Isaiah 53–55; 2 Thessalonians 1

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Isaiah 53–55

1  wWho has xbelieved what he has heard from us?1

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2  For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a yroot out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3  He was zdespised and rejected2 by men,

a man of sorrows3 and acquainted with4 grief;5

and as one from whom men hide their faces6

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4  Surely ahe has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5  But he was pierced bfor our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

6  cAll we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet dhe opened not his mouth;

elike a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

8  By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

9  And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a frich man in his death,

although7 ghe had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10  Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;8

when his soul makes9 an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see10 and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, hmy servant,

imake many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall jbear their iniquities.

12  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,11

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,12

because he poured out his soul to death

kand was numbered lwith the transgressors;

yet he mbore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

1  n“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;

break forth into singing and cry aloud,

you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the odesolate one will be more

than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.

2  p“Enlarge the place of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;

do not hold back; lengthen your cords

and strengthen your stakes.

3  For you will qspread abroad to the right and to the left,

and your offspring will rpossess the nations

and will people the desolate cities.

4  “Fear not, for syou will not be ashamed;

be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

5  For your Maker is your husband,

the Lord of hosts is his name;

and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

the God tof the whole earth he is called.

6  For the Lord has called you

like a wife udeserted and grieved in spirit,

like a wife of youth when she is cast off,

says your God.

7  For a brief moment I deserted you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

8  vIn overflowing anger for a moment

I whid my face from you,

but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”

says the Lord, your Redeemer.

9  “This is like the days of Noah13 to me:

xas I swore that the waters of Noah

should no more go over the earth,

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,

and will not rebuke you.

10  For the mountains may depart

and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

11  “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,

behold, I will set your stones in antimony,

and lay your foundations with sapphires.14

12  I will make your pinnacles of agate,15

your gates of carbuncles,16

and all your wall of precious stones.

13  yAll your children shall be taught by the Lord,

and great shall be the peace of your children.

14  In righteousness you shall be established;

you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;

and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

15  If anyone stirs up strife,

it is not from me;

whoever stirs up strife with you

shall fall because of you.

16  Behold, I have created the smith

who blows the fire of coals

and produces a weapon for its purpose.

I have also created the ravager to destroy;

17  no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,

and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord

and their vindication17 from me, declares the Lord.”

The Compassion of the Lord

1  z“Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3  Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;

and aI will make with you an everlasting bcovenant,

cmy steadfast, sure love for David.

4  Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples.

5  Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

dfor he has glorified you.

6  “Seek the Lord ewhile he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

7  let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9  For fas the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10  “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

ggiving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11  so shall my hword be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but iit shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12  “For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

13  jInstead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”


2 Thessalonians 1

Greeting

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

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

Thanksgiving

3 aWe ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,1 as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the blove of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves cboast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in dall your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ’s Coming

5 This is eevidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be fconsidered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to grepay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, hwhen the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven iwith his mighty angels 8 jin flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who kdo not know God and on lthose who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from2 the presence of the Lord and mfrom the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, nbecause our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of ohis calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every pwork of faith by his power, 12 so that the qname of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.