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Isaiah 41-42
New Life Version
Isaiah 41-42
New Life Version
God Will Help Israel
41 “Islands, be quiet and listen to Me. Let the people get new strength. Let them come near, then let them speak. Let us come together to be judged. 2 Who has called this one from the east, one who is right at every step? He gives up nations in front of him and makes him ruler over kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, and like wind-blown dry grass with his bow. 3 He goes after them and is safe as he passes, on paths he has not gone on before. 4 Who has done this, calling out all the people from the beginning? I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.”
5 The islands have seen and are afraid. The ends of the earth shake in fear and they have come. 6 Every one helps each other, and says to his brother, “Be strong!” 7 The able workman gives strength of heart to the one who works with gold. He who makes iron smooth gives strength of heart to the one who beats the iron, saying of his work, “It is good.” And he puts it in its place with nails so that it cannot be moved.
8 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, son of My friend Abraham, 9 I have taken you from the ends of the earth. I have called you from its farthest parts, and said to you, ‘You are My servant. I have chosen you and have not turned away from you.’ 10 Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will give you strength, and for sure I will help you. Yes, I will hold you up with My right hand that is right and good. 11 See, all those who are angry with you will be put to shame and troubled. Those who fight against you will be as nothing and will be lost. 12 You will look for those who argue with you, but will not find them. Those who war against you will be as nothing, as nothing at all. 13 For I am the Lord your God Who holds your right hand, and Who says to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’ 14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel. I will help you,” says the Lord. “The One Who bought you and sets you free is the Holy One of Israel. 15 See, I have made you a new, sharp, crushing tool with teeth. You will beat the mountains and crush them. You will make the hills like dry grass. 16 You will make the wind blow over them, and it will carry them away. The storm will send them everywhere. But you will have joy in the Lord. You will be glad in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The suffering and those in need look for water, but there is none. Their tongue is dry with thirst. I the Lord will answer them. I the God of Israel will not leave them alone. 18 I will open rivers on the dry mountain tops, and give water in the valleys. I will make the desert a pool of water, and the dry land wells of water. 19 I will put in the desert the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive tree. I will put the juniper tree in the desert, together with the box tree and the cypress. 20 Then men will see and know and think about and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has made it happen.
21 “Let your cause be known,” says the Lord. “Bring what you have to prove it,” says the King of Jacob. 22 Let them bring what they have, and tell us what is going to happen. Let them tell us what has happened in the past, that we may think about it and know what will happen in the future. 23 Tell us what will happen after this, that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do good or bad, that we may together be afraid and fear. 24 See, you are nothing. And your work is nothing. He who chooses you is hated and sinful.
25 “I have called one from the north, and he has come. From the rising of the sun he will call on My name. He will step hard on rulers as on builder’s clay, as the pot-maker steps hard on clay.” 26 Who has said this from the beginning, that we might know, or from times long ago, that we might say, “He is right”? There was no one who said it, no one who made it known, no one who heard your words. 27 “Before I had said to Zion, ‘See, here they are,’ and to Jerusalem, ‘I will send someone to bring good news.’ 28 But I see that there is no one, even no wise man among them, who can answer My questions. 29 See, all of them are false. Their works are nothing. Their objects of worship are empty wind.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “See! My servant, My chosen one! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit on Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong. 2 He will not cry out or speak with a loud voice. His voice will not be heard in the streets. 3 He will not break a broken branch or put out a little fire. He will be faithful to make everything fair. 4 He will not lose hope or be crushed, until He has made things right on the earth. And the islands will wait with hope in His Law.”
5 This is what God the Lord Who made the heavens and spread them out and Who spread out the earth and what comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it, says, 6 “I am the Lord. I have called you to be right and good. I will hold you by the hand and watch over you. And I will give you as an agreement to the people, as a light to the nations. 7 You will open blind eyes. You will bring people out of prison, out of the prison where they live in darkness. 8 I am the Lord. That is My name. I will not give My shining-greatness to another, or My praise to false gods. 9 See, the things told about in the past have happened. Now I speak about new things. Before they happen I will tell you about them.”
A Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands and those who live on them. 11 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the towns where Kedar lives. Let the people of Sela sing. Let them call out for joy from the tops of the mountains. 12 Let them give honor to the Lord, and praise Him in the islands. 13 The Lord will go out like a powerful soldier. He will be ready like a man of war. He will call out, yes, He will call out a war cry. He will be strong against those who hate Him.
