Old/New Testament
A Good Kingdom Is Coming
32 A king will rule in ·a way that brings justice [righteousness; justice],
and ·leaders [rulers; princes] will ·make fair decisions [rule in justice].
2 Then each ruler will be like a shelter from the wind,
like a ·safe place [refuge] in a storm,
like streams of water in a dry land,
like a cool shadow from a large rock in a ·hot [thirsty; weary] land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will ·see the truth [not be closed],
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 ·People who are now worried [or Those who are reckless; L The heart of the hasty] will be able to understand.
·Those who cannot speak clearly now [The stuttering/stammering tongue] will then be able to speak clearly and quickly.
5 Fools will not be called ·great [noble; honorable],
and people will not respect the ·wicked [scoundrel; deceiver].
6 A fool says foolish things,
and in his ·mind [heart] he ·plans evil [or commits sin].
A fool ·does things that are wicked [practices ungodliness],
and he ·says wrong things [spreads error] about the Lord.
A fool does not feed the hungry
or let thirsty people drink water.
7 The ·wicked person [scoundrel] uses evil ·like a tool [or schemes; methods].
He plans ·ways [wicked schemes] to take everything from the poor.
He destroys the poor with lies,
even when the ·poor person [needy] ·is in the right [L speak justice].
8 But a ·good leader plans to do good [honorable/noble man plans honorable/noble things],
and those ·good [honorable; noble] things make him ·a good leader [or stand firm].
Hard Times Are Coming
9 You women who are ·calm [complacent] now,
·stand [rise] up and listen to ·me [L my voice].
You ·women [L daughters] who feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
hear what I say.
10 You women feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now,
but ·after one year [L in a year and some days] you will ·be afraid [shudder; tremble].
There will be no grape harvest
and no summer fruit to gather.
11 Women, you are ·calm [complacent] now, but you should shake with fear.
Women, you feel ·safe [secure; self-confident] now, but you should tremble.
·Take [Strip] off your nice clothes
and put ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth] around your waist [C a sign of sorrow or despair].
12 Beat your breasts [C a sign of mourning or grief], ·because the fields that were pleasant are now empty [L for the pleasant fields].
·Cry, because the vines that once had fruit now have no more grapes [L …for the fruitful vine].
13 ·Cry for [L …for] the land of my people,
in which only thorns and weeds now grow [Gen. 3:18].
·Cry for [L …for] the city that once was happy
and for all the houses that once were filled with joy.
14 The ·palace [or fortress] will be ·empty [abandoned; deserted];
the ·noisy [bustling; populous] city will be abandoned.
·Strong cities and towers [or The citadel and the watchtower] will be empty.
Wild donkeys will love to live there, and sheep will go there to eat.
Things Will Get Better
15 This will continue until ·God pours his Spirit [L the Spirit is poured] from ·above [heaven; T on high] upon us.
Then the desert will be like ·rich farmland [a fertile/fruitful field]
and the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field] like a forest [29:17; 35:1, 2].
16 Justice will ·be found [L dwell] even in the desert,
and fairness will be found in the ·rich farmland [fertile/fruitful field].
17 That fairness will bring peace,
and it will bring ·calm [quietness] and ·safety [trust; confidence] forever.
18 My people will live in peaceful places
and in ·safe [secure] homes
and in ·calm [quiet] places of rest.
19 Hail will destroy the forest,
and the city will be ·completely destroyed [brought down; laid low].
20 But you will be ·happy [blessed] as you plant seeds near every stream
and as you let [L the feet of] your cattle and donkeys wander freely.
Warnings to Assyria and Promises to God’s People
33 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] you who destroy others
but have not been destroyed yet.
·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] you, traitor,
whom no one has ·turned against yet [betrayed].
When you stop destroying,
others will destroy you.
When you stop ·turning against others [betraying],
they will ·turn against [betray] you.
2 Lord, be ·kind [gracious; merciful] to us.
We have waited for your help.
·Give us strength [L Be our arm] every morning.
·Save us [L …our salvation] ·when we are in [L in times of] trouble.
3 ·Your powerful voice makes [or At the sound of tumult] ·people [the peoples/nations] run away;
your ·greatness [majesty; or rising up] causes the nations to run away.
4 Like ·locusts [or the caterpillar], your enemies will ·take away [gather; harvest] ·the things you stole in war [your plunder].
Like locusts ·rushing about [swarming], they will take your wealth.
5 The Lord is ·very great [exalted], and he ·lives in a high place [T dwells on high].
He fills ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27] with ·fairness [justice; judgment] and ·justice [righteousness].
6 He will ·always be your safety [be the foundation/stability of your time].
He is ·full [a rich store/abundance] of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
·Respect for [The fear of] the Lord is the greatest treasure [Prov. 1:7].
7 See, ·brave people [heroes; valiant ones] are crying out in the streets;
·those who tried to bring [envoys/ambassadors of] peace are weeping ·loudly [bitterly].
