2 Kings 20
Christian Standard Bible
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
20 In those days(A) Hezekiah became terminally ill.(B) The prophet Isaiah(C) son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”(D)
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall(E) and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Please, Lord, remember(F) how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly and have done what pleases you.”[a](G) And Hezekiah wept bitterly.(H)
4 Isaiah had not yet gone out of the inner courtyard when the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader(I) of my people, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer;(J) I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”(K)
7 Then Isaiah said, “Bring a lump of pressed figs.” So they brought it and applied it to his infected skin, and he recovered.(L)
8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What is the sign(M) that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple on the third day?”
9 Isaiah said, “This is the sign(N) to you from the Lord that he will do what he has promised: Should the shadow go ahead ten steps or go back ten steps?”
10 Then Hezekiah answered, “It’s easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. No, let the shadow go back ten steps.” 11 So the prophet Isaiah called out to the Lord, and he brought the shadow[b] back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.[c](O)
Hezekiah’s Folly
12 At that time(P) Merodach-baladan[d] son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah since he heard that he had been sick. 13 Hezekiah listened to the letters and showed the envoys his whole treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil—and his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.(Q)
14 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?”
Hezekiah replied, “They came from a distant country, from Babylon.”
15 Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your palace?”
Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.”
16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Look, the days are coming when everything in your palace and all that your predecessors have stored up until today will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left,’(R) says the Lord. 18 ‘Some of your descendants—who come from you, whom you father—will be taken away,(S) and they will become eunuchs[e] in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”(T)
19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,”(U) for he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security during my lifetime?”
Hezekiah’s Death
20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign, along with all his might and how he made the pool(V) and the tunnel and brought water into the city,(W) are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(X) 21 Hezekiah rested with his ancestors, and his son Manasseh became king in his place.(Y)
Isaiah 38-40
Christian Standard Bible
Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
38 In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill.(A) The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order,(B) for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”[a]
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. 3 He said, “Please, Lord, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly,(C) and have done what pleases you.”(D) And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life.[b](E) 6 And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.(F) 7 This is the sign to you(G) from the Lord that he will do what he has promised: 8 I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on the stairway of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’”(H) So the sun’s shadow[c] went back the ten steps it had descended.
9 A poem by King Hezekiah of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:
10 I said: In the prime[d] of my life(I)
I must go to the gates of Sheol;(J)
I am deprived of the rest of my years.
11 I said: I will never see the Lord,
the Lord in the land of the living;(K)
I will not look on humanity any longer
with the inhabitants of what is passing away.[e]
12 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd’s tent.(L)
I have rolled up my life like a weaver;(M)
he cuts me off from the loom.(N)
By nightfall[f] you make an end of me.(O)
13 I thought until the morning:
He will break all my bones like a lion.
By nightfall you make an end of me.
14 I chirp like a swallow or a crane;
I moan like a dove.(P)
My eyes grow weak looking upward.
Lord, I am oppressed; support me.(Q)
15 What can I say?
He has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I walk along slowly all my years(R)
because of the bitterness of my soul.(S)
16 Lord, by such things people live,(T)
and in every one of them my spirit finds life;
you have restored me to health(U)
and let me live.(V)
17 Indeed, it was for my own well-being
that I had such intense bitterness;(W)
but your love has delivered me
from the Pit of destruction,(X)
for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.(Y)
18 For Sheol cannot thank you;
Death cannot praise you.(Z)
Those who go down to the Pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, only the living can thank you,
as I do today;
a father will make your faithfulness known to children.(AA)
20 The Lord is ready to save me;
we will play stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
at the house of the Lord.(AB)
21 Now Isaiah(AC) had said, “Let them take a lump of pressed figs and apply it to his infected skin, so that he may recover.” 22 And Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”
Hezekiah’s Folly
39 At that time(AD) Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah since he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 Hezekiah was pleased with the letters, and he showed the envoys his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil—and all his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries.(AE) There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.(AF)
3 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say, and where did they come to you from?”
Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant country, from Babylon.”
4 Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your palace?”
Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of Armies:(AG) 6 ‘Look, the days are coming when everything in your palace and all that your predecessors have stored up until today will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.(AH) 7 ‘Some of your descendants—who come from you, whom you father—will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”
8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,” for he thought: There will be peace and security during my lifetime.(AI)
God’s People Comforted
40 “Comfort, comfort my people,”(AJ)
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to[g] Jerusalem,
and announce to her
that her time of hard service is over,
her iniquity(AK) has been pardoned,(AL)
and she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”(AM)
3 A voice of one crying out:
Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness;(AN)
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.(AO)
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled;
the uneven ground will become smooth
and the rough places, a plain.(AP)
5 And the glory of the Lord will appear,(AQ)
and all humanity[h] together will see it,(AR)
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(AS)
6 A voice was saying, “Cry out!”
Another said,[i] “What should I cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,(AT)
and all its goodness is like the flower of the field.(AU)
7 The grass withers, the flowers fade
when the breath[j] of the Lord blows on them;[k]
indeed, the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flowers fade,(AV)
but the word of our God remains forever.”(AW)
9 Zion, herald of good news,
go up on a high mountain.(AX)
Jerusalem, herald of good news,(AY)
raise your voice loudly.
Raise it, do not be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!” (AZ)
10 See, the Lord God comes with strength,
and his power establishes his rule.(BA)
His wages are with him,(BB)
and his reward accompanies him.
11 He protects his flock like a shepherd;(BC)
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?(BD)
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains on a balance
and the hills on the scales?
13 Who has directed[l] the Spirit of the Lord,
or who gave him counsel?(BE)
14 Who did he consult?
Who gave him understanding(BF)
and taught him the paths of justice?
Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales;
he lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon’s cedars are not enough for fuel,
or its animals enough for a burnt offering.(BG)
17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are considered by him
as empty nothingness.(BH)
18 With whom will you compare God?
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?(BI)
19 An idol?—something that a smelter casts
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver chains for?(BJ)
20 A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal
that will not rot.[m]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.(BK)
21 Do you not know?(BL)
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?(BM)
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.(BN)
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth(BO)
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.(BP)
23 He reduces princes to nothing(BQ)
and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.
24 They are barely planted, barely sown,
their stem hardly takes root in the ground
when he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.(BR)
25 “To whom will you compare me,(BS)
or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up and see!
Who created(BT) these?
He brings out the stars by number;
he calls all of them by name.(BU)
Because of his great power and strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?(BV)
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,(BW)
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.(BX)
29 He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
30 Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
31 but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;(BY)
they will soar on wings like eagles;(BZ)
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.
Footnotes
- 38:1 Lit live
- 38:5 Lit days, also in v. 10
- 38:8 Lit And the sun
- 38:10 Lit quiet
- 38:11 Some Hb mss, Tg read of the world
- 38:12 Lit From day until night, also in v. 13
- 40:2 Lit Speak to the heart of
- 40:5 Lit flesh
- 40:6 DSS, LXX, Vg read I said
- 40:7 Or wind, or Spirit
- 40:7 Lit it
- 40:13 Or measured, or comprehended
- 40:20 Or who is too poor for such an offering, or who chooses mulberry wood as a votive gift; Hb obscure
Psalm 68
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 68
God’s Majestic Power
For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.
1 God arises. His enemies scatter,
and those who hate him flee from his presence.(A)
2 As smoke is blown away,
so you blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.(B)
3 But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.(C)
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name.
Exalt him who rides on the clouds[a]—
his name is the Lord[b]—and celebrate before him.(D)
5 God in his holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.(E)
6 God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,[c]
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.(F)
7 God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the desert,Selah
8 the earth trembled and the skies poured rain
before God, the God of Sinai,[d]
before God, the God of Israel.(G)
9 You, God, showered abundant rain;
you revived your inheritance when it languished.(H)
10 Your people settled in it;
God, you provided for the poor by your goodness.(I)
11 The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news:(J)
12 “The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”
She who stays at home divides the spoil.(K)
13 While[e] you lie among the sheep pens,[f]
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold.(L)
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,
it snowed on Zalmon.[g](M)
15 Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.(N)
16 Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain God desired for his abode?
