Hosea 14, Isaiah 1, Luke 2, Psalm 35 — Legacy Standard Bible

Yahweh’s Anger Turns Away from Israel

14¹^,^aReturn, O Israel, to Yahweh your God,For you have stumbled in your ^biniquity.²Take words with you and return to Yahweh.Say to Him, “^aForgive all iniquityAnd ¹take what is good,That we may ^bpay in full ²the fruit of our lips.³“Assyria will not save us;We will ^anot ride on horses,Nor will we say again, ‘^bOur god,’To the ^cwork of our hands;For in ^dYou the ¹orphan finds compassion.”⁴I will ^aheal their turning away from Me;I will ^blove them freely,For My anger has ^cturned away from them.⁵I will be like the ^adew to Israel;He will flourish like the ^blily,And he will ¹take root like the cedars of ^cLebanon.⁶His shoots will go forth,And his splendor will be like the ^aolive treeAnd his fragrance like the cedars of ^bLebanon.⁷Those who ^alive in his shadowWill ¹again raise ^bgrain,And they will flourish like the vine.His name of remembrance will be like the wine of Lebanon.⁸O Ephraim, what more have I to do with ^aidols?It is I who answer and look after ¹you.I am like a luxuriant ^bcypress;From ^cMe ²comes your fruit.⁹^aWhoever is wise, so let him discern these things;Whoever is discerning, let him know them.For the ^bways of Yahweh are right,And the ^crighteous will walk in them,But ^dtransgressors will stumble in them.

Judah, a Sinful Nation

1The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning ^aJudah and Jerusalem, which he beheld in the days of ^bUzziah, ^cJotham, ^dAhaz, and ^eHezekiah, kings of Judah.

²^aHear, O heavens, and give ear, O ^bearth;For ¹Yahweh speaks,“^cSons I have reared and raised up,But they have ^dtransgressed against Me.³“An ox knows its owner,And a donkey its master’s manger,But Israel ^adoes not know;My people ^bdo not perceive.”⁴Alas, sinful nation,People heavy with iniquity,^aSeed of evildoers,Sons who ^bact corruptly!They have ^cforsaken Yahweh;They have ^dspurned the Holy One of Israel;They have ¹become estranged ²from Him.⁵Where will you be stricken again,As you ^acontinue in your rebellion?The whole head is ^bsick,And the whole heart is faint.⁶^aFrom the sole of the foot even to the headThere is ^bnothing sound in it,Only bruises, wounds, and raw wounds,^cNot pressed out, not bandaged,Not softened with oil.⁷Your ^aland is desolate;Your cities are burned with fire;Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence;It is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.⁸The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard,Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.⁹^aUnless Yahweh of hostsHad left us a few ^bsurvivors,We would be like ^cSodom,We would be like Gomorrah.¹⁰Hear ^athe word of Yahweh,You rulers of ^bSodom;Give ear to the law of our God,You people of Gomorrah.¹¹“^aWhat are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”Says Yahweh.“I ¹have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of fed cattle;And in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats ²I take no pleasure.¹²“When you come ^ato appear before Me,Who requires ¹of you this trampling of My courts?¹³“Bring your worthless offerings no longer,^aIncense is an abomination to Me.^bNew moon and sabbath, the ^ccalling of convocation—I cannot ^dendure wickedness and the solemn assembly.¹⁴“My soul hates your new moon festivals and your ^aappointed times,They have become a burden to Me;I am ^bweary of bearing them.¹⁵“So when you ^aspread out your hands in prayer,^bI will hide My eyes from you;Indeed, even though you ^cmultiply prayers,I will not listen.^dYour hands are full of blood.¹⁶“^aWash yourselves, ^bpurify yourselves;^cRemove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes.^dCease to do evil,¹⁷Learn to do good;^aSeek justice,Reprove the ruthless,^bExecute justice for the ¹orphan,Plead for the widow.¹⁸“Come now, and ^alet us reason together,”Says Yahweh,“^bThough your sins are as scarlet,They will be as white as snow;Though they are red like crimson,They will be like wool.¹⁹“^aIf you are willing and obey,You will ^beat the best of the land;²⁰But if you refuse and rebel,You will be ^aeaten by the sword.”For ^bthe mouth of Yahweh has spoken.

