Isaiah 17-19
New American Standard Bible 1995
Prophecy about Damascus
17 The [a](A)oracle concerning (B)Damascus.
“Behold, Damascus is about to be (C)removed from being a city
And will become a (D)fallen ruin.
2 “The cities [b]of (E)Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for (F)flocks [c]to lie down in,
And there will be (G)no one to frighten them.
3 “The [d](H)fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
And [e]sovereignty from Damascus
And the remnant of Aram;
They will be like the (I)glory of the sons of Israel,”
Declares the Lord of hosts.
4 Now in that day the (J)glory of Jacob will [f]fade,
And (K)the fatness of his flesh will become lean.
5 It will be (L)even like the [g]reaper gathering the standing grain,
As his arm harvests the ears,
Or it will be like one gleaning ears of grain
In the (M)valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet (N)gleanings will be left in it like the [h]shaking of an olive tree,
Two or three olives on the topmost bough,
Four or five on the branches of a fruitful tree,
Declares the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 In that day man will (O)have regard for his Maker
And his eyes will look to the Holy One of Israel.
8 He will not have regard for the (P)altars, the work of his hands,
Nor will he look to that which his (Q)fingers have made,
Even the [i](R)Asherim and [j]incense stands.
9 In that day [k]their strong cities will be like [l]forsaken places in the forest,
Or like [m]branches which they abandoned before the sons of Israel;
And [n]the land will be a desolation.
10 For (S)you have forgotten the (T)God of your salvation
And have not remembered the (U)rock of your refuge.
Therefore you plant delightful plants
And set them with vine slips of a strange god.
11 In the day that you plant it you carefully fence it in,
And in the (V)morning you bring your seed to blossom;
But the harvest will (W)be a heap
In a day of sickliness and incurable pain.
12 Alas, the uproar of many peoples
(X)Who roar like the roaring of the seas,
And the rumbling of nations
Who rush on like the (Y)rumbling of mighty waters!
13 The (Z)nations rumble on like the rumbling of many waters,
But He will (AA)rebuke them and they will flee far away,
And be chased (AB)like chaff in the mountains before the wind,
Or like whirling dust before a gale.
14 At evening time, behold, there is terror!
Before morning (AC)they are no more.
[o]Such will be the portion of those who plunder us
And the lot of those who pillage us.
Message to Ethiopia
18 Alas, oh land of whirring wings
Which lies beyond the rivers of [p](AD)Cush,
2 Which sends envoys by the sea,
Even in (AE)papyrus vessels on the surface of the waters.
Go, swift messengers, to a nation [q](AF)tall and smooth,
To a people (AG)feared [r]far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation
Whose land the rivers divide.
3 (AH)All you inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth,
As soon as a standard is raised on the mountains, (AI)you will see it,
And as soon as the trumpet is blown, you will hear it.
4 For thus the Lord has told me,
“I will look [s]from My (AJ)dwelling place quietly
Like dazzling heat in the [t](AK)sunshine,
Like a cloud of (AL)dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For (AM)before the harvest, as soon as the bud [u]blossoms
And the flower becomes a ripening grape,
Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives
And remove and cut away the spreading branches.
6 They will be left together for mountain birds (AN)of prey,
And for the beasts of the earth;
And the birds of prey will spend the summer feeding on them,
And all the beasts of the earth will spend harvest time on them.
7 At that time a gift of homage will be brought to the Lord of hosts
[v]From a (AO)people [w]tall and smooth,
Even from a people feared [x]far and wide,
A powerful and oppressive nation,
Whose land the rivers divide—
To the (AP)place of the name of the Lord of hosts, even Mount Zion.
Message to Egypt
19 The [y](AQ)oracle concerning (AR)Egypt.
Behold, the Lord is (AS)riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The (AT)idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,
And the (AU)heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
2 “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will (AV)each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor,
City against city and kingdom against kingdom.
3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;
And I will confound their strategy,
So that (AW)they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead
And to [z]mediums and spiritists.
4 “Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a (AX)cruel master,
And a [aa]mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord [ab]God of hosts.
5 (AY)The waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.
