The Word Became Flesh
1 aIn the beginning bwas cthe Word, and the Word was dwith God, and ethe Word was God. 2 fHe was in the beginning with God.
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the zimage of the ainvisible God, bthe firstborn of all creation. 16 For cby1 him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether dthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is ebefore all things, and in him all things fhold together. 18 And he is the ghead of the body, the church. He is hthe beginning, ithe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be jpreeminent. 19 For in him all the kfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him lto reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, mmaking peace by the blood of his cross.
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.
2 He is the vpropitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
6 For bwhile we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us cin that dwhile we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the ewrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were freconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also grejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
