2 Corinthians 4

New International Version

Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercy^(A) we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.^(B) ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^(C) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^(D) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^(E) in the sight of God. ³And even if our gospel^(F) is veiled,^(G) it is veiled to those who are perishing.^(H) ⁴The god^(I) of this age^(J) has blinded^(K) the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,^(L) who is the image of God.^(M) ⁵For what we preach is not ourselves,^(N) but Jesus Christ as Lord,^(O) and ourselves as your servants^(P) for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a]^(Q) made his light shine in our hearts^(R) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.^(S)

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay^(T) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God^(U) and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side,^(V) but not crushed; perplexed,^(W) but not in despair; ⁹persecuted,^(X) but not abandoned;^(Y) struck down, but not destroyed.^(Z) ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,^(AA) so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.^(AB) ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,^(AC) so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.^(AD)

¹³It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”^[b]^(AE) Since we have that same spirit of^[c] faith,^(AF) we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead^(AG) will also raise us with Jesus^(AH) and present us with you to himself.^(AI) ¹⁵All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving^(AJ) to overflow to the glory of God.

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart.^(AK) Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly^(AL) we are being renewed^(AM) day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.^(AN) ¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,^(AO) since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3
2 Corinthians 4:13 Psalm 116:10 (see Septuagint)
2 Corinthians 4:13 Or Spirit-given

Isaiah 51-53

New International Version

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

51 “Listen^(A) to me, you who pursue righteousness^(B)
    and who seek^(C) the Lord:
Look to the rock^(D) from which you were cut
    and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
²look to Abraham,^(E) your father,
    and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
    and I blessed him and made him many.^(F)
³The Lord will surely comfort^(G) Zion^(H)
    and will look with compassion on all her ruins;^(I)
he will make her deserts like Eden,^(J)
    her wastelands^(K) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness^(L) will be found in her,
    thanksgiving^(M) and the sound of singing.

⁴“Listen to me, my people;^(N)
    hear me,^(O) my nation:
Instruction^(P) will go out from me;
    my justice^(Q) will become a light to the nations.^(R)
⁵My righteousness draws near speedily,
    my salvation^(S) is on the way,^(T)
    and my arm^(U) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands^(V) will look to me
    and wait in hope^(W) for my arm.
⁶Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,^(X)
    the earth will wear out like a garment^(Y)
    and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation^(Z) will last forever,^(AA)
    my righteousness will never fail.^(AB)

⁷“Hear me, you who know what is right,^(AC)
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:^(AD)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.^(AE)
⁸For the moth will eat them up like a garment;^(AF)
    the worm^(AG) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,^(AH)
    my salvation through all generations.”

⁹Awake, awake,^(AI) arm^(AJ) of the Lord,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(AK)
Awake, as in days gone by,
    as in generations of old.^(AL)
Was it not you who cut Rahab^(AM) to pieces,
    who pierced that monster^(AN) through?
¹⁰Was it not you who dried up the sea,^(AO)
    the waters of the great deep,^(AP)
who made a road in the depths of the sea^(AQ)
    so that the redeemed^(AR) might cross over?
¹¹Those the Lord has rescued^(AS) will return.
    They will enter Zion with singing;^(AT)
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy^(AU) will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(AV)

¹²“I, even I, am he who comforts^(AW) you.
    Who are you that you fear^(AX) mere mortals,^(AY)
    human beings who are but grass,^(AZ)
¹³that you forget^(BA) the Lord your Maker,^(BB)
    who stretches out the heavens^(BC)
    and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror^(BD) every day
    because of the wrath of the oppressor,
    who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?^(BE)
¹⁴    The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;^(BF)
they will not die in their dungeon,
    nor will they lack bread.^(BG)
¹⁵For I am the Lord your God,
    who stirs up the sea^(BH) so that its waves roar^(BI)—
    the Lord Almighty^(BJ) is his name.
¹⁶I have put my words in your mouth^(BK)
    and covered you with the shadow of my hand^(BL)—
I who set the heavens in place,
    who laid the foundations of the earth,^(BM)
    and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.^(BN)’”

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

¹⁷Awake, awake!^(BO)
    Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
    the cup^(BP) of his wrath,^(BQ)
you who have drained to its dregs^(BR)
    the goblet that makes people stagger.^(BS)
¹⁸Among all the children^(BT) she bore
    there was none to guide her;^(BU)
among all the children she reared
    there was none to take her by the hand.^(BV)
¹⁹These double calamities^(BW) have come upon you—
    who can comfort you?^(BX)—
ruin and destruction,^(BY) famine^(BZ) and sword^(CA)—
    who can^[a] console you?
²⁰Your children have fainted;
    they lie at every street corner,^(CB)
    like antelope caught in a net.^(CC)
They are filled with the wrath^(CD) of the Lord,
    with the rebuke^(CE) of your God.

