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Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness,
and princes shall rule in justice. 2 A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind,
and a covert from the storm,
as streams of water in a dry place,
as the shade of a large rock in a weary land. 3 The eyes of those who see will not be dim,
and the ears of those who hear will listen. 4 The heart of the rash will understand knowledge,
and the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly. 5 The fool will no longer be called noble,
nor the scoundrel be highly respected. 6 For the fool will speak folly,
and his heart will work iniquity,
to practice profanity,
and to utter error against Yahweh,
To make empty the soul of the hungry,
and to cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. 7 The ways of the scoundrel are evil.
He devises wicked devices to destroy the humble with lying words,
even when the needy speaks right. 8 But the noble devises noble things;
and he will continue in noble things.
9 Rise up, you women who are at ease! Hear my voice!
You careless daughters, give ear to my speech! 10 For days beyond a year you will be troubled, you careless women;
for the vintage shall fail.
The harvest won’t come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at ease!
Be troubled, you careless ones!
Strip yourselves, make yourselves naked,
and put sackcloth on your waist. 12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vine. 13 Thorns and briars will come up on my people’s land;
yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city. 14 For the palace will be forsaken.
The populous city will be deserted.
The hill and the watchtower will be for dens forever,
a delight for wild donkeys,
a pasture of flocks; 15 Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field is considered a forest. 16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness;
and righteousness will remain in the fruitful field. 17 The work of righteousness will be peace;
and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. 18 My people will abide in a peaceful habitation,
in safe dwellings,
and in quiet resting places. 19 Though hail flattens the forest,
and the city is leveled completely. 20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters,
who send out the feet of the ox and the donkey.
331 Woe to you who destroy, but you weren’t destroyed;
and who betray, but nobody betrayed you!
When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed;
and when you have made an end of betrayal, you will be betrayed. 2 Yahweh, be gracious to us. We have waited for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation also in the time of trouble. 3 At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled.
When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered. 4 Your spoil will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers.
Men will leap on it as locusts leap. 5 Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high.
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. 6 There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of Yahweh is your treasure. 7 Behold, their valiant ones cry outside;
the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly. 8 The highways are desolate.
The traveling man ceases.
The covenant is broken.
He has despised the cities.
He doesn’t respect man. 9 The land mourns and languishes.
Lebanon is confounded and withers away.
Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare. 10 “Now I will arise,” says Yahweh;
“Now I will lift myself up.
Now I will be exalted. 11 You will conceive chaff.
You will bring forth stubble.
Your breath is a fire that will devour you. 12 The peoples will be like the burning of lime,
like thorns that are cut down and burned in the fire.
13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
and, you who are near, acknowledge my might.” 14 The sinners in Zion are afraid.
Trembling has seized the godless ones.
Who among us can live with the devouring fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burning? 15 He who walks righteously,
and speaks blamelessly;
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe,
who stops his ears from hearing of blood,
and shuts his eyes from looking at evil— 16 he will dwell on high.
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.
His bread will be supplied.
His waters will be sure. 17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.
They will see a distant land. 18 Your heart will meditate on the terror.
Where is he who counted?
Where is he who weighed?
Where is he who counted the towers? 19 You will no longer see the fierce people,
a people of a deep speech that you can’t comprehend,
with a strange language that you can’t understand. 20 Look at Zion, the city of our appointed festivals.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation,
a tent that won’t be removed.
Its stakes will never be plucked up,
nor will any of its cords be broken. 21 But there Yahweh will be with us in majesty,
a place of broad rivers and streams,
in which no galley with oars will go,
neither will any gallant ship pass by there. 22 For Yahweh is our judge.
Yahweh is our lawgiver.
Yahweh is our king.
He will save us. 23 Your rigging is untied.
They couldn’t strengthen the foot of their mast.
They couldn’t spread the sail.
Then the prey of a great spoil was divided.
The lame took the prey. 24 The inhabitant won’t say, “I am sick.”
The people who dwell therein will be forgiven their iniquity.
11 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and faithful brothers [1] in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have toward all the saints, 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News, 6 which has come to you; even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 even as you learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;
12 giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love;
14 in whom we have our redemption, [2] the forgiveness of our sins; 15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together. 18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 22 yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and blameless before him, 23 if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven; of which I, Paul, was made a servant. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly; 25 of which I was made a servant, according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, 27 to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; 28 whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; 29 for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.
