Isaiah 56-58

New International Version

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice^(A)
    and do what is right,^(B)
for my salvation^(C) is close at hand
    and my righteousness^(D) will soon be revealed.
²Blessed^(E) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath^(F) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

³Let no foreigner^(G) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”^(H)
And let no eunuch^(I) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”

⁴For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs^(J) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant^(K)—
⁵to them I will give within my temple and its walls^(L)
    a memorial^(M) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name^(N)
    that will endure forever.^(O)
⁶And foreigners^(P) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister^(Q) to him,
to love the name^(R) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath^(S) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain^(T)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices^(U)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.^(V)”^(W)
⁸The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather^(X) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

⁹Come, all you beasts of the field,^(Y)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
¹⁰Israel’s watchmen^(Z) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;^(AA)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.^(AB)
¹¹They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds^(AC) who lack understanding;^(AD)
    they all turn to their own way,^(AE)
    they seek their own gain.^(AF)
¹²“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!^(AG)
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
    or even far better.”^(AH)

57 The righteous perish,^(AI)
    and no one takes it to heart;^(AJ)
the devout are taken away,
    and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
    to be spared from evil.^(AK)
²Those who walk uprightly^(AL)
    enter into peace;
    they find rest^(AM) as they lie in death.

³“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,^(AN)
    you offspring of adulterers^(AO) and prostitutes!^(AP)
⁴Who are you mocking?
    At whom do you sneer
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,^(AQ)
    the offspring of liars?
⁵You burn with lust among the oaks^(AR)
    and under every spreading tree;^(AS)
you sacrifice your children^(AT) in the ravines
    and under the overhanging crags.
⁶The idols^(AU) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
    indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings^(AV)
    and offered grain offerings.
    In view of all this, should I relent?^(AW)
⁷You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;^(AX)
    there you went up to offer your sacrifices.^(AY)
⁸Behind your doors and your doorposts
    you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
    you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,^(AZ)
    and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.^(BA)
⁹You went to Molek^[a]^(BB) with olive oil
    and increased your perfumes.^(BC)
You sent your ambassadors^[b]^(BD) far away;
    you descended to the very realm of the dead!^(BE)
¹⁰You wearied^(BF) yourself by such going about,
    but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’^(BG)
You found renewal of your strength,^(BH)
    and so you did not faint.

¹¹“Whom have you so dreaded and feared^(BI)
    that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered^(BJ) me
    nor taken this to heart?^(BK)
Is it not because I have long been silent^(BL)
    that you do not fear me?
¹²I will expose your righteousness and your works,^(BM)
    and they will not benefit you.
¹³When you cry out^(BN) for help,
    let your collection of idols save^(BO) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
    a mere breath will blow^(BP) them away.
But whoever takes refuge^(BQ) in me
    will inherit the land^(BR)
    and possess my holy mountain.”^(BS)

Comfort for the Contrite

¹⁴And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!^(BT)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”^(BU)
¹⁵For this is what the high and exalted^(BV) One says—
    he who lives forever,^(BW) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high^(BX) and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite^(BY) and lowly in spirit,^(BZ)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.^(CA)
¹⁶I will not accuse^(CB) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,^(CC)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people^(CD) I have created.
¹⁷I was enraged by their sinful greed;^(CE)
    I punished them, and hid^(CF) my face in anger,
    yet they kept on in their willful ways.^(CG)
¹⁸I have seen their ways, but I will heal^(CH) them;
    I will guide^(CI) them and restore comfort^(CJ) to Israel’s mourners,
¹⁹    creating praise on their lips.^(CK)
Peace, peace,^(CL) to those far and near,”^(CM)
    says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
²⁰But the wicked^(CN) are like the tossing sea,^(CO)
    which cannot rest,
    whose waves cast up mire^(CP) and mud.
²¹“There is no peace,”^(CQ) says my God, “for the wicked.”^(CR)

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,^(CS) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.^(CT)
Declare to my people their rebellion^(CU)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.^(CV)
²For day after day they seek^(CW) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken^(CX) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near^(CY) them.
³‘Why have we fasted,’^(CZ) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled^(DA) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’^(DB)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please^(DC)
    and exploit all your workers.
⁴Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,^(DD)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard^(DE) on high.
⁵Is this the kind of fast^(DF) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble^(DG) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed^(DH)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?^(DI)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting^(DJ) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice^(DK)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed^(DL) free
    and break every yoke?^(DM)
⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry^(DN)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter^(DO)—
when you see the naked, to clothe^(DP) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?^(DQ)
⁸Then your light will break forth like the dawn,^(DR)
    and your healing^(DS) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[c]^(DT) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.^(DU)
⁹Then you will call,^(DV) and the Lord will answer;^(DW)
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger^(DX) and malicious talk,^(DY)
¹⁰and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,^(DZ)
then your light^(EA) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.^(EB)
¹¹The Lord will guide^(EC) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs^(ED) in a sun-scorched land^(EE)
    and will strengthen^(EF) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,^(EG)
    like a spring^(EH) whose waters never fail.
¹²Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins^(EI)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;^(EJ)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,^(EK)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath^(EL)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight^(EM)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,^(EN)
¹⁴then you will find your joy^(EO) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights^(EP) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance^(EQ) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(ER)

Footnotes

Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One

Mark 13:21-37

New International Version

²¹At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.^(A) ²²For false messiahs and false prophets^(B) will appear and perform signs and wonders^(C) to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²³So be on your guard;^(D) I have told you everything ahead of time.

²⁴“But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
²⁵the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’^[a]^(E)

²⁶“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds^(F) with great power and glory. ²⁷And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.^(G)

²⁸“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it^[b] is near, right at the door. ³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation^(H) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.^(I) ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.^(J)

The Day and Hour Unknown

³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.^(K) ³³Be on guard! Be alert^[c]!^(L) You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants^(M) in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”^(N)

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