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Isaiah 11-13
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 11-13
Contemporary English Version
Peace at Last
11 (A) Like a branch that sprouts
from a stump,
someone from David's family[a]
will someday be king.
2 The Spirit of the Lord
will be with him
to give him understanding,
wisdom, and insight.
He will be powerful,
and he will know
and honor the Lord.
3 His greatest joy will be
to obey the Lord.
This king won't judge
by appearances
or listen to rumors.
4 The poor and the needy
will be treated with fairness
and with justice.
His word will be law
everywhere in the land,
and criminals
will be put to death.
5 (B) Honesty and fairness
will be his royal robes.
6 (C) Leopards will lie down
with young goats,
and wolves will rest
with lambs.
Calves and lions
will eat together
and be cared for
by little children.
7 Cows and bears will share
the same pasture;
their young will rest
side by side.
Lions and oxen
will both eat straw.
8 Little children will play
near snake holes.
They will stick their hands
into dens of poisonous snakes
and never be hurt.
9 (D) Nothing harmful will take place
on the Lord's holy mountain.
Just as water fills the sea,
the land will be filled
with people who know
and honor the Lord.
God's People Will Come Back Home
10 (E) The time is coming when one of David's descendants[b] will be the signal for the people of all nations to come together. They will follow his advice, and his own nation will become famous.
11 When that day comes, the Lord will again reach out his mighty arm and bring home his people who have survived in Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia,[c] Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the land along the coast.[d] 12 He will give a signal to the nations, and he will bring together the refugees from Judah and Israel, who have been scattered all over the earth. 13 Israel will stop being jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be the enemy of Israel. 14 Instead, they will get together and attack the Philistines in the west. Then they will defeat the Edomites, the Moabites, and the Ammonites in the east. They will rule those people and take from them whatever they want.
15 (F) The Lord will dry up the arm of the Red Sea near Egypt,[e] and he will send a scorching wind to divide the Euphrates River into seven streams that anyone can step across. 16 Then for his people who survive, there will be a good road from Assyria, just as there was a good road for their ancestors when they left Egypt.
A Song of Praise
12 At that time you will say,
“I thank you, Lord!
You were angry with me,
but you stopped being angry
and gave me comfort.
2 (G) I trust you to save me,
Lord God,
and I won't be afraid.
My power and my strength[f]
come from you,
and you have saved me.”
3 With great joy, you people
will get water
from the well of victory.
4 At that time you will say,
“Our Lord, we are thankful,
and we worship only you.
We will tell the nations
how glorious you are
and what you have done.
5 Because of your wonderful deeds
we will sing your praises
everywhere on earth.”
6 Sing, people of Zion!
Celebrate the greatness
of the holy Lord of Israel.
God is here to help you.
Babylon Will Be Punished
13 (H) This is the message[g] that I was given about Babylon:
2 From high on a barren hill
give a signal, shout the orders,
and point the way
to enter the gates
of Babylon's proud rulers.
3 The Lord has commanded
his very best warriors
and his proud heroes
to show how angry he is.
4 Listen to the noisy crowds
on the mountains!
Kingdoms and nations
are joining forces.
The Lord All-Powerful
is bringing together
an army for battle.
5 From a distant land
the Lord is coming
fierce and furious—
he brings his weapons
to destroy the whole earth.
6 (I) Cry and weep!
The day is coming
when the mighty Lord
will bring destruction.
* 7 All people will be terrified.
Hands will grow limp;
courage will melt away.
8 Everyone will tremble with pain
like a woman giving birth;
they will stare at each other
with horror on their faces.
There Will Be No Mercy
9 I, the Lord,
will show no mercy or pity
when that time comes.
In my anger I will destroy
the earth and every sinner
who lives on it.
10 (J) Light will disappear
from the stars in the sky;
the dawning sun will turn dark,
and the moon
will lose its brightness.
11 I will punish this evil world
and its people
because of their sins.
I will crush the horrible pride
of those who are cruel.
12 Survivors will be harder to find
than the purest gold.
13 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
am terribly angry—
I will make the sky tremble
and the earth shake loose.
14 Everyone will run
to their homelands,
just as hunted deer run,
and sheep scatter
when they have no shepherd.
15 Those men who are captured
will be killed by a sword.
16 They will see their children
beaten against rocks,
their homes robbed,
and their wives abused.
17 The Medes[h] can't be bought off
with silver or gold,
and I'm sending them
to attack Babylonia.
18 Their arrows will slaughter
the young men;
no pity will be shown
to babies and children.
The Lord Will Destroy Babylon
19 (K) The city of Babylon
is glorious and powerful,
the pride of the nation.
But it will be like the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah
after I, the Lord,
destroyed them.
