Isaiah 61

New International Version

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit^(A) of the Sovereign Lord^(B) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed^(C) me
    to proclaim good news^(D) to the poor.^(E)
He has sent me to bind up^(F) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom^(G) for the captives^(H)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor^(I)
    and the day of vengeance^(J) of our God,
to comfort^(K) all who mourn,^(L)
³    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown^(M) of beauty
    instead of ashes,^(N)
the oil^(O) of joy
    instead of mourning,^(P)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting^(Q) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.^(R)

⁴They will rebuild the ancient ruins^(S)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
⁵Strangers^(T) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶And you will be called priests^(U) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth^(V) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

⁷Instead of your shame^(W)
    you will receive a double^(X) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit^(Y) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy^(Z) will be yours.

⁸“For I, the Lord, love justice;^(AA)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant^(AB) with them.
⁹Their descendants^(AC) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”^(AD)

¹⁰I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices^(AE) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,^(AF)
as a bridegroom adorns his head^(AG) like a priest,
    and as a bride^(AH) adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden^(AI) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness^(AJ)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Footnotes

Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind

1 Peter 1:13-25

New International Version

Be Holy

¹³Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,^(A) set your hope^(B) on the grace to be brought to you^(C) when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.^(D) ¹⁴As obedient^(E) children, do not conform^(F) to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.^(G) ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;^(H) ¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a]^(I)

¹⁷Since you call on a Father^(J) who judges each person’s work^(K) impartially,^(L) live out your time as foreigners^(M) here in reverent fear.^(N) ¹⁸For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed^(O) from the empty way of life^(P) handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹but with the precious blood^(Q) of Christ, a lamb^(R) without blemish or defect.^(S) ²⁰He was chosen before the creation of the world,^(T) but was revealed in these last times^(U) for your sake. ²¹Through him you believe in God,^(V) who raised him from the dead^(W) and glorified him,^(X) and so your faith and hope^(Y) are in God.

²²Now that you have purified^(Z) yourselves by obeying^(AA) the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,^(AB) from the heart.^[b] ²³For you have been born again,^(AC) not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,^(AD) through the living and enduring word of God.^(AE) ²⁴For,

“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever.”^[c]^(AF)

And this is the word that was preached to you.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

1 Peter 1:16 Lev. 11:44,45; 19:2
1 Peter 1:22 Some early manuscripts from a pure heart
1 Peter 1:25 Isaiah 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)

Song of Songs 2:8-17

New International Version

⁸Listen! My beloved!
    Look! Here he comes,
leaping across the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.^(A)
⁹My beloved is like a gazelle^(B) or a young stag.^(C)
    Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    peering through the lattice.
¹⁰My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.
¹¹See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
¹²Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
¹³The fig tree forms its early fruit;^(D)
    the blossoming^(E) vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.”

He

¹⁴My dove^(F) in the clefts of the rock,
    in the hiding places on the mountainside,
show me your face,
    let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.^(G)
¹⁵Catch for us the foxes,^(H)
    the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,^(I)
    our vineyards that are in bloom.^(J)

She

¹⁶My beloved is mine and I am his;^(K)
    he browses among the lilies.^(L)
¹⁷Until the day breaks
    and the shadows flee,^(M)
turn, my beloved,^(N)
    and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag^(O)
    on the rugged hills.^[a]^(P)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Song of Songs 2:17 Or the hills of Bether

John 21:1-14

New International Version

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples,^(A) by the Sea of Galilee.^[a]^(B) It happened this way: ²Simon Peter, Thomas^(C) (also known as Didymus^[b]), Nathanael^(D) from Cana in Galilee,^(E) the sons of Zebedee,^(F) and two other disciples were together. ³“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.^(G)

⁴Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.^(H)

⁵He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.^(I)

⁷Then the disciple whom Jesus loved^(J) said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.^[c] ⁹When they landed, they saw a fire^(K) of burning coals there with fish on it,^(L) and some bread.

¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” ¹¹So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.^(M) ¹⁴This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples^(N) after he was raised from the dead.