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

1 The LORD says, "For the good of Zion I will not keep silent. For Jerusalem's benefit I will not remain quiet. I will not keep silent until its people's godliness shines like the sunrise. I will not remain quiet until they are saved and shine like a blazing torch.

2 Jerusalem, the nations will see that I have made everything right for you. All of their kings will see your glory. You will be called by a new name. I myself will give it to you.

3 You will be like a glorious crown in my strong hand. You will be like a royal crown in my powerful hand.

4 People will not call you Deserted anymore. They will no longer name your land Empty. Instead, you will be called The One the LORD Delights In. Your land will be named The Married One. I will take delight in you. And your land will be like a bride.

5 As a young man gets married to a young woman, your people will marry you. As a groom is happy with his bride, I will be full of joy over you."

6 Jerusalem, I have stationed guards on your walls. They must never be silent day or night. You who call out to the LORD must not give yourselves any rest.

7 And don't give him any rest until he makes Jerusalem secure. Don't give him any peace until people all over the earth praise that city.

8 The LORD has taken an oath and made a promise. He has lifted up his right hand and mighty arm. He has promised, "I will never give your grain to your enemies for food again. Outsiders will never again drink the fresh wine you have worked so hard for.

9 Instead, those who gather the grain will eat it themselves. And they will praise me. Those who gather grapes to make the wine will enjoy it. They will drink it in the courtyards of my temple."

10 Go out through your gates, people of Jerusalem! Go out! Prepare the way for the rest of your people to return. Build up the road! Build it up! Remove the stones. Raise a banner over the city for the nations to see.

11 The LORD has announced a message from one end of the earth to the other. He has said, "Tell the people of Zion, 'Look! Your Savior is coming! He is bringing his people back as his reward. He has won the battle over their enemies.' "

12 They will be called The Holy People. The LORD will set them free. And Jerusalem will be named The City the LORD Cares About. It won't be deserted anymore.

1 Who is this man coming from the city of Bozrah in Edom? His clothes are stained bright red. Who is he? He is dressed up in all of his glory. He is marching toward us with great strength. The LORD answers, "It is I. I have won the battle. I am mighty. I have saved my people."

2 Why are your clothes red? They look as if you have been stomping on grapes in a winepress.

3 The LORD answers, "I have been stomping on the nations as if they were grapes. No one was there to help me. I walked all over the nations because I was angry. That is why I stomped on them. Their blood splashed all over my clothes. So my clothes were stained bright red.

4 I decided it was time to pay Israel's enemies back. The year for me to set my people free had come.

5 I looked around, but no one was there to help me. I was shocked that no one gave me any help. So I used my own powerful arm to save my people. I had the strength to do it because I was angry.

6 I walked all over the nations because I was angry with them. I made them drink from the cup of my burning anger. I poured their blood out on the ground."

7 I will talk about the kind things the LORD has done. I'll praise him for everything he's done for us. He has done many good things for the nation of Israel. That's because he loves us and is very kind to us.

8 In the past he said, "They are my people. They will not turn against me." So he saved them.

9 When they suffered, he suffered with them. He sent his angel to save them. He set them free because he is loving and kind. He lifted them up and carried them. He did it again and again in days long ago.

10 But they refused to obey him. They made his Holy Spirit sad. So he turned against them and became their enemy. He himself fought against them.

11 Then his people remembered what he did long ago. They recalled the days of Moses and his people. They asked, "Where is the One who brought Israel through the Red Sea? Moses led them as the shepherd of his flock. Where is the One who put his Holy Spirit among them?

12 He used his glorious and powerful arm to help Moses. He parted the waters of the sea in front of them. That mighty act made him famous forever.

13 He led them through that deep sea. Like a horse in open country, they didn't trip and fall.

14 Like cattle that are taken down to the flatlands, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord." That's how he guided his people. So he made a glorious name for himself.

15 Lord, look down from heaven. Look down from your holy and glorious throne. Where is your great love for us? Where is your power? Why don't you show us your tender love and concern?

