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Isaiah 59-61
New Life Version
Isaiah 59-61
New Life Version
Sin Keeps One from God
59 See, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save, and His ear is not closed that it cannot hear. 2 But your wrong-doings have kept you away from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. 3 For your hands are sinful with blood, your fingers with wrong-doing, your lips have lied, and your tongue talks about sin. 4 No one wants what is right and fair in court. And no one argues his cause with the truth. They trust in what is false, and speak lies. They plan to make trouble and do what is sinful. 5 They bring young ones from the eggs of deadly snakes and make traps as a spider does. He who eats of their eggs dies, and a snake comes out of the egg that is crushed. 6 Clothing cannot be made from the work of the spider, so they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of sin. They hurt others with their hands. 7 And they are quick to sin and to kill people who are not guilty. Their thoughts are thoughts of sin. Wherever they go, they destroy and cause suffering. 8 They know nothing about peace, and there is nothing fair in their paths. Their roads are not straight. Whoever walks on them does not know peace.
9 So what is right and fair is far from us. What is right and good does not come to us. We hope for light, but see darkness. We hope for bright light, but we walk in the dark. 10 We feel for the wall like blind men. We feel our way like those who have no eyes. We trip at noon as in the night. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men. 11 All of us make noise like bears, and cry inside ourselves like doves. We hope for what is right and fair, but it is not there. We hope to be saved, but it is far from us. 12 For we have done much wrong before You, and our sins speak against us. Our wrong-doing is with us, and we know our sins. 13 We have gone against the Lord and have acted as if we do not know Him. We have turned away from our God. We have made it hard for others. We have thought and spoken lying words from the heart. 14 What is right and fair is turned back. What is right and good stands far away. Truth has fallen in the street, and what is right cannot come in. 15 Yes, truth is not there. And he who turns away from sin comes under the anger of sinners.
Now the Lord saw this, and it did not please Him to see that what is right and fair was not being done. 16 He saw and wondered that there was no man to speak up for what is right. Then His own arm brought saving power, and what is right with Him gave Him strength. 17 Being right and good was His covering for His breast, saving power was His headcovering, clothing of anger was his covering, and His strong desires were like a coat. 18 He will pay them back for their works. He will send anger upon those who are against Him, and will punish those who hate Him. He will send punishment on the islands. 19 They will fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His shining-greatness from the rising of the sun. When the one who hates us comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a wall against him. 20 “The One Who saves from the punishment of sin will come to Zion, and He will come to those of Jacob who turn from their sinful ways,” says the Lord. 21 “And as for Me, this is My agreement with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit which is upon you, and My Words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or the mouth of your children, or the mouth of your children’s children,” say the Lord, “from now and forever.”
60 “Rise up and shine, for your light has come. The shining-greatness of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For see, darkness will cover the earth. Much darkness will cover the people. But the Lord will rise upon you, and His shining-greatness will be seen upon you. 3 Nations will come to your light. And kings will see the shining-greatness of the Lord on you.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look around you, and see. They all gather together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. 5 Then you will see and shine with joy. Your heart will be glad and full of joy, because the riches of the sea will be turned to you. And the riches of the nations will come to you. 6 Many camels will cover your land, the young camels of Midian and Ephah. All those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and special perfume, and will carry good news of the praises of the Lord. 7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you. The male sheep of Nebaioth will be ready for your need. They will be received on My altar. And I will make My house beautiful. 8 Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows? 9 For sure the islands will wait for Me. And the ships of Tarshish will come first, to bring your sons from far away, and their silver and gold with them. They will come because of the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for He has brought great honor to you.
10 “People from strange lands will build up your walls, and their kings will help you. For I destroyed you in My anger, but in My favor I have had loving-pity on you. 11 Your gates will always be open. They will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring the riches of the nations to you with the kings leading the way. 12 For the nation which does not serve you will be destroyed. Those nations will all be destroyed. 13 The beauty of Lebanon will come to you. The juniper, the box tree and the cypress will be brought to make My holy place beautiful. I will make the place of My feet a beautiful place. 14 The sons of those who made it hard for you will come bowing to you. All those who hated you will bow down at your feet. And they will call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “You have been left and hated, with no one passing through. But I will make you a pride forever, a joy for all your children’s children. 16 You will drink the milk of nations. You will drink from the breast of kings. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am the One Who saves you, and the One Who bought you and made you free, the Powerful One of Jacob. 17 Instead of brass, I will bring gold. Instead of iron, I will bring silver. Instead of wood, I will bring brass. And instead of stones, I will bring iron. I will make peace your leader, and what is right and good will be your boss. 18 Fighting will not be heard again in your land. Nothing within your land will be destroyed. You will call your walls Saving Power and your gates Praise. 19 No more will the sun be your light during the day, and the moon during the night. But the Lord will be your light forever and your God will be your shining-greatness. 20 Your sun will set no more, and your moon will not become less. For the Lord will be your light forever and ever, and the days of your sorrow will end. 21 Then all your people will be right with God. They will have the land forever. They are the branch I planted, the work of My hands, that I may be honored. 22 The smallest one will become a family of a thousand. And the least one will become a powerful nation. I, the Lord, will make it happen in its time.”
