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Isaiah 48-49
English Standard Version
Isaiah 48-49
English Standard Version
Israel Refined for God's Glory
48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
(A)who are called by the name of Israel,
and (B)who came from the waters of Judah,
(C)who swear by the name of the Lord
and confess the God of Israel,
but not in truth or right.
2 For they call themselves after the holy city,
(D)and stay themselves on the God of Israel;
the Lord of hosts is his name.
3 “The former things (E)I declared of old;
they went out from my mouth, and I announced them;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.
4 Because I know that (F)you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,
5 (G)I declared them to you from of old,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
lest you should say, (H)‘My idol did them,
my carved image and my metal image commanded them.’
6 “You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forth (I)I announce to you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.
7 They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
lest you should say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have never heard, you have never known,
from of old your ear has not been opened.
For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously,
and that (J)from before birth you were called a rebel.
9 (K)“For my name's sake I defer my anger;
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, (L)but not as silver;
(M)I have tried[a] you in the furnace of affliction.
11 (N)For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name[b] be profaned?
(O)My glory I will not give to another.
The Lord's Call to Israel
12 “Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called!
I am he; (P)I am the first,
and I am the last.
13 My hand (Q)laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand (R)spread out the heavens;
(S)when I call to them,
they stand forth together.
14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(T)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him;
(U)he shall perform his purpose on Babylon,
and his arm shall be against (V)the Chaldeans.
15 (W)I, even I, have spoken and called him;
I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.
16 (X)Draw near to me, hear this:
from the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
from the time it came to be I have been there.”
And now (Y)the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.
17 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you to profit,
who leads you in the way you should go.
18 (Z)Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments!
(AA)Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
19 (AB)your offspring would have been like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.”
20 (AC)Go out from Babylon, flee from (AD)Chaldea,
declare this (AE)with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it out to the end of the earth;
say, (AF)“The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”
21 (AG)They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
(AH)he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split the rock and the water gushed out.
22 (AI)“There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen to me, (AJ)O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples (AK)from afar.
(AL)The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
2 (AM)He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
(AN)in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, (AO)in whom I will be glorified.”[c]
4 (AP)But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
and my recompense with my God.”
5 (AQ)And now the Lord says,
he (AR)who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for (AS)I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6 he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
(AT)I will make you (AU)as a light for the nations,
that (AV)my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7 Thus says the Lord,
(AW)the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
(AX)to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers:
(AY)“Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
The Restoration of Israel
8 Thus says the Lord:
(AZ)“In a (BA)time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you (BB)and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
(BC)to apportion the desolate heritages,
9 (BD)saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
(BE)They shall feed along the ways;
on all bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 (BF)they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them (BG)will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 (BH)And I will make all my mountains a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 (BI)Behold, these shall come from afar,
and behold, (BJ)these from the north and from the west,[d]
and these from the land of Syene.”[e]
13 (BK)Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord (BL)has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, (BM)“The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 (BN)“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, (BO)I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
17 Your builders make haste;[f]
(BP)your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
18 (BQ)Lift up your eyes around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
(BR)As I live, declares the Lord,
(BS)you shall put them all on as an ornament;
you shall bind them on as a bride does.
19 “Surely your waste and your desolate places
and your devastated land—
(BT)surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 (BU)The children of your bereavement
will yet say in your ears:
(BV)‘The place is too narrow for me;
make room for me to dwell in.’
21 Then you will say in your heart:
‘Who has borne me these?
(BW)I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away,
but who has brought up these?
Behold, I was left alone;
from where have these come?’”
22 Thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,
(BX)and raise my signal to the peoples;
(BY)and they shall bring your sons in their arms,[g]
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23 (BZ)Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
(CA)With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and (CB)lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
(CC)those who wait for me (CD)shall not be put to shame.”
24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of a tyrant[h] be rescued?
25 For thus says the Lord:
(CE)“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.