20 No one will live in Babylon.
Even nomads won't camp nearby,
and shepherds won't let
their sheep rest there.
21 (L) Only desert creatures,
hoot owls, and ostriches
will live in its ruins,
and goats[i] will leap about.
22 Hyenas and wolves will howl
from Babylon's fortresses
and beautiful palaces.
Its time is almost up!
Footnotes
- 11.1 David's family: Hebrew “Jesse's family.” Jesse was the father of King David.
- 11.10 David's descendants: Hebrew “Jesse's descendants” (see the note at 11.1).
- 11.11 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has “Cush,” which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
- 11.11 land along the coast: Or “islands.”
- 11.15 arm of the Red Sea near Egypt: Gulf of Suez.
- 12.2 strength: Or “song.”
- 13.1 message: See the note at 1.1.
- 13.17 Medes: People of a nation northeast of Babylonia, which became part of the Persian Empire.
- 13.21 goats: Or “demons.”
Isaiah 11-13
New International Version
Isaiah 11-13
New International Version
The Branch From Jesse
11 A shoot(A) will come up from the stump(B) of Jesse;(C)
from his roots a Branch(D) will bear fruit.(E)
2 The Spirit(F) of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom(G) and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,(H)
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear(I) of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,(J)
or decide by what he hears with his ears;(K)
4 but with righteousness(L) he will judge the needy,(M)
with justice(N) he will give decisions for the poor(O) of the earth.
He will strike(P) the earth with the rod of his mouth;(Q)
with the breath(R) of his lips he will slay the wicked.(S)
5 Righteousness will be his belt(T)
and faithfulness(U) the sash around his waist.(V)
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,(W)
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling[a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.(X)
8 The infant(Y) will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s(Z) nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy(AA)
on all my holy mountain,(AB)
for the earth(AC) will be filled with the knowledge(AD) of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day(AE) the Root of Jesse(AF) will stand as a banner(AG) for the peoples; the nations(AH) will rally to him,(AI) and his resting place(AJ) will be glorious.(AK) 11 In that day(AL) the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant(AM) of his people from Assyria,(AN) from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt,(AO) from Cush,[b](AP) from Elam,(AQ) from Babylonia,[c] from Hamath(AR) and from the islands(AS) of the Mediterranean.(AT)
12 He will raise a banner(AU) for the nations
and gather(AV) the exiles of Israel;(AW)
he will assemble the scattered people(AX) of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.(AY)
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies[d] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.(AZ)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia(BA) to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.(BB)
They will subdue Edom(BC) and Moab,(BD)
and the Ammonites(BE) will be subject to them.(BF)
15 The Lord will dry up(BG)
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind(BH) he will sweep his hand(BI)
over the Euphrates River.(BJ)
He will break it up into seven streams
so that anyone can cross over in sandals.(BK)
16 There will be a highway(BL) for the remnant(BM) of his people
that is left from Assyria,(BN)
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.(BO)
Songs of Praise
12 In that day(BP) you will say:
“I will praise(BQ) you, Lord.
Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away(BR)
and you have comforted(BS) me.
2 Surely God is my salvation;(BT)
I will trust(BU) and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself,(BV) is my strength(BW) and my defense[e];
he has become my salvation.(BX)”
3 With joy you will draw water(BY)
from the wells(BZ) of salvation.
4 In that day(CA) you will say:
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;(CB)
make known among the nations(CC) what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.(CD)
5 Sing(CE) to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;(CF)
let this be known to all the world.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy,(CG) people of Zion,
for great(CH) is the Holy One of Israel(CI) among you.(CJ)”
A Prophecy Against Babylon
13 A prophecy(CK) against Babylon(CL) that Isaiah son of Amoz(CM) saw:(CN)
2 Raise a banner(CO) on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates(CP) of the nobles.
3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
I have summoned my warriors(CQ) to carry out my wrath(CR)—
those who rejoice(CS) in my triumph.
4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!(CT)
Listen, an uproar(CU) among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty(CV) is mustering(CW)
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens(CX)—
the Lord and the weapons(CY) of his wrath(CZ)—
to destroy(DA) the whole country.
