The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 8, 2024 (NIV)

Isaiah 1-2

1 The vision^(A) concerning Judah and Jerusalem^(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz saw^(C) during the reigns of Uzziah,^(D) Jotham,^(E) Ahaz^(F) and Hezekiah,^(G) kings of Judah.

A Rebellious Nation

²Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!^(H)
For the Lord has spoken:^(I)
“I reared children^(J) and brought them up,
but they have rebelled^(K) against me.
³The ox knows^(L) its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,^(M)
but Israel does not know,^(N)
my people do not understand.^(O)”

⁴Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,^(P)
a brood of evildoers,^(Q)
children given to corruption!^(R)
They have forsaken^(S) the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One^(T) of Israel
and turned their backs^(U) on him.

⁵Why should you be beaten^(V) anymore?
Why do you persist^(W) in rebellion?^(X)
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart^(Y) afflicted.^(Z)
⁶From the sole of your foot to the top of your head^(AA)
there is no soundness^(AB)—
only wounds and welts^(AC)
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged^(AD)
or soothed with olive oil.^(AE)

⁷Your country is desolate,^(AF)
your cities burned with fire;^(AG)
your fields are being stripped by foreigners^(AH)
right before you,
laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.^(AI)
⁸Daughter Zion^(AJ) is left^(AK)
like a shelter in a vineyard,
like a hut^(AL) in a cucumber field,
like a city under siege.
⁹Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us some survivors,^(AM)
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah.^(AN)

¹⁰Hear the word of the Lord,^(AO)
you rulers of Sodom;^(AP)
listen to the instruction^(AQ) of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!^(AR)
¹¹“The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;^(AS)
I have no pleasure^(AT)
in the blood of bulls^(AU) and lambs and goats.^(AV)
¹²When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,^(AW)
this trampling of my courts?
¹³Stop bringing meaningless offerings!^(AX)
Your incense^(AY) is detestable^(AZ) to me.
New Moons,^(BA) Sabbaths and convocations^(BB)—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
¹⁴Your New Moon^(BC) feasts and your appointed festivals^(BD)
I hate with all my being.^(BE)
They have become a burden to me;^(BF)
I am weary^(BG) of bearing them.
¹⁵When you spread out your hands^(BH) in prayer,
I hide^(BI) my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.^(BJ)

Your hands^(BK) are full of blood!^(BL)

¹⁶Wash^(BM) and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;^(BN)
stop doing wrong.^(BO)
¹⁷Learn to do right;^(BP) seek justice.^(BQ)
Defend the oppressed.^[a]^(BR)
Take up the cause of the fatherless;^(BS)
plead the case of the widow.^(BT)

¹⁸“Come now, let us settle the matter,”^(BU)
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;^(BV)
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.^(BW)
¹⁹If you are willing and obedient,^(BX)
you will eat the good things of the land;^(BY)
²⁰but if you resist and rebel,^(BZ)
you will be devoured by the sword.”^(CA)
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(CB)

²¹See how the faithful city
has become a prostitute!^(CC)
She once was full of justice;
righteousness^(CD) used to dwell in her—
but now murderers!^(CE)
²²Your silver has become dross,^(CF)
your choice wine is diluted with water.
²³Your rulers are rebels,^(CG)
partners with thieves;^(CH)
they all love bribes^(CI)
and chase after gifts.
They do not defend the cause of the fatherless;
the widow’s case does not come before them.^(CJ)

²⁴Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
the Mighty One^(CK) of Israel, declares:
“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes
and avenge^(CL) myself on my enemies.^(CM)
²⁵I will turn my hand against you;^[b]^(CN)
I will thoroughly purge^(CO) away your dross^(CP)
and remove all your impurities.^(CQ)
²⁶I will restore your leaders as in days of old,^(CR)
your rulers as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called^(CS)
the City of Righteousness,^(CT)
the Faithful City.^(CU)”

²⁷Zion will be delivered with justice,
her penitent^(CV) ones with righteousness.^(CW)
²⁸But rebels and sinners^(CX) will both be broken,
and those who forsake^(CY) the Lord will perish.^(CZ)

²⁹“You will be ashamed^(DA) because of the sacred oaks^(DB)
in which you have delighted;
you will be disgraced because of the gardens^(DC)
that you have chosen.
³⁰You will be like an oak with fading leaves,^(DD)
like a garden without water.
³¹The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire.^(DE)”

The Mountain of the Lord^(DF)

2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:^(DG)

²In the last days^(DH)

the mountain^(DI) of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;^(DJ)
it will be exalted^(DK) above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.^(DL)

³Many peoples^(DM) will come and say,

“Come, let us go^(DN) up to the mountain^(DO) of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law^(DP) will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.^(DQ)
⁴He will judge^(DR) between the nations
and will settle disputes^(DS) for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.^(DT)
Nation will not take up sword against nation,^(DU)
nor will they train for war anymore.