26 (CF)I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk (CG)with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
that (CH)I am the Lord your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:10 Or I have chosen
- Isaiah 48:11 Hebrew lacks my name
- Isaiah 49:3 Or I will display my beauty
- Isaiah 49:12 Hebrew from the sea
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scroll; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:17 Dead Sea Scroll; Masoretic Text Your children make haste
- Isaiah 49:22 Hebrew in their bosom
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Syriac, Vulgate (see also verse 25); Masoretic Text of a righteous man
Isaiah 48-49
New International Version
Isaiah 48-49
New International Version
Stubborn Israel
48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel(A)
and come from the line of Judah,(B)
you who take oaths(C) in the name of the Lord(D)
and invoke(E) the God of Israel—
but not in truth(F) or righteousness—
2 you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city(G)
and claim to rely(H) on the God of Israel—
the Lord Almighty is his name:(I)
3 I foretold the former things(J) long ago,
my mouth announced(K) them and I made them known;
then suddenly(L) I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn(M) you were;
your neck muscles(N) were iron,
your forehead(O) was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;
before they happened I announced(P) them to you
so that you could not say,
‘My images brought them about;(Q)
my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.
Will you not admit them?
“From now on I will tell you of new things,(R)
of hidden things unknown to you.
7 They are created(S) now, and not long ago;(T)
you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
‘Yes, I knew(U) of them.’
8 You have neither heard nor understood;(V)
from of old your ears(W) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous(X) you are;
you were called a rebel(Y) from birth.
9 For my own name’s sake(Z) I delay my wrath;(AA)
for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
so as not to destroy you completely.(AB)
10 See, I have refined(AC) you, though not as silver;
I have tested(AD) you in the furnace(AE) of affliction.
11 For my own sake,(AF) for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?(AG)
I will not yield my glory to another.(AH)
Israel Freed
12 “Listen(AI) to me, Jacob,
Israel, whom I have called:(AJ)
I am he;(AK)
I am the first and I am the last.(AL)
13 My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,(AM)
and my right hand spread out the heavens;(AN)
when I summon them,
they all stand up together.(AO)
14 “Come together,(AP) all of you, and listen:
Which of the idols has foretold(AQ) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally(AR)
will carry out his purpose(AS) against Babylon;(AT)
his arm will be against the Babylonians.[a]
15 I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called(AU) him.
I will bring him,
and he will succeed(AV) in his mission.
16 “Come near(AW) me and listen(AX) to this:
“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;(AY)
at the time it happens, I am there.”
17 This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer,(BC) the Holy One(BD) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches(BE) you what is best for you,
who directs(BF) you in the way(BG) you should go.
18 If only you had paid attention(BH) to my commands,
your peace(BI) would have been like a river,(BJ)
your well-being(BK) like the waves of the sea.
19 Your descendants(BL) would have been like the sand,(BM)
your children like its numberless grains;(BN)
their name would never be blotted out(BO)
nor destroyed from before me.”
20 Leave Babylon,
flee(BP) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy(BQ)
and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;(BR)
say, “The Lord has redeemed(BS) his servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst(BT) when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow(BU) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
and water gushed out.(BV)
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen(BY) to me, you islands;(BZ)
hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born(CA) the Lord called(CB) me;
from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.(CC)
2 He made my mouth(CD) like a sharpened sword,(CE)
in the shadow of his hand(CF) he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow(CG)
and concealed me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,(CH)
Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.(CI)”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;(CJ)
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,(CK)
and my reward(CL) is with my God.”(CM)
5 And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb(CN) to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel(CO) to himself,
for I am[b] honored(CP) in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength(CQ)—
6 he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant(CR)
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.(CS)
I will also make you a light(CT) for the Gentiles,(CU)
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”(CV)
7 This is what the Lord says—
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel(CW)—
to him who was despised(CX) and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
“Kings(CY) will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,(CZ)
because of the Lord, who is faithful,(DA)
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen(DB) you.”
Restoration of Israel
8 This is what the Lord says:
“In the time of my favor(DC) I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;(DD)
I will keep(DE) you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,(DF)
to restore the land(DG)
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,(DH)
9 to say to the captives,(DI) ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness,(DJ) ‘Be free!’
“They will feed beside the roads
and find pasture on every barren hill.(DK)
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,(DL)
nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them.(DM)
He who has compassion(DN) on them will guide(DO) them
and lead them beside springs(DP) of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways(DQ) will be raised up.(DR)
12 See, they will come from afar(DS)—
some from the north, some from the west,(DT)
some from the region of Aswan.[c]”
13 Shout for joy,(DU) you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;(DV)
burst into song, you mountains!(DW)
For the Lord comforts(DX) his people
and will have compassion(DY) on his afflicted ones.(DZ)
15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child(EC) she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!(ED)
16 See, I have engraved(EE) you on the palms of my hands;
your walls(EF) are ever before me.
