Isaiah 61:1-4
New King James Version
The Good News of Salvation
61 “The (A)Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord (B)has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me (C)to [a]heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim (D)liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 (E)To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And (F)the day of vengeance of our God;
(G)To comfort all who mourn,
3 To [b]console those who mourn in Zion,
(H)To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
(I)The planting of the Lord, (J)that He may be glorified.”
4 And they shall (K)rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:1 Lit. bind up
- Isaiah 61:3 Lit. appoint
Isaiah 61:8-11
New King James Version
8 “For (A)I, the Lord, love justice;
(B)I hate robbery [a]for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
(C)And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
(D)That they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed.”
10 (E)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For (F)He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
(G)As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause (H)righteousness and (I)praise to spring forth before all the nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 61:8 Or in
Psalm 126
New King James Version
A Joyful Return to Zion
A Song of Ascents.
126 When (A)the Lord brought back [a]the captivity of Zion,
(B)We were like those who dream.
2 Then (C)our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the [b]nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
4 Bring back our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.
5 (D)Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
6 He who continually goes [c]forth weeping,
Bearing [d]seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again [e]with (E)rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 126:1 Those of the captivity
- Psalm 126:2 Gentiles
- Psalm 126:6 to and fro
- Psalm 126:6 Lit. a bag of seed for sowing
- Psalm 126:6 with shouts of joy
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
New King James Version
16 (A)Rejoice always, 17 (B)pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 (C)Do not quench the Spirit. 20 (D)Do not despise prophecies. 21 (E)Test all things; (F)hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Blessing and Admonition
23 Now may (G)the God of peace Himself (H)sanctify[a] you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body (I)be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is (J)faithful, who also will (K)do it.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 set you apart
John 1:6-8
New King James Version
John’s Witness: The True Light
6 There was a (A)man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a (B)witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might (C)believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that (D)Light.
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John 1:19-28
New King James Version
A Voice in the Wilderness(A)
19 Now this is (B)the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 (C)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you (D)the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: (E)“I am
(F)‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, (G)“I baptize with water, (H)but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 (I)It is He who, coming after me, [a]is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28 These things were done (J)in [b]Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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