Month: September 2024

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 30, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

Zion’s Future Splendor

60 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!
The splendor[a] of the Lord shines on you!
2 For, look, darkness covers the earth
and deep darkness covers[b] the nations,
but the Lord shines on you;
his splendor[c] appears over you.
3 Nations come to your light,
kings to your bright light.
4 Look all around you![d]
They all gather and come to you—
your sons come from far away,
and your daughters are escorted by guardians.
5 Then you will look and smile,[e]
you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride.[f]
For the riches of distant lands[g] will belong to you,
and the wealth of nations will come to you.
6 Camel caravans will cover your roads,[h]
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba[i] will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord.[j]
7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices.[k]
They will go up on my altar acceptably,[l]
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
8 Who are these who float along[m] like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their shelters?[n]
9 Indeed, the coastlands[o] look eagerly for me;
the large ships[p] are in the lead,
bringing your sons from far away,
along with their silver and gold,
to honor the Lord your God,[q]
the Holy One of Israel,[r] for he has bestowed honor on you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;
their kings will serve you.
Even though I struck you down in my anger,
I will restore my favor and have compassion on you.[s]
11 Your gates will remain open at all times;
they will not be shut during the day or at night,
so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,
with their kings leading the way.[t]
12 Indeed,[u] nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;
such nations will definitely be destroyed.[v]
13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,
its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,
to beautify my palace;[w]
I will bestow honor on my throne room.[x]
14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;
all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’[y]
15 You were once abandoned
and despised, with no one passing through,
but I will make you[z] a permanent source of pride
and joy to coming generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations;
you will nurse at the breasts of kings.[aa]
Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your Deliverer,
your Protector,[ab] the Powerful One of Jacob.[ac]
17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold;
instead of iron, I will bring you silver;
instead of wood, I will bring you[ad] bronze;
instead of stones, I will bring you[ae] iron.
I will make prosperity[af] your overseer,
and vindication your sovereign ruler.[ag]
18 Sounds of violence will no longer be heard in your land,
or the sounds of[ah] destruction and devastation within your borders.
You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’
and your gates, ‘Praise.’
19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,
nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;
the Lord will be your permanent source of light—
the splendor of your God will shine upon you.[ai]
20 Your sun will no longer set;
your moon will not disappear;[aj]
the Lord will be your permanent source of light;
your time[ak] of sorrow will be over.
21 All your people will be godly;[al]
they will possess the land permanently.
I will plant them like a shoot;
they will be the product of my labor,
through whom I reveal my splendor.[am]
22 The least of you will multiply into[an] a thousand;
the smallest of you will become a large nation.
When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”[ao]

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has chosen[ap] me.[aq]
He has commissioned[ar] me to encourage[as] the poor,
to help[at] the brokenhearted,
to decree the release of captives,
and the freeing of prisoners,
2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,
the day when our God will seek vengeance,[au]
to console all who mourn,
3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,
by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,
oil symbolizing joy,[av] instead of mourning,
a garment symbolizing praise,[aw] instead of discouragement.[ax]
They will be called oaks of righteousness,[ay]
trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor.[az]
4 They will rebuild the perpetual ruins
and restore the places that were desolate;[ba]
they will reestablish the ruined cities,
the places that have been desolate since ancient times.
5 [bb] “Foreigners will take care of[bc] your sheep;
foreigners will work in your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called, ‘the Lord’s priests,
servants of our God.’[bd]
You will enjoy[be] the wealth of nations
and boast about[bf] the riches you receive from them.[bg]
7 Instead of shame, you will get a double portion;[bh]
instead of humiliation, they will rejoice over the land they receive.[bi]
Yes,[bj] they will possess a double portion in their land
and experience lasting joy.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice
and hate robbery and sin.
I will repay them because of my faithfulness;[bk]
I will make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize that
the Lord has blessed them.”[bl]
10 I[bm] will greatly rejoice[bn] in the Lord;
I will be overjoyed because of my God.[bo]
For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;
he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication.[bp]
I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;
I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry.[bq]
11 For just as the ground produces its crops
and a garden yields its produce,
so the Sovereign Lord will cause deliverance[br] to grow,
and give his people reason to praise him in the sight of all the nations.[bs]

The Lord Takes Delight in Zion

62 For the sake of Zion I will not be silent;
for the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines brightly[bt]
and her deliverance burns like a torch.
2 Nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your splendor.
You will be called by a new name
that the Lord himself will give you.[bu]
3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,
a royal turban in the hand of your God.
4 You will no longer be called, “Abandoned,”
and your land will no longer be called “Desolate.”
Indeed,[bv] you will be called “My Delight is in Her,”[bw]
and your land “Married.”[bx]
For the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married to him.[by]
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so your sons[bz] will marry you.
As a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
so your God will rejoice over you.

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 60:1 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).
  2. Isaiah 60:2 tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  3. Isaiah 60:2 tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”
  4. Isaiah 60:4 tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”
  5. Isaiah 60:5 tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  6. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”
  7. Isaiah 60:5 tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.
  8. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
  9. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
  10. Isaiah 60:6 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
  11. Isaiah 60:7 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
  12. Isaiah 60:7 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (ʿal) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [yaʿalu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (leratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleting the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (ʿal) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111), and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
  13. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”
  14. Isaiah 60:8 tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.
  15. Isaiah 60:9 tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”
  16. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.
  17. Isaiah 60:9 tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”
  18. Isaiah 60:9 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  19. Isaiah 60:10 tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”
  20. Isaiah 60:11 tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.
  21. Isaiah 60:12 tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”
  22. Isaiah 60:12 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
  23. Isaiah 60:13 tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”
  24. Isaiah 60:13 tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”
  25. Isaiah 60:14 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
  26. Isaiah 60:15 tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”
  27. Isaiah 60:16 sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.
  28. Isaiah 60:16 tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
  29. Isaiah 60:16 sn See 1:24 and 49:26.
  30. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).
  31. Isaiah 60:17 tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).
  32. Isaiah 60:17 tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).
  33. Isaiah 60:17 tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.
  34. Isaiah 60:18 tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  35. Isaiah 60:19 tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”
  36. Isaiah 60:20 sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.
  37. Isaiah 60:20 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  38. Isaiah 60:21 tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”
  39. Isaiah 60:21 tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”
  40. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “will become” (so NASB, NIV).
  41. Isaiah 60:22 tn Heb “I, the Lord, in its time, I will quickly do it.”
  42. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.
  43. Isaiah 61:1 sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).
  44. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”
  45. Isaiah 61:1 tn Or “proclaim good news to.”
  46. Isaiah 61:1 tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”
  47. Isaiah 61:2 tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.
  48. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”
  49. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “garment of praise.”
  50. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”
  51. Isaiah 61:3 tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”
  52. Isaiah 61:3 tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”
  53. Isaiah 61:4 tn Heb “and the formerly desolate places they will raise up.”
  54. Isaiah 61:5 sn The Lord speaks in vv. 7-8 (and possibly v. 9). It is not clear where the servant’s speech (see vv. 1-3a) ends and the Lord’s begins. Perhaps the direct address to the people signals the beginning of the Lord’s speech.
  55. Isaiah 61:5 tn Heb “will stand [in position] and shepherd.”
  56. Isaiah 61:6 tn The Hebrew text adds, “it will be said concerning you.”
  57. Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “eat” (KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “feed on”; NLT “be fed with.”
  58. Isaiah 61:6 tc The form in the Hebrew text probably needs to be emended to יִתְאַמְּרוּ (yitʾammeru), a Hitpael from אָמַר (ʾamar), meaning “boast about” (see HALOT 67 s.v. II אמר, HALOT 416 s.v. ימר, and BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר).
  59. Isaiah 61:6 tn Heb “their glory” (i.e., riches).
  60. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “instead of your shame, a double portion.”
  61. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “and [instead of] humiliation they will rejoice [over] their portion.” The term תַחַת (takhat, “instead of”) is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
  62. Isaiah 61:7 tn Heb “therefore” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “and so.”
  63. Isaiah 61:8 tn Heb “in faithfulness”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “faithfully.”
  64. Isaiah 61:9 tn Heb “all who see them will recognize them, that they [are] descendants [whom] the Lord has blessed.”
  65. Isaiah 61:10 sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.
  66. Isaiah 61:10 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
  67. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”
  68. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”
  69. Isaiah 61:10 tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.
  70. Isaiah 61:11 tn Or perhaps, “righteousness,” but the context seems to emphasize deliverance and restoration (see v. 10 and 62:1).
  71. Isaiah 61:11 tn Heb “and praise before all the nations.”
  72. Isaiah 62:1 tn Heb “goes forth like brightness.”
  73. Isaiah 62:2 tn Heb “which the mouth of the Lord will designate.”
  74. Isaiah 62:4 tn Or “for”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “but.”
  75. Isaiah 62:4 tn Hebrew חֶפְצִי־בָהּ (kheftsi vah), traditionally transliterated “Hephzibah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
  76. Isaiah 62:4 tn Hebrew בְּעוּלָה (beʿulah), traditionally transliterated “Beulah” (so KJV, ASV, NIV).
  77. Isaiah 62:4 tn That is, the land will be restored to the Lord’s favor and once again enjoy his blessing and protection. To indicate the land’s relationship to the Lord, the words “to him” have been supplied at the end of the clause.
  78. Isaiah 62:5 tc The Hebrew text has “your sons,” but this produces an odd metaphor and is somewhat incongruous with the parallelism. In the context (v. 4b, see also 54:5-7) the Lord is the one who “marries” Zion. Therefore several prefer to emend “your sons” to בֹּנָיִךְ (bonayikh, “your builder”; e.g., NRSV). In Ps 147:2 the Lord is called the “builder of Jerusalem.” However, this emendation is not the best option for at least four reasons. First, although the Lord is never called the “builder” of Jerusalem in Isaiah, the idea of Zion’s children possessing the land does occur (Isa 49:20; 54:3; cf. also 14:1; 60:21). Secondly, all the ancient versions support the MT reading. Thirdly, although the verb בָּעַל (baʿal) can mean “to marry,” its basic idea is “to possess.” Consequently, the verb stresses a relationship more than a state. All the ancient versions render this verb “to dwell in” or “to dwell with.” The point is not just that the land will be reinhabited, but that it will be in a relationship of “belonging” to the Israelites. Hence a relational verb like בָּעַל is used (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:581). Finally, “sons” is a well-known metaphor for “inhabitants” (J. de Waard, Isaiah, 208).
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Philippians 1:27-2:18

27 Only conduct yourselves[a] in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that—whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent—I should hear that[b] you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,[c] 28 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is[d] a sign of their[e] destruction, but of your salvation—a sign which[f] is from God. 29 For it has been granted to you[g] not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are encountering[h] the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.[i]

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit,[j] any affection or mercy,[k] 2 complete my joy and be of the same mind,[l] by having the same love, being united in spirit,[m] and having one purpose. 3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition[n] or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4 Each of you should be concerned[o] not only[p] about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.[q] 5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,[r]

6 [s] who though he existed in the form of God[t]
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave,[u]
by looking like other men,[v]
and by sharing in human nature.[w]
8 He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
—even death on a cross!
9 As a result God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow
—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence,[x] 13 for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God. 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world[y] 16 by holding on to[z] the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you. 18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.

Footnotes:

  1. Philippians 1:27 tn Grk “live as citizens.” The verb πολιτεύεσθε (politeuesthe) connotes the life of a freeman in a free Roman colony.sn Conduct yourselves (Grk “live your lives as citizens”). The Philippians lived in a free Roman city, and thus understood from their own experience what it meant to live as citizens. Paul is here picking up on that motif and elevating it to the citizenship of heaven. Cf. 3:20 (our citizenship is in heaven).
  2. Philippians 1:27 tn Grk “the things concerning you, [namely,] that.” The ὅτι (hoti) clause is appositional to τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν (ta peri humōn) and therefore “the things concerning you” was not translated.
  3. Philippians 1:27 tn The phrase “the faith of the gospel” could mean one of three things: “the faith that is the gospel” (genitive of apposition), “the faith that originates from the gospel” (genitive of source), or “faith in the gospel” (objective genitive).
  4. Philippians 1:28 tn Grk “which is,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 27.sn The antecedent of the pronoun This is conceptual, most likely referring to the Philippian Christians standing firm for the gospel. Thus, their stand for the gospel is the dual sign of their opponents’ destruction and of their own salvation.
  5. Philippians 1:28 tn Grk “to them.” sn Paul uses the dative “to them” (translated here as their) to describe the coming destruction of the gospel’s enemies, but the genitive “your” to describe the believers’ coming salvation. The dative accents what will happen to the enemies (called a dative of disadvantage [see ExSyn 143-44]), while the genitive accents what the believers will possess (and, in fact, do already possess, as v. 29 makes clear).
  6. Philippians 1:28 tn Grk “this.” The pronoun refers back to “a sign”; thus these words have been repeated for clarity.
  7. Philippians 1:29 tn Grk “For that which is on behalf of Christ has been granted to you—namely, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.” The infinitive phrases are epexegetical to the subject, τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ (to huper Christou), which has the force of “the on-behalf-of-Christ thing,” or “the thing on behalf of Christ.” To translate this in English requires a different idiom.
  8. Philippians 1:30 tn Grk “having,” most likely as an instrumental participle. Thus their present struggle is evidence that they have received the gift of suffering.
  9. Philippians 1:30 tn Grk “that you saw in me and now hear [to be] in me.”
  10. Philippians 2:1 tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumatos) is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.
  11. Philippians 2:1 tn Grk “affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.
  12. Philippians 2:2 tn Or “and feel the same way,” “and think the same thoughts.” The ἵνα (hina) clause has been translated “and be of the same mind” to reflect its epexegetical force to the imperative “complete my joy.”
  13. Philippians 2:2 tn The Greek word here is σύμψυχοι (sumpsuchoi, literally “fellow souled”).
  14. Philippians 2:3 tn Grk “not according to selfish ambition.” There is no main verb in this verse; the subjunctive φρονῆτε (phronēte, “be of the same mind”) is implied here as well. Thus, although most translations supply the verb “do” at the beginning of v. 3 (e.g., “do nothing from selfish ambition”), the idea is even stronger than that: “Don’t even think any thoughts motivated by selfish ambition.”
  15. Philippians 2:4 tn On the meaning “be concerned about” for σκοπέω (skopeō), see L&N 27.36.
  16. Philippians 2:4 tn The word “only” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the ἀλλὰ καί (alla kai) in the second clause (“but…as well”).
  17. Philippians 2:4 tc The bulk of the Western witnesses (D*,c F G K it) dropped καί (kai) here, most likely due to ascetic concerns (the absence of the καί makes the statement express absolute self-denial). Strong external attestation for its inclusion from excellent witnesses as well as the majority (P46 א A B C D1 Ψ 075 0278 33 1175 1241 1505 1739 1881 2464 M sy) also marks it as autographic.tn Verses 1-4 constitute one long conditional sentence in Greek. The protasis is in verse 1, while vv. 2-4 constitute the apodosis. There is but one verb not in a subordinate clause in vv. 2-4, the imperative “complete” in v. 2. This is followed by a subjunctive after ἵνα (hina, translated as an epexegetical clause, “and be of the same mind”) and three instrumental participles. Thus the focus of these four verses is to “be of the same mind” and all that follows this instruction is the means for accomplishing that.
  18. Philippians 2:5 tn Grk “Have this attitude in/among yourselves which also [was] in Christ Jesus,” or “Have this attitude in/among yourselves which [you] also [have] in Christ Jesus.”
  19. Philippians 2:6 sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
  20. Philippians 2:6 sn The Greek term translated form indicates a correspondence with reality. Thus the meaning of this phrase is that Christ was truly God.
  21. Philippians 2:7 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 1:1.
  22. Philippians 2:7 tn Grk “by coming in the likeness of people.”sn The Greek expression underlying by looking like other men is similar to Paul’s wording in Rom 8:3 (“in the likeness of sinful flesh”). The same word “likeness” is used in both passages. It implies that there is a form that does not necessarily correspond to reality. In Rom 8:3, the meaning is that Christ looked like sinful humanity. Here the meaning is similar: Jesus looked like other men (note anthrōpoi), but was in fact different from them in that he did not have a sin nature.
  23. Philippians 2:7 tn Grk “and by being found in form as a man.” The versification of vv. 7 and 8 (so also NRSV) is according to the versification in the NA28 and UBS5 editions of the Greek text. Some translations, however, break the verses in front of this phrase (NKJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.sn By sharing in human nature. This last line of v. 7 (line d) stands in tension with the previous line, line c (“by looking like other men”). Both lines have a word indicating form or likeness. Line c, as noted above, implies that Christ only appeared to be like other people. Line d, however, uses a different term that implies a correspondence between form and reality. Further, line c uses the plural “men” while line d uses the singular “man.” The theological point being made is that Christ looked just like other men, but he was not like other men (in that he was not sinful), though he was fully human.
  24. Philippians 2:12 tn Grk “with fear and trembling.” The Greek words φόβος and τρόμος both imply fear in a negative sense (L&N 25.251 and 16.6 respectively) while the former can also refer to respect and awe for deity (L&N 53.59). Paul’s use of the terms in other contexts refers to “awe and reverence in the presence of God” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 284; see discussion on 282-84). The translation “awe and reverence” was chosen to portray the attitude the believer should have toward God as they consider their behavior in light of God working through Jesus Christ (2:6-11) and in the believer’s life (2:13) to accomplish their salvation.
  25. Philippians 2:15 tn Or “as stars in the universe.”
  26. Philippians 2:16 tn Or “holding out, holding forth.”
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Psalm 72

