The Daily Audio Bible
Today's audio is from the NRSVUE. Switch to the NRSVUE to read along with the audio.
The Lord’s Compassion for the Women without Children
54 Sing with joy, you childless women who never gave birth to children.
Break into shouts of joy, you women who never had birth pains.
“There will be more children of women who have been deserted
than there are children of married women,” says the Lord.
2 Expand the space of your tent.
Stretch out the curtains of your tent, and don’t hold back.
Lengthen your tent ropes, and drive in the tent pegs.
3 You will spread out to the right and left.
Your descendants will take over other nations,
and they will resettle deserted cities.
4 Don’t be afraid, because you won’t be put to shame.
Don’t be discouraged, because you won’t be disgraced.
You’ll forget the shame you’ve had since you were young.
You won’t remember the disgrace of your husband’s death anymore.
5 Your husband is your maker.
His name is the Lord of Armies.
Your defender is the Holy One of Israel.
He is called the God of the whole earth.
6 “The Lord has called you as if you were
a wife who was abandoned and in grief,
a wife who married young and was rejected,” says your God.
7 “I abandoned you for one brief moment,
but I will bring you back with unlimited compassion.
8 I hid my face from you for a moment in a burst of anger,
but I will have compassion on you with everlasting kindness,”
says the Lord your defender.
9 “To me this is like Noah’s floodwaters, when I swore an oath
that Noah’s floodwaters would never cover the earth again.
So now I swear an oath not to be angry with you or punish you.
10 The mountains may move, and the hills may shake,
but my kindness will never depart from you.
My promise [a] of peace will never change,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
11 “You suffering, comfortless, storm-ravaged city!
I will rebuild your city with precious stones.
I will reset your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will rebuild your towers with rubies,
your gates with sparkling stones,
and all your walls with precious stones.”
13 All your children will be taught by the Lord,
and your children will have unlimited peace.
14 You will be established in righteousness.
You will be far from oppression,
so you will not be afraid.
You will be far from destruction,
so it won’t come near you.
15 “If anyone attacks you, it will not be my doing.
Whoever attacks you will be defeated by you.
16 I’ve created blacksmiths to fan the coals into flames
and to produce useful weapons.
I’ve also created destroyers to bring destruction.
17 No weapon that has been made to be used against you will succeed.
You will have an answer for anyone who accuses you.
This is the inheritance of the Lord’s servants.
Their victory comes from me,” declares the Lord.
The Lord’s Word Will Accomplish Its Task
55 “Listen! Whoever is thirsty, come to the water!
Whoever has no money can come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk. You don’t have to pay; it’s free!
2 Why do you spend money on what cannot nourish you
and your wages on what does not satisfy you?
Listen carefully to me:
Eat what is good, and enjoy the best foods.
3 Open your ears, and come to me!
Listen so that you may live!
I will make an everlasting promise [b] to you—
the blessings I promised to David.
4 I made him a witness to people,
a leader and a commander for people.
5 You will summon a nation that you don’t know,
and a nation that doesn’t know you will run to you
because of the Lord your God,
because of the Holy One of Israel.
He has honored you.”
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found.
Call on him while he is near.
7 Let wicked people abandon their ways.
Let evil people abandon their thoughts.
Let them return to the Lord,
and he will show compassion to them.
Let them return to our God,
because he will freely forgive them.
8 “My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and my ways are not your ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.”
10 “Rain and snow come down from the sky.
They do not go back again until they water the earth.
They make it sprout and grow
so that it produces seed for farmers
and food for people to eat.
11 My word, which comes from my mouth, is like the rain and snow.
It will not come back to me without results.
It will accomplish whatever I want
and achieve whatever I send it to do.”
12 You will go out with joy and be led out in peace.
The mountains and the hills
will break into songs of joy in your presence,
and all the trees will clap their hands.
13 Cypress trees will grow where thornbushes grew.
Myrtle trees will grow where briars grew.
This will be a reminder of the Lord’s name
and an everlasting sign that will never be destroyed.
Salvation for All People
56 This is what the Lord says:
Preserve justice, and do what is right.
My salvation is about to come.
My righteousness is about to be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does these things
and the person who holds on to them.
Blessed is the one who keeps the day of rest—a holy day, from becoming unholy
and his hands from doing anything wrong.
3 Foreigners who have joined the Lord should not say, “The Lord will separate us from his people.” Castrated men should not say, “We’re only dead trees!” 4 This is what the Lord says: ⌞I will remember⌟ the castrated men who keep my days of rest as holy days, choose what pleases me, and faithfully observe the conditions of my promise.[c] 5 Inside my house and within my walls, I will give them something better than sons and daughters. I will give them a monument and a name. I will give them a permanent name that will not be forgotten. 6 And ⌞I will remember⌟ the foreigners who have joined the Lord to worship him, to love the Lord’s name, and to be his servants. All of them will keep the day of rest—a holy day, from becoming unholy and will faithfully observe the conditions of my promise. 7 Then I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them happy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, because my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
8 The Almighty Lord, who gathers the scattered people of Israel, declares, “I will gather still others besides those I have already gathered.”
