Isaiah 53-55

New International Version

53 Who has believed our message^(A)
    and to whom has the arm^(B) of the Lord been revealed?^(C)
²He grew up before him like a tender shoot,^(D)
    and like a root^(E) out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance^(F) that we should desire him.
³He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering,^(G) and familiar with pain.^(H)
Like one from whom people hide^(I) their faces
    he was despised,^(J) and we held him in low esteem.

⁴Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,^(K)
yet we considered him punished by God,^(L)
    stricken by him, and afflicted.^(M)
⁵But he was pierced^(N) for our transgressions,^(O)
    he was crushed^(P) for our iniquities;
the punishment^(Q) that brought us peace^(R) was on him,
    and by his wounds^(S) we are healed.^(T)
⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray,^(U)
    each of us has turned to our own way;^(V)
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity^(W) of us all.

⁷He was oppressed^(X) and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;^(Y)
he was led like a lamb^(Z) to the slaughter,^(AA)
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
⁸By oppression^[a] and judgment^(AB) he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;^(AC)
    for the transgression^(AD) of my people he was punished.^[b]
⁹He was assigned a grave with the wicked,^(AE)
    and with the rich^(AF) in his death,
though he had done no violence,^(AG)
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.^(AH)

¹⁰Yet it was the Lord’s will^(AI) to crush^(AJ) him and cause him to suffer,^(AK)
    and though the Lord makes^[c] his life an offering for sin,^(AL)
he will see his offspring^(AM) and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper^(AN) in his hand.
¹¹After he has suffered,^(AO)
    he will see the light^(AP) of life^[d] and be satisfied^[e];
by his knowledge^[f] my righteous servant^(AQ) will justify^(AR) many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.^(AS)
¹²Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[g]^(AT)
    and he will divide the spoils^(AU) with the strong,^[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,^(AV)
    and was numbered with the transgressors.^(AW)
For he bore^(AX) the sin of many,^(AY)
    and made intercession^(AZ) for the transgressors.

The Future Glory of Zion

54 “Sing, barren woman,^(BA)
    you who never bore a child;
burst into song, shout for joy,^(BB)
    you who were never in labor;^(BC)
because more are the children^(BD) of the desolate^(BE) woman
    than of her who has a husband,^(BF)”
says the Lord.
²“Enlarge the place of your tent,^(BG)
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.^(BH)
³For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants^(BI) will dispossess nations^(BJ)
    and settle in their desolate^(BK) cities.

⁴“Do not be afraid;^(BL) you will not be put to shame.^(BM)
    Do not fear disgrace;^(BN) you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth^(BO)
    and remember no more the reproach^(BP) of your widowhood.^(BQ)
⁵For your Maker^(BR) is your husband^(BS)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One^(BT) of Israel is your Redeemer;^(BU)
    he is called the God of all the earth.^(BV)
⁶The Lord will call you back^(BW)
    as if you were a wife deserted^(BX) and distressed in spirit—
a wife who married young,^(BY)
    only to be rejected,” says your God.
⁷“For a brief moment^(BZ) I abandoned^(CA) you,
    but with deep compassion^(CB) I will bring you back.^(CC)
⁸In a surge of anger^(CD)
    I hid^(CE) my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness^(CF)
    I will have compassion^(CG) on you,”
    says the Lord your Redeemer.^(CH)

⁹“To me this is like the days of Noah,
    when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.^(CI)
So now I have sworn^(CJ) not to be angry^(CK) with you,
    never to rebuke^(CL) you again.
¹⁰Though the mountains be shaken^(CM)
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love^(CN) for you will not be shaken^(CO)
    nor my covenant^(CP) of peace^(CQ) be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion^(CR) on you.

¹¹“Afflicted^(CS) city, lashed by storms^(CT) and not comforted,^(CU)
    I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,^[i]^(CV)
    your foundations^(CW) with lapis lazuli.^(CX)
¹²I will make your battlements of rubies,
    your gates^(CY) of sparkling jewels,
    and all your walls of precious stones.
¹³All your children will be taught by the Lord,^(CZ)
    and great will be their peace.^(DA)
¹⁴In righteousness^(DB) you will be established:^(DC)
Tyranny^(DD) will be far from you;
    you will have nothing to fear.^(DE)
Terror^(DF) will be far removed;
    it will not come near you.
¹⁵If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;
    whoever attacks you will surrender^(DG) to you.

