Isaiah 31-33

New International Version

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

31 Woe^(A) to those who go down to Egypt^(B) for help,
    who rely on horses,^(C)
who trust in the multitude of their chariots^(D)
    and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One^(E) of Israel,
    or seek help from the Lord.^(F)
²Yet he too is wise^(G) and can bring disaster;^(H)
    he does not take back his words.^(I)
He will rise up against that wicked nation,^(J)
    against those who help evildoers.
³But the Egyptians^(K) are mere mortals and not God;^(L)
    their horses^(M) are flesh and not spirit.
When the Lord stretches out his hand,^(N)
    those who help will stumble,
    those who are helped^(O) will fall;
    all will perish together.^(P)

⁴This is what the Lord says to me:

“As a lion^(Q) growls,
    a great lion over its prey—
and though a whole band of shepherds^(R)
    is called together against it,
it is not frightened by their shouts
    or disturbed by their clamor^(S)—
so the Lord Almighty will come down^(T)
    to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights.
⁵Like birds hovering^(U) overhead,
    the Lord Almighty will shield^(V) Jerusalem;
he will shield it and deliver^(W) it,
    he will ‘pass over’^(X) it and will rescue it.”

⁶Return,^(Y) you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted^(Z) against. ⁷For in that day^(AA) every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold^(AB) your sinful hands have made.^(AC)

⁸“Assyria^(AD) will fall by no human sword;
    a sword, not of mortals, will devour^(AE) them.
They will flee before the sword
    and their young men will be put to forced labor.^(AF)
⁹Their stronghold^(AG) will fall because of terror;
    at the sight of the battle standard^(AH) their commanders will panic,^(AI)”
declares the Lord,
    whose fire^(AJ) is in Zion,
    whose furnace^(AK) is in Jerusalem.

The Kingdom of Righteousness

32 See, a king^(AL) will reign in righteousness
    and rulers will rule with justice.^(AM)
²Each one will be like a shelter^(AN) from the wind
    and a refuge from the storm,^(AO)
like streams of water^(AP) in the desert^(AQ)
    and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

³Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,^(AR)
    and the ears^(AS) of those who hear will listen.
⁴The fearful heart will know and understand,^(AT)
    and the stammering tongue^(AU) will be fluent and clear.
⁵No longer will the fool^(AV) be called noble
    nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
⁶For fools speak folly,^(AW)
    their hearts are bent on evil:^(AX)
They practice ungodliness^(AY)
    and spread error^(AZ) concerning the Lord;
the hungry they leave empty^(BA)
    and from the thirsty they withhold water.
⁷Scoundrels use wicked methods,^(BB)
    they make up evil schemes^(BC)
to destroy the poor with lies,
    even when the plea of the needy^(BD) is just.^(BE)
⁸But the noble make noble plans,
    and by noble deeds^(BF) they stand.^(BG)

The Women of Jerusalem

⁹You women^(BH) who are so complacent,
    rise up and listen^(BI) to me;
you daughters who feel secure,^(BJ)
    hear what I have to say!
¹⁰In little more than a year^(BK)
    you who feel secure will tremble;
the grape harvest will fail,^(BL)
    and the harvest of fruit will not come.
¹¹Tremble,^(BM) you complacent women;
    shudder, you daughters who feel secure!^(BN)
Strip off your fine clothes^(BO)
    and wrap yourselves in rags.^(BP)
¹²Beat your breasts^(BQ) for the pleasant fields,
    for the fruitful vines^(BR)
¹³and for the land of my people,
    a land overgrown with thorns and briers^(BS)—
yes, mourn^(BT) for all houses of merriment
    and for this city of revelry.^(BU)
¹⁴The fortress^(BV) will be abandoned,
    the noisy city deserted;^(BW)
citadel and watchtower^(BX) will become a wasteland forever,
    the delight of donkeys,^(BY) a pasture for flocks,^(BZ)
¹⁵till the Spirit^(CA) is poured on us from on high,
    and the desert becomes a fertile field,^(CB)
    and the fertile field seems like a forest.^(CC)
¹⁶The Lord’s justice^(CD) will dwell in the desert,^(CE)
    his righteousness^(CF) live in the fertile field.
¹⁷The fruit of that righteousness^(CG) will be peace;^(CH)
    its effect will be quietness and confidence^(CI) forever.
¹⁸My people will live in peaceful^(CJ) dwelling places,
    in secure homes,^(CK)
    in undisturbed places of rest.^(CL)
¹⁹Though hail^(CM) flattens the forest^(CN)
    and the city is leveled^(CO) completely,
²⁰how blessed you will be,
    sowing^(CP) your seed by every stream,^(CQ)
    and letting your cattle and donkeys range free.^(CR)

Distress and Help

33 Woe^(CS) to you, destroyer,
    you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, betrayer,
    you who have not been betrayed!
When you stop destroying,
    you will be destroyed;^(CT)
when you stop betraying,
    you will be betrayed.^(CU)

²Lord, be gracious^(CV) to us;
    we long for you.
Be our strength^(CW) every morning,
    our salvation^(CX) in time of distress.^(CY)
³At the uproar of your army,^(CZ) the peoples flee;^(DA)
    when you rise up,^(DB) the nations scatter.
⁴Your plunder,^(DC) O nations, is harvested^(DD) as by young locusts;^(DE)
    like a swarm of locusts people pounce on it.

