the Sixth Week after Easter
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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
July 31 - Chronological Order
niv
Isaiah 59-63
Chapter 59
Sin, Confession and Redemption
1 Surely the arm(a) of the
Lord
is not too short(b) to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.(c)
2 But your iniquities have separated(d)
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.(e)
3 For your hands are stained with blood,(f)
your fingers with guilt.(g)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(h)
and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice;(i)
no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(j) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(k)
they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(l)
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers(m)
and spin a spider's web.(n)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(o)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and acts of violence(p) are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin;
they are swift to shed innocent blood.(q)
They pursue evil schemes;(r)
acts of violence mark their ways.(s)
8 The way of peace they do not know;(t)
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(u)
no one who walks along them will know peace.(v)
9 So justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(w)
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(x) we grope along the wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(y) as if it were twilight;
among the strong, we are like the dead.(z)
11 We all growl like bears;
we moan mournfully like doves.(aa)
We look for justice, but find none;
for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses(ab) are many in your sight,
and our sins testify(ac) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:(ad)
13 rebellion(ae) and treachery against the
Lord
,
turning our backs(af) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(ag)
uttering lies(ah) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(ai) is driven back,
and righteousness(aj) stands at a distance;
truth(ak) has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(al) is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The
Lord
looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.(am)
16 He saw that there was no one,(an)
he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(ao)
so his own arm achieved salvation(ap) for him,
and his own righteousness(aq) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(ar)
and the helmet(as) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(at) of vengeance(au)
and wrapped himself in zeal(av) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
so will he repay(aw)
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands(ax) their due.
19 From the west,(ay) people will fear the name of the
Lord
,
and from the rising of the sun,(az) they will revere his glory.(ba)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath(bb) of the
Lord
drives along.[a]
20 "The Redeemer(bc) will come to Zion,(bd)
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,"(be)
declares the
Lord
.
21 "As for me, this is my covenant(bf) with them," says the Lord . "My Spirit,(bg) who is on you, will not depart from you,(bh) and my words that I have put in your mouth(bi) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever," says the Lord .
Chapter 60
The Glory of Zion
1 "Arise,(a) shine, for your light(b) has come,
and the glory(c) of the
Lord
rises upon you.
2 See, darkness(d) covers the earth
and thick darkness(e) is over the peoples,
but the
Lord
rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations(f) will come to your light,(g)
and kings(h) to the brightness of your dawn.
4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble(i) and come to you;
your sons come from afar,(j)
and your daughters(k) are carried on the hip.(l)
5 Then you will look and be radiant,(m)
your heart will throb and swell with joy;(n)
the wealth(o) on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels(p) will cover your land,
young camels of Midian(q) and Ephah.(r)
And all from Sheba(s) will come,
bearing gold and incense(t)
and proclaiming the praise(u) of the
Lord
.
7 All Kedar's(v) flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings(w) on my altar,(x)
and I will adorn my glorious temple.(y)
8 "Who are these(z) that fly along like clouds,(aa)
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands(ab) look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,[a](ac)
bringing(ad) your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,(ae)
to the honor(af) of the
Lord
your God,
the Holy One(ag) of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.(ah)
10 "Foreigners(ai) will rebuild your walls,
and their kings(aj) will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor(ak) I will show you compassion.(al)
11 Your gates(am) will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations(an)—
their kings(ao) led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve(ap) you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.(aq)
13 "The glory of Lebanon(ar) will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,(as)
to adorn my sanctuary;(at)
and I will glorify the place for my feet.(au)
14 The children of your oppressors(av) will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down(aw) at your feet
and will call you the City(ax) of the
Lord
,
Zion(ay) of the Holy One(az) of Israel.
15 "Although you have been forsaken(ba) and hated,
with no one traveling(bb) through,
I will make you the everlasting pride(bc)
and the joy(bd) of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations
and be nursed(be) at royal breasts.
Then you will know(bf) that I, the
Lord
, am your Savior,(bg)
your Redeemer,(bh) the Mighty One of Jacob.(bi)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,(bj)
and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace(bk) your governor
and well-being your ruler.(bl)
18 No longer will violence(bm) be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction(bn) within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation(bo)
and your gates Praise.(bp)
19 The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the
Lord
will be your everlasting light,(bq)
and your God will be your glory.(br)
20 Your sun(bs) will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the
Lord
will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow(bt) will end.
