Powered by Bible Gateway

September 30, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 30, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

60 Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun;
The glory of the Lord is shining on you!
²Other nations will be covered by darkness,
But on you the light of the Lord will shine;
The brightness of his presence will be with you.
³Nations will be drawn to your light,
And kings to the dawning of your new day.

⁴^(A)Look around you and see what is happening:
Your people are gathering to come home!
Your sons will come from far away;
Your daughters will be carried like children.
⁵You will see this and be filled with joy;
You will tremble with excitement.
The wealth of the nations will be brought to you;
From across the sea their riches will come.

⁶Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah.
They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense.
People will tell the good news of what the Lord has done!
⁷All the sheep of Kedar and Nebaioth
Will be brought to you as sacrifices
And offered on the altar to please the Lord.
The Lord will make his Temple more glorious than ever.

⁸What are these ships that skim along like clouds,
Like doves returning home?
⁹They are ships coming from distant lands,
Bringing God's people home.
They bring with them silver and gold
To honor the name of the Lord,
The holy God of Israel,
Who has made all nations honor his people.

¹⁰The Lord says to Jerusalem,

“Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
And their kings will serve you.
In my anger I punished you,
But now I will show you my favor and mercy.
¹¹^(B)Day and night your gates will be open,
So that the kings of the nations
May bring you their wealth.
¹²But nations that do not serve you
Will be completely destroyed.

¹³“The wood of the pine, the juniper, and the cypress,
The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon,
Will be brought to rebuild you, Jerusalem,
To make my Temple beautiful,
To make my city glorious.
¹⁴^(C)The descendants of those who oppressed you will come
And bow low to show their respect.
All who once despised you will worship at your feet.
They will call you ‘The City of the Lord,’
‘Zion, the City of Israel's Holy God.’

¹⁵“You will no longer be forsaken and hated,
A city deserted and desolate.
I will make you great and beautiful,
A place of joy forever and ever.
¹⁶Nations and kings will care for you
As a mother nurses her child.
You will know that I, the Lord, have saved you,
That the mighty God of Israel sets you free.

¹⁷“I will bring you gold instead of bronze,
Silver and bronze instead of iron and wood,
And iron instead of stone.
Your rulers will no longer oppress you;
I will make them rule with justice and peace.
¹⁸The sounds of violence will be heard no more;
Destruction will not shatter your country again.
I will protect and defend you like a wall;
You will praise me because I have saved you.

¹⁹^(D)“No longer will the sun be your light by day
Or the moon be your light by night;
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light;
The light of my glory will shine on you.
²⁰Your days of grief will come to an end.
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light,
More lasting than the sun and moon.
²¹Your people will all do what is right,
And will possess the land forever.
I planted them, I made them,
To reveal my greatness to all.
²²Even your smallest and humblest family
Will become as great as a powerful nation.
When the right time comes,
I will make this happen quickly.
I am the Lord!”

The Good News of Deliverance

61 ^(E)The Sovereign Lord has filled me with his Spirit.
He has chosen me and sent me
To bring good news to the poor,
To heal the broken-hearted,
To announce release to captives
And freedom to those in prison.
²^(F)He has sent me to proclaim
That the time has come
When the Lord will save his people
And defeat their enemies.
He has sent me to comfort all who mourn,
³To give to those who mourn in Zion
Joy and gladness instead of grief,
A song of praise instead of sorrow.
They will be like trees
That the Lord himself has planted.
They will all do what is right,
And God will be praised for what he has done.
⁴They will rebuild cities that have long been in ruins.

⁵My people, foreigners will serve you.
They will take care of your flocks
And farm your land and tend your vineyards.
⁶And you will be known as the priests of the Lord,
The servants of our God.
You will enjoy the wealth of the nations
And be proud that it is yours.
⁷Your shame and disgrace are ended.
You will live in your own land,
And your wealth will be doubled;
Your joy will last forever.

⁸The Lord says,

“I love justice and I hate oppression and crime.
I will faithfully reward my people
And make an eternal covenant with them.
⁹They will be famous among the nations;
Everyone who sees them will know
That they are a people whom I have blessed.”

¹⁰^(G)Jerusalem rejoices because of what the Lord has done.
She is like a bride dressed for her wedding.
God has clothed her with salvation and victory.
¹¹As surely as seeds sprout and grow,
The Sovereign Lord will save his people,
And all the nations will praise him.

62 I will speak out to encourage Jerusalem;
I will not be silent until she is saved,
And her victory shines like a torch in the night.
²Jerusalem, the nations will see you victorious!
All their kings will see your glory.
You will be called by a new name,
A name given by the Lord himself.
³You will be like a beautiful crown for the Lord.
⁴No longer will you be called “Forsaken,”
Or your land be called “The Deserted Wife.”
Your new name will be “God Is Pleased with Her.”
Your land will be called “Happily Married,”
Because the Lord is pleased with you
And will be like a husband to your land.
⁵Like a young man taking a virgin as his bride,
He who formed you will marry you.
As a groom is delighted with his bride,
So your God will delight in you.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Philippians 1:27-2:18

²⁷Now, the important thing is that your way of life should be as the gospel of Christ requires, so that, whether or not I am able to go and see you, I will hear that you are standing firm with one common purpose and that with only one desire you are fighting together for the faith of the gospel. ²⁸Don't be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory. ²⁹For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him. ³⁰^(A)Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still.

Christ's Humility and Greatness

2 Your life in Christ makes you strong, and his love comforts you. You have fellowship with the Spirit,^[a] and you have kindness and compassion for one another. ²I urge you, then, to make me completely happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and being one in soul and mind. ³Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. ⁴And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own. ⁵The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had:

⁶He always had the nature of God,
but he did not think that by force he should try to remain^[b] equal with God.
⁷Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had,
and took the nature of a servant.
He became like a human being
and appeared in human likeness.
⁸He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—
his death on the cross.
⁹For this reason God raised him to the highest place above
and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.
¹⁰^(B)And so, in honor of the name of Jesus
all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below^[c]
will fall on their knees,
¹¹and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Shining as Lights in the World

¹²So then, dear friends, as you always obeyed me when I was with you, it is even more important that you obey me now while I am away from you. Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation, ¹³because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.

¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵^(C)so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky, ¹⁶as you offer them the message of life. If you do so, I shall have reason to be proud of you on the Day of Christ, because it will show that all my effort and work have not been wasted.

¹⁷Perhaps my life's blood is to be poured out like an offering on the sacrifice that your faith offers to God. If that is so, I am glad and share my joy with you all. ¹⁸In the same way, you too must be glad and share your joy with me.

Footnotes:

Philippians 2:1 You have fellowship with the Spirit; or The Spirit has brought you into fellowship with one another.
Philippians 2:6 remain; or become.
Philippians 2:10 It was thought that the dead continued to exist in a dark world under the ground.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King^[a]

72 Teach the king to judge with your righteousness, O God;
share with him your own justice,
²so that he will rule over your people with justice
and govern the oppressed with righteousness.
³May the land enjoy prosperity;
may it experience righteousness.
⁴May the king judge the poor fairly;
may he help the needy
and defeat their oppressors.
⁵May your people worship you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon gives light, for ages to come.

⁶May the king be like rain on the fields,
like showers falling on the land.
⁷May righteousness flourish in his lifetime,
and may prosperity last as long as the moon gives light.

⁸^(A)His kingdom will reach from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
⁹The peoples of the desert will bow down before him;
his enemies will throw themselves to the ground.
¹⁰The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts;
the kings of Sheba and Seba^[b] will bring him offerings.
¹¹All kings will bow down before him;
all nations will serve him.

¹²He rescues the poor who call to him,
and those who are needy and neglected.
¹³He has pity on the weak and poor;
he saves the lives of those in need.
¹⁴He rescues them from oppression and violence;
their lives are precious to him.

¹⁵Long live the king!
May he be given gold from Sheba;^[c]
may prayers be said for him at all times;
may God's blessings be on him always!
¹⁶May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may the hills be covered with crops,
as fruitful as those of Lebanon.
May the cities be filled with people,
like fields full of grass.
¹⁷May the king's name never be forgotten;
may his fame last as long as the sun.
May all nations ask God to bless them
as he has blessed the king.^[d]

¹⁸Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He alone does these wonderful things.
¹⁹Praise his glorious name forever!
May his glory fill the whole world.

Amen! Amen!

²⁰This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Footnotes:

Psalm 72:1 HEBREW TITLE: By Solomon.
Psalm 72:10 Sheba was toward the south in Arabia and Seba was on the opposite side of the Red Sea.
Psalm 72:15 See 72.10.
Psalm 72:17 as he has blessed the king; or and may they wish happiness for the king.

Cross references:

Psalm 72:8 : Zech 9:10; Sir 44:21

Good News Translation (GNT)

Proverbs 24:11-12

-25-

¹¹Don't hesitate to rescue someone who is about to be executed unjustly. ¹²You may say that it is none of your business, but God knows and judges your motives. He keeps watch on you; he knows. And he will reward you according to what you do.

Good News Translation (GNT)

September 29, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 29, 2022 (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. ¹⁶I gave my people life, and I will not continue to accuse them or be angry with them forever.^[a] ¹⁷I 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. ²⁰But 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! ²They 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.”

³The 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. ⁴Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? ⁵When 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. ⁹When 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; ¹⁰if 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. ¹¹And 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. ¹²Your 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

¹³The 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, ¹⁴then 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! ²It 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. ³You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.

⁴You 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. ^5-6The 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, ⁸and 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

⁹The 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, ¹⁰and 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. ¹¹We 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. ¹³We 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. ¹⁴Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. ¹⁵There 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. ¹⁸He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands. ¹⁹From 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. ²¹And 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:

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:

Good News Translation (GNT)

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:

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

Paul's Prayer for His Readers

³I thank my God for you every time I think of you; ⁴and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy ⁵because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. ⁶And 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. ⁷You 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. ⁸God 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.

⁹I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgment, ¹⁰so 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. ¹¹Your 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

¹²I 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. ¹⁴And 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.

¹⁵Of course some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine good will. ¹⁶These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel. ¹⁷The 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.

¹⁸It 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, ¹⁹because I know that by means of your prayers and the help which comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ I shall be set free. ²⁰My 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. ²¹For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. ²²But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. ²³I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; ²⁴but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive. ²⁵I 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, ²⁶so 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:

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

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Psalm 71

The Prayer of an Elderly Person

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

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

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

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

¹⁷You have taught me ever since I was young,
and I still tell of your wonderful acts.
¹⁸Now 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.

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

²²I 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.
²³I will shout for joy as I play for you;
with my whole being I will sing
because you have saved me.
²⁴I will speak of your righteousness all day long,
because those who tried to harm me
have been defeated and disgraced.

Footnotes:

Psalm 71:3 One ancient translation a strong fortress; Hebrew to go always you commanded.
Psalm 71:6 Some ancient translations protected; Hebrew unclear.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Proverbs 24:9-10

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

-24-

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

Good News Translation (GNT)

September 28, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 28, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 54:1-57:14

The Lord's Love for Israel

54 ^(A)Jerusalem, you have been like a childless woman,
but now you can sing and shout for joy.
Now you will have more children
than a woman whose husband never left her.
²Make the tent you live in larger;
lengthen its ropes and strengthen the pegs!
³You will extend your boundaries on all sides;
your people will get back the land
that the other nations now occupy.
Cities now deserted will be filled with people.

⁴Do not be afraid—you will not be disgraced again;
you will not be humiliated.
You will forget your unfaithfulness as a young wife,
and your desperate loneliness as a widow.
⁵Your Creator will be like a husband to you—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
The holy God of Israel will save you—
he is the ruler of all the world.

⁶Israel, you are like a young wife,
deserted by her husband and deeply distressed.
But the Lord calls you back to him and says:
⁷“For one brief moment I left you;
with deep love I will take you back.
⁸I turned away angry for only a moment,
but I will show you my love forever.”
So says the Lord who saves you.

