53aWho has believed our report?And to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?2For He grewupbefore Him like a atender1shoot,And like a root out of parchedground;He has bnostatelyform or majestyThat we should look upon Him,Norappearance that we should desire Him.3He was adespised and forsaken of men,A man of 1sorrows and bacquainted with 2grief;And like one from whom men hide their faceHe was cdespised, and we did not desteem Him.4Surely our 1griefs He Himself2,abore,And our 3sorrows He 4carried;Yet we ourselvesesteemed Him stricken,5Smitten of bGod, and afflicted.5But He was 1piercedthrough for aour transgressions,He was crushed for bour iniquities;The cchastening for our peacefell upon Him,And by dHis 2wounds we are healed.6All of us like sheep have goneastray,Each of us has turned to his own way;But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us allTo 1fall on Him.7He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not aopen His mouth;bLike a lamb that is led to slaughter,And like a sheep that issilentbefore its shearers,So He did not open His mouth.8By oppression and judgment He was taken away;And as for His generation, whoconsideredThat He was cutoff out of the land of 1the living,aThat for the transgression of my people, strikingwas due to Him?9So His grave was assigned with wickedmen,Yet He was with a arichman in His death,bBecause He had cdonenoviolence,Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.10But 1Yahweh was pleasedTo acrush Him, 2,bputtingHim to grief;If You would place His soulas a guiltcoffering,He will seedHisseed,He will prolongHisdays,And the 3goodepleasure of Yahweh will succeed in His hand.11As a result of the 1anguish of His soul,He will asee2it andbesatisfied;By His bknowledge the RighteousOne,My Servant, will 3justify the many,As He will cbear their iniquities.12Therefore, I will divide for Him aaportion with the many,And He will divide the spoil with the strong;Because He pouredoutbHis soul to death,And was cnumbered with the transgressors;Yet He Himself1,dbore the sin of many,And interceded for the transgressors.
The Inheritance of the Slaves of Yahweh
54“aShoutforjoy, O barrenwoman, who has notgivenbirth;Breakforth into joyfulshouting and cryaloud, you who have not been in 1labor;For bmorenumerous are the sons of the cdesolate oneThan the sons of the married woman,” saysYahweh.2“aEnlarge the place of your tent;1Stretchout the curtains of your dwellings, do not holdback;Lengthen your bcordsAnd strengthen your cpegs.3“For you will aspreadabroad to the right and to the left.And your seed will bpossessnationsAnd will cresettle the desolatecities.4“Do not beafraid, for you will anot be puttoshame;And do not feeldishonored, for you will not be humiliated;But you will forget the bshame of your virginity,And the creproach of your widowhood you will remembernomore.5“For your ahusband is your Maker,Whose name is Yahweh of hosts;And your bRedeemer is the HolyOne of Israel,Who is called the cGod of all the earth.6“For Yahweh has called you,Like a wifeaforsaken and grieved in spirit,Even like a wife of one’syouthwhen she is rejected,”Says your God.7“1For a abriefmoment I forsook you,But with greatcompassion I will bgather you.8“In 1a aflood of furyI hid My face from you for a moment,But with everlastingblovingkindness I will chavecompassionon you,”SaysYahweh your dRedeemer.9“For 1this is like the days of Noah to Me,When I swore that the waters of NoahWould anot 2overflow the earthagain;So I have sworn that I will bnot befurious with youNor will I rebuke you.10“For the amountains may be removed and the hills may shake,But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,And My bcovenant of peace will not be shaken,”SayscYahweh who hascompassionon you.11“O aafflictedone, storm-tossed, andbnot comforted,Behold, I will lay your stones in antimony,And your foundations I will cset in 1,dsapphires.12“Moreover, I will make your battlements of 1rubies,And your gates of 2crystal,And your entire3wall of 4preciousstones.13“aAll your sons will be 1taught of Yahweh;And the peace of your sons will be bgreat.14“In arighteousness you will be established;You will befar from boppression, for you will cnot fear,And from dterror, for it will not comenear you.15“If anyone fiercelyattacksyou it will not be from Me.aWhoeverattacks you will fallbecause of you.16“Behold, I Myself have created the craftsman who blows the fire of coalsAnd bringsout a weapon for its work;And I have created the bringer of ruin to wreakdestruction.17“aNo weapon that is formedagainst you will succeed;And beverytongue that 1accuses you in judgment you will condemn.This is the inheritance of the 2slaves of Yahweh,And their crighteousness is from Me,” declaresYahweh.
