Old/New Testament
Israel, the Lord’s Vineyard
5 Now I will sing for my ·friend [or beloved] a song about his vineyard [C Israel is the vineyard and God is its owner].
My ·friend [or beloved] had a vineyard
on a ·hill with very rich soil [fertile hillside].
2 He ·dug [or fenced it] and cleared the field of stones
and planted the best grapevines there.
He built a ·tower [watchtower; C for protection] in the middle of it
and ·cut [carved] out a winepress as well [C symbolizing God’s protection of Israel].
He ·hoped [expected; looked to see if] good grapes would grow there,
but ·only bad ones grew [L it produced only wild/sour grapes].
3 [C The vineyard owner now speaks:] “You ·people living in [residents/citizens of] Jerusalem,
and you people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard [C the scene changes from a love song to a courtroom indictment].
4 What more could I have done for my vineyard
than I have already done?
Although I ·expected [waited/looked for] good grapes to grow,
why ·were there [did it produce] only ·bad [sour; wild] ones?
5 Now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard:
I will remove the hedge,
and it will ·be burned [be purged/destroyed; or become a pasture].
I will break down the stone wall,
and it will be ·walked [trampled; C referring to the Assyrian conquest in 722 bc].
6 I will ·ruin my field [make it a wasteland; leave it untended].
It will not be ·trimmed [pruned] or hoed,
and ·weeds [briers] and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
7 [L For; Because] The vineyard belonging to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
is the ·nation [L house] of Israel;
and the people of Judah
are the ·garden [vines; plants] that he ·loves [delights in].
He looked for justice, but ·there was [look; behold] only ·killing [bloodshed; or oppression; injustice; C the Hebrew words for “justice” and “killing” sound alike].
He hoped for ·right living [righteousness], but ·there were [look; behold] only ·cries of pain [cries of distress; or an outrcy; C the Hebrew words for “righteousness” and “cries of pain” sound alike].
8 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] you who add more houses to your houses
and more fields to your fields [C accumulating wealth at the expense of others, in violation of God’s command that tribal allotments be permanent; Lev. 25:23]
until ·there is no room left for other people [no space is left].
Then you are left alone in the land.
9 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] said this ·to me [L in my ears]:
“·The fine [The great; or Many] houses will ·be destroyed [become desolate];
the large and beautiful houses will be left empty [L of inhabitants].
10 At that time a ·ten-acre [L ten-yoke; C unknown measurement, though clearly a large area] vineyard will make only ·six gallons [L one bath] of wine,
and ·ten bushels [L a homer] of seed will grow only one bushel [L an ephah; C one tenth of a homer] of grain.”
11 ·How terrible it will be for people [L Woe to those] who rise early in the morning
to ·look for [run after; pursue] ·strong drink [or beer; C alcoholic beverage made from grain],
who ·stay awake late at night [linger into twilight],
becoming ·drunk [L inflamed] with wine.
12 At their ·parties [banquets; feasts] they have lyres, harps,
tambourines, flutes, and wine.
They ·don’t see [or have no regard for] what the Lord has done
or ·notice [see; comprehend] the work of his hands.
13 So my people will ·be captured and taken away [be deported; go into exile/captivity],
because they ·don’t really know me [or lack understanding].
·All the great people [Their nobles/men of honor] will die of hunger,
and the ·common people [multitudes; masses] ·will die of [or will be parched with] thirst.
14 So ·the place of the dead [or the grave; L Sheol] ·wants more and more people [L opens wide/enlarges its throat],
and it opens wide its mouth.
·Jerusalem’s [L Her] ·important people [nobility] and ·common people [multitude; masses] will go down into it,
with their ·happy and noisy ones [noisy revellers; drunken mob].
15 ·People [Humanity] will be humbled, ·everyone [each person; mankind] will be brought down;
·those who are [L the eyes of the] ·proud [haughty] will be humbled.
16 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will ·receive glory [be exalted] by ·judging fairly [his justice];
the holy God will show himself holy by ·doing what is right [righteousnes].
17 Then the ·sheep [or lambs] will ·go anywhere they want [L feed as if in their pasture],
and ·lambs [or strangers; foreigners] will feed ·on the land that rich people once owned [among the ruins of the rich].
18 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] those people!
They pull ·their guilt and sins behind them
as people pull wagons with ropes [L wickedness with the ropes of emptiness and sin with cart ropes].
19 They say, “Let God hurry;
let him do his work ·soon [quickly]
so we may see it.
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel [1:4] ·happen soon [approach and draw near]
so that we will know what it is.”
20 ·How terrible it will be for people [L Woe to those] who call ·good things bad
and bad things good [L evil good and good evil],
who ·think darkness is [or make darkness] light
and ·light is [or make light] darkness,
who ·think sour is [or turn sour/bitter to] sweet
and sweet ·is sour [or to sour/bitter].
