Isaiah 25-27

New International Version

Praise to the Lord

25 Lord, you are my God;^(A)
    I will exalt you and praise your name,^(B)
for in perfect faithfulness^(C)
    you have done wonderful things,^(D)
    things planned^(E) long ago.
²You have made the city a heap of rubble,^(F)
    the fortified^(G) town a ruin,^(H)
the foreigners’ stronghold^(I) a city no more;
    it will never be rebuilt.^(J)
³Therefore strong peoples will honor you;^(K)
    cities of ruthless^(L) nations will revere you.
⁴You have been a refuge^(M) for the poor,^(N)
    a refuge for the needy^(O) in their distress,
a shelter from the storm^(P)
    and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless^(Q)
    is like a storm driving against a wall
⁵    and like the heat of the desert.
You silence^(R) the uproar of foreigners;^(S)
    as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
    so the song of the ruthless^(T) is stilled.

⁶On this mountain^(U) the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast^(V) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(W)
⁷On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud^(X) that enfolds all peoples,^(Y)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸    he will swallow up death^(Z) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(AA)
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace^(AB)
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(AC)

⁹In that day^(AD) they will say,

“Surely this is our God;^(AE)
we trusted^(AF) in him, and he saved^(AG) us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice^(AH) and be glad in his salvation.”^(AI)

¹⁰The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;^(AJ)
    but Moab^(AK) will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.
¹¹They will stretch out their hands in it,
    as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down^(AL) their pride^(AM)
    despite the cleverness^[a] of their hands.
¹²He will bring down your high fortified walls^(AN)
    and lay them low;^(AO)
he will bring them down to the ground,
    to the very dust.

A Song of Praise

26 In that day^(AP) this song will be sung^(AQ) in the land of Judah:

We have a strong city;^(AR)
    God makes salvation
    its walls^(AS) and ramparts.^(AT)
²Open the gates^(AU)
    that the righteous^(AV) nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³You will keep in perfect peace^(AW)
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust^(AX) in you.
⁴Trust^(AY) in the Lord forever,^(AZ)
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock^(BA) eternal.
⁵He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(BB)
    and casts it down to the dust.^(BC)
⁶Feet trample^(BD) it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,^(BE)
    the footsteps of the poor.^(BF)

⁷The path of the righteous is level;^(BG)
    you, the Upright One,^(BH) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(BI)
⁸Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,^[b]^(BJ)
    we wait^(BK) for you;
your name^(BL) and renown
    are the desire of our hearts.
⁹My soul yearns for you in the night;^(BM)
    in the morning my spirit longs^(BN) for you.
When your judgments^(BO) come upon the earth,
    the people of the world learn righteousness.^(BP)
¹⁰But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(BQ)
    they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(BR)
    and do not regard^(BS) the majesty of the Lord.
¹¹Lord, your hand is lifted high,^(BT)
    but they do not see^(BU) it.
Let them see your zeal^(BV) for your people and be put to shame;^(BW)
    let the fire^(BX) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹²Lord, you establish peace^(BY) for us;
    all that we have accomplished you have done^(BZ) for us.
¹³Lord our God, other lords^(CA) besides you have ruled over us,
    but your name^(CB) alone do we honor.^(CC)
¹⁴They are now dead,^(CD) they live no more;
    their spirits^(CE) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(CF)
    you wiped out all memory of them.^(CG)
¹⁵You have enlarged the nation, Lord;
    you have enlarged the nation.^(CH)
You have gained glory for yourself;
    you have extended all the borders^(CI) of the land.

