Isaiah 59-61

New International Version

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm^(A) of the Lord is not too short^(B) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.^(C)
²But your iniquities have separated^(D)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.^(E)
³For your hands are stained with blood,^(F)
    your fingers with guilt.^(G)
Your lips have spoken falsely,^(H)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
⁴No one calls for justice;^(I)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely^(J) on empty arguments, they utter lies;^(K)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.^(L)
⁵They hatch the eggs of vipers^(M)
    and spin a spider’s web.^(N)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
⁶Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.^(O)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence^(P) are in their hands.
⁷Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.^(Q)
They pursue evil schemes;^(R)
    acts of violence mark their ways.^(S)
⁸The way of peace they do not know;^(T)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;^(U)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.^(V)

⁹So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;^(W)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
¹⁰Like the blind^(X) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble^(Y) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.^(Z)
¹¹We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.^(AA)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

¹²For our offenses^(AB) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify^(AC) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:^(AD)
¹³rebellion^(AE) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs^(AF) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,^(AG)
    uttering lies^(AH) our hearts have conceived.
¹⁴So justice^(AI) is driven back,
    and righteousness^(AJ) stands at a distance;
truth^(AK) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
¹⁵Truth^(AL) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.^(AM)
¹⁶He saw that there was no one,^(AN)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;^(AO)
so his own arm achieved salvation^(AP) for him,
    and his own righteousness^(AQ) sustained him.
¹⁷He put on righteousness as his breastplate,^(AR)
    and the helmet^(AS) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments^(AT) of vengeance^(AU)
    and wrapped himself in zeal^(AV) as in a cloak.
¹⁸According to what they have done,
    so will he repay^(AW)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands^(AX) their due.
¹⁹From the west,^(AY) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,^(AZ) they will revere his glory.^(BA)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath^(BB) of the Lord drives along.^[a]

²⁰“The Redeemer^(BC) will come to Zion,^(BD)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”^(BE)
declares the Lord.

²¹“As for me, this is my covenant^(BF) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,^(BG) who is on you, will not depart from you,^(BH) and my words that I have put in your mouth^(BI) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

The Glory of Zion

60 “Arise,^(BJ) shine, for your light^(BK) has come,
    and the glory^(BL) of the Lord rises upon you.
²See, darkness^(BM) covers the earth
    and thick darkness^(BN) is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
³Nations^(BO) will come to your light,^(BP)
    and kings^(BQ) to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴“Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble^(BR) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,^(BS)
    and your daughters^(BT) are carried on the hip.^(BU)
⁵Then you will look and be radiant,^(BV)
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;^(BW)
the wealth^(BX) on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
⁶Herds of camels^(BY) will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian^(BZ) and Ephah.^(CA)
And all from Sheba^(CB) will come,
    bearing gold and incense^(CC)
    and proclaiming the praise^(CD) of the Lord.
⁷All Kedar’s^(CE) flocks will be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings^(CF) on my altar,^(CG)
    and I will adorn my glorious temple.^(CH)

⁸“Who are these^(CI) that fly along like clouds,^(CJ)
    like doves to their nests?
⁹Surely the islands^(CK) look to me;
    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,^[b]^(CL)
bringing^(CM) your children from afar,
    with their silver and gold,^(CN)
to the honor^(CO) of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One^(CP) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.^(CQ)

¹⁰“Foreigners^(CR) will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings^(CS) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
    in favor^(CT) I will show you compassion.^(CU)
¹¹Your gates^(CV) will always stand open,
    they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations^(CW)—
    their kings^(CX) led in triumphal procession.
¹²For the nation or kingdom that will not serve^(CY) you will perish;
    it will be utterly ruined.^(CZ)

¹³“The glory of Lebanon^(DA) will come to you,
    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,^(DB)
to adorn my sanctuary;^(DC)
    and I will glorify the place for my feet.^(DD)
¹⁴The children of your oppressors^(DE) will come bowing before you;
    all who despise you will bow down^(DF) at your feet
and will call you the City^(DG) of the Lord,
    Zion^(DH) of the Holy One^(DI) of Israel.

¹⁵“Although you have been forsaken^(DJ) and hated,
    with no one traveling^(DK) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride^(DL)
    and the joy^(DM) of all generations.
¹⁶You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed^(DN) at royal breasts.
Then you will know^(DO) that I, the Lord, am your Savior,^(DP)
    your Redeemer,^(DQ) the Mighty One of Jacob.^(DR)
¹⁷Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,^(DS)
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace^(DT) your governor
    and well-being your ruler.^(DU)
¹⁸No longer will violence^(DV) be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction^(DW) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation^(DX)
    and your gates Praise.^(DY)
¹⁹The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,^(DZ)
    and your God will be your glory.^(EA)
²⁰Your sun^(EB) will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow^(EC) will end.
²¹Then all your people will be righteous^(ED)
    and they will possess^(EE) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,^(EF)
    the work of my hands,^(EG)
    for the display of my splendor.^(EH)
²²The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.^(EI)
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”^(EJ)

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit^(EK) of the Sovereign Lord^(EL) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed^(EM) me
    to proclaim good news^(EN) to the poor.^(EO)
He has sent me to bind up^(EP) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom^(EQ) for the captives^(ER)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[c]
²to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor^(ES)
    and the day of vengeance^(ET) of our God,
to comfort^(EU) all who mourn,^(EV)
³    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown^(EW) of beauty
    instead of ashes,^(EX)
the oil^(EY) of joy
    instead of mourning,^(EZ)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting^(FA) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.^(FB)

⁴They will rebuild the ancient ruins^(FC)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
⁵Strangers^(FD) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶And you will be called priests^(FE) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth^(FF) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

⁷Instead of your shame^(FG)
    you will receive a double^(FH) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit^(FI) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy^(FJ) will be yours.

⁸“For I, the Lord, love justice;^(FK)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant^(FL) with them.
⁹Their descendants^(FM) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”^(FN)

¹⁰I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices^(FO) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,^(FP)
as a bridegroom adorns his head^(FQ) like a priest,
    and as a bride^(FR) adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden^(FS) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness^(FT)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Footnotes

Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight
Isaiah 60:9 Or the trading ships
Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind

2 Thessalonians 3

New International Version

Request for Prayer

3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,^(A) pray for us^(B) that the message of the Lord^(C) may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.^(D) ²And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people,^(E) for not everyone has faith. ³But the Lord is faithful,^(F) and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.^(G) ⁴We have confidence^(H) in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵May the Lord direct your hearts^(I) into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,^(J) we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from^(K) every believer who is idle and disruptive^(L) and does not live according to the teaching^[a] you received from us.^(M) ⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.^(N) We were not idle when we were with you, ⁸nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked^(O) night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help,^(P) but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.^(Q) ¹⁰For even when we were with you,^(R) we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work^(S) shall not eat.”

¹¹We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.^(T) ¹²Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ^(U) to settle down and earn the food they eat.^(V) ¹³And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.^(W)

¹⁴Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them,^(X) in order that they may feel ashamed.^(Y) ¹⁵Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.^(Z)