Isaiah 3:1-5:7

New International Version

Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

3 See now, the Lord,
    the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
    both supply and support:^(A)
all supplies of food^(B) and all supplies of water,^(C)
²    the hero and the warrior,^(D)
the judge and the prophet,
    the diviner^(E) and the elder,^(F)
³the captain of fifty^(G) and the man of rank,^(H)
    the counselor, skilled craftsman^(I) and clever enchanter.^(J)

⁴“I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”^(K)

⁵People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.^(L)
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.

⁶A man will seize one of his brothers
    in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
    take charge of this heap of ruins!”
⁷But in that day^(M) he will cry out,
    “I have no remedy.^(N)
I have no food^(O) or clothing in my house;
    do not make me the leader of the people.”^(P)

⁸Jerusalem staggers,
    Judah is falling;^(Q)
their words^(R) and deeds^(S) are against the Lord,
    defying^(T) his glorious presence.
⁹The look on their faces testifies^(U) against them;
    they parade their sin like Sodom;^(V)
    they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
    They have brought disaster^(W) upon themselves.

¹⁰Tell the righteous it will be well^(X) with them,
    for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.^(Y)
¹¹Woe to the wicked!^(Z)
    Disaster^(AA) is upon them!
They will be paid back^(AB)
    for what their hands have done.^(AC)

¹²Youths^(AD) oppress my people,
women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;^(AE)
they turn you from the path.

¹³The Lord takes his place in court;^(AF)
    he rises to judge^(AG) the people.
¹⁴The Lord enters into judgment^(AH)
    against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
    the plunder^(AI) from the poor^(AJ) is in your houses.
¹⁵What do you mean by crushing my people^(AK)
    and grinding^(AL) the faces of the poor?”^(AM)
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.^(AN)

¹⁶The Lord says,
    “The women of Zion^(AO) are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,^(AP)
    flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
    with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
¹⁷Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
    the Lord will make their scalps bald.^(AQ)”

¹⁸In that day^(AR) the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,^(AS) ¹⁹the earrings and bracelets^(AT) and veils,^(AU) ²⁰the headdresses^(AV) and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, ²¹the signet rings and nose rings,^(AW) ²²the fine robes and the capes and cloaks,^(AX) the purses ²³and mirrors, and the linen garments^(AY) and tiaras^(AZ) and shawls.

²⁴Instead of fragrance^(BA) there will be a stench;^(BB)
    instead of a sash,^(BC) a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;^(BD)
    instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;^(BE)
    instead of beauty,^(BF) branding.^(BG)
²⁵Your men will fall by the sword,^(BH)
    your warriors in battle.^(BI)
²⁶The gates^(BJ) of Zion will lament and mourn;^(BK)
    destitute,^(BL) she will sit on the ground.^(BM)

4 ¹In that day^(BN) seven women
    will take hold of one man^(BO)
and say, “We will eat our own food^(BP)
    and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
    Take away our disgrace!”^(BQ)

The Branch of the Lord

²In that day^(BR) the Branch of the Lord^(BS) will be beautiful^(BT) and glorious, and the fruit^(BU) of the land will be the pride and glory^(BV) of the survivors^(BW) in Israel. ³Those who are left in Zion,^(BX) who remain^(BY) in Jerusalem, will be called holy,^(BZ) all who are recorded^(CA) among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴The Lord will wash away the filth^(CB) of the women of Zion;^(CC) he will cleanse^(CD) the bloodstains^(CE) from Jerusalem by a spirit^[a] of judgment^(CF) and a spirit^[b] of fire.^(CG) ⁵Then the Lord will create^(CH) over all of Mount Zion^(CI) and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night;^(CJ) over everything the glory^[c]^(CK) will be a canopy.^(CL) ⁶It will be a shelter^(CM) and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge^(CN) and hiding place from the storm^(CO) and rain.

The Song of the Vineyard

5 I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:^(CP)
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
²He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.^(CQ)
He built a watchtower^(CR) in it
    and cut out a winepress^(CS) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.^(CT)

³“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.^(CU)
⁴What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?^(CV)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?^(CW)
⁵Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;^(CX)
I will break down its wall,^(CY)
    and it will be trampled.^(CZ)
⁶I will make it a wasteland,^(DA)
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns^(DB) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain^(DC) on it.”

⁷The vineyard^(DD) of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,^(DE) but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness,^(DF) but heard cries of distress.^(DG)

Footnotes

Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
Isaiah 4:5 Or over all the glory there

2 Corinthians 6:3-7:1

New International Version

Paul’s Hardships

³We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path,^(A) so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments^(B) and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;^(C) ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit^(D) and in sincere love;^(E) ⁷in truthful speech^(F) and in the power of God;^(G) with weapons of righteousness^(H) in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor,^(I) bad report^(J) and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;^(K) ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying,^(L) and yet we live on;^(M) beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;^(N) poor, yet making many rich;^(O) having nothing,^(P) and yet possessing everything.^(Q)

¹¹We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.^(R) ¹²We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children^(S)—open wide your hearts^(T) also.

Warning Against Idolatry

¹⁴Do not be yoked together^(U) with unbelievers.^(V) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?^(W) ¹⁵What harmony is there between Christ and Belial^[a]?^(X) Or what does a believer^(Y) have in common with an unbeliever?^(Z) ¹⁶What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?^(AA) For we are the temple^(AB) of the living God.^(AC) As God has said:

“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”^[b]^(AD)

¹⁷Therefore,

“Come out from them^(AE)
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”^[c]^(AF)

¹⁸And,

“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,^(AG)
says the Lord Almighty.”^[d]^(AH)

7 Therefore, since we have these promises,^(AI) dear friends,^(AJ) let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness^(AK) out of reverence for God.

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 6:15 Greek Beliar, a variant of Belial
2 Corinthians 6:16 Lev. 26:12; Jer. 32:38; Ezek. 37:27
2 Corinthians 6:17 Isaiah 52:11; Ezek. 20:34,41
2 Corinthians 6:18 2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8

Psalm 105:12-22

New International Version

¹²When they were but few in number,^(A)
    few indeed, and strangers in it,^(B)
¹³they wandered from nation to nation,^(C)
    from one kingdom to another.
¹⁴He allowed no one to oppress^(D) them;
    for their sake he rebuked kings:^(E)
¹⁵“Do not touch^(F) my anointed ones;
    do my prophets^(G) no harm.”

¹⁶He called down famine^(H) on the land
    and destroyed all their supplies of food;
¹⁷and he sent a man before them—
    Joseph, sold as a slave.^(I)
¹⁸They bruised his feet with shackles,^(J)
    his neck was put in irons,
¹⁹till what he foretold^(K) came to pass,
    till the word^(L) of the Lord proved him true.
²⁰The king sent and released him,
    the ruler of peoples set him free.^(M)
²¹He made him master of his household,
    ruler over all he possessed,
²²to instruct his princes^(N) as he pleased
    and teach his elders wisdom.^(O)