Through the Bible – Day 288

Bible text(s)

Isaiah 53

What God's servant did for us

1Has anyone believed us

or seen the mighty power

of the LORD in action?

2Like a young plant or a root

that sprouts in dry ground,

the servant grew up

obeying the LORD.

He wasn't some handsome king.

Nothing about the way he looked

made him attractive to us.

3He was hated and rejected;

his life was filled with sorrow

and terrible suffering.

No one wanted to look at him.

We despised him and said,

“He is a nobody!”

4He suffered and endured

great pain for us,

but we thought his suffering

was punishment from God.

5He was wounded and crushed

because of our sins;

by taking our punishment,

he made us completely well.

6All of us were like sheep

that had wandered off.

We had each gone our own way,

but the LORD gave him

the punishment we deserved.

7He was painfully abused,

but he did not complain.

He was silent like a lamb

being led to the butcher,

as quiet as a sheep

having its wool cut off.

8He was condemned to death

without a fair trial.

Who could have imagined

what would happen to him?

His life was taken away

because of the sinful things

my people had done.

9He wasn't dishonest or violent,

but he was buried in a tomb

of cruel and rich people.

10The LORD decided his servant

would suffer as a sacrifice

to take away the sin

and guilt of others.

Now the servant will live

to see his own descendants.

He did everything

the LORD had planned.

11By suffering, the servant

will learn the true meaning

of obeying the LORD.

Although he is innocent,

he will take the punishment

for the sins of others,

so that many of them

will no longer be guilty.

12The LORD will reward him

with honour and power

for sacrificing his life.

Others thought he was a sinner,

but he suffered for our sins

and asked God to forgive us.

Isaiah 54

The Lord will keep all his promises

A promise of the LORD's protection

1Sing and shout,

even though you have never

had children!

The LORD has promised that you

will have more children

than someone married

for a long time.

2Make your tents larger!

Spread out the tent pegs;

fasten them firmly.

3You and your descendants

will take over the land

of other nations.

You will settle in towns

that are now in ruins.

4Don't be afraid or ashamed

and don't be discouraged.

You won't be disappointed.

Forget how sinful you were

when you were young;

stop feeling ashamed

for being left a widow.

5The LORD All-Powerful,

the Holy God of Israel,

rules all the earth.

He is your Creator and husband,

and he will rescue you.

6You were like a young wife,

brokenhearted and crying

because her husband

had divorced her.

But the LORD your God says,

“I am taking you back!

7I rejected you for a while,

but with love and tenderness

I will embrace you again.

8For a while, I turned away

in furious anger.

Now I will have mercy

and love you for ever!

I, your protector and LORD,

make this promise.”

The LORD promises lasting peace

9I once promised Noah that I

would never again destroy

the earth by a flood.

Now I have promised that I

will never again get angry

and punish you.

10Every mountain and hill

may disappear.

But I will always be kind

and merciful to you;

I won't break my agreement

to give your nation peace.

The new Jerusalem

11Jerusalem, you are sad

and discouraged,

tossed around in a storm.

But I, the LORD,

will rebuild your city

with precious stones;

for your foundation

I will use blue sapphires.

12Your fortresses

will be built of rubies,

your gates of jewels,

and your walls of gems.

13I will teach your children

and make them successful.

14You will be built on fairness

with no fears of injustice;

every one of your worries

will be taken far from you.

15I will never send anyone

to attack your city,

and you will make prisoners

of those who do attack.

16Don't forget that I created

metalworkers who make weapons

over burning coals.

I also created armies

that can bring destruction.

17Weapons made to attack you

won't be successful;

words spoken against you

won't hurt at all.

My servants, Jerusalem is yours!

I, the LORD, promise

to bless you with victory.

Isaiah 55

The LORD's invitation

1If you are thirsty,

come and drink water!

If you don't have any money,

come, eat what you want!

Drink wine and milk

without paying a penny.

2Why waste your money

on what isn't really food?

Why work hard for something

that doesn't satisfy?

Listen carefully to me,

and you will enjoy

the very best foods.

3Pay close attention!

Come to me and live.

I will promise you

the eternal love and loyalty

that I promised David.

4I made him the leader and ruler

of the nations;

he was my witness to them.

5You will call out to nations

you have never known.

And they have never known you,

but they will come running

because I am the LORD,

the holy God of Israel,

and I have honoured you.

God's words are powerful

6Turn to the LORD!

He can still be found.

Call out to God! He is near.

7Give up your crooked ways

and your evil thoughts.

Return to the LORD our God.

He will be merciful

and forgive your sins.

8The LORD says:

“My thoughts and my ways

are not like yours.

9Just as the heavens

are higher than the earth,

my thoughts and my ways

are higher than yours.

10“Rain and snow fall from the sky.

But they don't return

without watering the earth

that produces seeds to plant

and grain to eat.

11That's how it is with my words.

They don't return to me

without doing everything

I send them to do.”

God's people will celebrate

12When you are set free,

you will celebrate

and travel home in peace.

Mountains and hills will sing

as you pass by,

and trees will clap.

13Cypress and myrtle trees

will grow in fields

once covered by thorns.

And then those trees will stand

as a lasting witness

to the glory of the LORD.

Isaiah 53:1-55:13CEVOpen in Bible reader

1 Timothy 1

Greetings

1From Paul.

God our Saviour and Christ Jesus commanded me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.

2Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace!

Instructions for church life

Warning against false teaching

3When I was leaving for Macedonia, I asked you to stay on in Ephesus and warn certain people there to stop spreading their false teachings. 4You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don't help anyone to do God's work that can only be done by faith.

5You must teach people to have genuine love, as well as a good conscience and true faith. 6There are some who have given up these for nothing but empty talk. 7They want to be teachers of the Law of Moses. But they don't know what they are talking about, even though they think they do.

8We know that the Law is good, if it is used in the right way. 9We also understand that it wasn't given to control people who please God, but to control lawbreakers, criminals, godless people, and sinners. It is for wicked and evil people, and for murderers, who would even kill their own parents. 10The Law was written for people who are sexual perverts or who live as homosexuals or are kidnappers or liars or won't tell the truth in court. It is for anything else that opposes the correct teaching 11of the good news that the glorious and wonderful God has given me.

Being thankful for God's kindness

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me the strength for my work because he knew that he could trust me. 13I used to say terrible and insulting things about him, and I was cruel. But he had mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in him. 14Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own.

15“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! 16But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life. 17I pray that honour and glory will always be given to the only God, who lives for ever and is the invisible and eternal King! Amen.

18Timothy, my son, the instructions I am giving you are based on what some prophets once said about you. If you follow these instructions, you will fight like a good soldier. 19You will be faithful and have a clear conscience. Some people have made a mess of their faith because they didn't listen to their consciences. 20Two of them are Hymenaeus and Alexander. I have given these men over to the power of Satan, so they will learn not to oppose God.

1 Timothy 1:1-20CEVOpen in Bible reader
Canadian Bible Societyv.4.26.9
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