The Good News
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has chosen me to bring good news to poor people. He has sent me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent me to tell those who are being held and those in prison that they can go free. 2 He has sent me to tell about the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day our God will bring punishment. He has sent me to comfort all who are filled with sorrow. 3 To those who have sorrow in Zion I will give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. I will give them the oil of joy instead of sorrow, and a spirit of praise instead of a spirit of no hope. Then they will be called oaks that are right with God, planted by the Lord, that He may be honored.
4 They will build the cities again that were destroyed long ago. They will raise up what had been torn down, and will build the cities that were destroyed, and have lain waste through the years of many families and their children’s children. 5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks. Men from other lands will be your farmers and care for your vines. 6 But you will be called the religious leaders of the Lord. Men will speak of you as servants of our God. You will eat the riches of the nations, and in their riches you will speak with pride. 7 Instead of your shame you will have a share that is twice as much. Instead of being without honor, they will sing for joy over all you receive. So they will have twice as much in their land, and joy that lasts forever will be theirs. 8 For I, the Lord, love what is right and fair. I hate stealing and what is wrong. I will be faithful to pay them what they should have. And I will make an agreement with them that will last forever. 9 Their children will be known among the nations. Their children’s children will be known among the people. All who see them will know them, because they are the people to whom the Lord has brought honor.
10 I will have much joy in the Lord. My soul will have joy in my God, for He has clothed me with the clothes of His saving power. He has put around me a coat of what is right and good, as a man at his own wedding wears something special on his head, and as a bride makes herself beautiful with stones of great worth. 11 As the earth lets its new plants grow, and as a garden causes the things planted in it to grow, in the same way, the Lord God will cause what is right and good and words of praise to grow up in front of all the nations.
Isaiah 59-61
New International Version
Isaiah 59-61
New International Version
Sin, Confession and Redemption
59 Surely the arm(A) of the Lord is not too short(B) to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.(C)
2 But your iniquities have separated(D)
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.(E)
3 For your hands are stained with blood,(F)
your fingers with guilt.(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(H)
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice;(I)
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(K)
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(L)
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers(M)
and spin a spider’s web.(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence(P) are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;(R)
acts of violence mark their ways.(S)
8 The way of peace they do not know;(T)
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(U)
no one who walks along them will know peace.(V)
9 So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(W)
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(X) we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(Y) as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.(Z)
11 We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.(AA)
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses(AB) are many in your sight,
and our sins testify(AC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:(AD)
13 rebellion(AE) and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs(AF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(AG)
uttering lies(AH) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(AI) is driven back,
and righteousness(AJ) stands at a distance;
truth(AK) has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(AL) is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The Lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.(AM)
16 He saw that there was no one,(AN)
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(AO)
so his own arm achieved salvation(AP) for him,
and his own righteousness(AQ) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(AR)
and the helmet(AS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(AT) of vengeance(AU)
and wrapped himself in zeal(AV) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay(AW)
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands(AX) their due.
19 From the west,(AY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun,(AZ) they will revere his glory.(BA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath(BB) of the Lord drives along.[a]
20 “The Redeemer(BC) will come to Zion,(BD)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(BE)
declares the Lord.
21 “As for me, this is my covenant(BF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(BG) who is on you, will not depart from you,(BH) and my words that I have put in your mouth(BI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.
The Glory of Zion
60 “Arise,(BJ) shine, for your light(BK) has come,
and the glory(BL) of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness(BM) covers the earth
and thick darkness(BN) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations(BO) will come to your light,(BP)
and kings(BQ) to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble(BR) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(BS)
and your daughters(BT) are carried on the hip.(BU)
5 Then you will look and be radiant,(BV)
your heart will throb and swell with joy;(BW)
the wealth(BX) on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels(BY) will cover your land,
young camels of Midian(BZ) and Ephah.(CA)
And all from Sheba(CB) will come,
bearing gold and incense(CC)
and proclaiming the praise(CD) of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s(CE) flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(CF) on my altar,(CG)
and I will adorn my glorious temple.(CH)
8 “Who are these(CI) that fly along like clouds,(CJ)
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands(CK) look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[b](CL)
bringing(CM) your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,(CN)
to the honor(CO) of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(CP) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.(CQ)
10 “Foreigners(CR) will rebuild your walls,
and their kings(CS) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor(CT) I will show you compassion.(CU)
11 Your gates(CV) will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(CW)—
their kings(CX) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(CY) you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.(CZ)
13 “The glory of Lebanon(DA) will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(DB)
to adorn my sanctuary;(DC)
and I will glorify the place for my feet.(DD)
14 The children of your oppressors(DE) will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down(DF) at your feet
and will call you the City(DG) of the Lord,
Zion(DH) of the Holy One(DI) of Israel.
