Isaiah 56

English Standard Version

Salvation for Foreigners

56 Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
^(A)for soon my salvation will come,
    and my righteousness be revealed.
²Blessed is the man who does this,
    and the son of man who holds it fast,
^(B)who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
    and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

³Let not ^(C)the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
    “Behold, I am ^(D)a dry tree.”
⁴For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs ^(E)who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose the things that please me
    and hold fast my covenant,
⁵^(F)I will give in my house and within my walls
    a ^(G)monument and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
^(H)I will give them an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.

⁶“And ^(I)the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone ^(J)who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
⁷^(K)these I will bring to ^(L)my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
^(M)their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for ^(N)my house shall be called a house of prayer
    for all peoples.”
⁸The Lord God,
    ^(O)who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
^(P)“I will gather yet others to him
    besides those already gathered.”

Israel's Irresponsible Leaders

⁹^(Q)All you beasts of the field, come to devour—
    all you beasts in the forest.
¹⁰^(R)His watchmen are blind;
    they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent ^(S)dogs;
    they cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
    loving to slumber.
¹¹^(T)The dogs have a mighty appetite;
    they never have enough.
But ^(U)they are shepherds who have no understanding;
    they have all turned to their own way,
    ^(V)each to his own gain, one and all.
¹²^(W)“Come,” they say, “let me get wine;
    let us fill ourselves with strong drink;
^(X)and tomorrow will be like this day,
    great beyond measure.”

Matthew 28:18-20

English Standard Version

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, ^(A)“All authority ^(B)in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹^(C)Go therefore and ^(D)make disciples of ^(E)all nations, ^(F)baptizing them ^(G)in^[a] ^(H)the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them ^(I)to observe all that ^(J)I have commanded you. And behold, ^(K)I am with you always, to ^(L)the end of the age.”

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Footnotes

Matthew 28:19 Or into

Romans 15:7-13

English Standard Version

⁷Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

⁸For I tell you that Christ ^(A)became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order ^(B)to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹and in order ^(C)that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

^(D)“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”

¹⁰And again it is said,

^(E)“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

¹¹And again,

^(F)“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”

¹²And again Isaiah says,

^(G)^(H)“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
^(I)in him will the Gentiles hope.”

¹³May the God of hope fill you with all ^(J)joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

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Ephesians 3:8-11

English Standard Version

⁸To me, ^(A)though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, ^(B)to preach to the Gentiles the ^(C)unsearchable ^(D)riches of Christ, ⁹and ^(E)to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery ^(F)hidden for ages in^[a] God, ^(G)who created all things, ¹⁰so that through the church the manifold ^(H)wisdom of God ^(I)might now be made known to ^(J)the rulers and authorities ^(K)in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was ^(L)according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

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Footnotes

Ephesians 3:9 Or by

Revelation 7:9-10

English Standard Version

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

⁹After this I looked, and behold, ^(A)a great multitude that no one could number, ^(B)from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, ^(C)clothed in white robes, with ^(D)palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, ^(E)“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”