The Lord Rises Up

33 Woe, you destroyer never destroyed,
you traitor never betrayed!
When you have finished destroying,
you will be destroyed.
When you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.(A)

Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You.(B)
Be our strength every morning
and our salvation in time of trouble.(C)
The peoples flee at the thunderous noise;(D)
the nations scatter when You rise in Your majesty.
Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;
people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
There will be times of security for you—
a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.(E)

Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;
the messengers of peace weep bitterly.(F)
The highways are deserted;
travel has ceased.
An agreement has been broken,(G)
cities[a] despised,
and human life disregarded.
The land mourns and withers;(H)
Lebanon is ashamed and decayed.
Sharon is like a desert;
Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 “Now I will rise up,”(I) says the Lord.
“Now I will lift Myself up.
Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff;(J)
you will give birth to stubble.
Your breath is fire that will consume you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes,
like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.
13 You who are far off, hear what I have done;
you who are near,(K) know My strength.”

14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling seizes the ungodly:
“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?(L)
Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”
15 The one who lives righteously
and speaks rightly,(M)
who refuses gain from extortion,
whose hand never takes a bribe,
who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots[b]
and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil[c](N)
16 he will dwell on the heights;
his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,
his food provided, his water assured.

17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;(O)
you will see a vast land.(P)
18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror:
“Where is the accountant?[d]
Where is the tribute collector?[e]
Where is the one who spied out our defenses?”[f]
19 You will no longer see the barbarians,
a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend—
who stammer in a language that is not understood.(Q)
20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful pasture,(R) a tent that does not wander;
its tent pegs will not be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be loosened.(S)
21 For the majestic One, our Lord, will be there,(T)
a place of rivers and broad streams
where ships that are rowed will not go,
and majestic vessels will not pass.(U)
22 For the Lord is our Judge,
the Lord is our lawgiver,(V)
the Lord is our King.
He will save us.(W)
23 Your ropes are slack;
they cannot hold the base of the mast
or spread out the flag.
Then abundant spoil will be divided,
the lame will plunder it,
24 and none there will say, “I am sick.”
The people who dwell there
will be forgiven(X) their iniquity.(Y)

The Judgment of the Nations

34 You nations, come here and listen;
you peoples, pay attention!(Z)
Let the earth hear, and all that fills it,
the world and all that comes from it.(AA)
The Lord is angry with all the nations—
furious with all their armies.(AB)
He will set them apart for destruction,(AC)
giving them over to slaughter.
Their slain will be thrown out,
and the stench of their corpses will rise;(AD)
the mountains will flow[g] with their blood.(AE)
All[h] the heavenly bodies(AF) will dissolve.
The skies will roll up like a scroll,(AG)
and their stars will all wither
as leaves wither on the vine,
and foliage on the fig tree.(AH)

The Judgment of Edom

When My sword has drunk its fill[i](AI) in the heavens,
it will then come down on Edom(AJ)
and on the people I have set apart for destruction.
The Lord’s sword is covered with blood.
It drips with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams.(AK)
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah,(AL)
a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
The wild oxen will be struck[j] down with them,
and young bulls with the mighty bulls.
Their land will be soaked with[k] blood,
and their soil will be saturated with fat.

For the Lord has a day of vengeance,(AM)
a time of paying back Edom
for its hostility against Zion.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her soil into sulfur;(AN)
her land will become burning pitch.
10 It will never go out—day or night.
Its smoke will go up forever.(AO)
It will be desolate, from generation to generation;
no one will pass through it forever and ever.(AP)
11 The desert owl[l] and the screech owl[m] will possess it,
and the great owl and the raven will dwell there.(AQ)
The Lord will stretch out a measuring line
and a plumb line over her
for her destruction and chaos.(AR)
12 No nobles will be left to proclaim a king,
and all her princes will come to nothing.
13 Her palaces will be overgrown with thorns;
her fortified cities, with thistles and briers.(AS)
She will become a dwelling for jackals,
an abode[n] for ostriches.(AT)
14 The desert creatures will meet hyenas,
and one wild goat will call to another.
Indeed, the screech owl will stay there
and will find a resting place for herself.
15 The sand partridge[o] will make her nest there;
she will lay and hatch her eggs
and will gather her brood under her shadow.
Indeed, the birds of prey will gather there,
each with its mate.(AU)
16 Search and read the scroll of the Lord:(AV)
Not one of them will be missing,
none will be lacking its mate,
because He has ordered it by my[p] mouth,
and He will gather them by His Spirit.
17 He has ordained a lot for them;
His hand allotted their portion with a measuring line.
They will possess it forever;(AW)
they will dwell in it from generation to generation.

