Isaiah 35

New International Version

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert^(A) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.^(B)
Like the crocus,^(C) ²it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.^(D)
The glory of Lebanon^(E) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel^(F) and Sharon;^(G)
they will see the glory^(H) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.^(I)

³Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees^(J) that give way;
⁴say^(K) to those with fearful hearts,^(L)
    “Be strong, do not fear;^(M)
your God will come,^(N)
    he will come with vengeance;^(O)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save^(P) you.”

⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened^(Q)
    and the ears of the deaf^(R) unstopped.
⁶Then will the lame^(S) leap like a deer,^(T)
    and the mute tongue^(U) shout for joy.^(V)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams^(W) in the desert.
⁷The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground^(X) bubbling springs.^(Y)
In the haunts where jackals^(Z) once lay,
    grass and reeds^(AA) and papyrus will grow.

⁸And a highway^(AB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;^(AC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean^(AD) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹No lion^(AE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;^(AF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed^(AG) will walk there,
¹⁰    and those the Lord has rescued^(AH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;^(AI)
    everlasting joy^(AJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness^(AK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.^(AL)

Isaiah 30:8-21

New International Version

⁸Go now, write it on a tablet^(A) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,^(B)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.^(C)
⁹For these are rebellious^(D) people, deceitful^(E) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.^(F)
¹⁰They say to the seers,^(G)
    “See no more visions^(H)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,^(I)
    prophesy illusions.^(J)
¹¹Leave this way,^(K)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting^(L) us
    with the Holy One^(M) of Israel!”

¹²Therefore this is what the Holy One^(N) of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,^(O)
    relied on oppression^(P)
    and depended on deceit,
¹³this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,^(Q) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses^(R) suddenly,^(S) in an instant.
¹⁴It will break in pieces like pottery,^(T)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

¹⁵This is what the Sovereign^(U) Lord, the Holy One^(V) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest^(W) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust^(X) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.^(Y)
¹⁶You said, ‘No, we will flee^(Z) on horses.’^(AA)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
¹⁷A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five^(AB)
    you will all flee^(AC) away,
till you are left^(AD)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner^(AE) on a hill.”

¹⁸Yet the Lord longs^(AF) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.^(AG)
For the Lord is a God of justice.^(AH)
Blessed are all who wait for him!^(AI)

¹⁹People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.^(AJ) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!^(AK) As soon as he hears, he will answer^(AL) you. ²⁰Although the Lord gives you the bread^(AM) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers^(AN) will be hidden^(AO) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice^(AP) behind you, saying, “This is the way;^(AQ) walk in it.”

Read full chapter

Matthew 25:31-46

New International Version

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹“When the Son of Man comes^(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.^(B) ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate^(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^(D) ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom^(E) prepared for you since the creation of the world.^(F) ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,^(G) ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me,^(H) I was sick and you looked after me,^(I) I was in prison and you came to visit me.’^(J)

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’^(K)

⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me,^(L) you who are cursed, into the eternal fire^(M) prepared for the devil and his angels.^(N) ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’^(O)

⁴⁶“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.^(P)”^(Q)

Read full chapter

Revelation 14:13-15:4

New International Version

¹³Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(A) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(B) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(C) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[a]^(D) with a crown^(E) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵Then another angel came out of the temple^(F) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(G) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(H) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^(I) ¹⁸Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(J) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(K) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^(L) ²⁰They were trampled in the winepress^(M) outside the city,^(N) and blood^(O) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[b]

Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

15 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign:^(P) seven angels^(Q) with the seven last plagues^(R)—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. ²And I saw what looked like a sea of glass^(S) glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious^(T) over the beast^(U) and its image^(V) and over the number of its name.^(W) They held harps^(X) given them by God ³and sang the song of God’s servant^(Y) Moses^(Z) and of the Lamb:^(AA)

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,^(AB)
    Lord God Almighty.^(AC)
Just and true are your ways,^(AD)
    King of the nations.^[c]
⁴Who will not fear you, Lord,^(AE)
    and bring glory to your name?^(AF)
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,^(AG)
for your righteous acts^(AH) have been revealed.”^[d]

Footnotes

Revelation 14:14 See Daniel 7:13.
Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles or about 300 kilometers
Revelation 15:3 Some manuscripts ages
Revelation 15:4 Phrases in this song are drawn from Psalm 111:2,3; Deut. 32:4; Jer. 10:7; Psalms 86:9; 98:2.