Zion Will Be Redeemed with Justice

²¹How the faithful city has become a ^aharlot,She who was full of justice!Righteousness once lodged in her,But now murderers.²²Your silver has become dross,Your drink diluted with water.²³Your ^arulers are rebelsAnd companions of thieves;Everyone ^bloves a bribeAnd pursues rewards.They ^cdo not execute justice for the ¹orphan,Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.²⁴Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of hosts,The ^aMighty One of Israel, declares,“Ah, I will be comforted concerning My adversaries,And I will ^bavenge Myself on My enemies.²⁵“I will also turn My hand against you,And will ^asmelt away your dross as with lyeAnd will remove all your alloy.²⁶“Then I will have your ^ajudges return as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;Afterwards you will be called the ^bcity of righteousness,A faithful town.”²⁷Zion will be ^aredeemed with justiceAnd her ¹repentant ones with righteousness.²⁸But ¹transgressors and sinners will be ^abroken together,And those who forsake Yahweh will come to an end.²⁹For ¹you will be ashamed of the ²^,^aoaks which you have desired,And you will be humiliated because of the ^bgardens which you have chosen.³⁰For you will be like ¹an oak whose ^aleaf withers awayOr as a garden that has no water.³¹And the strong man will become tinder,His work also a spark.Thus they shall both ^aburn together,And there will be ^bnone to quench them.

Jesus Is Born in Bethlehem

2Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from ^aCaesar Augustus for a census to be taken of ^ball ¹the inhabited earth. ²¹This was the first census taken while ²Quirinius was governor of ^aSyria. ³And everyone was going to be registered for the census, each to his own city. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because ^ahe was of the house and family of David, ⁵in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child. ⁶Now it happened that while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to give birth. ⁷And she ^agave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a ¹manger, because there was no place for them in the ²guest room.

⁸In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And ^aan angel of the ¹Lord ^bstood before them, and the glory of the ²Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “^aDo not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. ¹¹For today in the city of David there has been born for you a ^aSavior, who is ¹^,^bChrist ^cthe Lord. ¹²“^aAnd this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a ¹manger.” ¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴“^aGlory to God in the highest,And on earth peace among men ¹^,^bwith whom He is pleased.”

¹⁵And it happened that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the ¹manger. ¹⁷And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. ¹⁸And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary ^awas treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds went back, ^aglorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as was told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²¹And when ^aeight days were fulfilled so that they could circumcise Him, ^bHis name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

²²^aAnd when the days for their cleansing according to the Law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the ¹Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the ¹Lord, “^aEvery firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the ²Lord”), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the ¹Lord, “^aA pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was ^arighteous and devout, ^bwaiting for the ¹^,^ccomfort of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And ^ait had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^bsee death before he had seen the ¹Lord’s ²Christ. ²⁷And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus ¹^,^ato carry out for Him the custom of the Law, ²⁸then he took Him into his arms and blessed God, and said,

²⁹“Now Master, You are releasing Your slave in peace,^aAccording to Your word.³⁰For my eyes have ^aseen Your salvation,³¹Which You prepared in the presence of all peoples,³²^aA Light for revelation to the Gentiles,And for the glory of Your people Israel.”

³³And His father and ^amother were marveling at the things which were being said about Him. ³⁴And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary ^aHis mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for ^bthe fall and ¹rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— ³⁵and a sword will pierce through your own soul as well—that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶And there was a ^aprophetess, ¹Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of ^bthe tribe of Asher. She was advanced in ²years ^chaving lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with ^afastings and prayers. ³⁸And at that very ¹moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were ^awaiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

³⁹And when they had finished everything according to the Law of the ¹Lord, they returned to Galilee, to ^atheir own city of Nazareth. ⁴⁰^aNow the Child continued to grow and become strong, being filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

