Isaiah 41; Isaiah 42; 1 Thessalonians 1

1 "Be silent and listen to me, you coastlands. Let the people gain new strength. Let them come near and speak. Let us come together for judgment.

2 "Who has raised up from the east someone to whom the LORD gives victory with every step he takes? Nations are handed over to him. He defeats kings. With his sword he turns them into dust. With his bow he turns them into straw blown by the wind.

3 He chases them, marching by safely on a path his feet have never traveled before.

4 Who has accomplished this? Who has determined the course of history from the beginning? I, the LORD, was there first, and I will be there to the end. I am the one!"

5 The coastlands have seen him and are afraid. The ends of the earth tremble. They have come near and gathered together.

6 People help their neighbors and say to their relatives, "Be brave!"

7 Craftsmen encourage goldsmiths. Metalsmiths encourage blacksmiths who work at their anvils. They say that their soldering is good. And they fasten things with nails so they won't move.

8 "But you are my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the descendant of Abraham, my dear friend.

9 I have taken you from the ends of the earth and called you from its most distant places. I said to you, 'You are my servant. I've chosen you; I haven't rejected you.'

10 Don't be afraid, because I am with you. Don't be intimidated; I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand.

11 "Everyone who is angry with you will be ashamed and disgraced. Those who oppose you will be reduced to nothing and disappear.

12 You will search for your enemies, but you will not find them. Those who are at war with you will be reduced to nothing and no longer exist.

13 I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand and say to you, 'Don't be afraid; I will help you.'

14 Don't be afraid, Jacob, you worm. You people of Israel, I will help you," declares the LORD, your Defender, the Holy One of Israel.

15 "I am going to make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp, double-edged teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them to dust. You will turn the hills into straw.

16 You will winnow them. The wind will carry them away. The windstorm will scatter them. But you will find joy in the LORD and praise the Holy One of Israel.

17 "The poor and needy are looking for water, but there is none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

18 I will make rivers flow on bare hilltops. I will make springs flow through valleys. I will turn deserts into lakes. I will turn dry land into springs.

19 I will plant cedar, acacia, myrtle, and wild olive trees in the desert. I will place cedar, fir, and cypress trees together in the wilderness.

20 People will see and know. Together they will consider and understand that the LORD's power has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

21 "Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forward your best arguments," says Jacob's king.

22 "Bring [your idols] so they can tell us what's going to happen. Explain past events that your idols told you about so that we may consider them and know what their outcome will be. Tell us about future events.

23 Tell us what's going to happen so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something, good or evil, to intimidate us and make us afraid.

24 You are nothing! You can't do anything! Whoever chooses you is disgusting.

25 "I have raised up someone from the north, and he has come. He will call on my name from the east. He will attack rulers as if they were mud, as if he were treading on clay like a potter.

26 Who revealed this from the beginning so that we could know it? Who revealed this from the past so that we could say that he was right? No one revealed it. No one announced it. No one heard your words.

27 I was the first to tell Zion, 'Look, here they are.' I gave Jerusalem a messenger with the good news.

28 When I look, there is no one. There is no one to advise them. When I ask them a question, will they give an answer?

29 All of them are nothing. They can't do anything. Their statues are nothing but air."

1 Here is my servant, whom I support. Here is my chosen one, with whom I am pleased. I have put my Spirit on him. He will bring justice to the nations.

2 He will not cry out or raise [his voice]. He will not make his voice heard in the streets.

3 He will not break off a damaged cattail. He will not even put out a smoking wick. He will faithfully bring about justice.

4 He will not be discouraged or crushed until he has set up justice on the earth. The coastlands will wait for his teachings.

5 The LORD God created the heavens and stretched them out. He shaped the earth and all that comes from it. He gave life to the people who are on it and breath to those who walk on it. This is what the LORD God says:

6 I, the LORD, have called you to do what is right. I will take hold of your hand. I will protect you. I will appoint you as my promise to the people, as my light to the nations.

7 You will give sight to the blind, bring prisoners out of prisons, and bring those who live in darkness out of dungeons.

8 I am the LORD; that is my name. I will not give my glory to anyone else or the praise I deserve to idols.

9 What I said in the past has come true. I will reveal new things before they happen.

10 Sing a new song to the LORD. Sing his praise from the ends of the earth, you people who sail on the seas and all the creatures that live in them, you coastlands and all who live on them.

11 Let those who live in the desert and its cities raise their voices. Let those who live in the settlements of Kedar praise him. Let those who live in Sela sing for joy. Let them shout from the tops of the mountains.

12 Let them give glory to the LORD and announce his praise on the coastlands.

13 The LORD marches out like a warrior. He prepares himself for battle like a soldier. He shouts, gives the battle cry, and overpowers his enemies.

14 I have been silent for a long time. I kept quiet and held myself back. But like a woman in childbirth I will cry out. I will gasp and pant.

15 I will lay waste to mountains and hills. I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into islands. I will dry up ponds.

16 I will lead the blind on unfamiliar roads. I will lead them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. I will make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do for them, and I will never abandon them.

17 Then those who trust idols and those who say to statues, "You are our gods" will be turned away and put to shame.

18 Listen, you deaf people. Look, you blind people, so that you can see.

19 Who is blind except my servant or deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one who has my trust or blind like the servant of the LORD?

20 You have seen much, but you do not observe anything. Your ears are open, but you hear nothing.

21 The LORD is pleased because he does what is right. He praises the greatness of his teachings and makes them glorious.

22 But these people are robbed and looted. They are all trapped in pits and hidden in prisons. They have become prey with no one to rescue them. They have become loot with no one to say, "Give it back."

23 Who among you will listen to this? Is there anyone who will pay attention and listen in the future?

24 Who gave Jacob away as loot and handed Israel over to robbers? Wasn't it the LORD, against whom we have sinned? They didn't want to live his way. They didn't obey his teachings.

25 So he poured out his burning anger and the horrors of war on them. It engulfed them in flames, but they did not understand. It burned them, but they did not take it to heart.

1 From Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church at Thessalonica united with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Good will and peace are yours!

2 We always thank God for all of you as we remember you in our prayers.

3 In the presence of our God and Father, we never forget that your faith is active, your love is working hard, and your confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ is enduring.

4 Brothers and sisters, we never forget this because we know that God loves you and has chosen you.

5 We know this because the Good News we brought came to you not only with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with complete certainty. In the same way you know what kind of people we were while we were with you and the good things we did for you.

6 You imitated us and the Lord. In spite of a lot of suffering, you welcomed God's word with the kind of joy that the Holy Spirit gives.

7 This way, you became a model for all the believers in the province of Macedonia and Greece.

8 From you the Lord's word has spread out not only through the province of Macedonia and Greece but also to people everywhere who have heard about your faith in God. We don't need to say a thing about it.

9 They talk about how you welcomed us when we arrived. They even report how you turned away from false gods to serve the real, living God

10 and to wait for his Son to come from heaven. His Son is Jesus, whom he brought back to life. Jesus is the one who rescues us from [God's] coming anger.