Psalm 72[a]

For[b] Solomon.

72 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions.[c]
Grant the king’s son[d] the ability to make fair decisions.[e]
2 Then he will judge[f] your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones[g] equitably.
3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,
and the hills will announce justice.[h]
4 He will defend[i] the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver[j] the children[k] of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
5 People will fear[l] you[m] as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky,
for generation after generation.[n]
6 He[o] will descend like rain on the mown grass,[p]
like showers that drench[q] the earth.[r]
7 During his days the godly will flourish;[s]
peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky.[t]
8 May he rule[u] from sea to sea,[v]
and from the Euphrates River[w] to the ends of the earth.
9 Before him the coastlands[x] will bow down,
and his enemies will lick the dust.[y]
10 The kings of Tarshish[z] and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba[aa] and Seba[ab] will bring tribute.
11 All kings will bow down to him;
all nations will serve him.
12 For he will rescue the needy[ac] when they cry out for help,
and the oppressed[ad] who have no defender.
13 He will take pity[ae] on the poor and needy;
the lives of the needy he will save.
14 From harm and violence he will defend them;[af]
he will value their lives.[ag]
15 May he live![ah] May they offer him gold from Sheba.[ai]
May they continually pray for him.
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long.[aj]
16 May there be[ak] an abundance[al] of grain in the earth;
on the tops[am] of the mountains may it[an] sway.[ao]
May its[ap] fruit trees[aq] flourish[ar] like the forests of Lebanon.[as]
May its crops[at] be as abundant[au] as the grass of the earth.[av]
17 May his fame endure.[aw]
May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky.[ax]
May they use his name when they formulate their blessings.[ay]
May all nations consider him to be favored by God.[az]
18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise.[ba]
He alone accomplishes amazing things.[bb]
19 His glorious name deserves praise[bc] forevermore.
May his majestic splendor[bd] fill the whole earth.
We agree! We agree![be]
20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.[bf]

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 72:1 sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.
  2. Psalm 72:1 tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.
  3. Psalm 72:1 tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”
  4. Psalm 72:1 sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.
  5. Psalm 72:1 tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”
  6. Psalm 72:2 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
  7. Psalm 72:2 sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).
  8. Psalm 72:3 tn Heb “[the] mountains will bear peace to the people, and [the] hills with justice.” The personified mountains and hills probably represent messengers who will sweep over the land announcing the king’s just decrees and policies. See Isa 52:7 and C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:133.
  9. Psalm 72:4 tn Heb “judge [for].”
  10. Psalm 72:4 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
  11. Psalm 72:4 tn Heb “sons.”
  12. Psalm 72:5 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.” See Ps 33:8. Some interpreters, with the support of the LXX, prefer to read וְיַאֲרִיךְ (veyaʾarikh, “and he [the king in this case] will prolong [days]”), that is, “will live a long time” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
  13. Psalm 72:5 tn God is the addressee (see vv. 1-2).
  14. Psalm 72:5 tn Heb “with [the] sun, and before [the] moon [for] a generation, generations.” The rare expression דּוֹר דּוֹרִים (dor dorim, “generation, generations”) occurs only here, in Ps 102:24, and in Isa 51:8.
  15. Psalm 72:6 tn That is, the king (see vv. 2, 4).
  16. Psalm 72:6 tn The rare term גֵּז (gez) refers to a sheep’s fleece in Deut 18:4 and Job 31:20, but to “mown” grass or crops here and in Amos 7:1.
  17. Psalm 72:6 tc The form in the Hebrew text appears to be an otherwise unattested noun. Many prefer to emend the form to a verb from the root זָרַף (zaraf). BHS suggests a Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural יַזְרִיפוּ (yazrifu), while HALOT 283 s.v. *זרף prefers a Pilpel perfect, third masculine plural זִרְזְפוּ (zirzefu). The translation assumes the latter.
  18. Psalm 72:6 sn The imagery of this verse compares the blessings produced by the king’s reign to fructifying rains that cause the crops to grow.
  19. Psalm 72:7 tn Heb “sprout up,” like crops. This verse continues the metaphor of rain utilized in v. 6.
  20. Psalm 72:7 tn Heb “and [there will be an] abundance of peace until there is no more moon.”
  21. Psalm 72:8 tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.
  22. Psalm 72:8 sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.
  23. Psalm 72:8 tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.
  24. Psalm 72:9 tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.
  25. Psalm 72:9 sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.
  26. Psalm 72:10 sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.
  27. Psalm 72:10 sn Sheba was located in Arabia.
  28. Psalm 72:10 sn Seba was located in Africa.
  29. Psalm 72:12 tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.
  30. Psalm 72:12 tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.
  31. Psalm 72:13 tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).
  32. Psalm 72:14 tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).
  33. Psalm 72:14 tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”
  34. Psalm 72:15 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yekhi hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).
  35. Psalm 72:15 tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.
  36. Psalm 72:15 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.
  37. Psalm 72:16 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. The translation assumes the subject is impersonal (rather than the king).
  38. Psalm 72:16 tn The Hebrew noun פִסַּה (pissah; which appears here in the construct form) occurs only here in the OT. Perhaps the noun is related to the verbal root פָּשָׂה (pasah, “to spread,” see BDB 832 s.v.; the root appears as פָּסָה [pasah] in postbiblical Hebrew), which is used in postbiblical Hebrew of the rising sun’s rays spreading over the horizon and a tree’s branches spreading out (see Jastrow 1194 s.v. פסי, פָּסָה, פָּשָׂה). In Ps 72:16 a “spreading of grain” would refer to grain fields extending out over the land. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:139) emend the form to סְפִיחַ (sefiakh, “second growth”).
  39. Psalm 72:16 tn Heb “top” (singular).
  40. Psalm 72:16 tn That is, the grain.
  41. Psalm 72:16 tn According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse.
  42. Psalm 72:16 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is unclear. It is unlikely that the antecedent is אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “earth”) because this noun is normally grammatically feminine. Perhaps רֹאשׁ (roʾsh, “top [of the mountains]”) is the antecedent. Another option is to understand the pronoun as referring to the king, who would then be viewed as an instrument of divine agricultural blessing (see v. 6).
  43. Psalm 72:16 tn Heb “fruit.”
  44. Psalm 72:16 tc According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the note on the word “earth” at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse. The present translation takes it with the preceding words, “like Lebanon its fruit” and emends the verb form from וְיָצִיצוּ (veyatsitsu; Qal imperfect third masculine plural with prefixed vav, [ו]) to יָצִיץ (yatsits; Qal imperfect third masculine singular). The initial vav is eliminated as dittographic (note the vav on the ending of the preceding form פִּרְיוֹ, piryo, “its/his fruit”) and the vav at the end of the form is placed on the following emended form (see the note on the word “crops”), yielding וַעֲמִיר (vaʿamir, “and [its] crops”).
  45. Psalm 72:16 tn Heb “like Lebanon.”
  46. Psalm 72:16 tc The MT has “from the city.” The translation assumes an emendation to עֲמִיר (ʿamir, “crops”).
  47. Psalm 72:16 tn The translation assumes that the verb צוּץ (tsuts, “flourish”) goes with the preceding line. The words “be as abundant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  48. Psalm 72:16 tc The traditional accentuation and vocalization of the MT differ from the text assumed by the present translation. The MT reads as follows: “May there be an abundance of grain in the earth, / and on the tops of the mountains! / May its [or “his”?] fruit [trees?] rustle like [the trees of] Lebanon! / May they flourish from the city, like the grass of the earth!” If one follows the MT, then it would appear that the “fruit” of the third line is a metaphorical reference to the king’s people, who flow out from the cities to populate the land (see line 4). Elsewhere in the OT people are sometimes compared to grass that sprouts up from the land (see v. 7, as well as Isa 27:6; Pss 92:7; 103:15). The translation understands a different poetic structural arrangement and, assuming the emendations mentioned in earlier notes, interprets each line of the verse to be a prayer for agricultural abundance.
  49. Psalm 72:17 tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.
  50. Psalm 72:17 tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yenayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.
  51. Psalm 72:17 tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (ʾashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.
  52. Psalm 72:17 tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).
  53. Psalm 72:18 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.
  54. Psalm 72:18 tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”
  55. Psalm 72:19 tn Heb “[be] blessed.”
  56. Psalm 72:19 tn Or “glory.”
  57. Psalm 72:19 tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [ʾamen veʾamen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response of agreement to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.
  58. Psalm 72:20 tn Heb “the prayers of David, son of Jesse, are concluded.” As noted earlier, v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter. In the present arrangement of the Book of Psalms, not all psalms prior to this are attributed to David (see Pss 1-2, 10, 33, 42-50, 66-67, 71-72) and several psalms attributed to David appear after this (see Pss 86, 101, 103, 108-110, 122, 124, 131, 138-145).
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Proverbs 24:11-12

11 Deliver those being taken away to death,
and hold back those slipping to the slaughter.[a]
12 If you say, “But we did not know about this,”
won’t[b] the one who evaluates[c] hearts discern it?
Won’t the one who guards your life realize[d]
and repay each person according to his deeds?[e]

Footnotes:

  1. Proverbs 24:11 tn The idea of “slipping” (participle from מוֹט, mot) has troubled some commentators. G. R. Driver emends it to read “at the point of” (“Problems in Proverbs,” ZAW 50 [1932]: 146). But the MT as it stands makes good sense. The reference would be general, viz., to help any who are in mortal danger or who might be tottering on the edge of such disaster—whether through sin, or through disease, war, or danger. Several English versions (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) render this term as “staggering.”sn God holds people responsible for rescuing those who are in mortal danger. The use of “death” and “slaughter” seems rather strong in the passage, but they have been used before in the book for the destruction that comes through evil.
  2. Proverbs 24:12 tn Heb “Will he not?” The verb is an imperfect stative and so should be understood as future or modal. Likewise the verb in the next line.
  3. Proverbs 24:12 tn Heb “weighs” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV) meaning “tests” or “evaluates.”
  4. Proverbs 24:12 tn The imperfect of the stative verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) means “will know/come to know,” thus “will learn, find out, realize.”
  5. Proverbs 24:12 sn The verse completes the saying by affirming that people will be judged responsible for helping those in mortal danger. The verse uses a series of rhetorical questions to affirm that God knows our hearts and we cannot plead ignorance.
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 29, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 57:15-59:21

15 “I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and repentant, so that I can restore their confidence and hope. 16 I gave my people life, and I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them forever.[a] 17 I was angry with them because of their sin and greed, and so I punished them and abandoned them. But they were stubborn and kept on going their own way.

18 “I have seen how they acted, but I will heal them. I will lead them and help them, and I will comfort those who mourn. 19 (A)I offer peace to all, both near and far! I will heal my people. 20 But evil people are like the restless sea, whose waves never stop rolling in, bringing filth and muck. 21 (B)There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.

True Fasting

58 The Lord says, “Shout as loud as you can! Tell my people Israel about their sins! 2 They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me.”

3 The people ask, “Why should we fast if the Lord never notices? Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?”

The Lord says to them, “The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers. 4 Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? 5 When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on. Is that what you call fasting? Do you think I will be pleased with that?

6 “The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 (C)Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

8 “Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. 9 When you pray, I will answer you. When you call to me, I will respond.

“If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; 10 if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. 11 And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things. I will keep you strong and well. You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry. 12 Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.”

The Reward for Keeping the Sabbath

13 The Lord says, “If you treat the Sabbath as sacred and do not pursue your own interests on that day; if you value my holy day and honor it by not traveling, working, or talking idly on that day, 14 then you will find the joy that comes from serving me. I will make you honored all over the world, and you will enjoy the land I gave to your ancestor, Jacob. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins

59 Don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! 2 It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him. 3 You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.

4 You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. 5-6 The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good—they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! 7 (D)You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, 8 and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.

The People Confess Their Sin

9 The people say, “Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness, 10 and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead. 11 We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.

