Old/New Testament
A Cornerstone of Zion
28 Oy, the proud crown of Ephraim’s drunks!
Its glorious beauty is a fading flower,
which is at the head of the fertile valleys
of those overcome with wine!
2 Behold, Adonai is strong and mighty,
like a hailstorm, a destructive tempest,
like a downpour of overflowing water,
He hurls it down to earth with His hand.
3 The proud crown of Ephraim’s drunks
will be trampled underfoot.
4 The glorious beauty is a fading flower
which is at the head of the fertile valley,
like a first-ripe fig before summer—
whoever sees it, swallows it up while it is still in his palm.
5 In that day Adonai-Tzva’ot
will be a crown of glory,
a diadem of beauty
to the remnant of His people,
6 a spirit of judgment for him
who sits on the judgment seat,
and strength for those
turning back the battle at the gate.
7 But these also reel from wine
and stagger from strong drink
—the kohen and the prophet reel from strong drink—
are confused because of wine,
they stagger because of strong drink,
they are muddled in vision,
they stumble in judgment.
8 Since all the tables are full of the filth of vomit,
no place is left.
9 To whom will He teach knowledge?
To whom will He explain the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For it must be ‘precept upon precept,
precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.’
11 For through stammering lips and a foreign tongue
He will speak to this people,
12 To whom He said,
“Here is rest, give rest to the weary,
here is repose”—but they would not listen.
13 So the word of Adonai is to them
‘precept on precept, precept on precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.’
So they walk, and fall backward,
and are broken, trapped, and captured.
14 Therefore hear the word of Adonai, you scoffers,
who rule this people who are in Jerusalem:
15 “Because you have said,
‘We cut a covenant with death,
we made a pact with Sheol,
so when the overflowing scourge passes through,
it won’t come for us,
for we have made lies our refuge,
and hid ourselves in falsehood’—
16 Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim:
‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a tested stone,
a costly cornerstone,[a] a firm foundation—
whoever trusts will not flee in haste.[b]
17 But I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line.
Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and water will overflow the hiding place.
18 Your covenant with death is annulled,
and your pact with Sheol will not stand.
An overflowing scourge will pass through
and you will be its trampling place.
19 As often as it passes through, it will seize you—
morning by morning, by day and by night passing through.
It will be sheer terror
to understand the message.’”
20 For too short is the bed to stretch on,
too narrow the blanket to wrap up in.
21 For Adonai will rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He will quake with awe as at the valley of Gibeon,
to do His deed, His strange deed,
and to work His work, His extraordinary work.
22 So now, stop your scoffing,
lest your shackles be strengthened!
For I have heard from Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot
of destruction determined upon the whole land.
23 Give ear and hear my voice!
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does a plowman plow all day to sow the seed?
Does he continually break open
and harrow his ground?
25 No! When he has leveled its surface,
he scatters dill and sows cumin,
plants wheat in rows,
places barley, and rye on its border.
26 For his God teaches him judgment,
instructing him.
27 For dill is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin.
Rather, dill is beaten out with a staff,
and cumin with a rod.
28 Bread grain is crushed, but not endlessly.
Rumbling cart wheels and horses over it
would only crush it to powder.
29 This also comes from Adonai-Tzva’ot:
Wonderful is His counsel, great is His wisdom.
Night Vision of Ariel
29 Oy, Ariel[c], Ariel! City where David camped.
Year to year again—festivals in a cycle.
2 But I will distress Ariel.
There will be lamenting and moaning—
then will she be like Ariel to Me?
3 I will encamp against you all around,
I will set up siege-works against you
and will raise up ramps against you.
4 You will be brought low, you will speak from the ground.
From the dust where you are prostrate your speech will come.
Your voice will be like a ghost out of the ground,
and your speech will whisper out of the dust.
5 Yet the multitude of your foes will become like fine dust,
and the multitude of the terrifying like chaff that passes away.
It will happen in an instant, suddenly.
