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Nehemiah 8-9
King James Version
Nehemiah 8-9
King James Version
8 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.
13 And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.
14 And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:
15 And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
16 So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.
17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.
18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
9 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.
4 Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, and cried with a loud voice unto the Lord their God.
5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
7 Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;
8 And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
10 And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.
11 And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.
13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:
14 And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
18 Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;
19 Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.
20 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.
22 Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.
23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.
25 And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.
26 Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.
27 Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.
28 But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;
29 And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.
30 Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands.
31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
34 Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.
35 For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.
Nehemiah 8-9
New International Version
Nehemiah 8-9
New International Version
8 1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate.(A) They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,(B) which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
2 So on the first day of the seventh month(C) Ezra the priest brought the Law(D) before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate(E) in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform(F) built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing(G) above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands(H) and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites(I)—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah—instructed(J) the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear[a] and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites(K) who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(L) For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing(M) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy(N) of the Lord is your strength.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,(O) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters(P) during the festival of the seventh month 15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.[b]
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate(Q) and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.(R) 17 The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them.(S) From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated(T) it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read(U) from the Book of the Law(V) of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation,(W) there was an assembly.(X)
The Israelites Confess Their Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.(Y) 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.(Z) They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.(AA) 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God. 4 Standing on the stairs of the Levites(AB) were Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. They cried out with loud voices to the Lord their God. 5 And the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah—said: “Stand up and praise the Lord your God,(AC) who is from everlasting to everlasting.[c]”
“Blessed be your glorious name,(AD) and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord.(AE) You made the heavens,(AF) even the highest heavens, and all their starry host,(AG) the earth(AH) and all that is on it, the seas(AI) and all that is in them.(AJ) You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven(AK) worship you.
7 “You are the Lord God, who chose Abram(AL) and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans(AM) and named him Abraham.(AN) 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites.(AO) You have kept your promise(AP) because you are righteous.(AQ)
9 “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt;(AR) you heard their cry at the Red Sea.[d](AS) 10 You sent signs(AT) and wonders(AU) against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name(AV) for yourself,(AW) which remains to this day. 11 You divided the sea before them,(AX) so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths,(AY) like a stone into mighty waters.(AZ) 12 By day(BA) you led(BB) them with a pillar of cloud,(BC) and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
13 “You came down on Mount Sinai;(BD) you spoke(BE) to them from heaven.(BF) You gave them regulations and laws that are just(BG) and right, and decrees and commands that are good.(BH) 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath(BI) and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven(BJ) and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock;(BK) you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand(BL) to give them.(BM)
16 “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked,(BN) and they did not obey your commands.(BO) 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember(BP) the miracles(BQ) you performed among them. They became stiff-necked(BR) and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery.(BS) But you are a forgiving God,(BT) gracious and compassionate,(BU) slow to anger(BV) and abounding in love.(BW) Therefore you did not desert them,(BX) 18 even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf(BY) and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.(BZ)
19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon(CA) them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud(CB) did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20 You gave your good Spirit(CC) to instruct(CD) them. You did not withhold your manna(CE) from their mouths, and you gave them water(CF) for their thirst. 21 For forty years(CG) you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing,(CH) their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.(CI)
22 “You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon[e](CJ) king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan.(CK) 23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky,(CL) and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. 24 Their children went in and took possession of the land.(CM) You subdued(CN) before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. 25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land;(CO) they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things,(CP) wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished;(CQ) they reveled in your great goodness.(CR)
26 “But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law.(CS) They killed(CT) your prophets,(CU) who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies.(CV) 27 So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies,(CW) who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion(CX) you gave them deliverers,(CY) who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.
28 “But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight.(CZ) Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion(DA) you delivered them(DB) time after time.
29 “You warned(DC) them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant(DD) and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’(DE) Stubbornly they turned their backs(DF) on you, became stiff-necked(DG) and refused to listen.(DH) 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets.(DI) Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.(DJ) 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end(DK) to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful(DL) God.
32 “Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty(DM) and awesome,(DN) who keeps his covenant of love,(DO) do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship(DP) that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous;(DQ) you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.(DR) 34 Our kings,(DS) our leaders, our priests and our ancestors(DT) did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness(DU) to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you(DV) or turn from their evil ways.
