Isaiah 1-2
Tree of Life Version
1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah:
A Nation Sick With Sin
2 Listen! Heavens, and hear, earth,
for Adonai has spoken:
“Sons I have raised and brought up,
but they have rebelled against Me.
3 The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its manger,
but Israel does not know,
My people do not understand.”
4 Oy, a sinful nation,
a people weighed down with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers,
sons dealing corruptly!
They have abandoned Adonai.
They have despised Israel’s Holy One.
They have turned backwards.
5 Where will you be struck again,
as you stray away more and more?
The whole head is sick,
the whole heart faint.
6 From the foot to the head
there is no soundness.
Wounds, bruises and raw sores:
not pressed, nor bandaged,
nor softened with oil.
7 Your land is desolate;
your cities are burned with fire;
your fields,
strangers devour it in your presence—
a desolation,
overthrown by strangers.
8 So the Daughter of Zion is left
as a sukkah in a vineyard,
as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers,
as a besieged city.
9 Unless Adonai-Tzva’ot
had left us a small remnant,[a]
we would have been as Sodom,
we would have been as Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of Adonai,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the Torah of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
Worthless Offerings
11 “For what is it to Me—the multitude of your sacrifices?”
says Adonai.
“I am full of burnt offerings of rams
and fat of fed animals.
I have no delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs or he-goats.
12 When you come to appear before Me,
who has required this at your hand—
trampling My courts?
13 Bring no more worthless offerings!
Incense is an abomination to Me.
New Moon and Shabbat, the calling of convocations
—I cannot endure it—
iniquity with solemn assembly.
14 Your New Moons and your Festivals
My soul hates!
They are a burden to Me.
I am weary to bear them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you.
When you multiply prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of blood!”
Scarlet Sins as Snow
16 “Wash and make yourselves clean.
Put away the evil of your deeds
from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil.
17 Learn to do good,
seek justice, relieve the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.”
18 “Come now, let us reason together,”
says Adonai.
“Though your sins be like scarlet,
they will be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson,
they will become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obey,
you will eat the good of the land.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured with the sword.”
For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.
Restore the Faithful City
21 How the Faithful City became a harlot!
She once was full of justice,
righteousness lodged in her—
but now murderers!
22 Your silver has become dross,
your wine diluted by water.
23 Your princes are rebellious
and friends with thieves.
Everyone loves a bribe
and chases after rewards.
They do not defend the orphan,
nor does a widow’s case come to them.
24 Therefore says the Lord Adonai-Tzva’ot,
the Mighty One of Israel:
“Oy! I will get relief from My foes
and avenge Myself on My enemies.
25 Then I will turn My hand on you,
purge away your dross,
and remove all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at first,
your counselors as at the start.
Afterward you will be called
City of Righteousness, Faithful City.
27 Zion will be redeemed with justice,
her repentant with righteousness.”
28 But there will be a crushing of transgressors and sinners together.
Forsaking Adonai, they will be consumed.
29 For they will be ashamed of the sacred oaks
that you desired,
and embarrassed because of the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 For you will be like an oak of withering leaf,
like a garden that has no water.
31 So the strong will become tinder
and his work like a spark—
both will burn together,
and no one will quench them.
2 The word which Isaiah, son of Amoz saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
Torah From Jerusalem
2 It will come to pass in the last days
that the mountain of Adonai’s House
will stand firm as head of the mountains
and will be exalted above the hills.
So all nations will flow to it.
3 Then many peoples will go and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Adonai,
to the House of the God of Jacob!
Then He will teach us His ways,
and we will walk in His paths.”
For Torah will go forth from Zion[b]
and the word of Adonai from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and decide for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
nor will they learn war any more.
5 Come house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of Adonai.
6 For You have forsaken Your people,
the house of Jacob.
For they are filled with soothsayers from the east,
and they have clapped hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land also is full of silver and gold,
nor is there any limit to their treasures.
Their land also is full of horses,
nor is there any limit to their chariots.