12 “Lord, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all. 13 We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies. 14 Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. 15 There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime.”

The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People

The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. 16 (E)He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. 17 (F)He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer. 18 He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands. 19 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.

20 (G)The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins. 21 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come.”

Footnotes:

  1. Isaiah 57:16 I gave my people … forever; or I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them forever, for then they would die—the very people to whom I gave life.

Cross references:

  1. Isaiah 57:19 : Eph 2:17
  2. Isaiah 57:21 : Isa 48:22
  3. Isaiah 58:7 : Matt 25:34
  4. Isaiah 59:7 : Rom 3:15-Rom 3:17
  5. Isaiah 59:16 : Isa 63:5
  6. Isaiah 59:17 : Wis 5:17-Wis 5:23; Eph 6:14; Eph 6:17; 1Thess 5:8
  7. Isaiah 59:20 : Rom 11:26
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Philippians 1:1-26

1 (A)From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus—

To all God's people in Philippi who are in union with Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and helpers:

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul's Prayer for His Readers

3 I thank my God for you every time I think of you; 4 and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy 5 because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. 6 And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus. 7 You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly. 8 God is my witness that I tell the truth when I say that my deep feeling for you all comes from the heart of Christ Jesus himself.

9 I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, 10 so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. 11 Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.

To Live Is Christ

12 I want you to know, my friends, that the things that have happened to me have really helped the progress of the gospel. 13 (B)As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others here know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ. 14 And my being in prison has given most of the believers more confidence in the Lord, so that they grow bolder all the time to preach the message[a] fearlessly.

15 Of course some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine good will. 16 These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel. 17 The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition; they think that they will make more trouble for me while I am in prison.

18 It does not matter! I am happy about it—just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy, 19 because I know that by means of your prayers and the help which comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ I shall be set free. 20 My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. 22 But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. 23 I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; 24 but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. 25 I am sure of this, and so I know that I will stay. I will stay on with you all, to add to your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that when I am with you again, you will have even more reason to be proud of me in your life in union with Christ Jesus.

Footnotes:

  1. Philippians 1:14 the message; some manuscripts have God's message.

Cross references:

  1. Philippians 1:1 : Acts 16:12
  2. Philippians 1:13 : Acts 28:30
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Psalm 71

The Prayer of an Elderly Person

71 Lord, I have come to you for protection;
never let me be defeated!
2 Because you are righteous, help me and rescue me.
Listen to me and save me!
3 Be my secure shelter
and a strong fortress[a] to protect me;
you are my refuge and defense.

4 My God, rescue me from wicked people,
from the power of cruel and evil people.
5 Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in you;
I have trusted in you since I was young.
6 I have relied on you all my life;
you have protected[b] me since the day I was born.
I will always praise you.

7 My life has been an example to many,
because you have been my strong defender.
8 All day long I praise you
and proclaim your glory.
9 Do not reject me now that I am old;
do not abandon me now that I am feeble.
10 My enemies want to kill me;
they talk and plot against me.
11 They say, “God has abandoned him;
let's go after him and catch him;
there is no one to rescue him.”

12 Don't stay so far away, O God;
my God, hurry to my aid!
13 May those who attack me
be defeated and destroyed.
May those who try to hurt me
be shamed and disgraced.
14 I will always put my hope in you;
I will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell of your goodness;
all day long I will speak of your salvation,
though it is more than I can understand.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God;
I will proclaim your goodness, yours alone.

17 You have taught me ever since I was young,
and I still tell of your wonderful acts.
18 Now that I am old and my hair is gray,
do not abandon me, O God!
Be with me while I proclaim your power and might
to all generations to come.

19 Your righteousness, God, reaches the skies.
You have done great things;
there is no one like you.
20 You have sent troubles and suffering on me,
but you will restore my strength;
you will keep me from the grave.
21 You will make me greater than ever;
you will comfort me again.

22 I will indeed praise you with the harp;
I will praise your faithfulness, my God.
On my harp I will play hymns to you,
the Holy One of Israel.
23 I will shout for joy as I play for you;
with my whole being I will sing
because you have saved me.
24 I will speak of your righteousness all day long,
because those who tried to harm me
have been defeated and disgraced.

Footnotes:

  1. Psalm 71:3 One ancient translation a strong fortress; Hebrew to go always you commanded.
  2. Psalm 71:6 Some ancient translations protected; Hebrew unclear.
Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Proverbs 24:9-10

9 Any scheme a fool thinks up is sinful. People hate a person who has nothing but scorn for others.

-24-

10 If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 28, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 54:1-57:14

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

54 Shout for joy, O barren one who has borne no children;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of the one who is married, says the Lord.(A)
2 Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.(B)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess nations
and will settle desolate towns.(C)

4 Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace,
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.(D)
5 For your Maker is your husband;
the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
the God of the whole earth he is called.(E)
6 For the Lord has called you
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,
says your God.(F)
7 For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.(G)
8 In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.(H)

9 This is like the days of Noah to me:
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.(I)
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.(J)

11 O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
I am about to set your stones in antimony
and lay your foundations with sapphires.[a](K)
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of jewels,
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the prosperity of your children.(L)
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression; indeed, you shall not fear;
and from terror; indeed, it shall not come near you.(M)
15 If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.(N)
16 See, it is I who have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon fit for its purpose;
I have also created the ravager to destroy.
17 No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper,
and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication from me, says the Lord.(O)

An Invitation to Abundant Life

55 Hear, everyone who thirsts;
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.(P)
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread
and your earnings for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.(Q)
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.(R)
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.(S)
5 Now you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.(T)

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;(U)
7 let the wicked forsake their way
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.(V)
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.(W)

10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,(X)
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.(Y)

12 For you shall go out in joy
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.(Z)
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle,
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.(AA)

The Covenant Extended to All Who Obey

56 Thus says the Lord:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come
and my deliverance be revealed.(AB)

2 Happy is the mortal who does this,
the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and refrains from doing any evil.(AC)

3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people,”
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”(AD)
4 For thus says the Lord:
To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,(AE)
5 I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.(AF)

6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath and do not profane it
and hold fast my covenant—(AG)
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar,
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.(AH)
8 Thus says the Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel:
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.[b](AI)

The Corruption of Israel’s Rulers

9 All you wild animals,
all you wild animals in the forest, come to devour!(AJ)
10 Israel’s[c] sentinels are blind;
they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent dogs
that cannot bark,
dreaming, lying down,
loving to slumber.(AK)
11 The dogs have a mighty appetite;
they never have enough.
The shepherds also have no understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
to their own gain, one and all.
12 “Come,” they say, “let us[d] get wine;
let us fill ourselves with strong drink.
And tomorrow will be like today,
great beyond measure.”

Israel’s Futile Idolatry

57 The righteous perish,
and no one considers why;
the devout are taken away,
while no one understands
that it is due to evil that the righteous are taken away.(AL)
2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace
and rest on their couches.(AM)
3 But as for you, come here,
you children of a sorceress,
you offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.[e](AN)
4 Whom are you mocking?
Against whom do you open your mouth wide
and stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of transgression,
the offspring of deceit—(AO)
5 you who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree;
you who slaughter your children in the valleys,
under the clefts of the rocks?(AP)
6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion;
it is they who are your lot;
to them you have poured out a drink offering;
you have brought a grain offering.
Should these acts cause me to relent?(AQ)
7 Upon a high and lofty mountain
you have set your bed,
and there you went up to offer sacrifice.(AR)
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
you have set up your symbol,
for in deserting me[f] you have uncovered your bed;
you have gone up to it;
you have made it wide;
and you have made a bargain for yourself with them;
you have loved their bed;
you have gazed on their nakedness.[g](AS)
9 You journeyed to Molech[h] with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your envoys far away
and sent them down to Sheol.(AT)
10 You grew weary from your many wanderings,
but you did not say, “It is no use!”
You found your desire rekindled,
and so you did not weaken.(AU)

11 Whom did you dread and fear
so that you lied
and did not remember me
or give me a thought?
Have I not kept silent and closed my eyes,[i]
and so you do not fear me?(AV)
12 I will announce your verdict,
and the objects you made will not help you.
13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry them off;
a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in me shall possess the land
and inherit my holy mountain.(AW)

A Promise of Help and Healing

14 It shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way;
remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”(AX)

Footnotes:

  1. 54.11 Or lapis lazuli
  2. 56.8 Heb besides his gathered ones
  3. 56.10 Heb His
  4. 56.12 Q ms Syr Vg Tg: MT me
  5. 57.3 Heb an adulterer and she prostitutes herself
  6. 57.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  7. 57.8 Or phallus; Heb hand
  8. 57.9 Or the king
  9. 57.11 Gk Vg: Heb silent even for a long time

Cross references:

  1. 54.1 : 1 Sam 2.5; Isa 62.4; Gal 4.27
  2. 54.2 : Isa 49.19, 20
  3. 54.3 : Isa 43.5, 6; 49.19, 23
  4. 54.4 : Isa 4.1; 25.8; 45.17; Jer 31.19
  5. 54.5 : Isa 6.3; 43.14; 48.17; Jer 3.14
  6. 54.6 : Isa 62.4
  7. 54.7 : Isa 26.20; 43.5
  8. 54.8 : vv 5, 10; Isa 49.10, 13; 60.10
  9. 54.9 : Gen 9.11; Isa 12.1
  10. 54.10 : v 8; Ps 89.33, 34; Isa 51.6
  11. 54.11 : 1 Chr 29.2; Rev 21.18
  12. 54.13 : Ps 119.165; Jer 31.34; Jn 6.45
  13. 54.14 : v 4; Isa 9.4; 14.4; 62.1
  14. 54.15 : Isa 41.11–16
  15. 54.17 : Isa 29.8; 45.24; 50.8, 9
  16. 55.1 : Isa 41.17; Mt 13.44; Jn 4.14; 7.37; Rev 3.18
  17. 55.2 : Isa 25.6; 62.8, 9; Hos 8.7
  18. 55.3 : Isa 51.4; 61.8; Acts 13.34; Rom 10.5
  19. 55.4 : Jer 30.9; Ezek 34.23, 24; Dan 9.25
  20. 55.5 : Isa 49.6, 12, 23; 60.9; Zech 8.22
  21. 55.6 : Ps 32.6; Isa 49.8; 2 Cor 6.1, 2
  22. 55.7 : Isa 1.16; 31.6; 44.22; 54.8, 10; 59.7
  23. 55.9 : Ps 103.11
  24. 55.10 : Isa 30.23; 2 Cor 9.10
  25. 55.11 : Isa 45.23; 46.10; 59.21
  26. 55.12 : 1 Chr 16.33; Isa 44.23; 51.11; 54.10, 13
  27. 55.13 : Isa 19.20; 32.13; 41.19; 63.12, 14
  28. 56.1 : Isa 46.13; 61.8
  29. 56.2 : Isa 58.13
  30. 56.3 : v 6; Acts 8.27
  31. 56.4 : vv 2, 6
  32. 56.5 : v 7; Isa 26.1; 48.19; 62.2; 66.20
  33. 56.6 : vv 2, 4; Isa 60.10; 61.5
  34. 56.7 : Isa 11.9; 65.25; Mt 21.13; Mk 11.17; Lk 19.46; Rom 12.1; Heb 13.15
  35. 56.8 : Isa 11.12; 60.3–11; Jn 10.16
  36. 56.9 : Jer 12.9
  37. 56.10 : Isa 29.9–14; Nah 3.18
  38. 57.1 : Ps 12.1; Isa 42.25; 47.7, 11
  39. 57.2 : Isa 26.7
  40. 57.3 : Isa 1.21; Mt 16.4
  41. 57.4 : Isa 48.8
  42. 57.5 : Lev 18.21; 2 Kings 16.3, 4; Jer 7.31
  43. 57.6 : Jer 3.9; 5.9, 29; 7.18
  44. 57.7 : Ezek 16.16; 23.14
  45. 57.8 : Ezek 16.26, 28; 23.7, 18
  46. 57.9 : Ezek 23.16, 40
  47. 57.10 : Isa 47.13; Jer 2.25
  48. 57.11 : v 1; Ps 50.21; Isa 51.12; Jer 2.32
  49. 57.13 : Isa 25.4; 60.21; 65.9; Jer 22.20
  50. 57.14 : Isa 62.10; Jer 18.15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,[a] for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise(A)— 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.(B)

Slaves and Masters

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect[b] and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ,(C) 6 not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul. 7 Render service with enthusiasm, as for the Lord and not for humans, 8 knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are enslaved or free.

9 And, masters,[c] do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Lord[d] in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.(D)

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; 11 put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 12 for our[e] struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present[f] darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.[g](E) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.(F) 14 Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness(G) 15 and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these,[h] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.(H) 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.(I) 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.(J) 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,[i](K) 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.(L)

Personal Matters and Benediction

21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord.(M) 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brothers and sisters and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(N) 24 Grace be with all who have an undying love for[j] our Lord Jesus Christ.[k]

Footnotes:

  1. 6.1 Other ancient authorities lack in the Lord
  2. 6.5 Or fear
  3. 6.9 In Gk the same word is used for master and Lord
  4. 6.9 In Gk the same word is used for master and Lord
  5. 6.12 Other ancient authorities read your
  6. 6.12 Gk lacks present
  7. 6.12 Gk heavenlies
  8. 6.16 Or In all circumstances
  9. 6.19 Other ancient authorities lack of the gospel
  10. 6.24 Or Grace immortal be with all who love
  11. 6.24 Other ancient authorities add Amen

Cross references:

  1. 6.2 : Deut 5.16
  2. 6.4 : Gen 18.19; Col 3.21
  3. 6.5 : 1 Chr 29.17; Phil 2.12; Col 3.22; 1 Tim 6.1
  4. 6.9 : Lev 25.43; Jn 13.13; Col 3.25
  5. 6.12 : Rom 8.38; 1 Cor 9.25
  6. 6.13 : 2 Cor 10.4; Eph 5.16
  7. 6.14 : Isa 11.5; 59.17
  8. 6.16 : 1 Jn 5.4
  9. 6.17 : Isa 59.17; Heb 4.12
  10. 6.18 : Mt 26.41; Lk 18.1; Phil 1.4
  11. 6.19 : Acts 4.29; 2 Cor 3.12
  12. 6.20 : 2 Cor 5.20; Phil 1.20
  13. 6.21 : Acts 20.4
  14. 6.23 : Gal 5.6; 1 Pet 5.14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 70

Psalm 70

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering.