21 Then all your people will be righteous(bu)
and they will possess(bv) the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,(bw)
the work of my hands,(bx)
for the display of my splendor.(by)
22 The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.(bz)
I am the
Lord
;
in its time I will do this swiftly."(ca)
Chapter 61
The Year of the Lord's Favor
1 The Spirit(a) of the Sovereign
Lord
(b) is on me,
because the
Lord
has anointed(c) me
to proclaim good news(d) to the poor.(e)
He has sent me to bind up(f) the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom(g) for the captives(h)
and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the
Lord
's favor(i)
and the day of vengeance(j) of our God,
to comfort(k) all who mourn,(l)
3
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(m) of beauty
instead of ashes,(n)
the oil(o) of joy
instead of mourning,(p)
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting(q) of the
Lord
for the display of his splendor.(r)
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins(s)
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers(t) will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests(u) of the
Lord
,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(v) of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame(w)
you will receive a double(x) portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(y) a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy(z) will be yours.
8 "For I, the
Lord
, love justice;(aa)
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant(ab) with them.
9 Their descendants(ac) will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the
Lord
has blessed."(ad)
10 I delight greatly in the
Lord
;
my soul rejoices(ae) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(af)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(ag) like a priest,
and as a bride(ah) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden(ai) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign
Lord
will make righteousness(aj)
and praise spring up before all nations.
Chapter 62
Zion's New Name
1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,(a)
for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(b) shines out like the dawn,(c)
her salvation(d) like a blazing torch.
2 The nations(e) will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(f)
that the mouth of the
Lord
will bestow.
3 You will be a crown(g) of splendor in the
Lord
's hand,
a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,(h)
or name your land Desolate.(i)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[a](j)
and your land Beulah[b];
for the
Lord
will take delight(k) in you,
and your land will be married.(l)
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(m) rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice(n) over you.
6 I have posted watchmen(o) on your walls, Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the
Lord
,
give yourselves no rest,(p)
7 and give him no rest(q) till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise(r) of the earth.
8 The
Lord
has sworn(s) by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
"Never again will I give your grain(t)
as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat(u) it
and praise the
Lord
,(v)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary."(w)
10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(x)
Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(y)
Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(z) for the nations.
11 The
Lord
has made proclamation
to the ends of the earth:(aa)
"Say to Daughter Zion,(ab)
‘See, your Savior comes!(ac)
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.'"(ad)
12 They will be called(ae) the Holy People,(af)
the Redeemed(ag) of the
Lord
;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.(ah)
Chapter 63
God's Day of Vengeance and Redemption
1 Who is this coming from Edom,(a)
from Bozrah,(b) with his garments stained crimson?(c)
Who is this, robed in splendor,
striding forward in the greatness of his strength?(d)
"It is I, proclaiming victory,
mighty to save."(e)
2 Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?(f)
3 "I have trodden the winepress(g) alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled(h) them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;(i)
their blood spattered my garments,(j)
and I stained all my clothing.
4 It was for me the day of vengeance;(k)
the year for me to redeem had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one(l) to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm(m) achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.(n)
6 I trampled(o) the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk(p)
and poured their blood(q) on the ground."
Praise and Prayer
7 I will tell of the kindnesses(r) of the
Lord
,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the
Lord
has done for us—
yes, the many good things(s)
he has done for Israel,
according to his compassion(t) and many kindnesses.
8 He said, "Surely they are my people,(u)
children who will be true to me";
and so he became their Savior.(v)
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel(w) of his presence(x) saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed(y) them;
he lifted them up and carried(z) them
all the days of old.(aa)
10 Yet they rebelled(ab)
and grieved his Holy Spirit.(ac)
So he turned and became their enemy(ad)
and he himself fought(ae) against them.
11 Then his people recalled[b] the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people—
where is he who brought them through the sea,(af)
with the shepherd of his flock?(ag)
Where is he who set
his Holy Spirit(ah) among them,
12 who sent his glorious arm(ai) of power
to be at Moses' right hand,
who divided the waters(aj) before them,
to gain for himself everlasting renown,(ak)
13 who led(al) them through the depths?(am)
Like a horse in open country,
they did not stumble;(an)
14 like cattle that go down to the plain,
they were given rest(ao) by the Spirit of the
Lord
.
This is how you guided your people
to make for yourself a glorious name.
15 Look down from heaven(ap) and see,
from your lofty throne,(aq) holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal(ar) and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion(as) are withheld(at) from us.
16 But you are our Father,(au)
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge(av) us;
you,
Lord
, are our Father,
our Redeemer(aw) from of old is your name.
17 Why,
Lord
, do you make us wander(ax) from your ways
and harden our hearts(ay) so we do not revere(az) you?
Return(ba) for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your inheritance.(bb)
18 For a little while(bc) your people possessed your holy place,
but now our enemies have trampled(bd) down your sanctuary.(be)
19 We are yours from of old;
but you have not ruled over them,
they have not been called[c] by your name.(bf)
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