Isaiah 35
English Standard Version
The Ransomed Shall Return
35 (A)The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
(B)the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
(C)The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of (D)Carmel and (E)Sharon.
(F)They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 (G)Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
(H)Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 (I)Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 (J)then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
(K)For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 (L)the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of (M)jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 (N)And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
(O)the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.[a]
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 (P)And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
(Q)everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 35:8 Or if they are fools, they shall not wander in it
Isaiah 35
The Message
The Voiceless Break into Song
35 1-2 Wilderness and desert will sing joyously,
the badlands will celebrate and flower—
Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom,
a symphony of song and color.
Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift.
Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts.
God’s resplendent glory, fully on display.
God awesome, God majestic.
3-4 Energize the limp hands,
strengthen the rubbery knees.
Tell fearful souls,
“Courage! Take heart!
God is here, right here,
on his way to put things right
And redress all wrongs.
He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”
5-7 Blind eyes will be opened,
deaf ears unstopped,
Lame men and women will leap like deer,
the voiceless break into song.
Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness,
streams flow in the desert.
Hot sands will become a cool oasis,
thirsty ground a splashing fountain.
Even lowly jackals will have water to drink,
and barren grasslands flourish richly.
8-10 There will be a highway
called the Holy Road.
No one rude or rebellious
is permitted on this road.
It’s for God’s people exclusively—
impossible to get lost on this road.
Not even fools can get lost on it.
No lions on this road,
no dangerous wild animals—
Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening.
Only the redeemed will walk on it.
The people God has ransomed
will come back on this road.
They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion,
unfading halos of joy encircling their heads,
Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness
as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.
Psalm 146:5-10
English Standard Version
5 (A)Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose (B)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 (C)who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
(D)who keeps faith forever;
7 (E)who executes justice for the oppressed,
(F)who gives food to the hungry.
(G)The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 (H)the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
(I)The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
(J)the Lord loves the righteous.
9 (K)The Lord watches over the sojourners;
(L)he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but (M)the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Psalm 146:5-10
The Message
3-9 Don’t put your life in the hands of experts
who know nothing of life, of salvation life.
Mere humans don’t have what it takes;
when they die, their projects die with them.
Instead, get help from the God of Jacob,
put your hope in God and know real blessing!
God made sky and soil,
sea and all the fish in it.
He always does what he says—
he defends the wronged,
he feeds the hungry.
God frees prisoners—
he gives sight to the blind,
he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers,
takes the side of orphans and widows,
but makes short work of the wicked.
10 God’s in charge—always.
Zion’s God is God for good!
Hallelujah!
Luke 1:46-55
English Standard Version
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said,
(A)“My (B)soul (C)magnifies the Lord,
47 (D)and my (E)spirit rejoices in (F)God my Savior,
48 for (G)he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations (H)will call me blessed;
49 for (I)he who is mighty (J)has done great things for me,
and (K)holy is his name.
50 And (L)his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 (M)He has shown strength with his arm;
(N)he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 (O)he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
(P)and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled (Q)the hungry with good things,
and the rich (R)he has sent away empty.
54 He has (S)helped (T)his servant Israel,
(U)in remembrance of his mercy,
55 (V)as he spoke to our fathers,
(W)to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Luke 1:46-55
The Message
46-55 And Mary said,
I’m bursting with God-news;
I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.
God took one good look at me, and look what happened—
I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!
What God has done for me will never be forgotten,
the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.
His mercy flows in wave after wave
on those who are in awe before him.
He bared his arm and showed his strength,
scattered the bluffing braggarts.
He knocked tyrants off their high horses,
pulled victims out of the mud.
The starving poor sat down to a banquet;
the callous rich were left out in the cold.
He embraced his chosen child, Israel;
he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.
It’s exactly what he promised,
beginning with Abraham and right up to now.
James 5:7-10
English Standard Version
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives (A)the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. (B)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord (C)is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, (D)so that you may not be judged; behold, (E)the Judge is standing (F)at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take (G)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
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James 5:7-11
The Message
7-8 Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.
9 Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.
10-11 Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
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Matthew 11:2-11
English Standard Version
2 (A)Now when John heard (B)in prison about the deeds of (C)the Christ, he sent word by (D)his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you (E)the one who is to come, or shall we (F)look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 (G)the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers[a] are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and (H)the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who (I)is not offended by me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out (J)into the wilderness to see? (K)A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man[b] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? (L)A prophet?[c] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
(M)“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 11:5 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Matthew 11:8 Or Why then did you go out? To see a man…
- Matthew 11:9 Some manuscripts Why then did you go out? To see a prophet?
Matthew 11:2-14
The Message
2-3 John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”
4-6 Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on:
The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.
“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves most blessed!”
7-10 When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’
11-14 “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.
Read full chapterThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson