Old/New Testament
The Covenant Extended to the Righteous
56 For[a] this is what the Lord says:
“Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and soon my deliverance will be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this,
and the person that holds it fast,
who observes the Sabbath without profaning it,
and restrains his hands[b] from practicing any evil.
3 “Let[c] no foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say:
‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’
Furthermore, let no eunuch say,
‘Look![d] I am just a dry tree.’”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me,
and who hold fast my covenant—
5 to them I will give in my house[e] and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters.
I will give them[f] an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.[g]
6 “Also, the foreigners who join themselves to[h] the Lord,
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,[i]
to be his servants,
and to bless the Lord’s name,
observing[j] the Sabbath without profaning it,
and who hold fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will rise up to be accepted[k] on my altar;
for my house will be called a house of prayer
for everyone.”[l]
A Rebuke to Israel’s Guardians
8 This is what the Lord God says,
the one who gathers the outcasts of Israel:
“I’ll gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.[m]
9 “All you wild animals,[n] come and devour—
even[o] all of you wild animals.[p]
10 His[q] watchmen[r] are blind;
they are all without knowledge.
They are all dumb dogs—
they cannot bark.
They keep on dreaming and lying around,
and they’re lovers of sleep![s]
11 Meanwhile,[t] the dogs have a mighty appetite—
they can never get enough.
And as for them, they are the shepherds[u] who lack understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
each one to his gain,
each and every one.
12 “‘Come!’ they say, ‘let’s[v] have some wine,
and let’s fill ourselves with strong drink!
Then,[w] tomorrow will be like today,[x]
or even much better!’”
Israel’s Idolatry
57 “Also[y] the righteous are perishing,[z]
but no one takes it to heart;
devout people[aa] are taken away,
while no one understands
that the righteous person is taken away from calamity.
2 Then[ab] he enters into peace,
and[ac] they’ll rest on his[ad] couches,
each one living righteously.[ae]
3 “But as for you, come here,
you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes![af]
4 Whom are you mocking?
And[ag] against whom do you make a wide mouth
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of lies,
5 you who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every spreading tree,
who slaughter your children in the ravines,
under the clefts of the rocks?
6 “Among the smooth stones[ah] of the ravines is your portion—
there they are as[ai] your lot.
To them you have poured out drink offerings;
you have brought grain offerings.
Should I be lenient over such things?
7 “You have made your bed
on a high and lofty mountain,
and you went up to offer sacrifice there.
8 Behind the doors and the doorposts
you have set up your pagan sign.”
For in deserting me you have uncovered your bed—
you have climbed up into it
and have opened it wide.
And you[aj] have made a pact for yourself with them;
you have loved their bed,
you have looked on their private parts.[ak]
9 You went to Molech[al] with olive oil
and increased your perfumes;
you sent your ambassadors far away,
you sent them down even to Sheol[am] itself!
10 You grew tired with your many wanderings,[an]
but you wouldn’t say: ‘It is hopeless.’
You found new strength for your desire,
and so you did not falter.
11 “Whom did you so dread—
and while you feared me[ao]—
that you lied,
and you did not remember me,
and[ap] did not lay to heart these things?[aq]
Haven’t I remained silent for a long time,
and still you don’t fear me?”
12 “I will denounce your righteousness[ar] and your works,
for your collections of idols[as] will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out, let your collection deliver you!
The wind will carry them all off,
and[at] a mere breath will sweep them all away.”
God’s Reward for the Faithful
“But whoever[au] takes refuge in me will possess the land,
and will inherit my holy mountain.
14 And one has said:[av]
‘Build up! Build up the road![aw]
Prepare the highway!
Remove every obstacle from my people’s way.’
15 “For this is what the high and lofty One says,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“He lives[ax] in the height and in holiness,[ay]
and also with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I won’t accuse forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for then the human spirit would grow faint before me—
even the souls that I have created.
17 Because of his wicked greed I was angry,
so I punished him;
and[az] I hid my face, and was angry—
but he kept turning back to his stubborn will.[ba]
18 I’ve seen his ways,[bb] yet I will heal him,[bc]
and restore for him[bd] comfort[be] to him
and for those who mourn for him[bf]
19 when[bg] I create the fruit of the lips:
Peace[bh] to the one who is far away or near,” says the Lord,
“and I’ll heal him.
20 But the wicked are tossed like the sea;[bi]
for it is not able to[bj] keep still,
and its waters toss up mire and mud.
21 “Yet[bk] there is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
False and True Worship
58 “Shout aloud!
Don’t hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Declare to my people their rebellions,[bl]
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They[bm] seek me day after day,[bn]
and are eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practices righteousness
and has not forsaken the justice of their God.
“They ask me to reveal just decisions;
they are eager to draw near to God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they ask,[bo]
‘but you do not see?
‘Why have we humbled ourselves,’[bp] they ask,[bq]
‘but you take no notice?’”
Fasting that God Approves
“Look! On your fast day you serve your own interest
and oppress all your workers.
4 “Look! You fast only for quarreling, and for[br] fighting,
and for hitting with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and have your voice heard on high.
5 “Is this the kind of fast that I have chosen,
merely a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it merely for bowing down one’s head like a bulrush,
for lying[bs] on sackcloth and ashes?
Is this what you[bt] call a fast,
an[bu] acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Isn’t this the[bv] fast that[bw] I have been choosing:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
and[bx] to untie the cords of the yoke,
and[by] to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry,
and to bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked,
to cover him with clothing,[bz]
and not to raise yourself up[ca] from your own flesh and blood?”
God’s Reward
8 “Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will spring up quickly;
and your vindication will go before you,
and[cb] the glory of the Lord will guard your back.
9 Then you’ll call,
and the Lord will answer;
you’ll cry for help,
and he’ll respond, ‘Here I am.’
“If you do away with the yoke among you,
and[cc] pointing fingers and malicious talk;
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the needs of afflicted souls,
then your light will rise in darkness,
and your night will be like noonday.
11 And the Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your soul in parched places,[cd]
and they[ce] will strengthen your bones;
and you’ll be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
12 And your people will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You’ll raise up the age-old foundations,[cf]
and people will call you[cg] ‘Repairer of Broken Walls,’
‘Restorer of Streets to Live In.’
13 “If you keep your feet from trampling the Sabbath,
from[ch] pursuing your own interests on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and[ci] the Lord’s holy day honorable;
and if you honor it by not going your own ways[cj]
and[ck] seeking your own pleasure or speaking merely idle[cl] words,
14 then you will take delight in the Lord,
and he[cm] will make you ride upon the heights of the earth;
and he[cn] will make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob, your father.
“Yes! The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Lawless One
2 Now we ask you, brothers, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[a] and our gathering together to him, 2 not to be so quickly upset[b] or alarmed when someone claims that we said,[c] either by some spirit, conversation, or letter that the Day of the Lord has already come. 3 Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for it will not come unless the rebellion[d] takes place first and the man of sin,[e] who is destined for destruction,[f] is revealed. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary[g] of God and himself declares that he is God.
5 Don’t you remember that I repeatedly told you about these things when I was still with you? 6 You know what it is that is now holding him back, so that he will be revealed when his time comes. 7 For the secret of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the person now holding it back gets out of the way. 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord[h] will destroy with the breath of his mouth, rendering him powerless by the manifestation of his coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one[i] will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind[j] of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, 10 and every type of evil to deceive[k] those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them.[l] 11 For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. 12 Then all who have not believed the truth but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.
13 At all times we are obligated to thank God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God chose you to be the first fruits[m] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through faith in the truth. 14 With this purpose in mind, he called you through our proclamation of the[n] gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[o] 15 So then, brothers, stand firm, and cling to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth[p] or by our letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus, the Messiah[q] himself, and may God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort[r] and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good action and word.
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