⁹^(B)“In the time of Noah I promised
never again to flood the earth.
Now I promise not to be angry with you again;
I will not reprimand or punish you.
¹⁰^(C)The mountains and hills may crumble,
but my love for you will never end;
I will keep forever my promise of peace.”
So says the Lord who loves you.

The Future Jerusalem

¹¹^(D)The Lord says,

“O Jerusalem, you suffering, helpless city,
with no one to comfort you,
I will rebuild your foundations with precious stones.
¹²I will build your towers with rubies,
your gates with stones that glow like fire,
and the wall around you with jewels.

¹³^(E)“I myself will teach your people
and give them prosperity and peace.
¹⁴Justice and right will make you strong.
You will be safe from oppression and terror.
¹⁵Whoever attacks you,
does it without my consent;
whoever fights against you will fall.

¹⁶“I create the blacksmith,
who builds a fire and forges weapons.
I also create the soldier,
who uses the weapons to kill.
¹⁷But no weapon will be able to hurt you;
you will have an answer for all who accuse you.
I will defend my servants
and give them victory.”

The Lord has spoken.

God's Offer of Mercy

55 ^(F)The Lord says,

“Come, everyone who is thirsty—
here is water!
Come, you that have no money—
buy grain and eat!
Come! Buy wine and milk—
it will cost you nothing!
²^(G)Why spend money on what does not satisfy?
Why spend your wages and still be hungry?
Listen to me and do what I say,
and you will enjoy the best food of all.

³^(H)“Listen now, my people, and come to me;
come to me, and you will have life!
I will make a lasting covenant with you
and give you the blessings I promised to David.
⁴I made him a leader and commander of nations,
and through him I showed them my power.
⁵Now you will summon foreign nations;
at one time they did not know you,
but now they will come running to join you!
I, the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel,
will make all this happen;
I will give you honor and glory.”

⁶Turn to the Lord and pray to him,
now that he is near.
⁷Let the wicked leave their way of life
and change their way of thinking.
Let them turn to the Lord, our God;
he is merciful and quick to forgive.
⁸“My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours,
and my ways are different from yours.
⁹As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.

¹⁰^(I)“My word is like the snow and the rain
that come down from the sky to water the earth.
They make the crops grow
and provide seed for planting and food to eat.
¹¹So also will be the word that I speak—
it will not fail to do what I plan for it;
it will do everything I send it to do.

¹²“You will leave Babylon with joy;
you will be led out of the city in peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into singing,
and the trees will shout for joy.
¹³Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers;
myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns.
This will be a sign that will last forever,
a reminder of what I, the Lord, have done.”

God's People Will Include All Nations

56 The Lord says to his people, “Do what is just and right, for soon I will save you. ²I will bless those who always observe the Sabbath and do not misuse it. I will bless those who do nothing evil.”

³A foreigner who has joined the Lord's people should not say, “The Lord will not let me worship with his people.”

A man who has been castrated should never think that because he cannot have children, he can never be part of God's people. ⁴^(J)The Lord says to such a man, “If you honor me by observing the Sabbath and if you do what pleases me and faithfully keep my covenant, ⁵then your name will be remembered in my Temple and among my people longer than if you had sons and daughters. You will never be forgotten.”

⁶And the Lord says to those foreigners who become part of his people, who love him and serve him, who observe the Sabbath and faithfully keep his covenant: ⁷^(K)“I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill,^[a] give you joy in my house of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my altar. My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.”

⁸The Sovereign Lord, who has brought his people Israel home from exile, has promised that he will bring still other people to join them.

Israel's Leaders Are Condemned

⁹The Lord has told the foreign nations to come like wild animals and devour his people. ¹⁰He says, “All the leaders, who are supposed to warn my people, are blind! They know nothing. They are like watch dogs that don't bark—they only lie around and dream. How they love to sleep! ¹¹They are like greedy dogs that never get enough. These leaders have no understanding. They each do as they please and seek their own advantage. ¹²‘Let's get some wine,’ these drunkards say, ‘and drink all we can hold! Tomorrow will be even better than today!’”

Israel's Idolatry Is Condemned

57 Good people die, and no one understands or even cares. But when they die, no calamity can hurt them. ²Those who live good lives find peace and rest in death.

³Come here to be judged, you sinners! You are no better than sorcerers, adulterers, and prostitutes. ⁴Who are you making fun of? Who are you liars jeering at? ⁵You worship the fertility gods by having sex under those sacred trees of yours. You offer your children as sacrifices in the rocky caves near stream beds. ⁶You take smooth stones from there and worship them as gods. You pour out wine as offerings to them and bring them grain offerings. Do you think I am pleased with all this? ⁷You go to the high mountains to offer sacrifices and have sex. ⁸You set up your obscene idols just inside your front doors. You forsake me; you take off your clothes and climb in your large beds with your lovers, whom you pay to sleep with you. And there you satisfy your lust. ⁹You put on your perfumes and ointments and go to worship the god Molech. To find gods to worship, you send messengers far and wide, even to the world of the dead. ¹⁰You wear yourselves out looking for other gods, but you never give up. You think your obscene idols give you strength, and so you never grow weak.

¹¹The Lord says, “Who are these gods that make you afraid, so that you tell me lies and forget me completely? Have you stopped honoring me because I have kept silent for so long? ¹²You think that what you do is right, but I will expose your conduct, and your idols will not be able to help you. ¹³When you cry for help, let those idols of yours save you! A puff of wind will carry them off! But those who trust in me will live in the land and will worship me in my Temple.”

God's Promise of Help and Healing

¹⁴The Lord says, “Let my people return to me. Remove every obstacle from their path! Build the road and make it ready!

Footnotes:

Isaiah 56:7 See 2.3.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

6 ^(A)Children, it is your Christian duty to^[a] obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. ²^(B)“Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: ³“so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”

⁴^(C)Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.

Slaves and Masters

⁵^(D)Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. ⁶Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ. ⁷Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. ⁸Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do.

⁹^(E)Masters, behave in the same way toward your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, who judges everyone by the same standard.

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. ¹¹^(F)Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks. ¹²For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. ¹³So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.

¹⁴^(G)So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, ¹⁵^(H)and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. ¹⁶At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. ¹⁷^(I)And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. ¹⁸Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people. ¹⁹And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the gospel's secret. ²⁰For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.

Final Greetings

²¹^(J)Tychicus, our dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me, so that you may know how I am getting along. ²²That is why I am sending him to you—to tell you how all of us are getting along and to encourage you.

²³May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give to all Christians peace and love with faith. ²⁴May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 6:1 Some manuscripts do not have it is your Christian duty to.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Psalm 70

A Prayer for Help^[a] ^(A)

70 Save me, O God!
Lord, help me now!
²May those who try to kill me
be defeated and confused.
May those who are happy because of my troubles
be turned back and disgraced.
³May those who make fun of me
be dismayed by their defeat.

⁴May all who come to you
be glad and joyful.
May all who are thankful for your salvation
always say, “How great is God!”

⁵I am weak and poor;
come to me quickly, O God.
You are my savior and my Lord—
hurry to my aid!

Footnotes:

Psalm 70:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David; a lament.

Cross references:

Psalm 70:1 : (Ps 40:13-Ps 40:17)

Good News Translation (GNT)

Proverbs 24:8

-23-

⁸If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker.

Good News Translation (GNT)

September 27, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday September 27, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 51-53

Words of Comfort to Jerusalem

51 The Lord says,

“Listen to me, you that want to be saved,
you that come to me for help.
Think of the rock from which you came,
the quarry from which you were cut.
²Think of your ancestor, Abraham,
and of Sarah, from whom you are descended.
When I called Abraham, he was childless,
but I blessed him and gave him children;
I made his descendants numerous.

³“I will show compassion to Jerusalem,
to all who live in her ruins.
Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden,
like the garden I planted in Eden.
Joy and gladness will be there,
and songs of praise and thanks to me.

⁴“Listen to me, my people,
listen to what I say:
I give my teaching to the nations;
my laws will bring them light.
⁵I will come quickly and save them;
the time of my victory is near.
I myself will rule over the nations.
Distant lands wait for me to come;
they wait with hope for me to save them.
⁶Look up at the heavens; look at the earth!
The heavens will disappear like smoke;
the earth will wear out like old clothing,
and all its people will die like flies.
But the deliverance I bring will last forever;
my victory will be final.

⁷“Listen to me, you that know what is right,
who have my teaching fixed in your hearts.
Do not be afraid when people taunt and insult you;
⁸they will vanish like moth-eaten clothing!
But the deliverance I bring will last forever;
my victory will endure for all time.”

⁹Wake up, Lord, and help us!
Use your power and save us;
use it as you did in ancient times.
It was you that cut the sea monster Rahab^[a] to pieces.
¹⁰It was you also who dried up the sea
and made a path through the water,
so that those you were saving could cross.
¹¹Those whom you have rescued
will reach Jerusalem with gladness,
singing and shouting for joy.
They will be happy forever,
forever free from sorrow and grief.

¹²The Lord says,

“I am the one who strengthens you.
Why should you fear mortals,
who are no more enduring than grass?
¹³Have you forgotten the Lord who made you,
who stretched out the heavens
and laid the earth's foundations?
Why should you live in constant fear
of the fury of those who oppress you,
of those who are ready to destroy you?
Their fury can no longer touch you.
¹⁴Those who are prisoners will soon be set free;
they will live a long life
and have all the food they need.

¹⁵“I am the Lord your God;
I stir up the sea
and make its waves roar.
My name is the Lord Almighty!
¹⁶I stretched out^[b] the heavens
and laid the earth's foundations;
I say to Jerusalem, ‘You are my people!
I have given you my teaching,
and I protect you with my hand.’”

The End of Jerusalem's Suffering

¹⁷^(A)Jerusalem, wake up!
Rouse yourself and get up!
You have drunk the cup of punishment
that the Lord in his anger gave you to drink;
you drank it down, and it made you stagger.
¹⁸There is no one to lead you,
no one among your people
to take you by the hand.

¹⁹A double disaster has fallen on you:
your land has been devastated by war,
and your people have starved.
There is no one to show you sympathy.
²⁰At the corner of every street
your people collapse from weakness;
they are like deer caught in a hunter's net.
They have felt the force of God's anger.

²¹You suffering people of Jerusalem,
you that stagger as though you were drunk,
²²the Lord your God defends you and says,
“I am taking away the cup
that I gave you in my anger.
You will no longer have to drink
the wine that makes you stagger.
²³I will give it to those who oppressed you,
to those who made you lie down in the streets
and trampled on you as if you were dirt.”

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

52 ^(B)Jerusalem, be strong and great again!
Holy city of God, clothe yourself with splendor!
The heathen will never enter your gates again.
²Shake yourself free, Jerusalem!
Rise from the dust and sit on your throne!
Undo the chains that bind you,
captive people of Zion!

³The Sovereign Lord says to his people, “When you became slaves, no money was paid for you; in the same way nothing will be paid to set you free. ⁴When you went to live in Egypt as foreigners, you did so of your own free will; Assyria, however, took you away by force and paid nothing for you. ⁵^(C)And now in Babylonia the same thing has happened: you are captives, and nothing was paid for you. Those who rule over you boast and brag and constantly show contempt for me. ⁶In time to come you will acknowledge that I am God and that I have spoken to you.”

⁷^(D)How wonderful it is to see
a messenger coming across the mountains,
bringing good news, the news of peace!
He announces victory and says to Zion,
“Your God is king!”
⁸Those who guard the city are shouting,
shouting together for joy.
They can see with their own eyes
the return of the Lord to Zion.

⁹Break into shouts of joy,
you ruins of Jerusalem!
The Lord will rescue his city
and comfort his people.
¹⁰The Lord will use his holy power;
he will save his people,
and all the world will see it.
¹¹^(E)Be sure to leave Babylonia,
all you that carry the Temple equipment.
Touch no forbidden thing;^[c]
keep yourselves holy and leave.
¹²This time you will not have to leave in a hurry;
you will not be trying to escape.
The Lord your God will lead you
and protect you on every side.

The Suffering Servant

¹³The Lord says,

“My servant will succeed in his task;
he will be highly honored.^[d]
¹⁴Many people were shocked when they saw him;
he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human.
¹⁵^(F)But now many nations will marvel at him,
and kings will be speechless with amazement.
They will see and understand
something they had never known.”

53 ^(G)The people reply,

“Who would have believed what we now report?
Who could have seen the Lord's hand in this?
²It was the will of the Lord that his servant
grow like a plant taking root in dry ground.
He had no dignity or beauty
to make us take notice of him.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing that would draw us to him.
³We despised him and rejected him;
he endured suffering and pain.
No one would even look at him—
we ignored him as if he were nothing.

⁴^(H)“But he endured the suffering that should have been ours,
the pain that we should have borne.
All the while we thought that his suffering
was punishment sent by God.
⁵^(I)But because of our sins he was wounded,
beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment he suffered,
made whole by the blows he received.
⁶^(J)All of us were like sheep that were lost,
each of us going his own way.
But the Lord made the punishment fall on him,
the punishment all of us deserved.

⁷^(K)“He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly;
he never said a word.
Like a lamb about to be slaughtered,
like a sheep about to be sheared,
he never said a word.
⁸He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die,
and no one cared about his fate.
He was put to death for the sins of our people.
⁹^(L)He was placed in a grave with those who are evil,
he was buried with the rich,
even though he had never committed a crime
or ever told a lie.”

¹⁰The Lord says,

“It was my will that he should suffer;
his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness.
And so he will see his descendants;
he will live a long life,
and through him my purpose will succeed.
¹¹After a life of suffering, he will again have joy;
he will know that he did not suffer in vain.
My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased,
will bear the punishment of many
and for his sake I will forgive them.
¹²^(M)And so I will give him a place of honor,
a place among the great and powerful.
He willingly gave his life
and shared the fate of evil men.
He took the place of many sinners
and prayed that they might be forgiven.”^[e]

Footnotes:

Isaiah 51:9 A legendary sea monster, which represented the forces of chaos and evil, was sometimes a symbol of Egypt.
Isaiah 51:16 One ancient translation stretched out; Hebrew planted.
Isaiah 52:11 Any object that was considered ritually unclean.
Isaiah 52:13 he will be highly honored; or he will be restored to greatness and honor.
Isaiah 53:12 prayed that they might be forgiven; or suffered the punishment they deserved.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Ephesians 5

Living in the Light

5 Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. ²^(A)Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

³Since you are God's people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. ⁴Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. ⁵You may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁶Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him. ⁷So have nothing at all to do with such people. ⁸You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, ⁹for it is the light^[a] that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. ¹⁰Try to learn what pleases the Lord. ¹¹Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light. (¹²It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.) ¹³And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; ¹⁴for anything that is clearly revealed becomes light.^[b] That is why it is said,

“Wake up, sleeper,
and rise from death,
and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. ¹⁶^(B)Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. ¹⁷Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do.

¹⁸Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit. ¹⁹^(C)Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. ²⁰In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.

Wives and Husbands

²¹Submit yourselves to one another because of your reverence for Christ.

²²^(D)Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body. ²⁴And so wives must submit themselves completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ.

²⁵^(E)Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. ²⁶He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water, ²⁷in order to present the church to himself in all its beauty—pure and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any other imperfection. ²⁸Men ought to love their wives just as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. (²⁹None of us ever hate our own bodies. Instead, we feed them, and take care of them, just as Christ does the church; ³⁰for we are members of his body.) ³¹^(F)As the scripture says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.” ³²There is a deep secret truth revealed in this scripture, which I understand as applying to Christ and the church. ³³But it also applies to you: every husband must love his wife as himself, and every wife must respect her husband.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 5:9 the light; some manuscripts have the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:14 anything that is clearly revealed becomes light; or it is light that clearly reveals everything.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Psalm 69:19-36

¹⁹You know how I am insulted,
how I am disgraced and dishonored;
you see all my enemies.
²⁰Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I had hoped for sympathy, but there was none;
for comfort, but I found none.
²¹^(A)When I was hungry, they gave me poison;
when I was thirsty, they offered me vinegar.

²²^(B)May their banquets cause their ruin;
may their sacred feasts cause their downfall.
²³Strike them with blindness!
Make their backs always weak!
²⁴Pour out your anger on them;
let your indignation overtake them.
²⁵^(C)May their camps be left deserted;
may no one be left alive in their tents.
²⁶They persecute those whom you have punished;
they talk about the sufferings of those you have wounded.
²⁷Keep a record of all their sins;
don't let them have any part in your salvation.
²⁸^(D)May their names be erased from the book of the living;
may they not be included in the list of your people.

²⁹But I am in pain and despair;
lift me up, O God, and save me!

³⁰I will praise God with a song;
I will proclaim his greatness by giving him thanks.
³¹This will please the Lord more than offering him cattle,
more than sacrificing a full-grown bull.
³²When the oppressed see this, they will be glad;
those who worship God will be encouraged.
³³The Lord listens to those in need
and does not forget his people in prison.

³⁴Praise God, O heaven and earth,
seas and all creatures in them.
³⁵He will save Jerusalem
and rebuild the towns of Judah.
His people will live there and possess the land;
³⁶the descendants of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love him will live there.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Proverbs 24:7

-22-

⁷Wise sayings are too deep for stupid people to understand. They have nothing to say when important matters are being discussed.

Good News Translation (GNT)

September 26, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday September 26, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

Cyrus, the Lord's Chosen Leader

¹²^(A)The Lord says,

“Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called!
I am God, the first, the last, the only God!
¹³My hands made the earth's foundations
and spread the heavens out.
When I summon earth and sky,
they come at once and present themselves.

¹⁴“Assemble and listen, all of you!
None of the gods could predict
that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon;
he will do what I want him to do.
¹⁵I am the one who spoke and called him;
I led him out and gave him success.

¹⁶“Now come close to me and hear what I say.
From the beginning I have spoken openly
and have always made my words come true.”

(Now the Sovereign Lord has given me his power and sent me.)

The Lord's Plan for His People

¹⁷The holy God of Israel,
the Lord who saves you, says:
“I am the Lord your God,
the one who wants to teach you for your own good
and direct you in the way you should go.

¹⁸“If only you had listened to my commands!
Then blessings would have flowed for you
like a stream that never goes dry.
Victory would have come to you
like the waves that roll on the shore.
¹⁹Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand,
and I would have made sure they were never destroyed.”

²⁰^(B)Go out from Babylon, go free!
Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere:
“The Lord has saved his servant Israel!”
²¹When the Lord led his people through a hot, dry desert,
they did not suffer from thirst.
He made water come from a rock for them;
he split the rock open, and water flowed out.

²²^(C)“There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.

Israel, A Light to the Nations

49 ^(D)Listen to me, distant nations,
you people who live far away!
Before I was born, the Lord chose me
and appointed me to be his servant.
²^(E)He made my words as sharp as a sword.
With his own hand he protected me.^[a]
He made me like an arrow,
sharp and ready for use.
³He said to me, “Israel, you are my servant;
because of you, people will praise me.”

⁴I said, “I have worked, but how hopeless it is!
I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing.”
Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause;
he will reward me for what I do.

⁵Before I was born, the Lord appointed me;
he made me his servant to bring back his people,
to bring back the scattered people of Israel.
The Lord gives me honor;
he is the source of my strength.

⁶^(F)The Lord said to me,

“I have a greater task for you, my servant.
Not only will you restore to greatness
the people of Israel who have survived,
but I will also make you a light to the nations—
so that all the world may be saved.”

⁷Israel's holy God and savior says
to the one who is deeply despised,
who is hated by the nations
and is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you released
and will rise to show their respect;
princes also will see it,
and they will bow low to honor you.”

This will happen because the Lord has chosen his servant;
the holy God of Israel keeps his promises.

The Restoration of Jerusalem

⁸^(G)The Lord says to his people,

“When the time comes to save you, I will show you favor
and answer your cries for help.
I will guard and protect you
and through you make a covenant with all peoples.
I will let you settle once again
in your land that is now laid waste.
⁹I will say to the prisoners, ‘Go free!’
and to those who are in darkness,
‘Come out to the light!’
They will be like sheep that graze on the hills;
¹⁰^(H)they will never be hungry or thirsty.
Sun and desert heat will not hurt them,
for they will be led by one who loves them.
He will lead them to springs of water.

¹¹“I will make a highway across the mountains
and prepare a road for my people to travel.
¹²My people will come from far away,
from the north and the west,
and from Aswan^[b] in the south.”

¹³Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth!
Let the mountains burst into song!
The Lord will comfort his people;
he will have pity on his suffering people.

¹⁴But the people of Jerusalem said,

“The Lord has abandoned us!
He has forgotten us.”

¹⁵So the Lord answers,

“Can a woman forget her own baby
and not love the child she bore?
Even if a mother should forget her child,
I will never forget you.
¹⁶Jerusalem, I can never forget you!
I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

¹⁷“Those who will rebuild you are coming soon,
and those who destroyed you will leave.
¹⁸Look around and see what is happening!
Your people are assembling—they are coming home!
As surely as I am the living God,
you will be proud of your people,
as proud as a bride is of her jewels.

¹⁹“Your country was ruined and desolate—
but now it will be too small
for those who are coming to live there.
And those who left you in ruins
will be far removed from you.
²⁰Your people who were born in exile
will one day say to you,
‘This land is too small—
we need more room to live in!’
²¹Then you will say to yourself,
‘Who bore all these children for me?
I lost my children and could have no more.
I was exiled and driven away—
who brought these children up?
I was left all alone—
where did these children come from?’”

²²^(I)The Sovereign Lord says to his people:

“I will signal to the nations,
and they will bring your children home.
²³Kings will be like fathers to you;
queens will be like mothers.
They will bow low before you and honor you;
they will humbly show their respect for you.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
no one who waits for my help will be disappointed.”

²⁴Can you take away a soldier's loot?
Can you rescue the prisoners of a tyrant?

²⁵The Lord replies,

“That is just what is going to happen.
The soldier's prisoners will be taken away,
and the tyrant's loot will be seized.
I will fight against whoever fights you,
and I will rescue your children.
²⁶I will make your oppressors kill each other;
they will be drunk with murder and rage.
Then all people will know that I am the Lord,
the one who saves you and sets you free.
They will know that I am Israel's powerful God.”

50 ^(J)The Lord says,

“Do you think I sent my people away
like a man who divorces his wife?
Where, then, are the papers of divorce?
Do you think I sold you into captivity
like a man who sells his children as slaves?
No, you went away captive because of your sins;
you were sent away because of your crimes.

²“Why did my people fail to respond
when I went to them to save them?
Why did they not answer when I called?
Am I too weak to save them?
I can dry up the sea with a command
and turn rivers into a desert,
so that the fish in them die for lack of water.
³I can make the sky turn dark,
as if it were in mourning for the dead.”

The Obedience of the Lord's Servant

⁴The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say,
so that I can strengthen the weary.
Every morning he makes me eager
to hear what he is going to teach me.
⁵The Lord has given me understanding,
and I have not rebelled
or turned away from him.
⁶^(K)I bared my back to those who beat me.
I did not stop them when they insulted me,
when they pulled out the hairs of my beard
and spit in my face.

⁷But their insults cannot hurt me
because the Sovereign Lord gives me help.
I brace myself to endure them.
I know that I will not be disgraced,
⁸^(L)for God is near,
and he will prove me innocent.
Does anyone dare bring charges against me?
Let us go to court together!
Let him bring his accusation!
⁹The Sovereign Lord himself defends me—
who, then, can prove me guilty?
All my accusers will disappear;
they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth.

¹⁰All of you that honor the Lord
and obey the words of his servant,
the path you walk may be dark indeed,
but trust in the Lord, rely on your God.
¹¹All of you that plot to destroy others
will be destroyed by your own plots.
The Lord himself will make this happen;
you will suffer a miserable fate.

Footnotes:

Isaiah 49:2 With his own hand … me; or He kept me hidden in his hand.
Isaiah 49:12 A city in southern Egypt, where a large Jewish community had settled.

Good News Translation (GNT)

Ephesians 4:17-32

The New Life in Christ

¹⁷In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless ¹⁸and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. ¹⁹They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint.

²⁰That was not what you learned about Christ! ²¹You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. ²²^(A)So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. ²³Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, ²⁴^(B)and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.

²⁵^(C)No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. ²⁶^(D)If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. ²⁷Don't give the Devil a chance. ²⁸If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor. ²⁹Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. ³⁰And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. ³¹Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. ³²^(E)Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Psalm 69:1-18

A Cry for Help^[a]

69 Save me, O God!
The water is up to my neck;
²I am sinking in deep mud,
and there is no solid ground;
I am out in deep water,
and the waves are about to drown me.
³I am worn out from calling for help,
and my throat is aching.
I have strained my eyes,
looking for your help.

⁴^(A)Those who hate me for no reason
are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
My enemies tell lies against me;
they are strong and want to kill me.
They made me give back things I did not steal.
⁵My sins, O God, are not hidden from you;
you know how foolish I have been.
⁶Don't let me bring shame on those who trust in you,
Sovereign Lord Almighty!
Don't let me bring disgrace to those who worship you,
O God of Israel!
⁷It is for your sake that I have been insulted
and that I am covered with shame.
⁸I am like a stranger to my relatives,
like a foreigner to my family.

⁹^(B)My devotion to your Temple burns in me like a fire;
the insults which are hurled at you fall on me.
¹⁰I humble myself^[b] by fasting,
and people insult me;
¹¹I dress myself in clothes of mourning,
and they laugh at me.
¹²They talk about me in the streets,
and drunkards make up songs about me.

¹³But as for me, I will pray to you, Lord;
answer me, God, at a time you choose.
Answer me because of your great love,
because you keep your promise to save.
¹⁴Save me from sinking in the mud;
keep me safe from my enemies,
safe from the deep water.
¹⁵Don't let the flood come over me;
don't let me drown in the depths
or sink into the grave.

¹⁶Answer me, Lord, in the goodness of your constant love;
in your great compassion turn to me!
¹⁷Don't hide yourself from your servant;
I am in great trouble—answer me now!
¹⁸Come to me and save me;
rescue me from my enemies.

Footnotes:

Psalm 69:1 HEBREW TITLE: By David.
Psalm 69:10 Some ancient translations humble myself; Hebrew cry.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Proverbs 24:5-6

-21-

⁵Being wise is better than being strong;^[a] yes, knowledge is more important than strength. ⁶After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:5 Some ancient translations Being wise is better than being strong; Hebrew A person is wise in strength.

Good News Translation (GNT)

September 25, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday September 25, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 45:11-48

¹¹The Lord, the holy God of Israel,
the one who shapes the future, says:
“You have no right to question me about my children
or to tell me what I ought to do!
¹²I am the one who made the earth
and created human beings to live there.
By my power I stretched out the heavens;
I control the sun, the moon, and the stars.
¹³I myself have stirred Cyrus to action
to fulfill my purpose and put things right.
I will straighten out every road that he travels.
He will rebuild my city, Jerusalem,
and set my captive people free.
No one has hired him or bribed him to do this.”
The Lord Almighty has spoken.

¹⁴The Lord says to Israel,

“The wealth of Egypt and Ethiopia^[a] will be yours,
and the tall men of Seba will be your slaves;
they will follow you in chains.
They will bow down to you and confess,
‘God is with you—he alone is God.
¹⁵The God of Israel, who saves his people,
is a God who conceals himself.
¹⁶Those who make idols will all be ashamed;
all of them will be disgraced.
¹⁷But Israel is saved by the Lord,
and her victory lasts forever;
her people will never be disgraced.’”

¹⁸The Lord created the heavens—
he is the one who is God!
He formed and made the earth—
he made it firm and lasting.
He did not make it a desolate waste,
but a place for people to live.
It is he who says, “I am the Lord,
and there is no other god.
¹⁹I have not spoken in secret
or kept my purpose hidden.
I did not require the people of Israel
to look for me in a desolate waste.
I am the Lord, and I speak the truth;
I make known what is right.”

The Lord of the World and the Idols of Babylon

²⁰The Lord says,

“Come together, people of the nations,
all who survive the fall of the empire;
present yourselves for the trial!
The people who parade with their idols of wood
and pray to gods that cannot save them—
those people know nothing at all!
²¹Come and present your case in court;
let the defendants consult one another.
Who predicted long ago what would happen?
Was it not I, the Lord, the God who saves his people?
There is no other god.

²²“Turn to me now and be saved,
people all over the world!
I am the only God there is.
²³^(A)My promise is true,
and it will not be changed.
I solemnly promise by all that I am:
Everyone will come and kneel before me
and vow to be loyal to me.

²⁴“They will say that only through me
are victory and strength to be found;
but all who hate me will suffer disgrace.
²⁵I, the Lord, will rescue all the descendants of Jacob,
and they will give me praise.

46 “This is the end for Babylon's gods!
Bel and Nebo once were worshiped,
but now they are loaded on donkeys,
a burden for the backs of tired animals.
²The idols cannot save themselves;
they are captured and carried away.
This is the end for Babylon's gods!

³“Listen to me, descendants of Jacob,
all who are left of my people.
I have cared for you from the time you were born.
⁴I am your God and will take care of you
until you are old and your hair is gray.
I made you and will care for you;
I will give you help and rescue you.

⁵“To whom will you compare me?” says the Lord.
“Is there anyone else like me?
⁶People open their purses and pour out gold;
they weigh out silver on the scales.
They hire a goldsmith to make a god;
then they bow down and worship it.
⁷They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;
they put it in place, and there it stands,
unable to move from where it is.
If any pray to it, it cannot answer
or save them from disaster.

⁸“Remember this, you sinners;
consider what I have done.
⁹Remember what happened long ago;
acknowledge that I alone am God
and that there is no one else like me.
¹⁰From the beginning I predicted the outcome;
long ago I foretold what would happen.
I said that my plans would never fail,
that I would do everything I intended to do.
¹¹I am calling a man to come from the east;^[b]
he will swoop down like a hawk
and accomplish what I have planned.
I have spoken, and it will be done.

¹²“Listen to me, you stubborn people
who think that victory is far away.
¹³I am bringing the day of victory near—
it is not far away at all.
My triumph will not be delayed.
I will save Jerusalem
and bring honor to Israel there.”

Judgment on Babylon

47 ^(B)The Lord says,

“Babylon, come down from your throne,
and sit in the dust on the ground.
You were once like a virgin, a city unconquered,
but you are soft and delicate no longer!
You are now a slave!
²Turn the millstone! Grind the flour!
Off with your veil! Strip off your fine clothes!
Lift up your skirts to cross the streams!^[c]
³People will see you naked;
they will see you humbled and shamed.
I will take vengeance, and no one will stop me.”

⁴The holy God of Israel sets us free—
his name is the Lord Almighty.

⁵The Lord says to Babylon,

“Sit in silence and darkness;
no more will they call you the queen of nations!
⁶I was angry with my people;
I treated them as no longer mine:
I put them in your power,
and you showed them no mercy;
even the aged you treated harshly.
⁷You thought you would always be a queen,
and did not take these things to heart
or think how it all would end.

⁸^(C)“Listen to this, you lover of pleasure,
you that think you are safe and secure.
You claim you are as great as God—
that there is no one else like you.
You thought that you would never be a widow
or suffer the loss of your children.
⁹But in a moment, in a single day,
both of these things will happen.
In spite of all the magic you use,
you will lose your husband and children.

¹⁰“You felt sure of yourself in your evil;
you thought that no one could see you.
Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray,
and you said to yourself, ‘I am God—
there is no one else like me.’
¹¹Disaster will come upon you,
and none of your magic can stop it.
Ruin will come on you suddenly—
ruin you never dreamed of!
¹²Keep all your magic spells and charms;
you have used them since you were young.
Perhaps they will be of some help to you;
perhaps you can frighten your enemies.
¹³You are powerless in spite of the advice you get.
Let your astrologers come forward and save you—
those people who study the stars,
who map out the zones of the heavens
and tell you from month to month
what^[d] is going to happen to you.

¹⁴“They will be like bits of straw,
and a fire will burn them up!
They will not even be able to save themselves—
the flames will be too hot for them,
not a cozy fire to warm themselves by.
¹⁵That is all the good they will do you—
those astrologers you've consulted all your life.
They all will leave you and go their own way,
and none will be left to save you.”

God Is Lord of the Future

48 Listen to this, people of Israel,
you that are descended from Judah:
You swear by the name of the Lord
and claim to worship the God of Israel—
but you don't mean a word you say.
²And yet you are proud to say
that you are citizens of the holy city
and that you depend on Israel's God,
whose name is the Lord Almighty.

³The Lord says to Israel,

“Long ago I predicted what would take place;
then suddenly I made it happen.
⁴I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,
as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.
⁵And so I predicted your future long ago,
announcing events before they took place,
to keep you from claiming
that your idols and images made them happen.

⁶“All I foretold has now taken place;
you have to admit my predictions were right.
Now I will tell you of new things to come,
events that I did not reveal before.
⁷Only now am I making them happen;
nothing like this took place in the past.
If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.
⁸I knew that you couldn't be trusted,
that you have always been known as a rebel.
That is why you never heard of this at all,
why no word of it ever came to your ears.

⁹“In order that people will praise my name,
I am holding my anger in check;
I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.
¹⁰I have tested you in the fire of suffering,
as silver is refined in a furnace.
But I have found that you are worthless.
¹¹What I do is done for my own sake—
I will not let my name be dishonored
or let anyone else share the glory
that should be mine and mine alone.”

Footnotes:

Isaiah 45:14 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
Isaiah 46:11 See 41.2.
Isaiah 47:2 This probably refers to going into exile.
Isaiah 47:13 Some ancient translations what; Hebrew from what.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Ephesians 4:1-16

The Unity of the Body

4 I urge you, then—I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. ²^(A)Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. ³Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. ⁵There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶there is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.

⁷Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given. ⁸^(B)As the scripture says,

“When he went up to the very heights,
he took many captives with him;
he gave gifts to people.”

⁹Now, what does “he went up” mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth.^[a] ¹⁰So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence. ¹¹It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. ¹²He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. ¹³And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature. ¹⁴Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. ¹⁵Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. ¹⁶^(C)Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 4:9 the lowest depths of the earth; or the lower depths, the earth itself.

Cross references:

Good News Translation (GNT)

Psalm 68:19-35

¹⁹Praise the Lord,
who carries our burdens day after day;
he is the God who saves us.
²⁰Our God is a God who saves;
he is the Lord, our Lord,
who rescues us from death.

²¹God will surely break the heads of his enemies,
of those who persist in their sinful ways.
²²The Lord has said, “I will bring your enemies back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the ocean,
²³so that you may wade in their blood,
and your dogs may lap up as much as they want.”

²⁴O God, your march of triumph is seen by all,
the procession of God, my king, into his sanctuary.
²⁵The singers are in front, the musicians are behind,
in between are the young women beating the tambourines.
²⁶“Praise God in the meeting of his people;
praise the Lord, all you descendants of Jacob!”
²⁷First comes Benjamin, the smallest tribe,
then the leaders of Judah with their group,
followed by the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.

²⁸Show your power, O God,
the power you have used on our behalf
²⁹from your Temple in Jerusalem,
where kings bring gifts to you.
³⁰Rebuke Egypt, that wild animal in the reeds;
rebuke the nations, that herd of bulls with their calves,
until they all bow down and offer you their silver.
Scatter those people who love to make war!^[a]
³¹Ambassadors^[b] will come from Egypt;
the Ethiopians^[c] will raise their hands in prayer to God.

³²Sing to God, kingdoms of the world,
sing praise to the Lord,
³³to him who rides in the sky,
the ancient sky.
Listen to him shout with a mighty roar.
³⁴Proclaim God's power;
his majesty is over Israel,
his might is in the skies.
³⁵How awesome is God as he comes from his sanctuary—
the God of Israel!
He gives strength and power to his people.

