The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 30, 2020 (NIV)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

Zion Glorified

60 “Arise, shine! For your light has come,
and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.
For look! darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples,
but[a] Yahweh will rise on you,
and his glory will appear over you.
And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the bright light of your sunrise.
Lift up your eyes all around and see!
All of them gather; they come to you.
Your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be looked after on the hip.
Then you shall see
and you shall be radiant;
and your heart shall tremble
and open itself wide,
because the abundance of the sea shall fall upon you;
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young male camels of Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba shall come;
they shall bring gold and frankincense,
and they shall proclaim the praise of Yahweh.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth shall serve you.
They shall present a sacrifice for favor on my altar,
and I will glorify my honorable house.[b]
Who are these? They fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their coops.
Because the coastlands wait for me,
and the ships of Tarshish are first
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of Yahweh your God,
and for the holy one of Israel, because he has glorified you.
10 And foreigners[c] shall build your walls,
and their kings shall serve you,
for in my anger I struck you,
but[d] in my favor I have taken pity on you.
11 And your gates shall continually be open,
day and night they shall not be shut,
to bring you the wealth of nations,
and their kings shall be led.
12 For the nation and the kingdom that will not serve you shall perish,
and the nations shall be utterly devastated.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you;
the cypress, the plane, and the pine together,
to glorify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will do honor to the place of my feet.
14 And the children of those who oppressed you shall come to you bending low,
and all those who treated you disrespectfully shall bow down at the soles of your feet.
And they shall call you the city of Yahweh,
Zion of the holy one of Israel.
15 Instead of you being forsaken
and hated with no one passing through,[e]
I will make[f] you an everlasting object of pride,[g]
a joy of coming generations.[h]
16 And you shall suck the milk of nations,
and suck the breast of kings,
and you shall know that I am Yahweh your Savior,
and your Redeemer, the Strong One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
and instead of iron I will bring silver,
and instead of wood, bronze,
and instead of stones, iron.
And I will appoint[i] peace as your overseer,
and righteousness as your ruling body.[j]
18 Violence shall no longer be heard in your land;
devastation or[k] destruction on your borders.
And you shall call your walls Salvation,
and your gates, Praise.
19 The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
and for bright light the moon shall not give you light,
but[l] Yahweh will be your everlasting light,
and your God your glory.
20 Your sun shall no longer go down,
and your moon shall not wane,[m]
for Yahweh himself will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall come to an end.
21 And all your people shall be righteous;
they shall take possession of the land forever,
the shoot of his[n] planting,
the work of my hands, to show my glory.
22 The small one shall become a tribe,
and the smallest one a mighty nation.

I am Yahweh; I will hasten it in its time.”

The Year of Yahweh’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me,
because Yahweh has anointed me,
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,[o]
to proclaim[p] release to the captives
and liberation to those who are bound,
to proclaim[q] the year of Yahweh’s favor,
and our God’s day of vengeance,
to comfort all those in mourning,
to give[r] for those in mourning in Zion,
to give them a head wrap instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.
And they will be called[s] oaks of righteousness,
the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.
And they shall build the ancient ruins,
they shall erect the former deserted places.
And they shall restore the devastated cities,[t]
the deserted places of many generations.[u]
And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,[v]
and foreigners[w] shall be your farmers and vinedressers.
But[x] you shall be called the priests of Yahweh,
you will be called[y] servers of our God.
You shall eat the wealth of the nations,
and you shall boast in their riches.
Instead of your shame, a double portion,
and instead of insult, they will rejoice over their portion.
Therefore they will take a double portion in their land;
they shall possess everlasting joy.[z]
For I, Yahweh, love justice,
hate robbery and[aa] injustice,
and I will faithfully[ab] give their reward,
and I will make[ac] an everlasting covenant with[ad] them.
And their descendants[ae] will be known among the nations,
and their offspring in the midst of the peoples.
All those who see them shall recognize them,
that they are descendants[af] whom Yahweh has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh;
my being shall shout in exultation in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns himself with a head wrap like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewelry.
11 For as the earth produces[ag] its sprout,
and as a garden makes its plants sprout,
so the Lord Yahweh will make righteousness sprout,
and praise before all the nations.

