Isaiah 3

Judgment against Judah
 ¹  The Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies,
  will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
everything they depend on:
  every bit of bread
  and every drop of water,
 ²  all their heroes and soldiers,
  judges and prophets,
  fortune-tellers and elders,
 ³  army officers and high officials,
  advisers, skilled craftsmen, and astrologers.

 ⁴  I will make boys their leaders,
  and toddlers their rulers.
 ⁵  People will oppress each other—
  man against man,
  neighbor against neighbor.
Young people will insult their elders,
  and vulgar people will sneer at the honorable.

 ⁶  In those days a man will say to his brother,
"Since you have a coat, you be our leader!
  Take charge of this heap of ruins!"
 ⁷  But he will reply,
  "No! I can't help.
I don't have any extra food or clothes.
  Don't put me in charge!"

 ⁸  For Jerusalem will stumble,
  and Judah will fall,
because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him.
  They provoke him to his face.
 ⁹  The very look on their faces gives them away.
  They display their sin like the people of Sodom
  and don't even try to hide it.
They are doomed!
  They have brought destruction upon themselves.

 ¹⁰  Tell the godly that all will be well for them.
  They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned!
 ¹¹  But the wicked are doomed,
  for they will get exactly what they deserve.

 ¹²  Childish leaders oppress my people,
  and women rule over them.
O my people, your leaders mislead you;
  they send you down the wrong road.

 ¹³  The LORD takes his place in court
  and presents his case against his people!
 ¹⁴  The LORD comes forward to pronounce judgment
  on the elders and rulers of his people:
"You have ruined Israel, my vineyard.
  Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor.
 ¹⁵  How dare you crush my people,
  grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?"
  demands the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies.

A Warning to Jerusalem
 ¹⁶  The LORD says, "Beautiful Zion [16]  is haughty:
craning her elegant neck,
  flirting with her eyes,
walking with dainty steps,
  tinkling her ankle bracelets.
 ¹⁷  So the Lord will send scabs on her head;
  the LORD will make beautiful Zion bald."

 ¹⁸  On that day of judgment
  the Lord will strip away everything that makes her beautiful:
ornaments, headbands, crescent necklaces,
 ¹⁹    earrings, bracelets, and veils;
   ²⁰  scarves, ankle bracelets, sashes,
  perfumes, and charms;
 ²¹  rings, jewels,
 ²²    party clothes, gowns, capes, and purses;
 ²³  mirrors, fine linen garments,
  head ornaments, and shawls.

 ²⁴  Instead of smelling of sweet perfume, she will stink.
  She will wear a rope for a sash,
  and her elegant hair will fall out.
She will wear rough burlap instead of rich robes.
  Shame will replace her beauty. [24] 
 ²⁵  The men of the city will be killed with the sword,
  and her warriors will die in battle.
 ²⁶  The gates of Zion will weep and mourn.
  The city will be like a ravaged woman,
  huddled on the ground.

Isaiah 4

 ¹  In that day so few men will be left that seven women will fight for each man, saying, "Let us all marry you! We will provide our own food and clothing. Only let us take your name so we won't be mocked as old maids."

A Promise of Restoration
 ²  But in that day, the branch [2]  of the LORD
  will be beautiful and glorious;
the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory
  of all who survive in Israel.
 ³  All who remain in Zion
  will be a holy people—
those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem
  and are recorded among the living.
 ⁴  The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion [4] 
  and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains
  with the hot breath of fiery judgment.
 ⁵  Then the LORD will provide shade for Mount Zion
  and all who assemble there.
He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day
  and smoke and flaming fire at night,
  covering the glorious land.
 ⁶  It will be a shelter from daytime heat
  and a hiding place from storms and rain.

<<  3:16 Or The women of Zion (with corresponding changes to plural forms through verse 24); Hebrew reads The daughters of Zion; also in 3:17.
<<  3:24 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads robes / because instead of beauty.
<<  4:2 Or the Branch.
<<  4:4 Or from the women of Zion; Hebrew reads from the daughters of Zion.

Galatians 6

We Harvest What We Plant
 ¹  Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer [1]  is overcome by some sin, you who are godly [1]  should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.  ²  Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.  ³  If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
   ⁴  Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.  ⁵  For we are each responsible for our own conduct.    ⁶  Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
   ⁷  Don't be misled - you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.  ⁸  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  ⁹  "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."  ¹⁰  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Paul's Final Advice
 ¹¹  NOTICE WHAT LARGE LETTERS I USE AS I WRITE THESE CLOSING WORDS IN MY OWN HANDWRITING.
   ¹²  Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save.  ¹³  And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.
   ¹⁴  As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.  ¹⁵  It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.  ¹⁶  May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. [16] 
   ¹⁷  From now on, don't let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.
   ¹⁸  Dear brothers and sisters, [18]  may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

<<  6:1a Greek Brothers, if a man. 6:1b Greek spiritual.
<<  6:14 Or Because of him.
<<  6:16 Greek this principle, and upon the Israel of God.
<<  6:18 Greek Brothers.