Isaiah 44:24-45:13
English Standard Version
24 Thus says the Lord, (A)your Redeemer,
(B)who formed you from the womb:
(C)“I am the Lord, who made all things,
(D)who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself,
25 who frustrates the signs of liars
and makes fools of diviners,
(E)who turns wise men back
and makes their knowledge foolish,
26 (F)who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
(G)and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
and I will raise up their ruins’;
27 (H)who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
I will dry up your rivers’;
28 who says of (I)Cyrus, ‘He is (J)my shepherd,
and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
(K)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Cyrus, God's Instrument
45 Thus says the Lord to (L)his anointed, to Cyrus,
(M)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
and (N)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
that gates may not be closed:
2 “I will go before you
and (O)level the exalted places,[a]
(P)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron,
3 (Q)I will give you the treasures of darkness
and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, (R)who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen,
(S)I call you by your name,
(T)I name you, though you do not know me.
5 (U)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
(V)I equip you, though you do not know me,
6 (W)that people may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is none besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and (X)create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 (Y)“Shower, O heavens, from above,
and (Z)let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
let the earth cause them both to sprout;
I the Lord have created it.
9 (AA)“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
a pot among earthen pots!
(AB)Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
or ‘Your work has no handles’?
10 Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”
11 Thus says (AC)the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him:
(AD)“Ask me of things to come;
will you command me (AE)concerning my children and (AF)the work of my hands?[b]
12 (AG)I made the earth
and created man on it;
it was my hands (AH)that stretched out the heavens,
and (AI)I commanded all their host.
13 (AJ)I have stirred him up in righteousness,
(AK)and I will make all his ways level;
(AL)he shall build my city
(AM)and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
says the Lord of hosts.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains
- Isaiah 45:11 A slight emendation yields will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?
Mark 8:11-9:1
English Standard Version
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
11 (A)The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, (B)seeking from him (C)a sign from heaven (D)to test him. 12 And (E)he sighed deeply (F)in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And (G)he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; (H)beware of (I)the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of (J)Herod.”[a] 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And (K)Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? (L)Do you not yet perceive (M)or understand? (N)Are your hearts hardened? 18 (O)Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke (P)the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And (Q)the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 And they came (R)to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And (S)he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when (T)he had (U)spit on his eyes and (V)laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus[b] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, (W)“Do not even enter the village.”
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 (X)And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, (Y)“John the Baptist; and others say, (Z)Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, (AA)“You are (AB)the Christ.” 30 (AC)And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 (AD)And he began to teach them that (AE)the Son of Man must (AF)suffer many things and (AG)be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and (AH)after three days rise again. 32 And he said this (AI)plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, (AJ)“Get behind me, Satan! For you (AK)are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him (AL)deny himself and (AM)take up his cross and follow me. 35 For (AN)whoever would save his life[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake (AO)and the gospel's will save it. 36 (AP)For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For (AQ)what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For (AR)whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this (AS)adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed (AT)when he comes in the glory of his Father with (AU)the holy angels.”
9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not (AV)taste death (AW)until they see the kingdom of God after it has come (AX)with power.”
Isaiah 45:14-25
English Standard Version
The Lord, the Only Savior
14 Thus says the Lord:
(A)“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you (B)and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
no god besides him.’”
15 (C)Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.
16 (D)All of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in confusion together.
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
(E)you shall not be put to shame or confounded
to all eternity.
18 (F)For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he (G)did not create it empty,
(H)he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.
19 (I)I did not speak in secret,
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
(J)‘Seek me in vain.’[a]
I the Lord speak (K)the truth;
I declare what is right.
20 (L)“Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together,
you survivors of the nations!
(M)They have no knowledge
who (N)carry about their wooden idols,
(O)and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.
21 (P)Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
And there is no other god besides me,
a righteous God (Q)and a Savior;
there is none besides me.
22 “Turn to me and be saved,
(R)all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.
23 (S)By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in (T)righteousness
a word that shall not return:
(U)‘To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear allegiance.’[b]
24 (V)“Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and (W)strength;
to him shall come and be ashamed
(X)all who were incensed against him.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
shall be justified and shall glory.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 45:19 Hebrew in emptiness
- Isaiah 45:23 Septuagint every tongue shall confess to God
Revelation 20
English Standard Version
The Thousand Years
20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, (A)holding in his hand the key to (B)the bottomless pit[a] and a great chain. 2 And he seized (C)the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and (D)bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into (E)the pit, and shut it and (F)sealed it over him, so that (G)he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw (H)thrones, and (I)seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw (J)the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those (K)who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. (L)They came to life and (M)reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 (N)Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such (O)the second death has no power, but they will be (P)priests of God and of Christ, and they (Q)will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Defeat of Satan
7 And when the thousand years are ended, (R)Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out (S)to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, (T)Gog and Magog, (U)to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And (V)they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded (W)the camp of the saints and (X)the beloved city, but (Y)fire came down from heaven[b] and consumed them, 10 and the devil (Z)who had deceived them was (AA)thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where (AB)the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence (AC)earth and sky fled away, and (AD)no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and (AE)books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is (AF)the book of life. And (AG)the dead were judged by what was written in the books, (AH)according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, (AI)Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, (AJ)according to what they had done. 14 Then (AK)Death and Hades (AL)were thrown into the lake of fire. This is (AM)the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, (AN)he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Footnotes
- Revelation 20:1 Greek the abyss; also verse 3
- Revelation 20:9 Some manuscripts from God, out of heaven, or out of heaven from God
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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