Isaiah 23-24

New International Version

A Prophecy Against Tyre

23 A prophecy against Tyre:^(A)

Wail,^(B) you ships^(C) of Tarshish!^(D)
    For Tyre is destroyed^(E)
    and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
    word has come to them.

²Be silent,^(F) you people of the island
    and you merchants^(G) of Sidon,^(H)
    whom the seafarers have enriched.
³On the great waters
    came the grain of the Shihor;^(I)
the harvest of the Nile^[a]^(J) was the revenue of Tyre,^(K)
    and she became the marketplace of the nations.

⁴Be ashamed, Sidon,^(L) and you fortress of the sea,
    for the sea has spoken:
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth;^(M)
    I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.”
⁵When word comes to Egypt,
    they will be in anguish^(N) at the report from Tyre.^(O)

⁶Cross over to Tarshish;^(P)
    wail, you people of the island.
⁷Is this your city of revelry,^(Q)
    the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
    to settle in far-off lands?
⁸Who planned this against Tyre,
    the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants^(R) are princes,
    whose traders^(S) are renowned in the earth?
⁹The Lord Almighty planned^(T) it,
    to bring down^(U) her pride in all her splendor
    and to humble^(V) all who are renowned^(W) on the earth.

¹⁰Till^[b] your land as they do along the Nile,
    Daughter Tarshish,
    for you no longer have a harbor.
¹¹The Lord has stretched out his hand^(X) over the sea
    and made its kingdoms tremble.^(Y)
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
    that her fortresses be destroyed.^(Z)
¹²He said, “No more of your reveling,^(AA)
    Virgin Daughter^(AB) Sidon, now crushed!

“Up, cross over to Cyprus;^(AC)
    even there you will find no rest.”
¹³Look at the land of the Babylonians,^[c]^(AD)
    this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians^(AE) have made it
    a place for desert creatures;^(AF)
they raised up their siege towers,^(AG)
    they stripped its fortresses bare
    and turned it into a ruin.^(AH)

¹⁴Wail, you ships^(AI) of Tarshish;^(AJ)
your fortress is destroyed!^(AK)

¹⁵At that time Tyre^(AL) will be forgotten for seventy years,^(AM) the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

¹⁶“Take up a harp, walk through the city,
you forgotten prostitute;^(AN)
play the harp well, sing many a song,
so that you will be remembered.”

¹⁷At the end of seventy years,^(AO) the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution^(AP) and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.^(AQ) ¹⁸Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord;^(AR) they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord,^(AS) for abundant food and fine clothes.^(AT)

The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

24 See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth^(AU)
    and devastate^(AV) it;
he will ruin its face
    and scatter^(AW) its inhabitants—
²it will be the same
    for priest as for people,^(AX)
    for the master as for his servant,
    for the mistress as for her servant,
    for seller as for buyer,^(AY)
    for borrower as for lender,
    for debtor as for creditor.^(AZ)
³The earth will be completely laid waste^(BA)
    and totally plundered.^(BB)
The Lord has spoken^(BC) this word.

⁴The earth dries up^(BD) and withers,^(BE)
    the world languishes and withers,
    the heavens^(BF) languish with the earth.^(BG)
⁵The earth is defiled^(BH) by its people;
    they have disobeyed^(BI) the laws,
violated the statutes
    and broken the everlasting covenant.^(BJ)
⁶Therefore a curse^(BK) consumes the earth;
    its people must bear their guilt.
Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up,^(BL)
    and very few are left.
⁷The new wine dries up^(BM) and the vine withers;^(BN)
    all the merrymakers groan.^(BO)
⁸The joyful timbrels^(BP) are stilled,
    the noise^(BQ) of the revelers^(BR) has stopped,
    the joyful harp^(BS) is silent.^(BT)
⁹No longer do they drink wine^(BU) with a song;
    the beer is bitter^(BV) to its drinkers.
¹⁰The ruined city^(BW) lies desolate;^(BX)
    the entrance to every house is barred.
¹¹In the streets they cry out^(BY) for wine;^(BZ)
    all joy turns to gloom,^(CA)
    all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
¹²The city is left in ruins,^(CB)
    its gate^(CC) is battered to pieces.
¹³So will it be on the earth
    and among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,^(CD)
    or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.^(CE)

