The Kingdom of Righteousness

32 See, a king(A) will reign in righteousness
    and rulers will rule with justice.(B)
Each one will be like a shelter(C) from the wind
    and a refuge from the storm,(D)
like streams of water(E) in the desert(F)
    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,(G)
    and the ears(H) of those who hear will listen.
The fearful heart will know and understand,(I)
    and the stammering tongue(J) will be fluent and clear.
No longer will the fool(K) be called noble
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
For fools speak folly,(L)
    their hearts are bent on evil:(M)
They practice ungodliness(N)
    and spread error(O) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty(P)
    and from the thirsty they withhold water.
Scoundrels use wicked methods,(Q)
    they make up evil schemes(R)
to destroy the poor with lies,
    even when the plea of the needy(S) is just.(T)
But the noble make noble plans,
    and by noble deeds(U) they stand.(V)

The Women of Jerusalem

You women(W) who are so complacent,
    rise up and listen(X) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,(Y)
    hear what I have to say!
10 In little more than a year(Z)
    you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,(AA)
    and the harvest of fruit will not come.
11 Tremble,(AB) you complacent women;
    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!(AC)
Strip off your fine clothes(AD)
    and wrap yourselves in rags.(AE)
12 Beat your breasts(AF) for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vines(AG)
13 and for the land of my people,
    a land overgrown with thorns and briers(AH)
yes, mourn(AI) for all houses of merriment
    and for this city of revelry.(AJ)
14 The fortress(AK) will be abandoned,
    the noisy city deserted;(AL)
citadel and watchtower(AM) will become a wasteland forever,
    the delight of donkeys,(AN) a pasture for flocks,(AO)
15 till the Spirit(AP) is poured on us from on high,
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,(AQ)
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.(AR)
16 The Lord’s justice(AS) will dwell in the desert,(AT)
    his righteousness(AU) live in the fertile field.
17 The fruit of that righteousness(AV) will be peace;(AW)
    its effect will be quietness and confidence(AX) forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful(AY) dwelling places,
    in secure homes,(AZ)
    in undisturbed places of rest.(BA)
19 Though hail(BB) flattens the forest(BC)
    and the city is leveled(BD) completely,
20 how blessed you will be,
    sowing(BE) your seed by every stream,(BF)
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.(BG)

Distress and Help

33 Woe(BH) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;(BI)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.(BJ)

Lord, be gracious(BK) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength(BL) every morning,
    our salvation(BM) in time of distress.(BN)
At the uproar of your army,(BO) the peoples flee;(BP)
    when you rise up,(BQ) the nations scatter.
Your plunder,(BR) O nations, is harvested(BS) as by young locusts;(BT)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted,(BU) for he dwells on high;(BV)
    he will fill Zion with his justice(BW) and righteousness.(BX)
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation(BY) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear(BZ) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](CA)

Look, their brave men(CB) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys(CC) of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are deserted,
    no travelers(CD) are on the roads.(CE)
The treaty is broken,(CF)
    its witnesses[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
The land dries up(CG) and wastes away,
    Lebanon(CH) is ashamed and withers;(CI)
Sharon(CJ) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan(CK) and Carmel(CL) drop their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,(CM)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;(CN)
    now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(CO) chaff,
    you give birth(CP) to straw;
    your breath is a fire(CQ) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(CR)
    like cut thornbushes(CS) they will be set ablaze.(CT)

13 You who are far away,(CU) hear(CV) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(CW) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling(CX) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(CY)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(CZ)
    and speak what is right,(DA)
who reject gain from extortion(DB)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(DC)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes(DD) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(DE)
    whose refuge(DF) will be the mountain fortress.(DG)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail(DH) them.

17 Your eyes will see the king(DI) in his beauty(DJ)
    and view a land that stretches afar.(DK)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(DL)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(DM)
19 You will see those arrogant people(DN) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(DO)

20 Look on Zion,(DP) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,(DQ) a tent(DR) that will not be moved;(DS)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(DT) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(DU)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship(DV) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(DW)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,(DX)
the Lord is our king;(DY)
    it is he who will save(DZ) us.

23 Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame(EA) will carry off plunder.(EB)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(EC)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(ED)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand(A)(B)(C)

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people;(D) they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.(E) The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.(F) About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven.(G) 12 He sighed deeply(H) and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast(I) of the Pharisees(J) and that of Herod.”(K)

16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?(L) 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,”(M) they replied.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”(N)

21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”(O)

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 They came to Bethsaida,(P) and some people brought a blind man(Q) and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit(R) on the man’s eyes and put his hands on(S) him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.”

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah(T)

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;(U) others say Elijah;(V) and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”(W)

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.(X)

Jesus Predicts His Death(Y)

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man(Z) must suffer many things(AA) and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law,(AB) and that he must be killed(AC) and after three days(AD) rise again.(AE) 32 He spoke plainly(AF) about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!”(AG) he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The Way of the Cross

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.(AH) 35 For whoever wants to save their life[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.(AI) 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man(AJ) will be ashamed of them(AK) when he comes(AL) in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 8:26 Some manuscripts go and tell anyone in
  2. Mark 8:35 The Greek word means either life or soul; also in verses 36 and 37.

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