⁵The Lord is exalted,^(DF) for he dwells on high;^(DG)
    he will fill Zion with his justice^(DH) and righteousness.^(DI)
⁶He will be the sure foundation for your times,
    a rich store of salvation^(DJ) and wisdom and knowledge;
    the fear^(DK) of the Lord is the key to this treasure.^[a]^(DL)

⁷Look, their brave men^(DM) cry aloud in the streets;
    the envoys^(DN) of peace weep bitterly.
⁸The highways are deserted,
    no travelers^(DO) are on the roads.^(DP)
The treaty is broken,^(DQ)
    its witnesses^[b] are despised,
    no one is respected.
⁹The land dries up^(DR) and wastes away,
    Lebanon^(DS) is ashamed and withers;^(DT)
Sharon^(DU) is like the Arabah,
    and Bashan^(DV) and Carmel^(DW) drop their leaves.

¹⁰“Now will I arise,^(DX)” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;^(DY)
    now will I be lifted up.
¹¹You conceive^(DZ) chaff,
    you give birth^(EA) to straw;
    your breath is a fire^(EB) that consumes you.
¹²The peoples will be burned to ashes;^(EC)
    like cut thornbushes^(ED) they will be set ablaze.^(EE)”

¹³You who are far away,^(EF) hear^(EG) what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
¹⁴The sinners^(EH) in Zion are terrified;
    trembling^(EI) grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?^(EJ)
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”
¹⁵Those who walk righteously^(EK)
    and speak what is right,^(EL)
who reject gain from extortion^(EM)
    and keep their hands from accepting bribes,^(EN)
who stop their ears against plots of murder
    and shut their eyes^(EO) against contemplating evil—
¹⁶they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,^(EP)
    whose refuge^(EQ) will be the mountain fortress.^(ER)
Their bread will be supplied,
    and water will not fail^(ES) them.

¹⁷Your eyes will see the king^(ET) in his beauty^(EU)
    and view a land that stretches afar.^(EV)
¹⁸In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror:^(EW)
    “Where is that chief officer?
Where is the one who took the revenue?
    Where is the officer in charge of the towers?^(EX)”
¹⁹You will see those arrogant people^(EY) no more,
    people whose speech is obscure,
    whose language is strange and incomprehensible.^(EZ)

²⁰Look on Zion,^(FA) the city of our festivals;
    your eyes will see Jerusalem,
    a peaceful abode,^(FB) a tent^(FC) that will not be moved;^(FD)
its stakes will never be pulled up,
    nor any of its ropes broken.
²¹There the Lord will be our Mighty^(FE) One.
    It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.^(FF)
No galley with oars will ride them,
    no mighty ship^(FG) will sail them.
²²For the Lord is our judge,^(FH)
    the Lord is our lawgiver,^(FI)
the Lord is our king;^(FJ)
    it is he who will save^(FK) us.

²³Your rigging hangs loose:
    The mast is not held secure,
    the sail is not spread.
Then an abundance of spoils will be divided
    and even the lame^(FL) will carry off plunder.^(FM)
²⁴No one living in Zion will say, “I am ill”;^(FN)
    and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.^(FO)

Footnotes

Isaiah 33:6 Or is a treasure from him
Isaiah 33:8 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text / the cities

Matthew 6:1-18

New International Version

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.^(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

²“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.^(B)

Prayer^(C)

⁵“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing^(D) in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father,^(E) who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling^(F) like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.^(G) ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need^(H) before you ask him.

⁹“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father^(I) in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom^(J) come,
your will be done,^(K)
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.^(L)
¹²And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.^(M)
¹³And lead us not into temptation,^[a]^(N)
    but deliver us from the evil one.^[b]’^(O)

¹⁴For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.^(P) ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.^(Q)

Fasting

¹⁶“When you fast,^(R) do not look somber^(S) as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.^(T)

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Footnotes

Matthew 6:13 The Greek for temptation can also mean testing.
Matthew 6:13 Or from evil; some late manuscripts one, / for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.