Isaiah 62; Isaiah 63; Isaiah 64; 1 Timothy 1

Isaiah 62

1 I will not keep silent because of Zion, and I will not keep still because of Jerusalem until her righteousness shines like a bright light, and her salvation like a flaming torch.

2 Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the Lord's mouth will announce.

3 You will be a glorious crown in the Lord's hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.

4 You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will not be called Desolate; instead, you will be called My Delight is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married.

5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over [his] bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

6 Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent, day or night. You, who remind the Lord, no rest for you!

7 Do not give Him rest until He establishes and makes her Jerusalem the praise of the earth.

8 The Lord has sworn with His right hand and His strong arm: I will no longer give your grain to your enemies for food, and foreigners will not drink your new wine you have labored for.

9 For those who gather grain will eat it and praise the Lord, and those who harvest the grapes will drink [the wine] in My holy courts.

10 Go out, go out through the gates; prepare a way for the people! Build it up, build up the highway; clear away the stones! Raise a banner for the peoples.

11 Look, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, "Say to Daughter Zion: Look, your salvation is coming, His reward is with Him, and His recompense is before Him."

12 And they will be called the Holy People, the Lord's Redeemed; and you will be called Cared For, A City Not Deserted.

Isaiah 63

1 Who is this coming from Edom in crimson-stained garments from Bozrah- this One who is splendid in His apparel, rising up proudly in His great might? It is I, proclaiming vindication, powerful to save.

2 Why is Your clothing red, and Your garments like one who treads a winepress?

3 I trampled the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and ground them underfoot in My fury; their blood spattered My garments, and all My clothes were stained.

4 For I planned the day of vengeance, and the year of My redemption came.

5 I looked, but there was no one to help, and I was amazed that no one assisted; so My arm accomplished victory for Me, and My wrath assisted Me.

6 I crushed nations in My anger; I made them drunk with My wrath and poured out their blood on the ground.

7 I will make known the Lord's faithful love [and] the Lord's praiseworthy acts, because of all the Lord has done for us- even the many good things [He has done] for the house of Israel and has done for them based on His compassions and the abundance of His faithful love.

8 He said, "They are indeed My people, children who will not be disloyal," and He became their Savior.

9 In all their suffering, He suffered, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. He redeemed them because of His love and compassion; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of the past.

10 But they rebelled, and grieved His Holy Spirit. So He became their enemy [and] fought against them.

11 Then He remembered the days of the past, [the days] of Moses [and] his people. Where is He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit among the flock?

12 He sent His glorious arm at Moses' right hand, divided the waters before them to obtain eternal fame for Himself,

13 and led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble.

14 Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. You led Your people this way to make a glorious name for Yourself.

15 Look down from heaven and see from Your lofty home-holy and beautiful. Where is Your zeal and Your might? Your yearning and Your compassion are withheld from me.

16 Yet You are our Father, even though Abraham does not know us and Israel doesn't recognize us. You, Lord, are our Father; from ancient times, Your name is our Redeemer.

17 Why, Lord, do You make us stray from Your ways? You harden our hearts so we do not fear You. Return, because of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

18 Your holy people had a possession for a little while, [but] our enemies have trampled down Your sanctuary.

19 We have become like those You never ruled over, like those not called by Your name.

Isaiah 64

1 If only You would tear the heavens open [and] come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence-

2 as fire kindles the brushwood, and fire causes water to boil- to make Your name known to Your enemies, so that nations will tremble at Your presence!

3 When You did awesome deeds that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence.

4 From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him.

5 You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry; we will remain in Your ways and be saved.

6 All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

7 No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because ofour iniquity.

8 Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.

9 Lord, do not be terribly angry or remember [our] iniquity forever. Please look-all of us are Your people!

10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness; Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.

11 Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

12 Lord, after all this, will You restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict severely?

1 Timothy 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus, our hope:

2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach other doctrine

4 or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God's plan, which operates by faith.

5 Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

6 Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.

7 They want to be teachers of the law, although they don't understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on.

8 Now we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.

9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

10 for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching

11 based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me.

12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry-

13 one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. Since it was out of ignorance that I had acted in unbelief, I received mercy,

14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"-and I am the worst of them.

16 But I received mercy because of this, so that in me, the worst [of them], Christ Jesus might demonstrate the utmost patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

18 Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle,

19 having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith.

20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.