Isaiah 30-31

New International Version

Woe to the Obstinate Nation

30 “Woe^(A) to the obstinate children,”^(B)
    declares the Lord,
“to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
    forming an alliance,^(C) but not by my Spirit,
    heaping sin upon sin;
²who go down to Egypt^(D)
    without consulting^(E) me;
who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection,^(F)
    to Egypt’s shade for refuge.^(G)
³But Pharaoh’s protection will be to your shame,
    Egypt’s shade^(H) will bring you disgrace.^(I)
⁴Though they have officials in Zoan^(J)
    and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
⁵everyone will be put to shame
    because of a people^(K) useless^(L) to them,
who bring neither help^(M) nor advantage,
    but only shame and disgrace.^(N)”

⁶A prophecy^(O) concerning the animals of the Negev:^(P)

Through a land of hardship and distress,^(Q)
    of lions^(R) and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,^(S)
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys’^(T) backs,
    their treasures^(U) on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
⁷    to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.^(V)
Therefore I call her
    Rahab^(W) the Do-Nothing.

⁸Go now, write it on a tablet^(X) for them,
    inscribe it on a scroll,^(Y)
that for the days to come
    it may be an everlasting witness.^(Z)
⁹For these are rebellious^(AA) people, deceitful^(AB) children,
    children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.^(AC)
¹⁰They say to the seers,^(AD)
    “See no more visions^(AE)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,^(AF)
    prophesy illusions.^(AG)
¹¹Leave this way,^(AH)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting^(AI) us
    with the Holy One^(AJ) of Israel!”

¹²Therefore this is what the Holy One^(AK) of Israel says:

“Because you have rejected this message,^(AL)
    relied on oppression^(AM)
    and depended on deceit,
¹³this sin will become for you
    like a high wall,^(AN) cracked and bulging,
    that collapses^(AO) suddenly,^(AP) in an instant.
¹⁴It will break in pieces like pottery,^(AQ)
    shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
    for taking coals from a hearth
    or scooping water out of a cistern.”

¹⁵This is what the Sovereign^(AR) Lord, the Holy One^(AS) of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest^(AT) is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust^(AU) is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.^(AV)
¹⁶You said, ‘No, we will flee^(AW) on horses.’^(AX)
    Therefore you will flee!
You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’
    Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
¹⁷A thousand will flee
    at the threat of one;
at the threat of five^(AY)
    you will all flee^(AZ) away,
till you are left^(BA)
    like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
    like a banner^(BB) on a hill.”

¹⁸Yet the Lord longs^(BC) to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.^(BD)
For the Lord is a God of justice.^(BE)
Blessed are all who wait for him!^(BF)

¹⁹People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.^(BG) How gracious he will be when you cry for help!^(BH) As soon as he hears, he will answer^(BI) you. ²⁰Although the Lord gives you the bread^(BJ) of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers^(BK) will be hidden^(BL) no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice^(BM) behind you, saying, “This is the way;^(BN) walk in it.” ²²Then you will desecrate your idols^(BO) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;^(BP) you will throw them away like a menstrual^(BQ) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!^(BR)”

²³He will also send you rain^(BS) for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich^(BT) and plentiful.^(BU) In that day^(BV) your cattle will graze in broad meadows.^(BW) ²⁴The oxen^(BX) and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder^(BY) and mash, spread out with fork^(BZ) and shovel. ²⁵In the day of great slaughter,^(CA) when the towers^(CB) fall, streams of water will flow^(CC) on every high mountain and every lofty hill. ²⁶The moon will shine like the sun,^(CD) and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals^(CE) the wounds he inflicted.

