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Isaiah 48-49
New Life Version
Isaiah 48-49
New Life Version
Israel Is Not Faithful in Following the Lord
48 “Hear this, O family of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who come from the seed of Judah. They make promises in the name of the Lord, and call upon the God of Israel, but not in truth or by what is right and good. 2 For they call themselves people of the holy city, and trust in the God of Israel. The Lord of All is His name. 3 I made known the things that would happen long ago. From My mouth My words went out. Then all at once I did what I said I would, and they came to pass. 4 I know that your heart is hard. Your neck is like iron, and your forehead is like brass. 5 So I made them known to you long ago. I told you before they happened, or else you might say, ‘My false god has done them. My objects of worship have made them happen.’ 6 You have heard, now look at all this. And will you say that you will not tell about it? I tell you new things from this time on, even hidden things which you have not known. 7 They are made now, not long ago. Before today you have never heard of them, or you would say, ‘See, I knew them.’ 8 You have not heard. You have not known. Even from long ago your ear has not been open, because I knew that you could not be trusted. You have been known to fight against the law and not obey from birth. 9 Because of My name I hold back My anger. For My praise I keep Myself from cutting you off. 10 See, I have tested you, but not as silver. I have tested you in the fire of suffering. 11 For My own good, for My own good, I will do this. For why should I allow My name to be put to shame? I will not give My shining-greatness to another.
God Will Take Israel Out of Trouble
12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel whom I called. I am He. I am the first, and I am the last. 13 My hand put the earth in its place. And My right hand spread out the heavens. When I call to them, they stand together. 14 Gather together, all of you, and listen! Who among them has made these things known? The Lord loves him. He will do to Babylon what pleases him, and his arm will be against the Babylonians. 15 I, even I, have spoken. Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and he will do well. 16 Come near to Me and listen to this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret. From the time it came to be, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.”
17 The Lord Who bought you and saves you, the Holy One of Israel, says, “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to do well, Who leads you in the way you should go. 18 If only you had listened to My Laws! Then your peace would have been like a river and your right-standing with God would have been like the waves of the sea. 19 Your children’s children would have been like the sand. Those born to you would have been like the sand. Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before Me.”
20 Go out from Babylon! Run from the Babylonians! Call out for joy and let this be known to the end of the earth, saying, “The Lord has bought and set free His servant Jacob!” 21 They were not thirsty when He led them through the deserts. He made water flow out of the rock for them. He broke the rock, and the water flowed out. 22 “There is no peace for the sinful,” says the Lord.
The Servant of the Lord
49 Listen to Me, O islands. Listen, you people from far away. The Lord called Me before I was born. From the body of My mother he said My name. 2 He has made My mouth like a sharp sword. He has hidden Me in the shadow of His hand. He has made Me a shining arrow, keeping Me in His secret place. 3 And He said to Me, “You are My Servant Israel, in Whom I will show My shining-greatness.” 4 But I said, “My work has been for nothing. I have spent My strength for nothing. Yet for sure what should come to Me is with the Lord, and My reward is with My God.”
5 And now the Lord speaks, Who made Me before I was born to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that Israel might be gathered to Him. For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and My God is My strength. 6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the family groups of Jacob, and to bring back those of Israel I have kept safe. I will also make You a light to the nations, so that men over all the earth can be saved from the punishment of their sins.” 7 This is what the Lord, the One Who saves Israel, and its Holy One, says to the hated One, to the One hated by the nations, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see and rise up. Rulers will also bow down, because of the Lord Who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel Who has chosen You.”
Israel as a Nation
8 The Lord says, “I have answered You at the right time. I have helped You in a day when people are saved. I will keep You and give You for an agreement to the people, to make the land good again, and to give them their land which had been destroyed. 9 I will say to those in prison, ‘Come out,’ and to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will eat along the roads, and find grass on all the hills. 10 They will not be hungry or thirsty. The burning heat of the sun will not trouble them. For He Who has loving-pity on them will lead them. He will lead them to wells of water. 11 And I will make all My mountains a road. My straight roads will be raised up. 12 See, these will come from far away. See, these will come from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim.” 13 Sing for joy, O heavens! Be glad, O earth! Break out into songs of joy, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people. He will have loving-pity on His suffering people.
God Remembers Zion
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has left me alone. The Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child? Can she have no pity on the son to whom she gave birth? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. 16 See, I have marked your names on My hands. Your walls are always before Me. 17 Your builders hurry. And those who destroy you will leave you. 18 Lift up your eyes and look around. All of them gather together and come to you. As I live,” says the Lord, “you will put them on like objects of beauty. You will tie them on as a bride does. 19 For your waste places and your destroyed land will now be too small for the people. And those who destroyed you will be far away. 20 The children born to you during the time of your sorrow will say for you to hear, ‘The place is too small for us. Make a bigger place for us to live in.’ 21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has given birth to these for me? My children were taken from me, and I could not give birth. I was sent away and had no place of my own. Who has brought up these children? See, I was left alone. Where have these come from?’”
22 The Lord God says, “See, I will lift up My hand to the nations. I will raise My flag to the people. And they will bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. 23 Kings will take care of you as fathers. And their queens will be your nursing mothers. They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground, and kiss the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who wait for Me with hope will not be put to shame. 24 “Can that which was taken by a strong man in battle be taken from him? Can those taken away to prison by a powerful ruler be saved?” 25 The Lord says, “Even those taken away by the strong man will be taken from him. Those taken by the powerful ruler will be saved. For I will fight with the one who fights with you, and I will save your sons. 26 I will feed those who make it hard for you with their own flesh. They will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. Then all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am the One Who saves you, and the One Who bought you, the Powerful One of Jacob.”
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
New Life Version
Colossians 4
New Life Version
4 Owners, give your servants what is right. Do the same for all. Remember that your Owner is in heaven.
Some Things to Do
2 You must keep praying. Keep watching! Be thankful always. 3 As you pray, be sure to pray for us also. Pray that God will open the door for us to preach the Word. We want to tell the secret of Christ. And this is the reason I am in prison. 4 Pray that I will be able to preach so everyone can understand. This is the way I should speak. 5 Be wise in the way you live around those who are not Christians. Make good use of your time. 6 Speak with them in such a way they will want to listen to you. Do not let your talk sound foolish. Know how to give the right answer to anyone.
Paul’s Helpers Say Hello
7 Tychicus will tell you how I am getting along. He is a much-loved brother and faithful helper. Both of us are owned by the Lord. 8 This is the reason I have sent him to you. It is so you can know about us. He can also bring joy to your hearts. 9 Onesimus is going with Tychicus. He is one of your own people. He is faithful and we love him very much. They will tell you about everything here.
10 One of the men here in prison with me is Aristarchus. He says hello you. Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, says hello. (You have heard before that if he comes to you, you are to receive him and make him happy.) 11 Jesus Justus says hello also. These are the only Jewish workers helping me teach about the holy nation of God. What a help they have been to me!
12 Epaphras says hello. He is one of your people and a servant of Jesus Christ. As he prays for you, he asks God to help you to be strong and to make you perfect. He prays that you will know what God wants you to do in all things. 13 I can tell you for sure that he works hard for you and for the Christians in the cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dear doctor, and Demas say hello. 15 Greet all the Christians in Laodicea. Greet Nympha and the Christians who gather for church in her house.
16 When this letter has been read to you, have it read in the church in Laodicea also. Be sure you read the letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus to be sure to finish the work the Lord called him to do.
18 I, Paul, am writing this last part with my own hand. Do not forget that I am in prison. May you have God’s loving-favor.
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
New Life Version (NLV)
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