God Promises to Help His People
14 “I have been quiet for a long time. I have been quiet and have held Myself back. Now I will cry out like a woman giving birth. I will breathe hard and fast. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, and dry up all their plants. I will make the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 16 I will lead the blind by a way that they do not know. I will lead them in paths they do not know. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. And I will make the bad places smooth. These are the things I will do and I will not leave them.” 17 They will be turned back and be put to shame who trust in false gods, who say to these objects of worship, “You are our gods.”
Israel Is Blind and Cannot Hear
18 Listen, you who do not hear! And look, you blind, that you may see. 19 Who is blind but My servant? Who does not hear, as the one whom I send with news? Who is so blind as he who is at peace with Me, or so blind as the servant of the Lord? 20 You see many things, but you cannot tell what you see. Your ears are open, but you do not hear. 21 Because He is right and good, the Lord was pleased to make the Law great and give it honor. 22 But this is a people robbed of what they owned. All of them are trapped in deep holes, or hidden in prisons. They have been robbed of what they have, with no one to help them. They have been taken away, with no one to say, “Give them back!”
23 Who among you will hear this? Who will listen and hear in the future? 24 Who let Jacob be taken? Who gave Israel to robbers? Was it not the Lord, Whom we have sinned against, in Whose ways we were not willing to walk, and Whose Law we did not obey? 25 So He poured out upon Israel the heat of His anger and the power of battle. It set him on fire all around. Yet he did not understand. It burned him, but he did not think about it.
Isaiah 41-42
New International Version
Isaiah 41-42
New International Version
The Helper of Israel
41 “Be silent(A) before me, you islands!(B)
Let the nations renew their strength!(C)
Let them come forward(D) and speak;
let us meet together(E) at the place of judgment.
2 “Who has stirred(F) up one from the east,(G)
calling him in righteousness(H) to his service[a]?(I)
He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust(J) with his sword,
to windblown chaff(K) with his bow.(L)
3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed,(M)
by a path his feet have not traveled before.
4 Who has done this and carried it through,
calling(N) forth the generations from the beginning?(O)
I, the Lord—with the first of them
and with the last(P)—I am he.(Q)”
5 The islands(R) have seen it and fear;
the ends of the earth(S) tremble.
They approach and come forward;
6 they help each other
and say to their companions, “Be strong!(T)”
7 The metalworker(U) encourages the goldsmith,(V)
and the one who smooths with the hammer
spurs on the one who strikes the anvil.
One says of the welding, “It is good.”
The other nails down the idol so it will not topple.(W)
8 “But you, Israel, my servant,(X)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,(Y)
you descendants of Abraham(Z) my friend,(AA)
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,(AB)
from its farthest corners I called(AC) you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;(AD)
I have chosen(AE) you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear,(AF) for I am with you;(AG)
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen(AH) you and help(AI) you;
I will uphold you(AJ) with my righteous right hand.(AK)
11 “All who rage(AL) against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;(AM)
those who oppose(AN) you
will be as nothing and perish.(AO)
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.(AP)
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing(AQ) at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand(AR)
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help(AS) you.
14 Do not be afraid,(AT) you worm(AU) Jacob,
little Israel, do not fear,
for I myself will help(AV) you,” declares the Lord,
your Redeemer,(AW) the Holy One(AX) of Israel.
15 “See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,(AY)
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains(AZ) and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.(BA)
16 You will winnow(BB) them, the wind will pick them up,
and a gale(BC) will blow them away.(BD)
But you will rejoice(BE) in the Lord
and glory(BF) in the Holy One(BG) of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy search for water,(BH)
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.(BI)
But I the Lord will answer(BJ) them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake(BK) them.
18 I will make rivers flow(BL) on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert(BM) into pools of water,(BN)
and the parched ground into springs.(BO)
19 I will put in the desert(BP)
the cedar and the acacia,(BQ) the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers(BR) in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress(BS) together,(BT)
20 so that people may see and know,(BU)
may consider and understand,(BV)
that the hand(BW) of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One(BX) of Israel has created(BY) it.
21 “Present your case,(BZ)” says the Lord.
“Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.(CA)
22 “Tell us, you idols,
what is going to happen.(CB)
Tell us what the former things(CC) were,
so that we may consider them
and know their final outcome.
Or declare to us the things to come,(CD)
23 tell us what the future holds,
so we may know(CE) that you are gods.
Do something, whether good or bad,(CF)
so that we will be dismayed(CG) and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing(CH)
and your works are utterly worthless;(CI)
whoever chooses you is detestable.(CJ)
25 “I have stirred(CK) up one from the north,(CL) and he comes—
one from the rising sun who calls on my name.
He treads(CM) on rulers as if they were mortar,
as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,(CN) so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’?
No one told of this,
no one foretold(CO) it,
no one heard any words(CP) from you.
27 I was the first to tell(CQ) Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’
I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news.(CR)
28 I look but there is no one(CS)—
no one among the gods to give counsel,(CT)
no one to give answer(CU) when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false!
Their deeds amount to nothing;(CV)
their images(CW) are but wind(CX) and confusion.
The Servant of the Lord
42 “Here is my servant,(CY) whom I uphold,
my chosen one(CZ) in whom I delight;(DA)
I will put my Spirit(DB) on him,
and he will bring justice(DC) to the nations.(DD)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(DE)
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(DF) he will not break,(DG)
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(DH)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(DI)
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(DJ) on earth.
In his teaching(DK) the islands(DL) will put their hope.”(DM)
5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(DN) who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth(DO) with all that springs from it,(DP)
who gives breath(DQ) to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(DR) you in righteousness;(DS)
I will take hold of your hand.(DT)
I will keep(DU) you and will make you
to be a covenant(DV) for the people
and a light(DW) for the Gentiles,(DX)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(DY)
to free(DZ) captives from prison(EA)
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(EB)
8 “I am the Lord;(EC) that is my name!(ED)
I will not yield my glory to another(EE)
or my praise to idols.(EF)
9 See, the former things(EG) have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce(EH) them to you.”
Song of Praise to the Lord
10 Sing(EI) to the Lord a new song,(EJ)
his praise(EK) from the ends of the earth,(EL)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(EM)
you islands,(EN) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(EO) and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar(EP) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(EQ) sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.(ER)
12 Let them give glory(ES) to the Lord
and proclaim his praise(ET) in the islands.(EU)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(EV)
like a warrior(EW) he will stir up his zeal;(EX)
with a shout(EY) he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.(EZ)
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(FA)
I have been quiet and held myself back.(FB)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.(FC)
15 I will lay waste(FD) the mountains(FE) and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up(FF) the pools.
16 I will lead(FG) the blind(FH) by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(FI) before them
and make the rough places smooth.(FJ)
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake(FK) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(FL)
will be turned back in utter shame.(FM)
Israel Blind and Deaf
18 “Hear, you deaf;(FN)
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(FO) but my servant,(FP)
and deaf like the messenger(FQ) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(FR) with me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(FS)
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake(FT) of his righteousness
to make his law(FU) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(FV) and looted,
all of them trapped in pits(FW)
or hidden away in prisons.(FX)
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;(FY)
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”
23 Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention(FZ) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?(GA)
Was it not the Lord,(GB)
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(GC) his ways;
they did not obey his law.(GD)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(GE)
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(GF) yet they did not understand;(GG)
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(GH)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 41:2 Or east, / whom victory meets at every step
Colossians 1
New Life Version
Colossians 1
New Life Version
Paul Gives Thanks for the Christians in Colossae
1 This letter is from Paul, a missionary for Jesus Christ. God wanted me to work for Him. This letter is from brother Timothy also. 2 I am writing to you who belong to Christ in the city of Colossae. May all the Christian brothers there have loving-favor and peace from God our Father.
3 We always pray and give thanks to God for you. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We give thanks to God for you because we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus. We thank God for your love for all those who belong to Christ. 5 We thank God for the hope that is being kept for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope through the Good News which is the Word of Truth. 6 The Good News came to you the same as it is now going out to all the world. Lives are being changed, just as your life was changed the day you heard the Good News. You understood the truth about God’s loving-kindness. 7 You heard the Good News through our much-loved brother Epaphras who is taking my place. He is a faithful servant of Christ. 8 He told us that the Holy Spirit had given you much love.
