Isaiah 45:11-25

New International Version

¹¹“This is what the Lord says—
    the Holy One^(A) of Israel, and its Maker:^(B)
Concerning things to come,
    do you question me about my children,
    or give me orders about the work of my hands?^(C)
¹²It is I who made the earth^(D)
    and created mankind on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens;^(E)
    I marshaled their starry hosts.^(F)
¹³I will raise up Cyrus^[a]^(G) in my righteousness:
    I will make all his ways straight.^(H)
He will rebuild my city^(I)
    and set my exiles free,
but not for a price or reward,^(J)
    says the Lord Almighty.”

¹⁴This is what the Lord says:

“The products^(K) of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,^[b]
    and those tall Sabeans^(L)—
they will come over to you^(M)
    and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you,^(N)
    coming over to you in chains.^(O)
They will bow down before you
    and plead^(P) with you, saying,
‘Surely God is with you,^(Q) and there is no other;
    there is no other god.^(R)’”

¹⁵Truly you are a God who has been hiding^(S) himself,
    the God and Savior^(T) of Israel.
¹⁶All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;^(U)
    they will go off into disgrace together.
¹⁷But Israel will be saved^(V) by the Lord
    with an everlasting salvation;^(W)
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,^(X)
    to ages everlasting.

¹⁸For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,^(Y)
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,^(Z)
    but formed it to be inhabited^(AA)—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.^(AB)
¹⁹I have not spoken in secret,^(AC)
    from somewhere in a land of darkness;^(AD)
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,^(AE)
    ‘Seek^(AF) me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
    I declare what is right.^(AG)

²⁰“Gather together^(AH) and come;
    assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant^(AI) are those who carry^(AJ) about idols of wood,
    who pray to gods that cannot save.^(AK)
²¹Declare what is to be, present it—
    let them take counsel together.
Who foretold^(AL) this long ago,
    who declared it from the distant past?^(AM)
Was it not I, the Lord?
    And there is no God apart from me,^(AN)
a righteous God^(AO) and a Savior;^(AP)
    there is none but me.

²²“Turn^(AQ) to me and be saved,^(AR)
    all you ends of the earth;^(AS)
    for I am God, and there is no other.^(AT)
²³By myself I have sworn,^(AU)
    my mouth has uttered in all integrity^(AV)
    a word that will not be revoked:^(AW)
Before me every knee will bow;^(AX)
    by me every tongue will swear.^(AY)
²⁴They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone
    are deliverance^(AZ) and strength.^(BA)’”
All who have raged against him
    will come to him and be put to shame.^(BB)
²⁵But all the descendants^(BC) of Israel
    will find deliverance^(BD) in the Lord
    and will make their boast in him.^(BE)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Isaiah 45:13 Hebrew him
Isaiah 45:14 That is, the upper Nile region

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)

Footnotes

Ephesians 4:8 Or God
Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)

Psalm 68:19-69:18

New International Version

¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,^(A)
    who daily bears our burdens.^(B)
²⁰Our God is a God who saves;^(C)
    from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.^(D)
²¹Surely God will crush the heads^(E) of his enemies,
    the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
²²The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
    I will bring them from the depths of the sea,^(F)
²³that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,^(G)
    while the tongues of your dogs^(H) have their share.”

²⁴Your procession, God, has come into view,
    the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.^(I)
²⁵In front are the singers,^(J) after them the musicians;^(K)
    with them are the young women playing the timbrels.^(L)
²⁶Praise God in the great congregation;^(M)
    praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.^(N)
²⁷There is the little tribe^(O) of Benjamin,^(P) leading them,
    there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
    and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.^(Q)

²⁸Summon your power,^(R) God^[a];
    show us your strength,^(S) our God, as you have done^(T) before.
²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings will bring you gifts.^(U)
³⁰Rebuke the beast^(V) among the reeds,^(W)
    the herd of bulls^(X) among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
    Scatter the nations^(Y) who delight in war.^(Z)
³¹Envoys will come from Egypt;^(AA)
    Cush^[b]^(AB) will submit herself to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,^(AC)
    sing praise^(AD) to the Lord,
³³to him who rides^(AE) across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
    who thunders^(AF) with mighty voice.^(AG)
³⁴Proclaim the power^(AH) of God,
    whose majesty^(AI) is over Israel,
    whose power is in the heavens.
³⁵You, God, are awesome^(AJ) in your sanctuary;^(AK)
    the God of Israel gives power and strength^(AL) to his people.^(AM)

Praise be to God!^(AN)

Psalm 69^[c]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

¹Save me, O God,
    for the waters^(AO) have come up to my neck.^(AP)
²I sink in the miry depths,^(AQ)
    where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.
³I am worn out calling for help;^(AR)
    my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,^(AS)
    looking for my God.
⁴Those who hate me^(AT) without reason^(AU)
    outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,^(AV)
    those who seek to destroy me.^(AW)
I am forced to restore
    what I did not steal.

⁵You, God, know my folly;^(AX)
my guilt is not hidden from you.^(AY)

⁶Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    may those who hope in you
    not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
    may those who seek you
    not be put to shame because of me.
⁷For I endure scorn^(AZ) for your sake,^(BA)
    and shame covers my face.^(BB)
⁸I am a foreigner to my own family,
    a stranger to my own mother’s children;^(BC)
⁹for zeal for your house consumes me,^(BD)
    and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.^(BE)
¹⁰When I weep and fast,^(BF)
    I must endure scorn;
¹¹when I put on sackcloth,^(BG)
    people make sport of me.
¹²Those who sit at the gate^(BH) mock me,
    and I am the song of the drunkards.^(BI)

¹³But I pray to you, Lord,
    in the time of your favor;^(BJ)
in your great love,^(BK) O God,
    answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴Rescue me from the mire,
    do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
    from the deep waters.^(BL)
¹⁵Do not let the floodwaters^(BM) engulf me
    or the depths swallow me up^(BN)
    or the pit close its mouth over me.^(BO)

¹⁶Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;^(BP)
    in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁷Do not hide your face^(BQ) from your servant;
    answer me quickly,^(BR) for I am in trouble.^(BS)
¹⁸Come near and rescue me;
    deliver^(BT) me because of my foes.

Footnotes

Psalm 68:28 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts Your God has summoned power for you
Psalm 68:31 That is, the upper Nile region
Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.

Proverbs 24:3-6

New International Version

Saying 21

³By wisdom a house is built,^(A)
and through understanding it is established;
⁴through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.^(B)

Saying 22

⁵The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
⁶Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.^(C)

Read full chapter