Isaiah 1-3
New American Standard Bible 1995
Rebellion of God’s People
1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning (A)Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the [a]reigns of (B)Uzziah, (C)Jotham, (D)Ahaz and (E)Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 (F)Listen, O heavens, and hear, O (G)earth;
For the Lord speaks,
“(H)Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have (I)revolted against Me.
3 “An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel (J)does not know,
My people (K)do not understand.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity,
[b](L)Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who (M)act corruptly!
They have (N)abandoned the Lord,
They have (O)despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away [c]from Him.
5 Where will you be stricken again,
As you (P)continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is (Q)sick
And the whole heart is faint.
6 (R)From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is (S)nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,
(T)Not pressed out or bandaged,
Nor softened with oil.
7 Your (U)land is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire,
Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;
It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers.
8 The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,
Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
9 (V)Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left us a few (W)survivors,
We would be like (X)Sodom,
We would be like Gomorrah.
God Has Had Enough
10 Hear (Y)the word of the Lord,
You rulers of (Z)Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
11 “(AA)What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I [d]have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
12 “When you come (AB)to appear before Me,
Who requires [e]of you this trampling of My courts?
13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
(AC)Incense is an abomination to Me.
(AD)New moon and sabbath, the (AE)calling of assemblies—
I cannot (AF)endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your (AG)appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am (AH)weary of bearing them.
15 “So when you (AI)spread out your hands in prayer,
(AJ)I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you (AK)multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
(AL)Your hands are [f]covered with blood.
16 “(AM)Wash yourselves, (AN)make yourselves clean;
(AO)Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
(AP)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
(AQ)Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
[g](AR)Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
“Let Us Reason”
18 “Come now, and (AS)let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“(AT)Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
19 “(AU)If you consent and obey,
You will (AV)eat the best of the land;
20 “But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be (AW)devoured by the sword.”
Truly, (AX)the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Zion Corrupted, to Be Redeemed
21 How the faithful city has become a (AY)harlot,
She who was full of justice!
Righteousness once lodged in her,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your drink diluted with water.
23 Your (AZ)rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone (BA)loves a bribe
And chases after rewards.
They (BB)do not [h]defend the [i]orphan,
Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord [j]God of hosts,
The (BC)Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries
And (BD)avenge Myself on My foes.
25 “I will also turn My hand against you,
And will (BE)smelt away your dross as with lye
And will remove all your alloy.
26 “Then I will restore your (BF)judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning;
After that you will be called the (BG)city of righteousness,
A faithful city.”
27 Zion will be (BH)redeemed with justice
And her [k]repentant ones with righteousness.
28 But [l]transgressors and sinners will be (BI)crushed together,
And those who forsake the Lord will come to an end.
29 Surely [m]you will be ashamed of the [n](BJ)oaks which you have desired,
And you will be embarrassed at the (BK)gardens which you have chosen.
30 For you will be like an [o]oak whose (BL)leaf fades away
Or as a garden that has no water.
31 The strong man will become tinder,
His work also a spark.
Thus they shall both (BM)burn together
And there will be (BN)none to quench them.
God’s Universal Reign
2 The word which (BO)Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Now it will come about that
(BP)In the last days
The (BQ)mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established [p]as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And (BR)all the nations will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us [q]concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the [r]law will go forth (BS)from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will [s]render decisions for many peoples;
And (BT)they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
(BU)Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
5 Come, (BV)house of Jacob, and let us walk in the (BW)light of the Lord.
6 For You have (BX)abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled with influences from the east,
And they are soothsayers (BY)like the Philistines,
And they (BZ)strike bargains with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land has also been filled with silver and gold
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land has also been filled with (CA)horses
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land has also been (CB)filled with idols;
They worship the (CC)work of their hands,
That which their fingers have made.
9 So (CD)the common man has been humbled
And the man of importance has been abased,
But (CE)do not forgive them.
10 (CF)Enter the rock and hide in the dust
(CG)From the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of His majesty.
11 The [t](CH)proud look of man will be abased
And the (CI)loftiness of man will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
A Day of Reckoning Coming
12 For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against (CJ)everyone who is proud and lofty
And against everyone who is lifted up,
That he may be abased.
13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up,
Against all the (CK)oaks of Bashan,
14 Against all the (CL)lofty mountains,
Against all the hills that are lifted up,
15 Against every (CM)high tower,
Against every fortified wall,
16 Against all the (CN)ships of Tarshish
And against all the beautiful craft.
17 The pride of man will be humbled
And the loftiness of men will be abased;
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the (CO)idols will completely vanish.
19 Men will (CP)go into caves of the rocks
And into holes of the [u]ground
Before the terror of the Lord
And the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises (CQ)to make the earth tremble.