¹⁶Lord, they came to you in their distress;^(CJ)
    when you disciplined^(CK) them,
    they could barely whisper^(CL) a prayer.^[c]
¹⁷As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(CM)
    writhes and cries out in her pain,
    so were we in your presence, Lord.
¹⁸We were with child, we writhed in labor,
    but we gave birth^(CN) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(CO) to the earth,
    and the people of the world have not come to life.^(CP)

¹⁹But your dead^(CQ) will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(CR)
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(CS) is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.^(CT)

²⁰Go, my people, enter your rooms
    and shut the doors^(CU) behind you;
hide^(CV) yourselves for a little while
    until his wrath^(CW) has passed by.^(CX)
²¹See, the Lord is coming^(CY) out of his dwelling^(CZ)
    to punish^(DA) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(DB) shed on it;
    the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Deliverance of Israel

27 In that day,^(DC)

the Lord will punish with his sword^(DD)—
his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(DE) the gliding serpent,^(DF)
Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(DG) of the sea.

²In that day^(DH)—

“Sing^(DI) about a fruitful vineyard:^(DJ)
³    I, the Lord, watch over it;
    I water^(DK) it continually.
I guard^(DL) it day and night
    so that no one may harm^(DM) it.
⁴    I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
    I would march against them in battle;
    I would set them all on fire.^(DN)
⁵Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(DO)
    let them make peace^(DP) with me,
    yes, let them make peace with me.”

⁶In days to come Jacob will take root,^(DQ)
Israel will bud and blossom^(DR)
and fill all the world with fruit.^(DS)

⁷Has the Lord struck her
    as he struck^(DT) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
    as those were killed who killed her?
⁸By warfare^[d] and exile^(DU) you contend with her—
    with his fierce blast he drives her out,
    as on a day the east wind^(DV) blows.
⁹By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned^(DW) for,
    and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(DX)
When he makes all the altar stones^(DY)
    to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[e]^(DZ) or incense altars^(EA)
    will be left standing.
¹⁰The fortified city stands desolate,^(EB)
    an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(EC) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(ED)
    there they lie down;^(EE)
    they strip its branches bare.
¹¹When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(EF)
    and women come and make fires^(EG) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(EH)
    so their Maker has no compassion on them,
    and their Creator^(EI) shows them no favor.^(EJ)

¹²In that day the Lord will thresh^(EK) from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt,^(EL) and you, Israel, will be gathered^(EM) up one by one. ¹³And in that day^(EN) a great trumpet^(EO) will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled^(EP) in Egypt^(EQ) will come and worship^(ER) the Lord on the holy mountain^(ES) in Jerusalem.

Footnotes

Isaiah 25:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Isaiah 26:8 Or judgments
Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Isaiah 27:8 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Isaiah 27:9 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah

1 Peter 3

New International Version

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves^(A) to your own husbands^(B) so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over^(C) without words by the behavior of their wives, ²when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.^(D) ⁴Rather, it should be that of your inner self,^(E) the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.^(F) ⁵For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God^(G) used to adorn themselves.^(H) They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.^(I) You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

⁷Husbands,^(J) in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

⁸Finally, all of you, be like-minded,^(K) be sympathetic, love one another,^(L) be compassionate and humble.^(M) ⁹Do not repay evil with evil^(N) or insult with insult.^(O) On the contrary, repay evil with blessing,^(P) because to this^(Q) you were called^(R) so that you may inherit a blessing.^(S) ¹⁰For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
¹¹They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”^[a]^(T)

¹³Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?^(U) ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.^(V) “Do not fear their threats^[b]; do not be frightened.”^[c]^(W) ¹⁵But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer^(X) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope^(Y) that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience,^(Z) so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.^(AA) ¹⁷For it is better, if it is God’s will,^(AB) to suffer for doing good^(AC) than for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ also suffered once^(AD) for sins,^(AE) the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.^(AF) He was put to death in the body^(AG) but made alive in the Spirit.^(AH) ¹⁹After being made alive,^[d] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits^(AI)— ²⁰to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently^(AJ) in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.^(AK) In it only a few people, eight in all,^(AL) were saved^(AM) through water, ²¹and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you^(AN) also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience^(AO) toward God.^[e] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,^(AP) ²²who has gone into heaven^(AQ) and is at God’s right hand^(AR)—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.^(AS)