Psalm 124
English Standard Version
Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord
A Song of (A)Ascents. Of David.
124 (B)If it had not been the Lord who was on our side—
(C)let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
3 then they would have (D)swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then (E)the flood would have (F)swept us away,
the torrent would have gone (G)over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their teeth!
7 We have escaped like a bird
from (H)the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped!
8 (I)Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124
The Message
124 1-5 If God hadn’t been for us
—all together now, Israel, sing out!—
If God hadn’t been for us
when everyone went against us,
We would have been swallowed alive
by their violent anger,
Swept away by the flood of rage,
drowned in the torrent;
We would have lost our lives
in the wild, raging water.
6 Oh, blessed be God!
He didn’t go off and leave us.
He didn’t abandon us defenseless,
helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.
7 We’ve flown free from their fangs,
free of their traps, free as a bird.
Their grip is broken;
we’re free as a bird in flight.
8 God’s strong name is our help,
the same God who made heaven and earth.
Isaiah 54:1-10
English Standard Version
The Eternal Covenant of Peace
54 (A)“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of (B)the desolate one (C)will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
2 (D)“Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
3 (E)For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, (F)for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 (G)For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
(H)and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
(I)the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 (J)For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.
7 (K)For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 (L)In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
(M)but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 “This is like (N)the days of Noah[a] to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and (O)my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 54:9 Some manuscripts For this is as the waters of Noah
Isaiah 54:1-10
The Message
Spread Out! Think Big!
54 1-6 “Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!
You’re ending up with far more children
than all those childbearing women.” God says so!
“Clear lots of ground for your tents!
Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big!
Use plenty of rope,
drive the tent pegs deep.
You’re going to need lots of elbow room
for your growing family.
You’re going to take over whole nations;
you’re going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.
Don’t hold back—you’re not going to come up short.
You’ll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.
For your Maker is your bridegroom,
his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel,
known as God of the whole earth.
You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief,
and God welcomed you back,
Like a woman married young
and then left,” says your God.
7-8 Your Redeemer God says:
“I left you, but only for a moment.
Now, with enormous compassion, I’m bringing you back.
In an outburst of anger I turned my back on you—
but only for a moment.
It’s with lasting love
that I’m tenderly caring for you.
9-10 “This exile is just like the days of Noah for me:
I promised then that the waters of Noah
would never again flood the earth.
I’m promising now no more anger,
no more dressing you down.
For even if the mountains walk away
and the hills fall to pieces,
My love won’t walk away from you,
my covenant commitment of peace won’t fall apart.”
The God who has compassion on you says so.
Matthew 24:23-35
English Standard Version
23 (A)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For (B)false christs and (C)false prophets will arise and (D)perform great signs and wonders, (E)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, (F)I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, (G)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 (H)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be (I)the coming of the Son of Man. 28 (J)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Coming of the Son of Man
29 “Immediately after (K)the tribulation of those days (L)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and (M)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then (N)will appear in heaven (O)the sign of the Son of Man, and then (P)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and (Q)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (R)with power and great glory. 31 And (S)he will send out his angels with a loud (T)trumpet call, and they will (U)gather (V)his elect from (W)the four winds, (X)from one end of heaven to the other.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, (Y)at the very gates. 34 (Z)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 (AA)Heaven and earth will pass away, but (AB)my words will not pass away.
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Matthew 24:23-35
The Message
The Arrival of the Son of Man
23-25 “If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, ‘Here’s the Messiah!’ or points, ‘There he is!’ don’t fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and bewitching performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I’ve given you fair warning.
26-28 “So if they say, ‘Run to the country and see him arrive!’ or, ‘Quick, get downtown, see him come!’ don’t give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn’t something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it’s not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.
29 “Following those hard times,
Sun will fade out,
moon cloud over,
Stars fall out of the sky,
cosmic powers tremble.
30-31 “Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
32-35 “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you’ll know he’s at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.
Read full chapterThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson