Isaiah 35

New American Standard Bible

Zion’s Happy Future

35 The ^(A)wilderness and the desert will rejoice,
And the ^[a]^(B)desert will shout for joy and blossom;
Like the crocus
²It will ^(C)blossom profusely
And ^(D)rejoice with joy and jubilation.
The ^(E)glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
The majesty of ^(F)Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the ^(G)glory of the Lord,
The majesty of our God.
³^(H)Strengthen the ^[b]exhausted, and make the ^[c]feeble strong.
⁴Say to those with ^(I)anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with ^(J)vengeance;
The ^(K)retribution of God will come,
But He will ^(L)save you.”
⁵Then the ^(M)eyes of those who are blind will be opened,
And the ears of those who are deaf will be unstopped.
⁶Then those who ^(N)limp will leap like a deer,
And the ^(O)tongue of those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
For waters will burst forth in the ^(P)wilderness,
And streams in the ^[d]desert.
⁷The ^[e]scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground ^(Q)springs of water;
In the ^(R)haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.
⁸^(S)A highway will be there, ^(T)a roadway,
And it will be called the Highway of ^(U)Holiness.
The unclean will not travel on it,
But it will be for the one who walks that way,
And ^(V)fools will not wander on it.
⁹No ^(W)lion will be there,
Nor will any vicious animal go up on it;
^[f]They will not be found there.
But ^(X)the redeemed will walk there,
¹⁰And ^(Y)the redeemed of the Lord will return
And come to Zion with joyful shouting,
And everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And ^(Z)sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Footnotes

Isaiah 35:1 Or Arabah
Isaiah 35:3 Lit slack hands
Isaiah 35:3 Lit tottering knees
Isaiah 35:6 Or Arabah
Isaiah 35:7 Or mirage
Isaiah 35:9 Lit It

2 Corinthians 5-6

New American Standard Bible

The Temporal and Eternal

5 For we know that if our ^[a]^(A)earthly ^(B)tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house ^(C)not made by hands, eternal in the heavens. ²For indeed, in this tent we ^(D)groan, longing to be ^(E)clothed with our ^[b]dwelling from heaven, ³since in fact after putting it on, we will not be found naked. ⁴For indeed, we who are in this tent ^(F)groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be ^(G)clothed, so that what is ^(H)mortal will be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who ^(I)gave us the Spirit as a ^[c]pledge.

⁶Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that ^(J)while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— ⁷for ^(K)we walk by faith, not by ^[d]sight— ⁸but we are of good courage and ^(L)prefer rather to be absent from the body and ^(M)to be at home with the Lord. ⁹Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be ^(N)pleasing to Him. ¹⁰For we must all appear before ^(O)the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for ^[e]his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.

¹¹Therefore, knowing the ^(P)fear of the Lord, we persuade people, but we are well known to God; and I hope that we are also ^(Q)well known in your consciences. ¹²We are not commending ourselves to you ^(R)again, but are giving you an ^(S)opportunity to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. ¹³For if we have ^(T)lost our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ ^(U)controls us, having concluded this, that ^(V)one died for all, therefore all died; ¹⁵and He died for all, so that those who live would no longer ^(W)live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose on their behalf.

¹⁶Therefore from now on we recognize no one ^[f]^(X)by the flesh; even though we have known Christ by the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. ¹⁷Therefore if anyone is ^(Y)in Christ, this person is ^(Z)a new ^[g]creation; ^(AA)the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. ¹⁸Now ^(AB)all these things are from God, ^(AC)who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ^(AD)ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹namely, that ^(AE)God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, ^(AF)not counting their wrongdoings against them, and ^[h]He has ^[i]committed to us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰Therefore, we are ^(AG)ambassadors for Christ, ^(AH)as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be ^(AI)reconciled to God. ²¹He made Him who ^(AJ)knew no sin to be ^[j]^(AK)sin in our behalf, so that we might become the ^(AL)righteousness of God in Him.

Their Ministry Commended

6 And ^(AM)working together with Him, ^(AN)we also urge you not to receive ^(AO)the grace of God in vain— ²for He says,

“^(AP)At a favorable time I listened to you,
And on a day of salvation I helped you.”

Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”— ³^(AQ)giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, ⁴but in everything ^(AR)commending ourselves as ^[k]^(AS)servants of God, ^(AT)in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, ⁵in ^(AU)beatings, in imprisonments, in ^(AV)^[l]mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in ^(AW)hunger, ⁶in purity, in ^(AX)knowledge, in ^(AY)patience, in kindness, in the ^(AZ)Holy Spirit, in ^(BA)genuine love, ⁷in ^(BB)the word of truth, and in ^(BC)the power of God; by ^(BD)the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, ⁸by glory and ^(BE)dishonor, by ^(BF)evil report and good report; regarded as ^(BG)deceivers and yet ^(BH)true; ⁹as unknown and yet well known, as ^(BI)dying and yet behold, ^(BJ)we are alive; as ^[m]punished and yet not put to death, ¹⁰as ^(BK)sorrowful yet always ^(BL)rejoicing, as ^(BM)poor yet making many rich, as ^(BN)having nothing and yet possessing ^(BO)all things.

¹¹^(BP)Our mouth ^[n]has spoken freely to you, you Corinthians, our ^(BQ)heart is opened wide. ¹²You are not restrained ^[o]by us, but ^(BR)you are restrained in your own ^[p]affections. ¹³Now in the same way in ^(BS)exchange—I am speaking as to ^(BT)children—open wide your hearts to us, you as well.

¹⁴^(BU)Do not be ^[q]mismatched with ^(BV)unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness ^(BW)share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? ¹⁵Or what ^(BX)harmony does Christ have with ^[r]Belial, or ^[s]what does a ^(BY)believer share with an ^(BZ)unbeliever? ¹⁶Or ^(CA)what agreement does ^[t]the temple of God have with idols? For we are ^[u]^(CB)the temple of ^(CC)the living God; just as God said,

“^(CD)I will ^(CE)dwell among them and ^(CF)walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
¹⁷^(CG)Therefore, ^(CH)come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
¹⁸^(CI)And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be ^(CJ)sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 5:1 Lit earthly house of the tent
2 Corinthians 5:2 I.e., the resurrected body
2 Corinthians 5:5 Or first installment
2 Corinthians 5:7 Or appearance
2 Corinthians 5:10 Lit the things
2 Corinthians 5:16 I.e., by what one is in the flesh
2 Corinthians 5:17 Or creature
2 Corinthians 5:19 Lit having
2 Corinthians 5:19 Lit placed in us
2 Corinthians 5:21 Or a sin offering
2 Corinthians 6:4 Or ministers
2 Corinthians 6:5 Lit tumults
2 Corinthians 6:9 Or disciplined
2 Corinthians 6:11 Lit is open to you
2 Corinthians 6:12 Or in us
2 Corinthians 6:12 Lit inward parts
2 Corinthians 6:14 Lit unevenly yoked
2 Corinthians 6:15 Gr Beliar; a name of the devil and the antichrist
2 Corinthians 6:15 Lit what part has a believer with an unbeliever
2 Corinthians 6:16 Or a temple
2 Corinthians 6:16 Or a temple

Psalm 75

New American Standard Bible

God Humbles the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.

For the music director; set to ^[a]Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

75 We ^(A)give thanks to You, God, we give thanks,
For Your name is ^(B)near;
People declare ^(C)Your wondrous works.
²“When I select an ^(D)appointed time,
It is I who ^(E)judge fairly.
³The ^(F)earth and all who inhabit it ^[b]are unsteady;
It is I who have firmly set its ^(G)pillars. Selah
⁴I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
And to the wicked, ‘^(H)Do not lift up the horn;
⁵Do not lift up your horn on high,
^(I)Do not speak with insolent ^[c]pride.’”

⁶For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the ^[d]^(J)desert comes exaltation;
⁷But ^(K)God is the Judge;
He ^(L)puts down one and exalts another.
⁸For a ^(M)cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is ^[e]^(N)well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Certainly all the wicked of the earth must drain and ^(O)drink its dregs.

⁹But as for me, I will ^(P)declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
¹⁰And ^[f]He will cut off all the ^(Q)horns of the wicked,
But ^(R)the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

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Footnotes

Psalm 75 Title Lit Do Not Destroy
Psalm 75:3 Lit totter
Psalm 75:5 Lit neck
Psalm 75:6 Or mountainous desert
Psalm 75:8 Lit full of mixture
Psalm 75:10 Heb I

Proverbs 12:12-14

New American Standard Bible

¹²The ^(A)wicked person desires the ^[a]plunder of evil people,
But the root of the righteous ^(B)yields fruit.
¹³^[b]An evil person is ensnared by the offense of his lips,
But the ^(C)righteous will escape from trouble.
¹⁴A person will be ^(D)satisfied with good by the fruit of his ^[c]words,
And the ^(E)deeds of a person’s hands will return to him.

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Footnotes

Proverbs 12:12 Lit net (for trapping prey); another reading is mountain stronghold
Proverbs 12:13 Lit In the offense of the lips is an evil snare
Proverbs 12:14 Lit mouth