Isaiah 51:1-6

English Standard Version

The Lord's Comfort for Zion

51 ^(A)“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
    you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
    and to the quarry from which you were dug.
²Look to Abraham your father
    and to Sarah who bore you;
for ^(B)he was but one when I called him,
    that I might bless him and multiply him.
³For the Lord ^(C)comforts Zion;
    he comforts all her waste places
and makes her wilderness like ^(D)Eden,
    her desert like ^(E)the garden of the Lord;
^(F)joy and gladness will be found in her,
    thanksgiving and the voice of song.

⁴^(G)“Give attention to me, my people,
    and give ear to me, my nation;
^(H)for a law^[a] will go out from me,
    and I will set my justice for a light to the peoples.
⁵^(I)My righteousness draws near,
    my salvation has gone out,
    and my arms will judge the peoples;
^(J)the coastlands hope for me,
    and for my arm they wait.
⁶^(K)Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    and look at the earth beneath;
^(L)for the heavens vanish like smoke,
    the earth will wear out like a garment,
    and they who dwell in it will die in like manner;^[b]
^(M)but my salvation will be forever,
    and my righteousness will never be dismayed.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 51:4 Or for teaching; also verse 7
Isaiah 51:6 Or will die like gnats

Psalm 138

English Standard Version

Give Thanks to the Lord

Of David.

138 ^(A)I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
    before ^(B)the gods I sing your praise;
²I bow down ^(C)toward your ^(D)holy temple
    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
    for you have exalted above all things
    your name and your word.^[a]
³On the day I called, you answered me;
    my strength of soul you increased.^[b]

⁴^(E)All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth,
⁵and they shall sing of ^(F)the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
⁶^(G)For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
    but the haughty he knows from afar.

⁷^(H)Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you ^(I)preserve my life;
you ^(J)stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
    and your ^(K)right hand delivers me.
⁸The Lord will ^(L)fulfill his purpose for me;
    ^(M)your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Do not forsake ^(N)the work of your hands.

Footnotes

Psalm 138:2 Or you have exalted your word above all your name
Psalm 138:3 Hebrew you made me bold in my soul with strength

Romans 11:25-36

English Standard Version

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

²⁵^(A)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^[a] ^(B)a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(C)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

^(D)“The Deliverer will come ^(E)from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
²⁷“and this will be my ^(F)covenant with them
^(G)when I take away their sins.”

²⁸As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(H)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹For the gifts and ^(I)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰For just as ^(J)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[b] receive mercy. ³²For God ^(K)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(L)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(M)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴“For ^(N)who has known the mind of the Lord,
or ^(O)who has been his counselor?”
³⁵“Or ^(P)who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

³⁶For ^(Q)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(R)To him be glory forever. Amen.

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Footnotes

Romans 11:25 Or brothers and sisters
Romans 11:31 Some manuscripts omit now

Matthew 16:13-20

English Standard Version

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

¹³^(A)Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴And they said, “Some say ^(B)John the Baptist, others say ^(C)Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter replied, ^(D)“You are ^(E)the Christ, ^(F)the Son of ^(G)the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, ^(H)“Blessed are you, ^(I)Simon Bar-Jonah! For ^(J)flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, ^(K)but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you, ^(L)you are Peter, and ^(M)on this rock^[a] I will build my church, and ^(N)the gates of ^(O)hell^[b] shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you ^(P)the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and ^(Q)whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[c] in heaven.” ²⁰^(R)Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.