¹⁶“See, it is I who created the blacksmith^(DH)
    who fans the coals into flame
    and forges a weapon^(DI) fit for its work.
And it is I who have created the destroyer^(DJ) to wreak havoc;
¹⁷    no weapon forged against you will prevail,^(DK)
    and you will refute^(DL) every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants^(DM) of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication^(DN) from me,”
declares the Lord.

Invitation to the Thirsty

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,^(DO)
    come to the waters;^(DP)
and you who have no money,
    come, buy^(DQ) and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk^(DR)
    without money and without cost.^(DS)
²Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?^(DT)
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,^(DU)
    and you will delight in the richest^(DV) of fare.
³Give ear and come to me;
    listen,^(DW) that you may live.^(DX)
I will make an everlasting covenant^(DY) with you,
    my faithful love^(DZ) promised to David.^(EA)
⁴See, I have made him a witness^(EB) to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander^(EC) of the peoples.
⁵Surely you will summon nations^(ED) you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,^(EE)
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One^(EF) of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”^(EG)

⁶Seek^(EH) the Lord while he may be found;^(EI)
    call^(EJ) on him while he is near.
⁷Let the wicked forsake^(EK) their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.^(EL)
Let them turn^(EM) to the Lord, and he will have mercy^(EN) on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.^(EO)

⁸“For my thoughts^(EP) are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”^(EQ)
declares the Lord.
⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth,^(ER)
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.^(ES)
¹⁰As the rain^(ET) and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,^(EU)
    so that it yields seed^(EV) for the sower and bread for the eater,^(EW)
¹¹so is my word^(EX) that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,^(EY)
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose^(EZ) for which I sent it.
¹²You will go out in joy^(FA)
    and be led forth in peace;^(FB)
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song^(FC) before you,
and all the trees^(FD) of the field
    will clap their hands.^(FE)
¹³Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers^(FF) the myrtle^(FG) will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,^(FH)
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

Footnotes

Isaiah 53:8 Or From arrest
Isaiah 53:8 Or generation considered / that he was cut off from the land of the living, / that he was punished for the transgression of my people?
Isaiah 53:10 Hebrew though you make
Isaiah 53:11 Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text does not have the light of life.
Isaiah 53:11 Or (with Masoretic Text) ¹¹He will see the fruit of his suffering / and will be satisfied
Isaiah 53:11 Or by knowledge of him
Isaiah 53:12 Or many
Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous
Isaiah 54:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

1 Thessalonians 2

New International Version

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you^(A) was not without results.^(B) ²We had previously suffered^(C) and been treated outrageously in Philippi,^(D) as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.^(E) ³For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives,^(F) nor are we trying to trick you.^(G) ⁴On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.^(H) We are not trying to please people^(I) but God, who tests our hearts.^(J) ⁵You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed^(K)—God is our witness.^(L) ⁶We were not looking for praise from people,^(M) not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles^(N) of Christ we could have asserted our authority.^(O) ⁷Instead, we were like young children^[a] among you.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,^(P) ⁸so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God^(Q) but our lives as well.^(R) ⁹Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked^(S) night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone^(T) while we preached the gospel of God to you. ¹⁰You are witnesses,^(U) and so is God,^(V) of how holy,^(W) righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ¹¹For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,^(X) ¹²encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy^(Y) of God, who calls^(Z) you into his kingdom and glory.

¹³And we also thank God continually^(AA) because, when you received the word of God,^(AB) which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators^(AC) of God’s churches in Judea,^(AD) which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people^(AE) the same things those churches suffered from the Jews ¹⁵who killed the Lord Jesus^(AF) and the prophets^(AG) and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone ¹⁶in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles^(AH) so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.^(AI) The wrath of God has come upon them at last.^[b]

Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

¹⁷But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought),^(AJ) out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.^(AK) ¹⁸For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan^(AL) blocked our way.^(AM) ¹⁹For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown^(AN) in which we will glory^(AO) in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?^(AP) Is it not you? ²⁰Indeed, you are our glory^(AQ) and joy.