The Lord will dwell there forever!(O)
17 God’s chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;(P)
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary[h]
as he was at Sinai.(Q)
18 You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
you received gifts from[i] people,
even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might dwell there.[j](R)
19 Blessed be the Lord!
Day after day he bears our burdens;
God is our salvation.(S)Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and escape from death belongs to the Lord my Lord.(T)
21 Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts.(U)
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea(V)
23 so that your foot may wade[k] in blood
and your dogs’ tongues may have their share
from the enemies.”(W)
24 People have seen your procession, God,
the procession of my God,
my King, in the sanctuary.(X)
25 Singers lead the way,
with musicians following;
among them are young women
playing tambourines.(Y)
26 Bless God in the assemblies;
bless the Lord from the fountain of Israel.(Z)
27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,
the rulers of Judah in their assembly,[l]
the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.(AA)
28 Your God has decreed your strength.
Show your strength, God,
you who have acted on our behalf.(AB)
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to you.(AC)
30 Rebuke the beast in the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.(AD)
Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.[m]
Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.(AE)
31 Ambassadors will come[n] from Egypt;
Cush will stretch out its hands to God.(AF)
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
sing praise to the Lord,(AG)Selah
33 to him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.(AH)
Look, he thunders with his powerful voice!(AI)
34 Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel;
his power is among the clouds.(AJ)
35 God, you are awe-inspiring in your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!(AK)
Footnotes
- 68:4 Or rides through the desert
- 68:4 Hb Yah
- 68:6 Or prisoners with joyous music; Hb uncertain
- 68:8 Or God, this one of Sinai
- 68:13 Or If
- 68:13 Or the campfires, or the saddlebags; Hb obscure
- 68:14 Or Black Mountain
- 68:17 Or in holiness, also in v. 24
- 68:18 Lit among
- 68:18 Or even those rebelling against the Lord God’s living there; Hb obscure
- 68:23 LXX, Syr read dip
- 68:27 Hb obscure
- 68:30 Or peoples, trampling on those who take pleasure in silver, or peoples, trampling on the bars of silver, or peoples, who trample each other for bars of silver
- 68:31 Or They bring red cloth, or They bring bronze
1 Corinthians 11
Christian Standard Bible
11 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.(A)
Instructions about Head Coverings
2 Now I praise you[a] because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions(B) just as I delivered(C) them to you. 3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head(D) of every man, and the man is the head of the woman,[b](E) and God is the head of Christ.(F) 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors(G) his head. 5 Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.(H) 6 For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be covered.
7 A man should not cover his head, because he is the image(I) and glory of God.(J) So too, woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.(K) 9 Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.(L)
13 Judge(M) for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach(N) you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace(O) to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?(P) For her hair is given to her[c] as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other[d] custom, nor do the churches of God.
The Lord’s Supper
17 Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions(Q) among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.(R) 21 For at the meal, each one eats his own supper.[e] So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! 22 Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:(S) On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said,[f] “This is my body, which is[g] for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”(T)
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant(U) in my blood.(V) Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death(W) until he comes.(X)
Self-Examination
27 So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body[h] and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body,[i] eats and drinks judgment(Y) on himself. 30 This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.(Z) 31 If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, 32 but when we are judged(AA) by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned(AB) with the world.
33 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.[j] 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.(AC)
Footnotes
- 11:2 Other mss add brothers,
- 11:3 Or the husband is the head of the wife
- 11:15 Other mss omit to her
- 11:16 Or no such
- 11:21 Or eats his own supper ahead of others
- 11:24 Other mss add “Take, eat.
- 11:24 Other mss add broken
- 11:27 Lit be guilty of the body
- 11:29 Other mss read drinks unworthily, not discerning the Lord’s body
- 11:33 Or wait for one another
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