²¹Therefore hear this, you afflicted^(CF) one,
    made drunk,^(CG) but not with wine.
²²This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
    your God, who defends^(CH) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
    the cup^(CI) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
    you will never drink again.
²³I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,^(CJ)
    who said to you,
    ‘Fall prostrate^(CK) that we may walk^(CL) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
    like a street to be walked on.”^(CM)

52 Awake, awake,^(CN) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!^(CO)
Put on your garments of splendor,^(CP)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.^(CQ)
The uncircumcised^(CR) and defiled^(CS)
    will not enter you again.^(CT)
²Shake off your dust;^(CU)
    rise up,^(CV) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,^(CW)
    Daughter Zion,^(CX) now a captive.

³For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,^(CY)
and without money^(CZ) you will be redeemed.^(DA)”

⁴For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt^(DB) to live;
lately, Assyria^(DC) has oppressed them.

⁵“And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,^[b]”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.^(DD)
⁶Therefore my people will know^(DE) my name;^(DF)
    therefore in that day^(DG) they will know
that it is I who foretold^(DH) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

⁷How beautiful on the mountains^(DI)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,^(DJ)
who proclaim peace,^(DK)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”^(DL)
⁸Listen! Your watchmen^(DM) lift up their voices;^(DN)
    together they shout for joy.^(DO)
When the Lord returns^(DP) to Zion,^(DQ)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
⁹Burst into songs of joy^(DR) together,
    you ruins^(DS) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted^(DT) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.^(DU)
¹⁰The Lord will lay bare his holy arm^(DV)
    in the sight of all the nations,^(DW)
and all the ends of the earth^(DX) will see
    the salvation^(DY) of our God.

¹¹Depart,^(DZ) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!^(EA)
Come out from it and be pure,^(EB)
    you who carry the articles^(EC) of the Lord’s house.
¹²But you will not leave in haste^(ED)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,^(EE)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.^(EF)

The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

¹³See, my servant^(EG) will act wisely^[c];
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.^(EH)
¹⁴Just as there were many who were appalled^(EI) at him^[d]—
    his appearance was so disfigured^(EJ) beyond that of any human being
    and his form marred beyond human likeness^(EK)—
¹⁵so he will sprinkle^(EL) many nations,^[e]
    and kings^(EM) will shut their mouths^(EN) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
    and what they have not heard, they will understand.^(EO)

53 Who has believed our message^(EP)
    and to whom has the arm^(EQ) of the Lord been revealed?^(ER)
²He grew up before him like a tender shoot,^(ES)
    and like a root^(ET) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance^(EU) that we should desire him.
³He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,^(EV) and familiar with pain.^(EW)
Like one from whom people hide^(EX) their faces
    he was despised,^(EY) and we held him in low esteem.

⁴Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,^(EZ)
yet we considered him punished by God,^(FA)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.^(FB)
⁵But he was pierced^(FC) for our transgressions,^(FD)
    he was crushed^(FE) for our iniquities;
the punishment^(FF) that brought us peace^(FG) was on him,
    and by his wounds^(FH) we are healed.^(FI)
⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray,^(FJ)
    each of us has turned to our own way;^(FK)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity^(FL) of us all.

⁷He was oppressed^(FM) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;^(FN)
he was led like a lamb^(FO) to the slaughter,^(FP)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸By oppression^[f] and judgment^(FQ) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;^(FR)
    for the transgression^(FS) of my people he was punished.^[g]
⁹He was assigned a grave with the wicked,^(FT)
    and with the rich^(FU) in his death,
though he had done no violence,^(FV)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.^(FW)

¹⁰Yet it was the Lord’s will^(FX) to crush^(FY) him and cause him to suffer,^(FZ)
    and though the Lord makes^[h] his life an offering for sin,^(GA)
he will see his offspring^(GB) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper^(GC) in his hand.
¹¹After he has suffered,^(GD)
    he will see the light^(GE) of life^[i] and be satisfied^[j];
by his knowledge^[k] my righteous servant^(GF) will justify^(GG) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.^(GH)
¹²Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[l]^(GI)
    and he will divide the spoils^(GJ) with the strong,^[m]
because he poured out his life unto death,^(GK)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.^(GL)
For he bore^(GM) the sin of many,^(GN)
    and made intercession^(GO) for the transgressors.

Footnotes

Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) ¹¹He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
Isaiah 53:12 Or many
Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous