Isaiah 57:15-59:21

New International Version

¹⁵For this is what the high and exalted^(A) One says—
    he who lives forever,^(B) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high^(C) and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite^(D) and lowly in spirit,^(E)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.^(F)
¹⁶I will not accuse^(G) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,^(H)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people^(I) I have created.
¹⁷I was enraged by their sinful greed;^(J)
    I punished them, and hid^(K) my face in anger,
    yet they kept on in their willful ways.^(L)
¹⁸I have seen their ways, but I will heal^(M) them;
    I will guide^(N) them and restore comfort^(O) to Israel’s mourners,
¹⁹    creating praise on their lips.^(P)
Peace, peace,^(Q) to those far and near,”^(R)
    says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
²⁰But the wicked^(S) are like the tossing sea,^(T)
    which cannot rest,
    whose waves cast up mire^(U) and mud.
²¹“There is no peace,”^(V) says my God, “for the wicked.”^(W)

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,^(X) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.^(Y)
Declare to my people their rebellion^(Z)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.^(AA)
²For day after day they seek^(AB) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken^(AC) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near^(AD) them.
³‘Why have we fasted,’^(AE) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled^(AF) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’^(AG)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please^(AH)
    and exploit all your workers.
⁴Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,^(AI)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard^(AJ) on high.
⁵Is this the kind of fast^(AK) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble^(AL) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed^(AM)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?^(AN)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting^(AO) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice^(AP)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed^(AQ) free
    and break every yoke?^(AR)
⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry^(AS)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter^(AT)—
when you see the naked, to clothe^(AU) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?^(AV)
⁸Then your light will break forth like the dawn,^(AW)
    and your healing^(AX) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[a]^(AY) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.^(AZ)
⁹Then you will call,^(BA) and the Lord will answer;^(BB)
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger^(BC) and malicious talk,^(BD)
¹⁰and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,^(BE)
then your light^(BF) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.^(BG)
¹¹The Lord will guide^(BH) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs^(BI) in a sun-scorched land^(BJ)
    and will strengthen^(BK) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,^(BL)
    like a spring^(BM) whose waters never fail.
¹²Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins^(BN)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;^(BO)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,^(BP)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath^(BQ)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight^(BR)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,^(BS)
¹⁴then you will find your joy^(BT) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights^(BU) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance^(BV) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(BW)

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm^(BX) of the Lord is not too short^(BY) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.^(BZ)
²But your iniquities have separated^(CA)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.^(CB)
³For your hands are stained with blood,^(CC)
    your fingers with guilt.^(CD)
Your lips have spoken falsely,^(CE)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
⁴No one calls for justice;^(CF)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely^(CG) on empty arguments, they utter lies;^(CH)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.^(CI)
⁵They hatch the eggs of vipers^(CJ)
    and spin a spider’s web.^(CK)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
⁶Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.^(CL)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence^(CM) are in their hands.
⁷Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.^(CN)
They pursue evil schemes;^(CO)
    acts of violence mark their ways.^(CP)
⁸The way of peace they do not know;^(CQ)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;^(CR)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.^(CS)

⁹So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;^(CT)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
¹⁰Like the blind^(CU) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble^(CV) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.^(CW)
¹¹We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.^(CX)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

¹²For our offenses^(CY) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify^(CZ) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:^(DA)
¹³rebellion^(DB) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs^(DC) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,^(DD)
    uttering lies^(DE) our hearts have conceived.
¹⁴So justice^(DF) is driven back,
    and righteousness^(DG) stands at a distance;
truth^(DH) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
¹⁵Truth^(DI) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.^(DJ)
¹⁶He saw that there was no one,^(DK)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;^(DL)
so his own arm achieved salvation^(DM) for him,
    and his own righteousness^(DN) sustained him.
¹⁷He put on righteousness as his breastplate,^(DO)
    and the helmet^(DP) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments^(DQ) of vengeance^(DR)
    and wrapped himself in zeal^(DS) as in a cloak.
¹⁸According to what they have done,
    so will he repay^(DT)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands^(DU) their due.
¹⁹From the west,^(DV) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,^(DW) they will revere his glory.^(DX)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath^(DY) of the Lord drives along.^[b]

²⁰“The Redeemer^(DZ) will come to Zion,^(EA)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”^(EB)
declares the Lord.

²¹“As for me, this is my covenant^(EC) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,^(ED) who is on you, will not depart from you,^(EE) and my words that I have put in your mouth^(EF) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight

Philippians 1:1-26

New International Version

1 Paul and Timothy,^(A) servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people^(B) in Christ Jesus at Philippi,^(C) together with the overseers^(D) and deacons^[a]:^(E)

²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(F)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³I thank my God every time I remember you.^(G) ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray^(H) with joy ⁵because of your partnership^(I) in the gospel from the first day^(J) until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion^(K) until the day of Christ Jesus.^(L)

⁷It is right^(M) for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart^(N) and, whether I am in chains^(O) or defending^(P) and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸God can testify^(Q) how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹And this is my prayer: that your love^(R) may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,^(S) ¹⁰so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,^(T) ¹¹filled with the fruit of righteousness^(U) that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel

¹²Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,^[b] that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard^[c] and to everyone else that I am in chains^(V) for Christ. ¹⁴And because of my chains,^(W) most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.^(X)

¹⁵It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.^(Y) ¹⁷The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition,^(Z) not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.^(AA) ¹⁸But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹for I know that through your prayers^(AB) and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ^(AC) what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.^[d]^(AD) ²⁰I eagerly expect^(AE) and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage^(AF) so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body,^(AG) whether by life or by death.^(AH) ²¹For to me, to live is Christ^(AI) and to die is gain. ²²If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³I am torn between the two: I desire to depart^(AJ) and be with Christ,^(AK) which is better by far; ²⁴but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

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Footnotes

Philippians 1:1 The word deacons refers here to Christians designated to serve with the overseers/elders of the church in a variety of ways; similarly in Romans 16:1 and 1 Tim. 3:8,12.
Philippians 1:12 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verse 14; and in 3:1, 13, 17; 4:1, 8, 21.
Philippians 1:13 Or whole palace
Philippians 1:19 Or vindication; or salvation

Psalm 71

New International Version

Psalm 71^(A)

¹In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;^(B)
    let me never be put to shame.^(C)
²In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear^(D) to me and save me.
³Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.^(E)
⁴Deliver^(F) me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,^(G)
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.^(H)

⁵For you have been my hope,^(I) Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence^(J) since my youth.
⁶From birth^(K) I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.^(L)
    I will ever praise^(M) you.
⁷I have become a sign^(N) to many;
    you are my strong refuge.^(O)
⁸My mouth^(P) is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendor^(Q) all day long.

⁹Do not cast^(R) me away when I am old;^(S)
    do not forsake^(T) me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰For my enemies^(U) speak against me;
    those who wait to kill^(V) me conspire^(W) together.
¹¹They say, “God has forsaken^(X) him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue^(Y) him.”
¹²Do not be far^(Z) from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help^(AA) me.
¹³May my accusers^(AB) perish in shame;^(AC)
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.^(AD)

¹⁴As for me, I will always have hope;^(AE)
I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵My mouth will tell^(AF) of your righteous deeds,^(AG)
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
¹⁶I will come and proclaim your mighty acts,^(AH) Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
¹⁷Since my youth, God, you have taught^(AI) me,
    and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.^(AJ)
¹⁸Even when I am old and gray,^(AK)
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power^(AL) to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.^(AM)

¹⁹Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,^(AN)
    you who have done great things.^(AO)
    Who is like you, God?^(AP)
²⁰Though you have made me see troubles,^(AQ)
    many and bitter,
    you will restore^(AR) my life again;
from the depths of the earth^(AS)
    you will again bring me up.
²¹You will increase my honor^(AT)
    and comfort^(AU) me once more.

²²I will praise you with the harp^(AV)
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,^(AW)
    Holy One of Israel.^(AX)
²³My lips will shout for joy^(AY)
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.^(AZ)
²⁴My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,^(BA)
for those who wanted to harm me^(BB)
    have been put to shame and confusion.^(BC)