Praise God!

Footnotes:

Psalm 68:30 Verse 30 in Hebrew is unclear.
Psalm 68:31 Some ancient translations Ambassadors; Hebrew unclear.
Psalm 68:31 Hebrew Cushites: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman time, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).

Good News Translation (GNT)

Proverbs 24:3-4

-20-

³Homes are built on the foundation of wisdom and understanding.^[a] ⁴Where there is knowledge, the rooms are furnished with valuable, beautiful things.

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:3 Homes … understanding; or It takes care to lay the foundations of a house, and skill to build it.

Good News Translation (GNT)

September 24, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Saturday September 24, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 43:14-45:10

God’s Deliverance of Rebellious Israel

¹⁴This is what the Lord, your Redeemer,^(A) the Holy One of Israel^(B) says:

Because of you, I will send an army^[a] to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,^[b]
even the Chaldeans^(C) in the ships in which they rejoice.^[c]
¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.

¹⁶This is what the Lord says—
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through raging water,^(D)
¹⁷who brings out the chariot and horse,^(E)
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, put out like a wick^(F))—
¹⁸“Do not remember the past events;
pay no attention to things of old.^(G)
¹⁹Look, I am about to do something new;^(H)
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,^(I)
rivers^[d] in the desert.
²⁰Wild animals—
jackals and ostriches—will honor me,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,^(J)
to give drink to my chosen people.
²¹The people I formed for myself
will declare my praise.^(K)

²²“But, Jacob, you have not called on me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of me.^(L)
²³You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.^(M)
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.^[e]
²⁴You have not bought me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me^(N) with your iniquities.^(O)

²⁵“I am the one,I sweep away your transgressions^(P)
for my own sake^(Q)
and remember your sins no more.^(R)
²⁶Remind me. Let’s argue the case together.^(S)
Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated.
²⁷Your first father sinned,^(T)
and your mediators have rebelled against me.^(U)
²⁸So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction^(V)
and Israel for scorn.

Spiritual Blessing

44 “And now listen, Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.^(W)
²This is the word of the Lord
your Maker, the one who formed you from the womb:
He will help you.
Do not fear, Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun^[f] whom I have chosen.^(X)
³For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit^(Y) on your descendants
and my blessing on your offspring.
⁴They will sprout among^[g] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
⁵This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
another will use the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and take on the name of Israel.”

No God Other Than the Lord

⁶This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer,^(Z) the Lord of Armies, says:

I am the first and I am the last.^(AA)
There is no God but me.^(AB)
⁷Who, like me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before me,^(AC)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare^[h] the coming things,
and what will take place.
⁸Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!^(AD)
Is there any God but me?^(AE)
There is no other Rock;^(AF) I do not know any.

⁹All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure benefits no one.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.^(AG)
¹⁰Who makes a god or casts a metal image
that benefits no one?^(AH)
¹¹Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.

¹²The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn’t drink water and is faint.
¹³The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human form,^(AI)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
¹⁴He cuts down^[i] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
¹⁵A person can use it for fuel.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
¹⁶He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, “Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze.”
¹⁷He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
he prays to it,^(AJ) “Save me, for you are my god.”
¹⁸Such people^[j] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for he has shut their eyes^[k] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
¹⁹No one comes to his senses;^[l]
no one has the perception or insight to say,
“I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
Should I make something detestable^(AK) with the rest of it?
Should I bow down to a block of wood?”
²⁰He feeds on^[m] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot rescue himself,
or say, “Isn’t there a lie in my right hand?” ^(AL)

²¹Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by me.^[n]^(AM)
²²I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,^(AN)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to me,^(AO)
for I have redeemed you.^(AP)
²³Rejoice, heavens,^(AQ) for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies himself through Israel.^(AR)

Restoration of Israel through Cyrus

²⁴This is what the Lord, your Redeemer^(AS) who formed you from the womb,^(AT) says:

I am the Lord, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by myself;^(AU)
who alone spread out the earth;
²⁵who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;^(AV)
²⁶who confirms the message of his servant
and fulfills the counsel of his messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, “She will be inhabited,”
and to the cities of Judah, “They will be rebuilt,”
and I will restore her ruins;
²⁷who says to the depths of the sea, “Be dry,”
and I will dry up your rivers;
²⁸who says to Cyrus,^(AW) “My shepherd,
he will fulfill all my pleasure”^(AX)
and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,”^(AY)
and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”

45 The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed,^(AZ)
whose right hand I have grasped^(BA)
to subdue nations before him
and disarm^[o] kings,^(BB)
to open doors before him,
and even city gates will not be shut:
²“I will go before you
and level the uneven places;^[p]^(BC)
I will shatter the bronze doors
and cut the iron bars in two.^(BD)
³I will give you the treasures of darkness
and riches from secret places,^(BE)
so that you may know that I am the Lord.
I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.^(BF)
⁴I call you by your name,
for the sake of my servant Jacob^(BG)
and Israel my chosen one.
I give a name to you,
though you do not know me.
⁵I am the Lord, and there is no other;^(BH)
there is no God but me.^(BI)
I will strengthen^[q] you,
though you do not know me,
⁶so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but me.^(BJ)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷I form light and create darkness,^(BK)
I make success and create disaster;^(BL)
I am the Lord, who does all these things.

⁸“Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.^(BM)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.^(BN)
I, the Lord, have created it.

⁹“Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.^[r]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’ ^(BO)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?^[s]
¹⁰Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,^[t]
‘What are you giving birth to?’”

Footnotes:

43:14 an army supplied for clarity
43:14 Or will break down all their bars
43:14 Hb obscure
43:19 DSS read paths
43:23 I.e., with demands for offerings and incense
44:2 = Upright One
44:4 Some Hb mss, DSS, LXX read as among
44:7 Lit declare them—
44:14 Lit To cut down for himself
44:18 Lit They
44:18 Or for their eyes are shut
44:19 Lit No one returns to his heart
44:20 Or He shepherds
44:21 DSS, LXX, Tg read Israel, do not forget me
45:1 Lit unloosen the waist of
45:2 DSS, LXX read the mountains
45:5 Lit gird
45:9 Lit a clay pot with clay pots of the ground
45:9 Or making? Your work has no hands.
45:10 Lit to a woman

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Ephesians 3

Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles

3 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner^(A) of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— ²assuming you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you. ³The mystery was made known to me by revelation,^(B) as I have briefly written above. ⁴By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.^(C) ⁵This was not made known to people^[a] in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets^(D) by the Spirit: ⁶The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise^(E) in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ⁷I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.^(F)

⁸This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches^(G) of Christ, ⁹and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created^(H) all things. ¹⁰This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom^(I) may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.^(J) ¹¹This is according to his eternal purpose^(K) accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him we have boldness and confident access^(L) through faith in him.^[b] ¹³So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged^(M) over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.^(N)

Prayer for Spiritual Power

¹⁴For this reason I kneel^(O) before the Father^[c] ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. ¹⁶I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches^(P) of his glory,^(Q) to be strengthened with power^(R) in your inner being^(S) through his Spirit, ¹⁷and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,^(T) ¹⁹and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able^(U) to do above and beyond all that we ask or think^(V) according to the power^(W) that works in us— ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.^(X)

Footnotes:

3:5 Lit to the sons of men
3:12 Or through his faithfulness
3:14 Other mss add of our Lord Jesus Christ

Cross references:

3:1 : 2Tm 1:8
3:3 : 1Pt 4:13
3:4 : Col 4:3
3:5 : 1Co 12:28–29; Eph 2:20
3:6 : Gn 12:7
3:7 : Mk 5:30; Lk 1:35; 6:19; Ac 19:11; 2Co 13:4; Rv 11:17
3:8 : Rm 1:15; 10:12; 11:12; 1Pt 1:12
3:9 : Mk 13:19
3:10 : Pr 3:19; Rm 11:33; 1Co 1:21,24; Rv 7:12
3:10 : Eph 1:3,20; 2:6; 6:12; Php 2:10
3:11 : Pr 19:21
3:12 : Rm 5:2
3:13 : 2Th 3:13
3:13 : Jn 5:44; 7:18; Rm 2:7; 1Pt 5:4
3:14 : Php 2:10
3:16 : Lk 8:14; 2Co 8:9
3:16 : Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:18
3:16 : 2Tm 1:7
3:16 : Rm 7:22; Php 4:13
3:18 : Jb 11:7–9; Ps 103:11–14
3:20 : Rm 16:25; 2Co 9:8; Jd 24
3:20 : Mk 14:36
3:20 : Rm 15:13; 16:25; 2Tm 1:7; Jd 24
3:21 : Php 4:20

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Psalm 68:1-18

Psalm 68

God’s Majestic Power

For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.

¹God arises. His enemies scatter,
and those who hate him flee from his presence.^(A)
²As smoke is blown away,
so you blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.^(B)
³But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.^(C)

⁴Sing to God! Sing praises to his name.
Exalt him who rides on the clouds^[a]—
his name is the Lord^[b]—and celebrate before him.^(D)
⁵God in his holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.^(E)
⁶God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,^[c]
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.^(F)

⁷God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the desert,Selah
⁸the earth trembled and the skies poured rain
before God, the God of Sinai,^[d]
before God, the God of Israel.^(G)
⁹You, God, showered abundant rain;
you revived your inheritance when it languished.^(H)
¹⁰Your people settled in it;
God, you provided for the poor by your goodness.^(I)

¹¹The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news:^(J)
¹²“The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”
She who stays at home divides the spoil.^(K)
¹³While^[e] you lie among the sheep pens,^[f]
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold.^(L)
¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,
it snowed on Zalmon.^[g]^(M)

¹⁵Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.^(N)
¹⁶Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain God desired for his abode?
The Lord will dwell there forever!^(O)
¹⁷God’s chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;^(P)
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary^[h]
as he was at Sinai.^(Q)
¹⁸You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
you received gifts from^[i] people,
even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might dwell there.^[j]^(R)

Footnotes:

68:4 Or rides through the desert
68:4 Hb Yah
68:6 Or prisoners with joyous music; Hb uncertain
68:8 Or God, this one of Sinai
68:13 Or If
68:13 Or the campfires, or the saddlebags; Hb obscure
68:14 Or Black Mountain
68:17 Or in holiness, also in v. 24
68:18 Lit among
68:18 Or even those rebelling against the Lord God’s living there; Hb obscure

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Proverbs 24:1-2

24 Don’t envy the evil^(A)
or desire to be with them,^(B)
²for their hearts plan violence,
and their words stir up trouble.^(C)

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

September 23, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Friday September 23, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 41:17-43:13

¹⁷The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I will answer them.^(A)
I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I will not abandon them.
¹⁸I will open rivers on the barren heights,^(B)
and springs in the middle of the plains.
I will turn the desert into a pool
and dry land into springs.^(C)
¹⁹I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees
in the wilderness.^(D)
I will put juniper, elm, and cypress trees together
in the desert,
²⁰so that all may see and know,
consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,^(E)
the Holy One of Israel has created^(F) it.

²¹“Submit your case,” says the Lord.
“Present your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
²²“Let them come and tell us
what will happen.^(G)
Tell us the past events,
so that we may reflect on them
and know the outcome,
or tell us the future.
²³Tell us the coming events,^(H)
then we will know that you are gods.
Indeed, do something good or bad,
then we will be in awe^[a] when we see it.
²⁴Look, you are nothing^(I)
and your work is worthless.
Anyone who chooses you is detestable.

²⁵“I have stirred up one from the north,^(J) and he has come,
one from the east^(K) who invokes my^[b] name.^(L)
He will march over rulers as if they were mud,
like a potter who treads the clay.
²⁶Who told about this from the beginning,
so that we might know,
and from times past,
so that we might say, ‘He is right’?
No one announced it,
no one told it,
no one heard your words.
²⁷I was the first to say to Zion,^[c]
‘Look! Here they are!’
And I gave Jerusalem a herald with good news.^(M)
²⁸When I look, there is no one;
there is no counselor among them;
when I ask them, they have nothing to say.^(N)
²⁹Look, all of them are a delusion;^[d]
their works are nonexistent;
their images are wind and emptiness.

The Servant’s Mission

42 “This^(O) is my servant;^(P) I strengthen him,
this is my chosen one;^(Q) I delight in him.^(R)
I have put my Spirit on him;^(S)
he will bring justice^[e] to the nations.^(T)
²He will not cry out or shout
or make his voice heard in the streets.
³He will not break a bruised reed,
and he will not put out a smoldering wick;
he will faithfully bring justice.
⁴He will not grow weak or be discouraged
until he has established justice on earth.
The coasts and islands will wait for his instruction.”^(U)

⁵This is what God, the Lord, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out,^(V)
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,^(W)
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk on it^(X)—
⁶“I am the Lord. I have called you
for a righteous purpose,^[f]^(Y)
and I will hold you by your hand.^(Z)
I will watch over you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people^(AA)
and a light to the nations,^(AB)
⁷in order to open blind eyes,^(AC)
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,^(AD)
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.
⁸I am the Lord. That is my name,
and I will not give my glory to another^(AE)
or my praise to idols.
⁹The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;^(AF)
I announce them to you before they occur.”

A Song of Praise

¹⁰Sing a new song to the Lord;^(AG)
sing his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,^(AH)
you coasts and islands with your^[g] inhabitants.
¹¹Let the desert and its cities shout,
the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.^(AI)
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;^(AJ)
let them cry out from the mountaintops.
¹²Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare his praise in the coasts and islands.
¹³The Lord advances like a warrior;
he stirs up his zeal like a soldier.^(AK)
He shouts, he roars aloud,
he prevails over his enemies.

¹⁴“I have kept silent from ages past;
I have been quiet and restrained myself.^(AL)
But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,^(AM)
gasping breathlessly.
¹⁵I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up marshes.^(AN)
¹⁶I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;^(AO)
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them^(AP)
and rough places into level ground.^(AQ)
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not abandon them.^(AR)
¹⁷They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—
those who trust in an idol
and say to a cast image,
‘You are our gods!’ ^(AS)

Israel’s Blindness and Deafness

¹⁸“Listen, you deaf!
Look, you blind, so that you may see.^(AT)
¹⁹Who is blind but my servant,^(AU)
or deaf like my messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like my dedicated one,^[h]
or blind like the servant of the Lord?
²⁰Though seeing many things,^[i] you pay no attention.
Though his ears are open, he does not listen.”^(AV)

²¹Because of his righteousness, the Lord was pleased
to magnify his instruction and make it glorious.
²²But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in holes
or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder^(AW)
with no one to rescue them
and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back!”
²³Who among you will hear this?
Let him listen and obey in the future.
²⁴Who gave Jacob to the robber,^[j]
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord?
Have we not sinned against him?
They were not willing to walk in his ways,
and they would not listen to his instruction.
²⁵So he poured out his furious anger
and the power of war on Jacob.
It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it;
it burned him, but he didn’t take it to heart.^(AX)

Restoration of Israel

43 Now this is what the Lord says—
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel^(AY)—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;^(AZ)
I have called you by your name; you are mine.^(BA)
²When you pass through the waters,^(BB)
I will be with you,^(BC)
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,^(BD)
you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.
³For I am the Lord your God,^(BE)
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.^(BF)
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
⁴Because you are precious in my sight^(BG)
and honored, and I love you,^(BH)
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
⁵Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,^(BI)
and gather you from the west.^(BJ)
⁶I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,^(BK)
and my daughters from the ends of the earth^(BL)—
⁷everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

⁸Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,^(BM)
and are deaf, yet have ears.
⁹All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.^(BN)
Who among them can declare this,^(BO)
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”
¹⁰“You are my witnesses”^(BP)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and my servant whom I have chosen,^(BQ)
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.^(BR)
No god was formed before me,
and there will be none after me.^(BS)
¹¹I—I am the Lord.
Besides me, there is no Savior.^(BT)
¹²I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—
and not some foreign god^[k] among you.
So you are my witnesses”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“and^[l] I am God.^(BU)
¹³Also, from today on I am he alone,
and none can rescue from my power.^(BV)
I act, and who can reverse it?” ^(BW)

Footnotes:

41:23 DSS read we may hear
41:25 DSS read his
41:27 Lit First to Zion
41:29 DSS, Syr read are nothing
42:1 DSS read his justice
42:6 Or you by my righteousness; lit you in righteousness
42:10 Lit their
42:19 Hb obscure
42:20 Alt Hb tradition reads You see many things;
42:24 Lit to loot
43:12 Lit not a foreigner
43:12 Or that

Cross references:

41:17 : Is 43:20; 44:3; 49:10; 55:1
41:18 : Is 30:25
41:18 : Ps 107:35; Is 35:6–7; 43:19
41:19 : Is 35:1; 55:13; 60:13
41:20 : Jb 12:9; Is 66:14
41:20 : Is 4:5
41:22 : Is 44:7–8; 45:21; 46:10
41:23 : Is 42:9; 45:3; Jn 13:19
41:24 : Ps 115:8; Is 44:9; 1Co 8:4
41:25 : Jr 50:3
41:25 : Is 41:2; 46:11
41:25 : Ezr 1:2–4
41:27 : Is 40:9; 44:28; 52:7; Nah 1:15
41:28 : Is 46:7
42:1–4 : Mt 12:18–21
42:1 : Is 49:3–7; 50:10
42:1 : Is 41:8–9; Lk 9:35; 23:35; 1Pt 2:4,6
42:1 : Mt 3:17; 17:5; Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22; 2Pt 1:17
42:1 : Nm 11:16–17; 1Sm 16:13; Ps 33:6; 139:7; Is 11:2; 40:7; 59:21; Lk 4:18–21
42:1 : Is 2:4; 51:4–5
42:4 : Is 11:11; 24:15; 42:10,12; 49:1; 51:5; 60:9; 66:19
42:5 : Ps 104:2; Is 40:22
42:5 : Ps 136:6; Is 34:1
42:5 : Jb 12:10; 33:4; Is 57:16; Dn 5:23; Ac 17:25
42:6 : Is 5:7,16; 9:7; 11:4–5; 32:1; 41:2; 45:8,13; 51:5–8; 56:1; 60:21; Jr 23:5–6
42:6 : Is 41:10,13
42:6 : Is 49:8
42:6 : Is 49:6
42:7 : Ac 26:17–18
42:7 : Is 35:5; 49:9; 61:1; Heb 2:14–15
42:8 : Ex 20:3–5; Is 48:11
42:9 : Is 43:19; 48:3,6; Rv 21:4
42:10 : Ps 33:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9
42:10 : Ps 96:11; 98:7
42:11 : Is 21:16; 60:7
42:11 : Is 16:1
42:13 : Is 9:7; 26:11; 37:32; 59:17
42:14 : Ps 50:21; Is 57:11; 62:1; 64:12; 65:6
42:14 : Is 13:8
42:15 : Is 44:27; 50:2; Nah 1:4–6
42:16 : Is 29:18; 30:21; 32:3; Jr 31:8–9; Lk 1:78–79
42:16 : Eph 5:8
42:16 : Is 40:4; Lk 3:5
42:16 : Jos 1:5; Ps 94:14; Is 41:17; Heb 13:5
42:17 : Ps 97:7; Is 1:29; 44:9,11; 45:16
42:18 : Is 35:5
42:19 : Is 41:8–9; 43:10; 44:1–2,21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3; 54:17; Ezk 28:25; 37:25; Lk 1:54
42:20 : Rm 2:21–23
42:22 : Dt 1:39; Jr 2:14; Ezk 34:8; 36:4
42:25 : Is 29:13; 47:7; 57:1; Jr 12:11; Hs 7:9
43:1 : Is 43:7,15,21; 44:2,21,24
43:1 : Is 44:22–23; 48:20
43:1 : Gn 32:28; Is 45:3–4
43:2 : Ps 66:12; Is 8:7–8
43:2 : Dt 31:6,8,23; Jos 1:5; 3:7; Jr 1:8; 30:11; 46:28
43:2 : Is 29:6; 30:27–29; Dn 3:25,27
43:3 : Ex 20:2; Is 41:13
43:3 : Is 19:20; 43:11; 45:15,21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8
43:4 : 2Kg 1:13–14; Ps 36:7; 72:14; Pr 3:15; Is 28:16
43:4 : Is 63:9
43:5 : Is 41:8; 61:9
43:5 : Is 49:12
43:6 : 2Co 6:18
43:6 : Is 45:22
43:8 : Is 6:9; 42:19; Ezk 12:2
43:9 : Is 34:1; 41:1
43:9 : Is 41:22–23,26
43:10 : Is 44:8; Ac 1:8
43:10 : Is 41:8
43:10 : Is 41:4
43:10 : Is 44:6,8; 45:5–6
43:11 : Is 43:3; 45:21; Hs 13:4
43:12 : Ps 46:10; 50:7; Is 45:22; 46:9
43:13 : Dt 32:39; Jn 10:28–29
43:13 : Jb 9:12; Is 14:27

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Ephesians 2

From Death to Life

2 And you were dead^(A) in your trespasses and sins ²in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world,^(B) according to the ruler of the power of the air,^(C) the spirit^(D) now working in the disobedient.^[a] ³We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly^(E) desires, carrying out the inclinations^(F) of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath^(G) as the others were also. ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy,^(H) because of his great love^(I) that he had for us,^[b] ⁵made us alive^(J) with Christ even though we were dead^(K) in trespasses. You are saved by grace! ⁶He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,^(L) ⁷so that in the coming ages^(M) he might display the immeasurable riches^(N) of his grace through his kindness^(O) to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For you are saved by grace^(P) through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created^(Q) in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time^(R) for us to do.

Unity in Christ

¹¹So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,”^(S) which is done in the flesh by human hands.^(T) ¹²At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise,^(U) without hope^(V) and without God in the world. ¹³But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood^(W) of Christ. ¹⁴For he is our peace, who made both groups one^(X) and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, ¹⁵he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create^(Y) in himself one^(Z) new man from the two, resulting in peace. ¹⁶He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one body^(AA) through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.^[c] ¹⁷He came and proclaimed the good news^(AB) of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.^(AC) ¹⁸For through him we both have access^(AD) in one Spirit to the Father.^(AE) ¹⁹So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,^(AF) with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building, being put together,^(AG) grows into a holy temple in the Lord.^(AH) ²²In him you are also being built together^(AI) for God’s dwelling^(AJ) in the Spirit.

Footnotes:

2:2 Lit sons of disobedience
2:4 Lit love with which he loved us
2:16 Or death in himself

Cross references:

2:1 : Jn 5:25
2:2 : 2Pt 2:20
2:2 : 2Pt 2:10; Jd 8
2:2 : 1Co 2:12; 1Tm 4:1
2:3 : Php 3:3
2:3 : Mt 21:31; Lk 12:47; 23:25; Jn 1:13; 1Co 7:37; 2Pt 1:21
2:3 : Rm 2:5; Rv 6:16
2:4 : Lk 1:50
2:4 : 1Co 13:1; 1Jn 4:16
2:5 : Col 2:13; 1Tm 5:6
2:5 : Jn 5:25
2:6 : Eph 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12; Php 2:10; 1Pt 3:22
2:7 : Mk 10:30
2:7 : Lk 8:14; 2Co 8:9
2:7 : Ps 25:6
2:8 : Rm 3:24; 6:14; 11:6; Gl 2:21; 2Tm 1:9
2:10 : Jn 1:3; Rv 3:14
2:10 : Rm 9:23
2:11 : Gl 6:15
2:11 : Php 3:3
2:12 : Gn 12:7
2:12 : 1Th 1:3; 4:13
2:13 : Heb 9:12
2:14 : Rm 10:12; Gl 3:28
2:15 : Rv 3:14
2:15 : Jn 11:52
2:16 : Eph 4:4
2:17 : Lk 4:18; 1Pt 1:12
2:17 : Is 57:19
2:18 : Jn 10:7–9; Rm 5:2; Eph 3:12
2:18 : Jn 4:23; 1Co 12:13; Eph 4:4; Col 1:12
2:20 : 1Co 12:28; Eph 3:5
2:21 : Eph 4:16
2:21 : 1Pt 2:5
2:22 : Rm 11:18
2:22 : 1Pt 2:5

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Psalm 67

All Will Praise God

For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

¹May God be gracious to us and bless us;
may he make his face shine upon us^(A)Selah
²so that your way may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.^(B)

³Let the peoples praise you, God;
let all the peoples praise you.^(C)
⁴Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy,
for you judge the peoples with fairness
and lead the nations on earth.^(D)Selah
⁵Let the peoples praise you, God,
let all the peoples praise you.^(E)

⁶The earth has produced its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.^(F)
⁷God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him.^(G)

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Proverbs 23:29-35

²⁹Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has wounds for no reason?^(A)
Who has red eyes?
³⁰Those who linger over wine;
those who go looking for mixed wine.^(B)
³¹Don’t gaze at wine because it is red,^(C)
because it gleams in the cup
and goes down smoothly.^(D)
³²In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
³³Your eyes will see strange things,
and you will say absurd things.^[a]^(E)
³⁴You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea
or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.
³⁵“They struck me, but^[b] I feel no pain!
They beat me, but I didn’t know it!^(F)
When will I wake up?
I’ll look for another drink.”^(G)

Footnotes:

23:33 Or will speak perversities, or inverted things
23:35 LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg read me,” you will say, “but

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

September 22, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday September 22, 2022 (NIV)

Isaiah 39:1-41:16

Hezekiah’s Folly

39 At that time^(A) Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah since he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. ²Hezekiah was pleased with the letters, and he showed the envoys his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil—and all his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries.^(B) There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.^(C)

³Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say, and where did they come to you from?”

Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant country, from Babylon.”

⁴Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your palace?”

Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.”

⁵Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of Armies:^(D) ⁶‘Look, the days are coming when everything in your palace and all that your predecessors have stored up until today will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord.^(E) ⁷‘Some of your descendants—who come from you, whom you father—will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’”

⁸Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good,” for he thought: There will be peace and security during my lifetime.^(F)

God’s People Comforted

40 “Comfort, comfort my people,”^(G)
says your God.
²“Speak tenderly to^[a] Jerusalem,
and announce to her
that her time of hard service is over,
her iniquity^(H) has been pardoned,^(I)
and she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”^(J)

³A voice of one crying out:

Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness;^(K)
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.^(L)
⁴Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled;
the uneven ground will become smooth
and the rough places, a plain.^(M)
⁵And the glory of the Lord will appear,^(N)
and all humanity^[b] together will see it,^(O)
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(P)

⁶A voice was saying, “Cry out!”
Another said,^[c] “What should I cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,^(Q)
and all its goodness is like the flower of the field.^(R)
⁷The grass withers, the flowers fade
when the breath^[d] of the Lord blows on them;^[e]
indeed, the people are grass.
⁸The grass withers, the flowers fade,^(S)
but the word of our God remains forever.”^(T)

⁹Zion, herald of good news,
go up on a high mountain.^(U)
Jerusalem, herald of good news,^(V)
raise your voice loudly.
Raise it, do not be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!” ^(W)
¹⁰See, the Lord God comes with strength,
and his power establishes his rule.^(X)
His wages are with him,^(Y)
and his reward accompanies him.
¹¹He protects his flock like a shepherd;^(Z)
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them in the fold of his garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.

¹²Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?^(AA)
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains on a balance
and the hills on the scales?
¹³Who has directed^[f] the Spirit of the Lord,
or who gave him counsel?^(AB)
¹⁴Who did he consult?
Who gave him understanding^(AC)
and taught him the paths of justice?
Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?
¹⁵Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales;
he lifts up the islands like fine dust.
¹⁶Lebanon’s cedars are not enough for fuel,
or its animals enough for a burnt offering.^(AD)
¹⁷All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are considered by him
as empty nothingness.^(AE)

¹⁸With whom will you compare God?
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?^(AF)
¹⁹An idol?—something that a smelter casts
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver chains for?^(AG)
²⁰A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal
that will not rot.^[g]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.^(AH)

²¹Do you not know?^(AI)
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?^(AJ)
²²God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.^(AK)
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth^(AL)
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.^(AM)
²³He reduces princes to nothing^(AN)
and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.
²⁴They are barely planted, barely sown,
their stem hardly takes root in the ground
when he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.^(AO)

²⁵“To whom will you compare me,^(AP)
or who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
²⁶Look up and see!
Who created^(AQ) these?
He brings out the stars by number;
he calls all of them by name.^(AR)
Because of his great power and strength,
not one of them is missing.

²⁷Jacob, why do you say,
and Israel, why do you assert,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my claim is ignored by my God”?^(AS)
²⁸Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,^(AT)
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.^(AU)
²⁹He gives strength to the faint
and strengthens the powerless.
³⁰Youths may become faint and weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
³¹but those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;^(AV)
they will soar on wings like eagles;^(AW)
they will run and not become weary,
they will walk and not faint.

The Lord versus the Nations’ Gods

41 “Be silent before me, coasts and islands!^(AX)
And let peoples renew their strength.
Let them approach; let them testify;
let’s come together for the trial.
²Who has stirred up someone from the east?^(AY)
In righteousness he calls him to serve.^[h]^[i]^(AZ)
The Lord hands nations over to him,^(BA)
and he subdues kings.
He makes them like dust with his sword,
like wind-driven stubble with his bow.
³He pursues them, going on safely,
hardly touching the path with his feet.
⁴Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I am the Lord, the first
and with the last^(BB)—I am he.”^(BC)

⁵The coasts and islands see and are afraid,
the whole earth trembles.^(BD)
They approach and arrive.
⁶Each one helps the other,
and says to another, “Take courage!”
⁷The craftsman encourages the metalworker;^(BE)
the one who flattens with the hammer
encourages the one who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good.”
He fastens it with nails so that it will not fall over.^(BF)

⁸But you, Israel, my servant,^(BG)
Jacob, whom I have chosen,^(BH)
descendant of Abraham, my friend^(BI)—
⁹I brought^[j] you from the ends of the earth
and called you from its farthest corners.
I said to you: You are my servant;
I have chosen you; I haven’t rejected you.^(BJ)
¹⁰Do not fear, for I am with you;^(BK)
do not be afraid, for I am your God.^(BL)
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.^(BM)

¹¹Be sure that all who are enraged against you
will be ashamed and disgraced;^(BN)
those who contend with you
will become as nothing and will perish.
¹²You will look for those who contend with you,
but you will not find them.
Those who war against you
will become absolutely nothing.
¹³For I am the Lord your God,^(BO)
who holds your right hand,
who says to you, “Do not fear,
I will help you.
¹⁴Do not fear, you worm Jacob,^(BP)
you men^[k] of Israel.
I will help you”—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
Your Redeemer^(BQ) is the Holy One of Israel.^(BR)
¹⁵See, I will make you into a sharp threshing board,
new, with many teeth.
You will thresh mountains and pulverize them
and make hills into chaff.^(BS)
¹⁶You will winnow them^(BT)
and a wind will carry them away,
a whirlwind will scatter them.
But you will rejoice in the Lord;
you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Footnotes:

40:2 Lit Speak to the heart of
40:5 Lit flesh
40:6 DSS, LXX, Vg read I said
40:7 Or wind, or Spirit
40:7 Lit it
40:13 Or measured, or comprehended
40:20 Or who is too poor for such an offering, or who chooses mulberry wood as a votive gift; Hb obscure
41:2 Or Righteousness calls him to serve
41:2 Lit to his foot
41:9 Or seized
41:14 LXX reads small number; DSS read dead ones

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Ephesians 1

Greeting

1 Paul,^(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:^(B)

To the faithful saints^(C) in Christ Jesus^[a] at Ephesus.^[b]^(D)

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

God’s Rich Blessings

³Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.^(E) ⁴For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.^[c]^(F) ⁵He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace^(G) that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.^(H)

⁷In him we have redemption^(I) through his blood, the forgiveness^(J) of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.^[d] ⁹He made known to us the mystery of his will,^(K) according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ^(L) ¹⁰as a plan for the right time^[e]—to bring everything together in Christ,^(M) both things in heaven and things on earth^(N) in him.^(O)

¹¹In him we have also received an inheritance,^[f] because we were predestined^(P) according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, ¹²so that we who had already put our hope^(Q) in Christ might bring praise to his glory.^(R)

¹³In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit^(S) when you heard the word of truth,^(T) the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. ¹⁴The Holy Spirit is the down payment^(U) of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Insight

¹⁵This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. ¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,^[g] would give you the Spirit^[h]^(V) of wisdom and revelation^(W) in the knowledge of him. ¹⁸I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope^(X) of his calling,^(Y) what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power^(Z) toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.

God’s Power in Christ

²⁰He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand^(AA) in the heavens^(AB)— ²¹far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,^[i]^(AC) not only in this age but also in the one to come.^(AD) ²²And he subjected everything under his feet^[j]^(AE) and appointed him^[k] as head^(AF) over everything for the church, ²³which is his body,^(AG) the fullness^(AH) of the one who fills all things^(AI) in every way.

Footnotes:

1:1 Or to the saints, the believers in Christ Jesus
1:1 Other mss omit at Ephesus
1:4 Or in his sight. In love
1:8 Or on us. With all wisdom and understanding
1:10 Or the fulfillment of times
1:11 Or In him we are also an inheritance,
1:17 Or the Father of glory
1:17 Or a spirit
1:21 Lit every name named
1:22 Ps 8:6
1:22 Lit gave him

Cross references:

1:1 : Ac 13:9
1:1 : Eph 1:9
1:1 : Eph 5:2
1:1 : Ac 18:19–21; 19:9–10; 20:3,17; 1Co 15:32; Rv 2:1
1:3 : Eph 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12
1:4 : Jd 24
1:6 : Jn 1:14; Rm 5:2; 2Co 4:15
1:6 : Mt 3:17; Jn 3:35; 10:17; Col 1:13
1:7 : Heb 9:12
1:7 : Ps 25:11; Mt 9:2; Mk 2:5; Lk 24:47
1:9 : Rm 11:25; 16:25; Eph 3:3; Col 1:27
1:9 : Rm 9:11
1:10 : Mt 1:17; Eph 5:2
1:10 : Php 2:10
1:10 : Col 1:16
1:11 : Pr 19:21
1:12 : 1Th 1:3
1:12 : Mk 10:37
1:13 : Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5; Rv 3:22
1:13 : Col 1:5; 2Th 2:10
1:14 : Gn 38:17–18,20; 2Co 1:22; 5:5
1:17 : Ps 51:12
1:17 : 1Pt 4:13
1:18 : 1Th 1:3
1:18 : Col 3:15
1:19 : Ac 4:33
1:20 : Php 2:9
1:20 : Jn 20:17; Eph 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12; Php 2:10; 1Pt 3:22
1:21 : 2Tm 2:19
1:21 : Mk 10:30
1:22 : Ps 8:6; Rm 13:1; 1Co 15:27; 1Pt 3:22
1:22 : Col 2:10
1:23 : Eph 4:4
1:23 : Jn 1:16
1:23 : Col 3:11

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Psalm 66

Praise for God’s Mighty Acts

For the choir director. A song. A psalm.

