Bible Reading Plan

¹ The righteous one perishes,
and no one takes it to heart;
faithful men are swept away,
with no one realizing
that the righteous one is swept away
from the presence^[a] of evil.
² He will enter into peace—
they will rest on their beds^[b]—
everyone who lives uprightly.

³ But come here,
you sons of a sorceress,
offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute!^[c]
4 Who is it you are mocking?
Who is it you are opening your mouth
and sticking out your tongue at?
Isn't it you, you rebellious children,^(a)
you race of liars,
⁵ who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree,^(b)
who slaughter children in the wadis
below the clefts of the rocks?^(c)
6 Your portion is among the smooth stones of the wadi;
indeed, they are your lot.
You have even poured out a drink offering to them;
you have offered a grain offering;
should I be satisfied with these?
⁷ You have placed your bed
on a high and lofty mountain;^(d)
you also went up there to offer sacrifice.
⁸ You have set up your memorial
behind the door and doorpost.
For away from Me, you stripped,
went up, and made your bed wide,^(e)
and you have made a bargain^[d] for yourself with them.
You have loved their bed;
you have gazed on their genitals.^[e][f]
9 You went to the king with oil
and multiplied your perfumes;
you sent your couriers far away^(f)
and sent them down even to Sheol.
¹⁰ You became weary on your many journeys,
but you did not say, "I give up!"^(g)
You found a renewal of your strength;^[g]
therefore you did not grow weak.
¹¹ Who was it you dreaded and feared,
so that you lied and didn't remember Me
or take it to heart?
Have I not kept silent for such a long time^[h](h)
and you do not fear Me?
¹² I will expose your righteousness,
and your works—they will not profit you.
¹³ When you cry out,
let your collection of idols deliver you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
a breath will take them away.
But whoever takes refuge in Me
will inherit the land⁽ⁱ⁾
and possess My holy mountain.^(j)

¹⁴ He said,
"Build it up, build it up, prepare the way,
remove every obstacle from My people's way."^(k)
15 For the High and Exalted One
who lives forever, whose name is Holy^(l) says this:
"I live in a high and holy place,
and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit,^(m)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and revive the heart of the oppressed.^(n)
16 For I will not accuse you forever,
and I will not always be angry;^(o)
for then the spirit would grow weak before Me,
even the breath of man, which I have made.
¹⁷ Because of his sinful greed I was angry,^(p)
so I struck him; I was angry and hid;^[i]
but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.
¹⁸ I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort
to him and his mourners,^(q)
19 creating words of praise."^[j](r)
The Lord says,
"Peace, peace to the one who is far or near,^(s)
and I will heal him.
²⁰ But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,^(t)
for it cannot be still,
and its waters churn up mire and muck.
²¹ There is no peace for the wicked,"
says my God.^(u)

¹ "Cry out loudly,^[a] don't hold back!
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Tell My people their transgression
and the house of Jacob their sins.
² They seek Me day after day
and delight to know My ways,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask Me for righteous judgments;
they delight in the nearness of God."^(a)
3 "Why have we fasted, but You have not seen?^(b)
We have denied ourselves, but You haven't noticed!"^[b]
"Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast,
and oppress all your workers.^(c)
4 You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today,
hoping to make your voice heard on high.
⁵ Will the fast I choose be like this:
A day for a person to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?^(d)
Will you call this a fast
and a day acceptable to the Lord ?
⁶ Isn't the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,^(e)
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?^(f)
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,^(g)
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him,^(h)
and not to ignore^[c] your own flesh and blood?^(i)
8 Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recovery will come quickly.^(j)
Your righteousness will go before you,^(k)
and the Lord 's glory will be your rear guard.^(l)
9 At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer;^(m)
when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am.'
If you get rid of the yoke among you,^[d]
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,^(n)
10 and if you offer yourself^[e] to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,^(o)
and your night will be like noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden^(p)
and like a spring whose waters never run dry.^(q)
12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;^(r)
you will restore the foundations laid long ago;^[f](s)
you will be called the repairer of broken walls,
the restorer of streets where people live.

¹³ "If you keep from desecrating^[g] the Sabbath,^(t)
from doing whatever you want on My holy day;
if you call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,^(u)
seeking your own pleasure, or talking too much;^[h]
14 then you will delight yourself in the Lord ,^(v)
and I will make you ride over the heights of the land,^(w)
and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob."
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.^(x)

¹ Indeed, the Lord 's hand is not too short to save,^(a)
and His ear is not too deaf to hear.
² But your iniquities^(b) have built barriers
between you and your God,
and your sins have made Him hide His face from you^(c)
so that He does not listen.^(d)
3 For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers, with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies,
and your tongues mutter injustice.
⁴ No one makes claims justly;
no one pleads honestly.
They trust in empty and worthless words;
they conceive trouble and give birth to iniquity.^(e)
5 They hatch viper's eggs
and weave spider's webs.
Whoever eats their eggs will die;
crack one open, and a viper is hatched.
⁶ Their webs cannot become clothing,
and they cannot cover themselves with their works.
Their works are sinful works,
and violent acts are in their hands.
⁷ Their feet run after evil,^(f)
and they rush to shed innocent blood.^(g)
Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;^(h)
ruin and wretchedness are in their paths.
⁸ They have not known the path of peace,⁽ⁱ⁾
and there is no justice in their ways.
They have made their roads crooked;
no one who walks on them will know peace.^(j)

⁹ Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, but we live in the night.
¹⁰ We grope along a wall like the blind;
we grope like those without eyes.^(k)
We stumble at noon as though it were twilight;
we are like the dead among those who are healthy.
¹¹ We all growl like bears
and moan like doves.^(l)
We hope for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
¹² For our transgressions have multiplied before You,^(m)
and our sins testify against us.⁽ⁿ⁾
For our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:^(o)
13 transgression and deception against the Lord ,
turning away from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.
¹⁴ Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far off.
For truth has stumbled in the public square,
and honesty cannot enter.
¹⁵ Truth is missing,
and whoever turns from evil is plundered.