6 The [ac](AZ)canals will emit a stench,
The [ad](BA)streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
(BB)The reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 The bulrushes by the (BC)Nile, by the [ae]edge of the Nile
And all the sown fields by the Nile
Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
8 And the (BD)fishermen will lament,
And all those who cast a [af]line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will [ag]pine away.
9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white (BE)cloth will be [ah]utterly dejected.
10 And [ai]the (BF)pillars of Egypt will be crushed;
All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.
11 The princes of [aj](BG)Zoan are mere fools;
The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become [ak]stupid.
How can you men say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the (BH)wise, a son of ancient kings”?
12 Well then, where are your wise men?
Please let them tell you,
And let them [al]understand what the Lord of hosts
Has (BI)purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of [am]Zoan have acted foolishly,
The princes of (BJ)Memphis are deluded;
Those who are the (BK)cornerstone of her tribes
Have [an]led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of (BL)distortion;
(BM)They have led Egypt astray in all [ao]that it does,
As a (BN)drunken man [ap]staggers in his vomit.
15 There will be no work for Egypt
(BO)Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.
16 In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in (BP)dread because of the (BQ)waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a [aq]terror to Egypt; everyone [ar]to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the (BR)purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is purposing against them.
18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and (BS)swearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of [as]Destruction.
19 In that day there will be an (BT)altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a (BU)pillar to the Lord near its border. 20 It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a (BV)Savior and a [at](BW)Champion, and He will deliver them. 21 Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will even worship with (BX)sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but (BY)healing; so they will (BZ)return to the Lord, and He will respond to them and will heal them.
23 In that day there will be a (CA)highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will (CB)worship with the Assyrians.
24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is (CC)Egypt My people, and Assyria (CD)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 17:1 Or burden of
- Isaiah 17:2 Gr reads forever and ever
- Isaiah 17:2 Lit and they will lie down
- Isaiah 17:3 Or fortification
- Isaiah 17:3 Or royal power, kingdom
- Isaiah 17:4 Lit become thin
- Isaiah 17:5 Lit gathering of the harvest, the standing grain
- Isaiah 17:6 Lit striking
- Isaiah 17:8 I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
- Isaiah 17:8 Or sun pillars
- Isaiah 17:9 I.e. man’s
- Isaiah 17:9 Gr reads the deserted places of the Amorites and the Hivites which they abandoned
- Isaiah 17:9 Or the treetop
- Isaiah 17:9 Lit it
- Isaiah 17:14 Lit This
- Isaiah 18:1 Or Ethiopia
- Isaiah 18:2 Lit drawn out
- Isaiah 18:2 Lit from it and beyond
- Isaiah 18:4 Lit in
- Isaiah 18:4 Lit light
- Isaiah 18:5 Lit is finished
- Isaiah 18:7 So with some ancient versions and DSS; M.T. implies Consisting of a people
- Isaiah 18:7 Lit drawn out
- Isaiah 18:7 Lit from it and beyond
- Isaiah 19:1 Or burden of
- Isaiah 19:3 Or ghosts and spirits
- Isaiah 19:4 Or fierce
- Isaiah 19:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 19:6 Lit rivers
- Isaiah 19:6 Or Nile branches; i.e. the delta
- Isaiah 19:7 Or mouth
- Isaiah 19:8 Lit hook
- Isaiah 19:8 Or languish
- Isaiah 19:9 Lit ashamed
- Isaiah 19:10 Lit her pillars or, her weavers
- Isaiah 19:11 Or Tanis
- Isaiah 19:11 Or brutish
- Isaiah 19:12 Or know
- Isaiah 19:13 Or Tanis
- Isaiah 19:13 Or have caused Egypt to stagger
- Isaiah 19:14 Lit its work
- Isaiah 19:14 Or goes astray
- Isaiah 19:17 Or cause of shame
- Isaiah 19:17 Lit who mentions it will be in dread to it
- Isaiah 19:18 Some ancient mss and versions read the Sun
- Isaiah 19:20 Lit Mighty One
Psalm 62
New American Standard Bible 1995
God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.
For the choir director; [a]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
62 (A)My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him (B)is my salvation.
