The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 11, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 8-9

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

8 The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll^(A) and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.”^[a]^(B) ²So I called in Uriah^(C) the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses^(D) for me. ³Then I made love to the prophetess,^(E) and she conceived and gave birth to a son.^(F) And the Lord said to me, “Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.^(G) ⁴For before the boy knows^(H) how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus^(I) and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.^(J)”

⁵The Lord spoke to me again:

⁶“Because this people has rejected^(K)
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah^(L)
and rejoices over Rezin
and the son of Remaliah,^(M)
⁷therefore the Lord is about to bring against them
the mighty floodwaters^(N) of the Euphrates—
the king of Assyria^(O) with all his pomp.^(P)
It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks^(Q)
⁸and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,^(R)
passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings^(S) will cover the breadth of your land,
Immanuel^[b]!”^(T)

⁹Raise the war cry,^[c]^(U) you nations, and be shattered!^(V)
Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare^(W) for battle, and be shattered!
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
¹⁰Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;^(X)
propose your plan, but it will not stand,^(Y)
for God is with us.^[d]^(Z)

¹¹This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me,^(AA) warning me not to follow^(AB) the way of this people:

¹²“Do not call conspiracy^(AC)
everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,^(AD)
and do not dread it.^(AE)
¹³The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,^(AF)
he is the one you are to fear,^(AG)
he is the one you are to dread.^(AH)
¹⁴He will be a holy place;^(AI)
for both Israel and Judah he will be
a stone^(AJ) that causes people to stumble^(AK)
and a rock that makes them fall.^(AL)
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.^(AM)
¹⁵Many of them will stumble;^(AN)
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured.”

¹⁶Bind up this testimony of warning^(AO)
and seal^(AP) up God’s instruction among my disciples.
¹⁷I will wait^(AQ) for the Lord,
who is hiding^(AR) his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.^(AS)

¹⁸Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me.^(AT) We are signs^(AU) and symbols^(AV) in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion.^(AW)

The Darkness Turns to Light

¹⁹When someone tells you to consult^(AX) mediums and spiritists,^(AY) who whisper and mutter,^(AZ) should not a people inquire^(BA) of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰Consult God’s instruction^(BB) and the testimony of warning.^(BC) If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light^(BD) of dawn. ²¹Distressed and hungry,^(BE) they will roam through the land;^(BF) when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse^(BG) their king and their God. ²²Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom,^(BH) and they will be thrust into utter darkness.^(BI)

9 ^[e]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom^(BJ) for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,^(BK) but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

²The people walking in darkness^(BL)
have seen a great light;^(BM)
on those living in the land of deep darkness^(BN)
a light has dawned.^(BO)
³You have enlarged the nation^(BP)
and increased their joy;^(BQ)
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.^(BR)
⁴For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,^(BS)
you have shattered^(BT)
the yoke^(BU) that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,^(BV)
the rod of their oppressor.^(BW)
⁵Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,^(BX)
will be fuel for the fire.
⁶For to us a child is born,^(BY)
to us a son is given,^(BZ)
and the government^(CA) will be on his shoulders.^(CB)
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,^(CC) Mighty God,^(CD)
Everlasting^(CE) Father,^(CF) Prince of Peace.^(CG)
⁷Of the greatness of his government^(CH) and peace^(CI)
there will be no end.^(CJ)
He will reign^(CK) on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice^(CL) and righteousness^(CM)
from that time on and forever.^(CN)
The zeal^(CO) of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

⁸The Lord has sent a message^(CP) against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
⁹All the people will know it—
Ephraim^(CQ) and the inhabitants of Samaria^(CR)—
who say with pride
and arrogance^(CS) of heart,
¹⁰“The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;^(CT)
the fig^(CU) trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.^(CV)”
¹¹But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s^(CW) foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
¹²Arameans^(CX) from the east and Philistines^(CY) from the west
have devoured^(CZ) Israel with open mouth.

