1 Thessalonians 5; Isaiah 23; Isaiah 24; Psalms 116

1 Thessalonians 5

1 About the times and the seasons: brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you.

2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.

3 When they say, "Peace and security," then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that this day would overtake you like a thief.

5 For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We're not of the night or of darkness.

6 So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be sober.

7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

8 But since we are of the day, we must be sober and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation.

9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

12 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,

13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

14 And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are lazy, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

16 Rejoice always!

17 Pray constantly.

18 Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Don't stifle the Spirit.

20 Don't despise prophecies,

21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good.

22 Stay away from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

25 Brothers, pray for us also.

26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

27 I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.

28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Isaiah 23

1 An oracle against Tyre: Wail, ships of Tarshish, for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.

2 Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon; your agents have crossed the sea

3 on many waters. Tyre's revenue was the grain from Shihor- the harvest of the Nile. She was the merchant among the nations.

4 Be ashamed Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men [or] brought up young women."

5 When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre.

6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, inhabitants of the coastland!

7 Is this your jubilant [city], whose origin was in ancient times, whose feet have taken her to settle far away?

8 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth?

9 The Lord of Hosts planned it, to desecrate all [its] glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth.

10 Overflow your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer anything to restrain [you].

11 He stretched out His hand over the sea; He made kingdoms tremble. The Lord has commanded that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed.

12 He said, "You will not rejoice any more, ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus- even there you will have no rest!"

13 Look at the land of Chaldeans- a people who no longer exist. Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin.

14 Wail, ships of Tarshish, because your fortress is destroyed!

15 On that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years-the life span of one king. At the end of 70 years, what the song [says] about the prostitute will happen to Tyre:

16 Pick up [your] harp, stroll through the city, prostitute forgotten [by men]. Play skillfully, sing many a song, and you will be thought of again.

17 And at the end of the 70 years, the Lord will restore Tyre and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

18 But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord. They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the Lord's presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing.

Isaiah 24

1 Look, the Lord is stripping the earth bare and making it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants:

2 people and priest alike, servant and master, female servant and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

3 The earth will be stripped completely bare and will be totally plundered, for the Lord has spoken this message.

4 The earth mourns and withers; the world wastes away and withers; the exalted people of the earth waste away.

5 The earth is polluted by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed teachings, overstepped decrees, and broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth's inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive.

7 The new wine mourns; the vine withers. All the carousers now groan.

8 The joyful tambourines have ceased. The noise of the jubilant has stopped. The joyful lyre has ceased.

9 They no longer sing and drink wine; beer is bitter to those who drink it.

10 The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.

11 In the streets they cry for wine. All joy grows dark; earth's rejoicing goes into exile.

12 Only desolation remains in the city; its gate has collapsed in ruins.

13 For this is how it will be on earth among the nations: like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.

14 They raise their voices, they sing out; they proclaim in the west the majesty of the Lord.

15 Therefore in the east honor the Lord! In the islands of the west [honor] the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs: The Splendor of the Righteous One. But I said, "I waste away! I waste away! Woe is me." The treacherous act treacherously; the treacherous deal very treacherously.

17 Terror, pit, and snare [await] you who dwell on the earth.

18 Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a snare. For the windows are opened from above, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19 The earth is completely devastated; the earth is split open; the earth is violently shaken.

20 The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth's rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.

21 On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below.

22 They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished.

23 The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will [display His] glory in the presence of His elders.

Psalms 116

1 I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy.

2 Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call [out to Him] as long as I live.

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: "Lord, save me!"

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate.

6 The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

8 For You, [Lord,] rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I said, "I am severely afflicted."

11 In my alarm I said, "Everyone is a liar."

12 How can I repay the Lord all the good He has done for me?

13 I will take the cup of salvation and worship the Lord.

14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

15 The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord's sight.

16 Lord, I am indeed Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant. You have loosened my bonds.

17 I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and will worship the Lord.

18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord, in the very presence of all His people,

19 in the courts of the Lord's house- within you, Jerusalem. Hallelujah!