21 ·How terrible it will be for people [L Woe to those] who ·think they are wise [L are wise in their own eyes; Prov. 3:7; 26:12; 27:1; 28:11, 26]
and ·believe they are clever [L clever/understanding in front of themselves].
22 ·How terrible it will be for people [L Woe to those] who are ·famous for [heroes/champions at] drinking wine
and are ·champions [valiant men] at mixing ·drinks [beer; v. 11].
23 They take ·money [a bribe] to ·set the guilty free [acquit the wicked]
and ·don’t allow good people to be judged fairly [deny justice/righteousness to the innocent/righteous].
24 [L Therefore] They will be destroyed
just as ·fire [L tongues of fire] ·burns [L devours] straw
and dry grass ·is consumed by [L sinks in the] flames.
They will be destroyed
like a plant whose roots rot
and whose flower dies and blows away like dust.
They have ·refused to obey [rejected; spurned] the ·teachings [law; L Torah] of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
and have ·hated [despised] the message from the Holy One of Israel [1:4].
25 So the ·Lord has become very angry with [L Lord’s anger burns against] his people,
and he ·has raised [extends; stretches out] his hand to ·punish [strike] them.
Even the mountains ·are frightened [shake; tremble].
·Dead bodies [Corpses] lie in the streets like garbage.
·But the Lord is still angry [L In all this, his anger is not turned away];
his hand is still ·raised [extended; stretched out] to strike down the people.
26 He raises a ·banner [standard; signal flag] for the nations far away.
He whistles to call those people from the ends of the earth.
·Look [T Behold]! ·The enemy comes ·quickly [swiftly; with great speed]!
27 Not one of them becomes tired or ·falls down [stumbles].
Not one of them ·gets sleepy [slumbers] and falls asleep.
·Their weapons are close at hand [L No belt is loosened],
and their sandal straps are not broken.
28 Their arrows are sharp,
and all of their bows are ready to shoot.
The horses’ hoofs ·are hard as rocks [or make sparks like flint],
and their chariot wheels move like a ·whirlwind [wind storm].
29 Their ·shout is like the roar of [L roar is like] a lion;
it ·is loud [L roars] like a young lion.
They growl as they grab their ·captives [prey].
They carry it off and no one can ·save [rescue] it.
30 On that day they will roar [L over it]
like the ·waves [L roaring] of the sea.
And ·when [if] people look at the land,
they will see only darkness and ·pain [distress];
all light will become dark ·in this thick cloud [or because of clouds].
Isaiah Becomes a Prophet
6 In the year that King Uzziah died [C 740 bc], I saw the Lord sitting on a ·very high [L high and exalted] throne. ·His long [L The train/trailing part of his] robe filled the Temple. 2 ·Heavenly creatures of fire [L Seraphim; C the word means “burning ones” and points to purity, power, or judgment] ·stood above [or attended] him [Rev. 4:6–9]. Each creature had six wings: It used two wings to cover its face [C as a shield from God’s awesome glory], two wings to cover its ·feet [or body; C indicating humility; “feet” can be a euphemism for genitals], and two wings for flying. 3 Each creature was calling to the others:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
His glory fills the whole earth.”
4 ·Their calling [The sound/noise from each one’s voice] caused the ·frame around the door [doorposts; threshold foundations] to shake, as the Temple filled with smoke.
5 I said, “·Oh, no [L Woe to me]! I ·will be destroyed [am ruined/doomed]. I am ·not pure [L a man with unclean lips; C that is, spiritually unworthy], and I live among people ·who are not pure [L with unclean lips], but I have seen the King, the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].”
6 One of the ·heavenly creatures [L Seraphim; v. 2] flew to me with a hot coal [L in his hand] he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 ·The creature [L He/It] touched my mouth with the hot coal and said, “·Look [T Behold], your ·guilt [iniquity] is taken away, because this hot coal has touched your lips. Your sin is ·taken away [forgiven; covered; atoned for].”
8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom ·can [will] I send [C to speak for God to Israel]? Who will go for us [C referring to God and his heavenly court, or possibly to the Trinity]?”
So I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
9 Then the Lord said, “Go and tell this to the people:
‘You will ·listen and listen [keep on hearing; or listen intently], but you will not ·understand [comprehend].
You will ·look and look [keep on seeing; or look intently], but you will not ·learn [perceive; comprehend].’
10 Make the ·minds [heart; C the center of mind, will, and emotions in Hebrew thought] of these people ·dumb [dull; calloused; hardened].
·Shut [Plug; L Make heavy] their ears. ·Cover [Blind] their eyes.
