Isaiah 11

A Branch from David's Line
 ¹  Out of the stump of David's family [1]  will grow a shoot—
  yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
 ²  And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
  the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
  the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
 ³  He will delight in obeying the LORD.
  He will not judge by appearance
  nor make a decision based on hearsay.
 ⁴  He will give justice to the poor
  and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
  and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
 ⁵  He will wear righteousness like a belt
  and truth like an undergarment.

 ⁶  In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.  ⁷  The cow will graze near the bear.
  The cub and the calf will lie down together.
  The lion will eat hay like a cow.
 ⁸  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
  Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
 ⁹  Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
  for as the waters fill the sea,
  so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.

 ¹⁰  In that day the heir to David's throne [10] 
  will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
  and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. [10] 
 ¹¹  In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time
  to bring back the remnant of his people—
those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt;
  in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, [11]  and Elam;
  in Babylonia, [11]  Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.
 ¹²  He will raise a flag among the nations
  and assemble the exiles of Israel.
He will gather the scattered people of Judah
  from the ends of the earth.

 ¹³  Then at last the jealousy between Israel [13]  and Judah will end.
  They will not be rivals anymore.
 ¹⁴  They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west.
  Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east.
They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab,
  and Ammon will obey them.
 ¹⁵  The LORD will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea. [15] 
  He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River, [15] 
sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams
  so it can easily be crossed on foot.
 ¹⁶  He will make a highway for the remnant of his people,
  the remnant coming from Assyria,
just as he did for Israel long ago
  when they returned from Egypt.

Isaiah 12

Songs of Praise for Salvation
 ¹  In that day you will sing:
  "I will praise you, O LORD!
You were angry with me, but not any more.
  Now you comfort me.
 ²  See, God has come to save me.
  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
  he has given me victory."

 ³  With joy you will drink deeply
  from the fountain of salvation!
 ⁴  In that wonderful day you will sing:
  "Thank the LORD! Praise his name!
Tell the nations what he has done.
  Let them know how mighty he is!
 ⁵  Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things.
  Make known his praise around the world.
 ⁶  Let all the people of Jerusalem [6]  shout his praise with joy!
  For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you."

Isaiah 13

A Message about Babylon
 ¹  Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon:

 ²  "Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop.
  Call up an army against Babylon.
Wave your hand to encourage them
  as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty.
 ³  I, the LORD, have dedicated these soldiers for this task.
  Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger,
  and they will rejoice when I am exalted."

 ⁴  Hear the noise on the mountains!
  Listen, as the vast armies march!
It is the noise and shouting of many nations.
  The LORD of Heaven's Armies has called this army together.
 ⁵  They come from distant countries,
  from beyond the farthest horizons.
They are the LORD's weapons to carry out his anger.
  With them he will destroy the whole land.

 ⁶  Scream in terror, for the day of the LORD has arrived—
  the time for the Almighty to destroy.
 ⁷  Every arm is paralyzed with fear.
  Every heart melts,
 ⁸    and people are terrified.
Pangs of anguish grip them,
  like those of a woman in labor.
They look helplessly at one another,
  their faces aflame with fear.

 ⁹  For see, the day of the LORD is coming—
  the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger.
The land will be made desolate,
  and all the sinners destroyed with it.
 ¹⁰  The heavens will be black above them;
  the stars will give no light.
The sun will be dark when it rises,
  and the moon will provide no light.

 ¹¹  "I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil
  and the wicked for their sin.
I will crush the arrogance of the proud
  and humble the pride of the mighty.
 ¹²  I will make people scarcer than gold—
  more rare than the fine gold of Ophir.
 ¹³  For I will shake the heavens.
  The earth will move from its place
when the LORD of Heaven's Armies displays his wrath
  in the day of his fierce anger."

 ¹⁴  Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle,
  like sheep without a shepherd.
They will try to find their own people
  and flee to their own land.
 ¹⁵  Anyone who is captured will be cut down—
  run through with a sword.
 ¹⁶  Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes.
  Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.

 ¹⁷  "Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon.
  They cannot be tempted by silver
  or bribed with gold.
 ¹⁸  The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows.
  They will have no mercy on helpless babies
  and will show no compassion for children."

 ¹⁹  Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms,
  the flower of Chaldean pride,
will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah
  when God destroyed them.
 ²⁰  Babylon will never be inhabited again.
  It will remain empty for generation after generation.
Nomads will refuse to camp there,
  and shepherds will not bed down their sheep.
 ²¹  Desert animals will move into the ruined city,
  and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures.
Owls will live among the ruins,
  and wild goats will go there to dance.
 ²²  Hyenas will howl in its fortresses,
  and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces.
Babylon's days are numbered;
  its time of destruction will soon arrive.

<<  11:1 Hebrew the stump of the line of Jesse. Jesse was King David's father.
<<  11:10a Hebrew the root of Jesse. 11:10b Greek version reads In that day the heir to David's throne [literally the root of Jesse] will come, / and he will rule over the Gentiles. / They will place their hopes on him. Compare Rom 15:12.
<<  11:11a Hebrew in Pathros, Cush. 11:11b Hebrew in Shinar.
<<  11:13 Hebrew Ephraim, referring to the northern kingdom of Israel.
<<  11:15a Hebrew will destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt. 11:15b Hebrew the river.
<<  12:6 Hebrew Zion.

Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body
 ¹  Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  ²  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.  ³  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.  ⁴  For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  ⁵  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  ⁶  and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
   ⁷  However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.  ⁸  That is why the Scriptures say,

"When he ascended to the heights,
  he led a crowd of captives
  and gave gifts to his people." [8] 

 ⁹  Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. [9]   ¹⁰  And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
   ¹¹  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  ¹²  Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  ¹³  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
   ¹⁴  "Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth."  ¹⁵  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  ¹⁶  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Living as Children of Light
 ¹⁷  With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.  ¹⁸  Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.  ¹⁹  They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
   ²⁰  But that isn't what you learned about Christ.  ²¹  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,  ²²  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  ²³  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  ²⁴  "Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy."    ²⁵  So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.  ²⁶  And don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry ...  ²⁷  for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
   ²⁸  If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.  ²⁹  Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.    ³⁰  And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, [30]  guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
   ³¹  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.  ³²  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

<<  4:7 Greek a grace.
<<  4:8 Ps 68:18.
<<  4:9 Or to the lowest parts of the earth.
<<  4:26 Ps 4:4.
<<  4:30 Or has put his seal on you.