Isaiah 59; Isaiah 60; Isaiah 61; 2 Thessalonians 3

1 Look! The LORD does not lack the power to save, nor are his ears too dull to hear,

2 but your misdeeds have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you so that you aren't heard.

3 Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with guilt. Your lips speak lies; your tongues mutter malice.

4 No one sues honestly; no one pleads truthfully. By trusting in emptiness and speaking deceit, they conceive harm and give birth to malice.

5 They hatch adders' eggs, and weave spiderwebs. Whoever eats their eggs will die. Moreover, the crushed egg hatches a viper.

6 Their webs can't serve as clothing; they can't cover themselves with their deeds. Their deeds are deeds of malice, and the work of violence is in their hands.

7 Their feet run to evil; they rush to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of malice; desolation and destruction litter their highways.

8 They don't know the way of peace; there's no justice in their paths. They make their roads crooked; no one who walks in them knows peace.

9 Because of all this, justice is far from us, and righteousness beyond our reach. We expect light, and there is darkness; we await a gleam of light, but walk about in gloom.

10 We grope along the wall like the blind; like those without eyes we grope. We stumble at noonday as if it were twilight, and among the strong as if we were dying.

11 All of us growl like bears, and like doves we moan. We expect justice, but there is none; we await salvation, but it is far from us.

12 Our rebellions are numerous in your presence; our sins testify against us. Our rebellions are with us; we're aware of our guilt:

13 defying and denying the LORD, turning away from our God, planning oppression and revolt, muttering lying words conceived in our minds.

14 Justice is pushed aside; righteousness stands far off, because truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty can't enter.

15 Truth is missing; anyone turning from evil is plundered. The LORD looked and was upset at the absence of justice.

16 Seeing that there was no one, and astonished that no one would intervene, God's arm brought victory, upheld by righteousness,

17 putting on righteousness as armor and a helmet of salvation on his head, putting on garments of vengeance, and wrapping himself in a cloak of zeal.

18 God will repay according to their actions: wrath to his foes, retribution to enemies, retribution to the coastlands,

19 so those in the west will fear the LORD's name, and those in the east will fear God's glory. It will come like a rushing river that the LORD's wind drives on.

20 A redeemer will come to Zion and to those in Jacob who stop rebelling, says the LORD.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD. My spirit, which is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth won't depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your descendants, nor from the mouths of your descendants' children, says the LORD, forever and always.

1 Arise! Shine! Your light has come; the LORD's glory has shone upon you.

2 Though darkness covers the earth and gloom the nations, the LORD will shine upon you; God's glory will appear over you.

3 Nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning radiance.

4 Lift up your eyes and look all around: they are all gathered; they have come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters on caregivers' hips.

5 Then you will see and be radiant; your heart will tremble and open wide, because the sea's abundance will be turned over to you; the nations' wealth will come to you.

6 Countless camels will cover your land, young camels from Midian and Ephah. They will all come from Sheba, carrying gold and incense, proclaiming the LORD's praises.

7 All Kedar's sheep will be gathered for you; rams from Nebaioth will be your offerings; they will be accepted on my altar, and I will glorify my splendid house.

8 Who are these who fly like a cloud, like doves to their shelters?

9 I'm the hope of the coastlands. Ships from Tarshish are in the lead to bring your children from afar, their silver and gold with them for the name of the LORD your God and for the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you.

10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in my rage I struck you down, in my favor I have consoled you.

11 Your gates will be open continually; day and night they won't close, to bring to you the wealth of nations, and their kings led in procession.

12 The nation and the dynasty that won't serve you will perish; such nations will be devastated.

13 Lebanon's glory will come upon you, cypress, elm, and pine, to glorify the site of my sanctuary, and I will honor my royal footstool.

14 The children of your tormenters will come bending low to you; all who despised you will bow down at your feet. They will call you The LORD's City, Zion, of the holy one of Israel.

15 Instead of being abandoned, hated, and forbidden, I will make you majestic forever, a joy for all generations.

16 You will suck the milk of nations, and nurse at royal breasts. You will know that I am the LORD, your savior and your redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.

17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold; instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze; and instead of stones, iron. I will make peace your governor and righteousness your taskmaster.

18 Violence will no longer resound throughout your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders. You will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

19 The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor will the moon shine for illumination by night. The LORD will be your everlasting light; your God will be your glory.

20 Your sun will no longer set; your moon will no longer wane. The LORD will be an everlasting light for you, and your days of mourning will be ended.

21 Your people will all be righteous; they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands, to glorify myself.

22 The least will become a thousand, and the smallest a powerful people. I am the LORD; at the right moment, I will hurry it along.

1 The LORD God's spirit is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for captives, and liberation for prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and a day of vindication for our God, to comfort all who mourn,

3 to provide for Zion's mourners, to give them a crown in place of ashes, oil of joy in place of mourning, a mantle of praise in place of discouragement. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, planted by the LORD to glorify himself.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore formerly deserted places; they will renew ruined cities, places deserted in generations past.

5 Foreigners will stay and shepherd your sheep, and strangers will be your farmers and vinedressers.

6 You will be called The Priests of the LORD; Ministers of Our God, they will say about you. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and fatten yourself on their riches.

7 Instead of shame, their portion will be double; instead of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. They will possess a double portion in their land; everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and dishonesty. I will faithfully give them their wage, and make with them an enduring covenant.

9 Their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants among the peoples. All who see them will recognize that they are a people blessed by the LORD.

10 I surely rejoice in the LORD; my heart is joyful because of my God, because he has clothed me with clothes of victory, wrapped me in a robe of righteousness like a bridegroom in a priestly crown, and like a bride adorned in jewelry.

11 As the earth puts out its growth, and as a garden grows its seeds, so the LORD God will grow righteousness and praise before all the nations.

1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us so that the Lord's message will spread quickly and be honored, just like it happened with you.

2 Pray too that we will be rescued from inappropriate and evil people since everyone that we meet won't respond with faith.

3 But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and protect you from the evil one.

4 We are confident about you in the Lord—that you are doing and will keep doing what we tell you to do.

5 May the Lord lead your hearts to express God's love and Christ's endurance.

6 Brothers and sisters, we command you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to stay away from every brother or sister who lives an undisciplined life that is not in line with the traditions that you received from us.

7 You yourselves know how you need to imitate us because we were not undisciplined when we were with you.

8 We didn't eat anyone's food without paying for it. Instead, we worked night and day with effort and hard work so that we would not impose on you.

9 We did this to give you an example to imitate, not because we didn't have a right to insist on financial support.

10 Even when we were with you we were giving you this command: "If anyone doesn't want to work, they shouldn't eat."

11 We hear that some of you are living an undisciplined life. They aren't working, but they are meddling in other people's business.

12 By the Lord Jesus Christ, we command and encourage such people to work quietly and put their own food on the table.

13 Brothers and sisters, don't get discouraged in doing what is right.

14 Take note of anyone who doesn't obey what we have said in this letter. Don't associate with them so they will be ashamed of themselves.

15 Don't treat them like enemies, but warn them like you would do for a brother or sister.

16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

17 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. This verifies that the letter is from me, as in every letter of mine. This is how I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.