¹Let the whole earth shout joyfully to God!^(A)
²Sing about the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.^(B)
³Say to God, “How awe-inspiring are your works!
Your enemies will cringe before you
because of your great strength.^(C)
⁴The whole earth will worship you
and sing praise to you.
They will sing praise to your name.”^(D)Selah

⁵Come and see the wonders of God;^(E)
his acts for humanity^[a] are awe-inspiring.
⁶He turned the sea into dry land,
and they crossed the river on foot.^(F)
There we rejoiced in him.^(G)
⁷He rules forever by his might;
he keeps his eye on the nations.^(H)
The rebellious should not exalt themselves.^(I)Selah
⁸Bless our God, you peoples;
let the sound of his praise be heard.^(J)
⁹He keeps us alive^[b]
and does not allow our feet to slip.^(K)

¹⁰For you, God, tested us;
you refined us as silver is refined.^(L)
¹¹You lured us into a trap;
you placed burdens on our backs.^(M)
¹²You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us out to abundance.^[c]^(N)

¹³I will enter your house with burnt offerings;
I will pay you my vows^(O)
¹⁴that my lips promised
and my mouth spoke during my distress.^(P)
¹⁵I will offer you fattened sheep as burnt offerings,
with the fragrant smoke of rams;
I will sacrifice bulls with goats.^(Q)Selah

¹⁶Come and listen, all who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for me.^(R)
¹⁷I cried out to him with my mouth,
and praise was on my tongue.^(S)
¹⁸If I had been aware of malice in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.^(T)
¹⁹However, God has listened;
he has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.^(U)
²⁰Blessed be God!
He has not turned away my prayer
or turned his faithful love from me.^(V)

Footnotes:

66:5 Or for the descendants of Adam
66:9 Lit He sets our soul in life
66:12 Or a place of satisfaction

Cross references:

66:1 : Ps 98:4; 100:1
66:1–2 : 1Ch 16:29; Ps 48:10
66:3 : Ps 18:44; 47:2; 145:6
66:4 : Ps 72:11; Is 66:23; Zph 2:11
66:5 : Ps 46:8
66:6 : Ex 14:21; Ps 106:9
66:6 : Ex 15:1–21
66:7 : Ps 14:2; 33:13–14; Pr 15:3
66:7 : Ps 140:8
66:8 : Ps 98:4
66:9 : Ps 94:18; 121:3
66:10 : Jb 23:10; Ps 17:3; Is 48:10
66:11 : Lm 1:13; Ezk 12:13; 17:20
66:12 : Ps 18:19; Is 43:2
66:13 : Nm 30:2; Dt 23:21–23; Ps 22:25; 116:14; Ec 5:4
66:14 : Ps 18:6; Jnh 2:9
66:15 : Nm 6:14; Ps 51:19
66:16 : Ps 9:1; 34:11; 71:15,24
66:17 : Ps 35:28
66:18 : Jb 36:21; Jn 9:31
66:19 : Ps 116:1–2
66:20 : Ps 22:24; 68:35

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Proverbs 23:25-28

²⁵Let your father and mother have joy,^(A)
and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.

²⁶My son, give me your heart,
and let your eyes observe my ways.
²⁷For a prostitute is a deep pit,^(B)
and a wayward woman is a narrow well;
²⁸indeed, she sets an ambush like a robber^(C)
and increases the number of unfaithful people.

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

September 21, 2022

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday September 21, 2022 (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. ²He 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. ³They 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) ⁴Perhaps 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)

⁵So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah, ⁶who 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) ⁷I 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

⁸When the royal spokesman heard that the king of Assyria had pulled out of Lachish,^(K) he left and found him fighting against Libnah.^(L) ⁹The 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. ¹¹Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries: they completely destroyed them. Will you be rescued? ¹²Did the gods of the nations^(O) that my predecessors destroyed rescue them—Gozan,^(P) Haran,^(Q) Rezeph, and the Edenites in Telassar? ¹³Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of^[a] Sepharvaim, Hena, or Ivvah?’”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

¹⁴Hezekiah 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) ¹⁵Then Hezekiah prayed^(S) to the Lord:

¹⁶Lord 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) ¹⁷Listen 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) ¹⁸Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have devastated all these countries and their lands. ¹⁹They 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. ²⁰Now, 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

²¹Then 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, ²²this 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.
²³Who 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)
²⁴You 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.
²⁵I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands.^[c]
I dried up all the streams of Egypt
with the soles of my feet.”^(AM)

²⁶Have 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.
²⁷Their 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]

²⁸But I know your sitting down,
your going out and your coming in,^(AQ)
and your raging against me.
²⁹Because 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. ³¹The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root^(AV) downward and bear fruit upward. ³²For 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.
³⁴He will go back
the way he came,
and he will not enter this city.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

³⁵I 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

³⁶Then^(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! ³⁷So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh.^(BC)

³⁸One 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]

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

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life.^[f]^(BJ) ⁶And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.^(BK) ⁷This is the sign to you^(BL) from the Lord that he will do what he has promised: ⁸I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on the stairway of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’”^(BM) So the sun’s shadow^[g] went back the ten steps it had descended.

⁹A poem by King Hezekiah of Judah after he had been sick and had recovered from his illness:

¹⁰I said: In the prime^[h] of my life^(BN)
I must go to the gates of Sheol;^(BO)
I am deprived of the rest of my years.
¹¹I said: I will never see the Lord,
the Lord in the land of the living;^(BP)
I will not look on humanity any longer
with the inhabitants of what is passing away.^[i]
¹²My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me
like a shepherd’s tent.^(BQ)
I have rolled up my life like a weaver;^(BR)
he cuts me off from the loom.^(BS)
By nightfall^[j] you make an end of me.^(BT)
¹³I thought until the morning:
He will break all my bones like a lion.
By nightfall you make an end of me.
¹⁴I chirp like a swallow or a crane;
I moan like a dove.^(BU)
My eyes grow weak looking upward.
Lord, I am oppressed; support me.^(BV)

¹⁵What can I say?
He has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I walk along slowly all my years^(BW)
because of the bitterness of my soul.^(BX)
¹⁶Lord, by such things people live,^(BY)
and in every one of them my spirit finds life;
you have restored me to health^(BZ)
and let me live.^(CA)
¹⁷Indeed, it was for my own well-being
that I had such intense bitterness;^(CB)
but your love has delivered me
from the Pit of destruction,^(CC)
for you have thrown all my sins behind your back.^(CD)
¹⁸For Sheol cannot thank you;
Death cannot praise you.^(CE)
Those who go down to the Pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
¹⁹The living, only the living can thank you,
as I do today;
a father will make your faithfulness known to children.^(CF)
²⁰The Lord is ready to save me;
we will play stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
at the house of the Lord.^(CG)

²¹Now Isaiah^(CH) had said, “Let them take a lump of pressed figs and apply it to his infected skin, so that he may recover.” ²²And Hezekiah had asked, “What is the sign that I will go up to the Lord’s temple?”

Footnotes:

37:13 Or king of Lair,
37:20 are God supplied for clarity; see v. 16
37:25 DSS, 2Kg 19:24; MT omits in foreign lands
37:27 DSS; MT reads rooftops, field before standing grain
38:1 Lit live
38:5 Lit days, also in v. 10
38:8 Lit And the sun
38:10 Lit quiet
38:11 Some Hb mss, Tg read of the world
38:12 Lit From day until night, also in v. 13

Cross references:

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Galatians 6

Carry One Another’s Burdens

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle^(A) spirit,^[a]^(B) watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.^(C) ²Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.^(D) ³For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing,^(E) he deceives himself. ⁴Let each person examine his own work,^(F) and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. ⁵For each person will have to carry his own load.

⁶Let the one who is taught the word share^(G) all his good things with the teacher. ⁷Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, ⁸because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit^(H) will reap eternal life^(I) from the Spirit. ⁹Let us not get tired^(J) of doing good,^(K) for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work^(L) for the good^(M) of all, especially for those who belong to the household^(N) of faith.^(O)

Concluding Exhortation

¹¹Look at what large letters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting. ¹²Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh^(P) are the ones who would compel you to be circumcised^(Q)—but only to avoid being persecuted^(R) for the cross^(S) of Christ. ¹³For even the circumcised don’t keep^(T) the law themselves, and yet they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh. ¹⁴But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world. ¹⁵For^[b] both circumcision and uncircumcision^(U) mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation.^(V) ¹⁶May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy even to the Israel^(W) of God!^[c]

¹⁷From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.^(X) ¹⁸Brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.^(Y) Amen.

Footnotes:

6:1 Or with the Spirit of gentleness
6:15 Other mss add in Christ Jesus
6:16 Or And for those who follow this standard, may peace and mercy be upon them, even upon the Israel of God, or And as many who will follow this standard, peace be upon them and mercy even upon the Israel of God.

Cross references:

6:1 : Jms 3:13
6:1 : Ps 51:12
6:1 : Jms 1:13
6:2 : 1Co 9:21
6:3 : 1Co 3:18; 2Co 12:11; Gl 2:6
6:4 : Mk 14:6; Gl 3:10; Jms 2:14–26
6:6 : Rm 15:27; 1Pt 5:2
6:8 : Ps 51:11; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5; Rv 3:22
6:8 : Jn 12:25; Ac 13:48
6:9 : 2Th 3:13
6:9 : Lk 18:18; Jms 4:17
6:10 : 2Jn 8
6:10 : Gn 1:31; 3Jn 11
6:10 : 1Tm 5:8
6:10 : Jd 3
6:12 : Php 3:3
6:12 : Ac 15:1
6:12 : 2Tm 3:12
6:12 : Php 3:18
6:13 : Lk 11:28
6:15 : Col 3:11
6:15 : Jn 1:3; Rv 3:14
6:16 : Lk 3:8
6:17 : Php 3:10
6:18 : Ps 51:12

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Psalm 65

God’s Care for the Earth

For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.

¹Praise is rightfully yours,^[a]
God, in Zion;
vows to you will be fulfilled.^(A)
²All humanity will come to you,
the one who hears prayer.^(B)
³Iniquities overwhelm me;
only you can atone for our rebellions.^(C)
⁴How happy is the one you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of your house,^(D)
the holiness of your temple.^[b]^(E)

⁵You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.^(F)
⁶You establish the mountains by your power;
you are robed with strength.^(G)
⁷You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.^(H)
⁸Those who live far away are awed by your signs;
you make east and west shout for joy.^(I)

⁹You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for you prepare the earth in this way,
providing people with grain.^(J)
¹⁰You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.^(K)
¹¹You crown the year with your goodness;
your carts overflow with plenty.^[c]^(L)
¹²The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.^(M)
¹³The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.^(N)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.^(O)

Footnotes:

65:1 Or Praise is silence to you, or Praise awaits you
65:4 Or house, your holy temple
65:11 Lit your paths drip with fat

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Proverbs 23:24

²⁴The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly,
and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.^(A)

Cross references:

23:24 : Pr 10:1; 23:15; 29:3

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

Isaiah 60:1-62:5

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

The Good News of Deliverance

Cross references:

Philippians 1:27-2:18

Christ's Humility and Greatness

Shining as Lights in the World

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 72

A Prayer for the King[a]

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 24:11-12

-25-

Isaiah 57:15-59:21

True Fasting

The Reward for Keeping the Sabbath

The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins

The People Confess Their Sin

The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Philippians 1:1-26

Paul's Prayer for His Readers

To Live Is Christ

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 71

The Prayer of an Elderly Person

Footnotes:

Proverbs 24:9-10

-24-

Isaiah 54:1-57:14

The Lord's Love for Israel

The Future Jerusalem

God's Offer of Mercy

God's People Will Include All Nations

Israel's Leaders Are Condemned

Israel's Idolatry Is Condemned

God's Promise of Help and Healing

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

Slaves and Masters

The Whole Armor of God

Final Greetings

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 70

A Prayer for Help[a] (A)

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 24:8

-23-

Isaiah 51-53

Words of Comfort to Jerusalem

The End of Jerusalem's Suffering

God Will Rescue Jerusalem

The Suffering Servant

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Ephesians 5

Living in the Light

Wives and Husbands

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 69:19-36

Cross references:

Proverbs 24:7

-22-

Isaiah 48:12-50:11

Cyrus, the Lord's Chosen Leader

The Lord's Plan for His People

Israel, A Light to the Nations

The Restoration of Jerusalem

The Obedience of the Lord's Servant

Footnotes:

Cross references:

A Prayer for the King^[a]

A Prayer for Help^[a] ^(A)

A Cry for Help^[a]