Font Size
Isaiah 62-64
The Message
Isaiah 62-64
The Message
Look, Your Savior Comes!
62 1-5 Regarding Zion, I can’t keep my mouth shut,
regarding Jerusalem, I can’t hold my tongue,
Until her righteousness blazes down like the sun
and her salvation flames up like a torch.
Foreign countries will see your righteousness,
and world leaders your glory.
You’ll get a brand-new name
straight from the mouth of God.
You’ll be a stunning crown in the palm of God’s hand,
a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.
No more will anyone call you Rejected,
and your country will no more be called Ruined.
You’ll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),
and your land Beulah (Married),
Because God delights in you
and your land will be like a wedding celebration.
For as a young man marries his virgin bride,
so your builder marries you,
And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,
so your God is happy with you.
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?
Isaiah 62-64
New International Version
Isaiah 62-64
New International Version
Zion’s New Name
62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(A)
for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(B) shines out like the dawn,(C)
her salvation(D) like a blazing torch.
2 The nations(E) will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(F)
that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
3 You will be a crown(G) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,(H)
or name your land Desolate.(I)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[a](J)
and your land Beulah[b];
for the Lord will take delight(K) in you,
and your land will be married.(L)
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(M) rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice(N) over you.
6 I have posted watchmen(O) on your walls, Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
give yourselves no rest,(P)
7 and give him no rest(Q) till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise(R) of the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn(S) by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(T)
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(U) it
and praise the Lord,(V)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”(W)
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(X)
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(Y)
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(Z) for the nations.
11 The Lord has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:(AA)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(AB)
‘See, your Savior comes!(AC)
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.’”(AD)
12 They will be called(AE) the Holy People,(AF)
the Redeemed(AG) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.(AH)
God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption
63 Who is this coming from Edom,(AI)
from Bozrah,(AJ) with his garments stained crimson?(AK)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(AL)
“It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save.”(AM)
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?(AN)
3 “I have trodden the winepress(AO) alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(AP) them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;(AQ)
their blood spattered my garments,(AR)
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;(AS)
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one(AT) to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(AU) achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.(AV)
6 I trampled(AW) the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk(AX)
and poured their blood(AY) on the ground.”
Praise and Prayer
7 I will tell of the kindnesses(AZ) 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(BA)
he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion(BB) and many kindnesses.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,(BC)
children who will be true to me”;
and so he became their Savior.(BD)
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel(BE) of his presence(BF) saved them.[c]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(BG) them;
he lifted them up and carried(BH) them
all the days of old.(BI)
10 Yet they rebelled(BJ)
and grieved his Holy Spirit.(BK)
So he turned and became their enemy(BL)
and he himself fought(BM) against them.
11 Then his people recalled[d] the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(BN)
with the shepherd of his flock?(BO)
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit(BP) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(BQ) of power
to be at Moses’ right hand,
who divided the waters(BR) before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,(BS)
13 who led(BT) them through the depths?(BU)
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;(BV)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest(BW) 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(BX) and see,
from your lofty throne,(BY) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(BZ) and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion(CA) are withheld(CB) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(CC)
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge(CD) us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer(CE) from of old is your name.
17 Why, Lord, do you make us wander(CF) from your ways
and harden our hearts(CG) so we do not revere(CH) you?
Return(CI) for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.(CJ)
18 For a little while(CK) your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled(CL) down your sanctuary.(CM)
19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called[e] by your name.(CN)
64 [f]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(CO) and come down,(CP)
that the mountains(CQ) would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(CR) known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake(CS) before you!
3 For when you did awesome(CT) things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled(CU) before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(CV)
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(CW)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(CX)
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.(CY)
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,(CZ)
and all our righteous(DA) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(DB)
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(DC)
7 No one(DD) calls on your name(DE)
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(DF) your face from us
and have given us over(DG) to[g] our sins.
8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(DH)
We are the clay, you are the potter;(DI)
we are all the work of your hand.(DJ)
9 Do not be angry(DK) beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins(DL) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.(DM)
10 Your sacred cities(DN) have become a wasteland;
even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(DO)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(DP) where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured(DQ) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(DR)
Will you keep silent(DS) and punish us beyond measure?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
- Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
- 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
1 Timothy 1
The Message
1 Timothy 1
The Message
1 1-2 I, Paul, am an apostle on special assignment for Christ, our living hope. Under God our Savior’s command, I’m writing this to you, Timothy, my son in the faith. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!
Self-Appointed Experts on Life
3-4 On my way to the province of Macedonia, I advised you to stay in Ephesus. Well, I haven’t changed my mind. Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience.
5-7 The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into dead ends of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven’t the remotest idea of what they’re holding forth with such imposing eloquence.
8-11 It’s true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It’s obvious, isn’t it, that the law code isn’t primarily for people who live responsibly, but for the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever! They are cynical toward this great Message I’ve been put in charge of by this great God.
* * *
12-14 I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were violence and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.
15-19 Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.
Deep honor and bright glory
to the King of All Time—
One God, Immortal, Invisible,
ever and always. Oh, yes!
I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.
19-20 There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.
1 Timothy 1
New International Version
1 Timothy 1
New International Version
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God(A) our Savior(B) and of Christ Jesus our hope,(C)
2 To Timothy(D) my true son(E) in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.(F)
Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia,(G) stay there in Ephesus(H) so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines(I) any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths(J) and endless genealogies.(K) Such things promote controversial speculations(L) rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart(M) and a good conscience(N) and a sincere faith.(O) 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers(P) of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.(Q)
8 We know that the law is good(R) if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous(S) but for lawbreakers and rebels,(T) the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine(U) 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.(V)
The Lord’s Grace to Paul
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength,(W) that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.(X) 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor(Y) and a violent man, I was shown mercy(Z) because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.(AA) 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly,(AB) along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.(AC)
15 Here is a trustworthy saying(AD) that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners(AE)—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy(AF) so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience(AG) as an example for those who would believe(AH) in him and receive eternal life.(AI) 17 Now to the King(AJ) eternal, immortal,(AK) invisible,(AL) the only God,(AM) be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.(AN)
The Charge to Timothy Renewed
18 Timothy, my son,(AO) I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you,(AP) so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well,(AQ) 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience,(AR) which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.(AS) 20 Among them are Hymenaeus(AT) and Alexander,(AU) whom I have handed over to Satan(AV) to be taught not to blaspheme.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.