Bible Reading Plan

⁶ On this mountain^(u) the Lord Almighty will prepare
     a feast^(v) of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
     the best of meats and the finest of wines.^(w)
7 On this mountain he will destroy
     the shroud^(x) that enfolds all peoples,^(y)
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸       he will swallow up death^(z) forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears^(aa)
     from all faces;
he will remove his people's disgrace^(ab)
     from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.^(ac)

"Surely this is our God;^(ae)
     we trusted^(af) in him, and he saved^(ag) us.
This is the Lord , we trusted in him;
     let us rejoice^(ah) and be glad in his salvation."^(ai)

¹⁰ The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;^(aj)
     but Moab^(ak) will be trampled in their land
     as straw is trampled down in the manure.
¹¹ They will stretch out their hands in it,
     as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim.
God will bring down^(al) their pride^(am)
     despite the cleverness^[a] of their hands.
¹² He will bring down your high fortified walls^(an)
     and lay them low;^(ao)
he will bring them down to the ground,
     to the very dust.

We have a strong city;^(c)
     God makes salvation
     its walls^(d) and ramparts.^(e)
2 Open the gates^(f)
     that the righteous^(g) nation may enter,
     the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace^(h)
     those whose minds are steadfast,
     because they trust⁽ⁱ⁾ in you.
⁴ Trust^(j) in the Lord forever,^(k)
     for the Lord , the Lord himself, is the Rock^(l) eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
     he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground^(m)
     and casts it down to the dust.^(n)
6 Feet trample^(o) it down—
     the feet of the oppressed,^(p)
     the footsteps of the poor.^(q)

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;^(r)
     you, the Upright One,^(s) make the way of the righteous smooth.^(t)
8 Yes, Lord , walking in the way of your laws,^[a](u)
     we wait^(v) for you;
your name^(w) and renown
     are the desire of our hearts.
⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;^(x)
     in the morning my spirit longs^(y) for you.
When your judgments^(z) come upon the earth,
     the people of the world learn righteousness.^(aa)
10 But when grace is shown to the wicked,^(ab)
     they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil^(ac)
     and do not regard^(ad) the majesty of the Lord .
¹¹  Lord , your hand is lifted high,^(ae)
     but they do not see^(af) it.
Let them see your zeal^(ag) for your people and be put to shame;^(ah)
     let the fire^(ai) reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹²  Lord , you establish peace^(aj) for us;
     all that we have accomplished you have done^(ak) for us.
¹³  Lord our God, other lords^(al) besides you have ruled over us,
     but your name^(am) alone do we honor.^(an)
14 They are now dead,^(ao) they live no more;
     their spirits^(ap) do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;^(aq)
     you wiped out all memory of them.^(ar)
15 You have enlarged the nation, Lord ;
     you have enlarged the nation.^(as)
You have gained glory for yourself;
     you have extended all the borders^(at) of the land.

¹⁶  Lord , they came to you in their distress;^(au)
     when you disciplined^(av) them,
     they could barely whisper^(aw) a prayer.^[b]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth^(ax)
     writhes and cries out in her pain,
     so were we in your presence, Lord .
¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in labor,
     but we gave birth^(ay) to wind.
We have not brought salvation^(az) to the earth,
     and the people of the world have not come to life.^(ba)

¹⁹ But your dead^(bb) will live, Lord ;
     their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust^(bc)
     wake up and shout for joy—
your dew^(bd) is like the dew of the morning;
     the earth will give birth to her dead.^(be)

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
     and shut the doors^(bf) behind you;
hide^(bg) yourselves for a little while
     until his wrath^(bh) has passed by.^(bi)
21 See, the Lord is coming^(bj) out of his dwelling^(bk)
     to punish^(bl) the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood^(bm) shed on it;
     the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

the Lord will punish with his sword^(b)—
     his fierce, great and powerful sword—
Leviathan^(c) the gliding serpent,^(d)
     Leviathan the coiling serpent;
he will slay the monster^(e) of the sea.

