Isaiah 57

English Standard Version

Israel's Futile Idolatry

57 The righteous man perishes,
    and no one lays it to heart;
^(A)devout men are taken away,
    while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from calamity;
²    ^(B)he enters into peace;
they rest ^(C)in their beds
    who walk in their uprightness.
³But you, draw near,
    sons of the sorceress,
    ^(D)offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.
⁴Whom are you mocking?
    Against whom ^(E)do you open your mouth wide
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of ^(F)transgression,
    ^(G)the offspring of deceit,
⁵you who burn with lust among ^(H)the oaks,^[a]
    under every green tree,
^(I)who slaughter your children in the valleys,
    under the clefts of the rocks?
⁶Among the smooth stones of ^(J)the valley is your portion;
    they, they, are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering,
    you have brought a grain offering.
    Shall I relent for these things?
⁷^(K)On a high and lofty mountain
    you have set your bed,
    and there you went up to offer sacrifice.
⁸Behind the door and the doorpost
    you have set up your memorial;
for, deserting me, ^(L)you have uncovered your bed,
    you have gone up to it,
    ^(M)you have made it wide;
and you have made a covenant for yourself with them,
    you have loved their bed,
    you have looked on nakedness.^[b]
⁹You journeyed to the king with oil
    and multiplied your perfumes;
^(N)you sent your envoys far off,
    and sent down even to Sheol.
¹⁰You were wearied with the length of your way,
    ^(O)but you did not say, “It is hopeless”;
you found new life for your strength,
    and so you were not faint.^[c]

¹¹^(P)Whom did you dread and fear,
    ^(Q)so that you lied,
and did not remember me,
    did not lay it to heart?
^(R)Have I not held my peace, even for a long time,
    and you do not fear me?
¹²I will declare your righteousness and your deeds,
    but they will not profit you.
¹³^(S)When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
    The wind will carry them all off,
    a breath will take them away.
^(T)But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land
    and shall inherit ^(U)my holy mountain.

Comfort for the Contrite

¹⁴And it shall be said,
^(V)“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
    remove every obstruction from my people's way.”
¹⁵For thus says ^(W)the One who is high and lifted up,
    who inhabits eternity, whose name is ^(X)Holy:
^(Y)“I dwell in the high and holy place,
    and also ^(Z)with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
^(AA)to revive the spirit of the lowly,
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.
¹⁶^(AB)For I will not contend forever,
    nor will I always be angry;
for the spirit would grow faint before me,
    and the breath of life that I made.
¹⁷Because of the iniquity of his ^(AC)unjust gain I was angry,
    I struck him; I hid my face and was angry,
    but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.
¹⁸I have seen his ways, ^(AD)but I will heal him;
    I will lead him ^(AE)and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
¹⁹    ^(AF)creating ^(AG)the fruit of the lips.
^(AH)Peace, peace, ^(AI)to the far and to the near,” says the Lord,
    ^(AJ)“and I will heal him.
²⁰^(AK)But the wicked are like the tossing sea;
    for it cannot be quiet,
    and its waters toss up mire and dirt.
²¹^(AL)There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 57:5 Or among the terebinths
Isaiah 57:8 Or on a monument (see 56:5); Hebrew on a hand
Isaiah 57:10 Hebrew and so you were not sick

Psalm 30

English Standard Version

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of ^(A)the temple.

30 I will ^(B)extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and have not let my foes ^(C)rejoice over me.
²O Lord my God, I ^(D)cried to you for help,
    and you have ^(E)healed me.
³O Lord, you have brought up my soul from ^(F)Sheol;
    you restored me to life from among those who ^(G)go down to the pit.^[a]

⁴Sing praises to the Lord, O you ^(H)his saints,
    and ^(I)give thanks to his holy name.^[b]
⁵^(J)For his anger is but for a moment,
    and ^(K)his favor is for a lifetime.^[c]
^(L)Weeping may tarry for the night,
    but ^(M)joy comes with the morning.

⁶As for me, I said in my ^(N)prosperity,
    “I shall never be ^(O)moved.”
⁷By your favor, O Lord,
    you made my ^(P)mountain stand strong;
you ^(Q)hid your face;
    I was ^(R)dismayed.

⁸To you, O Lord, I cry,
    and ^(S)to the Lord I plead for mercy:
⁹“What profit is there in my death,^[d]
    if I go down to the pit?^[e]
Will ^(T)the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰^(U)Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹You have turned for me my mourning into ^(V)dancing;
    you have loosed my sackcloth
    and clothed me with gladness,
¹²that my ^(W)glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Footnotes

Psalm 30:3 Or to life, that I should not go down to the pit
Psalm 30:4 Hebrew to the memorial of his holiness (see Exodus 3:15)
Psalm 30:5 Or and in his favor is life
Psalm 30:9 Hebrew in my blood
Psalm 30:9 Or to corruption

John 9-10

English Standard Version

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, ^(A)“Rabbi, ^(B)who sinned, ^(C)this man or ^(D)his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but ^(E)that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must ^(F)work the works of him who sent me ^(G)while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, ^(H)I am the light of the world.” ⁶Having said these things, ^(I)he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. ^(J)Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud ⁷and said to him, “Go, wash in ^(K)the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and ^(L)came back seeing.

