Isaiah 12

New International Version

Songs of Praise

12 In that day^(A) you will say:

“I will praise^(B) you, Lord.
    Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away^(C)
    and you have comforted^(D) me.
²Surely God is my salvation;^(E)
    I will trust^(F) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,^(G) is my strength^(H) and my defense^[a];
    he has become my salvation.^(I)”
³With joy you will draw water^(J)
    from the wells^(K) of salvation.

⁴In that day^(L) you will say:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;^(M)
    make known among the nations^(N) what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.^(O)
⁵Sing^(P) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;^(Q)
    let this be known to all the world.
⁶Shout aloud and sing for joy,^(R) people of Zion,
    for great^(S) is the Holy One of Israel^(T) among you.^(U)”

Footnotes

Isaiah 12:2 Or song

Isaiah 40:1-11

New International Version

Comfort for God’s People

40 Comfort, comfort^(A) my people,
    says your God.
²Speak tenderly^(B) to Jerusalem,
    and proclaim to her
that her hard service^(C) has been completed,^(D)
    that her sin has been paid for,^(E)
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double^(F) for all her sins.

³A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way^(G) for the Lord^[a];
make straight^(H) in the desert
    a highway for our God.^[b]^(I)
⁴Every valley shall be raised up,^(J)
    every mountain and hill^(K) made low;
the rough ground shall become level,^(L)
    the rugged places a plain.
⁵And the glory^(M) of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.^(N)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”^(O)

⁶A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,^(P)
    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
⁷The grass withers^(Q) and the flowers fall,
    because the breath^(R) of the Lord blows^(S) on them.
    Surely the people are grass.
⁸The grass withers and the flowers^(T) fall,
    but the word^(U) of our God endures^(V) forever.^(W)”

⁹You who bring good news^(X) to Zion,
    go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,^[c]^(Y)
    lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,
    “Here is your God!”^(Z)
¹⁰See, the Sovereign Lord comes^(AA) with power,^(AB)
    and he rules^(AC) with a mighty arm.^(AD)
See, his reward^(AE) is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.
¹¹He tends his flock like a shepherd:^(AF)
    He gathers the lambs in his arms^(AG)
and carries them close to his heart;^(AH)
    he gently leads^(AI) those that have young.^(AJ)

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Footnotes

Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the way for the Lord
Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
Isaiah 40:9 Or Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. / Jerusalem, bringer of good news

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

New International Version

Praise to the God of All Comfort

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(A) the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴who comforts us^(B) in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,^(C) so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation;^(D) if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings,^(E) so also you share in our comfort.

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2 Corinthians 7:6-13

New International Version

⁶But God, who comforts the downcast,^(A) comforted us by the coming of Titus,^(B) ⁷and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,^(C) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— ⁹yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. ¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation^(D) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. ¹¹See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,^(E) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹²So even though I wrote to you,^(F) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong^(G) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. ¹³By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus^(H) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

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