"Sing^(g) about a fruitful vineyard:^(h)
3       I, the Lord , watch over it;
     I water⁽ⁱ⁾ it continually.
I guard^(j) it day and night
     so that no one may harm^(k) it.
⁴       I am not angry.
If only there were briers and thorns confronting me!
     I would march against them in battle;
     I would set them all on fire.^(l)
5 Or else let them come to me for refuge;^(m)
     let them make peace⁽ⁿ⁾ with me,
     yes, let them make peace with me."

⁶ In days to come Jacob will take root,^(o)
     Israel will bud and blossom^(p)
     and fill all the world with fruit.^(q)

⁷ Has the Lord struck her
     as he struck^(r) down those who struck her?
Has she been killed
     as those were killed who killed her?
⁸ By warfare^[a] and exile^(s) you contend with her—
     with his fierce blast he drives her out,
     as on a day the east wind^(t) blows.
⁹ By this, then, will Jacob's guilt be atoned^(u) for,
     and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:^(v)
When he makes all the altar stones^(w)
     to be like limestone crushed to pieces,
no Asherah poles^[b](x) or incense altars^(y)
     will be left standing.
¹⁰ The fortified city stands desolate,^(z)
     an abandoned settlement, forsaken^(aa) like the wilderness;
there the calves graze,^(ab)
     there they lie down;^(ac)
     they strip its branches bare.
¹¹ When its twigs are dry, they are broken off^(ad)
     and women come and make fires^(ae) with them.
For this is a people without understanding;^(af)
     so their Maker has no compassion on them,
     and their Creator^(ag) shows them no favor.^(ah)

⁵ In that day^(m) the Lord Almighty
     will be a glorious⁽ⁿ⁾ crown,^(o)
a beautiful wreath
     for the remnant^(p) of his people.
⁶ He will be a spirit of justice^(q)
     to the one who sits in judgment,^(r)
a source of strength
     to those who turn back the battle^(s) at the gate.

⁷ And these also stagger^(t) from wine^(u)
     and reel^(v) from beer:
Priests^(w) and prophets^(x) stagger from beer
     and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
     they stagger when seeing visions,^(y)
     they stumble when rendering decisions.
⁸ All the tables are covered with vomit^(z)
     and there is not a spot without filth.

⁹ "Who is it he is trying to teach?^(aa)
     To whom is he explaining his message?^(ab)
To children weaned^(ac) from their milk,^(ad)
     to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰ For it is:
     Do this, do that,
     a rule for this, a rule for that^[a];
     a little here, a little there.^(ae)"

¹¹ Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(af)
     God will speak to this people,^(ag)
12 to whom he said,
     "This is the resting place, let the weary rest";^(ah)
and, "This is the place of repose"—
     but they would not listen.
¹³ So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
     Do this, do that,
     a rule for this, a rule for that;
     a little here, a little there^(ai)—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
     they will be injured^(aj) and snared and captured.^(ak)

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the Lord ,^(al) you scoffers^(am)
     who rule this people in Jerusalem.
¹⁵ You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death,^(an)
     with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(ao)
     it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie^(ap) our refuge
     and falsehood^[b] our hiding place.^(aq)"

"See, I lay a stone in Zion,^(ar) a tested stone,^(as)
     a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;^(at)
the one who relies on it
     will never be stricken with panic.^(au)
17 I will make justice^(av) the measuring line
     and righteousness the plumb line;^(aw)
hail^(ax) will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
     and water will overflow^(ay) your hiding place.
¹⁸ Your covenant with death will be annulled;
     your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.^(az)
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,^(ba)
     you will be beaten down^(bb) by it.
¹⁹ As often as it comes it will carry you away;^(bc)
     morning after morning,^(bd) by day and by night,
     it will sweep through."

The understanding of this message
     will bring sheer terror.^(be)
20 The bed is too short to stretch out on,
     the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.^(bf)
21 The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,^(bg)
     he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon^(bh)—
to do his work,^(bi) his strange work,
     and perform his task, his alien task.
²² Now stop your mocking,^(bj)
     or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
     of the destruction decreed^(bk) against the whole land.^(bl)