1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O Lord, make haste to help me!(A)
2 Let those be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who desire to hurt me.(B)
3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!”
turn back because of their shame.(C)

4 Let all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay!(D)

Cross references:

  1. 70.1 : Ps 40.13
  2. 70.2 : Ps 35.4, 26
  3. 70.3 : Ps 40.15
  4. 70.5 : Ps 40.17; 141.1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 24:8

8 Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a mischief-maker.(A)

Cross references:

  1. 24.8 : Prov 6.14; Rom 1.30
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 27, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 51-53

Blessings in Store for God’s People

51 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug.(A)
2 Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah, who bore you,
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.(B)
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.(C)

4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.(D)
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly;
my salvation has gone out,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.(E)
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens
and look at the earth beneath,
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats,[a]
but my salvation will be forever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.(F)

7 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.(G)
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool,
but my deliverance will be forever
and my salvation to all generations.(H)

9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the Lord!
Awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago!
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the dragon?(I)
10 Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep;
who made the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to cross over?(J)
11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with rejoicing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.(K)

12 I, I am he who comforts you;
why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die,
a human being who fades like grass?(L)
13 You have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the foundations of the earth.
You fear continually all day long
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction.
But where is the fury of the oppressor?(M)
14 The oppressed shall speedily be released;
they shall not die and go down to the Pit,
nor shall they lack bread.(N)
15 For I am the Lord your God,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name.(O)
16 I have put my words in your mouth
and hidden you in the shadow of my hand,
stretching out[b] the heavens
and laying the foundations of the earth
and saying to Zion, “You are my people.”(P)

17 Rouse yourself, rouse yourself!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the cup of staggering.(Q)
18 There is no one to guide her
among all the children she has borne;
there is no one to take her by the hand
among all the children she has brought up.(R)
19 These two things have befallen you
—who will grieve with you?—
devastation and destruction, famine and sword.
Who will comfort you?[c](S)
20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a net;
they are full of the wrath of the Lord,
the rebuke of your God.(T)

21 Therefore hear this, you who are wounded,[d]
who are drunk but not with wine:(U)
22 Thus says your Sovereign, the Lord,
your God who pleads the cause of his people:
See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering;
you shall drink no more
from the cup of my wrath.(V)
23 And I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
who have said to you,
“Bow down, that we may walk on you,”
and you have made your back like the ground
and like the street for them to walk on.(W)

Let Zion Rejoice

52 Awake; awake;
put on your strength, O Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city,
for the uncircumcised and the unclean
shall enter you no more.(X)
2 Shake yourself from the dust; rise up,
O captive[e] Jerusalem;
loose the bonds from your neck,
O captive daughter Zion!(Y)

3 For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.(Z) 4 For thus says the Lord God: Long ago, my people went down into Egypt to reside there as aliens; the Assyrian, too, has oppressed them without cause.(AA) 5 Now therefore what am I doing here, says the Lord, seeing that my people are taken away without cause? Their rulers howl, says the Lord, and continually, all day long, my name is despised.(AB) 6 Therefore my people shall know my name; on[f] that day they shall know that it is I who speak—it is I!(AC)

7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”(AD)
8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices;
together they shout for joy,
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.(AE)
9 Break forth; shout together for joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.(AF)
10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.(AG)

11 Depart, depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of it; purify yourselves,
you who carry the vessels of the Lord.(AH)
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(AI)

The Suffering Servant

13 See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up
and shall be very high.(AJ)
14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him[g]
—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals—(AK)
15 so he shall startle[h] many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.(AL)

53 Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?(AM)
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.(AN)
3 He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering[i] and acquainted with infirmity,
and as one from whom others hide their faces[j]
he was despised, and we held him of no account.(AO)

4 Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases,
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.(AP)
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.(AQ)
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.(AR)

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.(AS)
8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.(AT)
9 They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb[k] with the rich,[l]
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.(AU)

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with affliction.
When you make his life an offering for sin,[m]
he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.(AV)
11 Out of his anguish he shall see;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one,[n] my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.(AW)
12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out himself to death
and was numbered with the transgressors,
yet he bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.(AX)

Footnotes:

  1. 51.6 Or in like manner
  2. 51.16 Syr: Heb planting
  3. 51.19 Q ms Gk Syr Vg: MT how may I comfort you?
  4. 51.21 Or humbled
  5. 52.2 Cn: Heb rise up, sit
  6. 52.6 Q ms Syr Vg Tg: MT therefore on
  7. 52.14 Syr Tg: Heb you
  8. 52.15 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  9. 53.3 Or a man of sorrows
  10. 53.3 Or as one who hides his face from us
  11. 53.9 Q ms: MT and in his death
  12. 53.9 Cn: Heb with a rich person
  13. 53.10 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  14. 53.11 Or and he shall find satisfaction. Through his knowledge, the righteous one

Cross references:

  1. 51.1 : v 7; Ps 94.15
  2. 51.2 : Gen 12.1; 24.35; Rom 4.16; Heb 11.11, 12
  3. 51.3 : Gen 13.10; Isa 40.1; 52.9; 66.10; Joel 2.3
  4. 51.4 : Ps 50.7; Isa 2.3; 42.4, 6
  5. 51.5 : Isa 40.10; 42.4; 46.13; 63.5
  6. 51.6 : Ps 102.26; Isa 40.26; 45.17; Mt 24.35; 2 Pet 3.10
  7. 51.7 : v 1; Ps 37.31; Mt 5.11; Acts 5.41
  8. 51.8 : v 6; Isa 50.9
  9. 51.9 : Deut 4.34; Ps 74.13; 89.10; Isa 52.1; Ezek 29.3
  10. 51.10 : Ex 14.21; Isa 43.16; 63.9, 16
  11. 51.11 : Isa 35.10; 60.19; Rev 7.17; 22.3
  12. 51.12 : v 3; Ps 118.6; Isa 40.6, 7; 2 Cor 1.3; 1 Pet 1.24
  13. 51.13 : Job 9.8; Ps 104.2; Isa 7.4; 17.10; 40.22; 49.26
  14. 51.14 : Isa 38.18; 49.10; 52.2
  15. 51.15 : Jer 31.35
  16. 51.16 : Deut 18.18; Isa 49.2; 59.21; 65.17
  17. 51.17 : Job 21.20; Isa 52.1; Jer 25.15
  18. 51.18 : Isa 59.21
  19. 51.19 : Isa 9.20
  20. 51.20 : Isa 5.25; 42.25; 66.15
  21. 51.21 : Isa 29.9; 54.11
  22. 51.22 : v 17; Jer 50.34
  23. 51.23 : Josh 10.24; Jer 25.15–17, 26, 28; Zech 12.2
  24. 52.1 : Neh 11.1; Isa 51.9, 17; Mt 4.5; Rev 21.2, 27
  25. 52.2 : Isa 9.4; 29.4; 51.14
  26. 52.3 : Ps 44.12; Isa 45.13; 63.4
  27. 52.4 : Gen 46.6
  28. 52.5 : Ezek 36.20; Rom 2.24
  29. 52.6 : Isa 49.23
  30. 52.7 : Ps 93.1; Nah 1.15; Rom 10.15
  31. 52.8 : Isa 62.6
  32. 52.9 : Isa 44.23, 26; 48.20
  33. 52.10 : Ps 98.2, 3; Isa 45.22; 48.20; Lk 3.6
  34. 52.11 : Isa 1.16; Jer 50.8; 2 Cor 6.17; 2 Tim 2.19
  35. 52.12 : Ex 12.33; Isa 42.16; 58.8
  36. 52.13 : Isa 42.1; Phil 2.9
  37. 52.14 : Ps 22.6, 7; Isa 53.2, 3
  38. 52.15 : Ezek 36.25; Rom 15.21
  39. 53.1 : Jn 12.38; Rom 10.16
  40. 53.2 : Isa 11.1; 52.14
  41. 53.3 : v 10; Ps 22.6; Jn 1.10, 11
  42. 53.4 : Mt 8.17; Heb 9.28; 1 Pet 2.24
  43. 53.5 : Rom 4.25; 1 Cor 15.3; 1 Pet 2.24
  44. 53.6 : v 11
  45. 53.7 : Mt 26.63; Acts 8.32
  46. 53.8 : vv 5, 12
  47. 53.9 : Mt 27.57; 1 Pet 2.22
  48. 53.10 : vv 3–6; Isa 46.10; 54.3
  49. 53.11 : vv 5, 6; Jn 10.14–18; Rom 5.18, 19
  50. 53.12 : Isa 52.13; Mt 26.38, 39, 42; Lk 22.37; 2 Cor 5.21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 5

5 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,(A) 2 and walk in love, as Christ loved us[a] and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.(B)

Renounce Pagan Ways

3 But sexual immorality and impurity of any kind or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints.(C) 4 Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. 5 Be sure of this, that no sexually immoral or impure person or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.(D)

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.[b](E) 7 Therefore do not be associated with them, 8 for once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light,(F) 9 for the fruit of the light[c] is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them.(G) 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”(H)

15 Be careful, then, how you live,[d] not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.(I) 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.(J) 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,(K) 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts,(L) 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,(M) 21 being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The Christian Household

22 Wives, be subject[e] to your husbands as to the Lord,(N) 23 for the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.(O) 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, so that she may be holy and without blemish.(P) 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body.[f](Q) 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”(R) 32 This is a great mystery, but I am speaking about Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect[g] her husband.

Footnotes:

  1. 5.2 Other ancient authorities read you
  2. 5.6 Gk sons of disobedience
  3. 5.9 Other ancient authorities read of the Spirit
  4. 5.15 Gk walk
  5. 5.22 Gk lacks be subject
  6. 5.30 Other ancient authorities add of his flesh and of his bones
  7. 5.33 Or fear

Cross references:

  1. 5.1 : Lk 6.36
  2. 5.2 : 2 Cor 2.15; Gal 1.4; 1 Thess 4.9
  3. 5.3 : Rom 6.13; 1 Cor 5.1
  4. 5.5 : 1 Cor 6.9; Col 3.5
  5. 5.6 : Jer 29.8; Rom 1.18
  6. 5.8 : Lk 16.8; Jn 8.12
  7. 5.11 : Rom 6.21; 1 Cor 5.9
  8. 5.14 : Isa 60.1; Jn 5.25
  9. 5.16 : Eph 6.13; Col 4.5
  10. 5.17 : Rom 12.2; 1 Thess 4.3
  11. 5.18 : Prov 20.1; Lk 1.15
  12. 5.19 : Acts 16.25; Col 3.16
  13. 5.20 : Ps 34.1; Heb 13.15
  14. 5.22 : Gen 3.16; Eph 6.5
  15. 5.23 : 1 Cor 11.3; Eph 1.23; Col 1.18
  16. 5.27 : Eph 1.4; Col 1.22
  17. 5.30 : 1 Cor 6.15; Eph 1.23
  18. 5.31 : Gen 2.24; Mt 19.5; 1 Cor 6.16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 69:19-36

19 You know the insults I receive
and my shame and dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.(A)
20 Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.(B)
21 They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.(C)

22 Let their table be a trap for them,
a snare for their allies.(D)
23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.(E)
24 Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.(F)
25 May their camp be a desolation;
let no one live in their tents.(G)
26 For they persecute those whom you have struck down,
and those whom you have wounded they attack still more.[a](H)
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
may they have no acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.(I)
29 But I am lowly and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, protect me.(J)

30 I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.(K)
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.(L)
32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.(M)
33 For the Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his own who are in bonds.(N)

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.(O)
35 For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his servants shall live[b] there and possess it;(P)
36 the children of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall live in it.(Q)

Footnotes:

  1. 69.26 Gk Syr: Heb recount the pain of
  2. 69.35 Syr: Heb and they shall live

Cross references:

  1. 69.19 : Ps 22.6, 7; Isa 53.3
  2. 69.20 : Job 16.2; Isa 63.5; Jer 23.9
  3. 69.21 : Mt 27.34; Jn 19.29
  4. 69.22 : Rom 11.9, 10
  5. 69.23 : Isa 6.9, 10; Dan 5.6
  6. 69.24 : Ps 79.6
  7. 69.25 : Mt 23.38; Acts 1.20
  8. 69.26 : Isa 53.4
  9. 69.28 : Ex 32.32; Phil 4.3
  10. 69.29 : Ps 59.1; 70.5
  11. 69.30 : Ps 28.7; 34.3; 50.14
  12. 69.31 : Ps 50.13, 14
  13. 69.32 : Ps 22.26; 34.2
  14. 69.33 : Ps 68.6
  15. 69.34 : Ps 96.11; 148.1; Isa 44.23; 49.13
  16. 69.35 : Ps 51.18; Isa 44.26
  17. 69.36 : Ps 37.29; 102.28
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 24:7

7 Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the gate they do not open their mouths.(A)

Cross references:

  1. 24.7 : Ps 10.5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 26, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

12 Listen to me, O Jacob,
and Israel, whom I called:
I am he; I am the first,
and I am the last.(A)
13 My hand laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
they stand at attention.(B)

14 Assemble, all of you, and hear!
Who among them has declared these things?
The one the Lord loves shall perform his purpose against Babylon,
and his arm shall be against the Chaldeans.(C)
15 I, even I, have spoken and called him;
I have brought him, and he will prosper in his way.(D)
16 Draw near to me; hear this!
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit.(E)

17 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you how to succeed,
who leads you in the way you should go.(F)
18 O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your prosperity would have been like a river
and your success like the waves of the sea;(G)
19 your offspring would have been like the sand
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.(H)

20 Go out from Babylon; flee from Chaldea;
declare this with a shout of joy; proclaim it;
send it forth to the end of the earth;
say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”(I)
21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts;
he made water flow for them from the rock;
he split open the rock, and the water gushed out.(J)

22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”(K)

The Servant’s Mission

49 Listen to me, O coastlands;
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born;
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.(L)
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.(M)
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”(N)
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord
and my reward with my God.”(O)

5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—(P)
6 he says,
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”(Q)

7 Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
“Kings shall see and stand up;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”(R)

Zion’s Children to Be Brought Home

8 Thus says the Lord:
In a time of favor I have answered you;
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,[a]
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,(S)
9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways;
on all the bare heights[b] shall be their pasture;(T)
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them
and by springs of water will guide them.(U)
11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.(V)
12 Look, some shall come from far away,
some from the north and from the west,
and some from the land of Syene.[c](W)

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.(X)

14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”(Y)
15 Can a woman forget her nursing child
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these might forget,
yet I will not forget you.(Z)
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.(AA)
17 Your builders outdo your destroyers,[d]
and those who laid you waste go away from you.(AB)
18 Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather; they come to you.
As I live, says the Lord,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.(AC)

19 For your wastelands, your desolate places,
and your devastated land—
now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and those who swallowed you up will be far away.(AD)
20 The children born in the time of your bereavement
will yet say in your hearing:
“The place is too crowded for me;
make room for me to settle.”(AE)
21 Then you will say in your heart,
“Who has borne me these?
I was bereaved and barren,
exiled and put away—
so who has reared these?
I was left all alone—
where, then, have these come from?”(AF)

