Isaiah
Chapter 11
An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace
11:1 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock,
a bud will sprout from his roots.
11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him –
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.
11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by mere appearances,
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.
11:4 He will treat the poor fairly,
and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips will he slay the wicked.
11:5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.
11:6 A wolf will reside with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together,
as a small child leads them along.
11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together.
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
11:8 A baby will play
over the hole of a snake;
over the nest of a serpent
an infant will put his hand.
11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain.
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea.
11:10 At that time a root from Jesse will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations
will look to him for guidance, and his residence will be majestic. 11:11 At that time the
sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people from
Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts.
11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;
he will gather Israel’s dispersed people
and assemble Judah’s scattered people
from the four corners of the earth.
11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end,
and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated.
Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,
and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.
11:14 They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west;
together they will loot the people of the east.
They will take over Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be their subjects.
11:15 The Lord will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea;
he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind,
he will turn it into seven dried-up streams,
and enable them to walk across in their sandals.
11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria
for the remnant of his people,
just as there was for Israel,
when they went up from the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 32
New Living Translation (NLT)
Israel’s Ultimate Deliverance
32 Look, a righteous king is coming!
And honest princes will rule under him.
2 Each one will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in the desert
and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land.
3 Then everyone who has eyes will be able to see the truth,
and everyone who has ears will be able to hear it.
4 Even the hotheads will be full of sense and understanding.
Those who stammer will speak out plainly.
5 In that day ungodly fools will not be heroes.
Scoundrels will not be respected.
6 For fools speak foolishness
and make evil plans.
They practice ungodliness
and spread false teachings about the Lord.
They deprive the hungry of food
and give no water to the thirsty.
7 The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil.
They plot crooked schemes.
They lie to convict the poor,
even when the cause of the poor is just.
8 But generous people plan to do what is generous,
and they stand firm in their generosity.
9 Listen, you women who lie around in ease.
Listen to me, you who are so smug.
10 In a short time—just a little more than a year—
you careless ones will suddenly begin to care.
For your fruit crops will fail,
and the harvest will never take place.
11 Tremble, you women of ease;
throw off your complacency.
Strip off your pretty clothes,
and put on burlap to show your grief.
12 Beat your breasts in sorrow for your bountiful farms
and your fruitful grapevines.
13 For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers.
Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.
14 The palace and the city will be deserted,
and busy towns will be empty.
Wild donkeys will frolic and flocks will graze
in the empty forts[a] and watchtowers
15 until at last the Spirit is poured out
on us from heaven.
Then the wilderness will become a fertile field,
and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.
16 Justice will rule in the wilderness
and righteousness in the fertile field.
17 And this righteousness will bring peace.
Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.
18 My people will live in safety, quietly at home.
They will be at rest.
19 Even if the forest should be destroyed
and the city torn down,
20 the Lord will greatly bless his people.
Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.
Their cattle and donkeys will graze freely.
Isaiah 44
New Living Translation (NLT)
44 “But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant,
Israel my chosen one.
2 The Lord who made you and helps you says:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
O dear Israel,[a] my chosen one.
3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst
and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants,
and my blessing on your children.
4 They will thrive like watered grass,
like willows on a riverbank.
5 Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’
Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of Jacob.’
Some will write the Lord’s name on their hands
and will take the name of Israel as their own.”
Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem
to buy back those in Israel
who have turned from their sins,”[b]
says the Lord.
21 “And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them,
and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the
lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Isaiah 61 (NLT)
Good News for the Oppressed
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.[a]
Luke 4:18-22 (NLT)
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[a]”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the
synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture
you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
Isaiah 63:7-14
New Living Translation (NLT)
Praise for Deliverance
7 I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love.
I will praise the Lord for all he has done.
I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel,
which he has granted according to his mercy and love.
8 He said, “They are my very own people.
Surely they will not betray me again.”
And he became their Savior.
9 In all their suffering he also suffered,
and he personally[a] rescued them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them.
He lifted them up and carried them
through all the years.
10 But they rebelled against him
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
So he became their enemy
and fought against them.
11 Then they remembered those days of old
when Moses led his people out of Egypt.
They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea,
with Moses as their shepherd?
Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit
to be among his people?
12 Where is the one whose power was displayed
when Moses lifted up his hand—
the one who divided the sea before them,
making himself famous forever?
13 Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea?
They were like fine stallions
racing through the desert, never stumbling.
14 As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley,
the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
You led your people, Lord,
and gained a magnificent reputation.”
Ezekiel 1:26-2:5
New Living Translation (NLT)
26 Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli.
And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man.
27 From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like
a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor.
28 All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy
day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down
on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me.
Ezekiel’s Call and Commission
2 “Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.” 2 The Spirit came
into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words.
3 “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation
that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me
to this very day. 4 They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you
to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ 5 And whether they listen or
refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a
prophet among them.
Ezekiel 3
New Living Translation (NLT)
3 The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go
and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me
the scroll. 3 “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as
honey in my mouth.
4 Then he said, “Son of man, go to the people of Israel and give them my messages. 5 I
am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand. 6 No, I
am not sending you to people with strange and difficult speech. If I did, they would
listen! 7 But the people of Israel won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For
the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn. 8 But look, I have made you as
obstinate and hard-hearted as they are. 9 I have made your forehead as hard as the
hardest rock! So don’t be afraid of them or fear their angry looks, even though they are
rebels.”
10 Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first.
Listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then go to your people in exile and say to them,
‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.”
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me.
(May the glory of the Lord be praised in his place!)[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings
of the living beings as they brushed against each other and the rumbling of their wheels
beneath them.
14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the
Lord’s hold on me was strong. 15 Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Telabib,
beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days.