36 “But see, we are slaves(DW) today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.(DX)
The Agreement of the People
38 “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement,(DY) putting it in writing,(DZ) and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”[f]
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 8:8 Or God, translating it
- Nehemiah 8:15 See Lev. 23:37-40.
- Nehemiah 9:5 Or God for ever and ever
- Nehemiah 9:9 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Nehemiah 9:22 One Hebrew manuscript and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Sihon, that is, the country of the
- Nehemiah 9:38 In Hebrew texts this verse (9:38) is numbered 10:1.
Ecclesiastes 3
King James Version
Ecclesiastes 3
King James Version
3 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version
A Time for Everything
3 There is a time(A) for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,(B)
3 a time to kill(C) and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent(D) and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil?(E) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(F) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(G) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom(H) what God has done from beginning to end.(I) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(J) and find satisfaction(K) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(L) 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.(M)
15 Whatever is has already been,(N)
and what will be has been before;(O)
and God will call the past to account.[b]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment(P)
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”(Q)
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(R) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(S) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(T) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(U) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(V) because that is their lot.(W) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
- Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit
Isaiah 51-55
King James Version
Isaiah 51-55
King James Version
51 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
11 Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
15 But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.
18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.
19 These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.
21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:
22 Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
52 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4 For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
54 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
55 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Isaiah 51-55
New International Version
Isaiah 51-55
New International Version
Everlasting Salvation for Zion
51 “Listen(A) to me, you who pursue righteousness(B)
and who seek(C) the Lord:
Look to the rock(D) from which you were cut
and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham,(E) your father,
and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man,
and I blessed him and made him many.(F)
3 The Lord will surely comfort(G) Zion(H)
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;(I)
he will make her deserts like Eden,(J)
her wastelands(K) like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness(L) will be found in her,
thanksgiving(M) and the sound of singing.
4 “Listen to me, my people;(N)
hear me,(O) my nation:
Instruction(P) will go out from me;
my justice(Q) will become a light to the nations.(R)
5 My righteousness draws near speedily,
my salvation(S) is on the way,(T)
and my arm(U) will bring justice to the nations.
The islands(V) will look to me
and wait in hope(W) for my arm.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,(X)
the earth will wear out like a garment(Y)
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation(Z) will last forever,(AA)
my righteousness will never fail.(AB)
7 “Hear me, you who know what is right,(AC)
you people who have taken my instruction to heart:(AD)
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
or be terrified by their insults.(AE)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;(AF)
the worm(AG) will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,(AH)
my salvation through all generations.”
9 Awake, awake,(AI) arm(AJ) of the Lord,
clothe yourself with strength!(AK)
Awake, as in days gone by,
as in generations of old.(AL)
Was it not you who cut Rahab(AM) to pieces,
who pierced that monster(AN) through?
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,(AO)
the waters of the great deep,(AP)
who made a road in the depths of the sea(AQ)
so that the redeemed(AR) might cross over?
11 Those the Lord has rescued(AS) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(AT)
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy(AU) will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AV)
12 “I, even I, am he who comforts(AW) you.
Who are you that you fear(AX) mere mortals,(AY)
human beings who are but grass,(AZ)
13 that you forget(BA) the Lord your Maker,(BB)
who stretches out the heavens(BC)
and who lays the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror(BD) every day
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor?(BE)
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;(BF)
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread.(BG)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea(BH) so that its waves roar(BI)—
the Lord Almighty(BJ) is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth(BK)
and covered you with the shadow of my hand(BL)—
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,(BM)
and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.(BN)’”
The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath
17 Awake, awake!(BO)
Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord
the cup(BP) of his wrath,(BQ)
you who have drained to its dregs(BR)
the goblet that makes people stagger.(BS)
18 Among all the children(BT) she bore
there was none to guide her;(BU)
among all the children she reared
there was none to take her by the hand.(BV)
19 These double calamities(BW) have come upon you—
who can comfort you?(BX)—
ruin and destruction,(BY) famine(BZ) and sword(CA)—
who can[a] console you?
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at every street corner,(CB)
like antelope caught in a net.(CC)
They are filled with the wrath(CD) of the Lord,
with the rebuke(CE) of your God.