The Ransomed Return to Zion

35 The wilderness and the dry land will be glad;
the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.[q][r](AX)
It will blossom abundantly
and will also rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.(AY)
They will see the glory of the Lord,(AZ)
the splendor of our God.(BA)
Strengthen the weak hands,
steady the shaking knees!(BB)
Say to the cowardly:
“Be strong; do not fear!
Here is your God; vengeance is coming.(BC)
God’s retribution is coming; He will save you.”(BD)
Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.(BE)
Then the lame will leap like a deer,(BF)
and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy,(BG)
for water will gush in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;(BH)
the parched ground will become a pool of water,
and the thirsty land springs of water.(BI)
In the haunt of jackals,(BJ) in their lairs,
there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus.
A road will be there and a way;(BK)
it will be called the Holy Way.(BL)
The unclean will not travel on it,(BM)
but it will be for the one who walks the path.(BN)
Even the fool will not go astray.
There will be no lion there,
and no vicious beast will go up on it;
they will not be found there.
But the redeemed will walk on it,
10 and the redeemed of the Lord will return(BO)
and come to Zion with singing,
crowned with unending joy.
Joy and gladness will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee.(BP)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:8 DSS read witnesses
  2. Isaiah 33:15 Lit to bloods
  3. Isaiah 33:15 Lit eyes from seeing evil
  4. Isaiah 33:18 Lit counter
  5. Isaiah 33:18 Lit weigher
  6. Isaiah 33:18 Lit who counts towers
  7. Isaiah 34:3 Or melt, or dissolve
  8. Isaiah 34:4 DSS read And the valleys will be split, and all
  9. Isaiah 34:5 DSS read sword will appear
  10. Isaiah 34:7 Or will go
  11. Isaiah 34:7 Or will drink its fill of
  12. Isaiah 34:11 Or The pelican
  13. Isaiah 34:11 Or the hedgehog
  14. Isaiah 34:13 DSS, LXX, Syr, Tg; MT reads jackals, grass
  15. Isaiah 34:15 Or The arrow snake, or The owl
  16. Isaiah 34:16 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, DSS, Syr, Tg read His
  17. Isaiah 35:1 Or meadow saffron
  18. Isaiah 35:1 Not the modern flower but a common wildflower in northern Israel

Distress and Help

33 Woe(A) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;(B)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.(C)

Lord, be gracious(D) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength(E) every morning,
    our salvation(F) in time of distress.(G)
At the uproar of your army,(H) the peoples flee;(I)
    when you rise up,(J) the nations scatter.
Your plunder,(K) O nations, is harvested(L) as by young locusts;(M)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted,(N) for he dwells on high;(O)
    he will fill Zion with his justice(P) and righteousness.(Q)
He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation(R) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear(S) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.[a](T)

Look, their brave men(U) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys(V) of peace weep bitterly.
The highways are deserted,
    no travelers(W) are on the roads.(X)
The treaty is broken,(Y)
    its witnesses[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
The land dries up(Z) and wastes away,
    Lebanon(AA) is ashamed and withers;(AB)
Sharon(AC) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan(AD) and Carmel(AE) drop their leaves.

10 “Now will I arise,(AF)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;(AG)
    now will I be lifted up.
11 You conceive(AH) chaff,
    you give birth(AI) to straw;
    your breath is a fire(AJ) that consumes you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes;(AK)
    like cut thornbushes(AL) they will be set ablaze.(AM)

13 You who are far away,(AN) hear(AO) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14 The sinners(AP) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling(AQ) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?(AR)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
15 Those who walk righteously(AS)
    and speak what is right,(AT)
who reject gain from extortion(AU)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,(AV)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes(AW) against contemplating evil—
16 they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,(AX)
    whose refuge(AY) will be the mountain fortress.(AZ)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail(BA) them.

17 Your eyes will see the king(BB) in his beauty(BC)
    and view a land that stretches afar.(BD)
18 In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:(BE)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?(BF)
19 You will see those arrogant people(BG) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.(BH)

20 Look on Zion,(BI) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,(BJ) a tent(BK) that will not be moved;(BL)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty(BM) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.(BN)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship(BO) will sail them.
22 For the Lord is our judge,(BP)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,(BQ)
the Lord is our king;(BR)
    it is he who will save(BS) us.