20 In that day men will (CR)cast away to the moles and the (CS)bats
Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
Which they made for themselves to worship,
21 In order to (CT)go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs
Before the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble.
22 [v](CU)Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;
For [w](CV)why should he be esteemed?
God Will Remove the Leaders
3 For behold, the Lord [x]God of hosts (CW)is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah
Both [y]supply and support, the whole [z]supply of bread
And the whole [aa]supply of water;
2 (CX)The mighty man and the warrior,
The judge and the prophet,
The diviner and the elder,
3 The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the expert artisan,
And the skillful enchanter.
4 And I will make mere (CY)lads their princes,
And [ab]capricious children will rule over them,
5 And the people will be (CZ)oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his (DA)neighbor;
The youth will storm against the elder
And the inferior against the honorable.
6 When a man (DB)lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,
And these ruins will be under your [ac]charge,”
7 He will [ad]protest on that day, saying,
“I will not be your [ae](DC)healer,
For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak;
You should not appoint me ruler of the people.”
8 For (DD)Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their [af](DE)speech and their actions are against the Lord,
To (DF)rebel against [ag]His glorious presence.
9 [ah]The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like (DG)Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to [ai]them!
For they have (DH)brought evil on themselves.
10 Say to the (DI)righteous that it will go well with them,
For they will eat the fruit of their actions.
11 Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For [aj](DJ)what he deserves will be done to him.
12 O My people! Their oppressors [ak]are (DK)children,
And women rule over them.
O My people! (DL)Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths.
God Will Judge
13 (DM)The Lord arises to contend,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord (DN)enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people,
“It is you who have (DO)devoured the vineyard;
The (DP)plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 “What do you mean by (DQ)crushing My people
And grinding the face of the poor?”
Declares the Lord [al]God of hosts.
Judah’s Women Denounced
16 Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the (DR)daughters of Zion are proud
And walk with [am]heads held high and seductive eyes,
And go along with mincing steps
And tinkle the bangles on their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,
And the Lord will make their foreheads bare.”
18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, (DS)crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 (DT)headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21 [an]finger rings, (DU)nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.
24 Now it will come about that instead of [ao]sweet (DV)perfume there will be putrefaction;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of (DW)well-set hair, a (DX)plucked-out scalp;
Instead of fine clothes, a (DY)donning of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men will (DZ)fall by the sword
And your [ap]mighty ones in battle.
26 And her [aq](EA)gates will lament and mourn,
And deserted she will (EB)sit on the ground.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:1 Lit days
- Isaiah 1:4 Lit Seed
- Isaiah 1:4 Lit backward
- Isaiah 1:11 Or am sated with
- Isaiah 1:12 Lit of your hand
- Isaiah 1:15 Lit full of
- Isaiah 1:17 Or Vindicate the fatherless
- Isaiah 1:23 Or vindicate
- Isaiah 1:23 Or fatherless
- Isaiah 1:24 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 1:27 Or returnees
- Isaiah 1:28 Lit crushing of transgressors and sinners shall be together
- Isaiah 1:29 So with some mss; M.T. they
- Isaiah 1:29 Or terebinths
- Isaiah 1:30 Or terebinth
- Isaiah 2:2 Lit on
- Isaiah 2:3 Or some of
- Isaiah 2:3 Or instruction
- Isaiah 2:4 Or reprove many
- Isaiah 2:11 Lit eyes of the loftiness of men
- Isaiah 2:19 Lit dust
- Isaiah 2:22 Lit Cease from man
- Isaiah 2:22 Lit in what
- Isaiah 3:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 3:1 Lit staff
- Isaiah 3:1 Lit staff
- Isaiah 3:1 Lit staff
- Isaiah 3:4 Lit arbitrary power will rule
- Isaiah 3:6 Lit hand
- Isaiah 3:7 Lit lift up his voice
- Isaiah 3:7 Lit binder of wounds
- Isaiah 3:8 Lit tongue
- Isaiah 3:8 Lit the eyes of His glory
- Isaiah 3:9 Or Their partiality bears
- Isaiah 3:9 Lit their soul
- Isaiah 3:11 Lit the dealing of his hands
- Isaiah 3:12 Or deal severely
- Isaiah 3:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 3:16 Lit outstretched necks
- Isaiah 3:21 Or signet rings
- Isaiah 3:24 Or balsam oil
- Isaiah 3:25 Lit strength
- Isaiah 3:26 Lit entrances
Psalm 9
New American Standard Bible 1995
A Psalm of Thanksgiving for God’s Justice.
For the choir director; on [a]Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.
9 I will give thanks to the Lord with all (A)my heart;
I will (B)tell of all Your [b]wonders.