Zion’s New Identity

62 For the sake of Zion I will not be silent,
and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not maintain a quiet attitude,
until her righteousness goes out like the bright light,
and her salvation burns like a torch.
And the nations shall see your righteousness,
and all the kings your glory,
and you will be called[ah] a new name
that the mouth of Yahweh will designate.
And you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh,
and a headband of royalty in the hand of your God.
It shall no longer be said of you, “Forsaken,”
and it shall no longer be said of your land, “Desolation!”
but you will[ai] be called “My Delight Is In Her,”
and your land, “Married,”
for Yahweh delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a virgin,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as is the joy of the bridegroom over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 60:2 Or “and”
  2. Isaiah 60:7 Literally “house of my honor”
  3. Isaiah 60:10 Literally “sons of a foreign country”
  4. Isaiah 60:10 Or “and”
  5. Isaiah 60:15 Or “and there is not one who passes through”
  6. Isaiah 60:15 Literally “place”
  7. Isaiah 60:15 Literally “pride”
  8. Isaiah 60:15 Literally “generation and generation”
  9. Isaiah 60:17 Literally “put”
  10. Isaiah 60:17 Literally “they who force you to work”
  11. Isaiah 60:18 Or “and”
  12. Isaiah 60:19 Or “and”
  13. Isaiah 60:20 Literally “be taken away”
  14. Isaiah 60:21 The reading tradition (Qere) has “my”
  15. Isaiah 61:1 Literally “those broken of heart”
  16. Isaiah 61:1 Literally “call”
  17. Isaiah 61:2 Literally “call”
  18. Isaiah 61:3 Literally “place”
  19. Isaiah 61:3 Literally “it will be called to them”
  20. Isaiah 61:4 Literally “cities of devastation”
  21. Isaiah 61:4 Literally “generation and generation”
  22. Isaiah 61:5 Hebrew “flock”
  23. Isaiah 61:5 Literally “sons of a foreign country”
  24. Isaiah 61:6 Or “And”
  25. Isaiah 61:6 Literally “it shall be said of you”
  26. Isaiah 61:7 Literally “possession of joy everlasting shall be for them”
  27. Isaiah 61:8 Or “in”
  28. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “in the faithfulness”
  29. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “cut”
  30. Isaiah 61:8 Literally “to”
  31. Isaiah 61:9 Hebrew “descendant”
  32. Isaiah 61:9 Hebrew “descendant”
  33. Isaiah 61:11 Literally “brings out”
  34. Isaiah 62:2 Literally “it shall be called to you”
  35. Isaiah 62:4 Literally “to you it shall”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Philippians 1:27-2:18

Stand Firm for the Gospel

27 Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I hear your circumstances[a], that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God, 29 because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him, 30 having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear about in me.

Humility and Unity

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, complete my joy, so that you are in agreement[b], having the same love, united in spirit, having one purpose[c]. Do nothing according to selfish ambition or according to empty conceit, but in humility considering one another better than yourselves, each of you[d] not looking out for your own interests[e], but also each of you for the interests[f] of others.

Christ’s Humiliation and Exaltation

Think this in[g] yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped,
but emptied himself
by[h] taking the form of a slave,
by[i] becoming in the likeness of people.
And being found in appearance like a man,
he humbled himself
by[j] becoming obedient to the point of death,
that is, death on a cross.
Therefore also God exalted him
and graciously granted him the name above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Holding Fast to the Word of Life

12 Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God. 14 Do all things without grumbling and disputing, 15 in order that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault[k] in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world,[l] 16 holding fast to the word of life, for a source of pride[m] to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you. 18 And in the same way also you rejoice and rejoice with me.

Footnotes:

  1. Philippians 1:27 Literally “the things concerning you”
  2. Philippians 2:2 Literally “you think the same thing
  3. Philippians 2:2 Literally “thinking the one thing
  4. Philippians 2:4 Some manuscripts have “each one of you”
  5. Philippians 2:4 Literally “the things of yourselves”
  6. Philippians 2:4 Literally “the things”
  7. Philippians 2:5 Or “among”
  8. Philippians 2:7 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“taking”) which is understood as means
  9. Philippians 2:7 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“becoming”) which is understood as means
  10. Philippians 2:8 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“becoming”) which is understood as means
  11. Philippians 2:15 Or “blameless”
  12. Philippians 2:15 Or possibly “in the universe”
  13. Philippians 2:16 Or “for a cause of boasting”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the Prosperity of God’s Anointed King

Of Solomon.[a]

72 O God, give your judgments to the king,
and your righteousness to the king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
Let the mountains yield prosperity[b] for the people,
and the hills in righteousness.
May he provide justice for the poor of the people,
save the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
May he live long[c] while the sun endures[d]
as long as the moon[e] for all generations.[f]
May he descend like rain on mown grass,
like showers watering the earth.
May what is right blossom in his days
and an abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.
And may he rule from sea up to sea,
and from the River[g] to the edges of the land.
Let the desert dwellers bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute.
Let the kings of Sheba and Seba present gifts,
11 and let all kings bow down to him.
Let all nations serve him.
12 Indeed he will deliver the needy who is crying for help,
and the afflicted who has no helper.
13 He will take pity on the helpless and needy,
and the lives of the needy he will save.
14 From oppression and from violence
he will redeem their lives,
and their blood will be precious in his eyes.
15 So may he live, and may gold from Sheba be given to him,
and may prayers be offered for him continually.
May blessings be invoked for him all day long.[h]
16 May there be an abundance of grain in the land
even on the top of the mountains.
May his crop[i] sway like the trees of Lebanon,
and may those from the city blossom like the grass of the earth.
17 May his name endure forever.
May his name increase as long as the sun shines,[j]
and let them be blessed in him.
Let all nations call him blessed.
18 Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonderful things.
19 And blessed be his glorious name forever,
and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are completed.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 72:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 72:3 Or “peace”
  3. Psalm 72:5 This presupposes the reading, suggested by the LXX, that might indicate that two of the Hebrew root letters have been inverted. The Hebrew reads “They will/Let them fear”
  4. Psalm 72:5 Literally “with the sun”
  5. Psalm 72:5 Literally “in the presence of the moon”
  6. Psalm 72:5 Literally “generation of generations”
  7. Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
  8. Psalm 72:15 Literally “all the day”
  9. Psalm 72:16 Or “May his descendants”
  10. Psalm 72:17 Literally “in the presence of the sun”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software

Proverbs 24:11-12

11 Rescue those who are led away to the death
and those who stagger to the slaughter. If you hold back,
12 if you say, “Look, we do not know this,”
does not he who weighs hearts perceive it?
And he who keeps your soul,[a]
he knows and will repay humankind according to his deeds.

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 24:12 Or “life,” or “inner self”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software