ISAIAH 12:1-14:32
2 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13
PSALM 57:1-11
PROVERBS 23:9-11
ISAIAH 12:1-14:32
In that day you [Israel] will sing: " Praise the LORD!
He was angry with me,
but now he comforts me.
2 See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."
3 With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! 4 In that wonderful day you will sing: " Thank the LORD!
Praise his name!
Tell the world what he has done.
Oh, how mighty he is!
5 Sing to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful things.
Make known his praise around the world.
6 Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!
For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you."
13:1 ISAIAH son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon: 2 " See the flags waving as the enemy attacks. Cheer them on, O Israel! Wave to them as they march against Babylon to destroy the palaces of the high and mighty. 3 I, the LORD, have assigned this task to these armies, and they will rejoice when I am exalted. I have called them to satisfy my anger." 4 Hear the noise on the mountains! Listen, as the armies march! It is the noise and the shout of many nations. The LORD Almighty has brought them here to form an army. 5 They came from countries far away. They are the LORD's weapons; they carry his anger with them and will destroy the whole land. 6 Scream in terror, for the LORD's time has arrived--the time for the Almighty to destroy. 7 Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Even the strongest hearts melt 8 and are afraid. Fear grips them with terrible pangs, like those of a woman about to give birth. They look helplessly at one another as the flames of the burning city reflect on their faces. 9 For see, the day of the LORD is coming--the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be destroyed and all the sinners with it. 10 The heavens will be black above them. No light will shine from stars or sun or moon. 11 " I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and the haughtiness of the mighty. 12 Few will be left alive when I have finished my work. People will be as scarce as gold--more rare than the gold of Ophir. 13 For I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move from its place. I, the LORD Almighty, will show my fury and fierce anger." 14 Everyone will run until exhausted, rushing back to their own lands like hunted deer, wandering like sheep without a shepherd. 15 Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. 16 Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. 17 For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. 18 The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children.19 Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean culture, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. 20 Babylon will never rise again. Generation after generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived in. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not allow their sheep to stay overnight. 21 Wild animals of the desert will move into the ruined city. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live among the ruins, and wild goats will come there to dance. 22 Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make their dens in its palaces. Babylon's days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive. 14:1 BUT the LORD will have mercy on the descendants of Jacob. Israel will be his special people once again. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many different nations will come and join them there and become a part of the people of Israel. 2 The nations of the world will help the LORD's people to return, and those who come to live in their land will serve them. Those who captured Israel will be captured, and Israel will rule over its enemies. 3 In that wonderful day when the LORD gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains, 4 you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, " The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolence is ended. 5 For the LORD has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule. 6 You persecuted the people with unceasing blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip. Your tyranny was unrestrained. 7 But at last the land is at rest and is quiet. Finally it can sing again! 8 Even the trees of the forest--the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon--sing out this joyous song: ` Your power is broken! No one will come to cut us down now!' 9 " In the place of the dead there is excitement over your arrival. World leaders and mighty kings long dead are there to see you. 10 With one voice they all cry out, ` Now you are as weak as we are! 11 Your might and power are gone; they were buried with you. All the pleasant music in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet and worms your blanket.' 12 " How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, ` I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' 15 But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. 16 Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ` Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world? 17 Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wilderness? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?' 18 " The kings of the nations lie in stately glory in their tombs, 19 but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit. 20 You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. Your son will not succeed you as king. 21 Kill the children of this sinner! Do not let them rise and conquer the land or rebuild the cities of the world." 22 This is what the LORD Almighty says: " I, myself, have risen against him! I will destroy his children and his children's children, so they will never sit on his throne. 23 I will make Babylon into a desolate land, a place of porcupines, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken!" 24 The LORD Almighty has sworn this oath: " It will all happen as I have planned. It will come about according to my purposes. 25 I will break the Assyrians when they are in Israel; I will trample them on my mountains. My people will no longer be their slaves. 26 I have a plan for the whole earth, for my mighty power reaches throughout the world. 27 The LORD Almighty has spoken--who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?" 28 This message came to me the year King Ahaz died: 29 Do not rejoice, you Philistines, that the king who attacked you is dead. For even though that whip is broken, his son will be worse than his father ever was. From that snake a poisonous snake will be born, a fiery serpent to destroy you! 30 I will feed the poor in my pasture; the needy will lie down in peace. But as for you, I will wipe you out with famine. I will destroy the few who remain. 31 Weep, you Philistine cities, for you are doomed! Melt in fear, for everyone will be destroyed. A powerful army is coming out of the north. Each soldier rushes forward ready to fight. 32 What should we tell the enemy messengers? Tell them that the LORD has built Jerusalem, and that the poor of his people will find refuge in its walls.
2 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13
This is the third time I [Paul] am coming to visit you [Corinthians]. As the Scriptures say, " The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." 2 I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that this next time I will not spare them. 3 I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak in his dealings with you; he is a mighty power among you. 4 Although he died on the cross in weakness, he now lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak, but we live in him and have God's power--the power we use in dealing with you. 5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test. 6 I hope you recognize that we have passed the test and are approved by God. 7 We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. We pray this, not to show that our ministry to you has been successful, but because we want you to do right even if we ourselves seem to have failed. 8 Our responsibility is never to oppose the truth, but to stand for the truth at all times. 9 We are glad to be weak, if you are really strong. What we pray for is your restoration to maturity. 10 I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won't need to deal harshly with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to build you up, not to tear you down. 11 Dear brothers and sisters,* I close my letter with these last words: Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet each other in Christian love. All the Christians here send you their greetings. 13 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.*
PSALM 57:1-11
For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune " Do Not Destroy!"
1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
until this violent storm is past.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
3 He will send help from heaven to save me,
rescuing me from those who are out to get me.
Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.
4 I am surrounded by fierce lions
who greedily devour human prey--
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
and whose tongues cut like swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens!
May your glory shine over all the earth.
6 My enemies have set a trap for me.
I am weary from distress.
They have dug a deep pit in my path,
but they themselves have fallen into it.
Interlude7 My heart is confident in you, O God;
no wonder I can sing your praises!
8 Wake up, my soul!
Wake up, O harp and lyre!
I will waken the dawn with my song.
9 I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.
10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.
PROVERBS 23:9-11
Don't waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice. Don't steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving the ancient boundary markers, for their Redeemer is strong. He himself will bring their charges against you.
