 Or to
- Isaiah 49:6 Lit be
- Isaiah 49:7 Lit despised of soul
- Isaiah 49:8 Lit establish
- Isaiah 49:9 Lit Go out
- Isaiah 49:17 Ancient versions and DSS; MT sons
- Isaiah 49:18 Lit an ornament
- Isaiah 49:20 Lit of your bereavement
- Isaiah 49:21 Lit These, where are they?
- Isaiah 49:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 49:22 Lit on the chest
- Isaiah 49:24 Ancient versions and DSS; MT the righteous, cf. v 25
- Isaiah 49:26 Lit all flesh
1 Peter 5
New Living Translation
Advice for Elders and Young Men
5 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: 2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”[a]
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers[b] all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen.
Peter’s Final Greetings
12 I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas,[c] whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace.
13 Your sister church here in Babylon[d] sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet each other with a kiss of love.
Peace be with all of you who are in Christ.
1 Peter 5
New American Standard Bible
Serve God Willingly
5 (A)Therefore, I urge elders among you, as your (B)fellow elder and a (C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and one who is also a [a](D)fellow partaker of the glory that is to be revealed: 2 shepherd (E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight, (F)not under compulsion but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and (G)not [b]with greed but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as (H)domineering over [c]those assigned to your care, but by [d]proving to be [e](I)examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief (J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the (K)unfading [f](L)crown of glory. 5 (M)You [g]younger men, likewise, (N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with (O)humility toward one another, because (P)God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore (Q)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 having cast all your (R)anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. 8 (S)Be of sober spirit, (T)be on the alert. Your adversary, (U)the devil, prowls around like a roaring (V)lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [h](W)So resist him, (X)firm in your faith, knowing that (Y)the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [i]brothers and sisters who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered (Z)for a little while, the (AA)God of all grace, who (AB)called you to His (AC)eternal glory in Christ, will Himself (AD)perfect, (AE)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 (AF)To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through (AG)Silvanus, our faithful brother [j](for so I regard him), (AH)I have written to you briefly, [k]exhorting and testifying that this is (AI)the true grace of God. (AJ)Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, (AK)Mark. 14 (AL)Greet one another with a kiss of love.
(AM)Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 5:1 Or partner in
- 1 Peter 5:2 Or for dishonest gain
- 1 Peter 5:3 Lit the allotments
- 1 Peter 5:3 Or becoming examples
- 1 Peter 5:3 Or role models
- 1 Peter 5:4 Lit wreath
- 1 Peter 5:5 Or young people
- 1 Peter 5:9 Lit Whom resist
- 1 Peter 5:9 Lit fellowship
- 1 Peter 5:12 Lit (as I consider)
- 1 Peter 5:12 Or encouraging
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