22 Thus says the Lord God:
I will soon lift up my hand to the nations
and raise my signal to the peoples,
and they shall bring your sons in their bosom,
and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.(AG)
23 Kings shall be your foster fathers
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.(AH)

24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty
or the captives of a tyrant[e] be rescued?
25 But thus says the Lord:
Even the captives of the mighty will be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant will be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.(AI)
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh,
and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.
Then all flesh shall know
that I am the Lord your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.(AJ)

50 Thus says the Lord:
Where is your mother’s bill of divorce
with which I dismissed her?
Or which of my creditors is it
to whom I have sold you?
No, because of your sins you were sold,
and for your transgressions your mother was dismissed.(AK)
2 Why was no one there when I came?
Why did no one answer when I called?
Is my arm powerless to redeem?
Or have I no strength to deliver?
By my rebuke I dry up the sea;
I make the rivers a desert,
so that their fish stink for lack of water
and die of thirst.[f](AL)
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness
and make sackcloth their covering.(AM)

The Servant’s Humiliation and Vindication

4 The Lord God has given me
a trained tongue,[g]
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens,
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.(AN)
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious;
I did not turn backward.(AO)
6 I gave my back to those who struck me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.(AP)

7 The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;(AQ)
8 he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand in court together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.(AR)
9 It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
All of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.(AS)

10 Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys the voice of his servant,
who walks in darkness
and has no light,
yet trusts in the name of the Lord
and relies upon his God?(AT)
11 But all of you are kindlers of fire,
lighters of firebrands.[h]
Walk in the flame of your fire
and among the brands that you have kindled!
This is what you shall have from my hand:
you shall lie down in torment.(AU)

Footnotes:

  1. 49.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 49.9 Or the trails
  3. 49.12 Q ms: MT Sinim
  4. 49.17 Or Your children come swiftly; your destroyers
  5. 49.24 Q ms Syr Vg: MT of a righteous person
  6. 50.2 Or die on the thirsty ground
  7. 50.4 Cn: Heb of those who are taught
  8. 50.11 Syr: Heb you gird yourselves with firebrands

Cross references:

  1. 48.12 : Deut 32.39; Isa 41.4; Rev 1.17; 22.13
  2. 48.13 : Ps 102.25; Isa 40.26
  3. 48.14 : Isa 43.9; 45.21; 46.10, 11; Jer 50.21–29
  4. 48.15 : Isa 41.2; 45.1, 2
  5. 48.16 : Isa 41.1; 43.13; 45.19; Zech 2.9, 11
  6. 48.17 : Ps 32.8; Isa 43.14
  7. 48.18 : Deut 32.29; Ps 119.165; Isa 61.10, 11
  8. 48.19 : Gen 22.17; Isa 56.5; 66.22; Jer 32.22
  9. 48.20 : Isa 42.10; 43.1; 62.11; Jer 50.8
  10. 48.21 : Ex 17.6; Ps 105.41; Isa 41.17
  11. 48.22 : Isa 57.21
  12. 49.1 : Isa 7.14; 9.6; 42.4; 44.2, 24; 66.19; Mt 1.20; Gal 1.15
  13. 49.2 : Isa 11.4; 51.16; Hab 3.11; Heb 4.12
  14. 49.3 : Isa 42.1; 44.23
  15. 49.4 : Isa 65.23
  16. 49.5 : Isa 12.2; 27.12; 43.4; 44.2, 23
  17. 49.6 : Isa 42.6; Lk 2.32; Acts 13.47; 26.23
  18. 49.7 : Ps 22.6–8; Isa 48.17; 52.15; 53.3; 66.23
  19. 49.8 : Ps 69.13; Isa 42.6; 44.26; 2 Cor 6.2
  20. 49.9 : Isa 41.18; 42.7; Lk 4.18
  21. 49.10 : Ps 121.6; Isa 14.1; 40.11; 41.17; Rev 7.16
  22. 49.11 : Isa 40.4; 62.10
  23. 49.12 : Isa 43.5, 6
  24. 49.13 : Isa 40.1; 44.23; 54.7, 8, 10; Rev 12.12; 18.20
  25. 49.14 : Isa 40.27
  26. 49.15 : Isa 44.21
  27. 49.16 : Song 8.6; Isa 62.6, 7
  28. 49.17 : v 19
  29. 49.18 : Isa 43.5; 45.23; 52.1; 60.4
  30. 49.19 : Ps 56.1, 2; Isa 51.3; 54.1, 2; Zech 10.10
  31. 49.20 : Isa 54.1–3
  32. 49.21 : Isa 1.8; 5.13; 27.10; 54.6, 7
  33. 49.22 : Isa 60.4; 62.10; 66.20
  34. 49.23 : Ps 25.3; 72.9; Isa 25.9; 43.10; 45.14; 60.16; Mic 7.17
  35. 49.25 : Isa 14.1, 2; 25.9
  36. 49.26 : v 7; Isa 9.4, 20; 43.3; 45.6
  37. 50.1 : Deut 24.1, 3; 32.30; Isa 48.8; 52.3; 54.6, 7; Jer 3.8
  38. 50.2 : Ex 14.21; Num 11.23; Josh 3.16; Isa 59.1; 65.12; 66.4
  39. 50.3 : Isa 13.10; Rev 6.12
  40. 50.4 : Ps 143.8; Isa 54.13; Jer 31.25
  41. 50.5 : Ps 40.6; Mt 26.39; Jn 8.29; 14.31; Phil 2.8
  42. 50.6 : Isa 53.5; Mt 26.67; Lk 22.63
  43. 50.7 : Isa 49.8; 54.4; Ezek 3.8, 9
  44. 50.8 : Rom 8.32–34
  45. 50.9 : Isa 41.10; 51.8; 54.17
  46. 50.10 : Isa 9.2; 12.2; 49.2, 3; Eph 5.8
  47. 50.11 : Ps 35.8; Isa 65.13–15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 4:17-32

The Old Life and the New

17 Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer walk as the[a] gentiles walk, in the futility of their minds;(A) 18 they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.(B) 19 They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 That is not the way you learned Christ! 21 For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, 22 to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,(C) 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.(D)

Rules for the New Life

25 So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another.(E) 26 Be angry but do not sin;[b] do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not make room for the devil. 28 Those who steal must give up stealing; rather, let them labor, doing good work with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up,[c] as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.(F) 31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice.(G) 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.[d](H)

Footnotes:

  1. 4.17 Other ancient authorities add other
  2. 4.26 Or If you are angry, do not sin
  3. 4.29 Other ancient authorities read building up faith
  4. 4.32 Other ancient authorities read us

Cross references:

  1. 4.17 : Rom 1.21; Col 3.7
  2. 4.18 : 2 Cor 3.14; Eph 2.1, 12
  3. 4.22 : Rom 6.6; 1 Pet 2.1
  4. 4.24 : Rom 6.4; 2 Cor 5.17
  5. 4.25 : Zech 8.16; Rom 12.5
  6. 4.30 : Rom 8.23; 1 Thess 5.19
  7. 4.31 : Col 3.8; Titus 3.3
  8. 4.32 : Mt 6.14, 15; 2 Cor 2.10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 69:1-18

Psalm 69

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecution

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.

1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.(A)
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.(B)
3 I am weary with my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.(C)

4 More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal,
must I now restore?(D)
5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.(E)

6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,
O God of Israel.
7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that shame has covered my face.(F)
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.(G)

9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.(H)
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting,[a]
they insulted me for doing so.(I)
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.(J)
12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.(K)

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help(L) 14 rescue me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.(M)
15 Do not let the flood sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up
or the Pit close its mouth over me.(N)

16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.(O)
17 Do not hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.(P)
18 Draw near to me; redeem me;
set me free because of my enemies.

Footnotes:

  1. 69.10 Gk Syr: Heb I wept, with fasting my soul, or I made my soul mourn with fasting

Cross references:

  1. 69.1 : vv 14, 15
  2. 69.2 : Ps 40.2; Jon 2.3
  3. 69.3 : Ps 6.6; 119.82; Isa 38.14
  4. 69.4 : Ps 35.11, 19; 38.19; Jn 15.25
  5. 69.5 : Ps 38.5; 44.21
  6. 69.7 : Jer 15.15
  7. 69.8 : Ps 31.11; Isa 53.3
  8. 69.9 : Ps 89.50; Jn 2.17
  9. 69.10 : Ps 35.13
  10. 69.11 : Ps 35.13; Jer 24.9
  11. 69.12 : Job 30.9
  12. 69.13 : Ps 51.1; Isa 49.8; 2 Cor 6.2
  13. 69.14 : v 2; Ps 144.7
  14. 69.15 : Num 16.33; Ps 124.4, 5
  15. 69.16 : Ps 25.16; 51.1; 63.3
  16. 69.17 : Ps 27.9; 66.14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 24:5-6

5 Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones[a]
and those who have knowledge than those who have strength,(A)
6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.(B)

Footnotes:

  1. 24.5 Gk Compare Syr Tg: Heb A wise man is strength

Cross references:

  1. 24.5 : Prov 21.22
  2. 24.6 : Lk 14.31
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 25, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 45:11-48

11 Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and its Maker:
Will you question me[a] about my children
or command me concerning the work of my hands?(A)
12 I made the earth
and created humankind upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
and I commanded all their host.(B)
13 I have aroused Cyrus[b] in righteousness,
and I will make all his paths straight;
he shall build my city
and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,
says the Lord of hosts.(C)
14 Thus says the Lord:
The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush
and the Sabeans, tall of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying,
“God is with you alone, and there is no other;
there is no god besides him.”(D)
15 Truly, you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, the Savior.(E)
16 All of them are put to shame and confounded;
the makers of idols go in disgrace together.(F)
17 But Israel is saved by the Lord
with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded
ever again.(G)

18 For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it a chaos;
he formed it to be inhabited!):
I am the Lord, and there is no other.(H)
19 I did not speak in secret
in a land of darkness;
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,
“Seek me in chaos.”
I the Lord speak the truth;
I declare what is right.(I)

Idols Cannot Save Babylon

20 Assemble yourselves and come together;
draw near, you survivors of the nations!
They have no knowledge—
those who carry about their wooden idols
and keep on praying to a god
that cannot save.(J)
21 Declare and present your case;
take counsel together![c]
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.(K)

22 Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other.(L)
23 By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
“To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear.”(M)

24 Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
shall come to him and be ashamed.(N)
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
shall triumph and glory.(O)

46 Bel bows down; Nebo stoops;
their idols are on beasts and cattle;
these things you carry are loaded
as burdens on weary animals.(P)
2 They stoop; they bow down together;
they cannot save the burden
but themselves go into captivity.(Q)

3 Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from your birth,
carried from the womb;(R)
4 even to your old age I am he;
even when you turn gray I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.(S)

5 To whom will you liken me and make me equal
and compare me, as though we were alike?(T)
6 Those who lavish gold from the purse
and weigh out silver in the scales—
they hire a goldsmith, who makes it into a god;
then they fall down and worship!(U)
7 They lift it to their shoulders; they carry it;
they set it in its place, and it stands there;
it cannot move from its place.
If one cries out to it, it does not answer
or save anyone from trouble.(V)

8 Remember this and consider;[d]
recall it to mind, you transgressors;(W)
9 remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like me,(X)
10 declaring the outcome from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, “My purpose shall stand,
and I will fulfill my intention,”(Y)
11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man for my purpose from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have planned, and I will do it.(Z)

12 Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
you who are far from deliverance:(AA)
13 I bring near my deliverance; it is not far off,
and my salvation will not tarry;
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.(AB)

The Humiliation of Babylon

47 Come down and sit in the dust,
virgin daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground without a throne,
daughter Chaldea!
For you shall no more be called
tender and delicate.(AC)
2 Take the millstones and grind meal;
remove your veil;
strip off your robe; uncover your legs;
pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
and your shame shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
and I will spare no one.[e](AD)
4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
is the Holy One of Israel.(AE)

5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
daughter Chaldea!
For you shall no more be called
the mistress of kingdoms.(AF)
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke
exceedingly heavy.(AG)
7 You said, “I shall be mistress forever,”
so that you did not lay these things to heart
or remember their end.(AH)

8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow
or know the loss of children”—(AI)
9 both these things shall come upon you
in a moment, in one day:
the loss of children and widowhood
shall come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries
and the great power of your enchantments.(AJ)

10 You felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one sees me.”
Your wisdom and your knowledge
led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”(AK)
11 But evil shall come upon you,
which you cannot charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
which you will not be able to ward off,
and ruin shall come on you suddenly,
of which you know nothing.(AL)

12 Stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries,
with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
perhaps you may inspire terror.(AM)
13 You are wearied with your many consultations;
let those who study[f] the heavens
stand up and save you,
those who gaze at the stars
and at each new moon predict
what[g] shall befall you.(AN)

14 See, they are like stubble;
the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!(AO)
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
who have trafficked with you from your youth;
they all wander about in their own paths;
there is no one to save you.(AP)

God the Creator and Redeemer

48 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel
and who came forth from the loins[h] of Judah,
who swear by the name of the Lord
and invoke the God of Israel
but not in truth or right.(AQ)
2 For they call themselves after the holy city
and lean on the God of Israel;
the Lord of hosts is his name.(AR)

3 The former things I declared long ago;
they went out from my mouth, and I made them known;
then suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.(AS)
4 Because I know that you are obstinate,
and your neck is an iron sinew
and your forehead brass,(AT)
5 I declared them to you from long ago,
before they came to pass I announced them to you,
so that you would not say, “My idol did them;
my carved image and my cast image commanded them.”(AU)

6 You have heard; now see all this;
and will you not declare it?
From this time forward I tell you new things,
hidden things that you have not known.(AV)
7 They are created now, not long ago;
before today you have never heard of them,
so that you could not say, “I already knew them.”
8 You have never heard; you have never known;
from of old your ear has not been opened.
For I knew that you would act very treacherously
and that from birth you were called a rebel.(AW)

9 For my name’s sake I defer my anger;
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
so that I may not cut you off.(AX)
10 See, I have refined you but not like[i] silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of adversity.(AY)
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for why should my name[j] be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.(AZ)

Footnotes:

  1. 45.11 Cn: Heb Ask me of things to come
  2. 45.13 Heb him
  3. 45.21 Syr Vg: Heb let them take counsel
  4. 46.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 47.3 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  6. 47.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  7. 47.13 Gk Syr Compare Vg: Heb from what
  8. 48.1 Cn: Heb waters
  9. 48.10 Cn: Heb with
  10. 48.11 Gk OL: Heb for why should it

Cross references:

  1. 45.11 : Isa 8.19; 43.15; 54.5; Jer 31.9
  2. 45.12 : v 18; Neh 9.6; Isa 42.5
  3. 45.13 : v 2; Isa 41.2; 44.28; 52.3
  4. 45.14 : Ps 149.8; Isa 14.1, 2; 49.23; Jer 16.19; 1 Cor 14.25
  5. 45.15 : Isa 8.17; 43.3
  6. 45.16 : Isa 44.9, 11
  7. 45.17 : Isa 26.4; 49.23; Rom 11.26
  8. 45.18 : vv 5, 12; Gen 1.2, 26; Isa 42.5
  9. 45.19 : Isa 41.8; 44.8; 48.16; 63.1; Jer 29.13, 14
  10. 45.20 : Isa 43.9; 44.18, 19; 46.6, 7; Jer 10.5
  11. 45.21 : v 5; Isa 41.23, 26; 43.3, 11
  12. 45.22 : Num 21.8, 9; Isa 30.15; 49.6, 12
  13. 45.23 : Isa 55.11; 62.8; 65.16; Rom 14.11
  14. 45.24 : Isa 41.11; 54.17
  15. 45.25 : Isa 53.11; 60.19
  16. 46.1 : Isa 45.20; Jer 50.2–4
  17. 46.2 : Jer 43.12, 13
  18. 46.3 : v 12; Isa 10.21, 22; 45.19; 63.9
  19. 46.4 : Ps 71.18; Isa 43.13
  20. 46.5 : Isa 40.18, 25
  21. 46.6 : Isa 40.19; 44.15, 17
  22. 46.7 : v 1; Isa 40.20; 41.26, 28; 44.17; 45.20
  23. 46.8 : Isa 44.19, 21; 48.8
  24. 46.9 : Isa 41.26, 27; 45.5, 21
  25. 46.10 : Isa 14.24; 45.21; Acts 5.39
  26. 46.11 : Isa 18.6; 37.26; 41.2, 25
  27. 46.12 : v 3; Isa 48.4; Jer 2.5
  28. 46.13 : Isa 43.7; 44.23; 61.11
  29. 47.1 : Jer 46.11; 48.18; 51.33
  30. 47.3 : Isa 34.8; 63.4; Ezek 16.37
  31. 47.4 : Isa 41.14
  32. 47.5 : v 7; Isa 13.10, 19; 23.2; Dan 2.37
  33. 47.6 : Deut 28.50; Isa 10.13; 43.28; Zech 1.15
  34. 47.7 : v 5; Isa 42.25; 45.21
  35. 47.8 : Isa 32.9, 11; Zeph 2.15; Rev 18.7
  36. 47.9 : Isa 13.16, 18; Nah 3.4; 1 Thess 5.3
  37. 47.10 : v 8; Ps 52.7; Isa 29.15; 44.20
  38. 47.11 : v 9; Isa 57.1; 1 Thess 5.3
  39. 47.12 : v 9
  40. 47.13 : Isa 57.10; Dan 2.2
  41. 47.14 : Nah 1.10; Mal 4.1
  42. 47.15 : Isa 43.13; 46.7; Rev 18.11
  43. 48.1 : Num 24.7; Ps 68.26; Isa 45.23; 46.12
  44. 48.2 : Isa 52.1; Mic 3.11; Rom 2.17
  45. 48.3 : Josh 21.45; Isa 41.22; 42.9; 43.9; 44.7, 8; 45.21
  46. 48.4 : Ex 32.9; Deut 31.27; Ezek 2.4; 3.7–9
  47. 48.5 : Ezek 2.4; 3.7
  48. 48.6 : Isa 42.9; 43.19
  49. 48.8 : Ps 58.3; Isa 42.25; 46.8
  50. 48.9 : v 11; Ps 78.38; Isa 30.18
  51. 48.10 : Jer 9.7; 11.4; Ezek 22.18–22
  52. 48.11 : v 9; Deut 32.26; Isa 42.8; Ezek 20.9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 4:1-16

Unity in the Body of Christ

4 I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,(A) 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,(B) 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: 4 there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,(C) 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.[a]

7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.(D) 8 Therefore it is said,

“When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive;[b]
he gave gifts to his people.”(E)

9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended[c] into the lower parts of the earth?[d] 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers(F) 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,(G) 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity,[e] to the measure of the full stature of Christ.(H) 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming;(I) 15 but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,(J) 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Footnotes:

  1. 4.6 Other ancient authorities read in us all
  2. 4.8 Or he led captive a host of captives
  3. 4.9 Other ancient authorities add first
  4. 4.9 Or parts, to the earth
  5. 4.13 Gk to a mature man

Cross references:

  1. 4.1 : Eph 3.1; Col 1.10
  2. 4.2 : Eph 1.4; Col 3.12
  3. 4.4 : 1 Cor 12.12; Eph 1.18; 2.16
  4. 4.7 : Rom 12.3
  5. 4.8 : Judg 5.12; Ps 68.18; Col 2.15
  6. 4.11 : 1 Cor 12.28
  7. 4.12 : 1 Cor 12.27; 2 Cor 13.9; Eph 1.23
  8. 4.13 : 1 Cor 14.20; Col 1.28; 2.2
  9. 4.14 : 1 Cor 14.20; Eph 6.11
  10. 4.15 : 2 Cor 4.2; Col 1.18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 68:19-35

19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah(A)
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.(B)

21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.(C)
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,(D)
23 so that you may bathe[a] your feet in blood,
so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.”(E)

24 Your solemn processions are seen,[b] O God,
the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—(F)
25 the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them young women playing tambourines:(G)
26 “Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”(H)
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in a body,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.(I)

28 Summon your might, O God;
show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
kings bear gifts to you.(J)
30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample[c] under foot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.[d](K)
31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
let Cush hasten to stretch out its hands to God.(L)

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.(M)
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel
and whose power is in the skies.(N)
35 Awesome is God in his[e] sanctuary,
the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!(O)

Footnotes:

  1. 68.23 Gk Syr Tg: Heb shatter
  2. 68.24 Or have been seen
  3. 68.30 Cn: Heb Trampling
  4. 68.30 Meaning of Heb of 68.30 is uncertain
  5. 68.35 Gk: Heb from your

Cross references:

  1. 68.19 : Ps 55.22; 65.5
  2. 68.20 : Ps 49.15; 56.13
  3. 68.21 : Ps 55.23; 110.6
  4. 68.22 : Ex 14.22; Num 21.33
  5. 68.23 : 1 Kings 21.9; Ps 58.10
  6. 68.24 : Ps 63.2; 77.13
  7. 68.25 : Judg 11.34; 1 Chr 13.8
  8. 68.26 : Deut 33.28; Ps 26.12; Isa 48.1
  9. 68.27 : 1 Sam 9.21
  10. 68.29 : Ps 72.10
  11. 68.30 : Ps 22.12; 89.10
  12. 68.31 : Isa 19.19; 45.14
  13. 68.33 : Deut 10.14; Ps 18.10; 29.4; 46.6
  14. 68.34 : Ps 29.1
  15. 68.35 : Ps 29.11; 47.2; 66.20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 24:3-4

3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;(A)
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.

Cross references:

  1. 24.3 : Prov 9.1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday September 24, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 43:14-45:10

14 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
For your sake I will send to Babylon
and break down all the bars,
and the shouting of the Chaldeans will be turned to lamentation.[a](A)
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,(B)
17 who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down; they cannot rise;
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:(C)
18 Do not remember the former things
or consider the things of old.(D)
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.(E)
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,(F)
21 the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.(G)

22 Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!(H)
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with frankincense.(I)
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Rather, you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.(J)

25 I alone am the one
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.(K)
26 Accuse me; let us go to trial;
set forth your case, so that you may be proved right.(L)
27 Your first ancestor sinned,
and your mediators rebelled against me.
28 Therefore I profaned the princes of the sanctuary;
I delivered Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.(M)

God’s Blessing on Israel

44 But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!(N)
2 Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you in the womb and will help you:
Do not fear, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.(O)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my spirit upon your descendants
and my blessing on your offspring.(P)
4 They shall spring up like a green tamarisk,[b]
like willows by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, “I am the Lord’s”;
another will be called by the name of Jacob;
yet another will write on the hand, “The Lord’s,”
and adopt the name of Israel.(Q)

6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.(R)
7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it;
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?[c]
Let them tell us[d] what is yet to be.(S)
8 Do not fear or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.(T)

The Absurdity of Idol Worship

9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit; their witnesses neither see nor know, and so they will be put to shame.(U) 10 Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do no good?(V) 11 All its devotees shall be put to shame; the artisans, too, are merely human. Let them all assemble; let them stand up; they shall be terrified; they shall all be put to shame.(W)

12 The blacksmith works it with a tool over the coals, shaping it with hammers and forging it with his strong arm; he becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint.(X) 13 The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine.(Y) 14 He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it can be used as fuel. Part of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down before it.(Z) 16 Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he roasts meat, eats it,[e] and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, “Ah, I am warm[f] by the fire!” 17 The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, bows down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, “Save me, for you are my god!”(AA)

18 They do not know, nor do they comprehend, for their eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds as well, so that they cannot understand.(AB) 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. Now shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”(AC) 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?”(AD)

Israel Is Not Forgotten

21 Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
O Israel, do not forget me.[g](AE)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.(AF)

23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
shout, O depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
and will be glorified in Israel.(AG)

24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you in the womb:
I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who by myself spread out the earth;(AH)
25 who frustrates the omens of soothsayers
and makes fools of diviners;
who turns back the wise
and makes their knowledge foolish;(AI)
26 who confirms the word of his servant
and fulfills the prediction of his messengers;
who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be inhabited,”
and of the cities of Judah, “They shall be rebuilt,
and I will raise up their ruins”;(AJ)
27 who says to the deep, “Be dry—
I will dry up your rivers”;(AK)
28 who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,
and he shall carry out all my purpose”;
and who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be rebuilt,”
and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”(AL)

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

45 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
and the gates shall not be closed:(AM)
2 I will go before you
and level the mountains;[h]
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
and cut through the bars of iron;(AN)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who call you by your name.(AO)
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name;
I give you a title, though you do not know me.(AP)
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
besides me there is no god.
I arm you, though you do not know me,(AQ)
6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
I am the Lord, and there is no other.(AR)
7 I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.(AS)

8 Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,[i]
and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
I the Lord have created it.(AT)

9 Woe to those who strive with their Maker,
earthen vessels with the potter![j]
Does the clay say to the one who fashions it, “What are you making”?
or “Your work has no handles”?(AU)
10 Woe to anyone who says to a father, “What are you fathering?”
or to a woman, “With what are you in labor?”

Footnotes:

  1. 43.14 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 44.4 Q ms: MT in the midst of grass
  3. 44.7 Cn: Heb from my placing an eternal people and things to come
  4. 44.7 Tg: Heb them
  5. 44.16 Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb he eats, he roasts a roast
  6. 44.16 Q ms: MT I see
  7. 44.21 Q ms Compare Gk Syr Tg: MT you will not be forgotten by me
  8. 45.2 Q ms Gk: MT the swellings
  9. 45.8 Q ms: MT that they may bring forth salvation
  10. 45.9 Cn: Heb with the potsherds or with the potters

Cross references:

  1. 43.14 : Isa 13.14, 15; 41.14
  2. 43.16 : Ex 14.16; Josh 3.13; Ps 77.19; Isa 51.10
  3. 43.17 : Ex 14.4–9, 25
  4. 43.18 : Jer 16.14
  5. 43.19 : Ex 17.6; Num 20.11; Isa 35.6; 2 Cor 5.17; Rev 21.5
  6. 43.20 : Isa 48.21
  7. 43.21 : v 1; Ps 102.18; Lk 1.74, 75
  8. 43.22 : Isa 30.9–11; Mal 1.13
  9. 43.23 : Am 5.25; Mal 1.6–8
  10. 43.24 : Ex 30.23; Isa 1.14; Mal 2.17
  11. 43.25 : Isa 44.23; Jer 31.34; Ezek 36.22
  12. 43.26 : v 9; Isa 1.18
  13. 43.28 : Isa 47.6; Lam 2.2, 6; Zech 8.13
  14. 44.1 : Isa 41.8; Jer 30.10; 46.27, 28
  15. 44.2 : Deut 32.15; Isa 43.1, 7
  16. 44.3 : Isa 35.7; Joel 2.28; Jn 7.38; Acts 2.18
  17. 44.5 : Isa 19.21; Zech 8.20–22
  18. 44.6 : Isa 41.4; 43.1, 14; 48.12; Rev 1.8, 17; 22.13
  19. 44.7 : Isa 41.4, 22
  20. 44.8 : Deut 4.35; 1 Sam 2.2; Isa 26.4; 41.22; 43.10
  21. 44.9 : Isa 41.24; 42.17; 43.9; 66.3
  22. 44.10 : Jer 10.5; Hab 2.18
  23. 44.11 : Isa 1.29; 42.17
  24. 44.12 : Isa 40.19; 41.6; Jer 10.3–5
  25. 44.13 : Ps 115.5–7; Isa 41.7
  26. 44.15 : vv 17, 19; 2 Chr 25.14
  27. 44.17 : v 15; 1 Kings 18.26, 28; Isa 45.20
  28. 44.18 : Isa 1.3; 6.9, 10
  29. 44.19 : Deut 27.15; Isa 5.13; 27.11; 45.20
  30. 44.20 : Job 15.31; Ps 102.9; Isa 57.11
  31. 44.21 : vv 1, 2; Isa 46.8; 49.15
  32. 44.22 : Isa 43.1, 25; 55.7; 1 Pet 1.18, 19
  33. 44.23 : Isa 42.10; 43.1; 55.12; 61.3
  34. 44.24 : v 2; Isa 40.14, 22; 43.14
  35. 44.25 : Isa 29.14; 40.14; 1 Cor 1.20, 27
  36. 44.26 : Isa 49.7–20; 55.11; Jer 32.15, 44
  37. 44.27 : Isa 42.15; 43.16
  38. 44.28 : Isa 14.32; 45.1, 13
  39. 45.1 : v 5; Isa 44.28; Jer 50.3, 35
  40. 45.2 : Ps 107.16; Isa 40.4; Jer 51.30
  41. 45.3 : Isa 43.1; Jer 41.8
  42. 45.4 : Isa 41.8; 43.1; Acts 17.23
  43. 45.5 : v 6; Ps 18.39; Isa 44.6, 8
  44. 45.6 : v 5; Isa 43.5; Mal 1.11
  45. 45.7 : Ps 104.20; Isa 42.16; Am 3.6
  46. 45.8 : Ps 72.6; 85.11; Isa 12.3; 60.21
  47. 45.9 : Isa 29.16; Rom 9.20, 21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 3

Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles

3 This is the reason that I, Paul, am a prisoner for[a] Christ Jesus[b] for the sake of you gentiles, 2 for surely[c] you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,[d](A) 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.(B) 5 In former generations this mystery[e] was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:(C) 6 that is, the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.(D)

7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ(E) 9 and to make everyone see[f] what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in[g] God, who created all things,(F) 10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.[h](G) 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access in boldness and confidence through faith in him.[i](H) 13 I pray, therefore, that you[j] may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

Prayer for the Readers

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,[k] 15 from whom every family[l] in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit(I) 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth(J) 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.(K)

20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,(L) 21 to him be glory in the church and[m] in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes:

  1. 3.1 Or of
  2. 3.1 Other ancient authorities lack Jesus
  3. 3.2 Or if indeed
  4. 3.3 Or wrote before in brief
  5. 3.5 Gk it
  6. 3.9 Other ancient authorities read to bring to light
  7. 3.9 Or by
  8. 3.10 Gk heavenlies
  9. 3.12 Or the faith of him
  10. 3.13 Or I
  11. 3.14 Other ancient authorities add of our Lord Jesus Christ
  12. 3.15 Gk fatherhood
  13. 3.21 Other ancient authorities omit and

Cross references:

  1. 3.3 : Acts 22.17; Rom 16.25; Gal 1.12
  2. 3.4 : 1 Cor 4.1
  3. 3.5 : Rom 16.26
  4. 3.6 : Gal 3.29; Eph 2.15, 16
  5. 3.8 : 1 Cor 15.9; Gal 1.16; Col 1.27
  6. 3.9 : Col 1.26, 27
  7. 3.10 : 1 Cor 2.7; Eph 1.21; 1 Pet 1.12
  8. 3.12 : Eph 2.18; Heb 4.16
  9. 3.16 : Rom 7.22; Eph 1.18; Col 1.11
  10. 3.18 : Job 11.8, 9; Eph 1.18
  11. 3.19 : Eph 1.23; Col 2.10
  12. 3.20 : Rom 16.25
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 68:1-18

Psalm 68

Praise and Thanksgiving

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.

1 Let God rise up; let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.(A)
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.(B)
3 But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.(C)

4 Sing to God; sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds[a]—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.(D)

5 Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.(E)
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.(F)

7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah(G)
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.(H)
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;(I)
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.(J)

11 The Lord gives the command;
great is the company of those[b] who bore the tidings:
12 “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil,(K)
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with green gold.(L)
14 When the Almighty[c] scattered kings there,
snow fell on Zalmon.(M)

15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
where the Lord will reside forever?(N)

17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands,
the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.[d](O)
18 You ascended the high mount,
leading captives in your train
and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there.(P)

Footnotes:

  1. 68.4 Or cast up a highway for him who rides through the deserts
  2. 68.11 Or company of the women
  3. 68.14 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai
  4. 68.17 Cn: Heb The Lord among them Sinai in the holy (place)

Cross references:

  1. 68.1 : Num 10.35; Isa 33.3
  2. 68.2 : Ps 97.5; Isa 9.18; Hos 13.3; Mic 1.4
  3. 68.3 : Ps 32.11
  4. 68.4 : Ps 66.2; 83.18; Isa 40.3; 57.14
  5. 68.5 : Deut 10.18; 26.15; Ps 146.9
  6. 68.6 : Ps 107.34; 113.9; Acts 12.6
  7. 68.7 : Ex 13.21; Judg 4.14
  8. 68.8 : Ex 19.16, 18; Judg 5.4
  9. 68.9 : Deut 11.11
  10. 68.10 : Deut 26.5; Ps 74.19
  11. 68.12 : 1 Sam 30.24; Ps 135.11
  12. 68.13 : Gen 49.14
  13. 68.14 : Josh 10.10
  14. 68.16 : Deut 12.5; Ps 87.1, 2
  15. 68.17 : Deut 33.2; Dan 7.10
  16. 68.18 : Judg 5.12; Acts 1.9; Eph 4.8; 1 Tim 1.13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 24:1-2

24 Do not envy the wicked,
nor desire to be with them,(A)
2 for their minds devise violence,
and their lips talk of mischief.(B)

Cross references:

  1. 24.1 : Ps 37.1; 73.3; Prov 3.31
  2. 24.2 : Job 15.35; Jer 22.17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 23, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 41:17-43:13

17 When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the Lord will answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.(A)
18 I will open rivers on the bare heights
and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water
and the dry land springs of water.(B)
19 I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
20 so that all may see and know,
all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.(C)

The Futility of Idols

21 Set forth your case, says the Lord;
bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.(D)
22 Let them bring them and tell us
what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they were,
so that we may consider them
and that we may know their outcome
or declare to us the things to come.(E)
23 Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you are gods;
do good, or do harm,
that we may be afraid and terrified.(F)
24 You, indeed, are nothing,
and your work is nothing at all;
whoever chooses you is an abomination.(G)

25 I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name.[a]
He shall trample[b] on rulers as on mortar,
as the potter treads clay.(H)
26 Who declared it from the beginning, so that we might know,
and beforehand, so that we might say, “He is right”?
There was no one who declared it, none who proclaimed,
none who heard your words.(I)
27 I first have declared it to Zion,[c]
and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.(J)
28 But when I look there is no one;
among these there is no counselor
who, when I ask, gives an answer.(K)
29 No, they are all a delusion;
their works are nothing;
their images are empty wind.(L)

The Servant, a Light to the Nations

42 Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.(M)
2 He will not cry out or lift up his voice
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.(N)
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.(O)

5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:(P)
6 I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,[d]
a light to the nations,(Q)
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.(R)
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.(S)
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.(T)

A Hymn of Praise

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar[e] and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.(U)
11 Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela shout for joy;
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare his praise in the coastlands.(V)
13 The Lord goes forth like a soldier;
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out; he shouts aloud;
he shows himself mighty against his foes.(W)

14 For a long time I have held my peace;
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
I will gasp and pant.(X)
15 I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands
and dry up the pools.(Y)
16 I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know;
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.(Z)
17 They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
“You are our gods.”(AA)

18 Listen, you who are deaf,
and you who are blind, look up and see!
19 Who is blind but my servant
or deaf like my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind like my dedicated one
or blind like the servant of the Lord?(AB)
20 He sees many things, but he does[f] not observe them;
his ears are open, but he does not hear.(AC)

Israel’s Disobedience

21 The Lord was pleased, for the sake of his righteousness,
to magnify his teaching and make it glorious.(AD)
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
all of them are trapped in holes
and hidden in prisons;
they have become a prey with no one to rescue,
a spoil with no one to say, “Restore!”(AE)
23 Who among you will give heed to this;
who will attend and listen for the time to come?
24 Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler
and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom they sinned,[g]
in whose ways they would not walk,
and whose law they would not obey?(AF)
25 So he poured upon him the heat of his anger
and the fury of war;
it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand;
it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.(AG)

Restoration and Protection Promised

43 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.(AH)
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.(AI)
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.(AJ)
4 Because you are precious in my sight
and honored and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.(AK)
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;(AL)
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—(AM)
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”(AN)

8 Bring forth the people who are blind yet have eyes,
who are deaf yet have ears!(AO)
9 Let all the nations gather together,
and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them declared this
and foretold to us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to justify them,
and let them hear and say, “It is true.”(AP)
10 You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.(AQ)
11 I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.(AR)
12 I am the one who declared and saved and proclaimed,
not some strange god among you;
you are my witnesses, says the Lord, and I am God.(AS)
13 Indeed, since that day I am he;
there is no one who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can hinder it?(AT)

Footnotes:

  1. 41.25 Compare Q ms Gk: MT he shall call on my name
  2. 41.25 Cn: Heb come
  3. 41.27 Cn Compare Q ms: Heb First to Zion—Behold, behold them
  4. 42.6 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  5. 42.10 Cn: Heb Those who go down to the sea
  6. 42.20 Heb mss: MT You see many things but do
  7. 42.24 Gk Tg: Heb we sinned

Cross references:

  1. 41.17 : Isa 30.19; 42.16; 43.20
  2. 41.18 : Isa 35.6, 7; 43.19
  3. 41.20 : Job 12.9; Isa 40.5
  4. 41.21 : v 1; Isa 43.15
  5. 41.22 : Isa 43.9; 45.21
  6. 41.23 : Isa 42.9; 44.7, 8; 45.3; Jer 10.5; Jn 13.19
  7. 41.24 : v 29; Ps 115.8; Isa 44.9; 1 Cor 8.4
  8. 41.25 : v 2; Isa 10.6
  9. 41.26 : Isa 44.7; 45.21; Hab 2.18, 19
  10. 41.27 : v 4; Isa 40.9
  11. 41.28 : Isa 40.13, 14; 46.7; 63.5
  12. 41.29 : v 24; Isa 44.9; Jer 5.13
  13. 42.1 : Isa 2.4; 43.10; 53.11; Mt 3.16, 17; 12.18–20; 17.5
  14. 42.3 : Ps 72.2; Isa 57.15
  15. 42.4 : vv 10, 12; Isa 40.28
  16. 42.5 : Isa 44.24; Zech 12.1; Acts 17.25
  17. 42.6 : Isa 43.1; 49.6, 8; Lk 2.32; Acts 13.47
  18. 42.7 : Isa 35.5; 61.1; Lk 4.18; 2 Tim 2.26; Heb 2.14
  19. 42.8 : Isa 48.11
  20. 42.9 : Isa 48.3, 6
  21. 42.10 : Isa 33.3; 40.3
  22. 42.12 : v 4; Isa 24.15
  23. 42.13 : Ex 15.3; Isa 9.7; 66.14–16; Hos 11.10
  24. 42.14 : Isa 57.11
  25. 42.15 : Isa 2.12–16; 44.27
  26. 42.16 : Isa 29.18; 41.17; Lk 1.78, 79; 3.5
  27. 42.17 : Ps 97.7; Isa 1.29; 44.11; 45.16
  28. 42.19 : Isa 43.8; Ezek 12.2
  29. 42.20 : Jer 6.10
  30. 42.21 : Isa 58.13
  31. 42.22 : Isa 10.6; 24.18, 22
  32. 42.24 : Isa 30.15; 48.18
  33. 42.25 : 2 Kings 25.9; Isa 5.25; Hos 7.9
  34. 43.1 : Isa 44.2, 6, 21
  35. 43.2 : Deut 31.6, 8; Ps 66.12; Dan 3.25, 27
  36. 43.3 : Ex 20.2; Prov 11.8; 21.18
  37. 43.4 : Isa 63.9
  38. 43.5 : Isa 41.10, 14; 44.2; Jer 30.10, 11; 46.27, 28
  39. 43.6 : Ps 107.3; Isa 14.2
  40. 43.7 : v 1; Ps 100.3; Isa 29.23; Eph 2.10
  41. 43.8 : Isa 6.9; 42.19; Ezek 12.2
  42. 43.9 : Isa 41.21, 22
  43. 43.10 : Isa 41.4; 42.1; 44.6, 8
  44. 43.11 : Isa 45.21
  45. 43.12 : Deut 32.16; Ps 81.9; Isa 44.8
  46. 43.13 : Job 9.12; Ps 90.2; Isa 14.27
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 2

From Death to Life

2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world,[a] following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.[b](A) 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, doing the will of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else,(B) 4 but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us(C) 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ[c]—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places[d] in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.(D)

One in Christ

11 So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth,[e] called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a circumcision made in the flesh by human hands(E)— 12 remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.(F) 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.(G) 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us,(H) 15 abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,(I) 16 and might reconcile both to God in one body[f] through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.[g](J) 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.(K) 19 So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,(L) 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone;[h](M) 21 in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord,(N) 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually[i] into a dwelling place for God.

Footnotes:

  1. 2.2 Gk according to the aeon
  2. 2.2 Gk sons of disobedience
  3. 2.5 Other ancient authorities read in Christ
  4. 2.6 Gk heavenlies
  5. 2.11 Gk in the flesh
  6. 2.16 Or reconcile both of us in one body for God
  7. 2.16 Or in him or in himself
  8. 2.20 Or keystone (in an arch)
  9. 2.22 Gk in the Spirit

Cross references:

  1. 2.2 : Eph 5.6; 6.12
  2. 2.3 : Rom 2.14; 5.12; Gal 5.16, 17
  3. 2.4 : Rom 10.12
  4. 2.10 : Eph 4.24; Titus 2.14
  5. 2.11 : Rom 2.28; Col 2.11
  6. 2.12 : Gal 4.8; 1 Thess 4.5
  7. 2.13 : Acts 2.39; Col 1.20
  8. 2.14 : 1 Cor 12.13; Col 3.15
  9. 2.15 : Gal 6.15; Col 1.21, 22
  10. 2.16 : Col 1.20, 22
  11. 2.18 : 1 Cor 12.13; Eph 3.12; Col 1.12
  12. 2.19 : Gal 6.10; Phil 3.20
  13. 2.20 : Mt 16.18; Rev 21.14
  14. 2.21 : 1 Cor 3.16, 17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 67

Psalm 67

The Nations Called to Praise God

To the leader: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah(A)
2 that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.(B)
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah(C)
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.(D)

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us.(E)
7 May God continue to bless us;
let all the ends of the earth revere him.(F)

Cross references:

  1. 67.1 : Num 6.25; Ps 4.6
  2. 67.2 : Acts 18.25; Titus 2.11
  3. 67.4 : Ps 96.10; 98.9
  4. 67.5 : v 3
  5. 67.6 : Lev 26.4; Ps 85.12; Ezek 34.27
  6. 67.7 : Ps 33.8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 23:29-35

29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?(A)
30 Those who linger late over wine,
those who keep trying mixed wines.(B)
31 Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
32 At the last it bites like a serpent
and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind utter perverse things.(C)
34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.[a]
35 “They struck me,” you will say,[b] “but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.”(D)

Footnotes:

  1. 23.34 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 23.35 Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb lacks you will say

Cross references:

  1. 23.29 : Isa 5.11, 22
  2. 23.30 : Ps 75.8; Eph 5.18
  3. 23.33 : Prov 2.12
  4. 23.35 : Jer 5.3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 22, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 39:1-41:16

Envoys from Babylon Welcomed

39 At that time King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan of Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.(A) 2 Hezekiah welcomed them; he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.(B) 3 Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah answered, “They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon.”(C) 4 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”

5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:(D) 6 Days are coming when all that is in your house and that which your ancestors have stored up until this day shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord.(E) 7 Some of your own sons who are born to you shall be taken away; they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”(F) 8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”(G)

God’s People Are Comforted

40 Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.(H)
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.(I)

3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.(J)
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.(K)
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said,[a] “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass;
their constancy is like the flower of the field.(L)
7 The grass withers; the flower fades,
[[when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.(M)
8 The grass withers; the flower fades,]][b]
but the word of our God will stand forever.(N)
9 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;[c]
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;[d]
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”(O)
10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him
and his recompense before him.(P)
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms
and carry them in his bosom
and gently lead the mother sheep.(Q)