21 Therefore hear this, you afflicted(CF) one,
made drunk,(CG) but not with wine.
22 This is what your Sovereign Lord says,
your God, who defends(CH) his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
the cup(CI) that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
you will never drink again.
23 I will put it into the hands of your tormentors,(CJ)
who said to you,
‘Fall prostrate(CK) that we may walk(CL) on you.’
And you made your back like the ground,
like a street to be walked on.”(CM)
52 Awake, awake,(CN) Zion,
clothe yourself with strength!(CO)
Put on your garments of splendor,(CP)
Jerusalem, the holy city.(CQ)
The uncircumcised(CR) and defiled(CS)
will not enter you again.(CT)
2 Shake off your dust;(CU)
rise up,(CV) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(CW)
Daughter Zion,(CX) now a captive.
3 For this is what the Lord says:
4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
5 “And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.
“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
and those who rule them mock,[b]”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
my name is constantly blasphemed.(DD)
6 Therefore my people will know(DE) my name;(DF)
therefore in that day(DG) they will know
that it is I who foretold(DH) it.
Yes, it is I.”
7 How beautiful on the mountains(DI)
are the feet of those who bring good news,(DJ)
who proclaim peace,(DK)
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”(DL)
8 Listen! Your watchmen(DM) lift up their voices;(DN)
together they shout for joy.(DO)
When the Lord returns(DP) to Zion,(DQ)
they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy(DR) together,
you ruins(DS) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(DT) his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.(DU)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(DV)
in the sight of all the nations,(DW)
and all the ends of the earth(DX) will see
the salvation(DY) of our God.
11 Depart,(DZ) depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing!(EA)
Come out from it and be pure,(EB)
you who carry the articles(EC) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(ED)
or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(EE)
the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(EF)
The Suffering and Glory of the Servant
13 See, my servant(EG) will act wisely[c];
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.(EH)
14 Just as there were many who were appalled(EI) at him[d]—
his appearance was so disfigured(EJ) beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness(EK)—
15 so he will sprinkle(EL) many nations,[e]
and kings(EM) will shut their mouths(EN) because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.(EO)
53 Who has believed our message(EP)
and to whom has the arm(EQ) of the Lord been revealed?(ER)
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(ES)
and like a root(ET) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance(EU) that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering,(EV) and familiar with pain.(EW)
Like one from whom people hide(EX) their faces
he was despised,(EY) and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,(EZ)
yet we considered him punished by God,(FA)
stricken by him, and afflicted.(FB)
5 But he was pierced(FC) for our transgressions,(FD)
he was crushed(FE) for our iniquities;
the punishment(FF) that brought us peace(FG) was on him,
and by his wounds(FH) we are healed.(FI)
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(FJ)
each of us has turned to our own way;(FK)
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity(FL) of us all.
7 He was oppressed(FM) and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;(FN)
he was led like a lamb(FO) to the slaughter,(FP)
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression[f] and judgment(FQ) he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(FR)
for the transgression(FS) of my people he was punished.[g]
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(FT)
and with the rich(FU) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(FV)
nor was any deceit in his mouth.(FW)
10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(FX) to crush(FY) him and cause him to suffer,(FZ)
and though the Lord makes[h] his life an offering for sin,(GA)
he will see his offspring(GB) and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper(GC) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(GD)
he will see the light(GE) of life[i] and be satisfied[j];
by his knowledge[k] my righteous servant(GF) will justify(GG) many,
and he will bear their iniquities.(GH)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[l](GI)
and he will divide the spoils(GJ) with the strong,[m]
because he poured out his life unto death,(GK)
and was numbered with the transgressors.(GL)
For he bore(GM) the sin of many,(GN)
and made intercession(GO) for the transgressors.
The Future Glory of Zion
54 “Sing, barren woman,(GP)
you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(GQ)
you who were never in labor;(GR)
because more are the children(GS) of the desolate(GT) woman
than of her who has a husband,(GU)”
says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,(GV)
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.(GW)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants(GX) will dispossess nations(GY)
and settle in their desolate(GZ) cities.
