Isaiah 65:17-25
English Standard Version
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, (A)I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, (B)I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
19 (C)I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
(D)no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
20 No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for (E)the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and (F)the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 (G)They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 (H)They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
(I)for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy[a] the work of their hands.
23 (J)They shall not labor in vain
(K)or bear children for calamity,[b]
for (L)they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
and their descendants with them.
24 (M)Before they call I will answer;
(N)while they are yet speaking I will hear.
25 (O)The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and (P)dust shall be the serpent's food.
(Q)They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 65:22 Hebrew shall wear out
- Isaiah 65:23 Or for sudden terror
Matthew 3:1-4:11
English Standard Version
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 (A)In those days (B)John the Baptist came preaching in (C)the wilderness of Judea, 2 (D)“Repent, for (E)the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a] 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
(F)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(G)‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore (H)a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was (I)locusts and (J)wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, (K)confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of (L)the Pharisees and (M)Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, (N)“You brood of (O)vipers! Who warned you to flee from (P)the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit (Q)in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, (R)‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from (S)these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. (T)Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 (U)“I baptize you with water (V)for repentance, but (W)he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you (X)with the Holy Spirit and (Y)fire. 12 His (Z)winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and (AA)gather his wheat into the barn, (AB)but the chaff he will burn with (AC)unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
13 (AD)Then Jesus came (AE)from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 (AF)John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, (AG)the heavens were opened to him,[c] and he (AH)saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, (AI)a voice from heaven said, (AJ)“This is my beloved Son,[d] with whom I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (AK)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness (AL)to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting (AM)forty days and forty nights, he (AN)was hungry. 3 And (AO)the tempter came and said to him, “If you are (AP)the Son of God, command (AQ)these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, (AR)“It is written,
(AS)“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 (AT)Then the devil took him to (AU)the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
(AV)“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again (AW)it is written, (AX)‘You shall not (AY)put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 (AZ)Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, (BA)Satan! For (BB)it is written,
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, (BE)angels came and were ministering to him.
Footnotes
- Matthew 3:2 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near
- Matthew 3:3 Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness
- Matthew 3:16 Some manuscripts omit to him
- Matthew 3:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved
Isaiah 66:1-9
English Standard Version
The Humble and Contrite in Spirit
66 (A)Thus says the Lord:
(B)“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
2 (C)All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
(D)But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
3 (E)“He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;
he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck;
he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers (F)pig's blood;
he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.
(G)These have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their abominations;
4 (H)I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and bring (I)their fears upon them,
(J)because when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, they did not listen;
(K)but they did what was evil in my eyes
and chose that in which I did not delight.”
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your brothers who hate you
and cast you out for my name's sake
have said, (L)‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy’;
but it is they who shall be put to shame.
6 “The sound of an uproar from the city!
A sound from the temple!
The sound of the Lord,
(M)rendering recompense to his enemies!
Rejoice with Jerusalem
7 (N)“Before she was in labor
she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
she delivered a son.
8 Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For (O)as soon as Zion was in labor
she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
says the Lord;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
says your 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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