²⁷See, the Name^(CF) of the Lord comes from afar,
    with burning anger^(CG) and dense clouds of smoke;
his lips are full of wrath,^(CH)
    and his tongue is a consuming fire.^(CI)
²⁸His breath^(CJ) is like a rushing torrent,^(CK)
    rising up to the neck.^(CL)
He shakes the nations in the sieve^(CM) of destruction;
    he places in the jaws of the peoples
    a bit^(CN) that leads them astray.
²⁹And you will sing
    as on the night you celebrate a holy festival;^(CO)
your hearts will rejoice^(CP)
    as when people playing pipes^(CQ) go up
to the mountain^(CR) of the Lord,
    to the Rock^(CS) of Israel.
³⁰The Lord will cause people to hear his majestic voice^(CT)
    and will make them see his arm^(CU) coming down
with raging anger^(CV) and consuming fire,^(CW)
    with cloudburst, thunderstorm^(CX) and hail.^(CY)
³¹The voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria;^(CZ)
    with his rod he will strike^(DA) them down.
³²Every stroke the Lord lays on them
    with his punishing club^(DB)
will be to the music of timbrels^(DC) and harps,
    as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.^(DD)
³³Topheth^(DE) has long been prepared;
    it has been made ready for the king.
Its fire pit has been made deep and wide,
    with an abundance of fire and wood;
the breath^(DF) of the Lord,
    like a stream of burning sulfur,^(DG)
    sets it ablaze.^(DH)

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe^(DI) to those who go down to Egypt^(DJ) for help,
    who rely on horses,^(DK)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots^(DL)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One^(DM) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.^(DN)
²Yet he too is wise^(DO) and can bring disaster;^(DP)
    he does not take back his words.^(DQ)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,^(DR)
    against those who help evildoers.
³But the Egyptians^(DS) are mere mortals and not God;^(DT)
    their horses^(DU) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,^(DV)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped^(DW) will fall;
    all will perish together.^(DX)

⁴This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion^(DY) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds^(DZ)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor^(EA)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down^(EB)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵Like birds hovering^(EC) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield^(ED) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver^(EE) it,
    he will ‘pass over’^(EF) it and will rescue it.”

⁶Return,^(EG) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted^(EH) against. ⁷For in that day^(EI) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold^(EJ) your sinful hands have made.^(EK)

⁸“Assyria^(EL) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour^(EM) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.^(EN)
⁹Their stronghold^(EO) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard^(EP) their commanders will panic,^(EQ)”
declares the Lord,
    whose fire^(ER) is in Zion,
    whose furnace^(ES) is in Jerusalem.

Ephesians 4

New International Version

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner^(A) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy^(B) of the calling^(C) you have received. ²Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another^(D) in love.^(E) ³Make every effort to keep the unity^(F) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.^(G) ⁴There is one body^(H) and one Spirit,^(I) just as you were called to one hope when you were called^(J); ⁵one Lord,^(K) one faith, one baptism; ⁶one God and Father of all,^(L) who is over all and through all and in all.^(M)

⁷But to each one of us^(N) grace^(O) has been given^(P) as Christ apportioned it. ⁸This is why it^[a] says:

“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives^(Q)
and gave gifts to his people.”^[b]^(R)

⁹(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^[c]? ¹⁰He who descended is the very one who ascended^(S) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)^(T) ¹¹So Christ himself gave^(U) the apostles,^(V) the prophets,^(W) the evangelists,^(X) the pastors and teachers,^(Y) ¹²to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ^(Z) may be built up^(AA) ¹³until we all reach unity^(AB) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God^(AC) and become mature,^(AD) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.^(AE)

¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants,^(AF) tossed back and forth by the waves,^(AG) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.^(AH) ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love,^(AI) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,^(AJ) that is, Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows^(AK) and builds itself up^(AL) in love,^(AM) as each part does its work.

Instructions for Christian Living

¹⁷So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer^(AN) live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.^(AO) ¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding^(AP) and separated from the life of God^(AQ) because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.^(AR) ¹⁹Having lost all sensitivity,^(AS) they have given themselves over^(AT) to sensuality^(AU) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

²⁰That, however, is not the way of life you learned ²¹when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. ²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off^(AV) your old self,^(AW) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;^(AX) ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds;^(AY) ²⁴and to put on^(AZ) the new self,^(BA) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.^(BB)

²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully^(BC) to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.^(BD) ²⁶“In your anger do not sin”^[d]:^(BE) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold.^(BF) ²⁸Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,^(BG) doing something useful with their own hands,^(BH) that they may have something to share with those in need.^(BI)

²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,^(BJ) but only what is helpful for building others up^(BK) according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,^(BL) with whom you were sealed^(BM) for the day of redemption.^(BN) ³¹Get rid of^(BO) all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.^(BP) ³²Be kind and compassionate to one another,^(BQ) forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.^(BR)