The Sin-Bearing Messiah

53 Who (A)has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him.
(B)He is despised and [d]rejected by men,
A Man of [e]sorrows and (C)acquainted with [f]grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and (D)we did not esteem Him.

Surely (E)He has borne our [g]griefs
And carried our [h]sorrows;
Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken,
[j]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was (F)wounded[k] for our transgressions,
He was [l]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His (G)stripes[m] we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord [n]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet (H)He opened not His mouth;
(I)He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was (J)taken from [o]prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For (K)He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
(L)And [p]they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any (M)deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to [q]bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul (N)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 [r]He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge (O)My righteous (P)Servant shall (Q)justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 (R)Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
(S)And He shall divide the [s]spoil with the strong,
Because He (T)poured out His soul unto death,
And He was (U)numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And (V)made intercession for the transgressors.

A Perpetual Covenant of Peace

54 “Sing, O (W)barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.
“Enlarge(X) the place of your tent,
And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;
Do not spare;
Lengthen your cords,
And strengthen your stakes.
For you shall expand to the right and to the left,
And your descendants will (Y)inherit the nations,
And make the desolate cities inhabited.

“Do(Z) not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
(AA)For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called (AB)the God of the whole earth.
For the Lord (AC)has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”
Says your God.
“For(AD) a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies (AE)I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;
(AF)But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,”
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“For this is like the waters of (AG)Noah to Me;
For as I have sworn
That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,
So have I sworn
That I would not be angry with (AH)you, nor rebuke you.
10 For (AI)the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
(AJ)But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

11 “O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with (AK)colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be (AL)taught by the Lord,
And (AM)great shall be the peace of your children.
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall (AN)fall for your sake.

16 “Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an [t]instrument for his work;
And I have created the [u]spoiler to destroy.
17 No weapon formed against you shall (AO)prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
(AP)And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 53:2 Stately form
  2. Isaiah 53:2 splendor
  3. Isaiah 53:2 Lit. appearance
  4. Isaiah 53:3 Or forsaken
  5. Isaiah 53:3 Lit. pains
  6. Isaiah 53:3 Lit. sickness
  7. Isaiah 53:4 Lit. sicknesses
  8. Isaiah 53:4 Lit. pains
  9. Isaiah 53:4 reckoned
  10. Isaiah 53:4 Struck down
  11. Isaiah 53:5 Or pierced through
  12. Isaiah 53:5 crushed
  13. Isaiah 53:5 Blows that cut in
  14. Isaiah 53:6 Lit. has caused to land on Him
  15. Isaiah 53:8 confinement
  16. Isaiah 53:9 Lit. he or He
  17. Isaiah 53:10 crush
  18. Isaiah 53:11 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX From the labor of His soul He shall see light
  19. Isaiah 53:12 plunder
  20. Isaiah 54:16 Or weapon
  21. Isaiah 54:16 destroyer

53 Who has believed our message(A)
    and to whom has the arm(B) of the Lord been revealed?(C)
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,(D)
    and like a root(E) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance(F) that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,(G) and familiar with pain.(H)
Like one from whom people hide(I) their faces
    he was despised,(J) and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,(K)
yet we considered him punished by God,(L)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.(M)
But he was pierced(N) for our transgressions,(O)
    he was crushed(P) for our iniquities;
the punishment(Q) that brought us peace(R) was on him,
    and by his wounds(S) we are healed.(T)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,(U)
    each of us has turned to our own way;(V)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity(W) of us all.

He was oppressed(X) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;(Y)
he was led like a lamb(Z) to the slaughter,(AA)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression[a] and judgment(AB) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;(AC)
    for the transgression(AD) of my people he was punished.[b]
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,(AE)
    and with the rich(AF) in his death,
though he had done no violence,(AG)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.(AH)

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will(AI) to crush(AJ) him and cause him to suffer,(AK)
    and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,(AL)
he will see his offspring(AM) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper(AN) in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,(AO)
    he will see the light(AP) of life[d] and be satisfied[e];
by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant(AQ) will justify(AR) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.(AS)
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g](AT)
    and he will divide the spoils(AU) with the strong,[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,(AV)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.(AW)
For he bore(AX) the sin of many,(AY)
    and made intercession(AZ) for the transgressors.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,(BA)
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,(BB)
    you who were never in labor;(BC)
because more are the children(BD) of the desolate(BE) woman
    than of her who has a husband,(BF)
says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,(BG)
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.(BH)
For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants(BI) will dispossess nations(BJ)
    and settle in their desolate(BK) cities.

