Old/New Testament
Prophecy Against Edom
35 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], look toward ·Edom [L Mount Seir] and prophesy against it. 3 Say to it: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am against you, ·Edom [L Mount Seir]. I will stretch out my hand against you and make you an ·empty desert [desolate waste]. 4 I will destroy your cities, and you will become ·empty [desolate]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 “‘You have ·always been an enemy of [shown perpetual/ancient hatred toward the sons of] Israel. You ·let them be defeated in war [L gave them over to the hand of the sword] ·when they were in trouble [at the time of their disaster/calamity] at the time of their final punishment [Obad. 13]. 6 So the Lord God says, as surely as I live, I will ·let you be murdered [bring you bloodshed]. ·Murder [Bloodshed] will chase you. Since you did not hate ·murdering people [bloodshed; L blood], ·murder [bloodshed; L blood] will chase you. 7 I will make ·Edom [L Mount Seir] an ·empty ruin [desolate waste] and ·destroy [cut off] everyone who goes in or comes out of it. 8 I will fill its mountains with those who are killed. Those killed ·in war [L by the sword] will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. 9 I will make you a ·ruin forever [perpetual/eternal desolation]; no one will live in your cities. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
10 “‘You said, “These two nations, Israel and Judah, and these two lands will be ours. We will take them for our ·own [possession].” But the Lord was there. 11 So this is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, I will treat you just as you treated them. You were angry and ·jealous [envious] because you hated them. So I will ·show the Israelites who I am [make myself known to them] when I ·punish [judge] you. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all your insults against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They ·have been ruined [are desolate/laid waste]. They have been given to us to ·eat [devour].” 13 You have ·not stopped your proud talk [L exalted yourself against me and multiplied words] against me. I have heard you. 14 This is what the Lord God says: All the earth will ·be happy [rejoice] when I make you an ·empty ruin [desolation]. 15 You ·were happy [rejoiced] when the ·land [L inheritance of the house] of Israel was ·ruined [desolated], but I will do the same thing to you. Mount Seir and all Edom, you will become an ·empty ruin [desolation]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’
Israel to Come Home
36 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord God says: The enemy has said about you, “[L Aha!] ·Now the old places to worship gods [The ancient heights] have become ·ours [L our possession].”’ 3 So prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: They have made you an ·empty ruin [desolation] and have crushed you from all around. So you became a possession of the ·other [rest of the] nations. People have ·talked [gossiped] and ·whispered [slandered] against you. 4 So, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. The Lord God speaks to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys, to the ·empty ruins [desolate wasteland] and abandoned cities that have ·been ·robbed [plundered] and ·laughed at [ridiculed; derided] by the other nations. 5 This is what the Lord God says: I speak ·in hot anger [with burning zeal] against the other nations. I speak against the people of Edom, who took my land for themselves with joy and with ·hate [contempt] in their hearts. They ·forced out the people and took their pastureland [seized their pastureland as spoil].’ 6 So prophesy about the land of Israel and say to the mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I speak in my jealous anger, because you have suffered the ·insults [scorn; reproach] of the nations. 7 So this is what the Lord God says: I ·promise [vow] that the nations around you will also have to suffer ·insults [scorn; reproach].
8 “‘But you, mountains of Israel, will grow branches and fruit for my people, who will soon come home. 9 [L Look; T Behold] I am ·concerned about [for] you; I ·am on your side [L will turn to you]. You will be plowed, and seed will be planted in you. 10 I will increase the number of people who live on you, all the ·people [L house] of Israel. The cities will ·have people living in them [be inhabited], and the ruins will be rebuilt. 11 I will ·increase the number of people and animals living [multiply man and beast] on you. They will grow and ·have many young [be fruitful]. You will have people living on you as ·you did before [in former times], and I will make you better off than at the beginning. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will cause my people Israel to ·walk [live] on you and ·own [possess] you, and you will ·belong to them [become their inheritance]. You will never again ·take their children away from them [bereave them of their children].