Otherwise, they might ·really understand
what they see with their eyes [L see with their eyes]
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand in their ·minds [hearts]
and ·come back to me [turn; repent] and be healed [Matt. 13:14–15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26–27; C God seals Israel’s rejection of him and uses it to accomplish his purpose].”
11 Then I asked, “Lord, ·how long should I do this [or how long will this rejection last; L how long]?”
He answered,
“Until the cities ·are destroyed [lie in ruins; are laid waste]
and ·the people are gone [uninhabited],
until there are no people left in the houses,
until the land is ·destroyed [ruined; laid waste] and ·left empty [desolate].
12 ·The Lord will send [or …until the Lord has sent] the people far away [C into exile],
and the [L midst of the] land will be ·left empty [utterly/completely abandoned].
13 Even if only one-tenth of the people are left in the land,
it will be ·destroyed [or burned] again.
These people will be like ·an oak tree [L a terebinth or an oak]
whose stump is left when the tree is chopped down.
·The people who remain will be like a stump that will sprout again [L The holy seed is its stump].”
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].
To ·God’s holy people [T the saints] living in Ephesus[a] [C a prominent city in the Roman province of Asia, present-day western Turkey; Acts 19], ·believers in [or who are faithful to] Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 ·Praise be to [or Blessed is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly ·world [realms; places]. 4 ·That is [or Just as; or For; Because], in Christ, he chose us before the ·world was made [L foundation of the world] so that we would be his holy people—people ·without blame [or unblemished; C as are sacrificial animals] before him. 5 Because of his love [C this phrase may go with the previous sentence], God ·had already decided to make us his own children [L predestined us for adoption] through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, 6 and it brings praise to God because of his ·wonderful [glorious] grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in ·Christ, the One he loves [L the Beloved]. 7 In ·Christ [L him] we ·are set free [have been redeemed/purchased] by ·the blood of his death [L his blood; C blood signifies his sacrificial death], and so we have forgiveness of sins. ·How rich is [or This redemption reveals the wealth of; L …according to the riches of] God’s grace, 8 which he has ·given to us so fully and freely [lavished on us]. With ·full [all] wisdom and understanding [C this phrase may go with the previous sentence], 9 God let us know ·his secret purpose [or the mystery of his will; C a “mystery” in Scripture is something God had not previously disclosed]. This was what ·God wanted [pleased him], and he ·planned to do it [or set it forth; publicly revealed it] through Christ. 10 His goal was to carry out his plan, ·when the right time came [or at the time of fulfillment; L in the fullness of the times], that all things in heaven and on earth would be ·joined together [unified; or summed up; or renewed] in Christ as the head.
11 In Christ we ·were chosen to be God’s people [have received/were given our part of an inheritance], ·because from the very beginning God had decided this [L having been predestined] in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who ·makes everything agree [or accomplishes everything in accord] with what he decides and wants. 12 We are the first people who hoped in ·Christ [the Messiah], and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God’s glory. 13 So it is with you. When you heard the ·true teaching [message/word of truth]—the ·Good News about [Gospel of] your salvation—you believed in Christ. ·And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you [L …having been sealed with] the Holy Spirit that he had promised. 14 That Holy Spirit is the ·guarantee [down payment; deposit] ·that we will receive what God promised for his people [L of our inheritance] until ·God gives full freedom to those who are his [or we acquire possession of it; L the redemption of the possession; v. 7]—to bring praise to God’s glory.
Paul’s Prayer
15 That is why ·since [or because] I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all ·God’s people [T the saints], 16 I ·have not stopped [never cease] giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers, 17 asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you ·a spirit of wisdom [or spiritual wisdom; or the Spirit of wisdom] and revelation so that you will know him better. 18 I pray also that ·you will have greater understanding in your heart [L the eyes of your heart may be enlightened] so you will ·know [comprehend] the hope to which he has called us and that you will know ·how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised [the riches of his glorious inheritance for; or the glorious wealth of an inheritance that God possesses in] ·his holy people [T the saints]. 19 And you will know that God’s power is ·very [exceedingly; overwhelmingly] great for us who believe. That power ·is the same as [or was demonstrated in] the great strength 20 God ·used [exerted] to raise Christ from the dead and ·put [L seat] him at his right ·side [L hand; Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34] in the heavenly ·world [realm; places]. 21 God has put Christ ·over [far above] all rulers, authorities, powers, and ·kings [lords; dominion], and every other ·title given [L name that is named] not only in this ·world [age] but also in the ·next [coming one]. 22 God ·put [subjected] everything under his ·power [L feet; Ps. 8:6] and ·made him the head over everything for the church [or gave him to the church as head over all things], which is his body. 23 ·The church is filled with Christ [or The church completes Christ; L …the fullness of the one], who fills ·everything in every way [or all things everywhere; L all in all].
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