“Do not be afraid;(BL) you will not be put to shame.(BM)
    Do not fear disgrace;(BN) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth(BO)
    and remember no more the reproach(BP) of your widowhood.(BQ)
For your Maker(BR) is your husband(BS)
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One(BT) of Israel is your Redeemer;(BU)
    he is called the God of all the earth.(BV)
The Lord will call you back(BW)
    as if you were a wife deserted(BX) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,(BY)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
“For a brief moment(BZ) I abandoned(CA) you,
    but with deep compassion(CB) I will bring you back.(CC)
In a surge of anger(CD)
    I hid(CE) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness(CF)
    I will have compassion(CG) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.(CH)

“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.(CI)
So now I have sworn(CJ) not to be angry(CK) with you,
    never to rebuke(CL) you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken(CM)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love(CN) for you will not be shaken(CO)
    nor my covenant(CP) of peace(CQ) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion(CR) on you.

11 “Afflicted(CS) city, lashed by storms(CT) and not comforted,(CU)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,[i](CV)
    your foundations(CW) with lapis lazuli.(CX)
12 I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates(CY) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,(CZ)
    and great will be their peace.(DA)
14 In righteousness(DB) you will be established:(DC)
Tyranny(DD) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.(DE)
Terror(DF) 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(DG) to you.

16 “See, it is I who created the blacksmith(DH)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon(DI) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer(DJ) to wreak havoc;
17     no weapon forged against you will prevail,(DK)
    and you will refute(DL) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants(DM) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication(DN) from me,”
declares the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
  2. 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?
  3. Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
  4. Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
  5. Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) 11 He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
  6. Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
  7. Isaiah 53:12 Or many
  8. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous
  9. Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

The Majesty and Condescension of God

113 Praise[a] the Lord!

(A)Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
(B)Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
(C)From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.

The Lord is (D)high above all nations,
(E)His glory above the heavens.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 113:1 Heb. Hallelujah

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord.[a](A)

Praise the Lord, you his servants;(B)
    praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,(C)
    both now and forevermore.(D)
From the rising of the sun(E) to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted(F) over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 113:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9

17 He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own
Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.

18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor,
And says, (A)“I was only joking!”

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17 Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears
    is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own.

18 Like a maniac shooting
    flaming arrows of death
19 is one who deceives their neighbor
    and says, “I was only joking!”

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The Mystery Revealed

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the [a]dispensation of the grace of God (A)which was given to me for you, (B)how that by revelation (C)He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles (D)should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, (E)of which I became a minister (F)according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by (G)the effective working of His power.

Purpose of the Mystery

To me, (H)who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles (I)the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the [b]fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who (J)created all things [c]through Jesus Christ; 10 (K)to the intent that now (L)the [d]manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church (M)to the [e]principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 (N)according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access (O)with confidence through faith in Him. 13 (P)Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, (Q)which is your glory.

Appreciation of the Mystery

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the (R)Father [f]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, (S)according to the riches of His glory, (T)to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in (U)the inner man, 17 (V)that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, (W)being rooted and grounded in love, 18 (X)may be able to comprehend with all the saints (Y)what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled (Z)with all the fullness of God.

20 Now (AA)to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly (AB)above all that we ask or think, (AC)according to the power that works in us, 21 (AD)to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 3:2 stewardship
  2. Ephesians 3:9 NU, M stewardship (dispensation)
  3. Ephesians 3:9 NU omits through Jesus Christ
  4. Ephesians 3:10 variegated or many-sided
  5. Ephesians 3:10 rulers
  6. Ephesians 3:14 NU omits of our Lord Jesus Christ

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner(A) of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me(B) for you, that is, the mystery(C) made known to me by revelation,(D) as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight(E) into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.(F) This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs(G) together with Israel, members together of one body,(H) and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.(I)

I became a servant of this gospel(J) by the gift of God’s grace given me(K) through the working of his power.(L) Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people,(M) this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles(N) the boundless riches of Christ,(O) and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,(P) which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God(Q) should be made known(R) to the rulers and authorities(S) in the heavenly realms,(T) 11 according to his eternal purpose(U) that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God(V) with freedom and confidence.(W) 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel(X) before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches(Y) he may strengthen you with power(Z) through his Spirit in your inner being,(AA) 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts(AB) through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted(AC) and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,(AD) to grasp how wide and long and high and deep(AE) is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge(AF)—that you may be filled(AG) to the measure of all the fullness of God.(AH)

20 Now to him who is able(AI) to do immeasurably more than all we ask(AJ) or imagine, according to his power(AK) that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 3:15 The Greek for family (patria) is derived from the Greek for father (pater).