⁵Come, descendants of Jacob,^(DV)
let us walk in the light^(DW) of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

⁶You, Lord, have abandoned^(DX) your people,
the descendants of Jacob.^(DY)
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination^(DZ) like the Philistines^(EA)
and embrace^(EB) pagan customs.^(EC)
⁷Their land is full of silver and gold;^(ED)
there is no end to their treasures.^(EE)
Their land is full of horses;^(EF)
there is no end to their chariots.^(EG)
⁸Their land is full of idols;^(EH)
they bow down^(EI) to the work of their hands,^(EJ)
to what their fingers^(EK) have made.
⁹So people will be brought low^(EL)
and everyone humbled^(EM)—
do not forgive them.^[c]^(EN)

¹⁰Go into the rocks, hide^(EO) in the ground
from the fearful presence of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty!^(EP)
¹¹The eyes of the arrogant^(EQ) will be humbled^(ER)
and human pride^(ES) brought low;^(ET)
the Lord alone will be exalted^(EU) in that day.^(EV)

¹²The Lord Almighty has a day^(EW) in store
for all the proud^(EX) and lofty,^(EY)
for all that is exalted^(EZ)
(and they will be humbled),^(FA)
¹³for all the cedars of Lebanon,^(FB) tall and lofty,^(FC)
and all the oaks of Bashan,^(FD)
¹⁴for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,^(FE)
¹⁵for every lofty tower^(FF)
and every fortified wall,^(FG)
¹⁶for every trading ship^[d]^(FH)
and every stately vessel.
¹⁷The arrogance of man will be brought low^(FI)
and human pride humbled;^(FJ)
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,^(FK)
¹⁸and the idols^(FL) will totally disappear.^(FM)

¹⁹People will flee to caves^(FN) in the rocks
and to holes in the ground^(FO)
from the fearful presence^(FP) of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,^(FQ)
when he rises to shake the earth.^(FR)
²⁰In that day^(FS) people will throw away
to the moles and bats^(FT)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,^(FU)
which they made to worship.^(FV)
²¹They will flee to caverns in the rocks^(FW)
and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
and the splendor of his majesty,^(FX)
when he rises^(FY) to shake the earth.^(FZ)

²²Stop trusting in mere humans,^(GA)
who have but a breath^(GB) in their nostrils.
Why hold them in esteem?^(GC)

Footnotes:

Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor
Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem
Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up
Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

2 Corinthians 10

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

10 By the humility and gentleness^(A) of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,^(B) who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! ²I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold^(C) as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.^(D) ³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.^(E) ⁴The weapons we fight with^(F) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power^(G) to demolish strongholds.^(H) ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,^(I) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^(J) to Christ. ⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.^(K)

⁷You are judging by appearances.^[a]^(L) If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,^(M) they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.^(N) ⁸So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us^(O) for building you up rather than tearing you down,^(P) I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive^(Q) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”^(R) ¹¹Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

¹²We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.^(S) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. ¹³We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,^(T) a sphere that also includes you. ¹⁴We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you^(U) with the gospel of Christ.^(V) ¹⁵Neither do we go beyond our limits^(W) by boasting of work done by others.^(X) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,^(Y) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, ¹⁶so that we can preach the gospel^(Z) in the regions beyond you.^(AA) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. ¹⁷But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^[b]^(AB) ¹⁸For it is not the one who commends himself^(AC) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.^(AD)

Footnotes:

2 Corinthians 10:7 Or Look at the obvious facts
2 Corinthians 10:17 Jer. 9:24

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 52

Psalm 52^[a]

For the director of music. A maskil^[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite^(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

¹Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast^(B) all day long,^(C)
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
²You who practice deceit,^(D)
your tongue plots destruction;^(E)
it is like a sharpened razor.^(F)
³You love evil^(G) rather than good,
falsehood^(H) rather than speaking the truth.^[c]
⁴You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!^(I)

⁵Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck^(J) you from your tent;
he will uproot^(K) you from the land of the living.^(L)
⁶The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh^(M) at you, saying,
⁷“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold^(N)
but trusted in his great wealth^(O)
and grew strong by destroying others!”

⁸But I am like an olive tree^(P)
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust^(Q) in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
⁹For what you have done I will always praise you^(R)
in the presence of your faithful people.^(S)
And I will hope in your name,^(T)
for your name is good.^(U)

Footnotes:

Psalm 52:1 In Hebrew texts 52:1-9 is numbered 52:3-11.
Psalm 52:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 52:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 5.

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 22:26-27

Saying 4

²⁶Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge^(A)
or puts up security for debts;
²⁷if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.^(B)

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Isaiah 1-2

A Rebellious Nation

The Mountain of the Lord(DF)

The Day of the Lord

Footnotes:

Cross references:

2 Corinthians 10

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 52

Psalm 52[a]

For the director of music. A maskil[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 22:26-27

Saying 4

Cross references:

The Mountain of the Lord^(DF)

Psalm 52^[a]

For the director of music. A maskil^[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite^(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”