9 This is why I have never stopped praying for you since I heard about you. I ask God that you may know what He wants you to do. I ask God to fill you with the wisdom and understanding the Holy Spirit gives. 10 Then your lives will please the Lord. You will do every kind of good work, and you will know more about God. 11 I pray that God’s great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up. 12 I pray that you will be giving thanks to the Father. He has made it so you could share the good things given to those who belong to Christ who are in the light. 13 God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him.
15 Christ is as God is. God cannot be seen. Christ lived before anything was made. 16 Christ made everything in the heavens and on the earth. He made everything that is seen and things that are not seen. He made all the powers of heaven. Everything was made by Him and for Him. 17 Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him. 18 Christ is the head of the church which is His body. He is the beginning of all things. He is the first to be raised from the dead. He is to have first place in everything. 19 God the Father was pleased to have everything made perfect by Christ, His Son. 20 Everything in heaven and on earth can come to God because of Christ’s death on the cross. Christ’s blood has made peace. 21 At one time you were strangers to God and your minds were at war with Him. Your thoughts and actions were wrong. 22 But Christ has brought you back to God by His death on the cross. In this way, Christ can bring you to God, holy and pure and without blame. 23 This is for you if you keep the faith. You must not change from what you believe now. You must not leave the hope of the Good News you received. The Good News was preached to you and to all the world. And I, Paul, am one of Christ’s missionaries.
Paul Is Sent by God to Preach
24 Now I am full of joy to be suffering for you. In my own body I am doing my share of what has to be done to make Christ’s sufferings complete. This is for His body which is the Church. 25 I became a preacher in His church for your good. In the plan of God I am to preach the Good News. 26 This great secret was hidden to the people of times past, but it is now made known to those who belong to Christ. 27 God wants these great riches of the hidden truth to be made known to the people who are not Jews. The secret is this: Christ in you brings hope of all the great things to come. 28 We preach Christ. We tell every man how he must live. We use wisdom in teaching every man. We do this so every man will be complete in Christ. 29 This is the reason I am working. God’s great power is working in me.
Colossians 1
New International Version
Colossians 1
New International Version
1 Paul, an apostle(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(B) and Timothy(C) our brother,
2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:
Grace(D) and peace to you from God our Father.[b](E)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God,(F) the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love(G) you have for all God’s people(H)— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope(I) stored up for you in heaven(J) and about which you have already heard in the true message(K) of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit(L) and growing throughout the whole world(M)—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras,(N) our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister(O) of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.(P)
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you,(Q) we have not stopped praying for you.(R) We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will(S) through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e](T) 10 so that you may live a life worthy(U) of the Lord and please him(V) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,(W) 11 being strengthened with all power(X) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,(Y) 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,(Z) who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance(AA) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.(AB) 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness(AC) and brought us into the kingdom(AD) of the Son he loves,(AE) 14 in whom we have redemption,(AF) the forgiveness of sins.(AG)
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image(AH) of the invisible God,(AI) the firstborn(AJ) over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created:(AK) things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;(AL) all things have been created through him and for him.(AM) 17 He is before all things,(AN) and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head(AO) of the body, the church;(AP) he is the beginning and the firstborn(AQ) from among the dead,(AR) so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased(AS) to have all his fullness(AT) dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile(AU) to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,(AV) by making peace(AW) through his blood,(AX) shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies(AY) in your minds(AZ) because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled(BA) you by Christ’s physical body(BB) through death to present you(BC) holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation(BD)— 23 if you continue(BE) in your faith, established(BF) and firm, and do not move from the hope(BG) held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,(BH) and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.(BI)
Paul’s Labor for the Church
24 Now I rejoice(BJ) in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions,(BK) for the sake of his body, which is the church.(BL) 25 I have become its servant(BM) by the commission God gave me(BN) to present to you the word of God(BO) in its fullness— 26 the mystery(BP) that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known(BQ) among the Gentiles the glorious riches(BR) of this mystery, which is Christ in you,(BS) the hope of glory.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing(BT) and teaching everyone with all wisdom,(BU) so that we may present everyone fully mature(BV) in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously(BW) contend(BX) with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.(BY)
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 4:15.
- Colossians 1:2 Some manuscripts Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
- Colossians 1:7 Or slave
- Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
- Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
- Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us
- Colossians 1:21 Or minds, as shown by
New Life Version (NLV)
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