A Watchman for Israel
16 After seven days the Lord gave me a message. He said, 17 “Son of man, I have
appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me,
warn people immediately. 18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of
death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you
responsible for their deaths. 19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on
sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed
me.
20 “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles
I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins.
None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their
deaths. 21 But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not
sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”
22 Then the Lord took hold of me and said, “Get up and go out into the valley, and I will
speak to you there.” 23 So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just
as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down on the ground.
24 Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said,
“Go to your house and shut yourself in. 25 There, son of man, you will be tied with
ropes so you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue stick to
the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for
they are rebels. 27 But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you
speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who
choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.
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Ezekiel 11
New Living Translation (NLT)
Judgment on Israel’s Leaders
1 Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the east gateway of the Lord’s
Temple, where I saw twenty-five prominent men of the city. Among them were
Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the
people.
2 The Spirit said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and
giving wicked counsel in this city. 3 They say to the people, ‘Is it not a good time to build
houses? This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like meat in a pot.[a]’
4 Therefore, son of man, prophesy against them loudly and clearly.”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and he told me to say, “This is what
the Lord says to the people of Israel: I know what you are saying, for I know every
thought that comes into your minds. 6 You have murdered many in this city and
filled its streets with the dead.
7 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: This city is an iron pot all right, but
the pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from
this pot. 8 I will bring on you the sword of war you so greatly fear, says the Sovereign
Lord. 9 I will drive you out of Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners, who will carry
out my judgments against you. 10 You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of
Israel. I will execute judgment on you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 11 No, this
city will not be an iron pot for you, and you will not be like meat safe inside it. I will judge
you even to the borders of Israel, 12 and you will know that I am the Lord. For you have
refused to obey my decrees and regulations; instead, you have copied the standards of
the nations around you.”
13 While I was still prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I fell face
down on the ground and cried out, “O Sovereign Lord, are you going to kill everyone in
Israel?”
Hope for Exiled Israel
14 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 15 “Son of man, the people still left in
Jerusalem are talking about you and your relatives and all the people of Israel who are
in exile. They are saying, ‘Those people are far away from the Lord, so now he has
given their land to us!’
16 “Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I have
scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time
in exile. 17 I, the Sovereign Lord, will gather you back from the nations where you have
been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’
18 “When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile
images and detestable idols. 19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a
new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a
tender, responsive heart,[b] 20 so they will obey my decrees and regulations.
Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those who
long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the
Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
The Lord’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem
22 Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside
them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. 23 Then the glory of the
Lord went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east.
24 Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia,[c] to the
people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem. 25 And I
told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.
Ezekiel 18:30-32
New Living Translation (NLT)
30 “Therefore, I will judge each of you, O people of Israel, according to your actions,
says the Sovereign Lord. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you!
31 Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new
spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? 32 I don’t want you to die, says the
Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!
Ezekiel 36:26-27
New Living Translation (NLT)
26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out
your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.[a] 27 And I will put
my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my
regulations.
Ezekiel 37
New Living Translation (NLT)
A Valley of Dry Bones
37 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a
valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley
floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried
out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones,
listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going
to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you
and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you
will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling
noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached
themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over
the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a
prophetic message TO THE WIND and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live
again.’”
10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies.
They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They
are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’
12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my
people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you
back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am
the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your
own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I
said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
Reunion of Israel and Judah
15 Again a message came to me from the Lord: 16 “Son of man, take a piece of wood
and carve on it these words: ‘This represents Judah and its allied tribes.’ Then take
another piece and carve these words on it: ‘This represents Ephraim and the northern
tribes of Israel.’[a] 17 Now hold them together in your hand as if they were one piece of
wood. 18 When your people ask you what your actions mean, 19 say to them, ‘This is
what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take Ephraim and the northern tribes and join them
to Judah. I will make them one piece of wood in my hand.’
20 “Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.
21 And give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I will gather the people of
Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places
where they have been scattered. 22 I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of
Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into
two kingdoms. 23 They will never again pollute themselves with their idols[b] and vile
images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful backsliding. I will cleanse
them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.
24 “My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will
obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I
gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children
and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation.
And my servant David will be their prince forever. 26 And I will make a covenant of
peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their
numbers,[c] and I will put my Temple among them forever. 27 I will make my home
among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 And when my Temple is
among them forever, the nations will know that I am the Lord, who makes Israel holy.”
Joel 2:28
New Living Translation (NLT)
The Lord’s Promise of His Spirit
28 [a]“Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.
30 And I will cause wonders in the heavens and on the earth—
blood and fire and columns of smoke.
31 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and terrible[f] day of the Lord arrives.
32 But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved,
for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape,
just as the Lord has said.
These will be among the survivors
whom the Lord has called.
Micah 3:8
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 But as for me, I am filled with power—
with the Spirit of the Lord.
I am filled with justice and strength
to boldly declare Israel’s sin and rebellion.
Haggai 2:4-5
New Living Translation (NLT)
4 But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak,
the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I
am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 My Spirit remains among you, just
as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.’
Zechariah 4:6
New Living Translation (NLT)
6 Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by
strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Zechariah 6
New Living Translation (NLT)
Four Chariots
6 Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze
mountains. 2 The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses,
3 the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. 4 “And
what are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was talking with me.
5 The angel replied, “These are the four spirits[a] of heaven who stand before the
Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. 6 The chariot with black horses
is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west,[b] and the chariot with
dappled-gray horses is going south.”
7 The powerful horses were eager to set out to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, “Go
and patrol the earth!” So they left at once on their patrol.
8 Then the Lord summoned me and said, “Look, those who went north have vented
the anger of my Spirit[c] there in the land of the north.”
Zechariah 7:12
New Living Translation (NLT)
12 They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or
the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the
earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
Zechariah 12:10
New Living Translation (NLT)
10 “Then I will pour out a spirit[a] of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the
people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him
as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.