8 Their land also is full of idols.
They worship the work of their hands,
what their own fingers have made.
9 So humanity bows down
as each one lowers himself.
Pardon them not!
10 Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust,
for fear of Adonai,
and the glory of His majesty.
Lofty Ones Brought Low
11 The man of haughty eyes is humbled,
the lofty ones brought low,
for Adonai alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of Adonai-Tzva’ot will be
against anyone proud and haughty,
against anyone lifted up—he will be humbled,
13 against all the cedars of Lebanon
that are lofty and lifted up,
against all the oaks of Bashan,
14 against all the high mountains,
against all the exalted hills,
15 against every high tower,
against every fortified wall,
16 against all the Tarshish ships,
and against all the luxury boats.
17 The pride of man will be humbled,
the arrogance of men abased,
for Adonai alone will be exalted in that day.
18 The idols will completely pass away.
19 People will go into the caves of the rocks
and into the holes of the earth,[c]
because of the fear of Adonai
and the splendor of His majesty,
when He arises to shake the earth.
20 In that day a man will cast away
his idols of silver and his idols of gold,
which they made to worship,
to the moles and to the bats!
21 They go into the clefts of the rocks
and the crevices of the crags,
because of fear of Adonai
and the splendor of His majesty,
when He arises to shake the earth.
22 Stop trusting in mankind
—whose breath is in his nose—
for what is he really worth?
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:9 cf. Rom. 9:29.
- Isaiah 2:3 cf. Luke 24:47.
- Isaiah 2:19 cf. Luke 23:30; Rev. 6:15-16.
2 Corinthians 10
Tree of Life Version
Tearing Down Strongholds
10 Now I, Paul, appeal myself to you by the meekness and gentleness of Messiah—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when far away. 2 I beg of you that when I am present I won’t need to be bold with the courage I consider showing against some who judge us as walking in the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful through God for the tearing down of strongholds.[a] We are tearing down false arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that exalts itself[b] against the knowledge of God. We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Messiah— 6 ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
7 Look at what is before your eyes.[c] If anyone is confident in himself that he belongs to Messiah, let him reconsider that just as he belongs to Messiah, so also do we. 8 For even if I boast a little more about our authority—which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down—I will not be put to shame. 9 Not that I would try to terrify you by my letters— 10 for they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his presence in person is weak and his speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word through letters when we are absent, we also are in action when we are present.
12 For we do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but within the limits of the area that God has assigned to us—to reach even as far as you. 14 We are not extending ourselves too far, as if we did not reach you—for we did come even as far as to you with the Good News of Messiah. 15 Neither are we boasting beyond limits based on the labors of others, but we have hope while your faith is growing for our area among you to be greatly enlarged— 16 so that we may proclaim the Good News even to regions beyond you, not boasting about what has been accomplished in another’s area. 17 But “let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” [d] 18 For it Is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 cf. Isa. 25:11; Jer. 51:53.
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 cf. Isa. 2:11–12, 17.
- 2 Corinthians 10:7 Some mss. say Do you look at things according to outward appearance?
- 2 Corinthians 10:18 Jer. 9:23(24).
Psalm 52:1-9
Tree of Life Version
Treacherous Tongue!
Psalm 52
1 For the music director: a contemplative song of David, 2 when Doeg the Edomite came and reported to Saul telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”
3 Why do you brag about evil, mighty man?
God’s lovingkindness is every day.
4 Your tongue plots destruction,
like a sharp razor, working deceit.
5 You love evil instead of good,
lying rather than speaking right. Selah
6 You love only devouring words—
treacherous tongue!
7 God will pull you down forever,
and snatch you, rip you out of your tent,
and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
8 Then the righteous will see and fear,
and laugh at him:
9 “Here is the man who did not make God his stronghold.
Instead he trusted in his great riches—
and was strong in his evil desire.”
Proverbs 22:26-27
Tree of Life Version
26 Do not be one who shakes hands
or puts up security for debts.
27 If you do not have enough to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.