Isaiah 66

New American Standard Bible

Heaven Is God’s Throne

66 This is what the Lord says:

“^(A)Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet.
Where then is a ^(B)house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that ^[a]I may rest?
²For ^(C)My hand made all these things,
So all these things came into being,” declares the Lord.
“But I will look to this one,
At one who is humble and ^(D)contrite in spirit, and who ^(E)trembles at My word.

Hypocrisy Rebuked

³“But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person;
The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers ^(F)pig’s blood;
One who ^[b]^(G)burns incense is like one who blesses an idol.
As they have chosen their ^(H)own ways,
And their souls delight in their ^(I)abominations,
⁴So I will ^(J)choose their ^[c]punishments
And ^(K)bring on them what they dread.
Because I called, but ^(L)no one answered;
I spoke, but they did not listen.
Instead, they did ^(M)evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
⁵Hear the word of the Lord, you who ^(N)tremble at His word:
“Your brothers who ^(O)hate you, who ^(P)exclude you on account of My name,
Have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, so that we may see your joy.’
But ^(Q)they will be put to shame.
⁶A sound of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple,
The voice of the Lord who is ^(R)dealing retribution to His enemies.

⁷“Before she was in labor, ^(S)she delivered;
Before her pain came, ^(T)she gave birth to a boy.
⁸^(U)Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be ^[d]born in one day?
Can a nation be given birth all at once?
As soon as Zion was in labor, she also delivered her sons.
⁹Shall I bring to the point of birth but ^(V)not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.

Joy in Jerusalem’s Future

¹⁰“Be ^(W)joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who ^(X)love her;
Be exceedingly ^(Y)glad with her, all you who mourn over her,
¹¹So that you may nurse and ^(Z)be satisfied with her comforting breasts,
So that you may drink fully and be delighted with her ^(AA)bountiful breasts.”
¹²For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I extend ^(AB)peace to her like a river,
And the ^(AC)glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
And you will ^[e]be nursed, you will be ^(AD)carried on the ^[f]hip and rocked back and forth on the knees.
¹³As one whom his mother comforts, so I will ^(AE)comfort you;
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
¹⁴Then you will ^(AF)see this, and your ^(AG)heart will be glad,
And your ^(AH)bones will flourish like the new grass;
And the ^(AI)hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants,
But He will be ^(AJ)indignant toward His enemies.
¹⁵For behold, the Lord will come in ^(AK)fire,
And His ^(AL)chariots like the whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
¹⁶For the Lord will execute judgment by ^(AM)fire
And by His ^(AN)sword on ^[g]humanity,
And those put to death by the Lord will be many.
¹⁷“Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the ^(AO)gardens,
^[h]Following one in the center,
Who eat ^(AP)pig’s flesh, detestable things, and mice,
Will ^(AQ)come to an end altogether,” declares the Lord.

¹⁸“For I ^[i]know their works and their ^(AR)thoughts; ^[j]the time is coming to ^(AS)gather all the nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. ¹⁹And I will put a ^(AT)sign among them and send survivors from them to the nations: ^(AU)Tarshish, ^[k]Put, ^(AV)Lud, ^[l]Meshech, ^(AW)Tubal, and ^[m]Javan, to the distant ^(AX)coastlands that have neither heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will ^(AY)declare My glory among the nations. ²⁰Then they shall ^(AZ)bring all your countrymen from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My ^(BA)holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a ^(BB)clean vessel to the house of the Lord. ²¹I will also take some of them as ^(BC)priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

²²“For just as the ^(BD)new heavens and the new earth,
Which I make, will endure before Me,” declares the Lord,
“So will your ^(BE)descendants and your ^(BF)name endure.
²³And it shall be from ^(BG)new moon to new moon
And from Sabbath to Sabbath,
All ^[n]mankind will come to ^(BH)bow down before Me,” says the Lord.
²⁴“Then they will go out and look
At the ^(BI)corpses of the people
Who have ^(BJ)rebelled against Me.
For their ^(BK)worm will not die
^(BL)And their fire will not be extinguished;
And they will be an ^(BM)abhorrence to all ^[o]mankind.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 66:1 Lit is My resting place?
Isaiah 66:3 Lit offers a memorial of incense
Isaiah 66:4 Lit ill treatments
Isaiah 66:8 Lit born through labor-pains
Isaiah 66:12 Lit nurse
Isaiah 66:12 Lit side
Isaiah 66:16 Lit all flesh
Isaiah 66:17 Lit After
Isaiah 66:18 As in LXX; know not found in MT
Isaiah 66:18 Lit it is coming
Isaiah 66:19 As in LXX; MT Pul
Isaiah 66:19 As in LXX; MT those who draw the bow
Isaiah 66:19 I.e., Greece
Isaiah 66:23 Lit flesh
Isaiah 66:24 Lit flesh

