Old/New Testament

Something New for Zion

62 Because of Zion I will not keep quiet. Because of Jerusalem I will not rest, until her being right with God shines like a bright light, and her being saved shines like fire. ² The nations will see that you are right and good. All kings will see your shining-greatness. And you will be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord will give. ³ You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, a king’s crown in the hand of your God. ⁴ You will no longer be called “Left Alone.” Your land will no longer be called “Forgotten.” But you will be called “My joy is in her,” and your land “Married.” For the Lord finds joy in you, and to Him your land will be married. ⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman who has never had a man, your sons will marry you. And as the man to be married finds joy in his bride, so your God will find joy in you.

⁶ On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have put men to keep watch. All day and all night they will never be quiet. You who help the Lord remember, do not rest. ⁷ And give Him no rest until He builds Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. ⁸ The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm, “I will never again give your grain to be food for those who hate you. And strangers will never again drink your new wine that you have worked hard to make. ⁹ But those who have worked on it will eat it and praise the Lord. And those who gather it will drink it in the open spaces inside My holy house.”

¹⁰ Go through, go through the gates. Open the way for the people. Build up, build up the road. Take away the stones, and raise the flag over the people. ¹¹ See, the Lord has made it known to the end of the earth: Say to the people of Zion, “Look, the One Who saves you is coming! See, He is bringing His reward that He will give.” ¹² And they will call them “The holy people, the people who have been saved and set free by the Lord.” And you will be called “A city looked for, a city that God has not forgotten.”

The Lord Wins over the Nations

63 Who is this Who comes from Edom, with dark red clothing from Bozrah? Who is this One Who is beautiful in His clothing, walking in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, Who speaks what is right and good, powerful to save.” ² Why is Your clothing red? Why is Your clothing like his who crushes the grapes? ³ “I have crushed the grapes alone. From the people there was no man with Me. I crushed them in My anger. I was angry as I stepped on them. And their life blood is on My clothing, and all My clothing is red. ⁴ For the day of punishment was in My heart. And My year to save My people and make them free has come. ⁵ I looked, and there was no one to help. I wondered that there was no one to help. So My own arm brought saving power to Me, and My anger helped Me. ⁶ I crushed the nations in My anger and I made them drunk in My anger. I poured out their life blood on the earth.”

Israel Remembers God’s Loving-Kindness

⁷ I will tell of the loving-kindness of the Lord, and praise Him for all He has done. I will tell of all the Lord has given us, the great goodness He has shown to the family of Israel and given to them because of His loving-pity and His great loving-kindness. ⁸ For He said, “For sure they are My people, sons who will not be false to Me.” So He saved them from the punishment of sin. ⁹ He suffered with them in all their troubles, and the angel of the Lord saved them. In His loving-kindness He paid the price and made them free. He lifted them up and carried them all the days of long ago. ¹⁰ But they turned against Him and made His Holy Spirit have sorrow. So He turned Himself and hated them, and fought against them. ¹¹ Then His people remembered the days long ago, the days of Moses. Where is He Who brought them through the sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He Who put His Holy Spirit among them? ¹² Where is He Who caused His great arm to be at the right hand of Moses? Where is He Who divided the waters in front of them to make for Himself a name that lasts forever. ¹³ Who led them through the sea? Like a horse in the desert, they did not lose their step. ¹⁴ Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So You led Your people, to make for Yourself a great and honored name.

A Prayer for Help

¹⁵ Look down from heaven, and see from Your holy and beautiful house. Where are Your strong desires and Your powerful works? Your kindness and Your loving-pity are kept from me. ¹⁶ For You are our Father. Even though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not see who we are, You, O Lord, are our Father. The One Who bought us and made us free from long ago is Your name. ¹⁷ O Lord, why do You make us turn aside from Your ways and make our hearts hard so we do not fear You? Return because of Your servants, the families of Your promised land. ¹⁸ Your holy people kept Your holy house for a little while. But those who hate us have broken it under their feet. ¹⁹ We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, like those who were not called by Your name.

