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Isaiah 11-13
The Message
Isaiah 11-13
The Message
A Green Shoot from Jesse’s Stump
11 1-5 A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stump,
from his roots a budding Branch.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him,
the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength,
the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God
will be all his joy and delight.
He won’t judge by appearances,
won’t decide on the basis of hearsay.
He’ll judge the needy by what is right,
render decisions on earth’s poor with justice.
His words will bring everyone to awed attention.
A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked.
Each morning he’ll pull on sturdy work clothes and boots,
and build righteousness and faithfulness in the land.
A Living Knowledge of God
6-9 The wolf will romp with the lamb,
the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough,
and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,
their calves and cubs grow up together,
and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens,
the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill
on my holy mountain.
The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive,
a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.
* * *
10 On that day, Jesse’s Root will be raised high, posted as a rallying banner for the peoples. The nations will all come to him. His headquarters will be glorious.
11 Also on that day, the Master for the second time will reach out to bring back what’s left of his scattered people. He’ll bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Sinar, Hamath, and the ocean islands.
12-16 And he’ll raise that rallying banner high, visible to all nations,
gather in all the scattered exiles of Israel,
Pull in all the dispersed refugees of Judah
from the four winds and the seven seas.
The jealousy of Ephraim will dissolve,
the hostility of Judah will vanish—
Ephraim no longer the jealous rival of Judah,
Judah no longer the hostile rival of Ephraim!
Blood brothers united, they’ll pounce on the Philistines in the west,
join forces to plunder the people in the east.
They’ll attack Edom and Moab.
The Ammonites will fall into line.
God will once again dry up Egypt’s Red Sea,
making for an easy crossing.
He’ll send a blistering wind
down on the great River Euphrates,
Reduce it to seven mere trickles.
None even need get their feet wet!
In the end there’ll be a highway all the way from Assyria,
easy traveling for what’s left of God’s people—
A highway just like the one Israel had
when he marched up out of Egypt.
My Strength and Song
12 And you will say in that day,
“I thank you, God.
You were angry
but your anger wasn’t forever.
You withdrew your anger
and moved in and comforted me.
2 “Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”
3-4 Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you’ll say,
“Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done,
spread the news of his great reputation!
5-6 “Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all!
Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion!
The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
Babylon Is Doomed!
13 The Message on Babylon. Isaiah son of Amoz saw it:
2-3 “Run up a flag on an open hill.
Yell loud. Get their attention.
Wave them into formation.
Direct them to the nerve center of power.
I’ve taken charge of my special forces,
called up my crack troops.
They’re bursting with pride and passion
to carry out my angry judgment.”
4-5 Thunder rolls off the mountains
like a mob huge and noisy—
Thunder of kingdoms in an uproar,
nations assembling for war.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling
his army into battle formation.
They come from far-off countries,
they pour in across the horizon.
It’s God on the move with the weapons of his wrath,
ready to destroy the whole country.
6-8 Wail! God’s Day of Judgment is near—
an avalanche crashing down from the Strong God!
Everyone paralyzed in the panic,
hysterical and unstrung,
Doubled up in pain
like a woman giving birth to a baby.
Horrified—everyone they see
is like a face out of a nightmare.
* * *
9-16 “Watch now. God’s Judgment Day comes.
Cruel it is, a day of wrath and anger,
A day to waste the earth
and clean out all the sinners.
The stars in the sky, the great parade of constellations,
will be nothing but black holes.
The sun will come up as a black disk,
and the moon a blank nothing.
I’ll put a full stop to the evil on earth,
terminate the dark acts of the wicked.
I’ll gag all braggarts and boasters—not a peep anymore from them—
and trip strutting tyrants, leave them flat on their faces.
Proud humanity will disappear from the earth.
I’ll make mortals rarer than hens’ teeth.
And yes, I’ll even make the sky shake,
and the earth quake to its roots
Under the wrath of God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
the Judgment Day of his raging anger.
