Old/New Testament
Separation from God
59 Behold, Adonai’s hand is not too short to save,
nor His ear too dull to hear.
2 Rather, your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God.
Your sins have hidden His face from you,
so that He does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity.
Your lips have spoken lies,
your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one sues justly,
and none pleads a case honestly.
They trust in confusion and speak lies.
They conceive mischief,
and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs,
and weave the spider’s web—
whoever eats their eggs dies;
crack one open, a viper breaks out.
6 Their webs will not become clothing,
nor will they cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are works of iniquity,
an act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feet run after evil.
They rush to shed innocent blood.[a]
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.
Violence and ruin are on their highways.
8 They do not know the path of peace,
and there is no justice in their tracks.
They have made their paths crooked.
Whoever walks in them will not experience shalom.
9 That is why justice is far from us
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but behold darkness,
for brightness, but walk in gloom.
10 We grope along the wall like the blind.
We grope like those with no eyes.
We stumble at noon as at twilight.
We are like the dead in desolation.
11 All of us growl like bears
or moan like doves.
We hope for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
and our sins testify against us,
for our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:
13 transgressing and denying Adonai,
turning back from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far off.
For truth has stumbled in the street,
and uprightness cannot enter.
15 So now truth is missing,
and whoever shuns evil becomes prey.
Now when Adonai saw it, it was displeasing in His eyes
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one—
He was astonished that no one was interceding.[b]
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him,
and His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation on His head.
He clothed Himself in robes of vengeance
and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds,
so He will repay:
wrath to His adversaries,
retribution to His enemies.
To the islands He will repay as due.
19 So from the west they will fear the Name of Adonai,
and His glory from the rising of the sun.
For He will come like a rushing stream
driven along by the Ruach Adonai.
20 “But a Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
21 “As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says Adonai: “My Ruach who is on you,[c] and My words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your offspring, or from the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says Adonai, “from now on and forever.”
Arise, Shine, O Zion
60 Arise, shine, for your light has come!
The glory of Adonai has risen on you.
2 For behold, darkness covers the earth,
and deep darkness the peoples.
But Adonai will arise upon you,
and His glory will appear over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
kings to the brilliance of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes and look all around:
they all gather—they come to you—
your sons will come from far away,
your daughters carried on the hip.
5 Then you will see and be radiant,
and your heart will throb and swell with joy.
For the abundance of the sea will be turned over to you.
The wealth of nations will come to you.
6 A multitude of camels will cover you,
young camels of Midian and Ephah,
all those from Sheba will come.
They will bring gold and frankincense,[d]
and proclaim the praises of Adonai.
7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you.
Nebaioth’s rams will minister to you.
They will go up with favor on My altar,
and I will beautify My glorious House.
8 Who are these who fly like a cloud,
like doves to their windows?
9 Surely the islands will hope in Me,
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,
to bring your sons from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the Name of Adonai your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because He has glorified you.
10 Foreigners will build up your walls,
and their kings will minister to you.
For in My fury I struck you,
but in My favor I will show you mercy.
11 Your gates will be open continually.
They will not be shut day or night,
so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings led in procession.
12 For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish—
those nations will be utterly ruined.
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you
—cypress, elm and pine together—
to beautify the place of My Sanctuary.
I will give to the place of My feet glory.
14 The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
and all those who despised you will fall at the soles of your feet.
They will call you the city of Adonai,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Instead of deserted and hated,
no one passing through,
I will make you an eternal pride,
joy from generation to generation.
16 You will also suck the milk of nations
and nurse at the breast of kings.
Then you will know that I, Adonai, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
instead of iron I will bring silver,
instead of wood, bronze,
and instead of stones, iron.
I will make shalom your overseer,
and righteousness your taskmasters.
18 No more will violence be heard in your land,
devastation nor destruction within your borders.
But you will call your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
19 No more will the sun be your light by day,
nor the glow of the moon be your light,
but Adonai will be your everlasting light,
and your God for your glory.[e]
20 No more will your sun set,
nor will your moon wane,
for Adonai will be your everlasting light,
as the days of your mourning end.[f]
21 Then your people will all be righteous.
They will possess the land forever—
the branch of His planting,
the work of My hands—
that I may be glorified.
22 The smallest will become a thousand,
and the least a mighty nation.
I, Adonai, will hasten it in its time.”
Besorah for the Brokenhearted
61 The Ruach of Adonai Elohim is on me,[g]
because Adonai has anointed me
to proclaim Good News to the poor.[h]
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound,
2 to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor
and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all who mourn
3 to console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,[i]
the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of Adonai,
that He may be glorified.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will restore former desolations.
They will repair the ruined cities,
the desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and shepherd your flocks,
children of foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the kohanim of Adonai,
They will speak of you as the ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations
and boast in their abundance.
7 Instead of your shame, double portion.
instead of disgrace they will sing for joy.
Therefore in their land they will inherit a double portion;
they will have everlasting joy.
8 For I, Adonai, love justice.
I hate robbery in the burnt offering.
In faithfulness I will reward My people
and cut an eternal covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
their descendants among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them,
for they are the seed that Adonai has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in Adonai.
My soul will be joyful in my God.
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me in a robe of righteousness—
like a bridegroom wearing a priestly turban,
like a bride adorning herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes things sown to spring up,
so Adonai Elohim will cause justice and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
3 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be glorified—just as it is with you. 2 Also pray that we may be rescued from perverse and evil people, for not all are trustworthy. 3 But the Lord is trustworthy—and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4 We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will keep doing what we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Messiah.
No Time to Be Lazy
6 Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, to keep away from every brother who behaves irresponsibly and not according to the tradition they received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, for we did not behave inappropriately among you. 8 And we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but worked night and day with labor and hardship, so as not to burden any of you. 9 It wasn’t that we had no right, but rather to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.
10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that some among you are behaving irresponsibly—not busy, but busybodies. 12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Messiah Yeshua to work in a quiet demeanor, so they may eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary of doing good.
14 If anyone does not obey our message in this letter, take special note of him and do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. 15 Yet do not consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Final Words
16 Now may the Lord of shalom Himself give you shalom at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all!
17 The greeting is in my own hand—Paul’s. It is a sign in every letter—in this way I write.[a]
18 The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you all.[b]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.