4 “Do not be afraid;(HA) you will not be put to shame.(HB)
Do not fear disgrace;(HC) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(HD)
and remember no more the reproach(HE) of your widowhood.(HF)
5 For your Maker(HG) is your husband(HH)—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(HI) of Israel is your Redeemer;(HJ)
he is called the God of all the earth.(HK)
6 The Lord will call you back(HL)
as if you were a wife deserted(HM) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(HN)
only to be rejected,” says your God.
7 “For a brief moment(HO) I abandoned(HP) you,
but with deep compassion(HQ) I will bring you back.(HR)
8 In a surge of anger(HS)
I hid(HT) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(HU)
I will have compassion(HV) on you,”
says the Lord your Redeemer.(HW)
9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(HX)
So now I have sworn(HY) not to be angry(HZ) with you,
never to rebuke(IA) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(IB)
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(IC) for you will not be shaken(ID)
nor my covenant(IE) of peace(IF) be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion(IG) on you.
11 “Afflicted(IH) city, lashed by storms(II) and not comforted,(IJ)
I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[n](IK)
your foundations(IL) with lapis lazuli.(IM)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates(IN) of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(IO)
and great will be their peace.(IP)
14 In righteousness(IQ) you will be established:(IR)
Tyranny(IS) will be far from you;
you will have nothing to fear.(IT)
Terror(IU) will be far removed;
it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
whoever attacks you will surrender(IV) to you.
16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(IW)
who fans the coals into flame
and forges a weapon(IX) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(IY) to wreak havoc;
17 no weapon forged against you will prevail,(IZ)
and you will refute(JA) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(JB) of the Lord,
and this is their vindication(JC) from me,”
declares the Lord.
Invitation to the Thirsty
55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,(JD)
come to the waters;(JE)
and you who have no money,
come, buy(JF) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk(JG)
without money and without cost.(JH)
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?(JI)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,(JJ)
and you will delight in the richest(JK) of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
listen,(JL) that you may live.(JM)
I will make an everlasting covenant(JN) with you,
my faithful love(JO) promised to David.(JP)
4 See, I have made him a witness(JQ) to the peoples,
a ruler and commander(JR) of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations(JS) you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,(JT)
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One(JU) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”(JV)
6 Seek(JW) the Lord while he may be found;(JX)
call(JY) on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake(JZ) their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.(KA)
Let them turn(KB) to the Lord, and he will have mercy(KC) on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.(KD)
8 “For my thoughts(KE) are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”(KF)
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,(KG)
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(KH)
10 As the rain(KI) and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(KJ)
so that it yields seed(KK) for the sower and bread for the eater,(KL)
11 so is my word(KM) that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,(KN)
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose(KO) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(KP)
and be led forth in peace;(KQ)
the mountains and hills
will burst into song(KR) before you,
and all the trees(KS) of the field
will clap their hands.(KT)
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers(KU) the myrtle(KV) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,(KW)
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 51:19 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text / how can I
- Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
- Isaiah 52:13 Or will prosper
- Isaiah 52:14 Hebrew you
- Isaiah 52:15 Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)
- Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
- Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
- Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
- Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
- Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
- Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
- Isaiah 53:12 Or many
- Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous
- Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Isaiah 64-66
King James Version
Isaiah 64-66
King James Version
64 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!
3 When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.
4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
9 Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people.
10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.
12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?
65 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
4 Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
8 Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
9 And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
10 And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
11 But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
14 Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.
66 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
4 I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
5 Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
12 For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
14 And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
15 For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Isaiah 64-66
New International Version
Isaiah 64-66
New International Version
64 [a]Oh, that you would rend the heavens(A) and come down,(B)
that the mountains(C) would tremble before you!
2 As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name(D) known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake(E) before you!
3 For when you did awesome(F) things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled(G) before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,(H)
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.(I)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right,(J)
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.(K)
How then can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,(L)
and all our righteous(M) acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,(N)
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.(O)
7 No one(P) calls on your name(Q)
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden(R) your face from us
and have given us over(S) to[b] our sins.
8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father.(T)
We are the clay, you are the potter;(U)
we are all the work of your hand.(V)
9 Do not be angry(W) beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins(X) forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.(Y)
10 Your sacred cities(Z) have become a wasteland;
even Zion is a wasteland, Jerusalem a desolation.(AA)
11 Our holy and glorious temple,(AB) where our ancestors praised you,
has been burned with fire,
and all that we treasured(AC) lies in ruins.
