Isaiah 32 - 33 - Legacy Standard Bible

Isaiah 32 - 33

A King Will Reign Righteously

Behold, a king will reign righteously

And princes will rule justly.

Each will be like a refuge from the wind

And a shelter from the storm,

Like streams of water in a dry country,

Like the shade of a huge rock in a weary land.

Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded,

And the ears of those who hear will pay attention.

And the heart of the hasty will discern knowledge,

And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.

No longer will the wicked fool be called noble,

Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.

For a wicked fool speaks wicked folly,

And his heart does wickedness:

To do ungodliness and to speak error against Yahweh,

In order to make the hungry person empty;

He even causes the thirsty to lack a drink.

As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;

He counsels wicked schemes

To wreak destruction on the afflicted with lying words,

Even though the needy one speaks justly.

But the noble man counsels noble plans;

And by noble plans he rises up.

Rise up, you women who are at ease,

And hear my voice;

Give ear to my word,

You complacent daughters.

Within a year and a few days

You will quake, O complacent daughters;

For the grape harvest is ended,

And the fruit gathering will not come.

Tremble, you women who are at ease;

Quake, you complacent daughters;

Strip, undress, and put sackcloth on your waist,

Beat your breasts for the desirable fields, for the fruitful vine,

For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up,

Indeed, against all the joyful houses and the exultant city.

Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken.

Hill and watchtower have become caves forever,

A joy for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,

And the wilderness becomes a fruitful orchard,

And the fruitful orchard is counted as a forest.

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,

And righteousness will live in the fruitful orchard.

And the work of righteousness will be peace,

And the service of righteousness, quietness and security forever.

Then my people will live in a peaceful abode,

And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places;

And it will hail when the forest comes down,

And the city will be utterly laid low.

How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,

Who let out freely the ox and the donkey.

The King in His Beauty

Woe to you, O destroyer,

While you were not destroyed;

And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him.

As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed;

As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.

O Yahweh, be gracious to us; we have hoped in You.

Be their strength every morning,

Our salvation also in the time of distress.

At the sound of the tumult peoples flee;

At the lifting up of Yourself nations scatter.

Your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers;

As locusts rushing about men rush about on it.

Yahweh is exalted, for He dwells on high;

He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

And He will be the stability of your times,

A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;

The fear of Yahweh is his treasure.

Behold, their brave men cry in the streets;

The messengers of peace weep bitterly.

The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased;

He has broken the covenant, he has rejected the cities;

He has no regard for man.

The land mourns and languishes,

Lebanon is humiliated and withers;

Sharon is like a desert plain,

And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.

“Now I will be on high,” says Yahweh,

“Now I will be lifted up, now I will be lifted up.

You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble;

My breath will consume you like a fire.

The peoples will be burned to lime,

Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.

“You who are far away, hear what I have done;

And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

Sinners in Zion are in dread;

Trembling has seized the godless.

“Who among us can sojourn with the consuming fire?

Who among us can sojourn with continual burning?”

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly;

He who rejects greedy gain of oppression,

And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe;

He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed

And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;

He will dwell on the heights,

His refuge will be the strongholds of the cliffs;

His bread will be given him,

His water will be sure.

Your eyes will behold the King in His beauty;

They will see a far‑distant land.

Your heart will meditate on terror:

“Where is he who counts?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

You will no longer see a fierce people,

A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,

Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

Behold Zion, the city of our appointed times;

Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an abode at ease,

A tent which will not be folded;

Its stakes will never be pulled up,

Nor any of its cords ever be torn apart.

But there the Mighty One, Yahweh, will be for us

A place of rivers and wide canals

On which no boat with oars will go,

And on which no mighty ship will pass—

For Yahweh is our judge,

Yahweh is our lawgiver,

Yahweh is our king;

He will save us—

Your cords hang slack;

They cannot hold the base of their mast firmly,

Nor spread out the sail.

Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;

The lame will take the plunder.

And no one who dwells there will say, “I am sick”;

The people who inhabit there will be forgiven their iniquity.

Luke 18

Parables on Prayer

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ 4 And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wears me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge *said. 7 Now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?” 9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying these things to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they were rebuking them. 16 But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

The Rich Young Ruler

18 And a ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack: sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me.” 23 But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” 28 And Peter said, “Behold, we have left all that is our own and followed You.” 29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” 31 But when He took the twelve aside, He said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be completed. 32 For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33 and after they have flogged Him, they will kill Him, and the third day He will rise again.” 34 But the disciples understood none of these things, and this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

Bartimaeus Regains His Sight

35 Now it happened that as Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They reported to him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who went ahead were rebuking him so that he would be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him, and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God. And when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

Psalm 55

He Will Never Allow the Righteous to Be Shaken

For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.

Give ear to my prayer, O God;

And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.

Give heed to me and answer me;

I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,

Because of the voice of the enemy,

Because of the pressure of the wicked;

For they shake wickedness down upon me

And in anger they bear a grudge against me.

My heart is in anguish within me,

And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come upon me,

And horror has covered me.

I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

Behold, I would wander far away,

I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

I would hasten to my place of refuge

From the stormy wind and tempest.”

Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues,

For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Day and night they go around her upon her walls,

And wickedness and mischief are in her midst.

Destruction is in her midst;

Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets.

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me,

Then I could bear it;

Nor is it one who hates me who has magnified himself against me,

Then I could hide myself from him.

But it is you, a man my equal,

My close companion and my familiar friend;

We who had sweet counsel together

Walked in the house of God in the throng.

Let death come deceitfully upon them;

Let them go down alive to Sheol,

For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

As for me, I shall call upon God,

And Yahweh will save me.

Evening and morning and at noon, I will bring my complaint and moan,

And He will hear my voice.

He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me,

For they are many who strive with me.

God will hear and answer them—

Even the one who sits enthroned from of old— Selah.

Because they do not change,

And do not fear God.

My companion has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;

He has violated his covenant.

His speech was smoother than butter,

But his heart was war;

His words were softer than oil,

Yet they were drawn swords.

Cast your burden upon Yahweh and He will sustain you;

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of corruption;

Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days.

But I will trust in You.