16 You are our Father. Abraham might not accept us as his children. Jacob might not recognize us as his family. But you are our Father, Lord. Your name is The One Who Always Sets Us Free.

17 Lord, why do you let us wander away from you? Why do you let us become so stubborn that we don't respect you? Come back and help us. We are the tribes that belong to you.

18 For a little while your holy people possessed the land. But now our enemies have torn your temple down.

19 We are like people you never ruled over. We are like those who don't belong to you.

1 I wish you would open up your heavens and come down to us! I wish the mountains would tremble when you show your power!

2 Be like a fire that causes twigs to burn. It also makes water boil. So come down and make yourself known to your enemies. Cause the nations to shake with fear when they see your power!

3 Long ago you did some wonderful things we didn't expect. You came down, and the mountains trembled when you showed your power.

4 No one's ears have ever heard of a God like you. No one's eyes have ever seen a God who is greater than you. No God but you acts for the good of those who trust in him.

5 You come to help those who enjoy doing what is right. You help those who thank you for teaching them how to live. But when we continued to disobey you, you became angry with us. So how can we be saved?

6 All of us have become like someone who is "unclean." All of the good things we do are like polluted rags to you. All of us are like leaves that have dried up. Our sins sweep us away like the wind.

7 No one prays to you. No one asks you for help. You have turned your face away from us. You have let us waste away because we have sinned so much.

8 Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay. You are the potter. Your hands made all of us.

9 Don't be so angry with us, Lord. Don't remember our sins anymore. Please show us your favor. All of us belong to you.

10 Your sacred cities have become a desert. Even Zion is a desert. Jerusalem is a dry and empty place.

11 Our people used to praise you in our holy and glorious temple. But now it has been burned down. Everything we treasured has been destroyed.

12 Lord, won't you help us even after everything that's happened? Will you keep silent and punish us more than we can stand?

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus, just as God our Savior commanded. Christ Jesus also commanded it. We have put our hope in him.

2 Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.

3 Stay there in Ephesus. That is what I told you to do when I went into Macedonia. I want you to command certain people not to teach things that aren't true.

4 Command them not to spend their time on stories that aren't completely true. They must not waste time on family histories that never end. Things like that cause people to argue instead of doing God's work. His work is done by faith.

5 Love is the purpose of my command. Love comes from a pure heart. It comes from a good sense of what is right and wrong. It comes from faith that is honest and true.

6 Some have wandered away from those teachings. They would rather talk about things that have no meaning.

7 They want to be teachers of the law. And they are very sure about that law. But they don't know what they are talking about.

8 We know that the law is good if it is used properly.

9 We also know that the law isn't made for godly people. It is made for those who break the law. It is for those who refuse to obey. It is for ungodly and sinful people. It is for those who aren't holy and who don't believe. It is for those who kill their fathers or mothers. It is for murderers.

10 It is for those who commit adultery. It is for those who have a twisted view of sex. It is for people who buy and sell slaves. It is for liars. It is for those who give witness to things that aren't true. And it is for anything else that is the opposite of true teaching.

11 True teaching agrees with the glorious good news of the blessed God. He trusted me with that good news.

12 I am thankful to Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me strength. I thank him that he considered me faithful. And I thank him for appointing me to serve him.

13 I used to speak evil things against Jesus. I tried to hurt his followers. I really pushed them around. But God showed me mercy anyway. I did those things without knowing any better. I wasn't a believer.

14 Our Lord poured out more and more of his grace on me. Along with it came faith and love from Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.

16 But for that very reason, God showed me mercy. And I am the worst of sinners. He showed me mercy so that Christ Jesus could show that he is very patient. I was an example for those who would come to believe in him. Then they would receive eternal life.

17 The eternal King will never die. He can't be seen. He is the only God. Give him honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

18 My son Timothy, I give you these teachings. They are in keeping with the prophecies that were once made about you. By following them, you can fight the good fight.

19 Then you will hold on to faith. You will hold on to a good sense of what is right and wrong. Some have not accepted these teachings. By doing that, they have destroyed their faith. They are like a ship that has sunk.

20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them. I have handed them over to Satan. That will teach them not to speak evil things against God.