Isaiah 17-19
Christian Standard Bible
A Pronouncement against Damascus
17 A pronouncement(A) concerning Damascus:(B)
Look, Damascus is no longer a city.
It has become a ruined heap.
2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned;
they will be places for flocks.
They will lie down without fear.
3 The fortress disappears from Ephraim,(C)
and a kingdom from Damascus.
The remnant of Aram will be
like the splendor of the Israelites.
This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
Judgment against Israel
4 On that day
the splendor of Jacob will fade,
and his healthy body[a] will become emaciated.(D)
5 It will be as if a reaper had gathered standing grain—
his arm harvesting the heads of grain—
and as if one had gleaned heads of grain
in Rephaim Valley.(E)
6 Only gleanings will be left in Israel,(F)
as if an olive tree had been beaten—
two or three olives at the very top of the tree,
four or five on its fruitful branches.
This is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 On that day people will look to their Maker and will turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.(G) 8 They will not look to the altars(H) they made with their hands or to the Asherahs and shrines[b](I) they made with their fingers.
9 On that day their strong cities will be
like the abandoned woods and mountaintops
that were abandoned because of the Israelites;
there will be desolation.
10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
and you have failed to remember
the rock of your strength;(J)
therefore you will plant beautiful plants
and set out cuttings from exotic vines.
11 On the day that you plant,
you will help them to grow,
and in the morning
you will help your seed to sprout,
but the harvest will vanish
on the day of disease and incurable pain.
Judgment against the Nations
12 Ah! The roar of many peoples—
they roar like the roaring of the seas.
The raging of the nations—
they rage like the rumble of rushing water.(K)
13 The nations rage like the rumble of a huge torrent.(L)
He rebukes them, and they flee far away,(M)
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills(N)
and like tumbleweeds before a gale.
14 In the evening—sudden terror!
Before morning—it is gone!
This is the fate of those who plunder us
and the lot of those who ravage us.
The Lord’s Message to Cush
18 Woe to the land of buzzing insect wings[c]
beyond the rivers of Cush,(O)
2 which sends envoys by sea,
in reed vessels over the water.
Go, swift messengers,
to a nation tall and smooth-skinned,
to a people feared far and near,
a powerful nation with a strange language,[d]
whose land is divided by rivers.
3 All you inhabitants of the world
and you who live on the earth,
when a banner is raised on the mountains, look!
When a ram’s horn sounds, listen!
4 For the Lord said to me:
I will quietly look out from my place,
like shimmering heat in sunshine,
like a rain cloud in harvest heat.
5 For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over
and the blossom becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife,
and tear away and remove the branches.
6 They will all be left for the birds of prey on the hills
and for the wild animals of the land.
The birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them,
and all the wild animals the winter.
7 At that time a gift will be brought to the Lord of Armies from[e] a people tall and smooth-skinned,(P) a people feared far and near, a powerful nation with a strange language, whose land is divided by rivers—to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the Lord of Armies.
A Pronouncement against Egypt
19 A pronouncement(Q) concerning Egypt:(R)
Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(S)
and is coming to Egypt.
Egypt’s worthless idols will tremble before him,(T)
and Egypt will lose heart.(U)
2 I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians;
each will fight against his brother(V)
and each against his friend,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom.(W)
3 Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it,
and I will frustrate its plans.
Then they will inquire of worthless idols, ghosts,
mediums, and spiritists.(X)
4 I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters,(Y)
and a strong king will rule it.
This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.
5 The water of the sea will dry up,
and the river will be parched and dry.
6 The channels will stink;
they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched.
Reed and rush will wilt.
7 The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river,
and all the cultivated areas of the Nile
will wither, blow away, and vanish.
8 Then the fishermen will mourn.
All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament,
and those who spread nets on the water will give up.
9 Those who work with flax will be dismayed;(Z)
those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.[f]
10 Egypt’s weavers[g] will be dejected;
all her wage earners will be demoralized.
