The One Year Bible TLB (193 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
September 12Woe to unjust judges and to those who issue unfair laws, says the Lord,
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so that there is no justice for the poor, the widows, and orphans. Yes, it is true that they even rob the widows and fatherless children.
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Oh, what will you do when I visit you in that day when I send desolation upon you from a distant land? To whom will you turn then for your help? Where will your treasures be safe?
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I will not help you; you will stumble along as prisoners or lie among the slain. And even then my anger will not be satisfied, but my fist will still be poised to strike you.
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Assyria is the whip of my anger; his military strength is my weapon upon this godless nation, doomed and damned; he will enslave them and plunder them and trample them like dirt beneath his feet.
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But the king of Assyria will not know that it is I who sent him. He will merely think he is attacking my people as part of his plan to conquer the world.
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He will declare that every one of his princes will soon be a king, ruling a conquered land.
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“We will destroy Calno just as we did Carchemish,” he will say, “and Hamath will go down before us as Arpad did; and we will destroy Samaria just as we did Damascus.
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Yes, we have finished off many a kingdom whose idols were far greater than those in Jerusalem and Samaria,
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so when we have defeated Samaria and her idols, we will destroy Jerusalem with hers.”
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After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purpose, then he will turn upon the Assyrians and punish them too—for they are proud and haughty men.
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They boast, “We in our own power and wisdom have won these wars. We are great and wise. By our own strength we broke down the walls and destroyed the people and carried off their treasures.
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In our greatness we have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs, and no one can move a finger or open his mouth to peep against us!”
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But the Lord says, “Shall the ax boast greater power than the man who uses it? Is the saw greater than the man who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand is moving it? Can a cane walk by itself?”
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Because of all your evil boasting, O king of Assyria, the Lord of Hosts will send a plague among your proud troops and strike them down.
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God, the Light and Holy One of Israel, will be the fire and flame that will destroy them. In a single night he will burn those thorns and briars, the Assyrians who destroyed the land of Israel.
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Assyria’s vast army is like a glorious forest, yet it will be destroyed. The Lord will destroy them, soul and body, as when a sick man wastes away.
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Only a few from all that mighty army will be left; so few a child could count them!
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Then at last those left in Israel and in Judah will trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, instead of fearing the Assyrians.
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A remnant of them will return to the mighty God.
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But though Israel be now as many as the sands along the shore, yet only a few of them will be left to return at that time; God has rightly decided to destroy his people.
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Yes, it has already been decided by the Lord God to consume them.
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Therefore the Lord God says, “O my people in Jerusalem, don’t be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you just as the Egyptians did long ago.
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It will not last very long; in a little while my anger against you will end, and then it will rise against them to destroy them.”
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The Lord Almighty will send his angel to slay them in a mighty slaughter like the time when Gideon triumphed over Midian at the rock of Oreb or the time God drowned the Egyptian armies in the sea.
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On that day God will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery off their necks and destroy it as decreed.
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Look, the mighty armies of Assyria are coming! Now they are at Aiath, now at Migron; they are storing some of their equipment at Michmash and crossing over the pass; they are staying overnight at Geba. Fear strikes the city of Ramah; all the people of Gibeah—the city of Saul—are running for their lives.
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Well may you scream in terror, O people of Gallim. Shout out a warning to Laish, for the mighty army comes. O poor Anathoth, what a fate is yours!
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There go the people of Madmenah, all fleeing, and the citizens of Gebim are preparing to run.
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But the enemy stops at Nob for the remainder of that day. He shakes his fist at Jerusalem on Mount Zion.
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Then, look, look! The Lord, the Lord of the armies of heaven, is chopping down the mighty tree! He is destroying all of that vast army, great and small alike, both officers and men.
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He, the Mighty One, will cut down the enemy as a woodsman’s ax cuts down the forest trees in Lebanon.
11:
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The royal line of David
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will be cut off, chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot—yes, a new Branch from the old root.
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And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
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His delight will be obedience to the Lord. He will not judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay,
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but will defend the poor and the exploited. He will rule against the wicked who oppress them.
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For he will be clothed with fairness and with truth.
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In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all.
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The cows will graze among bears; cubs and calves will lie down together, and lions will eat grass like the cows.
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Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes, and a little child who puts his hand in a nest of deadly adders will pull it out unharmed.
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Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so shall the earth be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
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In that day he who created the royal dynasty of David
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will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, for the land where he lives will be a glorious place.
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At that time the Lord will bring back a remnant of his people for the second time, returning them to the land of Israel from Assyria, Upper and Lower Egypt, Ethiopia, Elam, Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastal lands.
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He will raise a flag among the nations for them to rally to; he will gather the scattered Israelites from the ends of the earth.
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Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end; they will not fight each other anymore.
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Together they will fly against the nations possessing their land on the east and on the west, uniting forces to destroy them, and they will occupy the nations of Edom and Moab and Ammon.
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The Lord will dry a path through the Red Sea
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and wave his hand over the Euphrates, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams that can easily be crossed.
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He will make a highway from Assyria for the remnant there, just as he did for all of Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.
You have made me act like a fool—boasting like this—for you people ought to be writing about me and not making me write about myself. There isn’t a single thing these other marvelous fellows have that I don’t have too, even though I am really worth nothing at all.
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When I was there I certainly gave you every proof that I was truly an apostle, sent to you by God himself, for I patiently did many wonders and signs and mighty works among you.
