Isaiah 44:24-45:13

New American Standard Bible

²⁴This is what the Lord says, He who is your ^(A)Redeemer, and the one who ^(B)formed you from the womb:

“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things,
^(C)Stretching out the heavens by Myself
And spreading out the earth ^[a]alone,
²⁵^(D)Causing the ^[b]omens of diviners to fail,
^[c]Making fools of fortune-tellers;
^(E)Causing wise men to turn back
And ^[d]making their knowledge ridiculous,
²⁶^(F)Confirming the word of His servant
And ^[e]carrying out the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the ^(G)cities of Judah, ‘^(H)They shall be built.’
And I will raise her ruins again.
²⁷I am the One who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Dry up!’
And I will make your rivers ^(I)dry up.
²⁸It is I who says of ^(J)Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he will carry out all My desire.’
And ^[f]he says of Jerusalem, ‘^(K)She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘^[g]Your foundation will be laid.’”

God Uses Cyrus

45 This is what the Lord says to ^(L)Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right ^(M)hand,
To ^(N)subdue nations before him
And ^[h]to ^(O)undo the weapons belt on the waist of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
²“I will go before you and ^(P)make the ^[i]rough places smooth;
I will ^(Q)shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron ^(R)bars.
³I will give you the ^[j]^(S)treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The Lord, the God of Israel, who ^(T)calls you by your name.
⁴For the sake of ^(U)Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also ^(V)called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have ^(W)not known Me.
⁵I am the Lord, and ^(X)there is no one else;
^(Y)There is no God except Me.
I will ^(Z)^[k]arm you, though you have not known Me,
⁶So that ^(AA)people may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is ^(AB)no one besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no one else,
⁷The One ^(AC)forming light and ^(AD)creating darkness,
Causing ^[l]well-being and ^(AE)creating disaster;
I am the Lord who does all these things.

God’s Supreme Power

⁸“^(AF)Drip down, heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the ^(AG)earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
^(AH)And righteousness sprout with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹“Woe to the one who ^(AI)quarrels with ^[m]his Maker—
A piece of pottery ^[n]among the other earthenware pottery pieces!
Will the ^(AJ)clay say to the ^[o]potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
¹⁰Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you fathering?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you ^[p]giving birth?’”

¹¹This is what the ^(AK)Lord says, the Holy One of Israel and ^[q]his ^(AL)Maker:

“^[r]^(AM)Ask Me about the things to come ^[s]concerning My ^(AN)sons,
And you shall commit to Me ^(AO)the work of My hands.
¹²It is I who ^(AP)made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I ^(AQ)stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I ^[t]ordained ^(AR)all their ^[u]lights.
¹³I have stirred him in ^(AS)righteousness,
And I will ^(AT)make all his ways smooth.
He will ^(AU)build My city and let My exiles go ^(AV)free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of armies.

Footnotes

Isaiah 44:24 Or who was with Me?
Isaiah 44:25 Lit signs
Isaiah 44:25 Lit He makes
Isaiah 44:25 Lit He turns
Isaiah 44:26 Lit He performs
Isaiah 44:28 Lit to say
Isaiah 44:28 Lit You will be founded
Isaiah 45:1 Lit I will loose
Isaiah 45:2 Another reading is mountains
Isaiah 45:3 Or hoarded treasures
Isaiah 45:5 Or embrace
Isaiah 45:7 Or peace
Isaiah 45:9 Lit He who formed him
Isaiah 45:9 Lit with
Isaiah 45:9 Lit he who formed him
Isaiah 45:10 Lit in labor pains with
Isaiah 45:11 Lit He who formed him
Isaiah 45:11 Or Will you ask
Isaiah 45:11 Or upon
Isaiah 45:12 Or commanded
Isaiah 45:12 Lit host; i.e., sun, stars, etc.

