The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 10, 2018 (NIV)

Isaiah’s Commission

6 In the year that King Uzziah^(A) died,^(B) I saw the Lord,^(C) high and exalted,^(D) seated on a throne;^(E) and the train of his robe^(F) filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim,^(G) each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,^(H) and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.^(M)

⁵ “Woe^(N) to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!^(O) For I am a man of unclean lips,^(P) and I live among a people of unclean lips,^(Q) and my eyes have seen^(R) the King,^(S) the Lord Almighty.”^(T)

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal^(U) in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips;^(V) your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.^(W)”

⁸ Then I heard the voice^(X) of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?^(Y) And who will go for us?^(Z)”

And I said, “Here am I.^(AA) Send me!”

⁹ He said, “Go^(AB) and tell this people:

¹¹ Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”^(AH)

And he answered:

The Sign of Immanuel

7 When Ahaz^(AS) son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, King Rezin^(AT) of Aram^(AU) and Pekah^(AV) son of Remaliah^(AW) king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem, but they could not overpower it.

² Now the house of David^(AX) was told, “Aram has allied itself with^[b] Ephraim^(AY)”; so the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken,^(AZ) as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.

³ Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out, you and your son Shear-Jashub,^[c](BA) to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.^{(BB) 4} Say to him, ‘Be careful, keep calm^(BC) and don’t be afraid.^(BD) Do not lose heart^(BE) because of these two smoldering stubs^(BF) of firewood—because of the fierce anger^(BG) of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah.^{(BH) 5} Aram, Ephraim and Remaliah’s^(BI) son have plotted^(BJ) your ruin, saying, ⁶ “Let us invade Judah; let us tear it apart and divide it among ourselves, and make the son of Tabeel king over it.” ⁷ Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says:^(BK)

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ “Ask the Lord your God for a sign,^(BT) whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.^(BU)”

¹² But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.^(BV)”

¹³ Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David!^(BW) Is it not enough^(BX) to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience^(BY) of my God^(BZ) also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you^[d] a sign:^(CA) The virgin^[e](CB) will conceive and give birth to a son,^(CC) and^[f] will call him Immanuel.^{[g](CD) 15} He will be eating curds^(CE) and honey^(CF) when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ¹⁶ for before the boy knows^(CG) enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,^(CH) the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.^{(CI) 17} The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away^(CJ) from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.^(CK)”

Assyria, the Lord’s Instrument

¹⁸ In that day^(CL) the Lord will whistle^(CM) for flies from the Nile delta in Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.^{(CN) 19} They will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the crevices^(CO) in the rocks, on all the thornbushes^(CP) and at all the water holes. ²⁰ In that day^(CQ) the Lord will use^(CR) a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River^(CS)—the king of Assyria^(CT)—to shave your head and private parts, and to cut off your beard^(CU) also.^{(CV) 21} In that day,^(CW) a person will keep alive a young cow and two goats.^{(CX) 22} And because of the abundance of the milk they give, there will be curds to eat. All who remain in the land will eat curds^(CY) and honey.^{(CZ) 23} In that day,^(DA) in every place where there were a thousand vines worth a thousand silver shekels,^[h](DB) there will be only briers and thorns.^{(DC) 24} Hunters will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers^(DD) and thorns. ²⁵ As for all the hills^(DE) once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for fear of the briers and thorns;^(DF) they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run.^(DG)

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

¹⁶ I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool.^(A) But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,^(B) but as a fool.^{(C) 18} Since many are boasting in the way the world does,^(D) I too will boast.^{(E) 19} You gladly put up with^(F) fools since you are so wise!^{(G) 20} In fact, you even put up with^(H) anyone who enslaves you^(I) or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame I admit that we were too weak^(J) for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.^{(K) 22} Are they Hebrews? So am I.^(L) Are they Israelites? So am I.^(M) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.^{(N) 23} Are they servants of Christ?^(O) (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,^(P) been in prison more frequently,^(Q) been flogged more severely,^(R) and been exposed to death again and again.^{(S) 24} Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes^(T) minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods,^(U) once I was pelted with stones,^(V) three times I was shipwrecked,^(W) I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,^(X) in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,^(Y) in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.^{(Z) 27} I have labored and toiled^(AA) and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;^(AB) I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.^{(AC) 29} Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?^(AD) Who is led into sin,^(AE) and I do not inwardly burn?

³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast^(AF) of the things that show my weakness.^{(AG) 31} The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,^(AH) knows^(AI) that I am not lying. ³² In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.^{(AJ) 33} But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.^(AK)

Psalm 54^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David. When the Ziphites^(A) had gone to Saul and said, “Is not David hiding among us?”

Saying 7