ISAIAH 8:1- 9:21
2 CORINTHIANS 12:1- 10
PSALM 55:1- 23
PROVERBS 23:4- 5
Again the LORD said to me [Isaiah], "Make a large signboard and clearly write this name on it:Maher- shalal- hash- baz." 2 I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah, both known as honest men, to testify that I had written it before the child was conceived. 3 Then I slept with my wife, and she became pregnant and had a son. And the LORD said, "Call him Maher- shalal- hash- baz. 4 This name prophesies that within a couple of years, before this child is old enough to say `Papa 'or `Mama,' the king of Assyria will invade both Damascus and Samaria and carry away their riches." 5 Then the LORD spoke to me again and said, 6 "The people of Judah have rejected my gentle care and are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah. 7 Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River-- the king of Assyria and all his mighty armies. 8 This flood will overflow all its channels and sweep into Judah. It will submerge Immanuel's land from one end to the other. 9" The Assyrians will cry, `Do your best to defend yourselves, but you will be shattered! Listen all you nations. Prepare for battle-- and die! Yes, die! 10 Call your councils of war, develop your strategies, prepare your plans of attack-- and then die! For God is with us! '"11 The LORD has said to me in the strongest terms:" Do not think like everyone else does. 12 Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. 13 Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. 14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap that entangles them. 15 Many of them will stumble and fall, never to rise again. Many will be captured. "16 I will write down all these things as a testimony of what the LORD will do. I will entrust it to my disciples, who will pass it down to future generations. 17 I will wait for the LORD to help us, though he has turned away from the people of Israel. My only hope is in him. 18 I and the children the LORD has given me have names that reveal the plans the LORD Almighty has for his people. 19 So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God? 20" Check their predictions against my testimony, "says the LORD." If their predictions are different from mine, it is because there is no light or truth in them. 21 My people will be led away as captives, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and shake their fists at heaven and curse their king and their God. 22 Wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness. "9:1 NEVERTHELESS, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light-- a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. 3 Israel will again be great, and its people will rejoice as people rejoice at harvesttime. They will shout with joy like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little band. 5 In that day of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Never again will uniforms be bloodstained by war. All such equipment will be burned. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles:Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this! 8 The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel, 9 and the people of Israel and Samaria will soon discover it. In their pride and arrogance they say, 10" Our land lies in ruins now, but we will rebuild it better than before. We will replace the broken bricks with cut stone, the fallen sycamore trees with cedars. "11 The LORD will reply to their bragging by bringing Rezin's enemies, the Assyrians, against them-- 12 along with Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west. With bared fangs, they will devour Israel. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 13 For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent and turn to the LORD Almighty. 14 Therefore, in a single day, the LORD will destroy both the head and the tail, the palm branch and the reed. 15 The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail. 16 For the leaders of the people have led them down the path of destruction. 17 That is why the Lord has no joy in the young men and no mercy on even the widows and orphans. For they are all hypocrites, speaking wickedness with lies. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 18 This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but the forests, too. Its burning sends up vast clouds of smoke. 19 The land is blackened by the fury of the LORD Almighty. The people are fuel for the fire, and no one spares anyone else. 20 They fight against their own neighbors to steal food, but they will still be hungry. In the end they will even eat their own children. 21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, Ephraim will feed on Manasseh, and both will devour Judah. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.
This boasting is all so foolish, but let me [Paul] go on. Let me tell about the visions and revelations I received from the Lord. 2 I was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. 3 Whether my body was there or just my spirit, I don't know; only God knows. 4 But I do know that I was caught up into paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be told. 5 That experience is something worth boasting about, but I am not going to do it. I am going to boast only about my weaknesses. 6 I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in doing it, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it. I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, 7 even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said," My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. "So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 10 Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God.
Do not ignore my cry for help!
2 Please listen and answer me,
for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
3 My enemies shout at me,
making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me,
hunting me down in their anger.
4 My heart is in anguish.
The terror of death overpowers me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me.
I can't stop shaking.
6 Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest!
7 I would fly far away
to the quiet of the wilderness.
Interlude8 How quickly I would escape--
far away from this wild storm of hatred.
9 Destroy them, Lord, and confuse their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders,
but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
11 Murder and robbery are everywhere there;
threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
12 It is not an enemy who taunts me--
I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me--
I could have hidden from them.
13 Instead, it is you-- my equal,
my companion and close friend.
14 What good fellowship we enjoyed
as we walked together to the house of God.
15 Let death seize my enemies by surprise;
let the grave swallow them alive,
for evil makes its home within them.
16 But I will call on God,
and the LORD will rescue me.
17 Morning, noon, and night
I plead aloud in my distress,
and the LORD hears my voice.
18 He rescues me and keeps me safe
from the battle waged against me,
even though many still oppose me.
19 God, who is king forever,
will hear me and will humble them.
Interlude For my enemies refuse to change their ways;
they do not fear God.
20 As for this friend of mine, he betrayed me;
he broke his promises.
21 His words are as smooth as cream,
but in his heart is war.
His words are as soothing as lotion,
but underneath are daggers!
22 Give your burdens to the LORD,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
23 But you, O God, will send the wicked
down to the pit of destruction.
Murderers and liars will die young,
but I am trusting you to save me.
Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird
2 CORINTHIANS 12:1- 10
PSALM 55:1- 23
PROVERBS 23:4- 5
Again the LORD said to me [Isaiah], "Make a large signboard and clearly write this name on it:Maher- shalal- hash- baz." 2 I asked Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah, both known as honest men, to testify that I had written it before the child was conceived. 3 Then I slept with my wife, and she became pregnant and had a son. And the LORD said, "Call him Maher- shalal- hash- baz. 4 This name prophesies that within a couple of years, before this child is old enough to say `Papa 'or `Mama,' the king of Assyria will invade both Damascus and Samaria and carry away their riches." 5 Then the LORD spoke to me again and said, 6 "The people of Judah have rejected my gentle care and are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah. 7 Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River-- the king of Assyria and all his mighty armies. 8 This flood will overflow all its channels and sweep into Judah. It will submerge Immanuel's land from one end to the other. 9" The Assyrians will cry, `Do your best to defend yourselves, but you will be shattered! Listen all you nations. Prepare for battle-- and die! Yes, die! 10 Call your councils of war, develop your strategies, prepare your plans of attack-- and then die! For God is with us! '"11 The LORD has said to me in the strongest terms:" Do not think like everyone else does. 12 Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. 13 Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else. 14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap that entangles them. 15 Many of them will stumble and fall, never to rise again. Many will be captured. "16 I will write down all these things as a testimony of what the LORD will do. I will entrust it to my disciples, who will pass it down to future generations. 17 I will wait for the LORD to help us, though he has turned away from the people of Israel. My only hope is in him. 18 I and the children the LORD has given me have names that reveal the plans the LORD Almighty has for his people. 19 So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God? 20" Check their predictions against my testimony, "says the LORD." If their predictions are different from mine, it is because there is no light or truth in them. 21 My people will be led away as captives, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and shake their fists at heaven and curse their king and their God. 22 Wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness. "9:1 NEVERTHELESS, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light-- a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. 3 Israel will again be great, and its people will rejoice as people rejoice at harvesttime. They will shout with joy like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon's little band. 5 In that day of peace, battle gear will no longer be issued. Never again will uniforms be bloodstained by war. All such equipment will be burned. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles:Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this! 8 The Lord has spoken out against that braggart Israel, 9 and the people of Israel and Samaria will soon discover it. In their pride and arrogance they say, 10" Our land lies in ruins now, but we will rebuild it better than before. We will replace the broken bricks with cut stone, the fallen sycamore trees with cedars. "11 The LORD will reply to their bragging by bringing Rezin's enemies, the Assyrians, against them-- 12 along with Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west. With bared fangs, they will devour Israel. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 13 For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent and turn to the LORD Almighty. 14 Therefore, in a single day, the LORD will destroy both the head and the tail, the palm branch and the reed. 15 The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail. 16 For the leaders of the people have led them down the path of destruction. 17 That is why the Lord has no joy in the young men and no mercy on even the widows and orphans. For they are all hypocrites, speaking wickedness with lies. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike. 18 This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but the forests, too. Its burning sends up vast clouds of smoke. 19 The land is blackened by the fury of the LORD Almighty. The people are fuel for the fire, and no one spares anyone else. 20 They fight against their own neighbors to steal food, but they will still be hungry. In the end they will even eat their own children. 21 Manasseh will feed on Ephraim, Ephraim will feed on Manasseh, and both will devour Judah. But even then the LORD's anger will not be satisfied. His fist is still poised to strike.
This boasting is all so foolish, but let me [Paul] go on. Let me tell about the visions and revelations I received from the Lord. 2 I was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. 3 Whether my body was there or just my spirit, I don't know; only God knows. 4 But I do know that I was caught up into paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be told. 5 That experience is something worth boasting about, but I am not going to do it. I am going to boast only about my weaknesses. 6 I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in doing it, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it. I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, 7 even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said," My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. "So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 10 Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
For the choir director:A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 Listen to my prayer, O God.
Do not ignore my cry for help!
2 Please listen and answer me,
for I am overwhelmed by my troubles.
3 My enemies shout at me,
making loud and wicked threats.
They bring trouble on me,
hunting me down in their anger.
4 My heart is in anguish.
The terror of death overpowers me.
5 Fear and trembling overwhelm me.
I can't stop shaking.
6 Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove;
then I would fly away and rest!
7 I would fly far away
to the quiet of the wilderness.
Interlude8 How quickly I would escape--
far away from this wild storm of hatred.
9 Destroy them, Lord, and confuse their speech,
for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Its walls are patrolled day and night against invaders,
but the real danger is wickedness within the city.
11 Murder and robbery are everywhere there;
threats and cheating are rampant in the streets.
12 It is not an enemy who taunts me--
I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me--
I could have hidden from them.
13 Instead, it is you-- my equal,
my companion and close friend.
14 What good fellowship we enjoyed
as we walked together to the house of God.
15 Let death seize my enemies by surprise;
let the grave swallow them alive,
for evil makes its home within them.
16 But I will call on God,
and the LORD will rescue me.
17 Morning, noon, and night
I plead aloud in my distress,
and the LORD hears my voice.
18 He rescues me and keeps me safe
from the battle waged against me,
even though many still oppose me.
19 God, who is king forever,
will hear me and will humble them.
Interlude For my enemies refuse to change their ways;
they do not fear God.
20 As for this friend of mine, he betrayed me;
he broke his promises.
21 His words are as smooth as cream,
but in his heart is war.
His words are as soothing as lotion,
but underneath are daggers!
22 Give your burdens to the LORD,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
23 But you, O God, will send the wicked
down to the pit of destruction.
Murderers and liars will die young,
but I am trusting you to save me.
Don't weary yourself trying to get rich. Why waste your time? For riches can disappear as though they had the wings of a bird