23 Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame(BT) will carry off plunder.(BU)
24 No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;(BV)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.(BW)

Judgment Against the Nations

34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(BX)
    pay attention, you peoples!(BY)
Let the earth(BZ) hear, and all that is in it,
    the world, and all that comes out of it!(CA)
The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath(CB) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[c](CC) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.(CD)
Their slain(CE) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies(CF) will stink;(CG)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(CH)
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(CI)
    and the heavens rolled up(CJ) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(CK)
    like withered(CL) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

My sword(CM) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(CN)
    the people I have totally destroyed.(CO)
The sword(CP) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(CQ) in Bozrah(CR)
    and a great slaughter(CS) in the land of Edom.
And the wild oxen(CT) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.(CU)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(CV)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

For the Lord has a day(CW) of vengeance,(CX)
    a year of retribution,(CY) to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;(CZ)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(DA) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.(DB)
From generation to generation(DC) it will lie desolate;(DD)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[d](DE) and screech owl[e] will possess it;
    the great owl[f] and the raven(DF) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(DG)
    the measuring line of chaos(DH)
    and the plumb line(DI) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes(DJ) will vanish(DK) away.
13 Thorns(DL) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.(DM)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(DN)
    a home for owls.(DO)
14 Desert creatures(DP) will meet with hyenas,(DQ)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(DR) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;(DS)
there also the falcons(DT) will gather,
    each with its mate.

16 Look in the scroll(DU) of the Lord and read:

None of these will be missing,(DV)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(DW) that has given the order,(DX)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(DY)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.(DZ)

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert(EA) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(EB)
Like the crocus,(EC) it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(ED)
The glory of Lebanon(EE) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel(EF) and Sharon;(EG)
they will see the glory(EH) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.(EI)

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees(EJ) that give way;
say(EK) to those with fearful hearts,(EL)
    “Be strong, do not fear;(EM)
your God will come,(EN)
    he will come with vengeance;(EO)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save(EP) you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(EQ)
    and the ears of the deaf(ER) unstopped.
Then will the lame(ES) leap like a deer,(ET)
    and the mute tongue(EU) shout for joy.(EV)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams(EW) in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground(EX) bubbling springs.(EY)
In the haunts where jackals(EZ) once lay,
    grass and reeds(FA) and papyrus will grow.

And a highway(FB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;(FC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(FD) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion(FE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;(FF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(FG) will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued(FH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(FI)
    everlasting joy(FJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness(FK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(FL)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
  2. Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities
  3. Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
  4. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  5. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  6. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.

Lawsuits among Believers

If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court(A) before the unrighteous,[a] and not before the saints? Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters? So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select those[b] who have no standing(B) in the church to judge? I say this to your shame!(C) Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?(D) Instead, believer[c] goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers!(E)

Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you.(F) Why not rather put up with injustice?(G) Why not rather be cheated?(H) Instead, you act unjustly and cheat—and you do this to believers! Don’t you know that the unrighteous(I) will not inherit God’s kingdom?(J) Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,(K) adulterers,(L) or anyone practicing homosexuality,[d](M) 10 no thieves,(N) greedy(O) people, drunkards, verbally abusive people,(P) or swindlers(Q) will inherit God’s kingdom. 11 And some of you used to be like this.(R) But you were washed, you were sanctified,(S) you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

12 “Everything is permissible(T) for me,”[e] but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. 13 “Food(U) for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them.[f] The body is not for sexual immorality(V) but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.(W) 15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body?(X) So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.(Y)[g] 17 But anyone joined(Z) to the Lord is one spirit(AA) with Him.

18 Run(AB) from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.”[h] On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral(AC) sins against his own body. 19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary(AD) of the Holy Spirit(AE) who is in you,(AF) whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought(AG) at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.[i]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:1 Unbelievers; v. 6
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:4 Or life, appoint those (as a command)
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:6 Lit brothers
  4. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Lit adulterers, passive homosexual partners, active homosexual partners
  5. 1 Corinthians 6:12 The words in quotation marks are most likely slogans used by some Corinthian Christians and corrected by Paul.
  6. 1 Corinthians 6:13 Lit both it and them
  7. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Gn 2:24
  8. 1 Corinthians 6:18 See note at 1Co 6:12-13.
  9. 1 Corinthians 6:20 Other mss add and in your spirit, which belong to God.

Lawsuits Among Believers

If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?(A) Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?(B) And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? I say this to shame you.(C) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?(D) But instead, one brother(E) takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!(F)

The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?(G) Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.(H) Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?(I) Do not be deceived:(J) Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers(K) nor men who have sex with men[a](L) 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers(M) will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.(N) But you were washed,(O) you were sanctified,(P) you were justified(Q) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.(R) “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”(S) The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,(T) and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,(U) and he will raise us also.(V) 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?(W) Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b](X) 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c](Y)

18 Flee from sexual immorality.(Z) All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.(AA) 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples(AB) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;(AC) 20 you were bought at a price.(AD) Therefore honor God with your bodies.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:9 The words men who have sex with men translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Gen. 2:24
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:17 Or in the Spirit