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First Reading: Isaiah Chapter 3 and 4Isaiah 3
3:1 Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem
For behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts,Takes away from Jerusalem and from
JudahThe stock and the store,The whole supply of bread and the whole supply
of water; 2 The mighty man and the man of war,The judge and the prophet,And
the diviner and the elder; 3 The captain of fifty and the honorable man,The
counselor and the skillful artisan,And the expert enchanter.
4 "I will give children to be their princes,And babes shall rule over them.
5 The people will be oppressed,Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;The
child will be insolent toward the elder,And the base toward the honorable."
6 When a man takes hold of his brother In the house of his father, saying,"You
have clothing;You be our ruler,And let these ruins be under your power,"
7 In that day he will protest, saying,"I cannot cure your ills,For in my
house is neither food nor clothing;Do not make me a ruler of the people."
8 For Jerusalem stumbled,And Judah is fallen,Because their tongue and their
doings Are against the LORD,To provoke the eyes of His glory. 9 The look on
their countenance witnesses against them,And they declare their sin as Sodom;They
do not hide it.Woe to their soul!For they have brought evil upon themselves.
10 "Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them,For they shall
eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him,For
the reward of his hands shall be given him. 12 As for My people, children are
their oppressors,And women rule over them.O My people! Those who lead you cause
you to err,And destroy the way of your paths."
13 Oppression and Luxury Condemned
The LORD stands up to plead,And stands to judge the people. 14 The LORD will
enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes:"For
you have eaten up the vineyard;The plunder of the poor is in your houses. 15
What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?"Says
the Lord GOD of hosts.
16 Moreover the LORD says:
"Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,And walk with outstretched necks
And wanton eyes,Walking and mincing as they go,Making a jingling with their
feet, 17 Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab The crown of the head of
the daughters of Zion,And the LORD will uncover their secret parts."
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery:The jingling anklets, the
scarves, and the crescents; 19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; 20
The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;The perfume boxes, the
charms, 21 and the rings;The nose jewels, 22 the festal apparel, and the mantles;The
outer garments, the purses, 23 and the mirrors;The fine linen, the turbans,
and the robes.
24 And so it shall be:
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;Instead of a sash, a rope;Instead
of well-set hair, baldness;Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;And
branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men shall fall by the sword,And your mighty
in the war.
26 Her gates shall lament and mourn,And she being desolate shall sit on the
ground.
Isaiah 4
4:1 Jerusalem's Glorious Future
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,"We will
eat our own food and wear our own apparel;Only let us be called by your name,To
take away our reproach."
2 The Renewal of Zion
In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious;And the
fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing For those of Israel who
have escaped.
3 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem
will be called holy — everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged
the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the
spirit of burning, 5 then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of
Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining
of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering.
6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for
a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
Psalms 76
76:1 The Majesty of God in Judgment
To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
In Judah God is known;His name is great in Israel. 2 In Salem also is His tabernacle,And
His dwelling place in Zion. 3 There He broke the arrows of the bow,The shield
and sword of battle.Selah
4 You are more glorious and excellent Than the mountains of prey. 5 The stouthearted
were plundered;They have sunk into their sleep;And none of the mighty men have
found the use of their hands. 6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,Both the chariot
and horse were cast into a dead sleep.
7 You, Yourself, are to be feared;And who may stand in Your presence When once
You are angry? 8 You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;The earth feared
and was still, 9 When God arose to judgment,To deliver all the oppressed of
the earth.Selah
10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;With the remainder of wrath You
shall gird Yourself.
11 Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them;Let all who are around Him bring
presents to Him who ought to be feared. 12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes;He
is awesome to the kings of the earth.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
ISAIAH
Part 2 of 4
Isaiah is a large book and is considered a "major" prophet. The 66 chapters can be sectioned as follows:
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