15 “Although you have been forsaken(DJ) and hated,
with no one traveling(DK) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(DL)
and the joy(DM) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed(DN) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(DO) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,(DP)
your Redeemer,(DQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.(DR)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(DS)
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(DT) your governor
and well-being your ruler.(DU)
18 No longer will violence(DV) be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction(DW) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(DX)
and your gates Praise.(DY)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,(DZ)
and your God will be your glory.(EA)
20 Your sun(EB) will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow(EC) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(ED)
and they will possess(EE) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(EF)
the work of my hands,(EG)
for the display of my splendor.(EH)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.(EI)
I am the Lord;
in its time I will do this swiftly.”(EJ)
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61 The Spirit(EK) of the Sovereign Lord(EL) is on me,
because the Lord has anointed(EM) me
to proclaim good news(EN) to the poor.(EO)
He has sent me to bind up(EP) the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom(EQ) for the captives(ER)
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[c]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(ES)
and the day of vengeance(ET) of our God,
to comfort(EU) all who mourn,(EV)
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(EW) of beauty
instead of ashes,(EX)
the oil(EY) of joy
instead of mourning,(EZ)
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting(FA) of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.(FB)
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins(FC)
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers(FD) will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests(FE) of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(FF) of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame(FG)
you will receive a double(FH) portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(FI) a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy(FJ) will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;(FK)
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant(FL) with them.
9 Their descendants(FM) will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(FN)
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices(FO) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(FP)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(FQ) like a priest,
and as a bride(FR) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden(FS) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(FT)
and praise spring up before all nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
- Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
- Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
1 Thessalonians 4
New Life Version
1 Thessalonians 4
New Life Version
Paul Tells Them to Live Holy Lives
4 Christian brothers, we ask you, because of the Lord Jesus, to keep on living in a way that will please God. I have already told you how to grow in the Christian life. 2 The Lord Jesus gave us the right and the power to tell you what to do. 3 God wants you to be holy. You must keep away from sex sins. 4 God wants each of you to use his body in the right way by keeping it holy and by respecting it. 5 You should not use it to please your own desires like the people who do not know God. 6 No man should do wrong to his Christian brother in anything. The Lord will punish a person who does. I have told you this before. 7 For God has not called us to live in sin. He has called us to live a holy life. 8 The one who turns away from this teaching does not turn away from man, but from God. It is God Who has given us His Holy Spirit.
9 You do not need anyone to write to you about loving your Christian brothers. God has taught you to love each other. 10 You love all the Christians in all the country of Macedonia. But we ask you to love them even more. 11 Do your best to live a quiet life. Learn to do your own work well. We told you about this before. 12 By doing this, you will be respected by those who are not Christians. Then you will not be in need and others will not have to help you.
The Lord Is Coming Again
13 Christian brothers, we want you to know for sure about those who have died. You have no reason to have sorrow as those who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and then came to life again. Because we believe this, we know that God will bring to life again all those who belong to Jesus. 15 We tell you this as it came from the Lord. Those of us who are alive when the Lord comes again will not go ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud call. The head angel will speak with a loud voice. God’s horn will give its sounds. First, those who belong to Christ will come out of their graves to meet the Lord. 17 Then, those of us who are still living here on earth will be gathered together with them in the clouds. We will meet the Lord in the sky and be with Him forever. 18 Because of this, comfort each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4
New International Version
1 Thessalonians 4
New International Version
Living to Please God
4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,(A) we instructed you how to live(B) in order to please God,(C) as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is God’s will(D) that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;(E) 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a](F) in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust(G) like the pagans,(H) who do not know God;(I) 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b](J) The Lord will punish(K) all those who commit such sins,(L) as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.(M) 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.(N)
9 Now about your love for one another(O) we do not need to write to you,(P) for you yourselves have been taught by God(Q) to love each other.(R) 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.(S) Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,(T) 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands,(U) just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders(V) and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
Believers Who Have Died
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed(W) about those who sleep in death,(X) so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.(Y) 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,(Z) and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.(AA) 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,(AB) will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.(AC) 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,(AD) with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel(AE) and with the trumpet call of God,(AF) and the dead in Christ will rise first.(AG) 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left(AH) will be caught up together with them in the clouds(AI) to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord(AJ) forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another(AK) with these words.
Footnotes
- 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Or learn to live with your own wife; or learn to acquire a wife
- 1 Thessalonians 4:6 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.
New Life Version (NLV)
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