12 After all this, Lord, will you hold yourself back?(AD)
Will you keep silent(AE) and punish us beyond measure?
Judgment and Salvation
65 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.(AF)
To a nation(AG) that did not call on my name,(AH)
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,(AI)
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations(AJ)—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,(AK)
offering sacrifices in gardens(AL)
and burning incense(AM) on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves(AN)
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,(AO)
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred(AP) for you!’
Such people are smoke(AQ) in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent(AR) but will pay back(AS) in full;
I will pay it back into their laps(AT)—
7 both your sins(AU) and the sins of your ancestors,”(AV)
says the Lord.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,(AW)
I will measure into their laps
the full payment(AX) for their former deeds.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes(AY)
and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it,
there is still a blessing in it,’
so will I do in behalf of my servants;(AZ)
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth descendants(BA) from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will possess(BB) my mountains;
my chosen(BC) people will inherit them,
and there will my servants live.(BD)
10 Sharon(BE) will become a pasture for flocks,(BF)
and the Valley of Achor(BG) a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek(BH) me.
11 “But as for you who forsake(BI) the Lord
and forget my holy mountain,(BJ)
who spread a table for Fortune
and fill bowls of mixed wine(BK) for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword,(BL)
and all of you will fall in the slaughter;(BM)
for I called but you did not answer,(BN)
I spoke but you did not listen.(BO)
You did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(BP)
13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“My servants will eat,(BQ)
but you will go hungry;(BR)
my servants will drink,(BS)
but you will go thirsty;(BT)
my servants will rejoice,(BU)
but you will be put to shame.(BV)
14 My servants will sing(BW)
out of the joy of their hearts,
but you will cry out(BX)
from anguish of heart
and wail in brokenness of spirit.
15 You will leave your name
for my chosen ones to use in their curses;(BY)
the Sovereign Lord will put you to death,
but to his servants he will give another name.(BZ)
16 Whoever invokes a blessing(CA) in the land
will do so by the one true God;(CB)
whoever takes an oath in the land
will swear(CC) by the one true God.
For the past troubles(CD) will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.(CE)
The former things will not be remembered,(CF)
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice(CG) forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem(CH) to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice(CI) over Jerusalem
and take delight(CJ) in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying(CK)
will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it
an infant(CL) who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;(CM)
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[c] a hundred
will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses(CN) and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.(CO)
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,(CP)
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,(CQ)
so will be the days(CR) of my people;
my chosen(CS) ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,(CT)
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;(CU)
for they will be a people blessed(CV) by the Lord,
they and their descendants(CW) with them.
24 Before they call(CX) I will answer;(CY)
while they are still speaking(CZ) I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb(DA) will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,(DB)
and dust will be the serpent’s(DC) food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”(DD)
says the Lord.
Judgment and Hope
66 This is what the Lord says:
“Heaven is my throne,(DE)
and the earth is my footstool.(DF)
Where is the house(DG) you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things,(DH)
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,(DI)
and who tremble at my word.(DJ)
3 But whoever sacrifices a bull(DK)
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s(DL) blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense(DM)
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,(DN)
and they delight in their abominations;(DO)
4 so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring on them what they dread.(DP)
For when I called, no one answered,(DQ)
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil(DR) in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”(DS)
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:(DT)
“Your own people who hate(DU) you,
and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
that we may see your joy!’
Yet they will be put to shame.(DV)
6 Hear that uproar from the city,
hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound(DW) of the Lord
repaying(DX) his enemies all they deserve.
7 “Before she goes into labor,(DY)
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.(DZ)
8 Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen(EA) things like this?
Can a country be born in a day(EB)
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?
Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.(EC)
9 Do I bring to the moment of birth(ED)
and not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?” says your God.
10 “Rejoice(EE) with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love(EF) her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn(EG) over her.
11 For you will nurse(EH) and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;(EI)
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.”(EJ)
12 For this is what the Lord says:
“I will extend peace(EK) to her like a river,(EL)
and the wealth(EM) of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried(EN) on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
13 As a mother comforts her child,(EO)
so will I comfort(EP) you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice(EQ)
and you will flourish(ER) like grass;
the hand(ES) of the Lord will be made known to his servants,(ET)
but his fury(EU) will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the Lord is coming with fire,(EV)
and his chariots(EW) are like a whirlwind;(EX)
he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke(EY) with flames of fire.