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says: People say about you, “You ·eat [devour] people and ·take children [bereave children] from your nation.” 14 But you will not ·eat [devour] people anymore or ·take away the [bereave your nation of] children, says the Lord God. 15 I will not make you listen to ·insults [taunts] from the nations anymore; you will not ·suffer shame [endure scorn/disgrace] from them anymore. You will not cause your nation to ·fall [stumble] anymore, says the Lord God.’”
The Lord Acts for Himself
16 The ·Lord spoke his word to me [L word of the Lord came] again, saying: 17 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], when the ·nation [L house] of Israel was living in their own land, they ·made it unclean [defiled it; C ritually] by their ways and the things they did. Their ways were like ·a woman’s uncleanness in her time of monthly bleeding [menstrual impurity; C ritually]. 18 So I poured out my anger against them, because they ·murdered in [shed blood on] the land and because they made the land ·unclean [defiled] with their idols. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were ·spread [dispersed] through the countries. I ·punished [judged] them for how they lived and what they did. 20 They ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] my holy name in the nations where they went. The nations said about them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but they had to leave the land which he gave them.’ 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the ·nation [L house] of Israel had ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations where they went.
22 “So say to the ·people [L house] of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: [L house of] Israel, I am going to act, but not for your sake. I will do something to help my holy name, which you have ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations where you went. 23 I will prove the holiness of my great name, which has been ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] among the nations. You have ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] it among these nations, but the nations will know that I am the Lord when I ·prove myself holy [vindicate my holiness] before their eyes, says the Lord God.
24 “‘I will take you from the nations and gather you out of all the lands and bring you back into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness [C ritual impurity] and your idols. 26 Also, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new ·way of thinking [L spirit] inside you. I will ·take out [remove from you] ·the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies [L your heart of stone], and I will give you ·obedient hearts [L a heart] of flesh. 27 I will put my ·Spirit [or spirit] ·inside you [or among you; C the pronoun is plural] and ·help you [cause you to] ·live by [walk in] my ·rules [statutes] and carefully obey my ·laws [rules; judgments]. 28 You will live in the land I gave to your ·ancestors [fathers], and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 So I will save you from all your ·uncleanness [defilement; C ritual]. I will ·command [summon; call for] the grain to ·come and grow [multiply]; I will not ·allow a time of hunger to hurt [bring famine upon] you. 30 I will increase the harvest of fruit trees and the crops in the field so you will never again suffer ·shame [disgrace] among the nations because of ·hunger [famine]. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and actions that were not good, and you will ·hate [loathe] yourselves because of your sins and your ·terrible acts that I hate [detestable/abominable acts]. 32 I want you to know that I am not going to do this for your sake, says the Lord God. Be ashamed and embarrassed about your ways, [L house of] Israel.
33 “‘This is what the Lord God says: This is what will happen on the day I cleanse you from all your sins: I will ·cause the cities to have people living in them again [repopulate/resettle your towns/cities], and the ·destroyed places [ruins] will be rebuilt. 34 The ·empty [desolate] land will be plowed so it will no longer be a ·ruin [desolation] for everyone who passes by to see. 35 They will say, “This land was ·ruined [desolate], but now it has become like the garden of Eden. The cities were destroyed, empty, and ruined, but now they are ·protected [fortified] and ·have people living in them [inhabited].” 36 Then those nations still around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt ·what was destroyed [the ruins] and have planted what was ·empty [desolate]. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
37 “This is what the Lord God says: I will let myself be asked by the ·people [L house] of Israel to do this for them again: I will ·make their people grow in number [multiply their people] like a flock. 38 They will be as many as the flocks ·brought to Jerusalem during her holy feasts [for offerings]. Her ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
1 From ·Simon [L Simeon; C a version of Simon closer to the Hebrew name] Peter, a ·servant [slave] and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To ·you [L those] who have received a faith as ·valuable [precious; privileged] as ours, ·because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right [or through the righteousness/justice of our God and Savior Jesus Christ].