6 Wail,(DB) for the day(DC) of the Lord is near;
it will come like destruction(DD) from the Almighty.[f](DE)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,(DF)
every heart will melt with fear.(DG)
8 Terror(DH) will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip(DI) them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.(DJ)
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.(DK)
9 See, the day(DL) of the Lord is coming
—a cruel(DM) day, with wrath(DN) and fierce anger(DO)—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.(DP)
The rising sun(DQ) will be darkened(DR)
and the moon will not give its light.(DS)
11 I will punish(DT) the world for its evil,
the wicked(DU) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty(DV)
and will humble(DW) the pride of the ruthless.(DX)
12 I will make people(DY) scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.(DZ)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;(EA)
and the earth will shake(EB) from its place
at the wrath(EC) of the Lord Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.(ED)
14 Like a hunted(EE) gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,(EF)
they will all return to their own people,
they will flee(EG) to their native land.(EH)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall(EI) by the sword.(EJ)
16 Their infants(EK) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives violated.(EL)
17 See, I will stir up(EM) against them the Medes,(EN)
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.(EO)
18 Their bows(EP) will strike down the young men;(EQ)
they will have no mercy(ER) on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.(ES)
19 Babylon,(ET) the jewel of kingdoms,(EU)
the pride and glory(EV) of the Babylonians,[g]
will be overthrown(EW) by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.(EX)
20 She will never be inhabited(EY)
or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads(EZ) will pitch their tents,
there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
21 But desert creatures(FA) will lie there,
jackals(FB) will fill her houses;
there the owls(FC) will dwell,
and there the wild goats(FD) will leap about.
22 Hyenas(FE) will inhabit her strongholds,(FF)
jackals(FG) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,(FH)
and her days will not be prolonged.(FI)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 11:6 Hebrew; Septuagint lion will feed
- Isaiah 11:11 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 11:11 Hebrew Shinar
- Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility
- Isaiah 12:2 Or song
- Isaiah 13:6 Hebrew Shaddai
- Isaiah 13:19 Or Chaldeans
Ephesians 4
Contemporary English Version
Ephesians 4
Contemporary English Version
Unity with Christ
4 As a prisoner of the Lord, I beg you to live in a way that is worthy of the people God has chosen to be his own. 2 (A) Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. 3 Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace. 4 All of you are part of the same body. There is only one Spirit of God, just as you were given one hope when you were chosen to be God's people. 5 We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God who is the Father of all people. Not only is God above all others, but he works by using all of us, and he lives in all of us.
7 Christ has generously divided out his gifts to us. 8 (B) As the Scriptures say,
“When he went up
to the highest place,
he led away many prisoners
and gave gifts to people.”
9 When it says, “he went up,” it means that Christ had been deep in the earth. 10 This also means that the one who went deep into the earth is the same one who went into the highest heaven, so he would fill the whole universe.
11 Christ chose some of us to be apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers, 12 so his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. 13 This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.[a]
14 We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place. 15 Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head 16 (C) of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.
The Old Life and the New Life
17 As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. 18 Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right, 19 and they are so greedy they do all kinds of indecent things.
20-21 But this isn't what you were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him. 22 (D) You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. 23 Let the Spirit change your way of thinking 24 (E) and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy.
Rules for the New Life
25 (F) We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth. 26 (G) Don't get so angry that you sin. Don't go to bed angry 27 and don't give the devil a chance.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need.
29 Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say.
30 Don't make God's Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins.
31 Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. 32 (H) Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.
Footnotes
- 4.13 and we will be completely like him: Or “and he is completely perfect.”
Ephesians 4
New International Version
Ephesians 4
New International Version
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner(A) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy(B) of the calling(C) you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another(D) in love.(E) 3 Make every effort to keep the unity(F) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.(G) 4 There is one body(H) and one Spirit,(I) just as you were called to one hope when you were called(J); 5 one Lord,(K) one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,(L) who is over all and through all and in all.(M)
7 But to each one of us(N) grace(O) has been given(P) as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended(S) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)(T) 11 So Christ himself gave(U) the apostles,(V) the prophets,(W) the evangelists,(X) the pastors and teachers,(Y) 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ(Z) may be built up(AA) 13 until we all reach unity(AB) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God(AC) and become mature,(AD) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.(AE)
14 Then we will no longer be infants,(AF) tossed back and forth by the waves,(AG) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.(AH) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,(AI) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,(AJ) that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows(AK) and builds itself up(AL) in love,(AM) as each part does its work.
Instructions for Christian Living
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer(AN) live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.(AO) 18 They are darkened in their understanding(AP) and separated from the life of God(AQ) because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.(AR) 19 Having lost all sensitivity,(AS) they have given themselves over(AT) to sensuality(AU) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off(AV) your old self,(AW) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;(AX) 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;(AY) 24 and to put on(AZ) the new self,(BA) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.(BB)
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully(BC) to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.(BD) 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]:(BE) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.(BF) 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,(BG) doing something useful with their own hands,(BH) that they may have something to share with those in need.(BI)
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,(BJ) but only what is helpful for building others up(BK) according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,(BL) with whom you were sealed(BM) for the day of redemption.(BN) 31 Get rid of(BO) all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.(BP) 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,(BQ) forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.(BR)
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:8 Or God
- Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
- Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
- Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)
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