Yet for all this, his anger^(DA) is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(DB)

¹³But the people have not returned^(DC) to him who struck^(DD) them,
nor have they sought^(DE) the Lord Almighty.
¹⁴So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed^(DF) in a single day;^(DG)
¹⁵the elders^(DH) and dignitaries^(DI) are the head,
the prophets^(DJ) who teach lies^(DK) are the tail.
¹⁶Those who guide^(DL) this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.^(DM)
¹⁷Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,^(DN)
nor will he pity^(DO) the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly^(DP) and wicked,^(DQ)
every mouth speaks folly.^(DR)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(DS)

¹⁸Surely wickedness burns like a fire;^(DT)
it consumes briers and thorns,^(DU)
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,^(DV)
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
¹⁹By the wrath^(DW) of the Lord Almighty
the land will be scorched^(DX)
and the people will be fuel for the fire;^(DY)
they will not spare one another.^(DZ)
²⁰On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;^(EA)
on the left they will eat,^(EB)
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of their own offspring^[f]:
²¹Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, and Ephraim on Manasseh;^(EC)
together they will turn against Judah.^(ED)

Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.^(EE)

Footnotes:

Isaiah 8:1 Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz means quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil; also in verse 3.
Isaiah 8:8 Immanuel means God with us.
Isaiah 8:9 Or Do your worst
Isaiah 8:10 Hebrew Immanuel
Isaiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-21 is numbered 9:1-20.
Isaiah 9:20 Or arm

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12 I must go on boasting.^(A) Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations^(B) from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ^(C) who fourteen years ago was caught up^(D) to the third heaven.^(E) Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.^(F) ³And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— ⁴was caught up^(G) to paradise^(H) and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.^(I) ⁶Even if I should choose to boast,^(J) I would not be a fool,^(K) because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^(L) Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^(M) a messenger of Satan,^(N) to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^(O) ⁹But he said to me, “My grace^(P) is sufficient for you, for my power^(Q) is made perfect in weakness.^(R)”^(S) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight^(T) in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,^(U) in persecutions,^(V) in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.^(W)

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 55

Psalm 55^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David.

¹Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;^(A)
²hear me and answer me.^(B)
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught^(C)
³because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me^(D)
and assail^(E) me in their anger.^(F)

⁴My heart is in anguish^(G) within me;
the terrors^(H) of death have fallen on me.
⁵Fear and trembling^(I) have beset me;
horror^(J) has overwhelmed me.
⁶I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
⁷I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;^[c]^(K)
⁸I would hurry to my place of shelter,^(L)
far from the tempest and storm.^(M)”

⁹Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words,^(N)
for I see violence and strife^(O) in the city.^(P)
¹⁰Day and night they prowl^(Q) about on its walls;
malice and abuse are within it.
¹¹Destructive forces^(R) are at work in the city;
threats and lies^(S) never leave its streets.

¹²If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide.
¹³But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,^(T)
¹⁴with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship^(U)
at the house of God,^(V)
as we walked about
among the worshipers.

¹⁵Let death take my enemies by surprise;^(W)
let them go down alive to the realm of the dead,^(X)
for evil finds lodging among them.

¹⁶As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord saves me.
¹⁷Evening,^(Y) morning^(Z) and noon^(AA)
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
¹⁸He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
¹⁹God, who is enthroned from of old,^(AB)
who does not change—
he will hear^(AC) them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.^(AD)

²⁰My companion attacks his friends;^(AE)
he violates his covenant.^(AF)
²¹His talk is smooth as butter,^(AG)
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,^(AH)
yet they are drawn swords.^(AI)

²²Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;^(AJ)
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.^(AK)
²³But you, God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit^(AL) of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful^(AM)
will not live out half their days.^(AN)

But as for me, I trust in you.^(AO)

Footnotes:

Psalm 55:1 In Hebrew texts 55:1-23 is numbered 55:2-24.
Psalm 55:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 55:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.

Cross references:

New International Version (NIV)

Proverbs 23:4-5

Saying 8

⁴Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
⁵Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,^(A)
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.^(B)

Cross references:

Proverbs 23:5 : S Mt 6:19
Proverbs 23:5 : Pr 27:24

New International Version (NIV)

Isaiah 8-9

Isaiah and His Children as Signs

The Darkness Turns to Light

The Lord’s Anger Against Israel

Footnotes:

Cross references:

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

Cross references:

Psalm 55

Psalm 55[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil[b] of David.

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 23:4-5

Saying 8

Cross references:

Psalm 55^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil^[b] of David.