Add parallel Print Page Options

O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls;
    they will pray day and night, continually.
    Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.

Read full chapter

I have posted watchmen(A) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(B)

Read full chapter

The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
    for before their very eyes
    they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.[a]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 52:8 Hebrew to Zion.

Listen! Your watchmen(A) lift up their voices;(B)
    together they shout for joy.(C)
When the Lord returns(D) to Zion,(E)
    they will see it with their own eyes.

Read full chapter

17 Never stop praying.

Read full chapter

17 pray continually,(A)

Read full chapter

17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. 18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

20 “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

Read full chapter

17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman(A) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.(B) 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,(C)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(D) 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn(E) from their wickedness(F) or from their evil ways, they will die(G) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.(H)

20 “Again, when a righteous person turns(I) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block(J) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(K) 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.(L)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20

Psalm 134

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.
Lift your hands toward the sanctuary,
    and praise the Lord.

Read full chapter

Psalm 134

A song of ascents.

Praise the Lord, all you servants(A) of the Lord
    who minister(B) by night(C) in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands(D) in the sanctuary(E)
    and praise the Lord.(F)

Read full chapter

10 For the leaders of my people—
    the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—
    are blind and ignorant.
They are like silent watchdogs
    that give no warning when danger comes.
They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.

Read full chapter

10 Israel’s watchmen(A) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;(B)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.(C)

Read full chapter

17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

Read full chapter

17 Have confidence in your leaders(A) and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you(B) as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

Read full chapter

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[a]

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask[b] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 11:8 Or in order to avoid shame, or so his reputation won’t be damaged.
  2. 11:11 Some manuscripts add for bread, do you give them a stone? Or [if they ask].

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[a] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.(A)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;(B) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[b] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:8 Or yet to preserve his good name
  2. Luke 11:11 Some manuscripts for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for

“Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman. When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’

“Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.

Read full chapter

“Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword(A) against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,(B) and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet(C) to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning(D) and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head.(E) Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head.(F) If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves.(G) But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’(H)

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman(I) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.(J) When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,(K)’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(L) But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so,(M) they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.(N)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 33:8 Or in; also in verse 9

17 I posted watchmen over you who said,
    ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’
But you replied,
    ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’

Read full chapter

17 I appointed watchmen(A) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(B)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(C)

Read full chapter

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

Read full chapter

11 So Christ himself gave(A) the apostles,(B) the prophets,(C) the evangelists,(D) the pastors and teachers,(E) 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ(F) may be built up(G)

Read full chapter

Isaiah’s Prayer for Jerusalem

62 Because I love Zion,
    I will not keep still.
Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
    I cannot remain silent.
I will not stop praying for her
    until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
    and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.

Read full chapter

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(A)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(B) shines out like the dawn,(C)
    her salvation(D) like a blazing torch.

Read full chapter

Remember that we are the people you chose long ago,
    the tribe you redeemed as your own special possession!
    And remember Jerusalem,[a] your home here on earth.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 74:2 Hebrew Mount Zion.

Remember the nation you purchased(A) long ago,(B)
    the people of your inheritance,(C) whom you redeemed(D)
    Mount Zion,(E) where you dwelt.(F)

Read full chapter