Like a hunted white-tailed deer,
like lost sheep with no shepherd,
People will huddle with a few of their own kind,
run off to some makeshift shelter.
But tough luck to stragglers—they’ll be killed on the spot,
throats cut, bellies ripped open,
Babies smashed on the rocks
while mothers and fathers watch,
Houses looted,
wives raped.
17-22 “And now watch this:
Against Babylon, I’m inciting the Medes,
A ruthless bunch indifferent to bribes,
the kind of brutality that no one can blunt.
They massacre the young,
wantonly kick and kill even babies.
And Babylon, most glorious of all kingdoms,
the pride and joy of Chaldeans,
Will end up smoking and stinking like Sodom,
and, yes, like Gomorrah, when God had finished with them.
No one will live there anymore,
generation after generation a ghost town.
Not even Bedouins will pitch tents there.
Shepherds will give it a wide berth.
But strange and wild animals will like it just fine,
filling the vacant houses with eerie night sounds.
Skunks will make it their home,
and unspeakable night hags will haunt it.
Hyenas will curdle your blood with their laughing,
and the howling of coyotes will give you the shivers.
“Babylon is doomed.
It won’t be long now.”
Isaiah 11-13
New International Version
Isaiah 11-13
New International Version
The Branch From Jesse
11 A shoot(A) will come up from the stump(B) of Jesse;(C)
from his roots a Branch(D) will bear fruit.(E)
2 The Spirit(F) of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom(G) and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,(H)
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear(I) of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,(J)
or decide by what he hears with his ears;(K)
4 but with righteousness(L) he will judge the needy,(M)
with justice(N) he will give decisions for the poor(O) of the earth.
He will strike(P) the earth with the rod of his mouth;(Q)
with the breath(R) of his lips he will slay the wicked.(S)
5 Righteousness will be his belt(T)
and faithfulness(U) the sash around his waist.(V)
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,(W)
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.(X)
8 The infant(Y) will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s(Z) nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy(AA)
on all my holy mountain,(AB)
for the earth(AC) will be filled with the knowledge(AD) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day(AE) the Root of Jesse(AF) will stand as a banner(AG) for the peoples; the nations(AH) will rally to him,(AI) and his resting place(AJ) will be glorious.(AK) 11 In that day(AL) the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant(AM) of his people from Assyria,(AN) from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt,(AO) from Cush,[b](AP) from Elam,(AQ) from Babylonia,[c] from Hamath(AR) and from the islands(AS) of the Mediterranean.(AT)
12 He will raise a banner(AU) for the nations
and gather(AV) the exiles of Israel;(AW)
he will assemble the scattered people(AX) of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.(AY)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies[d] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.(AZ)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia(BA) to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.(BB)
They will subdue Edom(BC) and Moab,(BD)
and the Ammonites(BE) will be subject to them.(BF)
15 The Lord will dry up(BG)
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind(BH) he will sweep his hand(BI)
over the Euphrates River.(BJ)
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.(BK)
16 There will be a highway(BL) for the remnant(BM) of his people
that is left from Assyria,(BN)
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.(BO)
Songs of Praise
12 In that day(BP) you will say:
“I will praise(BQ) you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away(BR)
and you have comforted(BS) me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;(BT)
I will trust(BU) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,(BV) is my strength(BW) and my defense[e];
he has become my salvation.(BX)”
3 With joy you will draw water(BY)
from the wells(BZ) of salvation.
4 In that day(CA) you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;(CB)
make known among the nations(CC) what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.(CD)
5 Sing(CE) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;(CF)
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy,(CG) people of Zion,
for great(CH) is the Holy One of Israel(CI) among you.(CJ)”
A Prophecy Against Babylon
13 A prophecy(CK) against Babylon(CL) that Isaiah son of Amoz(CM) saw:(CN)
2 Raise a banner(CO) on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates(CP) of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors(CQ) to carry out my wrath(CR)—
those who rejoice(CS) in my triumph.
