Old/New Testament
The Glorious Future
32 Behold, a (A)king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
2 Each will be like a (B)refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like [a](C)streams of water in a dry country,
Like the (D)shade of a [b]huge rock in [c]a parched land.
3 Then (E)the eyes of those who see will not be [d]blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The [e]mind of the (F)hasty will discern the [f]truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
5 No longer will the (G)fool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
6 For a fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart [g](H)inclines toward wickedness:
To practice (I)ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord,
To [h](J)keep the hungry person unsatisfied
And [i]to withhold drink from the thirsty.
7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He (K)devises wicked schemes
To (L)destroy the afflicted with [j]slander,
(M)Even though the needy one speaks [k]what is right.
8 But (N)the noble man devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands.
9 Rise up, you (O)women who are at ease,
And hear my voice;
(P)Give ear to my word,
You complacent daughters.
10 Within a year and a few days
You will be troubled, O complacent daughters;
(Q)For the vintage is ended,
And the fruit gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
(R)Be troubled, you complacent daughters;
(S)Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,
12 (T)Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 (U)For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up;
Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the (V)jubilant city.
14 Because (W)the palace has been abandoned, the [l]populated (X)city forsaken.
[m]Hill and watch-tower have become (Y)caves forever,
A delight for (Z)wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;
15 Until the (AA)Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a (AB)fertile field,
And the fertile field is considered as a forest.
16 Then (AC)justice will dwell in the wilderness
And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.
17 And the (AD)work of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, (AE)quietness and [n]confidence forever.
18 Then my people will live in a (AF)peaceful habitation,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed (AG)resting places;
19 And it will (AH)hail when the (AI)forest comes down,
And (AJ)the city will be utterly laid low.
20 How (AK)blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who [o]let out freely the ox and the donkey.
The Judgment of God
33 Woe (AL)to you, O destroyer,
While you were not destroyed;
And he (AM)who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.
As soon as you finish destroying, (AN)you will be destroyed;
As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will (AO)deal treacherously with you.
2 O Lord, (AP)be gracious to us; we have (AQ)waited for You.
Be [p]their [q](AR)strength every morning,
Our salvation also in the (AS)time of distress.
3 At the sound of the tumult (AT)peoples flee;
At the (AU)lifting up of Yourself nations disperse.
4 Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;
As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.
5 The Lord is (AV)exalted, for He dwells on high;
He has (AW)filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 And He will be the [r](AX)stability of your times,
A (AY)wealth of salvation, wisdom and (AZ)knowledge;
The (BA)fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7 Behold, their brave men cry in [s]the streets,
The [t](BB)ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways are desolate, [u]the (BC)traveler has ceased,
He has (BD)broken the covenant, he has despised the cities,
He has no regard for man.
9 (BE)The land mourns and pines away,
(BF)Lebanon is shamed and withers;
(BG)Sharon is like a desert plain,
And Bashan and Carmel [v]lose their foliage.
10 “Now (BH)I will arise,” says the Lord,
“Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11 “You have (BI)conceived [w]chaff, you will give birth to stubble;
[x]My (BJ)breath will consume you like a fire.
12 “The peoples will be burned to lime,
(BK)Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13 “You who are far away, (BL)hear what I have done;
And you who are near, [y]acknowledge My might.”
14 (BM)Sinners in Zion are terrified;
(BN)Trembling has seized the godless.
“Who among us can live with (BO)the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with [z]continual (BP)burning?”
15 He who (BQ)walks righteously and speaks with sincerity,
He who rejects [aa]unjust gain
And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;
He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed
And (BR)shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights,
(BS)His refuge will be the [ab]impregnable rock;
(BT)His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see (BU)the King in His beauty;
They will behold (BV)a far-distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on (BW)terror:
“Where is (BX)he who counts?
Where is he who weighs?
Where is he who counts the towers?”
19 You will no longer see a fierce people,
A people of [ac](BY)unintelligible speech [ad]which no one comprehends,
Of a stammering tongue [ae]which no one understands.
20 (BZ)Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an (CA)undisturbed habitation,
(CB)A tent which will not be folded;
Its stakes will never be pulled up,
Nor any of its cords be torn apart.
21 But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us
A place of (CC)rivers and wide canals
On which no boat with oars will go,
And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22 For the Lord is our (CD)judge,
The Lord is (CE)our lawgiver,
The Lord is (CF)our king;
(CG)He will save us—
23 Your tackle hangs slack;
It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly,
Nor spread out the sail.
Then the (CH)prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;
(CI)The lame will take the plunder.
24 And no resident will say, “I am (CJ)sick”;
The people who dwell [af]there will be (CK)forgiven their iniquity.
Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments
1 (A)Paul, (B)an apostle of Jesus Christ [a](C)by the will of God, and (D)Timothy [b]our brother,
2 To the [c](E)saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: (F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 (G)We give thanks to God, (H)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 (I)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the (J)love which you have [d]for (K)all the [e]saints; 5 because of the (L)hope (M)laid up for you in [f]heaven, of which you previously (N)heard in the word of truth, [g]the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as [h](O)in all the world also it is constantly bearing (P)fruit and [i]increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you (Q)heard of it and [j]understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from (R)Epaphras, our (S)beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your (T)love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason also, (U)since the day we heard of it, (V)we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the [k](W)knowledge of His will in all spiritual (X)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will (Y)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [l](Z)to please Him in all respects, (AA)bearing fruit in every good work and [m]increasing in the [n]knowledge of God; 11 (AB)strengthened with all power, according to [o]His glorious might, [p]for the attaining of all steadfastness and [q]patience; (AC)joyously 12 giving thanks to (AD)the Father, who has qualified us [r]to share in (AE)the inheritance of the [s]saints in (AF)Light.
The Incomparable Christ
13 [t]For He rescued us from the [u](AG)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of [v](AH)His beloved Son, 14 (AI)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 [w]He is the (AJ)image of the (AK)invisible God, the (AL)firstborn of all creation. 16 For [x](AM)by Him all things were created, (AN)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (AO)thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—(AP)all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He [y](AQ)is before all things, and in Him all things [z]hold together. 18 He is also (AR)head of (AS)the body, the church; and He is (AT)the beginning, (AU)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For [aa]it was (AV)the Father’s good pleasure for all (AW)the [ab]fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to (AX)reconcile all things to Himself, having made (AY)peace through (AZ)the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, (BA)whether things on earth or things in [ac]heaven.
21 And although you were (BB)formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now (BC)reconciled you in His fleshly (BD)body through death, in order to (BE)present you before Him (BF)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [ad]the faith firmly (BG)established and steadfast, and not moved away from the (BH)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed (BI)in all creation under heaven, (BJ)and of which I, Paul, [ae]was made a [af](BK)minister.
24 (BL)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh (BM)I [ag]do my share on behalf of (BN)His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking [ah]in Christ’s afflictions. 25 (BO)Of this church I [ai]was made a minister according to the (BP)stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might [aj]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, (BQ)the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His [ak]saints, 27 to whom (BR)God willed to make known what is (BS)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is (BT)Christ in you, the (BU)hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, (BV)admonishing every man and teaching every man [al]with all (BW)wisdom, so that we may (BX)present every man [am](BY)complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I (BZ)labor, (CA)striving (CB)according to His [an]power, which [ao]mightily works within me.
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