Old/New Testament
Hezekiah Shows His Treasures to Babylon
39 (A)At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and was growing stronger. 2 And Hezekiah was (B)glad about these things and showed them all his treasure house, the (C)silver and the gold and the spices and the good oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the (D)prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come to me from a far (E)country, from Babylon.” 4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah said, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them.”
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the (F)word of Yahweh of hosts, 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when (G)all that is in your house and all that your fathers have treasured up to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh. 7 ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, (H)will be taken away, and (I)they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 8 (J)Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of Yahweh which you have spoken is good.” For he said, “For there will be peace and truth (K)in my days.”
The Glory of Yahweh Will Be Revealed
40 “(L)Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “(M)Speak to the heart of Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her [a](N)warfare has been fulfilled,
That her [b](O)iniquity has been removed,
That she has received from the hand of Yahweh
(P)Double for all her sins.”
3 (Q)A voice [c]is calling,
“(R)Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 [d]Then the (S)glory of Yahweh will be revealed,
And (T)all flesh will see it together;
For the (U)mouth of Yahweh has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then [e]he answered, “What shall I call out?”
(V)All flesh is grass, and all its lovingkindness is like the flower of the field.
7 The (W)grass [f]withers, the flower fades,
[g]When the (X)breath of Yahweh blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass [h]withers, the flower fades,
But (Y)the word of our God stands forever.
9 Get yourself up on a (Z)high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of (AA)good news,
Raise up your voice powerfully,
O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the (AB)cities of Judah,
“(AC)Behold your God!”
10 Behold, Lord Yahweh will come (AD)with strength,
With His (AE)arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His (AF)reward is with Him
And His recompense before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will (AG)shepherd His flock;
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
12 Who has (AH)measured the [i]waters in the hollow of His hand,
And [j]encompassed the heavens by the [k]span,
And [l]calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 (AI)Who has [m]encompassed the Spirit of Yahweh,
Or as His (AJ)counselor has informed Him?
14 (AK)With whom did He take counsel and who (AL)gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
And made Him know the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the (AM)nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are counted as a speck of (AN)dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its (AO)beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 (AP)All the nations are as nothing before Him;
They are counted by Him as non-existent and utterly formless.
18 (AQ)To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the (AR)graven images, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith (AS)plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished to make such a contribution
Chooses a (AT)tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a wise craftsman
To [n]prepare a graven image that (AU)will not be shaken.
21 (AV)Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood (AW)from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [o]inhabits above the [p](AX)circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like (AY)grasshoppers;
It is He who (AZ)stretches out the heavens like a (BA)curtain
And spreads them out like a (BB)tent to inhabit.
23 It is He who reduces (BC)rulers to nothing,
Who (BD)makes the [q]judges of the earth utterly formless.
24 [r]Scarcely have they been planted;
[s]Scarcely have they been sown;
[t]Scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they [u]wither,
And the (BE)storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “(BF)To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 (BG)Lift up your eyes on high
And see (BH)who has created these stars,
The (BI)One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the (BJ)greatness of His vigor and the [v]strength of His power,
(BK)Not one of them is missing.
27 (BL)Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is (BM)hidden from Yahweh,
And the (BN)justice due me passes by (BO)my God”?
28 (BP)Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The (BQ)Everlasting God, Yahweh, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is (BR)unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the (BS)weary,
And to him who lacks vigor He (BT)increases might.
30 Though (BU)youths grow weary and tired,
And choice (BV)young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who hope in Yahweh
Will (BW)gain new power;
They will [w](BX)mount up with [x]wings like eagles;
They will run and not get tired;
They will walk and not become weary.
Final Instructions and Greetings
4 Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, (A)knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
2 (B)Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time (C)for us as well, that God will open up to us a (D)door for (E)the word, so that we may speak (F)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also (G)been bound, 4 that I may make it (H)manifest (I)in the way I ought to speak.
5 (J)Walk in wisdom toward (K)outsiders, (L)redeeming the time. 6 (M)Let your [a]words always be [b]with grace, seasoned with (N)salt, so that you will know how you should (O)answer each person.
7 (P)Tychicus, our (Q)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you (R)all my affairs, 8 (S)whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may (T)encourage your hearts; 9 [c]and with him (U)Onesimus, our faithful and (V)beloved brother, (W)who is one of you. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
10 (X)Aristarchus, my (Y)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Mark, the cousin of (Z)Barnabas (about whom you received [d]instructions; (AA)if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only (AB)fellow workers for the kingdom of God (AC)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be a comfort to me. 12 (AD)Epaphras, (AE)who is one of your number, a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always (AF)striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand [e](AG)complete and (AH)fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [f]a deep concern for you and for those who are in (AI)Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (AJ)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also (AK)Demas. 15 Greet the brothers who are in (AL)Laodicea and also [g]Nympha and (AM)the church that is in [h]her house. 16 (AN)And when [i]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part (AO)read [j]my letter that is coming from (AP)Laodicea. 17 And say to (AQ)Archippus, “Take heed to the (AR)ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may [k]fulfill it.”
18 (AS)The greeting is in my own hand—[l]Paul. (AT)Remember my (AU)chains. (AV)Grace be with you.
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