11 The princes of Zoan are complete fools;(AA)
Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice!
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one[h] of the wise,
a student of eastern[i] kings”?
12 Where then are your wise men?
Let them tell you and reveal
what the Lord of Armies has planned against Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have been fools;
the princes of Memphis are deceived.(AB)
Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of confusion.
The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does,
as a drunkard staggers in his vomit.
15 No head or tail, palm or reed,(AC)
will be able to do anything for Egypt.
Egypt Will Know the Lord
16 On that day Egypt will be like women and will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the Lord of Armies when he raises it against them. 17 The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the Lord of Armies has planned(AD) against it.
18 On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the Lord of Armies. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.[j][k]
19 On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord near her border.(AE) 20 It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.(AF) 21 The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings;(AG) they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will turn to the Lord, and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them.
23 On that day there will be a highway(AH) from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria.
24 On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing within the land. 25 The Lord of Armies will bless them, saying, “Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork,(AI) and Israel my inheritance are blessed.”(AJ)
Footnotes
- 17:4 Lit and the fat of his flesh
- 17:8 Or incense altars
- 18:1 Or of sailing ships
- 18:2 Hb obscure
- 18:7 DSS, LXX, Vg; MT omits from
- 19:9 DSS, Tg; MT reads weavers of white cloth
- 19:10 Or foundations
- 19:11 Lit a son
- 19:11 Lit a son of ancient
- 19:18 Some Hb mss, DSS, Sym, Tg, Vg, Arabic; other Hb mss read of Destruction; LXX reads of Righteousness
- 19:18 = the ancient Egyptian city Heliopolis
Psalm 62
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 62
Trust in God Alone
For the choir director: according to Jeduthun.(A) A psalm of David.
1 I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.(B)
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,(C)
my stronghold; I will never be shaken.(D)
3 How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you attack[a]
as if he were a leaning wall
or a tottering fence?(E)
4 They only plan to bring him down
from his high position.
They take pleasure in lying;
they bless with their mouths,
but they curse inwardly.(F)Selah
5 Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from him.(G)
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,(H)
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.(I)
7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.(J)
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before him.
God is our refuge.(K)Selah
9 Common people are only a vapor;
important people, an illusion.
Together on a scale,
they weigh less than[b] a vapor.(L)
10 Place no trust in oppression
or false hope in robbery.(M)
If wealth increases,
don’t set your heart on it.(N)
1 Corinthians 1
Christian Standard Bible
Greeting
1 Paul,(A) called as an apostle(B) of Christ Jesus by God’s will,(C) and Sosthenes our brother:(D)
2 To the church of God at Corinth,(E) to those sanctified(F) in Christ Jesus, called(G) as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name(H) of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father(I) and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
4 I always thank(J) my God for you because of the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in him(K) in every way, in all speech and all knowledge.(L) 6 In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you,(M) 7 so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait(N) for the revelation(O) of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end,(P) so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.(Q) 9 God is faithful;(R) you were called by him(S) into fellowship with his Son,(T) Jesus Christ our Lord.
Divisions at Corinth
10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry(U) among you. 12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”(V) or “I belong to Cephas,”(W) or “I belong to Christ.”(X) 13 Is Christ divided?(Y) Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God[a][b] that I baptized none of you except Crispus(Z) and Gaius,(AA) 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household(AB) of Stephanas;(AC) beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross(AD) of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.(AE) 19 For it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.[c](AF)
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law?[d] Where is the debater of this age?(AG) Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? 21 For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. 22 For the Jews ask for signs(AH) and the Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified,(AI) a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.[e] 24 Yet to those who are called,(AJ) both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, 25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Boasting Only in the Lord
26 Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective,[f] not many powerful,(AK) not many of noble birth. 27 Instead, God has chosen(AL) what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. 28 God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world(AM)—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, 29 so that no one[g] may boast in his presence.(AN) 30 It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness,(AO) sanctification,(AP) and redemption(AQ)— 31 in order that, as it is written:(AR) Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.[h](AS)
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