Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz^(A)

7 Now it came to pass in the days of ^(B)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against ^(C)it, but could not ^[a]prevail against it. ² And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are ^[b]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and ^[c]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, ⁴ and say to him: ^[d]‘Take heed, and ^[e]be ^(D)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, ⁶ “Let us go up against Judah and ^[f]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— ⁷ thus says the Lord God:

The Immanuel Prophecy

¹⁰ Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, ^11 (H)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ^[h]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

¹³ Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: ^(I)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear ^(J)a Son, and shall call His name ^(K)Immanuel.^{[i] 15} Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. ^16 (L)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by ^(M)both her kings. ^17 (N)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that ^(O)Ephraim departed from Judah.”

² Indeed I, Paul, say to you that ^(A)if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. ³ And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised ^(B)that he is ^[a]a debtor to keep the whole law. ^4 (C)You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; ^(D)you have fallen from grace. ⁵ For we through the Spirit eagerly ^(E)wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. ⁶ For ^(F)in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but ^(G)faith working through love.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁷ You ^(H)ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. ^9 (I)A little leaven leavens the whole lump. ¹⁰ I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

¹¹ And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, ^(J)why do I still suffer persecution? Then ^(K)the offense of the cross has ceased. ^12 (L)I could wish that those ^(M)who trouble you would even ^[b]cut themselves off!

¹³ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only ^(N)do not use liberty as an ^(O)opportunity for the flesh, but ^(P)through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For ^(Q)all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ^(R)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Walking in the Spirit

¹⁶ I say then: ^(S)Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For ^(T)the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, ^(U)so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But ^(V)if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ Now ^(W)the works of the flesh are evident, which are: ^[c]adultery, ^[d]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, ^[e]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that ^(X)those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But ^(Y)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(Z)love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, ^(AA)goodness, ^(AB)faithfulness, ^23 [f]gentleness, self-control. ^(AC)Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ’s ^(AD)have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ^25 (AE)If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ^26 (AF)Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Assyria Will Invade the Land

8 Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and ^(A)write on it with a man’s pen concerning ^[a]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. ² And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, ^(B)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”

³ Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; ^4 (C)for before the child ^[b]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ ^(D)the riches of Damascus and the ^[c]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”

⁵ The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:

Fear God, Heed His Word

¹¹ For the Lord spoke thus to me with ^[i]a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²² After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them ^(A)and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near ^(B)Salim, because there was much water there. ^(C)And they came and were baptized. ²⁴ For ^(D)John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, ^(E)to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all ^(F)are coming to Him!”

²⁷ John answered and said, ^(G)“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ^(H)‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ^(I)‘I have been sent before Him.’ ^29 (J)He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but ^(K)the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. ^30 (L)He must increase, but I must decrease. ^31 (M)He who comes from above ^(N)is above all; ^(O)he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. ^(P)He who comes from heaven is above all. ³² And ^(Q)what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. ³³ He who has received His testimony ^(R)has certified that God is true. ^34 (S)For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit ^(T)by measure. ^35 (U)The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. ^36 (V)He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the ^(W)wrath of God abides on him.”