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6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed (A)watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who (B)remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;
7 And (C)give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes (D)Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
8 (E)The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm,
“I will (F)never again give your grain as food for your enemies;
Nor will [a]foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”
9 But those who (G)garner it will eat it and praise the Lord;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.
10 Go through, (H)go through the gates,
Clear the way [b]for the people;
(I)Build up, build up the (J)highway,
Remove the stones, lift up a (K)standard over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the (L)end of the earth,
(M)Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your (N)salvation comes;
(O)Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”
12 And they will call them, “(P)The holy people,
The (Q)redeemed of the Lord”;
And you will be called, “Sought out, a city (R)not forsaken.”
God’s Vengeance on the Nations
63 Who is this who comes from (S)Edom,
With (T)garments of [c]glowing colors from (U)Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
[d]Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, (V)mighty to save.”
2 Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like the one who (W)treads in the wine press?
3 “(X)I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also (Y)trod them in My anger
And (Z)trampled them in My wrath;
And (AA)their [e]lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I [f]stained all My raiment.
4 “For the (AB)day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.
5 “I looked, and there was (AC)no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My (AD)own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.
6 “I (AE)trod down the peoples in My anger
And made them (AF)drunk in My wrath,
And I [g]poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled
7 I shall make mention of the (AG)lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has granted us,
And the great (AH)goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His (AI)compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.
8 For He said, “Surely, they are (AJ)My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely.”
So He became their (AK)Savior.
9 In all their affliction [h](AL)He was afflicted,
And the (AM)angel of His presence saved them;
In His (AN)love and in His mercy He (AO)redeemed them,
And He (AP)lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they (AQ)rebelled
And grieved His (AR)Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.
11 Then (AS)His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is (AT)He who brought them up out of the sea with the [i]shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who (AU)put His Holy Spirit in the midst of [j]them,
12 Who caused His (AV)glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,
Who (AW)divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not (AX)stumble;
14 As the cattle which go down into the valley,
The Spirit of the (AY)Lord gave [k]them rest.
So You (AZ)led Your people,
To make for Yourself a glorious name.
“You Are Our Father”
15 (BA)Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious (BB)habitation;
Where are Your (BC)zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The (BD)stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.
16 For You are our (BE)Father, though (BF)Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, O Lord, are our Father,
Our (BG)Redeemer from of old is Your name.
17 Why, O Lord, do You (BH)cause us to stray from Your ways
And (BI)harden our heart from fearing You?
(BJ)Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have (BK)trodden it down.
19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.
Prayer for Mercy and Help
64 [l]Oh, that You would rend the heavens and (BL)come down,
That the mountains might (BM)quake at Your presence—
2 [m]As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the (BN)nations may tremble at Your presence!
3 When You did (BO)awesome things which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.
4 For from days of old (BP)they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who (BQ)waits for Him.
5 You (BR)meet him who rejoices in (BS)doing righteousness,
Who (BT)remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, (BU)You were angry, for we sinned,
We continued in them a long time;
And shall we be saved?
6 For all of us have become like one who is (BV)unclean,
And all our (BW)righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us (BX)wither like a leaf,
And our (BY)iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is (BZ)no one who calls on Your name,
Who arouses himself to take hold of You;
For You have (CA)hidden Your face from us
And have [n]delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
8 But now, O Lord, (CB)You are our Father,
We are the (CC)clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the (CD)work of Your hand.
9 Do not be (CE)angry beyond measure, O Lord,
(CF)Nor remember iniquity forever;
Behold, look now, all of us are (CG)Your people.
10 Your (CH)holy cities have become a (CI)wilderness,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful (CJ)house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And (CK)all our precious things have become a ruin.
12 Will You (CL)restrain Yourself at these things, O Lord?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?
A Rebellious People
65 “I permitted Myself to be sought by (CM)those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which (CN)did not call on My name.
2 “(CO)I have spread out My hands all day long to a (CP)rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, [o]following their own (CQ)thoughts,
3 A people who continually (CR)provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in (CS)gardens and (CT)burning incense on bricks;
4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;
Who (CU)eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.