The Sins of Israel Bring the Lord’s Anger
9 All you animals in the field,
all you animals in the forest,
come and eat.
10 ⌞Israel’s⌟ watchmen are blind.
None of them know anything.
All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark.
They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep.
11 These dogs have huge appetites.
They are never full.
They are the shepherds,
but they don’t understand.
All of them have turned to go their own ways.
Each one seeks his own gain.
12 ⌞Each one cries,⌟
“Let me get some wine,
and we’ll fill ourselves with liquor.
And tomorrow will be like today, only better.”
57 Righteous people die,
and no one cares.
Loyal people are taken away,
and no one understands.
Righteous people are spared when evil comes.
2 When peace comes,
everyone who has lived honestly will rest on his own bed.
Israel’s Idolatry
3 But you—come here,
you children of witches,
you descendants of adulterers and prostitutes!
4 Whom are you making fun of?
Whom are you making a face at?
Whom are you sticking out your tongue at?
Aren’t you rebellious children,
descendants of liars?
5 You burn with lust under oak trees
and under every large tree.
You slaughter children in the valleys
and under the cracks in the rocks.
6 Your idols are among the smooth stones in the ravine.
They are your destiny.
You have given them wine offerings
and sacrificed grain offerings to them.
Do you think I am pleased with all this?
7 You’ve made your bed on a high and lofty mountain.
You’ve gone to offer sacrifices there.
8 You’ve set up your idols beside doors and doorposts.
You’ve uncovered yourself to the idols.
You’ve distanced yourself from me.
You’ve made your bed with them.
You’ve made a deal with those you have pleasure with in bed.
You’ve seen them naked.
9 You’ve journeyed to the king with perfumed oils
and put on plenty of perfume.
You’ve sent your ambassadors far away
and sent them down to Sheol.
10 You’ve tired yourself out with many journeys.
You didn’t think that it was hopeless.
You’ve found renewed strength,
so you didn’t faint.
11 Whom did you dread and fear so much that you lied to me?
You haven’t remembered me or cared about me.
I’ve been silent for a long time.
Is that why you don’t fear me?
12 I’ll tell you about your righteous ways and what you have done,
but they won’t help you.
13 When you cry for help,
let your collection of idols save you.
A wind will carry them all away.
A breath will take them away.
But whoever trusts me will possess the land
and inherit my holy mountain.
14 It will be said:
“Build a road! Build a road!
Prepare the way!
Remove every obstacle in the way of my people!”
Advice to Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents because you are Christians.[a] This is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother 3 that everything may go well for you, and you may have a long life on earth.” This is an important commandment with a promise.[b]
4 Fathers, don’t make your children bitter about life. Instead, bring them up in Christian discipline and instruction.
Advice to Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with proper respect. Be as sincere as you are when you obey Christ. 6 Don’t obey them only while you’re being watched, as if you merely wanted to please people. But obey like slaves who belong to Christ, who have a deep desire to do what God wants them to do. 7 Serve eagerly as if you were serving your heavenly master and not merely serving human masters. 8 You know that your heavenly master will reward all of us for whatever good we do, whether we’re slaves or free people.
9 Masters, treat your slaves with respect. Don’t threaten a slave. You know that there is one master in heaven who has authority over both of you, and he doesn’t play favorites.
Put On All the Armor That God Supplies
10 Finally, receive your power from the Lord and from his mighty strength. 11 Put on all the armor that God supplies. In this way you can take a stand against the devil’s strategies. 12 This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world. 13 For this reason, take up all the armor that God supplies. Then you will be able to take a stand during these evil days.[c] Once you have overcome all obstacles, you will be able to stand your ground.
14 So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God’s approval as your breastplate. 15 Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. 16 In addition to all these, take the Christian faith as your shield. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Also take salvation as your helmet and God’s word as the sword that the Spirit supplies.
18 Pray in the Spirit [d] in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people. 19 Also pray that God will give me the right words to say. Then I will speak boldly when I reveal the mystery of the Good News. 20 Because I have already been doing this as Christ’s representative, I am in prison. So pray that I speak about this Good News as boldly as I have to.
Greetings from Paul
21 I’m sending Tychicus to you. He is our dear brother and a faithful deacon in the Lord’s work. He will tell you everything that is happening to me so that you will know how I’m getting along. 22 That’s why I’m sending him to you so that you may know how we’re doing and that he may encourage you.
23 May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give our brothers and sisters peace and love along with faith. 24 His favor [e] is with everyone who has an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
For the choir director; by David; to be kept in mind.
70 Come quickly to rescue me, O God!
Come quickly to help me, O Lord!
2 Let those who seek my life
be confused and put to shame.
Let those who want my downfall
be turned back and disgraced.
3 Let those who say, “Aha! Aha!”
be turned back because of their own shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad because of you.
Let those who love your salvation continually say,
“God is great!”
5 But I am oppressed and needy.
O God, come to me quickly.
You are my help and my savior.
O Lord, do not delay!
8 Whoever plans to do evil will be known as a schemer.
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.