8 ·There is no one on the roads [L Highways lie desolate/deserted],
no ·one walking [travelers] in the ·paths [roads; way].
People have broken the ·agreements [treaties; covenants] they made.
They ·refuse to believe the proof from [L despise its] witnesses.
No one ·respects [cares about; regards] other people.
9 The land ·is sick and dying [dries up and withers; or mourns and languishes];
Lebanon is ashamed and ·dying [shrivels; withers].
Sharon [C a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast] is like the desert,
and ·the trees of Bashan and Carmel are dying [L Bashan and Carmel shake off; C their leaves; these places were known for their lush trees and vegetation; 2:13; 35:2].
10 The Lord says, “Now, I will ·stand [rise] up
and ·show my greatness [L be exalted].
Now, I will ·become important to the people [L be lifted up].
11 You people ·do useless things [produce nothing; L conceive chaff/straw]
·that are like hay and straw [L you give birth to straw/stubble].
·A destructive wind [or Your breath] will ·burn [consume; devour] you like fire.
12 ·People [or The nations] will be burned ·until their bones become like lime [to ashes/lime];
they will burn quickly like ·dry [cut] thornbushes.”
13 You people in faraway lands, hear what I have done.
You people who are near me, ·learn about [or acknowledge] my ·power [might].
14 The sinners in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27] are afraid;
those who are ·separated from God [godless] shake with fear.
They say, “·Can any of us [L Who can] live through this fire that ·destroys [consumes; devours]?
Who can live near this ·fire that burns on and on [unquenchable/everlasting burning]?”
15 A person who ·does what is right [walks righteously; Ps. 15]
and speaks ·what is right [truthfully; uprightly],
who ·refuses to take [rejects; despises] ·money unfairly [profit from oppression/extortion],
who ·refuses to take money to hurt others [L shakes off his hands from grabbing a bribe],
who ·does not listen [closes his ears] to plans of murder,
who ·refuses to think about [closes his eyes to looking on] evil—
16 this is the kind of person who will ·be safe [L dwell on high/the heights].
He will ·be protected as he would be [find refuge] in a ·high, walled city [rock stronghold/fortress].
He will always have ·bread [food],
and he will not run out of water.
17 Your eyes will see the king in his ·beauty [splendor].
You will see the land that stretches far away.
18 ·You [L Your heart] will ·think about the terror of the past [L meditate on terror]:
“Where is that ·officer [scribe; taxation officer; L counter]?
Where is the ·one who collected the taxes [L weigher]?
Where is the ·officer in charge of our defense towers [one who counts the towers; C for taxation purposes]?”
19 No longer will you see those ·proud [defiant; or fierce; or barbaric] people,
whose ·strange [obscure] ·language [speech; lip] you don’t know [C the Assyrians].
whose stammering ·speech [tongue] you cannot understand.
God Will Protect Jerusalem
20 Look at ·Jerusalem [L Zion], the city of our festivals.
·Look at [L Your eyes will see] Jerusalem, that ·beautiful place of rest [quiet dwelling].
It is like a tent that will never be moved;
·the pegs that hold her in place [L its stakes] will never be pulled up,
and her ropes will never be broken.
21 There the Lord will be our Mighty One.
That land is a place with streams and wide rivers,
·but there will be no enemy boats on those rivers [L no galley with oars will go];
no ·powerful [majestic] ship will sail on them.
22 This is because the Lord is our judge.
The Lord ·makes our laws [is our lawgiver].
The Lord is our king.
He will ·save [rescue; T deliver] us.
23 The ·ropes on your boats [L ropes; cords] hang loose [C perhaps referring to the enemy ships or metaphorically to Judah].
The mast is not held firm.
The sails are not spread open.
Then ·your great wealth [an abundance of plunder] will be divided.
·There will be so much wealth that even the crippled people will carry off a share [L Even the lame will take the prey].
24 No one living in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 1:27] will say, “I am sick.”
The people who live there will have their sins forgiven.
1 From Paul, an ·apostle [messenger] of Christ Jesus. ·I am an apostle because that is what God wanted [L …by the will of God]. Also from Timothy [Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Phil. 2:19–24; 1 and 2 Timothy], our brother.
2 To the ·holy [T saints] and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ that live in Colossae [a city located in the Lycus Valley in the Roman province of Phrygia, present-day central Turkey]:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[a]
3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 ·because we have [or ever since we; L having] heard about the faith you have in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all ·of God’s people [T the saints]. 5 You have this faith and love because of your hope, and what you hope for is ·kept safe [stored up; reserved] for you in heaven. You learned about this hope when you heard the ·message about the truth [or true message; L word of truth], the ·Good News [Gospel] 6 that ·was told [L has come] to you. [L …just as] Everywhere in the world that ·Good News [Gospel] is ·bringing blessings [L bearing fruit] and is growing. This has happened with you, too, ·since [L from the day] you heard and ·understood the truth about [or truly understood] the grace of God. 7 You learned about ·God’s grace [L it] from Epaphras, our ·dear [beloved; much loved] fellow ·servant [slave; bondservant], who is a faithful ·servant [minister] of Christ ·for us[b] [on our behalf]. [C Epaphras apparently established the church at Colossae during Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus; Acts 19:10.] 8 He also told us about the love you have ·from [or in] the Holy Spirit.