64 If only You would tear open the heavens and come down! The mountains would shake before You, ² as when fire burns the wood and causes the water to boil. Come and make Your name known to those who are against you, that the nations may shake in fear before You! ³ When You did powerful things which we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains shook before You. ⁴ From long ago no ear has heard and no eye has seen any God besides You, Who works for those who wait for Him. ⁵ You meet him who finds joy in doing what is right and good, who remembers You in Your ways. See, You were angry because we sinned. We have been sinning for a long time, and will we be saved? ⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean. All our right and good works are like dirty pieces of cloth. And all of us dry up like a leaf. Our sins take us away like the wind. ⁷ There is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us, and have given us over to the power of our sins.

⁸ But now, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are our pot maker. All of us are the work of Your hand. ⁹ Do not be so angry, O Lord. Do not remember our sin forever. Look now, all of us are Your people. ¹⁰ Your holy cities have become a waste place. Zion has become a waste place. Jerusalem lies destroyed. ¹¹ Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised You, has been burned by fire. And all our things of great worth have been destroyed. ¹² Will You do nothing after seeing these things, O Lord? Will You keep quiet and make us suffer even more?

1 This letter is from Paul, a missionary of Jesus Christ. I am sent by God, the One Who saves, and by our Lord Jesus Christ Who is our hope. ² I write to you, Timothy. You are my son in the Christian faith. May God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord give you His loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace.

Watch for False Teachers

³ When I left for the country of Macedonia, I asked you to stay in the city of Ephesus. I wanted you to stay there so you could tell those who are teaching what is not true to stop. ⁴ They should not listen to stories that are not true. It is foolish for them to try to learn more about their early fathers. These only bring more questions to their minds and do not make their faith in God stronger. ⁵ We want to see our teaching help you have a true love that comes from a pure heart. Such love comes from a heart that says we are not guilty and from a faith that does not pretend. ⁶ But some have turned away from these things. They have turned to foolish talking. ⁷ Some of them want to be teachers of the Law. But they do not know what they are talking about even if they act as if they do.

The Law Is Good

⁸ We know the Law is good when it is used the way God meant it to be used. ⁹ We must remember the Law is not for the person who is right with God. It is for those who do not obey anybody or anything. It is for the sinners who hate God and speak against Him. It is for those who kill their fathers and mothers and for those who kill other people. ¹⁰ It is for those who do sex sins and for people who do sex sins with their own sex. It is for people who steal other people and for those who lie and for those who promise not to lie, but do. It is for everything that is against right teaching. ¹¹ The great Good News of our honored God is right teaching. God has trusted me to preach this Good News.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord for the power and strength He has given me. He trusted me and gave me His work to do. ¹³ Before He chose me, I talked bad about Christ. I made His followers suffer. I hurt them every way I could. But God had loving-kindness for me. I did not understand what I was doing for I was not a Christian then. ¹⁴ Then our Lord gave me much of His loving-favor and faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ What I say is true and all the world should receive it. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners from their sin and I am the worst sinner. ¹⁶ And yet God had loving-kindness for me. Jesus Christ used me to show how long He will wait for even the worst sinners. In that way, others will know they can have life that lasts forever also. ¹⁷ We give honor and thanks to the King Who lives forever. He is the One Who never dies and Who is never seen. He is the One Who knows all things. He is the only God. Let it be so.

The Good Fight of Faith

¹⁸ Timothy, my son, here is my word to you. Fight well for the Lord! God’s preachers told us you would. ¹⁹ Keep a strong hold on your faith in Christ. May your heart always say you are right. Some people have not listened to what their hearts say. They have done what they knew was wrong. Because of this, their faith in Christ was wrecked. ²⁰ This happened to Hymenaeus and Alexander. I gave them over to Satan to teach them not to speak against God.