⁴¹And His parents would go to Jerusalem every year at ^athe Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when He became twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; ⁴³and as they were returning, after finishing the ^adays of the Feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents did not know. ⁴⁴But supposing Him to be in the caravan, they went a day’s journey, and they began searching for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him. ⁴⁶And it happened that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard Him ^awere astounded at His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸When they saw Him, they were astonished, and ^aHis mother said to Him, “Child, why have You treated us this way? Behold, ^bYour father and I ¹have been anxiously searching for You.” ⁴⁹And He said to them, “Why is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that ^aI had to be in My Father’s ¹house?” ⁵⁰But ^athey did not understand the statement which He had spoken to them. ⁵¹And He went down with them and came to ^aNazareth, and He continued in subjection to them, and ^bHis mother ^cwas treasuring all these ¹things in her heart.

⁵²And Jesus was advancing in wisdom and ¹stature, and in ^afavor with God and men.

Yahweh Be Magnified

Of David.

Contend, O Yahweh, with those who ^acontend with me;Fight against those who ^bfight against me.²Take hold of ¹^,^ashield and large shieldAnd rise up for ^bmy help.³Draw also the spear and ¹the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;Say to my soul, “I am ^ayour salvation.”⁴Let those be ^aashamed and dishonored who seek my ¹life;Let those who devise evil against me be ^bturned back and humiliated.⁵Let them be ^alike chaff before the wind,With the angel of Yahweh driving them on.⁶Let their way be dark and ^aslippery,With the angel of Yahweh pursuing them.⁷For ^awithout cause they ^bhid their net for me;Without cause they dug a ¹pit for my soul.⁸Let ^adestruction, which he does not know, come upon him,And ^blet the net, which he hid, catch him;Let him fall into it in ^cdestruction.⁹And my soul shall ^arejoice in Yahweh;It shall ^bbe joyful in His salvation.¹⁰All my ^abones will say, “Yahweh, ^bwho is like You,Who delivers the afflicted from him ^cwho is too strong for him,And ^dthe afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?”¹¹^aMalicious witnesses rise up,Who ask me of things that I do not know.¹²They ^arepay me evil for good,It is bereavement to my soul.¹³But as for me, ^awhen they were sick, my ^bclothing was sackcloth;I ^chumbled my soul with fasting,And my ^dprayer kept returning to my bosom.¹⁴I walked about as though it were my friend or brother;I ^abowed down ¹mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.¹⁵But ^aat my ¹stumbling they were glad and gathered themselves together;The ²^,^bsmiters whom I did not know gathered together against me,They ^ctore at me and never were silent.¹⁶Amongst the godless jesters at a feast,They ^agnashed at me with their teeth.¹⁷Lord, ^ahow long will You look on?Bring back my soul ^bfrom their ravages,My ^conly life from the lions.¹⁸I will ^agive You thanks in the great assembly;I will ^bpraise You among a mighty people.¹⁹^aLet those who are wrongfully ^bmy enemies not be glad over me;Nor let those ^cwho hate me without cause ¹^,^dwink maliciously.²⁰For they do not speak peace,But they devise ^adeceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.²¹They ^aopened their mouth wide against me;They said, “^bAha, aha, our eyes have seen it!”²²^aYou have seen it, O Yahweh, ^bdo not keep silent;O Lord, ^cdo not be far from me.²³^aStir up Yourself, and awake to my justiceAnd to my cause, my God and my Lord.²⁴^aJudge me, O Yahweh my God, according to Your righteousness,And ^bdo not let them be glad over me.²⁵Do not let them say in their heart, “^aAha, our desire!”Do not let them say, “We have ^bswallowed him up!”²⁶Let ^athose be ashamed and humiliated altogether who are glad at the evil done to me;Let those be ^bclothed with shame and dishonor who ^cmagnify themselves over me.²⁷Let them ^ashout for joy and be glad, who delight in ^bmy righteousness;And ^clet them say continually, “Yahweh be magnified,Who ^ddelights in the peace of His slave.”²⁸And ^amy tongue shall utter Your righteousnessAnd Your praise all day long.