Numbers 19

New International Version

The Water of Cleansing

19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ²“This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer^(A) without defect or blemish^(B) and that has never been under a yoke.^(C) ³Give it to Eleazar^(D) the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp^(E) and slaughtered in his presence. ⁴Then Eleazar the priest is to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle^(F) it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. ⁵While he watches, the heifer is to be burned—its hide, flesh, blood and intestines.^(G) ⁶The priest is to take some cedar wood, hyssop^(H) and scarlet wool^(I) and throw them onto the burning heifer. ⁷After that, the priest must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water.^(J) He may then come into the camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean till evening. ⁸The man who burns it must also wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he too will be unclean till evening.

⁹“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer^(K) and put them in a ceremonially clean place^(L) outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing;^(M) it is for purification from sin.^(N) ¹⁰The man who gathers up^(O) the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he too will be unclean till evening.^(P) This will be a lasting ordinance^(Q) both for the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them.^(R)

¹¹“Whoever touches a human corpse^(S) will be unclean for seven days.^(T) ¹²They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day;^(U) then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean.^(V) ¹³If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,^(W) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.^(X) They must be cut off from Israel.^(Y) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;^(Z) their uncleanness remains on them.

¹⁴“This is the law that applies when a person dies in a tent: Anyone who enters the tent and anyone who is in it will be unclean for seven days, ¹⁵and every open container^(AA) without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.

¹⁶“Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death,^(AB) or anyone who touches a human bone^(AC) or a grave,^(AD) will be unclean for seven days.^(AE)

¹⁷“For the unclean person, put some ashes^(AF) from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water^(AG) over them. ¹⁸Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop,^(AH) dip it in the water and sprinkle^(AI) the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave^(AJ) or anyone who has been killed or anyone who has died a natural death. ¹⁹The man who is clean is to sprinkle^(AK) those who are unclean on the third and seventh days, and on the seventh day he is to purify them.^(AL) Those who are being cleansed must wash their clothes^(AM) and bathe with water, and that evening they will be clean. ²⁰But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled^(AN) the sanctuary of the Lord.^(AO) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.^(AP) ²¹This is a lasting ordinance^(AQ) for them.

“The man who sprinkles the water of cleansing must also wash his clothes, and anyone who touches the water of cleansing will be unclean till evening. ²²Anything that an unclean^(AR) person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.”

Isaiah 8:1-9:7

New International Version

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll^(A) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”^[a]^(B) ²So I called in Uriah^(C) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses^(D) for me. ³Then I made love to the prophetess,^(E) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.^(F) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.^(G) ⁴For before the boy knows^(H) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus^(I) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.^(J)”

⁵The Lord spoke to me again:

⁶“Because this people has rejected^(K)
    the gently flowing waters of Shiloah^(L)
and rejoices over Rezin
    and the son of Remaliah,^(M)
⁷therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
    the mighty floodwaters^(N) of the Euphrates—
    the king of Assyria^(O) with all his pomp.^(P)
It will overflow all its channels,
    run over all its banks^(Q)
⁸and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,^(R)
    passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings^(S) will cover the breadth of your land,
    Immanuel^[b]!”^(T)

⁹Raise the war cry,^[c]^(U) you nations, and be shattered!^(V)
    Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare^(W) for battle, and be shattered!
    Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
¹⁰Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;^(X)
    propose your plan, but it will not stand,^(Y)
    for God is with us.^[d]^(Z)

¹¹This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,^(AA) warning me not to follow^(AB) the way of this people:

¹²“Do not call conspiracy^(AC)
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,^(AD)
    and do not dread it.^(AE)
¹³The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,^(AF)
    he is the one you are to fear,^(AG)
    he is the one you are to dread.^(AH)
¹⁴He will be a holy place;^(AI)
    for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone^(AJ) that causes people to stumble^(AK)
    and a rock that makes them fall.^(AL)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
    a trap and a snare.^(AM)
¹⁵Many of them will stumble;^(AN)
    they will fall and be broken,
    they will be snared and captured.”

¹⁶Bind up this testimony of warning^(AO)
and seal^(AP) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
¹⁷I will wait^(AQ) for the Lord,
who is hiding^(AR) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.^(AS)

¹⁸Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.^(AT) We are signs^(AU) and symbols^(AV) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.^(AW)

The Darkness Turns to Light

¹⁹When someone tells you to consult^(AX) mediums and spiritists,^(AY) who whisper and mutter,^(AZ) should not a people inquire^(BA) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰Consult God’s instruction^(BB) and the testimony of warning.^(BC) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light^(BD) of dawn. ²¹Distressed and hungry,^(BE) they will roam through the land;^(BF) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse^(BG) their king and their God. ²²Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,^(BH) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.^(BI)

9 ^[e]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom^(BJ) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,^(BK) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

²The people walking in darkness^(BL)
    have seen a great light;^(BM)
on those living in the land of deep darkness^(BN)
    a light has dawned.^(BO)
³You have enlarged the nation^(BP)
    and increased their joy;^(BQ)
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.^(BR)
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,^(BS)
    you have shattered^(BT)
the yoke^(BU) that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,^(BV)
    the rod of their oppressor.^(BW)
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,^(BX)
    will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,^(BY)
    to us a son is given,^(BZ)
    and the government^(CA) will be on his shoulders.^(CB)
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor,^(CC) Mighty God,^(CD)
    Everlasting^(CE) Father,^(CF) Prince of Peace.^(CG)
⁷Of the greatness of his government^(CH) and peace^(CI)
    there will be no end.^(CJ)
He will reign^(CK) on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice^(CL) and righteousness^(CM)
    from that time on and forever.^(CN)
The zeal^(CO) of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Footnotes

Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.

Psalm 124

New International Version

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹If the Lord had not been on our side—
    let Israel say^(A)—
²if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us,
³they would have swallowed us alive
    when their anger flared against us;
⁴the flood^(B) would have engulfed us,
    the torrent^(C) would have swept over us,
⁵the raging waters
    would have swept us away.

⁶Praise be to the Lord,
    who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
⁷We have escaped like a bird
    from the fowler’s snare;^(D)
the snare has been broken,^(E)
    and we have escaped.
⁸Our help is in the name^(F) of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven^(G) and earth.