Isaiah 40:9-14

New Living Translation

⁹O Zion, messenger of good news,
    shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.^[a]
    Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
    “Your God is coming!”
¹⁰Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
    He will rule with a powerful arm.
    See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
¹¹He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
    He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
    He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

The Lord Has No Equal

¹²Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
    Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
    or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
¹³Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?^[b]
    Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
¹⁴Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
    Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
    or show him the path of justice?

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Footnotes

40:9 Or O messenger of good news, shout to Zion from the mountaintops! Shout it louder to Jerusalem.
40:13 Greek version reads Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Compare Rom 11:34; 1 Cor 2:16.

1 Chronicles 11:1-3

New Living Translation

David Becomes King of All Israel

11 Then all Israel gathered before David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. ²In the past,^[a] even when Saul was king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord your God told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be the leader of my people Israel.’”

³So there at Hebron, David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel, just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

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