John 15
I Am the True Vine
15“aI am the truevine, and My Father is the bvine-grower.2“Everybranch in Me that does not bearfruit, He takesaway; and everybranch that bearsfruit, He 1cleans it so that it may bearmorefruit.3“aYou are already1cleanbecause of the wordwhich I have spoken to you.4“aAbide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bearfruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, soneithercan you unless you abide in Me.5“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he abearsmuchfruit, for apart from Me you cando nothing.6“Ifanyone does not abidein Me, he is athrownaway as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.7“If you abidein Me, and My wordsabide in you, aask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8“My aFather is glorified by this, that you bearmuchfruit, and so1,bprove to be My disciples.9“Just as athe Father has loved Me, I have alsoloved you; abide in My love.10“aIf you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as bI have kept My Father’scommandments and abide in His love.11“aThesethings I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your bjoy may becomplete.
Jesus’ Commandment Is Love
12“This is aMy commandment, that you loveoneanother, just as I have loved you.13“aGreaterlovehasnoone than this, that oneblaydown his life for his friends.14“You are My afriendsifbyou dowhat I command you.15“Nolonger do I call you slaves, for the slave does not knowwhat his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for aallthings that I have heard from My Father I have madeknown to you.16“aYou did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bbearfruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that cwhatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.17“ThisaI command you, that you loveoneanother.
If the World Hates You
18“aIf the worldhates you, 1know that it has hated Me beforeit hated you.19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but aI chose you out of the world, bbecause of this the worldhates you.20“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘aA slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, bthey will alsopersecute you; if they ckept My word, they will keepyoursalso.21“But allthesethings they will do to you afor My name’ssake, bbecause they do not know the One who sent Me.22“aIf I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have1sin, but now they havenoexcuse for their sin.23“He who hates Me hates My Fatheralso.24“aIf I had not doneamong them bthe workswhichnooneelsedid, they would not have1sin; but now they have bothseen and hated Me and My Father as well.25“But this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their aLaw, ‘bThey hated Me withoutcause.’
26“When the 1,aAdvocatecomes, bwhom I will send to you from the Father, cthe Spirit of truthwhoproceeds from the Father, dHe will bearwitnessabout Me,271and ayou willbearwitnessalso, because you have been with Me bfrom the beginning.
Psalm 76
God’s Name Is Great in Israel
76
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
God is aknown in Judah;His name is bgreat in Israel.2So His 1,atabernacle is in bSalem;His cdwellingplace is in Zion.3There He abroke the 1flamingarrows,The shield and the sword and the battle. 2Selah.4You areshining,Majesticfrom the mountains of prey.5The astouthearted were plundered,1They sank into sleep;And none of the 2warriors could use his hands.6At Your arebuke, O God of Jacob,Both bchariotrider and horseslumberedinto a deepsleep.7But You, You are 1,afearsome;And bwho can stand in Your presencewhenonce2You are angry?8You made Yourcause to be heard from heaven;The earthafeared and wasquiet9When Godaarose to judgment,To saveall the humble of the earth. Selah.10For the 1,awrath of man shall praise You;With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself.11aMakevows to Yahweh your God and bpaythem;Let all who are around Him cbringgifts to the FearsomeOne.12He will cutoff the spirit of princes;He is 1,afeared by the kings of the earth.