Isaiah 39:1-41:16
New King James Version
The Babylonian Envoys(A)
39 At (B)that time [a]Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 (C)And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?”
So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a (D)far country, from Babylon.”
4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?”
So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming (E)when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your (F)sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”
8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, (G)“The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”
God’s People Are Comforted(H)
40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak [b]comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
(I)For she has received from the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 (J)The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(K)“Prepare the way of the Lord;
(L)Make straight [c]in the desert
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
(M)The crooked places shall be made [d]straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The (N)glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And [e]he said, “What shall I cry?”
(O)“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But (P)the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God shall come [f]with a strong hand,
And (Q)His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, (R)His reward is with Him,
And His [g]work before Him.
11 He will (S)feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
12 (T)Who has measured the [h]waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a [i]span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 (U)Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And (V)taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as (W)nothing,
And (X)they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you (Y)liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 (Z)The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such [j]a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
(AA)To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 (AB)Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who (AC)stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a (AD)tent to dwell in.
23 He [k]brings the (AE)princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 “To(AF) whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
(AG)He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 (AH)Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
(AI)His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who (AJ)wait on the Lord
(AK)Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Israel Assured of God’s Help
41 “Keep (AL)silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us (AM)come near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one (AN)from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who (AO)gave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed [l]safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 (AP)Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am (AQ)the first;
And with the last I am (AR)He.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 (AS)Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
[m]“Be of good courage!”
7 (AT)So the craftsman encouraged the (AU)goldsmith;[n]
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, [o]“It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
(AV)That it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have (AW)chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My (AX)friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 (AY)Fear not, (AZ)for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be (BA)ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
[p]Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you (BB)worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, (BC)I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall (BD)winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the Lord,
And (BE)glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 39:1 Berodach-Baladan, 2 Kin. 20:12
- Isaiah 40:2 Lit. to the heart of
- Isaiah 40:3 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX omits in the desert
- Isaiah 40:4 Or a plain
- Isaiah 40:6 So with MT, Tg.; DSS, LXX, Vg. I
- Isaiah 40:10 in strength
- Isaiah 40:10 recompense
- Isaiah 40:12 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; DSS adds of the sea; Tg. adds of the world
- Isaiah 40:12 A span .5 cubit, 9 inches; or the width of His hand
- Isaiah 40:20 an offering
- Isaiah 40:23 reduces
- Isaiah 41:3 Lit. in peace
- Isaiah 41:6 Lit. Be strong
- Isaiah 41:7 refiner
- Isaiah 41:7 Or The soldering is good
- Isaiah 41:12 Lit. Men of your strife
Ephesians 1
New King James Version
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Redemption in Christ
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as (B)He chose us in Him (C)before the foundation of the world, that we should (D)be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 (E)having predestined us to (F)adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, (G)according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, (H)by which He [a]made us accepted in (I)the Beloved.
7 (J)In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to (K)the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 (L)having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure (M)which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of (N)the fullness of the times (O)He might gather together in one (P)all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 (Q)In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to (R)the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 (S)that we (T)who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard (U)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, (V)you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 (W)who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance (X)until the redemption of (Y)the purchased possession, (Z)to the praise of His glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15 Therefore I also, (AA)after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 (AB)do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that (AC)the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, (AD)may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 (AE)the eyes of your [f]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is (AF)the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, (AG)according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when (AH)He raised Him from the dead and (AI)seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 (AJ)far above all (AK)principality[g] and [h]power and [i]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And (AL)He put all things under His feet, and gave Him (AM)to be head over all things to the church, 23 (AN)which is His body, (AO)the fullness of Him (AP)who fills all in all.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ephesians 1:6 Lit. bestowed grace (favor) upon us
- Ephesians 1:8 understanding
- Ephesians 1:10 NU, M omit both
- Ephesians 1:14 NU which
- Ephesians 1:14 down payment, earnest
- Ephesians 1:18 NU, M hearts
- Ephesians 1:21 rule
- Ephesians 1:21 authority
- Ephesians 1:21 power
Psalm 66
New King James Version
Praise to God for His Awesome Works
To the Chief Musician. A Song. A Psalm.
66 Make (A)a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
2 Sing out the honor of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
3 Say to God,
“How (B)awesome are Your works!
(C)Through the greatness of Your power
Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
4 (D)All the earth shall worship You
And sing praises to You;
They shall sing praises to Your name.” Selah
5 Come and see the works of God;
He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
6 (E)He turned the sea into dry land;
(F)They went through the river on foot.
There we will rejoice in Him.
7 He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah
8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
9 Who keeps our soul among the living,
And does not allow our feet to [a]be moved.
10 For (G)You, O God, have tested us;
(H)You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 (I)You brought us into the net;
You laid affliction on our backs.
12 (J)You have caused men to ride over our heads;
(K)We went through fire and through water;
But You brought us out to [b]rich fulfillment.
13 (L)I will go into Your house with burnt offerings;
(M)I will pay You my [c]vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals,
With the sweet aroma of rams;
I will offer bulls with goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was [d]extolled with my tongue.
18 (N)If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear.
19 But certainly God (O)has heard me;
He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!
Footnotes
- Psalm 66:9 slip
- Psalm 66:12 abundance
- Psalm 66:13 Promised deeds
- Psalm 66:17 praised
Proverbs 23:25-28
New King James Version
25 Let your father and your mother be glad,
And let her who bore you rejoice.
26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways.
27 (A)For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 (B)She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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