2 [May] Grace and peace be ·given to you more and more [lavished upon you; multiplied to you], ·because you truly know [or as you grow in your knowledge; L through/in the knowledge of] God and Jesus our Lord.
God Has Given Us Blessings
3 ·Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us [L His divine power has given us] everything we need ·to live and to serve God [or to live a godly life; L for life and godliness]. We have these things ·because we know [or as we better come to know; L through the knowledge of] ·Jesus, who called us [L the one who called us; C may refer to Jesus or God the Father] by his glory and ·goodness [virtue; moral excellence]. 4 Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. [L …so that] With these gifts you can ·share in [partake of; participate in] ·God’s nature [L the divine nature; C which enables us to live forever], ·and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires [or having escaped the world’s decay that was caused by its evil desires].
5 ·Because you have these blessings [L For this very reason; C the reasons stated in vv. 3–4], ·do your best [make every effort; strive] to ·add these things to [or increase these things in] your lives: to your faith, add ·goodness [virtue; moral excellence]; and to your ·goodness [virtue; moral excellence], add knowledge; 6 and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add ·patience [or perseverance]; and to your ·patience [or perseverance], add ·service for God [devotion; piety; godliness]; 7 and to your ·service for God [devotion; piety; godliness], add ·kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ [affection for fellow believers; L brotherly love/affection; C Greek: philadelphia]; and to ·this kindness [affection; L brotherly love/affection], add love [C Greek: agapē]. 8 If all these things are in you and are ·growing [increasing], they will ·help you to be useful and productive [L keep you from being ineffective/idle and unfruitful/unproductive] in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 ·But [or For] anyone who does not have these things ·cannot see clearly [is nearsighted]. He is blind [1 John 2:11; Rev. 3:17] ·and [or because he] has forgotten that he was made clean from his past sins.
10 [L Therefore] My brothers and sisters, ·try hard [make every effort; strive] to ·be certain that you really are called and chosen by God [L confirm your calling and election]. [L For] If you do all these things, you will never ·fall [stumble]. 11 ·And [For in this way] you will be given a very ·great [rich; lavish] ·welcome [entrance; arrival] into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 You know these things, and you are ·very strong [established] in the truth [that has come to you; that you now have], but I will always ·help you remember [remind you of] them. 13 I think it is right for me to ·help you remember [L arouse you with a reminder] as long as I am in this ·body [L tent; C a metaphor for the transitory earthly body]. 14 I know I must soon ·leave this body [L put off my tent; C die; 1:13; 2 Cor. 5:1, 4], as our Lord Jesus Christ ·has shown [made clear to] me [John 21:18]. 15 I will ·try my best [make every effort; strive] so that you may be able [L always] to remember these things even after ·I am gone [L my departure; C Peter’s death].
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 [L For] When we ·told [made known to] you about the ·powerful coming [or power and coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not ·telling [following; repeating] ·just clever stories that someone invented [or cleverly-concocted myths]. But we ·saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes [L were eyewitness of his majesty]. 17 [L For] ·Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory [L When that voice came to him from the Majestic Glory], when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him [C a reference to the Transfiguration; Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35].” 18 We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the ·holy [sacred] mountain.
19 ·This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave [or And we also have a reliable message from the prophets; L And we have the prophetic word confirmed; C probably referring to the Old Testament]. ·It is good for you [You do well] to follow closely what they said as you would follow a ·light [L lamp] shining in a dark place, until the day ·begins [L dawns] and the morning star rises in your hearts [Num. 24:17; Rev. 22:16; C the planet Venus as seen before sunrise, here symbolizing Christ]. 20 ·Most [First] of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ·ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation [or is a matter of one’s own interpretation]. 21 No prophecy ever came from ·what a person wanted to say [L human will/intention], but people ·led [carried; moved] by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. [C True prophecy originates with God, not with the prophet.]
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