Mark 8:11-9:1

New American Standard Bible

¹¹^(A)And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, ^(B)demanding from Him a ^[a]sign from heaven, ^[b]to test Him. ¹²^(C)Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, “Why does this generation demand a ^[c]sign? Truly I say to you, ^[d]^(D)no ^[e]sign will be given to this generation!” ¹³And leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

¹⁴And the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. ¹⁵And He was giving orders to them, saying, “^(E)Watch out! Beware of the ^[f]leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of ^(F)Herod.” ¹⁶And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. ¹⁷And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? ^(G)Do you not yet comprehend or understand? Do you still have your heart ^[g]hardened? ¹⁸^(H)Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, ¹⁹when I broke ^(I)the five loaves for the five thousand, how many ^(J)baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They *said to Him, “Twelve.” ²⁰“When I broke ^(K)the seven for the four thousand, how many large ^(L)baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they *said to Him, “Seven.” ²¹And He was saying to them, “^(M)Do you not yet understand?”

²²And they *came to ^(N)Bethsaida. And some people *brought a man who was blind to ^[h]Jesus and *begged Him to ^(O)touch him. ²³Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He ^(P)brought him out of the village; and after ^(Q)spitting in his eyes and ^(R)laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴And he ^[i]looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.” ²⁵Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. ²⁶And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter ^(S)the village.”

Peter’s Confession of Christ

²⁷^(T)Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of ^(U)Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸^(V)They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” ^(W)Peter answered and *said to Him, “You are the ^[j]Christ.” ³⁰And ^(X)He ^[k]warned them to tell no one about Him.

³¹^(Y)And He began to teach them that ^(Z)the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. ³²And He was stating the matter ^(AA)plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, ^(AB)Satan; for you are not setting your mind on ^[l]God’s purposes, but on man’s.”

³⁴And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, ^(AC)take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵For ^(AD)whoever wants to save his ^[m]life will lose it, but whoever loses his ^[n]life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? ³⁷For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸For ^(AE)whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, ^(AF)the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He ^(AG)comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The Transfiguration

9 And Jesus was saying to them, “^(AH)Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God when it has come with power.”

Footnotes

Mark 8:11 I.e., confirming miracle
Mark 8:11 Lit testing Him
Mark 8:12 I.e., confirming miracle
Mark 8:12 Lit if a sign shall be given, a very strong refusal
Mark 8:12 I.e., confirming miracle
Mark 8:15 I.e., fermented dough
Mark 8:17 Or dull, insensible
Mark 8:22 Lit Him
Mark 8:24 Or gained sight
Mark 8:29 I.e., Messiah
Mark 8:30 Or strictly admonished
Mark 8:33 Lit the things of God
Mark 8:35 Or soul
Mark 8:35 Or soul

Isaiah 45:14-25

New American Standard Bible

¹⁴This is what the Lord says:

“The ^[a]products of ^(A)Egypt and the merchandise of ^[b]^(B)Cush
And the Sabeans, men of stature,
Will ^(C)come over to you and will be yours;
They will walk behind you, they will come over in ^(D)chains
And will ^(E)bow down to you;
They will plead with you:
‘^[c]^(F)God certainly is ^[d]with you, and ^(G)there is no one else,
No other God.’”
¹⁵Truly, You are a God who ^(H)hides Himself,
God of Israel, ^(I)Savior!
¹⁶They will be ^(J)put to shame and even humiliated, all of them;
The ^(K)manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation.
¹⁷Israel has been saved by the Lord
With an ^(L)everlasting salvation;
You ^(M)will not be put to shame or humiliated
To all eternity.

¹⁸For this is what the Lord says, He who ^(N)created the heavens (He is the God who ^(O)formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it ^[e]as a ^(P)waste place, but formed it to be ^(Q)inhabited):

“I am the Lord, and ^(R)there is no one else.
¹⁹^(S)I have not spoken in secret,
In ^[f]some dark land;
I did not say to the ^[g]^(T)offspring of Jacob,
‘^(U)Seek Me in ^[h]a wasteland’;
I, the Lord, ^(V)speak righteousness,
^(W)Declaring things that are right.

²⁰“^(X)Gather yourselves and come;
Come together, you survivors of the nations!
^(Y)They have no knowledge,
Who ^(Z)carry around ^[i]their wooden idol
And ^(AA)pray to a god who cannot save.
²¹^(AB)Declare and present your case;
Indeed, let them consult together.
^(AC)Who has announced this long ago?
Who has long since declared it?
Is it not I, the Lord?
And there is ^(AD)no other God besides Me,
A righteous God and a ^(AE)Savior;
There is none except Me.
²²^(AF)Turn to Me and ^(AG)be saved, all the ends of the earth;
For I am God, and there is no other.
²³^(AH)I have sworn by Myself;
The ^(AI)word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness
And will not turn back,
That to Me ^(AJ)every knee will bow, every tongue will ^(AK)swear allegiance.
²⁴They will say of Me, ‘Only ^(AL)in the Lord are righteousness and strength.’
People will come to Him,
And ^(AM)all who were angry at Him will be put to shame.
²⁵In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
Will be ^(AN)justified and will ^(AO)boast.”

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Footnotes

Isaiah 45:14 Lit labor
Isaiah 45:14 Or Ethiopia
Isaiah 45:14 Or God is with you alone
Isaiah 45:14 Or in
Isaiah 45:18 LXX in vain
Isaiah 45:19 Lit a place of a land of darkness
Isaiah 45:19 Lit seed
Isaiah 45:19 Or vain
Isaiah 45:20 Lit the wood of their carved image

Revelation 20

New American Standard Bible

Satan Bound

20 Then I saw ^(A)an angel coming down from heaven, holding the ^(B)key of the abyss and a great chain ^[a]in his hand. ²And he took hold of the ^(C)dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and ^(D)bound him for a thousand years; ³and he threw him into the ^(E)abyss and shut it and ^(F)sealed it over him, so that he would ^(G)not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

⁴Then I saw ^(H)thrones, and ^(I)they sat on them, and ^(J)judgment was given to them. And I saw ^(K)the souls of those who had been beheaded because of ^[b]their ^(L)testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not ^(M)worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the ^(N)mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they ^(O)came to life and ^(P)reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. ^(Q)This is the first resurrection. ⁶^(R)Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the ^(S)second death has no power, but they will be ^(T)priests of God and of Christ, and will ^(U)reign with Him for a thousand years.

Satan Freed and Doomed

⁷When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be ^(V)released from his prison, ⁸and will come out to ^(W)deceive the nations which are at the ^(X)four corners of the earth, ^(Y)Gog and Magog, to ^(Z)gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the ^(AA)sand of the ^[c]seashore. ⁹And they ^(AB)came up on the ^[d]broad plain of the earth and surrounded the ^(AC)camp of the ^[e]saints and the ^(AD)beloved city, and ^(AE)fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰And ^(AF)the devil who ^(AG)deceived them was thrown into the ^(AH)lake of fire and ^[f]brimstone, where the ^(AI)beast and the ^(AJ)false prophet are also; and they will be ^(AK)tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment at the Throne of God

¹¹Then I saw a great white ^(AL)throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose ^[g]presence ^(AM)earth and heaven fled, and ^(AN)no place was found for them. ¹²And I saw the dead, the ^(AO)great and the small, standing before the throne, and ^[h]^(AP)books were opened; and another ^[i]book was opened, which is ^(AQ)the book of life; and the dead ^(AR)were judged from the things which were written in the ^[j]books, ^(AS)according to their deeds. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and ^(AT)Death and Hades ^(AU)gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them ^(AV)according to their deeds. ¹⁴Then ^(AW)Death and Hades were thrown into ^(AX)the lake of fire. This is the ^(AY)second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵And if ^[k]anyone’s name was not found written in ^(AZ)the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.