2 He only is my (C)rock and my salvation,
My (D)stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you assail a man,
That you may murder him, all of you,
Like a (E)leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position;
They (F)delight in falsehood;
They (G)bless with [b]their mouth,
But inwardly they curse. [c]Selah.
5 My soul, (H)wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is (I)my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my (J)salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my (K)refuge is in God.
8 (L)Trust in Him at all times, O people;
(M)Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
9 Men of (N)low degree are only (O)vanity and men of rank are a (P)lie;
In the (Q)balances they go up;
They are together lighter than breath.
10 (R)Do not trust in oppression
And do not [d]vainly hope in (S)robbery;
If riches increase, (T)do not set your heart upon them.
11 [e]Once God has (U)spoken;
[f]Twice I have heard this:
That (V)power belongs to God;
12 And lovingkindness (W)is Yours, O Lord,
For You (X)recompense a man according to his work.
Footnotes
- Psalm 62:1 Cf 1 Chr 16:41; 25:1; Ps 39 and 77 titles
- Psalm 62:4 Lit his
- Psalm 62:4 Selah may mean: Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude
- Psalm 62:10 Lit become vain in robbery
- Psalm 62:11 Or One thing
- Psalm 62:11 Or These two things I have heard
1 Corinthians 1
New American Standard Bible 1995
Appeal to Unity
1 Paul, (A)called as an apostle of Jesus Christ [a]by (B)the will of God, and (C)Sosthenes our (D)brother,
2 To (E)the church of God which is at (F)Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, [b]saints (G)by calling, with all who in every place (H)call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
3 (I)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 (J)I thank [c]my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in everything you were (K)enriched in Him, in all (L)speech and (M)all knowledge, 6 even as (N)the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed [d]in you, 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, (O)awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 (P)who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in (Q)the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 (R)God is faithful, through whom you were (S)called into (T)fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now (U)I exhort you, (V)brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all [e]agree and that there be no [f](W)divisions among you, but that you be [g]made complete in (X)the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that (Y)each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of (Z)Apollos,” and “I of (AA)Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 [h]Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you (AB)baptized [i]in the name of Paul? 14 [j]I thank God that I (AC)baptized none of you except (AD)Crispus and (AE)Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized [k]in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the (AF)household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 (AG)For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, (AH)not in [l]cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
The Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is (AI)foolishness to (AJ)those who [m]are perishing, but to us who [n]are being saved it is (AK)the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“(AL)I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”
20 (AM)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of (AN)this age? Has not God (AO)made foolish the wisdom of (AP)the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God (AQ)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, (AR)God was well-pleased through the (AS)foolishness of the [o]message preached to (AT)save those who believe. 22 For indeed (AU)Jews ask for [p]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach [q](AV)Christ crucified, (AW)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles (AX)foolishness, 24 but to those who are (AY)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (AZ)the power of God and (BA)the wisdom of God. 25 Because the (BB)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and (BC)the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For [r]consider your (BD)calling, brethren, that there were (BE)not many wise according to [s]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but (BF)God has chosen the foolish things of (BG)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of (BH)the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of (BI)the world and the despised God has chosen, (BJ)the things that are not, so that He may (BK)nullify the things that are, 29 so that (BL)no [t]man may boast before God. 30 But [u]by His doing you are in (BM)Christ Jesus, who became to us (BN)wisdom from God, [v]and (BO)righteousness and (BP)sanctification, and (BQ)redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “(BR)Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 1:1 Lit through
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 Or holy ones
- 1 Corinthians 1:4 Two early mss do not contain my
- 1 Corinthians 1:6 Or among
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit speak the same thing
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 Lit schisms
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 Or united
- 1 Corinthians 1:13 Or Christ has been divided! or Christ is divided!
- 1 Corinthians 1:13 Lit into
- 1 Corinthians 1:14 Two early mss read I give thanks that
- 1 Corinthians 1:15 Lit into
- 1 Corinthians 1:17 Lit wisdom
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 Or perish
- 1 Corinthians 1:18 Or are saved
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 Lit preaching
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 Or attesting miracles
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 I.e. Messiah
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 Lit see
- 1 Corinthians 1:26 I.e. human standards
- 1 Corinthians 1:29 Lit flesh
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 Lit of Him
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 Or both
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
