Isaiah 19-20
Christian Standard Bible
A Pronouncement against Egypt
19 A pronouncement(A) concerning Egypt:(B)
Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(C)
and is coming to Egypt.
Egypt’s worthless idols will tremble before him,(D)
and Egypt will lose heart.(E)
2 I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians;
each will fight against his brother(F)
and each against his friend,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom.(G)
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.(H)
4 I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters,(I)
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;(J)
those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.[a]
10 Egypt’s weavers[b] will be dejected;
all her wage earners will be demoralized.
11 The princes of Zoan are complete fools;(K)
Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice!
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one[c] of the wise,
a student of eastern[d] 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.(L)
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,(M)
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(N) 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.[e][f]
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.(O) 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.(P) 21 The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings;(Q) 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(R) 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,(S) and Israel my inheritance are blessed.”(T)
No Help from Cush or Egypt
20 In the year that the chief commander,(U) sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod(V) and attacked and captured it— 2 during that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah(W) son of Amoz, saying, “Go, take off your sackcloth from your waist and remove the sandals from your feet,” and he did that, going stripped and barefoot(X)— 3 the Lord said, “As my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,(Y) 4 so the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt(Z) and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, stripped and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame. 5 Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.(AA) 6 And the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Look, this is what has happened to those we relied on and fled to for help to rescue us from the king of Assyria! Now, how will we escape?’”
1 Corinthians 7:17-40
Christian Standard Bible
Various Situations of Life
17 Let each one live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called(A) him.[a] This is what I command in all the churches. 18 Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised. 19 Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter. Keeping God’s commands is what matters. 20 Let each of you remain in the situation[b] in which he was called. 21 Were you called while a slave? Don’t let it concern you. But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity.[c] 22 For he who is called by the Lord as a slave(B) is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought(C) at a price; do not become slaves of people. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person is to remain with God in the situation in which he was called.
About the Unmarried and Widows
25 Now about virgins:[d] I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy(D) is faithful.(E) 26 Because of the present distress, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 However, if you do get married,(F) you have not sinned, and if a virgin[e] marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have trouble in this life,[f] and I am trying to spare you.
29 This is what I mean, brothers and sisters: The time is limited,(G) so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice(H) as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they didn’t own anything, 31 and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its current form is passing away.(I)
32 I want you to be without concerns. The unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please(J) the Lord. 33 But the married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord,(K) so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but to promote what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.
36 If any man thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage, and he feels he should marry—he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married. 37 But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will(L)) and has decided in his heart to keep her as his fiancée, will do well. 38 So, then, he who marries his fiancée does well, but he who does not marry will do better.[g]
39 A wife is bound[h] as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to anyone she wants—only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, in my opinion. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 7:17 Lit called each
- 7:20 Lit in the calling
- 7:21 Or But even though you can become free, make the most of your position as a slave
- 7:25 Or betrothed, or those not yet married
- 7:28 Or betrothed woman
- 7:28 Lit in the flesh
- 7:36–38 Or 36 If any man thinks he is acting improperly toward his virgin daughter, if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage, and he feels she should marry—he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; she can get married. 37 But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will) and has decided in his heart to keep his own virgin daughter will do well. 38 So then he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, but he who does not give his own virgin daughter in marriage will do better.
- 7:39 Other mss add by law
Psalm 104:16-22
Christian Standard Bible
16 The trees of the Lord flourish,[a]
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.(A)
17 There the birds make their nests;
storks make their homes in the pine trees.(B)
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the cliffs are a refuge for hyraxes.(C)
19 He made the moon to mark the[b] festivals;[c]
the sun knows when to set.(D)
20 You bring darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals stir.(E)
21 The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.(F)
22 The sun rises; they go back
and lie down in their dens.(G)
Proverbs 22:3-4
Christian Standard Bible
3 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover,
but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.(A)
4 Humility, the fear of the Lord,
results in wealth, honor, and life.(B)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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