16 For with fire(EZ) and with his sword(FA)
the Lord will execute judgment(FB) on all people,
and many will be those slain(FC) by the Lord.
17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens,(FD) following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs,(FE) rats(FF) and other unclean things—they will meet their end(FG) together with the one they follow,” declares the Lord.
18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done,(FH) am about to come[d] and gather the people of all nations(FI) and languages, and they will come and see my glory.(FJ)
19 “I will set a sign(FK) among them, and I will send some of those who survive(FL) to the nations—to Tarshish,(FM) to the Libyans[e] and Lydians(FN) (famous as archers), to Tubal(FO) and Greece,(FP) and to the distant islands(FQ) that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.(FR) They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20 And they will bring(FS) all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain(FT) in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord—on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,”(FU) says the Lord. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.(FV) 21 And I will select some of them also to be priests(FW) and Levites,” says the Lord.
22 “As the new heavens and the new earth(FX) that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.(FY) 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath(FZ) to another, all mankind will come and bow down(GA) before me,” says the Lord. 24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies(GB) of those who rebelled(GC) against me; the worms(GD) that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched,(GE) and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 64:1 In Hebrew texts 64:1 is numbered 63:19b, and 64:2-12 is numbered 64:1-11.
- Isaiah 64:7 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew have made us melt because of
- Isaiah 65:20 Or the sinner who reaches
- Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul
Jeremiah 30-31
King James Version
Jeremiah 30-31
King James Version
30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
3 For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
4 And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
5 For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.
8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I will not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
12 For thus saith the Lord, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.
13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
18 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord.
22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.
31 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.
7 For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
11 For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.
15 Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
16 Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.
21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.
24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.
27 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.
38 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.
39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the Lord; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
Jeremiah 30-31
New International Version
Jeremiah 30-31
New International Version
Restoration of Israel
30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write(A) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days(B) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring(C) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore(D) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Cries of fear(E) are heard—
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,(F)
every face turned deathly pale?(G)
7 How awful that day(H) will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble(I) for Jacob,
but he will be saved(J) out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke(K) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;(L)
no longer will foreigners enslave them.(M)
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David(N) their king,(O)
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not be afraid,(P) Jacob my servant;(Q)
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save(R) you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,(S)
and no one will make him afraid.(T)
11 I am with you(U) and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy(V) you.
I will discipline(W) you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’(X)
12 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wound(Y) is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.(Z)
13 There is no one to plead your cause,(AA)
no remedy for your sore,
no healing(AB) for you.
14 All your allies(AC) have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy(AD) would
and punished you as would the cruel,(AE)
because your guilt is so great
and your sins(AF) so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?(AG)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.(AH)
16 “‘But all who devour(AI) you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.(AJ)
Those who plunder(AK) you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal(AL) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,(AM)
Zion for whom no one cares.’(AN)
18 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes(AO) of Jacob’s tents(AP)
and have compassion(AQ) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt(AR) on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs(AS) of thanksgiving(AT)
and the sound of rejoicing.(AU)
I will add to their numbers,(AV)
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,(AW)
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children(AX) will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established(AY) before me;
I will punish(AZ) all who oppress them.
21 Their leader(BA) will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.(BB)
I will bring him near(BC) and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,(BD)
and I will be your God.(BE)’”
23 See, the storm(BF) of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger(BG) of the Lord will not turn back(BH)
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand(BI) this.
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God(BJ) of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword
will find favor(BK) in the wilderness;
I will come to give rest(BL) to Israel.”
3 The Lord appeared to us in the past,[b] saying:
“I have loved(BM) you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn(BN) you with unfailing kindness.
4 I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin(BO) Israel, will be rebuilt.(BP)
Again you will take up your timbrels(BQ)
and go out to dance(BR) with the joyful.(BS)
5 Again you will plant(BT) vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;(BU)
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.(BV)
6 There will be a day when watchmen(BW) cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.’”(BX)
7 This is what the Lord says:
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah
- Jeremiah 31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar
New International Version (NIV) 
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