Old/New Testament
Yahweh Helps His Servant
50 Thus says Yahweh,
“Where is the (A)certificate of divorce
By which I have (B)sent your mother away?
Or to which of My creditors did I (C)sell you?
Behold, you were sold for your (D)iniquities,
And for your (E)transgressions your mother (F)was sent away.
2 Why was there (G)no man when I came?
When I called, why was there none to answer?
Is My (H)hand so short that it cannot ransom?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, I (I)dry up the sea with My rebuke;
I (J)make the rivers a wilderness;
Their fish stink for lack of water
And die of thirst.
3 I (K)clothe the heavens with blackness
And make sackcloth their covering.”
4 Lord Yahweh has given Me the tongue of (L)disciples,
That I may know how to (M)sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me (N)morning by morning;
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 Lord Yahweh has (O)opened My ear;
And I did (P)not rebel
Nor did I turn back.
6 I (Q)gave My back to those who strike Me,
And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;
I did not hide My face from dishonor and spitting.
7 Even now Lord Yahweh (R)helps Me,
Therefore, I am (S)not dishonored;
Therefore, I have set My face like (T)flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who [a](U)vindicates Me is near;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us (V)stand up to each other;
Who has a judgment against Me?
Let him approach Me.
9 Behold, (W)Lord Yahweh helps Me;
(X)Who is he who condemns Me?
Behold, (Y)they will all wear out like a garment;
The moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you that fears Yahweh,
That listens to the voice of His (Z)Servant,
That (AA)walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him (AB)trust in the name of Yahweh and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who (AC)kindle a fire,
Who gird yourselves with firebrands,
Walk in the light of your fire
And among the brands you have set ablaze.
This you will have from My hand:
You will (AD)lie down in torment.
Yahweh’s Righteousness Is Forever
51 “(AE)Listen to Me, you who (AF)pursue righteousness,
Who seek Yahweh:
Look to the (AG)rock from which you were hewn
And to the [b]quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to (AH)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who brought you forth through labor pains;
When he (AI)was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (AJ)Yahweh will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (AK)waste places.
And her (AL)wilderness He will make like (AM)Eden,
And her desert like the (AN)garden of Yahweh;
(AO)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.
4 “(AP)Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My [c]nation;
For a (AQ)law will go forth from Me,
And I will [d]set My (AR)justice for a (AS)light of the peoples.
5 My (AT)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (AU)arms will judge the peoples;
The (AV)coastlands will hope in Me,
And for My (AW)arm they will wait expectantly.
6 (AX)Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (AY)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (AZ)earth will wear out like a garment,
And its inhabitants will die [e]in like manner;
But My (BA)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not be dismayed.
7 (BB)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (BC)heart is My law;
Do not fear the (BD)reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 For the (BE)moth will eat them like a garment,
And the (BF)grub will eat them like wool.
But My (BG)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (BH)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Yahweh;
Awake as in the (BI)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(BJ)Was it not You who chopped Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (BK)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (BL)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep,
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (BM)redeemed to cross over?
11 So the (BN)ransomed of Yahweh will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And (BO)everlasting gladness will be on their heads.
They will obtain joy and gladness,
And (BP)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who (BQ)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of (BR)man who dies
And of the son of man who is made (BS)like grass,
13 That you have (BT)forgotten Yahweh your Maker,
Who (BU)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (BV)tremble in dread continually all day long because of the wrath of the one who brings distress,
As he makes ready to bring ruin?
But where is the wrath of the (BW)one who brings distress?
14 The (BX)one in chains will soon be set free and will not die in the pit, (BY)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am Yahweh your God, who (BZ)stirs up the sea, and its waves roar—Yahweh of hosts is His name. 16 I have (CA)put My words in your mouth and have (CB)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [f](CC)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (CD)Awaken yourself! Awaken yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem,
You who have (CE)drunk from the hand of Yahweh the cup of His wrath;
The [g]chalice of reeling you have [h]drained to the dregs.
