ISAIAH 63

« Isaiah 62 | Isaiah 63 | Isaiah 64 »

God’s Vengeance on the Nations63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom,

With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,

This One who is majestic in His apparel,

Marching in the greatness of His strength?

“It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

2 Why is Your apparel red,

And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?

3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone,

And from the peoples there was no man with Me.

I also trod them in My anger

And trampled them in My wrath;

And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,

And I stained all My raiment.

4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

And My year of redemption has come.

5 “I looked, and there was no one to help,

And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;

So My own arm brought salvation to Me,

And My wrath upheld Me.

6 “I trod down the peoples in My anger

And made them drunk in My wrath,

And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled7 I shall make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,

According to all that the LORD has granted us,

And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has granted them according to His compassion

And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

8 For He said, “Surely, they are My people,

Sons who will not deal falsely.”

So He became their Savior.

9 In all their affliction He was afflicted,

And the angel of His presence saved them;

In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them,

And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

10 But they rebelled

And grieved His Holy Spirit;

Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,

He fought against them.

11 Then His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.

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 in the midst of them,

12 Who caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,

Who divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

13 Who led them through the depths?

Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble;

14 As the cattle which go down into the valley,

The Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.

So You led Your people,

To make for Yourself a glorious name.

“You Are Our Father”15 Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation;

Where are Your zeal and Your mighty deeds?

The stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.

16 For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us

And Israel does not recognize us.

You, O LORD, are our Father,

Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.

17 Why, O LORD, do You cause us to stray from Your ways

And harden our heart from fearing You?

Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.

18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,

Our adversaries have trodden it down.

19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,

Like those who were not called by Your name.

ISAIAH 64

« Isaiah 63 | Isaiah 64 | Isaiah 65 »

Prayer for Mercy and Help64:1 Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,

That the mountains might quake at Your presence--

2 As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil--

To make Your name known to Your adversaries,

That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

3 When You did awesome things which we did not expect,

You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.

4 For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,

Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,

Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

5 You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,

Who remembers You in Your ways.

Behold, You were angry, for we sinned,

We continued in them a long time;

And shall we be saved?

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;

And all of us wither like a leaf,

And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

7 There is no one who calls on Your name,

Who arouses himself to take hold of You;

For You have hidden Your face from us

And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.

8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father,

We are the clay, and You our potter;

And all of us are the work of Your hand.

9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD,

Nor remember iniquity forever;

Behold, look now, 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 house,

Where our fathers praised You,

Has been burned by fire;

And all our precious things have become a ruin.

12 Will You restrain Yourself at these things, O LORD?

Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?

PROVERBS 4

« Proverbs 3 | Proverbs 4 | Proverbs 5 »

A Father’s Instruction4:1 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father,

And give attention that you may gain understanding,

2 For I give you sound teaching;

Do not abandon my instruction.

3 When I was a son to my father,

Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother,

4 Then he taught me and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast my words;

Keep my commandments and live;

5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!

Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 “Do not forsake her, and she will guard you;

Love her, and she will watch over you.

7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, get understanding.

8 “Prize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

9 “She will place on your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

10 Hear, my son, and accept my sayings

And the years of your life will be many.

11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright paths.

12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you will not stumble.

13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your life.

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked

And do not proceed in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, do not pass by it;

Turn away from it and pass on.

16 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil;

And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

17 For they eat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble.

20 My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

21 Do not let them depart from your sight;

Keep them in the midst of your heart.

22 For they are life to those who find them

And health to all their body.

23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth

And put devious speech far from you.

25 Let your eyes look directly ahead

And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

26 Watch the path of your feet

And all your ways will be established.

27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;

Turn your foot from evil.

JAMES 4

« James 3 | James 4 | James 5 »

Things to Avoid  4:1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
    11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?
    13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.