The Living Bible (234 page)

Isaiah
54

Sing, O childless woman! Break out into loud and joyful song, Jerusalem,
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for she who was abandoned has more blessings
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now than she whose husband stayed!
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 Enlarge your house; build on additions; spread out your home!
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 For you will soon be bursting at the seams! And your descendants will possess the cities left behind during the exile and rule the nations that took their lands.

    
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 Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. The shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood will be remembered no more,
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 for your Creator will be your “husband.” The Lord Almighty is his name; he is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.
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 For the Lord has called you back from your grief—a young wife abandoned by her husband.
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 For a brief moment I abandoned you. But with great compassion I will take you back.
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 In a moment of anger I turned my face a little while; but with everlasting love I will have pity on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.

    
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 Just as in the time of Noah I swore that I would never again permit the waters of a flood to cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you.
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 For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but my kindness shall not leave you. My promise of peace for you will never be broken, says the Lord who has mercy upon you.

    
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 O my afflicted people, tempest-tossed and troubled, I will rebuild you on a foundation of sapphires and make the walls of your houses from precious jewels.
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 I will make your towers of sparkling agate and your gates and walls of shining gems.
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 And all your citizens shall be taught by me, and their prosperity shall be great.
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 You will live under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away; you will live in peace. Terror shall not come near.
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 If any nation comes to fight you, it will not be sent by me to punish you. Therefore, it will be routed, for I am on your side.
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 I have created the smith who blows the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy.
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 But in that coming day, no weapon turned against you shall succeed, and you will have justice against every courtroom lie. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. This is the blessing I have given you, says the Lord.

Isaiah
55

Say there! Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine and milk—it’s all free!
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 Why spend your money on food that doesn’t give you strength? Why pay for groceries that do you no good? Listen and I’ll tell you where to get good food that fattens up the soul!

    
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 Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you, to give you all the unfailing mercies and love that I had for King David.
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 He proved my power by conquering foreign nations.
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 You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, not because of your own power or virtue, but because I, the Lord your God, have glorified you.

    
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 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call upon him now while he is near.
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 Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy upon them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon!
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 This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours!
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 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours.

    
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 As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry,
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 so also is my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it.
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 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills, the trees of the field—all the world around you—will rejoice.
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 Where once were thorns, fir trees will grow; where briars grew, the myrtle trees will sprout up. This miracle will make the Lord’s name very great and be an everlasting sign of God’s power and love.
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Isaiah
56

Be just and fair to all, the Lord God says. Do what’s right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you.
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 Blessed is the man who refuses to work during my Sabbath days of rest, but honors them; and blessed is the man who checks himself from doing wrong.

    
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 And my blessings are for Gentiles, too, when they accept the Lord; don’t let them think that I will make them second-class citizens. And this is for the eunuchs too. They can be as much mine as anyone.
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 For I say this to the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths holy, who choose the things that please me and obey my laws:
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 I will give them—in my house, within my walls—a name far greater than the honor they would receive from having sons and daughters. For the name that I will give them is an everlasting one; it will never disappear.

    
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 As for the Gentiles, the outsiders who join the people of the Lord and serve him and love his name, who are his servants and don’t desecrate the Sabbath, and have accepted his covenant and promises,
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 I will bring them also to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and make them full of joy within my House of Prayer.

    
I will accept their sacrifices and offerings, for my Temple shall be called “A House of Prayer for All People”!
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 For the Lord God who brings back the outcasts of Israel says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.

    
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 Come, wild animals of the field; come, tear apart the sheep; come, wild animals of the forest, devour my people.
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 For the leaders of my people—the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—are all blind to every danger. They are featherbrained and give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie there, love to sleep, to dream.
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 And they are as greedy as dogs, never satisfied; they are stupid shepherds who only look after their own interest, each trying to get as much as he can for himself from every possible source.

    
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 “Come,” they say. “We’ll get some wine and have a party; let’s all get drunk. This is really living; let it go on and on, and tomorrow will be even better!”

Isaiah
57

The good men perish; the godly die before their time, and no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to realize that God is taking them away from evil days ahead.
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 For the godly who die shall rest in peace.

    
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 But you—come here, you witches’ sons, you offspring of adulterers and harlots!
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 Who is it you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues? You children of sinners and liars!
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 You worship your idols with great zeal beneath the shade of every tree and slay your children as human sacrifices down in the valleys, under overhanging rocks.
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 Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys. You worship them, and they, not I, are your inheritance. Does all this make me happy?
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 You have committed adultery on the tops of the mountains, for you worship idols there, deserting me. Behind closed doors you set your idols up and worship someone other than me. This is adultery, for you are giving these idols your love instead of loving me.
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 You have taken pleasant incense and perfume to Molech as your gift. You have traveled far, even to hell itself, to find new gods to love.
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 You grew weary in your search, but you never gave up. You strengthened yourself and went on.
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 Why were you more afraid of them than of me? How is it that you gave not even a second thought to me? Is it because I’ve been too gentle that you have no fear of me?

    
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 And then there is your “righteousness” and your “good works”—none of which will save you.
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 Let’s see if the whole collection of your idols can help you when you cry to them to save you! They are so weak that the wind can carry them off! A breath can puff them away. But he who trusts in me shall possess the land and inherit my holy mountain.
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 I will say, Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones. Prepare a glorious highway for my people’s return from captivity.

    
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 The high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: I live in that high and holy place where those with contrite, humble spirits dwell; and I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.
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 For I will not fight against you forever, nor always show my wrath; if I did, all mankind would perish—the very souls that I have made.
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 I was angry and smote these greedy men. But they went right on sinning, doing everything their evil hearts desired.
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 I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort them, helping them to mourn and to confess their sins.
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 Peace, peace to them, both near and far, for I will heal them all.
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 But those who still reject me
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are like the restless sea, which is never still, but always churns up mire and dirt.
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 There is no peace, says my God, for them!