Instructions on Worship

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers,(A) intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority,(B) that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness(C) and holiness. This is good, and pleases(D) God our Savior,(E) who wants(F) all people(G) to be saved(H) and to come to a knowledge of the truth.(I) For there is one God(J) and one mediator(K) between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,(L) who gave himself as a ransom(M) for all people. This has now been witnessed to(N) at the proper time.(O) And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying(P)—and a true and faithful teacher(Q) of the Gentiles.(R)

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands(S) without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,(T) 10 but with good deeds,(U) appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

11 A woman[a] should learn in quietness and full submission.(V) 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;[b] she must be quiet.(W) 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.(X) 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.(Y) 15 But women[c] will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love(Z) and holiness with propriety.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 2:11 Or wife; also in verse 12
  2. 1 Timothy 2:12 Or over her husband
  3. 1 Timothy 2:15 Greek she

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

Judgment Against the Nations

34 Come near, you nations, and listen;(A)
    pay attention, you peoples!(B)
Let the earth(C) hear, and all that is in it,
    the world, and all that comes out of it!(D)
The Lord is angry with all nations;
    his wrath(E) is on all their armies.
He will totally destroy[a](F) them,
    he will give them over to slaughter.(G)
Their slain(H) will be thrown out,
    their dead bodies(I) will stink;(J)
    the mountains will be soaked with their blood.(K)
All the stars in the sky will be dissolved(L)
    and the heavens rolled up(M) like a scroll;
all the starry host will fall(N)
    like withered(O) leaves from the vine,
    like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

My sword(P) has drunk its fill in the heavens;
    see, it descends in judgment on Edom,(Q)
    the people I have totally destroyed.(R)
The sword(S) of the Lord is bathed in blood,
    it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
    fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice(T) in Bozrah(U)
    and a great slaughter(V) in the land of Edom.
And the wild oxen(W) will fall with them,
    the bull calves and the great bulls.(X)
Their land will be drenched with blood,(Y)
    and the dust will be soaked with fat.

For the Lord has a day(Z) of vengeance,(AA)
    a year of retribution,(AB) to uphold Zion’s cause.
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
    her dust into burning sulfur;(AC)
    her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenched(AD) night or day;
    its smoke will rise forever.(AE)
From generation to generation(AF) it will lie desolate;(AG)
    no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owl[b](AH) and screech owl[c] will possess it;
    the great owl[d] and the raven(AI) will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edom(AJ)
    the measuring line of chaos(AK)
    and the plumb line(AL) of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
    all her princes(AM) will vanish(AN) away.
13 Thorns(AO) will overrun her citadels,
    nettles and brambles her strongholds.(AP)
She will become a haunt for jackals,(AQ)
    a home for owls.(AR)
14 Desert creatures(AS) will meet with hyenas,(AT)
    and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creatures(AU) will also lie down
    and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
    she will hatch them, and care for her young
    under the shadow of her wings;(AV)
there also the falcons(AW) will gather,
    each with its mate.

16 Look in the scroll(AX) of the Lord and read:

None of these will be missing,(AY)
    not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouth(AZ) that has given the order,(BA)
    and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;(BB)
    his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
    and dwell there from generation to generation.(BC)

Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert(BD) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(BE)
Like the crocus,(BF) it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(BG)
The glory of Lebanon(BH) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel(BI) and Sharon;(BJ)
they will see the glory(BK) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.(BL)

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees(BM) that give way;
say(BN) to those with fearful hearts,(BO)
    “Be strong, do not fear;(BP)
your God will come,(BQ)
    he will come with vengeance;(BR)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save(BS) you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(BT)
    and the ears of the deaf(BU) unstopped.
Then will the lame(BV) leap like a deer,(BW)
    and the mute tongue(BX) shout for joy.(BY)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams(BZ) in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground(CA) bubbling springs.(CB)
In the haunts where jackals(CC) once lay,
    grass and reeds(CD) and papyrus will grow.

And a highway(CE) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;(CF)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(CG) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion(CH) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;(CI)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(CJ) will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued(CK) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(CL)
    everlasting joy(CM) will crown their heads.
Gladness(CN) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(CO)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:2 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 5.
  2. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  3. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
  4. Isaiah 34:11 The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.

34 Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.

For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.

Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.

And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.

13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

16 Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

35 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

ט Teth

65 Do good(A) to your servant
    according to your word,(B) Lord.
66 Teach me knowledge(C) and good judgment,
    for I trust your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted(D) I went astray,(E)
    but now I obey your word.(F)
68 You are good,(G) and what you do is good;
    teach me your decrees.(H)
69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,(I)
    I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are callous(J) and unfeeling,
    but I delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted(K)
    so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
    than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.(L)

י Yodh

73 Your hands made me(M) and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you rejoice(N) when they see me,
    for I have put my hope in your word.(O)
75 I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,(P)
    and that in faithfulness(Q) you have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love(R) be my comfort,
    according to your promise(S) to your servant.
77 Let your compassion(T) come to me that I may live,
    for your law is my delight.(U)
78 May the arrogant(V) be put to shame for wronging me without cause;(W)
    but I will meditate on your precepts.
79 May those who fear you turn to me,
    those who understand your statutes.(X)
80 May I wholeheartedly follow(Y) your decrees,(Z)
    that I may not be put to shame.(AA)

כ Kaph

81 My soul faints(AB) with longing for your salvation,(AC)
    but I have put my hope(AD) in your word.
82 My eyes fail,(AE) looking for your promise;(AF)
    I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
    I do not forget(AG) your decrees.
84 How long(AH) must your servant wait?
    When will you punish my persecutors?(AI)
85 The arrogant(AJ) dig pits(AK) to trap me,
    contrary to your law.
86 All your commands are trustworthy;(AL)
    help me,(AM) for I am being persecuted(AN) without cause.(AO)
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
    but I have not forsaken(AP) your precepts.
88 In your unfailing love(AQ) preserve my life,(AR)
    that I may obey the statutes(AS) of your mouth.

ל Lamedh

89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;(AT)
    it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness(AU) continues through all generations;(AV)
    you established the earth, and it endures.(AW)
91 Your laws endure(AX) to this day,
    for all things serve you.(AY)
92 If your law had not been my delight,(AZ)
    I would have perished in my affliction.(BA)
93 I will never forget(BB) your precepts,
    for by them you have preserved my life.(BC)
94 Save me,(BD) for I am yours;
    I have sought out your precepts.(BE)
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,(BF)
    but I will ponder your statutes.(BG)
96 To all perfection I see a limit,
    but your commands are boundless.(BH)

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65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.

66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.

69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.

70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.

71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.

73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.

74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.

75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.

77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.

78 Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.

79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.

80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.

81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

82 Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?

83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.

84 How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?

85 The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.

86 All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.

87 They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.

88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.

89 For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.

90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.

91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.

92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

93 I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.

94 I am thine, save me: for I have sought thy precepts.

95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.

96 I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

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