18 There is (CF)none to guide her among all the sons she has borne,
Nor is there one to take hold of her by the hand among all the sons she has reared.
19 These two things have befallen you;
Who will console you?
The (CG)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted;
They (CH)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (CI)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of Yahweh,
The (CJ)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, now, listen to this, you (CK)afflicted,
Who are (CL)drunk, but not with wine:
22 Thus says your Lord, Yahweh, even your God
Who (CM)contends for His people,
“Behold, I have taken out of your hand the (CN)cup of reeling,
The [i]chalice of My wrath;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will (CO)set it into the hand of those who cause you grief,
Who have said to [j]you, ‘(CP)Lie down that we may walk over you.’
You have even set your back down like the ground
And like the street for those who walk over it.”
Hope for Captive Zion
52 (CQ)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion;
Clothe yourself in your (CR)glorious garments,
O Jerusalem, the (CS)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (CT)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (CU)from the dust, (CV)rise up,
O captive Jerusalem;
(CW)Loose yourself from the chains around your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus says Yahweh, “You were (CX)sold for nothing, and you will be (CY)redeemed (CZ)without money.” 4 For thus says Lord Yahweh, “My people (DA)went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 So now, what do I have here,” declares Yahweh, “since My people have been taken away for nothing?” Yahweh declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (DB)name is continually blasphemed all day long. 6 Therefore My people shall (DC)know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who proclaims (DD)good news,
Who [k]announces [l]peace
And proclaims good news of good things,
Who [m]announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (DE)God [n]reigns!”
8 The voice of Your watchmen! They lift up their (DF)voices;
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [o]with their own eyes
When Yahweh returns to Zion.
9 (DG)Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You (DH)waste places of Jerusalem;
For Yahweh has comforted His people;
He has (DI)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh has bared His holy (DJ)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[p]That (DK)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (DL)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(DM)Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (DN)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of Yahweh.
12 But you will not go out in (DO)haste,
Nor will you go as those who flee;
For (DP)Yahweh will go before you,
And (DQ)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The Exalted Servant
13 Behold, My (DR)Servant will prosper;
He will be high and lifted up and [q]greatly (DS)exalted.
14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people,
So His (DT)appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will (DU)sprinkle many nations,
Kings will (DV)shut their mouths on account of Him;
For (DW)what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.
The Day of the Lord
5 Now concerning the (A)times and the seasons, brothers, you (B)have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that (C)the day of the Lord [a]will come (D)just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “(E)Peace and safety!” then [b](F)destruction [c]will come upon them suddenly like (G)labor pains upon a woman who is pregnant, and they will never escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in (H)darkness, that the day would overtake you [d](I)like a thief, 5 for you are all (J)sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of (K)darkness; 6 so then let us not (L)sleep as [e](M)others do, but let us be awake and [f](N)sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get (O)drunk at night. 8 But since (P)we are of the day, let us (Q)be [g]sober, having put on the (R)breastplate of (S)faith and love, and as a (T)helmet, the (U)hope of salvation. 9 For God has not appointed us for (V)wrath, but for (W)obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 (X)who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore, [h]comfort one another and (Y)build up one another, just as you also are doing.
Admonishment and Instruction
12 But we ask of you, brothers, that you (Z)know those (AA)who labor among you, and (AB)lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. (AC)Live in peace with one another. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish (AD)the [i]unruly, encourage (AE)the fainthearted, help (AF)the weak, be (AG)patient with everyone. 15 See that (AH)no one repays another with evil for evil, but always (AI)seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 (AJ)Rejoice always; 17 (AK)pray without ceasing; 18 in everything (AL)give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 (AM)Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise (AN)prophecies, 21 but (AO)examine all things; (AP)hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every [j]form of evil.
23 Now (AQ)may the God of peace (AR)Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your (AS)spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, (AT)without blame at (AU)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (AV)Faithful is He who (AW)calls you, who also will do it.
25 Brothers, (AX)pray for us[k].
26 (AY)Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I implore you by the Lord to (AZ)have this letter read to all the (BA)brothers.
28 (BB)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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