9 Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we have ·continued [not ceased] praying for you, asking God ·that you will know fully what he wants [L to fill you with the knowledge of his will], ·and that you will have great [L in all] ·spiritual wisdom and understanding [or wisdom and understanding from the Spirit] 10 so that you will live the kind of life that ·honors [is worthy of] and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God. 11 ·God will strengthen you [L …being strengthened] with ·his own great power [L all power according to his glorious might] so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will ·be patient. 12 And you will joyfully give thanks [or …have patience with joy, 12 giving thanks] to the Father who has made you[c] able to have a share in ·all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light [L the inheritance of the saints/holy ones in the light]. 13 ·God [L …who] has ·freed [rescued; delivered] us from the ·power [authority; dominion] of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his ·dear [dearly loved; beloved] Son, 14 ·who purchased our freedom[d] [L in whom we have redemption] ·and forgave our sins [or which is the forgiveness of sins].
The Importance of Christ
15 The Son [L …who] is ·the image of [exactly like; the visible representation of] the invisible God [John 1:18; Heb. 1:3]. He ·ranks higher than [L is the firstborn of/over] ·everything that has been made [all creation; Prov. 8:22–30]. 16 ·Through his power [L In him; or By him] all things were created [John 1:3; Heb. 1:2]—things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all ·powers [or heavenly authorities; L thrones], ·authorities [dominions; kingdoms], ·lords [rulers], and ·rulers [authorities; C these four may refer to angelic hierarchies, or to earthly and heavenly rulers]. All things were created through Christ and for Christ. 17 He ·was there before anything was made [L is before all things], and all things ·continue [endure; or hold together; unite] ·because of [or in] him. 18 He is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning [C meaning (1) the source of the church; (2) the creator of all things; or (3) the beginning/initiator of the end-time resurrection]. He is the ·first one who was raised [L firstborn] from the dead. So in all things Jesus has ·first place [supremacy]. 19 God was pleased for all ·of himself [that he is; L of his fullness] to live in ·Christ [or the Son; L him]. 20 And through ·Christ [L him], God has ·brought all things back to himself again [L reconciled all things to himself]—things on earth and things in heaven. ·God made [L …by making] peace through the blood of ·Christ’s death on the cross [L his cross].
21 At one time you were ·separated [alienated; estranged] from God. You were his enemies in your minds, ·and the evil things you did were against God [or because of your evil deeds]. 22 But now God has ·made you his friends again [reconciled you] through Christ’s death in ·the body [his physical body; L the body of his flesh], so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, ·with no wrong [without blemish; C as were sacrificial animals], and ·with nothing of which God can judge you guilty [blameless; innocent; free of accusation]. 23 This will happen if you continue ·strong [grounded; established] and ·sure [firm; steadfast] in your faith. You must not ·be moved [shift; drift] away from the hope ·brought to you by [or found in; L of] the ·Good News [the Gospel] that you heard. That same ·Good News [Gospel] has been ·told [preached; proclaimed] to ·everyone [L every creature; or in all creation] ·in the world [L under heaven], and I, Paul, ·help in preaching [L am a servant/minister of] it.
Paul’s Work for the Church
24 [L Now] I ·am happy [rejoice] in my sufferings for you. And I ·accept [fill up; complete] in my ·body [flesh] what ·Christ must still suffer [or is lacking in the suffering of Christ] ·through [or on behalf of] his body, the church. [C By suffering while spreading the Gospel, Paul both participates in Christ’s death and helps complete God’s plan.] 25 I became a ·servant [minister] of the church because God gave me a ·special work to do [stewardship; commission] ·that helps you [L for you], and that work is to ·tell fully [or complete; or preach everywhere; L fulfill] the ·message [word] of God. 26 This message is the ·secret [mystery; C something God had not previously disclosed; Eph. 1:9] that was hidden from ·everyone since the beginning of time [L ages and generations], but now it is made known to ·God’s holy people [T the saints]. 27 God ·decided [chose; willed] to let his people know this rich and glorious ·secret [mystery; 1:26] which he has for ·all people [the nations/Gentiles]. This ·secret [mystery] is ·that Christ lives in you. He is our only hope for glory [L Christ in you, the hope of glory]. 28 So we continue to ·preach [proclaim; announce] Christ to each person, using all wisdom to ·warn [instruct; admonish] and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature person in Christ. 29 To do this, I ·work [toil; labor] and struggle, using ·Christ’s [L his] great strength that works so powerfully in me.
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