5 “Who say, ‘(CV)Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My [p]nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 “Behold, it is written before Me,
I will (CW)not keep silent, but (CX)I will repay;
I will even repay into their bosom,
7 Both [q]their own (CY)iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together,” says the Lord.
“Because they have (CZ)burned incense on the mountains
And (DA)scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will (DB)measure their former work into their bosom.”
8 Thus says the Lord,
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is [r]benefit in it,’
So I will act on behalf of My servants
In order (DC)not to destroy [s]all of them.
9 “I will bring forth (DD)offspring from Jacob,
And an (DE)heir of My mountains from Judah;
Even (DF)My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And (DG)My servants will dwell there.
10 “(DH)Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the (DI)valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who (DJ)seek Me.
11 “But you who (DK)forsake the Lord,
Who forget My (DL)holy mountain,
Who set a table for [t]Fortune,
And who fill cups with mixed wine for [u]Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the (DM)sword,
And all of you will bow down to the (DN)slaughter.
Because I called, but you (DO)did not answer;
I spoke, but you did not hear.
And you did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
13 Therefore, thus says the Lord [v]God,
“Behold, My servants will (DP)eat, but you will be (DQ)hungry.
Behold, My servants will (DR)drink, but you will be (DS)thirsty.
Behold, My servants will (DT)rejoice, but you will be (DU)put to shame.
14 “Behold, My servants will (DV)shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will (DW)cry out with a [w]heavy heart,
And you will wail with a broken spirit.
15 “You will leave your name for a (DX)curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord [x]God will slay you.
But [y]My servants will be called by (DY)another name.
16 “Because he who [z]is blessed in the earth
Will [aa]be blessed by the (DZ)God of truth;
And he who swears in the earth
Will (EA)swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I create (EB)new heavens and a new earth;
And the (EC)former things will not be remembered or come to [ab]mind.
18 “But be (ED)glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
19 “I will also (EE)rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of (EF)weeping and the sound of crying.
20 “No longer will there be [ac]in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does (EG)not [ad]live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the [ae](EH)one who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 “They will (EI)build houses and inhabit them;
They will also (EJ)plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 “They will not build and (EK)another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For (EL)as the [af]lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will (EM)wear out the work of their hands.
23 “They will (EN)not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the [ag](EO)offspring of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will (EP)answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The (EQ)wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the (ER)lion will eat straw like the ox; and (ES)dust will be the serpent’s food. They will (ET)do no evil or harm in all My (EU)holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 But I hope [a]in the Lord Jesus to (A)send (B)Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else (C)of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all (D)seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know (E)of his proven worth, that (F)he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel (G)like a child serving his father. 23 (H)Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and (I)I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 25 But I thought it necessary to send to you (J)Epaphroditus, my brother and (K)fellow worker and (L)fellow soldier, who is also your [b](M)messenger and (N)minister to my need; 26 because he was longing [c]for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29 (O)Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and (P)hold men like him in high regard; 30 because he came close to death [d](Q)for the work of Christ, risking his life to (R)complete [e]what was deficient in your service to me.
The Goal of Life
3 Finally, my brethren, (S)rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
2 Beware of the (T)dogs, beware of the (U)evil workers, beware of the [f]false circumcision; 3 for (V)we are the true [g]circumcision, who (W)worship in the Spirit of God and (X)glory in (Y)Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,
BOOK 3
The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 Surely God is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their [c]body is fat.
5 They are (F)not [d]in trouble as other [e]men,
Nor are they (G)plagued [f]like mankind.
6 Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [g]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart [h]run riot.
8 They (K)mock and [i]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [j]against the heavens,
And their tongue [k]parades through the earth.
10 Therefore [l]his people return to this place,
And waters of (N)abundance are [m]drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [n]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [o]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long
And [p](U)chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)pondered to understand this,
It was [q]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I came into the [r](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 Surely You set them in (Z)slippery places;
You cast them down to [s](AA)destruction.
19 How they are [t](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AE)aroused, You will (AF)despise their [u]form.
21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [v]within,
22 Then I was (AI)senseless and ignorant;
I was like [w]a (AJ)beast [x]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will (AL)guide me,
And afterward (AM)receive me [y]to glory.
25 (AN)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [z]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [aa]strength of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have [ab]destroyed all those who [ac](AS)are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord [ad]God my (AU)refuge,
That I may (AV)tell of all Your works.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.