¹⁴They raise their voices, they shout for joy;^(CF)
    from the west^(CG) they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
¹⁵Therefore in the east^(CH) give glory^(CI) to the Lord;
    exalt^(CJ) the name^(CK) of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands^(CL) of the sea.
¹⁶From the ends of the earth^(CM) we hear singing:^(CN)
    “Glory^(CO) to the Righteous One.”^(CP)

But I said, “I waste away, I waste away!^(CQ)
    Woe^(CR) to me!
The treacherous^(CS) betray!
    With treachery the treacherous betray!^(CT)”
¹⁷Terror^(CU) and pit and snare^(CV) await you,
    people of the earth.^(CW)
¹⁸Whoever flees^(CX) at the sound of terror
    will fall into a pit;^(CY)
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare.^(CZ)

The floodgates of the heavens^(DA) are opened,
    the foundations of the earth shake.^(DB)
¹⁹The earth is broken up,^(DC)
    the earth is split asunder,^(DD)
    the earth is violently shaken.
²⁰The earth reels like a drunkard,^(DE)
    it sways like a hut^(DF) in the wind;
so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion^(DG)
    that it falls^(DH)—never to rise again.^(DI)

²¹In that day^(DJ) the Lord will punish^(DK)
    the powers^(DL) in the heavens above
    and the kings^(DM) on the earth below.
²²They will be herded together
    like prisoners^(DN) bound in a dungeon;^(DO)
they will be shut up in prison
    and be punished^[d] after many days.^(DP)
²³The moon will be dismayed,
    the sun^(DQ) ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign^(DR)
    on Mount Zion^(DS) and in Jerusalem,
    and before its elders—with great glory.^(DT)

Footnotes

Isaiah 23:3 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls Sidon, / who cross over the sea; / your envoys ³are on the great waters. / The grain of the Shihor, / the harvest of the Nile,
Isaiah 23:10 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text Go through
Isaiah 23:13 Or Chaldeans
Isaiah 24:22 Or released

1 Peter 2

New International Version

2 Therefore, rid yourselves^(A) of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander^(B) of every kind. ²Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,^(C) so that by it you may grow up^(D) in your salvation, ³now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.^(E)

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴As you come to him, the living Stone^(F)—rejected by humans but chosen by God^(G) and precious to him— ⁵you also, like living stones, are being built^(H) into a spiritual house^[a]^(I) to be a holy priesthood,^(J) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^(K) ⁶For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,^(L)
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”^[b]^(M)

⁷Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,^(N)

“The stone the builders rejected^(O)
has become the cornerstone,”^[c]^(P)

⁸and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”^[d]^(Q)

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.^(R)

⁹But you are a chosen people,^(S) a royal priesthood,^(T) a holy nation,^(U) God’s special possession,^(V) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^(W) ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;^(X) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

¹¹Dear friends,^(Y) I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,^(Z) to abstain from sinful desires,^(AA) which wage war against your soul.^(AB) ¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds^(AC) and glorify God^(AD) on the day he visits us.

¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:^(AE) whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong^(AF) and to commend those who do right.^(AG) ¹⁵For it is God’s will^(AH) that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.^(AI) ¹⁶Live as free people,^(AJ) but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;^(AK) live as God’s slaves.^(AL) ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers,^(AM) fear God, honor the emperor.^(AN)

¹⁸Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters,^(AO) not only to those who are good and considerate,^(AP) but also to those who are harsh. ¹⁹For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.^(AQ) ²⁰But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.^(AR) ²¹To this^(AS) you were called,^(AT) because Christ suffered for you,^(AU) leaving you an example,^(AV) that you should follow in his steps.

²²“He committed no sin,^(AW)
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”^[e]^(AX)

²³When they hurled their insults at him,^(AY) he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.^(AZ) Instead, he entrusted himself^(BA) to him who judges justly.^(BB) ²⁴“He himself bore our sins”^(BC) in his body on the cross,^(BD) so that we might die to sins^(BE) and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”^(BF) ²⁵For “you were like sheep going astray,”^[f]^(BG) but now you have returned to the Shepherd^(BH) and Overseer of your souls.^(BI)