4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!(CT)
Listen, an uproar(CU) among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty(CV) is mustering(CW)
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens(CX)—
the Lord and the weapons(CY) of his wrath(CZ)—
to destroy(DA) the whole country.
6 Wail,(DB) for the day(DC) of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction(DD) from the Almighty.[f](DE)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,(DF)
every heart will melt with fear.(DG)
8 Terror(DH) will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip(DI) them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.(DJ)
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.(DK)
9 See, the day(DL) of the Lord is coming
—a cruel(DM) day, with wrath(DN) and fierce anger(DO)—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.(DP)
The rising sun(DQ) will be darkened(DR)
and the moon will not give its light.(DS)
11 I will punish(DT) the world for its evil,
the wicked(DU) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty(DV)
and will humble(DW) the pride of the ruthless.(DX)
12 I will make people(DY) scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.(DZ)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;(EA)
and the earth will shake(EB) from its place
at the wrath(EC) of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.(ED)
14 Like a hunted(EE) gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,(EF)
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee(EG) to their native land.(EH)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall(EI) by the sword.(EJ)
16 Their infants(EK) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated.(EL)
17 See, I will stir up(EM) against them the Medes,(EN)
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.(EO)
18 Their bows(EP) will strike down the young men;(EQ)
they will have no mercy(ER) on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.(ES)
19 Babylon,(ET) the jewel of kingdoms,(EU)
the pride and glory(EV) of the Babylonians,[g]
will be overthrown(EW) by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.(EX)
20 She will never be inhabited(EY)
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads(EZ) will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures(FA) will lie there,
jackals(FB) will fill her houses;
there the owls(FC) will dwell,
and there the wild goats(FD) will leap about.
22 Hyenas(FE) will inhabit her strongholds,(FF)
jackals(FG) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,(FH)
and her days will not be prolonged.(FI)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
- Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
- Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility
- Isaiah 12:2 Or song
- Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
- Isaiah 13:19 Or Chaldeans
Ephesians 4
The Message
Ephesians 4
The Message
To Be Mature
4 1-3 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
7-13 But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is,
He climbed the high mountain,
He captured the enemy and seized the plunder,
He handed it all out in gifts to the people.
Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
14-16 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are easy prey for predators. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
The Old Way Has to Go
17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.
20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
28 Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.
29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4
New International Version
Ephesians 4
New International Version
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner(A) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy(B) of the calling(C) you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another(D) in love.(E) 3 Make every effort to keep the unity(F) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.(G) 4 There is one body(H) and one Spirit,(I) just as you were called to one hope when you were called(J); 5 one Lord,(K) one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,(L) who is over all and through all and in all.(M)
7 But to each one of us(N) grace(O) has been given(P) as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended(S) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)(T) 11 So Christ himself gave(U) the apostles,(V) the prophets,(W) the evangelists,(X) the pastors and teachers,(Y) 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ(Z) may be built up(AA) 13 until we all reach unity(AB) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God(AC) and become mature,(AD) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.(AE)
14 Then we will no longer be infants,(AF) tossed back and forth by the waves,(AG) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.(AH) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,(AI) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,(AJ) that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows(AK) and builds itself up(AL) in love,(AM) as each part does its work.
Instructions for Christian Living
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer(AN) live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.(AO) 18 They are darkened in their understanding(AP) and separated from the life of God(AQ) because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.(AR) 19 Having lost all sensitivity,(AS) they have given themselves over(AT) to sensuality(AU) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off(AV) your old self,(AW) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;(AX) 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;(AY) 24 and to put on(AZ) the new self,(BA) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.(BB)
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully(BC) to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.(BD) 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]:(BE) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.(BF) 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,(BG) doing something useful with their own hands,(BH) that they may have something to share with those in need.(BI)
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,(BJ) but only what is helpful for building others up(BK) according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,(BL) with whom you were sealed(BM) for the day of redemption.(BN) 31 Get rid of(BO) all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.(BP) 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,(BQ) forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.(BR)
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:8 Or God
- Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
- Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
- Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)
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.