Isaiah 43:14-45:10
New King James Version
14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,
And bring them all down as fugitives—
The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your (A)King.”
16 Thus says the Lord, who (B)makes a way in the sea
And a (C)path through the mighty waters,
17 Who (D)brings forth the chariot and horse,
The army and the power
(They shall lie down together, they shall not rise;
They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
18 “Do(E) not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a (F)new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
(G)I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because (H)I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 (I)This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My (J)praise.
Pleading with Unfaithful Israel
22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;
And you (K)have been weary of Me, O Israel.
23 (L)You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have (M)wearied Me with your iniquities.
25 “I, even I, am He who (N)blots out your transgressions (O)for My own sake;
(P)And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be [a]acquitted.
27 Your first father sinned,
And your [b]mediators have transgressed against Me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;
(Q)I will give Jacob to the curse,
And Israel to reproaches.
God’s Blessing on Israel
44 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says the Lord who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:
‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
4 They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.
There Is No Other God
6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
(R)‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
7 And (S)who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;
(T)Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
(U)You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed (V)there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’ ”
Idolatry Is Foolishness
9 (W)Those who make an image, all of them are useless,
And their precious things shall not profit;
They are their own witnesses;
(X)They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.
10 Who would form a god or mold an image
(Y)That profits him nothing?
11 Surely all his companions would be (Z)ashamed;
And the workmen, they are mere men.
Let them all be gathered together,
Let them stand up;
Yet they shall fear,
They shall be ashamed together.
12 (AA)The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.
13 The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
14 He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He [c]secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.
15 Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
16 He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
17 And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 (AB)They do not know nor understand;
For (AC)He has [d]shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot (AD)understand.
19 And no one (AE)considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”
20 He feeds on ashes;
(AF)A deceived heart has turned him aside;
And he cannot deliver his soul,
Nor say, “Is there not a (AG)lie in my right hand?”
Israel Is Not Forgotten
21 “Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be (AH)forgotten by Me!
22 (AI)I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for (AJ)I have redeemed you.”
23 (AK)Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And (AL)glorified Himself in Israel.
Judah Will Be Restored
24 Thus says the Lord, (AM)your Redeemer,
And (AN)He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
(AO)Who stretches out the heavens [e]all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
25 Who (AP)frustrates the signs (AQ)of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
(AR)And makes their knowledge foolishness;
26 (AS)Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
27 (AT)Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’;
28 Who says of (AU)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, (AV)“You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’
Cyrus, God’s Instrument
45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed,
To (AW)Cyrus, whose (AX)right hand I have [f]held—
(AY)To subdue nations before him
And (AZ)loose the armor of kings,
To open before him the double doors,
So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you
(BA)And[g] make the [h]crooked places straight;
(BB)I will break in pieces the gates of bronze
And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
(BC)That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who (BD)call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.
4 For (BE)Jacob My servant’s sake,
And Israel My elect,
I have even called you by your name;
I have named you, though you have not known Me.
5 I (BF)am the Lord, and (BG)there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
(BH)I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
6 (BI)That they may (BJ)know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and (BK)create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.’
8 “Rain(BL) down, you heavens, from above,
And let the skies pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,
And let righteousness spring up together.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to him who strives with (BM)his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
(BN)Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?
10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 43:26 justified
- Isaiah 43:27 interpreters
- Isaiah 44:14 Lit. appropriates
- Isaiah 44:18 Lit. smeared over
- Isaiah 44:24 By Himself
- Isaiah 45:1 strengthened or sustained
- Isaiah 45:2 Tg. I will trample down the walls; Vg. I will humble the great ones of the earth
- Isaiah 45:2 DSS, LXX mountains
Ephesians 3
New King James Version
The Mystery Revealed
3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the [a]dispensation of the grace of God (A)which was given to me for you, 3 (B)how that by revelation (C)He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles (D)should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 (E)of which I became a minister (F)according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by (G)the effective working of His power.
Purpose of the Mystery
8 To me, (H)who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles (I)the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the [b]fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who (J)created all things [c]through Jesus Christ; 10 (K)to the intent that now (L)the [d]manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church (M)to the [e]principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 (N)according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access (O)with confidence through faith in Him. 13 (P)Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, (Q)which is your glory.
Appreciation of the Mystery
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the (R)Father [f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, (S)according to the riches of His glory, (T)to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in (U)the inner man, 17 (V)that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, (W)being rooted and grounded in love, 18 (X)may be able to comprehend with all the saints (Y)what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled (Z)with all the fullness of God.
20 Now (AA)to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly (AB)above all that we ask or think, (AC)according to the power that works in us, 21 (AD)to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ephesians 3:2 stewardship
- Ephesians 3:9 NU, M stewardship (dispensation)
- Ephesians 3:9 NU omits through Jesus Christ
- Ephesians 3:10 variegated or many-sided
- Ephesians 3:10 rulers
- Ephesians 3:14 NU omits of our Lord Jesus Christ
Psalm 68:1-18
New King James Version
The Glory of God in His Goodness to Israel
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 Let (A)God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
2 (B)As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
(C)As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But (D)let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
(E)Extol[a] Him who rides on the [b]clouds,
(F)By His name [c]Yah,
And rejoice before Him.
5 (G)A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 (H)God sets the solitary in families;
(I)He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But (J)the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, (K)when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 The earth shook;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 (L)You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.
10 Your congregation dwelt in it;
(M)You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word;
Great was the [d]company of those who proclaimed it:
12 “Kings(N) of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home divides the [e]spoil.
13 (O)Though you lie down among the [f]sheepfolds,
(P)You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her feathers with yellow gold.”
14 (Q)When the Almighty scattered kings in it,
It was white as snow in Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you [g]fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
(R)This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
17 (S)The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
Even thousands of thousands;
The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
18 (T)You have ascended on high,
(U)You have led captivity captive;
(V)You have received gifts among men,
Even from (W)the rebellious,
(X)That the Lord God might dwell there.
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:4 Praise
- Psalm 68:4 MT deserts; Tg. heavens (cf. v. 34 and Is. 19:1)
- Psalm 68:4 Lit. Lord, a shortened Heb. form
- Psalm 68:11 host
- Psalm 68:12 plunder
- Psalm 68:13 Or saddlebags
- Psalm 68:16 Lit. stare
Proverbs 24:1-2
New King James Version
Do Not Envy Evil Men
24 Do not be (A)envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;
2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