⁸The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, ^(M)“Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹He answered, ^(N)“The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹²They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴^(O)Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵^(P)So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not ^(Q)from God, ^(R)for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, ^(S)“How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And ^(T)there was a division among them. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, ^(U)“He is a prophet.”

¹⁸^(V)The Jews^[a] did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²²(His parents said these things ^(W)because they feared the Jews, for ^(X)the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should ^(Y)confess Jesus^[b] to be Christ, ^(Z)he was to be put out of the synagogue. ²³Therefore his parents said, ^(AA)“He is of age; ask him.”)

²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ^(AB)“Give glory to God. We know that ^(AC)this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I ^(AD)was blind, now I see.” ²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷He answered them, ^(AE)“I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but ^(AF)we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, ^(AG)we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰The man answered, “Why, this is ^(AH)an amazing thing! ^(AI)You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that ^(AJ)God does not listen to sinners, but ^(AK)if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. ³³^(AL)If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴They answered him, ^(AM)“You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they ^(AN)cast him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in ^(AO)the Son of Man?”^[c] ³⁶He answered, ^(AP)“And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” ³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and ^(AQ)it is he who is speaking to you.” ³⁸He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, ^(AR)“For judgment I came into this world, ^(AS)that those who do not see may see, and ^(AT)those who see may become blind.” ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, ^(AU)“Are we also blind?” ⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, ^(AV)you would have no guilt;^[d] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

I Am the Good Shepherd

10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ²But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵^(AW)A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶This figure of speech Jesus ^(AX)used with them, but they ^(AY)did not understand what he was saying to them.

⁷So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(AZ)I am the door of the sheep. ⁸All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters by me, ^(BA)he will be saved and will go in and out and ^(BB)find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and ^(BC)kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ¹¹^(BD)I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd ^(BE)lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²He who is ^(BF)a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ^(BG)leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and ^(BH)scatters them. ¹³He flees because ^(BI)he is a hired hand and ^(BJ)cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴^(BK)I am the good shepherd. ^(BL)I know my own and ^(BM)my own know me, ¹⁵^(BN)just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and ^(BO)I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶And ^(BP)I have other sheep that are not of this fold. ^(BQ)I must bring them also, and ^(BR)they will listen to my voice. So there will be ^(BS)one flock, ^(BT)one shepherd. ¹⁷^(BU)For this reason the Father loves me, ^(BV)because ^(BW)I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸^(BX)No one takes it from me, but ^(BY)I lay it down ^(BZ)of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and ^(CA)I have authority to take it up again. ^(CB)This charge I have received from my Father.”

¹⁹^(CC)There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰Many of them said, ^(CD)“He has a demon, and ^(CE)is insane; why listen to him?” ²¹Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. ^(CF)Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

I and the Father Are One

²²At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³and Jesus was walking in the temple, ^(CG)in the colonnade of Solomon. ²⁴So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are ^(CH)the Christ, ^(CI)tell us plainly.” ²⁵Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. ^(CJ)The works that I do ^(CK)in my Father's name bear witness about me, ²⁶but ^(CL)you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. ²⁷^(CM)My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸^(CN)I give them eternal life, and ^(CO)they will never perish, and ^(CP)no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, ^(CQ)who has given them to me,^[e] ^(CR)is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of ^(CS)the Father's hand. ³⁰^(CT)I and the Father are one.”

³¹^(CU)The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³²Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” ³³The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but ^(CV)for blasphemy, because you, being a man, ^(CW)make yourself God.” ³⁴Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in ^(CX)your Law, ^(CY)‘I said, you are gods’? ³⁵If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be ^(CZ)broken— ³⁶do you say of him whom ^(DA)the Father consecrated and ^(DB)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because ^(DC)I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ³⁷^(DD)If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; ³⁸but if I do them, ^(DE)even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that ^(DF)the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” ³⁹^(DG)Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

⁴⁰He went away again across the Jordan to the place ^(DH)where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. ⁴¹And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but ^(DI)everything that John said about this man was true.” ⁴²And ^(DJ)many believed in him there.

Footnotes

John 9:18 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22
John 9:22 Greek him
John 9:35 Some manuscripts the Son of God
John 9:41 Greek you would not have sin
John 10:29 Some manuscripts What my Father has given to me