6 You will be visited by Adonai-Tzva’ot
with thunder, earthquake, huge noise,
whirlwind and storm-wind, and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 It will be like a dream, a night vision:
the multitude of all the nations warring against Ariel,
yes, all warring against her,
the ramparts around her and her besiegers.
8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming and behold, he is eating,
but awakes with his hunger unsatisfied,
or like a thirsty man dreaming and behold, he is drinking,
but awakes faint, his soul thirsting.
So it will be with the multitude of all the nations
warring against Mount Zion.
9 Wait, and be astounded!
Blind yourselves, and be blind!
Drunk, but not with wine,
Stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For Adonai has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep,
and has shut your eyes—the prophets,
and covered your heads—the seers.
11 So this entire vision is for you like the words of a sealed scroll, which they give to one who knows books, saying, “Read this, please,” but he says, “I can’t, because it’s sealed.” 12 Then the scroll is given to one who does not know books, saying, “Read this, please,” but he says, “I don’t know books.”
13 So Adonai says,
“Since these people draw near with their mouths
and honor Me with their lips,
yet their hearts are far from Me,
and their fear of Me is a mitzvah taught by men.[d]
14 Therefore, behold, once more I will do a marvelous work among this people—
a marvel and a wonder—
so the wisdom of their wise will perish,
and the discernment of their discerning will be concealed.”
15 Oy, those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from Adonai!
Their works are in the dark.
They say, “Who sees us?
Who knows us?”
16 Your perversity!
Should the potter be regarded the same as the clay?
Should the thing made say to its maker,
“You did not make me”?
Or the thing formed say of its former,
“You have no understanding?”[e]
17 Will it not be just a very little while
before Lebanon turns into a garden,
and a garden will seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear words of a book,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The meek will add to their joy in Adonai,
and the needy of humanity will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless will come to an end
and the scorner will be finished,
and all watching to do evil cut off.
21 Those who make a man out to be guilty with a word,
and trap him who reproves at the gate,
and deny justice with meaninglessness.
22 Therefore, thus says Adonai, Redeemer of Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
no longer will his face grow pale;
23 for when he sees his children,
the work of My hands in his midst,
they will sanctify My Name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will learn instruction.”
Where Do You Put Your Confidence?
3 Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! To keep writing the same things to you is not troublesome for me—but for you it is a safeguard.
2 Beware of the dogs,[a] beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation. [b] 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship by the Ruach Elohim and glory in Messiah Yeshua and have not depended on the flesh— 4 though I myself might have confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he might depend on the flesh, I far more— 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel; from the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the Torah, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting Messiah’s community; as for Torah righteousness, found blameless.
7 But whatever things were gain to me, these I have considered as loss for the sake of the Messiah. 8 More than that, I consider all things to be loss in comparison to the surpassing value of the knowledge of Messiah Yeshua my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things; and I consider them garbage[c] in order that I might gain Messiah 9 and be found in Him not having my righteousness derived from Torah, but one that is through trusting in Messiah—the righteousness from God based on trust. [d] 10 My aim is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the sharing of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death— 11 if somehow I might arrive at the resurrection from among the dead.
Pursuing the Goal
12 Not that I have already obtained this or been perfected, but I press on if only I might take hold of that for which Messiah Yeshua took hold of me. [e] 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself as having taken hold of this. But this one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the reward of the upward calling of God in Messiah Yeshua. [f] 15 Therefore let all who are mature have this attitude; and if you have a different attitude in anything, this also God will reveal to you. 16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the same standard we have attained.
17 Brothers and sisters, join in following my example and notice those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. (18 For many walk who are enemies of the cross of Messiah—I have often told you about them, and now I am even weeping as I tell you. 19 Their end is destruction—their god is their belly and their glory is in their shame. They set their minds on earthly things.)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven,
and from there we eagerly wait for the Savior,
the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
21 He will transform this humble body of ours
into the likeness of His glorious body,
through the power that enables Him
even to put all things in subjection to Himself.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.