The Lord saw that there was no justice,
and He was offended.
¹⁶ He saw that there was no man—
He was amazed that there was no one interceding;^(p)
so His own arm brought salvation,
and His own righteousness supported Him.
¹⁷ He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on His head;^(q)
He put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.^(r)
18 So He will repay according to their deeds:^(s)
fury to His enemies,
retribution to His foes,
and He will repay the coastlands.
¹⁹ They will fear the name of Yahweh in the west
and His glory in the east;^(t)
for He will come like a rushing stream^(u)
driven by the wind of the Lord .
²⁰ "The Redeemer^(v) will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression."^(w)
This is the Lord 's declaration.

¹ Arise, shine, for your light has come,^(a)
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.^[a](b)
2 For look, darkness covers the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will shine over you,
and His glory will appear over you.
³ Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your radiance.^(c)
4 Raise your eyes and look around:
they all gather and come to you;
your sons will come from far away,
and your daughters will be carried on the hip.^(d)
5 Then you will see and be radiant,^(e)
and your heart will tremble and rejoice,^[b]
because the riches of the sea will become yours
and the wealth of the nations will come to you.^(f)
6 Caravans of camels will cover your land^[c]—
young camels of Midian and Ephah—
all of them will come from Sheba.^(g)
They will carry gold and frankincense^(h)
and proclaim the praises of the Lord .
⁷ All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you⁽ⁱ⁾
and go up on My altar as an acceptable sacrifice.^(j)
I will glorify My beautiful house.^(k)

⁸ Who are these who fly like a cloud,
like doves to their shelters?^(l)
9 Yes, the islands will wait for Me^(m)
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,⁽ⁿ⁾
to bring your children from far away,^(o)
their silver and gold with them,
for the honor of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,^(p)
who has glorified you.^(q)
10 Foreigners will build up your walls,^(r)
and their kings will serve you.^(s)
Although I struck you in My wrath,
yet I will show mercy to you with My favor.^(t)
11 Your gates will always be open;
they will never be shut day or night
so that the wealth of the nations
may be brought into you,^(u)
with their kings being led in procession.
¹² For the nation and the kingdom
that will not serve you will perish;
those nations will be annihilated.^(v)
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you^(w)—
its pine, fir, and cypress together^(x)—
to beautify the place of My sanctuary,
and I will glorify My dwelling place.^[d]
14 The sons of your oppressors
will come and bow down to you;^(y)
all who reviled you
will fall facedown at your feet.^(z)
They will call you the City of the Lord ,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.^(aa)
15 Instead of your being deserted and hated,
with no one passing through,^(ab)
I will make you an object of eternal pride,^(ac)
a joy from age to age.
¹⁶ You will nurse on the milk of nations,
and nurse at the breast of kings;^(ad)
you will know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior^(ae)
and Redeemer,^(af) the Mighty One of Jacob.^(ag)

¹⁷ I will bring gold instead of bronze;
I will bring silver instead of iron,
bronze instead of wood,
and iron instead of stones.
I will appoint peace as your guard
and righteousness as your ruler.
¹⁸ Violence will never again be heard of in your land;^(ah)
devastation and destruction
will be gone from your borders.
But you will name your walls salvation^(ai)
and your gates, praise.
¹⁹ The sun will no longer be your light by day,
and the brightness of the moon will not shine on you;
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,^(aj)
and your God will be your splendor.
²⁰ Your sun will no longer set,
and your moon will not fade;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your sorrow will be over.^(ak)
21 Then all your people will be righteous;^(al)
they will possess the land forever;^(am)
they are the branch I planted,
the work of My^[e] hands,
so that I may be glorified.^(an)
22 The least will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am Yahweh;
I will accomplish it quickly in its time.

¹ The Spirit of the Lord God is on Me,^(a)
because the Lord has anointed Me
to bring good news to the poor.^(b)
He has sent Me to heal^[a] the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners;^(c)
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord 's favor,^(d)
and the day of our God's vengeance;^(e)
to comfort^(f) all who mourn,
³ to provide for those who mourn in Zion;
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
festive oil instead of mourning,^(g)
and splendid clothes instead of despair.^[b]
And they will be called righteous trees,
planted by the Lord
to glorify Him.^(h)

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins;⁽ⁱ⁾
they will restore the former devastations;
they will renew the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
⁵ Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,
and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.^(j)
6 But you will be called the Lord 's priests;^(k)
they will speak of you as ministers of our God;
you will eat the wealth of the nations,
and you will boast in their riches.
⁷ Because your shame was double,^(l)
and they cried out, "Disgrace is their portion,"
therefore, they will possess double in their land,^(m)
and eternal joy will be theirs.

⁸ For I Yahweh love justice;⁽ⁿ⁾
I hate robbery and injustice;^[c]
I will faithfully reward them
and make an everlasting covenant^(o) with them.
⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their posterity among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

¹⁰ I greatly rejoice in the Lord ,
I exult in my God;
for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,^(p)
as a groom wears a turban
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.^(q)
11 For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.^(r)