17 Your children hasten back,
and those who laid you waste(EG) depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all your children gather(EH) and come to you.
As surely as I live,(EI)” declares the Lord,
“you will wear(EJ) them all as ornaments;
you will put them on, like a bride.
19 “Though you were ruined and made desolate(EK)
and your land laid waste,(EL)
now you will be too small for your people,(EM)
and those who devoured(EN) you will be far away.
20 The children born during your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing,
‘This place is too small for us;
give us more space to live in.’(EO)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who bore me these?(EP)
I was bereaved(EQ) and barren;
I was exiled and rejected.(ER)
Who brought these(ES) up?
I was left(ET) all alone,(EU)
but these—where have they come from?’”
22 This is what the Sovereign Lord(EV) says:
“See, I will beckon to the nations,
I will lift up my banner(EW) to the peoples;
they will bring(EX) your sons in their arms
and carry your daughters on their hips.(EY)
23 Kings(EZ) will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.(FA)
They will bow down(FB) before you with their faces to the ground;
they will lick the dust(FC) at your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;(FD)
those who hope(FE) in me will not be disappointed.(FF)”
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives(FH) will be taken from warriors,(FI)
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;(FJ)
I will contend with those who contend with you,(FK)
and your children I will save.(FL)
26 I will make your oppressors(FM) eat(FN) their own flesh;
they will be drunk on their own blood,(FO) as with wine.
Then all mankind will know(FP)
that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(FQ)
your Redeemer,(FR) the Mighty One of Jacob.(FS)”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20
- Isaiah 49:5 Or him, / but Israel would not be gathered; / yet I will be
- Isaiah 49:12 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text Sinim
- Isaiah 49:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint and verse 25); Masoretic Text righteous
Colossians 4
English Standard Version
Colossians 4
English Standard Version
4 Masters, treat your bondservants[a] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 (A)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it (B)with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may (C)open to us a door for the word, (D)to declare the mystery of Christ, (E)on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
5 (F)Walk in wisdom toward (G)outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always (H)be gracious, (I)seasoned with salt, (J)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus will tell you (K)all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant[b] in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him (L)Onesimus, our faithful and (M)beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 (N)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark (O)the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—(P)if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called (Q)Justus. (R)These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and (S)they have been a comfort to me. 12 (T)Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always (U)struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand (V)mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 (W)Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does (X)Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers[c] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and (Y)the church in her house. 16 And when (Z)this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to (AA)Archippus, “See that you fulfill (AB)the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, (AC)write this greeting with my own hand. (AD)Remember (AE)my chains. (AF)Grace be with you.
Footnotes
- Colossians 4:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant in verse 12
- Colossians 4:7 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word sundoulos, see Preface
- Colossians 4:15 Or brothers and sisters
Colossians 4
New International Version
Colossians 4
New International Version
4 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair,(A) because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer,(B) being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door(C) for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery(D) of Christ, for which I am in chains.(E) 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise(F) in the way you act toward outsiders;(G) make the most of every opportunity.(H) 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace,(I) seasoned with salt,(J) so that you may know how to answer everyone.(K)
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus(L) will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant[a](M) in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our[b] circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.(N) 9 He is coming with Onesimus,(O) our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you.(P) They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus(Q) sends you his greetings, as does Mark,(R) the cousin of Barnabas.(S) (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews[c] among my co-workers(T) for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras,(U) who is one of you(V) and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you,(W) that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature(X) and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea(Y) and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke,(Z) the doctor, and Demas(AA) send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea,(AB) and to Nympha and the church in her house.(AC)
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read(AD) in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17 Tell Archippus:(AE) “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”(AF)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.(AG) Remember(AH) my chains.(AI) Grace be with you.(AJ)
Footnotes
- Colossians 4:7 Or slave; also in verse 12
- Colossians 4:8 Some manuscripts that he may know about your
- Colossians 4:11 Greek only ones of the circumcision group
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.