12 Who has measured the waters of the sea[e] in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?(R)
13 Who has directed the spirit of the Lord
or as his counselor has instructed him?(S)
14 Whom did he consult for his enlightenment,
and who taught him the path of justice?
[[Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket
and are accounted as dust on the scales;
see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.(T)
16 Lebanon would not provide fuel enough,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.]][f]
17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.(U)

18 To whom, then, will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?(V)
19 An idol? A workman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.(W)
20 As a gift one chooses mulberry wood[g]
—wood that will not rot—
then seeks out a skilled artisan
to set up an image that will not topple.(X)

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?(Y)
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
and spreads them like a tent to live in,(Z)
23 who brings princes to naught
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.(AA)

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.(AB)

25 To whom, then, will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.(AC)
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
mighty in power,
not one is missing.(AD)

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?(AE)
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.(AF)
29 He gives power to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.(AG)
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted,
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.(AH)

Israel Assured of God’s Help

41 Listen to me in silence, O coastlands;
let the peoples renew their strength;
let them approach, then let them speak;
let us together draw near for judgment.(AI)

2 Who has roused a victor from the east,
summoned him to his service?
He delivers up nations to him
and tramples kings under foot;
he makes them like dust with his sword,
like driven stubble with his bow.(AJ)
3 He pursues them and passes on safely,
scarcely touching the path with his feet.
4 Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, am first
and will be with the last.(AK)
5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid;
the ends of the earth tremble;
they have drawn near and come.(AL)
6 Each one helps the other,
saying to one another, “Take courage!”(AM)
7 The artisan encourages the goldsmith,
and the one who smooths with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good,”
and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.(AN)
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;(AO)
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant;
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;(AP)
10 do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.(AQ)

11 All who are incensed against you
shall be ashamed and disgraced;
those who strive against you
shall be as nothing and shall perish.(AR)
12 You shall seek those who contend with you,
but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all.(AS)
13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
I will help you.”(AT)

14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you maggot[h] Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.(AU)
15 I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff.(AV)
16 You shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.(AW)

Footnotes:

  1. 40.6 Q ms Gk Vg: MT and he said
  2. 40.7–8 Q ms Gk lack when the breath . . . flower fades
  3. 40.9 Or O herald of good news to Zion
  4. 40.9 Or O herald of good news to Jerusalem
  5. 40.12 Q ms: MT lacks of the sea
  6. 40.14–16 Q ms lacks Who taught him . . . burnt offering
  7. 40.20 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  8. 41.14 Cn: Heb men of

Cross references:

  1. 39.1 : 2 Kings 20.12–19; 2 Chr 32.31
  2. 39.2 : 2 Kings 18.15, 16; 2 Chr 32.25, 31
  3. 39.3 : 2 Sam 12.1; 2 Chr 16.7; Jer 5.15
  4. 39.5 : 1 Sam 13.13, 14; 15.16
  5. 39.6 : Jer 20.5
  6. 39.7 : Dan 1.2–7
  7. 39.8 : 1 Sam 3.18; 2 Chr 32.26; 34.28
  8. 40.1 : Isa 12.1
  9. 40.2 : Isa 33.24; 35.4; 41.11–13; Jer 16.18
  10. 40.3 : Mal 3.1; Mt 3.3; Jn 1.23
  11. 40.4 : Isa 45.2
  12. 40.6 : Job 14.2; Ps 102.11; 103.15; 1 Pet 1.24, 25
  13. 40.7 : v 24; Ps 90.5, 6
  14. 40.8 : Isa 55.11; Mt 5.18; 1 Pet 1.24, 25
  15. 40.9 : Isa 52.7; 61.1; Acts 10.36; Rom 10.15
  16. 40.10 : Isa 59.16, 18; 62.11; Rev 22.12
  17. 40.11 : Ezek 34.23; Mic 5.4; Jn 10.11; Heb 13.20
  18. 40.12 : Job 38.8–11; Isa 48.13; Heb 1.10–12
  19. 40.13 : Rom 11.34; 1 Cor 2.16
  20. 40.15 : Isa 17.13; 29.5; Jer 10.10
  21. 40.17 : Isa 29.7; 30.28
  22. 40.18 : v 25; Isa 46.5; Mic 7.18; Acts 17.29
  23. 40.19 : Isa 41.6, 7; 44.12; Jer 10.3
  24. 40.20 : Isa 41.7; Jer 10.3–5
  25. 40.21 : Ps 19.1; Acts 14.17; Rom 1.19
  26. 40.22 : Num 13.33; Job 22.14; Ps 104.2; Isa 42.5; 44.24
  27. 40.23 : Job 12.21; Ps 107.40; Isa 5.21
  28. 40.24 : v 7; Isa 17.10, 11, 13; 41.16
  29. 40.25 : v 18
  30. 40.26 : Ps 89.11–13; 147.4; Isa 34.16; 42.5; 51.6
  31. 40.27 : Isa 25.1; 49.4, 14; 54.8; Lk 18.7, 8
  32. 40.28 : Ps 90.2; 147.5; Rom 11.33
  33. 40.29 : Isa 41.10; 50.4; Jer 31.25
  34. 40.31 : Deut 32.11; Ps 103.5; 2 Cor 4.1, 8–10, 16; Heb 12.3
  35. 41.1 : Isa 34.1; 40.31; 43.26; Zech 2.13
  36. 41.2 : 2 Chr 36.23; Isa 29.5; 40.24; 42.6; 45.1–3; 46.11
  37. 41.4 : Isa 43.10; 44.6, 7; 46.10; Rev 1.17; 22.13
  38. 41.5 : Ps 67.7
  39. 41.6 : Isa 40.19
  40. 41.7 : Isa 40.19, 20
  41. 41.8 : 2 Chr 20.7; Isa 44.1; Jas 2.23
  42. 41.9 : Ps 135.4; Isa 11.11; 42.1; 43.5–7
  43. 41.10 : Isa 43.5; 44.2; Rom 8.31
  44. 41.11 : Isa 17.13; 45.24
  45. 41.12 : Isa 17.14; 29.20
  46. 41.13 : v 10; Isa 42.6
  47. 41.14 : Job 25.6; Isa 43.14
  48. 41.15 : Mic 4.13
  49. 41.16 : Isa 45.25; Jer 51.2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ephesians 1

Salutation

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful[a] in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,[b](A) 4 just as he chose us in Christ[c] before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.(B) 5 He destined us[d] for adoption as his children[e] through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,(C) 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace(D) 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,(E) 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.(F) 11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,[f] having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,(G) 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;(H) 14 this[g] is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.(I)

Paul’s Prayer

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[h] toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers,(J) 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,(K) 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may perceive what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God[i] put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,[j](L) 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.(M) 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,(N) 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.(O)

Footnotes:

  1. 1.1 Other ancient authorities lack in Ephesus, reading saints who are also faithful
  2. 1.3 Gk heavenlies
  3. 1.4 Gk in him
  4. 1.5 Or before him; he destined us in love
  5. 1.5 Or sonship
  6. 1.11 Or been made a heritage
  7. 1.14 Other ancient authorities read who
  8. 1.15 Other ancient authorities lack and your love
  9. 1.20 Gk He
  10. 1.20 Gk heavenlies

Cross references:

  1. 1.3 : 2 Cor 1.3; Eph 2.6; 3.10; 6.12
  2. 1.4 : Eph 4.2, 15, 16; 5.27; Col 1.22
  3. 1.5 : Rom 8.29ff
  4. 1.7 : Col 1.14
  5. 1.9 : Rom 16.25
  6. 1.10 : Gal 4.4; Col 1.16, 20
  7. 1.11 : Rom 9.11; Eph 3.11; Heb 6.17
  8. 1.13 : Eph 4.30; Col 1.5
  9. 1.14 : Acts 20.32; 2 Cor 1.22
  10. 1.16 : Rom 1.8, 9; Col 1.3, 9
  11. 1.17 : Jn 20.17; Col 1.9
  12. 1.20 : Acts 2.24; Heb 1.3
  13. 1.21 : Phil 2.9, 10
  14. 1.22 : Mt 28.18; Eph 4.15; 5.23
  15. 1.23 : Rom 13.5; Col 2.17
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Psalm 66

Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel

To the leader. A Song. A Psalm.

1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;(A)
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.(B)
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.(C)
4 All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.” Selah(D)

5 Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.(E)
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,(F)
7 who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah(G)

8 Bless our God, O peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard,(H)
9 who has kept us among the living
and has not let our feet slip.(I)
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.(J)
11 You brought us into the net;
you laid burdens on our backs;(K)
12 you let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.[a](L)

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows,(M)
14 those that my lips uttered
and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.(N)
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatted calves,
with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah(O)

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.(P)
17 I cried aloud to him,
and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.(Q)
19 But truly God has listened;
he has heard the words of my prayer.(R)

20 Blessed be God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or removed his steadfast love from me.(S)

Footnotes:

  1. 66.12 Cn Compare Gk Syr Jerome Tg: Heb to a saturation

Cross references:

  1. 66.1 : Ps 81.1; 100.1
  2. 66.2 : Ps 79.9
  3. 66.3 : Ps 18.44; 65.5
  4. 66.4 : Ps 22.27; 67.3, 4
  5. 66.5 : Ps 46.8; 106.22
  6. 66.6 : Ex 14.21; Josh 3.16; Ps 105.43
  7. 66.7 : Ps 11.4; 140.8; 145.13
  8. 66.8 : Ps 98.4
  9. 66.9 : Ps 121.3
  10. 66.10 : Ps 17.3; Isa 48.10; Zech 13.9; 1 Pet 1.6, 7
  11. 66.11 : Lam 1.13
  12. 66.12 : Isa 43.2; 51.23
  13. 66.13 : Eccl 5.4
  14. 66.14 : Ps 18.6
  15. 66.15 : Num 6.14; Ps 51.19
  16. 66.16 : Ps 34.11; 71.15, 24
  17. 66.18 : Job 36.21; Isa 1.15; Jas 4.3
  18. 66.19 : Ps 116.1, 2
  19. 66.20 : Ps 22.24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Proverbs 23:25-28

25 Let your father and mother be glad;
let her who bore you rejoice.

26 My child, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe[a] my ways.(A)
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit;
an adulteress[b] is a narrow well.(B)
28 She lies in wait like a robber
and increases the number of the faithless.(C)

Footnotes:

  1. 23.26 Or delight in
  2. 23.27 Heb alien woman

Cross references:

  1. 23.26 : Ps 1.2; Prov 3.1; 4.4
  2. 23.27 : Prov 22.14
  3. 23.28 : Prov 7.12; Eccl 7.26
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Posted on

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 21, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 37-38

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Counsel

37 When King Hezekiah heard their report,(A) he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth,(B) and went to the Lord’s temple. 2 He sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, who were covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: ‘Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace.(C) It is as if children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.(D) 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of the royal spokesman, whom his master the king of Assyria sent to mock the living God,(E) and will rebuke him for the words that the Lord your God has heard. Therefore offer a prayer for the surviving remnant.’”(F)

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah, 6 who said to them, “Tell your master, ‘The Lord says this: Don’t be afraid(G) because of the words you have heard, with which the king of Assyria’s attendants have blasphemed me.(H) 7 I am about to put a spirit(I) in him and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’”(J)

Sennacherib’s Letter

8 When the royal spokesman heard that the king of Assyria had pulled out of Lachish,(K) he left and found him fighting against Libnah.(L) 9 The king had heard concerning King Tirhakah of Cush,(M) “He has set out to fight against you.” So when he heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Say this to King Hezekiah of Judah: ‘Don’t let your God, on whom you rely, deceive you(N) by promising that Jerusalem won’t be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries: they completely destroyed them. Will you be rescued? 12 Did the gods of the nations(O) that my predecessors destroyed rescue them—Gozan,(P) Haran,(Q) Rezeph, and the Edenites in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of[a] Sepharvaim, Hena, or Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

14 Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers’ hands, read it, then went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.(R) 15 Then Hezekiah prayed(S) to the Lord:

16 Lord of Armies, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(T) you are God(U)—you alone(V)—of all the kingdoms of the earth.(W) You made the heavens and the earth.(X) 17 Listen closely, Lord, and hear;(Y) open your eyes, Lord, and see.(Z) Hear all the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God.(AA) 18 Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated all these countries and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not gods(AB) but made from wood and stone(AC) by human hands.(AD) So they have destroyed them. 20 Now, Lord our God, save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are God[b](AE)—you alone.(AF)

God’s Answer through Isaiah

21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria, 22 this is the word the Lord has spoken against him:

Virgin Daughter Zion(AG)
despises you and scorns you;
Daughter Jerusalem shakes her head(AH)
behind your back.
23 Who is it you have mocked(AI) and blasphemed?
Against whom have you raised your voice
and lifted your eyes in pride?(AJ)
Against the Holy One of Israel!(AK)
24 You have mocked the Lord through your servants.
You have said, “With my many chariots(AL)
I have gone up to the heights of the mountains,
to the far recesses of Lebanon.
I cut down its tallest cedars,
its choice cypress trees.
I came to its distant heights,
its densest forest.
25 I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands.[c]
I dried up all the streams of Egypt
with the soles of my feet.”(AM)

26 Have you not heard?(AN)
I designed it long ago;
I planned it in days gone by.(AO)
I have now brought it to pass,
and you have crushed fortified cities(AP)
into piles of rubble.
27 Their inhabitants have become powerless,
dismayed, and ashamed.
They are plants of the field,
tender grass,
grass on the rooftops,
blasted by the east wind.[d]

28 But I know your sitting down,
your going out and your coming in,(AQ)
and your raging against me.
29 Because your raging against me
and your arrogance have reached my ears,(AR)
I will put my hook in your nose(AS)
and my bit in your mouth;(AT)
I will make you go back
the way you came.

30 “‘This will be the sign for you:(AU) This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what grows from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 31 The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root(AV) downward and bear fruit upward. 32 For a remnant(AW) will go out from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.’(AX)

33 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:

He will not enter this city,
shoot an arrow here,
come before it with a shield,
or build up a siege ramp against it.
34 He will go back
the way he came,
and he will not enter this city.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

35 I will defend this city and rescue it
for my sake(AY)
and for the sake of my servant David.”(AZ)

Defeat and Death of Sennacherib

36 Then(BA) the angel of the Lord(BB) went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! 37 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh.(BC)

38 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat.(BD) Then his son Esar-haddon(BE) became king in his place.

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

38 In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill.(BF) The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order,(BG) for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”[e]

2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. 3 He said, “Please, Lord, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly,(BH) and have done what pleases you.”