Isaiah 23-24
English Standard Version
An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon
23 The (A)oracle concerning (B)Tyre.
Wail, O (C)ships of Tarshish,
for Tyre is laid waste, (D)without house or harbor!
From (E)the land of Cyprus[a]
it is revealed to them.
2 Be still, O inhabitants of the coast;
the merchants of (F)Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
3 And on many waters
your revenue was the grain of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile;
you were (G)the merchant of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, O (H)Sidon, for the sea has spoken,
the stronghold of the sea, saying:
“I have neither labored nor given birth,
I have neither reared young men
nor brought up young women.”
5 When the report comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish[b] over the report about Tyre.
6 (I)Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
7 Is this your exultant city
(J)whose origin is from days of old,
whose feet carried her
to settle far away?
8 Who has purposed this
against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9 The Lord of hosts has purposed it,
(K)to defile the pompous pride of all glory,[c]
to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
10 Cross over your land like the Nile,
O daughter of Tarshish;
there is no restraint anymore.
11 (L)He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
he has shaken the kingdoms;
the Lord has given command concerning Canaan
to destroy its strongholds.
12 And he said:
“You will no more exult,
O oppressed virgin daughter of (M)Sidon;
arise, (N)cross over to (O)Cyprus,
even there you will have no rest.”
13 Behold the land of (P)the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;[d] Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected (Q)their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.
14 (R)Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
for your stronghold is laid waste.
15 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for (S)seventy years, like the days[e] of one king. At the end of (T)seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
16 “Take a harp;
go about the city,
O forgotten prostitute!
Make sweet melody;
sing many songs,
that you may be remembered.”
17 At the end of (U)seventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and (V)will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the Lord. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the Lord.
Judgment on the Whole Earth
24 Behold, (W)the Lord will empty the earth[f] and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
2 (X)And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
(Y)as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
(Z)as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3 (AA)The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
(AB)for the Lord has spoken this word.
4 (AC)The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
5 The earth lies (AD)defiled
under its inhabitants;
for (AE)they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore (AF)a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants (AG)suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
7 (AH)The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 (AI)The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9 No more do they drink wine (AJ)with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 (AK)The wasted city is broken down;
(AL)every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 (AM)There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
(AN)all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
(AO)as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
14 They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.[g]
15 (AP)Therefore in the east[h] give glory to the Lord;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.
16 (AQ)From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to (AR)the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For (AS)the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”
17 (AT)Terror and the pit and the snare[i]
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18 (AU)He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For (AV)the windows of heaven are opened,
and (AW)the foundations of the earth tremble.
19 The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
20 The earth (AX)staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
(AY)its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
21 On that day the Lord will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and (AZ)the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 (BA)They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days (BB)they will be punished.
23 (BC)Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for (BD)the Lord of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 23:1 Hebrew Kittim; also verse 12
- Isaiah 23:5 Hebrew they will have labor pains
- Isaiah 23:9 The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike
- Isaiah 23:13 Or that has become nothing
- Isaiah 23:15 Or lifetime
- Isaiah 24:1 Or land; also throughout this chapter
- Isaiah 24:14 Hebrew from the sea
- Isaiah 24:15 Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires
- Isaiah 24:17 The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike
Proverbs 11
English Standard Version
11 (A)A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
(B)but a just weight is his delight.
2 (C)When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with (D)the humble is wisdom.
3 (E)The integrity of the upright guides them,
(F)but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4 (G)Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
(H)but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless (I)keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
6 (J)The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous (K)are taken captive by their lust.
7 When the wicked dies, his (L)hope will perish,
and (M)the expectation of wealth[a] perishes too.
8 (N)The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10 (O)When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but (P)by the mouth of the wicked (Q)it is overthrown.
12 Whoever (R)belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but a man of understanding remains silent.
13 Whoever (S)goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
14 Where there is (T)no guidance, a people falls,
(U)but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15 (V)Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,
but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
16 (W)A gracious woman gets honor,
and (X)violent men get riches.
17 (Y)A man who is kind benefits himself,
but a cruel man hurts himself.
18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,
but one who (Z)sows righteousness gets a sure reward.
19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness (AA)will live,
but (AB)he who pursues evil will die.
20 Those of (AC)crooked heart are (AD)an abomination to the Lord,
but those of (AE)blameless ways are (AF)his delight.
21 (AG)Be assured, (AH)an evil person will not go unpunished,
but (AI)the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22 Like (AJ)a gold ring in a pig's snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
(AK)the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24 (AL)One gives (AM)freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
25 (AN)Whoever brings blessing (AO)will be enriched,
and (AP)one who waters will himself be watered.
26 (AQ)The people curse him who holds back grain,
but (AR)a blessing is on the head of him who (AS)sells it.
27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,[b]
but evil comes to (AT)him who searches for it.
28 Whoever (AU)trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will (AV)flourish like a green leaf.
29 Whoever (AW)troubles his own household will (AX)inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is (AY)a tree of life,
and whoever (AZ)captures souls is wise.
31 If (BA)the righteous is repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:7 Or of his strength, or of iniquity
- Proverbs 11:27 Or acceptance
Colossians 4
English Standard Version
4 Masters, treat your bondservants[a] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 (A)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it (B)with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may (C)open to us a door for the word, (D)to declare the mystery of Christ, (E)on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
5 (F)Walk in wisdom toward (G)outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always (H)be gracious, (I)seasoned with salt, (J)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus will tell you (K)all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant[b] in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him (L)Onesimus, our faithful and (M)beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 (N)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark (O)the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—(P)if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called (Q)Justus. (R)These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and (S)they have been a comfort to me. 12 (T)Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always (U)struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand (V)mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 (W)Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does (X)Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers[c] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and (Y)the church in her house. 16 And when (Z)this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to (AA)Archippus, “See that you fulfill (AB)the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, (AC)write this greeting with my own hand. (AD)Remember (AE)my chains. (AF)Grace be with you.
Footnotes
- Colossians 4:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for servant in verse 12
- Colossians 4:7 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word sundoulos, see Preface
- Colossians 4:15 Or brothers and sisters
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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