2 I will be glad and (C)exult in You;
I will (D)sing praise to Your name, O (E)Most High.
3 When my enemies turn back,
They stumble and (F)perish before You.
4 For You have (G)maintained [c]my just cause;
You have sat on the throne [d](H)judging righteously.
5 You have (I)rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have (J)blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 [e]The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins,
And You have uprooted the cities;
The very (K)memory of them has perished.
7 But the (L)Lord [f]abides forever;
He has established His (M)throne for judgment,
8 And He will (N)judge the world in righteousness;
He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.
9 [g]The Lord also will be a (O)stronghold for the oppressed,
A stronghold in times of trouble;
10 And [h]those who (P)know Your name will put their trust in You,
For You, O Lord, have not (Q)forsaken those who seek You.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who (R)dwells in Zion;
(S)Declare among the peoples His deeds.
12 For (T)He who [i]requires blood remembers them;
He does not forget (U)the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord;
See my affliction from those (V)who hate me,
You who (W)lift me up from the gates of death,
14 That I may tell of (X)all Your praises,
That in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may (Y)rejoice in Your [j]salvation.
15 The nations have sunk down (Z)in the pit which they have made;
In the (AA)net which they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has (AB)made Himself known;
He has (AC)executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. [k]Higgaion [l]Selah.
17 The wicked will [m](AD)return to [n]Sheol,
Even all the nations who (AE)forget God.
18 For the (AF)needy will not always be forgotten,
Nor the (AG)hope of the afflicted perish forever.
19 (AH)Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be (AI)judged before You.
20 Put them (AJ)in fear, O Lord;
Let the nations know that they are (AK)but men. Selah.
Footnotes
- Psalm 9:1 I.e. “Death to the Son”
- Psalm 9:1 Or miracles
- Psalm 9:4 Lit my right and my cause
- Psalm 9:4 Or a righteous Judge
- Psalm 9:6 Or O enemy, desolations are finished forever; And their cities You have plucked up
- Psalm 9:7 Or sits as king
- Psalm 9:9 Or Let the Lord also be
- Psalm 9:10 Or let those...name put
- Psalm 9:12 I.e. avenges bloodshed
- Psalm 9:14 Or deliverance
- Psalm 9:16 Perhaps, resounding music or meditation
- Psalm 9:16 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 9:17 Or turn
- Psalm 9:17 I.e. the nether world
Matthew 22
New American Standard Bible 1995
Parable of the Marriage Feast
22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “(A)The kingdom of heaven [a]may be compared to [b]a king who [c]gave a (B)wedding feast for his son. 3 And he (C)sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4 Again he (D)sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own [d]farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. 7 But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. 8 Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to (E)the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with [e]dinner guests.
11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw (F)a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, ‘(G)Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into (H)the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are [f](I)called, but few are (J)chosen.”
Tribute to Caesar
15 (K)Then the Pharisees went and [g]plotted together how they might trap Him [h]in what He said. 16 And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the (L)Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and [i]defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17 Tell us then, what do You think? Is it [j]lawful to give a (M)poll-tax to (N)Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus perceived their [k]malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19 Show Me the (O)coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a [l]denarius. 20 And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, “(P)Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 And hearing this, they were amazed, and (Q)leaving Him, they went away.
Jesus Answers the Sadducees
23 (R)On that day some (S)Sadducees (who say (T)there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, 24 asking, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘(U)If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; 26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, (V)not [m]understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither (W)marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘(X)I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, (Y)they were astonished at His teaching.
34 (Z)But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced (AA)the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, [n](AB)a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘(AC)You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [o]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘(AD)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (AE)On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
41 (AF)Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 “What do you think about [p]the Christ, whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “(AG)The son of David.” 43 He *said to them, “Then how does David [q](AH)in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘(AI)The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet”’?
45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” 46 (AJ)No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him [r]another question.
Footnotes
- Matthew 22:2 Lit was compared to
- Matthew 22:2 Lit a man, a king
- Matthew 22:2 Lit made
- Matthew 22:5 Or field
- Matthew 22:10 Lit those reclining at the table
- Matthew 22:14 Or invited
- Matthew 22:15 Lit took counsel
- Matthew 22:15 Lit in word
- Matthew 22:16 Lit it is not a concern to You about anyone; i.e. You do not seek anyone’s favor
- Matthew 22:17 Or permissible
- Matthew 22:18 Or wickedness
- Matthew 22:19 The denarius was a day’s wages
- Matthew 22:29 Or knowing
- Matthew 22:35 I.e. an expert in the Mosaic Law
- Matthew 22:38 Or first
- Matthew 22:42 I.e. the Messiah
- Matthew 22:43 Or by inspiration
- Matthew 22:46 Lit any longer
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
