Isaiah 53; Isaiah 54; Isaiah 55; 2 Thessalonians 1

1 Who would have believed what we heard? Who saw the Lord's power in this?

2 He grew up like a small plant before the Lord, like a root growing in a dry land. He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him; there was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.

3 He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering. People would not even look at him. He was hated, and we didn't even notice him.

4 But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us. We saw his suffering and thought God was punishing him.

5 But he was wounded for the wrong we did; he was crushed for the evil we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds.

6 We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way. for all the evil we have done.

7 He was beaten down and punished, but he didn't say a word. He was like a lamb being led to be killed. He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut; he never opened his mouth.

8 Men took him away roughly and unfairly. He died without children to continue his family. He was put to death; he was punished for the sins of my people.

9 He was buried with wicked men, and he died with the rich. He had done nothing wrong, and he had never lied.

10 But it was the Lord who decided to crush him and make him suffer. The Lord made his life a penalty offering, but he will still see his descendants and live a long life. He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.

11 "After his soul suffers many things, he will see life and be satisfied. My good servant will make many people right with God; he will carry away their sins.

12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people, and he will share in all things with those who are strong. He willingly gave his life and was treated like a criminal. But he carried away the sins of many people and asked forgiveness for those who sinned."

1 The Lord says, "Sing, Jerusalem. You are like a woman who never gave birth to children. Start singing and shout for joy. You never felt the pain of giving birth, but you will have more children than the woman who has a husband.

2 Make your tent bigger; stretch it out and make it wider. Do not hold back. Make the ropes longer and its stakes stronger,

3 because you will spread out to the right and to the left. Your children will take over other nations, and they will again live in cities that once were destroyed.

4 "Don't be afraid, because you will not be ashamed. Don't be embarrassed, because you will not be disgraced. You will forget the shame you felt earlier; you will not remember the shame you felt when you lost your husband.

5 The God who made you is like your husband. His name is the Lord All-Powerful. The Holy One of Israel is the one who saves you. He is called the God of all the earth.

6 You were like a woman whose husband left her, and you were very sad. You were like a wife who married young and then her husband left her. But the Lord called you to be his," says your God.

7 God says, "I left you for a short time, but with great kindness I will bring you back again.

8 I became very angry and hid from you for a time, but I will show you mercy with kindness forever," says the Lord who saves you.

9 The Lord says, "This day is like the time of Noah to me. I promised then that I would never flood the world again. In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you or punish you again.

10 The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end," says the Lord who shows mercy to you.

11 "You poor city. Storms have hurt you, and you have not been comforted. But I will rebuild you with turquoise stones, and I will build your foundations with sapphires.

12 I will use rubies to build your walls and shining jewels for the gates and precious jewels for all your outer walls.

13 All your children will be taught by the Lord, and they will have much peace.

14 I will build you using fairness. You will be safe from those who would hurt you, so you will have nothing to fear. Nothing will come to make you afraid.

15 I will not send anyone to attack you, and you will defeat those who do attack you.

16 "See, I made the blacksmith. He fans the fire to make it hotter, and he makes the kind of tool he wants. In the same way I have made the destroyer to destroy.

17 So no weapon that is used against you will defeat you. You will show that those who speak against you are wrong. These are the good things my servants receive. Their victory comes from me," says the Lord.

1 The Lord says, "All you who are thirsty, come and drink. Those of you who do not have money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

2 Why spend your money on something that is not real food? Why work for something that doesn't really satisfy you? Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies.

3 Come to me and listen; listen to me so you may live. I will make an agreement with you that will last forever. I will give you the blessings I promised to David.

4 I made David a witness of my power for all nations, a ruler and commander of many nations.

5 You will call for nations that you don't yet know. And these nations that do not know you will run to you because of the Lord your God, because of the Holy One of Israel who honors you."

6 So you should look for the Lord before it is too late; you should call to him while he is near.

7 The wicked should stop doing wrong, and they should stop their evil thoughts. They should return to the Lord so he may have mercy on them. They should come to our God, because he will freely forgive them.

8 The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways.

9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

10 Rain and snow fall from the sky and don't return without watering the ground. They cause the plants to sprout and grow, making seeds for the farmer and bread for the people.

11 The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do.

12 "So you will go out with joy and be led out in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.

13 Large cypress trees will grow where thornbushes were. Myrtle trees will grow where weeds were. These things will be a reminder of the Lord's promise, and this reminder will never be destroyed."

1 From Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

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

3 We must always thank God for you, brothers and sisters. This is only right, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love that every one of you has for each other is increasing.

4 So we brag about you to the other churches of God. We tell them about the way you continue to be strong and have faith even though you are being treated badly and are suffering many troubles.

5 This is proof that God is right in his judgment. He wants you to be counted worthy of his kingdom for which you are suffering.

6 God will do what is right. He will give trouble to those who trouble you.

7 And he will give rest to you who are troubled and to us also when the Lord Jesus appears with burning fire from heaven with his powerful angels.

8 Then he will punish those who do not know God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 Those people will be punished with a destruction that continues forever. They will be kept away from the Lord and from his great power.

10 This will happen on the day when the Lord Jesus comes to receive glory because of his holy people. And all the people who have believed will be amazed at Jesus. You will be in that group, because you believed what we told you.

11 That is why we always pray for you, asking our God to help you live the kind of life he called you to live. We pray that with his power God will help you do the good things you want and perform the works that come from your faith.

12 We pray all this so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will have glory in you, and you will have glory in him. That glory comes from the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.