Titus 3

New American Standard Bible

Godly Living

3 ^(A)Remind them ^(B)to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ^(C)ready for every good deed, ²to slander no one, ^(D)not to be contentious, to be ^(E)gentle, ^(F)showing every consideration for all people. ³^(G)For we too were once foolish, ^(H)disobedient, ^(I)deceived, ^(J)enslaved to ^(K)various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in ^(L)malice and ^(M)envy, hateful, hating one another. ⁴But when the ^(N)kindness of ^(O)God our Savior and His love for mankind ^(P)appeared, ⁵^(Q)He saved us, ^(R)not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but ^(S)in accordance with His mercy, by the ^(T)washing of regeneration and ^(U)renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶^(V)whom He ^(W)richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that being justified by His grace we would be made ^(X)heirs ^[a]according to the hope of eternal life. ⁸^(Y)This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I ^(Z)want you to speak confidently, so that those who have ^(AA)believed God will be careful to ^(AB)engage in good deeds. These things are good and beneficial for people. ⁹But ^(AC)avoid ^(AD)foolish controversies and ^(AE)genealogies and strife and ^(AF)disputes about the Law, for they are ^(AG)useless and worthless. ¹⁰^(AH)Reject a ^[b]^(AI)divisive person ^(AJ)after a first and second warning, ¹¹knowing that such a person has ^(AK)deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Personal Concerns

¹²When I send Artemas or ^(AL)Tychicus to you, ^(AM)make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to ^(AN)spend the winter there. ¹³Diligently help Zenas the ^(AO)lawyer and ^(AP)Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. ¹⁴^(AQ)Our people must also learn to ^(AR)engage in good ^[c]deeds to meet ^(AS)pressing needs, so that they will not be ^(AT)unproductive.

¹⁵^(AU)All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us ^(AV)in the faith.

^(AW)Grace be with you all.

Footnotes

Titus 3:7 Or of eternal life according to hope
Titus 3:10 Or factious
Titus 3:14 Or occupations

Psalm 104:24-35

New American Standard Bible

²⁴Lord, how ^(A)many are Your works!
^[a]In ^(B)wisdom You have made them all;
The ^(C)earth is full of Your ^[b]possessions.
²⁵^[c]There is the ^(D)sea, great and ^[d]broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.
²⁶The ^(E)ships move along there,
And ^[e]^(F)Leviathan, which You have formed to have fun in it.

²⁷They all ^(G)wait for You
To ^(H)give them their food in ^[f]due season.
²⁸You give to them, they gather it up;
You ^(I)open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
²⁹You ^(J)hide Your face, they are terrified;
You ^(K)take away their breath, they perish
And ^(L)return to their dust.
³⁰You send forth Your ^[g]^(M)Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.

³¹May the ^(N)glory of the Lord endure forever;
May the Lord ^(O)rejoice in His works;
³²^[h]He ^(P)looks at the earth, and it ^(Q)trembles;
He ^(R)touches the mountains, and they smoke.
³³^[i]I will sing to the Lord ^[j]^(S)as long as I live;
^[k]I will ^(T)sing praise to my God ^[l]while I have my being.
³⁴May my ^(U)praise be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall ^(V)rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵May sinners be ^(W)removed from the earth
And may the ^(X)wicked be no more.
^(Y)Bless the Lord, my soul.
^[m]^(Z)Praise ^[n]the Lord!

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Footnotes

Psalm 104:24 Or With
Psalm 104:24 Or creatures
Psalm 104:25 Or This
Psalm 104:25 Or broad of dimensions; lit hands
Psalm 104:26 Or a sea monster
Psalm 104:27 Lit its appointed time
Psalm 104:30 Or breath
Psalm 104:32 Lit The one who
Psalm 104:33 Or Let me sing
Psalm 104:33 Lit in my lifetime
Psalm 104:33 Or Let me sing
Psalm 104:33 Lit while I still am
Psalm 104:35 Or Hallelujah!
Psalm 104:35 Heb Yah

Proverbs 14:22-24

New American Standard Bible

²²Will they who ^(A)devise evil not go astray?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
²³In all labor there is profit,
But ^[a]mere talk leads only to poverty.
²⁴The ^(B)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is simply foolishness.