Numbers 25

New International Version

Moab Seduces Israel

25 While Israel was staying in Shittim,^(A) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality^(B) with Moabite^(C) women,^(D) ²who invited them to the sacrifices^(E) to their gods.^(F) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. ³So Israel yoked themselves to^(G) the Baal of Peor.^(H) And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

⁴The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders^(I) of these people, kill them and expose^(J) them in broad daylight before the Lord,^(K) so that the Lord’s fierce anger^(L) may turn away from Israel.”

⁵So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death^(M) those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”^(N)

⁶Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite^(O) woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping^(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷When Phinehas^(Q) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear^(R) in his hand ⁸and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;^(S) ⁹but those who died in the plague^(T) numbered 24,000.^(U)

¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, ¹¹“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.^(V) Since he was as zealous for my honor^(W) among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. ¹²Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace^(X) with him. ¹³He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,^(Y) because he was zealous^(Z) for the honor^(AA) of his God and made atonement^(AB) for the Israelites.”^(AC)

¹⁴The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman^(AD) was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.^(AE) ¹⁵And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi^(AF) daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.^(AG)

¹⁶The Lord said to Moses,^(AH) ¹⁷“Treat the Midianites^(AI) as enemies^(AJ) and kill them.^(AK) ¹⁸They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident^(AL) involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”

Isaiah 48

New International Version

Stubborn Israel

48 “Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob,
    you who are called by the name of Israel^(A)
    and come from the line of Judah,^(B)
you who take oaths^(C) in the name of the Lord^(D)
    and invoke^(E) the God of Israel—
    but not in truth^(F) or righteousness—
²you who call yourselves citizens of the holy city^(G)
    and claim to rely^(H) on the God of Israel—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:^(I)
³I foretold the former things^(J) long ago,
    my mouth announced^(K) them and I made them known;
    then suddenly^(L) I acted, and they came to pass.
⁴For I knew how stubborn^(M) you were;
    your neck muscles^(N) were iron,
    your forehead^(O) was bronze.
⁵Therefore I told you these things long ago;
    before they happened I announced^(P) them to you
so that you could not say,
    ‘My images brought them about;^(Q)
    my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’
⁶You have heard these things; look at them all.
    Will you not admit them?

“From now on I will tell you of new things,^(R)
    of hidden things unknown to you.
⁷They are created^(S) now, and not long ago;^(T)
    you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
    ‘Yes, I knew^(U) of them.’
⁸You have neither heard nor understood;^(V)
    from of old your ears^(W) have not been open.
Well do I know how treacherous^(X) you are;
    you were called a rebel^(Y) from birth.
⁹For my own name’s sake^(Z) I delay my wrath;^(AA)
    for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you,
    so as not to destroy you completely.^(AB)
¹⁰See, I have refined^(AC) you, though not as silver;
    I have tested^(AD) you in the furnace^(AE) of affliction.
¹¹For my own sake,^(AF) for my own sake, I do this.
    How can I let myself be defamed?^(AG)
    I will not yield my glory to another.^(AH)

Israel Freed

¹²“Listen^(AI) to me, Jacob,
    Israel, whom I have called:^(AJ)
I am he;^(AK)
    I am the first and I am the last.^(AL)
¹³My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,^(AM)
    and my right hand spread out the heavens;^(AN)
when I summon them,
    they all stand up together.^(AO)

¹⁴“Come together,^(AP) all of you, and listen:
    Which of the idols has foretold^(AQ) these things?
The Lord’s chosen ally^(AR)
    will carry out his purpose^(AS) against Babylon;^(AT)
    his arm will be against the Babylonians.^[a]
¹⁵I, even I, have spoken;
    yes, I have called^(AU) him.
I will bring him,
    and he will succeed^(AV) in his mission.

¹⁶“Come near^(AW) me and listen^(AX) to this:

“From the first announcement I have not spoken in secret;^(AY)
at the time it happens, I am there.”

And now the Sovereign Lord^(AZ) has sent^(BA) me,
endowed with his Spirit.^(BB)

¹⁷This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,^(BC) the Holy One^(BD) of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
    who teaches^(BE) you what is best for you,
    who directs^(BF) you in the way^(BG) you should go.
¹⁸If only you had paid attention^(BH) to my commands,
    your peace^(BI) would have been like a river,^(BJ)
    your well-being^(BK) like the waves of the sea.
¹⁹Your descendants^(BL) would have been like the sand,^(BM)
    your children like its numberless grains;^(BN)
their name would never be blotted out^(BO)
    nor destroyed from before me.”

²⁰Leave Babylon,
    flee^(BP) from the Babylonians!
Announce this with shouts of joy^(BQ)
    and proclaim it.
Send it out to the ends of the earth;^(BR)
    say, “The Lord has redeemed^(BS) his servant Jacob.”
²¹They did not thirst^(BT) when he led them through the deserts;
    he made water flow^(BU) for them from the rock;
he split the rock
    and water gushed out.^(BV)

²²“There is no peace,”^(BW) says the Lord, “for the wicked.”^(BX)

Footnotes

Isaiah 48:14 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 20

1 Thessalonians 3

New International Version

3 So when we could stand it no longer,^(A) we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.^(B) ²We sent Timothy,^(C) who is our brother and co-worker^(D) in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ,^(E) to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, ³so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.^(F) For you know quite well that we are destined for them.^(G) ⁴In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.^(H) ⁵For this reason, when I could stand it no longer,^(I) I sent to find out about your faith.^(J) I was afraid that in some way the tempter^(K) had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.^(L)

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

⁶But Timothy^(M) has just now come to us from you^(N) and has brought good news about your faith and love.^(O) He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.^(P) ⁷Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. ⁸For now we really live, since you are standing firm^(Q) in the Lord. ⁹How can we thank God enough for you^(R) in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?^(S) ¹⁰Night and day we pray^(T) most earnestly that we may see you again^(U) and supply what is lacking in your faith.

¹¹Now may our God and Father^(V) himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹²May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other^(W) and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless^(X) and holy in the presence of our God and Father^(Y) when our Lord Jesus comes^(Z) with all his holy ones.^(AA)