The Future Glory of Israel

60 (A)Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and (B)the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will be seen upon you.
(C)And nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your rising.

(D)Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
(E)your sons shall come from afar,
    and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Then you shall see and (F)be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and exult,[a]
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
    (G)the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of (H)Midian and (I)Ephah;
    all those from (J)Sheba shall come.
(K)They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 60:5 Hebrew your heart shall tremble and grow wide

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise,(A) shine, for your light(B) has come,
    and the glory(C) of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness(D) covers the earth
    and thick darkness(E) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations(F) will come to your light,(G)
    and kings(H) to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble(I) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(J)
    and your daughters(K) are carried on the hip.(L)
Then you will look and be radiant,(M)
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;(N)
the wealth(O) on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
Herds of camels(P) will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian(Q) and Ephah.(R)
And all from Sheba(S) will come,
    bearing gold and incense(T)
    and proclaiming the praise(U) of the Lord.

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Give the King Your Justice

Of (A)Solomon.

72 Give the king your (B)justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he (C)judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear (D)prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the children of the needy,
    and crush the oppressor!

May they fear you[a] while (E)the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, (F)throughout all generations!
May he be like (G)rain that falls on (H)the mown grass,
    like (I)showers that water the earth!
In his days may (J)the righteous flourish,
    and (K)peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from (L)sea to sea,
    and from (M)the River[b] to the (N)ends of the earth!
May desert tribes (O)bow down before him,
    and his enemies (P)lick the dust!
10 May the kings of (Q)Tarshish and of (R)the coastlands
    render him (S)tribute;
may the kings of (T)Sheba and (U)Seba
    bring gifts!
11 May all kings (V)fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint He shall endure
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates

Psalm 72

Of Solomon.

Endow the king with your justice,(A) O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,(B)
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
    the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted(C) among the people
    and save the children of the needy;(D)
    may he crush the oppressor.(E)
May he endure[a](F) as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon, through all generations.(G)
May he be like rain(H) falling on a mown field,
    like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish(I)
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River[b](J) to the ends of the earth.(K)
May the desert tribes bow before him
    and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(L) and of distant shores(M)
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(N) and Seba
    present him gifts.(O)
11 May all kings bow down(P) to him
    and all nations serve(Q) him.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
  2. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates

12 For he delivers (A)the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and (B)precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live;
    may (C)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made (D)for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!

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12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(A) on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(B) them from oppression and violence,
    for precious(C) is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
    May gold from Sheba(D) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
    and bless him all day long.(E)

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The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed

For this reason I, Paul, (A)a prisoner of Christ Jesus (B)on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of (C)the stewardship of (D)God's grace that was given to me for you, (E)how the mystery was made known to me (F)by revelation, (G)as I have written briefly. (H)When you read this, you can perceive my insight into (I)the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is[a] that the Gentiles are (J)fellow heirs, (K)members of the same body, and (L)partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

(M)Of this gospel I was made (N)a minister according to the gift of (O)God's grace, which was given me (P)by the working of his power. To me, (Q)though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, (R)to preach to the Gentiles the (S)unsearchable (T)riches of Christ, and (U)to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery (V)hidden for ages in[b] God, (W)who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold (X)wisdom of God (Y)might now be made known to (Z)the rulers and authorities (AA)in the heavenly places. 11 This was (AB)according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have (AC)boldness and (AD)access with (AE)confidence through our (AF)faith in him.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 3:6 The words This mystery is are inferred from verse 4
  2. Ephesians 3:9 Or by

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner(A) of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me(B) for you, that is, the mystery(C) made known to me by revelation,(D) as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight(E) into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.(F) This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs(G) together with Israel, members together of one body,(H) and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.(I)

I became a servant of this gospel(J) by the gift of God’s grace given me(K) through the working of his power.(L) Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people,(M) this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles(N) the boundless riches of Christ,(O) and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,(P) which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God(Q) should be made known(R) to the rulers and authorities(S) in the heavenly realms,(T) 11 according to his eternal purpose(U) that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God(V) with freedom and confidence.(W)

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The Visit of the Wise Men

Now (A)after Jesus was born in (B)Bethlehem of Judea (C)in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from (D)the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born (E)king of the Jews? For we saw (F)his star when it rose[b] and have come to (G)worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where (H)the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

(I)“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will (J)shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, (K)they offered him gifts, (L)gold and (M)frankincense and (N)myrrh. 12 And (O)being warned (P)in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 Greek magi; also verses 7, 16
  2. Matthew 2:2 Or in the east; also verse 9

The Magi Visit the Messiah

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,(A) during the time of King Herod,(B) Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?(C) We saw his star(D) when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem(E) in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b](F)

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.(G) Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(H) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned(I) in a dream(J) not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 2:1 Traditionally wise men
  2. Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2,4