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The only thing I didn’t do for you, which I do everywhere else in all other churches, was to become a burden to you—I didn’t ask you to give me food to eat and a place to stay. Please forgive me for this wrong!
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Now I am coming to you again, the third time; and it is still not going to cost you anything, for I don’t want your money. I want
you!
And anyway, you are my children, and little children don’t pay for their father’s and mother’s food—it’s the other way around; parents supply food for their children.
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I am glad to give you myself and all I have for your spiritual good, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.
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Some of you are saying, “It’s true that his visits didn’t seem to cost us anything, but he is a sneaky fellow, that Paul, and he fooled us. As sure as anything he must have made money from us some way.”
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But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you?
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When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our other brother with him, did they make any profit? No, of course not. For we have the same Holy Spirit and walk in each other’s steps, doing things the same way.
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I suppose you think I am saying all this to get back into your good graces. That isn’t it at all. I tell you, with God listening as I say it, that I have said this to help
you,
dear friends—to build you up spiritually—and not to help myself.
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For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won’t like what I find, and then you won’t like the way I will have to act. I am afraid that I will find you quarreling, and envying each other, and being angry with each other, and acting big, and saying wicked things about each other, and whispering behind each other’s backs, filled with conceit and disunity.
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Yes, I am afraid that when I come God will humble me before you and I will be sad and mourn because many of you have sinned before and don’t even care about the wicked, impure things you have done: your lust and immorality, and the taking of other men’s wives.
Lord, have mercy on me; all day long the enemy troops press in. So many are proud to fight against me; how they long to conquer me.
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But when I am afraid, I will put my confidence in you. Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting him, what can mere man do to me?
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They are always twisting what I say. All their thoughts are how to harm me.
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They meet together to perfect their plans; they hide beside the trail, listening for my steps, waiting to kill me.
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They expect to get away with it. Don’t let them, Lord. In anger cast them to the ground.
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You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.
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The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns. My enemies flee! This one thing I
know: God is for me!
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I am trusting God—oh, praise his promises! I am not afraid of anything mere man can do to me! Yes, praise his promises.
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I will surely do what I have promised, Lord, and thank you for your help.
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For you have saved me from death and my feet from slipping, so that I can walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
Don’t associate with evil men; don’t long for their favors and gifts. Their kindness is a trick; they want to use you as their pawn. The delicious food they serve will turn sour in your stomach, and you will vomit it and have to take back your words of appreciation for their “kindness.”
September 13On that day you will say, “Praise the Lord! He was angry with me, but now he comforts me.
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See, God has come to save me! I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song; he is my salvation.
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Oh, the joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of Salvation!”
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In that wonderful day you will say, “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the world about his wondrous love.
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How mighty he is!”
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Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world.
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Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy. For great and mighty is the Holy One of Israel, who lives among you.
13:
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This is the vision God showed Isaiah (son of Amoz) concerning Babylon’s doom.
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See the flags waving as their enemy attacks. Shout to them, O Israel, and wave them on as they march against Babylon to destroy the palaces of the rich and mighty.
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I, the Lord, have set apart these armies for this task; I have called those rejoicing in their strength to do this work, to satisfy my anger.
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Hear the tumult on the mountains! Listen as the armies march! It is the tumult and the shout of many nations. The Lord Almighty has brought them here,
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from countries far away. They are his weapons against you, O Babylon. They carry his anger with them and will destroy your whole land.
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Scream in terror, for the Lord’s time has come, the time for the Almighty to crush you.
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Your arms lie paralyzed with fear; the strongest hearts melt
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and are afraid. Fear grips you with terrible pangs, like those of a woman in labor. You look at one another, helpless, as the flames of the burning city reflect upon your pallid faces.
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For see, the day of the Lord is coming, the terrible day of his wrath and fierce anger. The land shall be destroyed and all the sinners with it.
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The heavens will be black above them. No light will shine from stars or sun or moon.
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And I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sin; I will crush the arrogance of the proud man and the haughtiness of the rich.
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Few will live when I have finished up my work.
Men will be as scarce as gold—of greater value than the gold of Ophir.
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For I will shake the heavens in my wrath and fierce anger, and the earth will move from its place in the skies.
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The armies of Babylon will run until exhausted, fleeing back to their own land like deer chased by dogs, wandering like sheep deserted by their shepherd.
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Those who don’t run will be butchered.
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Their little children will be dashed to death against the pavement right before their eyes; their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes.
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For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off.
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The attacking armies will have no mercy on the young people of Babylon or the babies or the children.
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And so Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean culture, will be as utterly destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah were when God sent fire from heaven;
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Babylon will never rise again. Generation after generation will come and go, but the land will never again be lived in.
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The nomads will not even camp there. The shepherds won’t let their sheep stay overnight.
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The wild animals of the desert will make it their home. The houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live there, and the demons will come there to dance.
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Hyenas and jackals will den within the palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; her time of doom will soon be here.
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But the Lord will have mercy on the Israelis; they are still his special ones. He will bring them back to settle once again in the land of Israel. And many nationalities will come and join them there and be their loyal allies.
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The nations of the world will help them to return, and those coming to live in their land will serve them. Those enslaving Israel will be enslaved—Israel shall rule her enemies!
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In that wonderful day when the Lord gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains,
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you will jeer at the king of Babylon and say, “You bully, you! At last you have what was coming to you!
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For the Lord has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule.”
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You persecuted my people with unceasing blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip. You were unrestrained in tyranny.
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But at last the whole earth is at rest and is quiet! All the world begins to sing!
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Even the trees of the woods—the fir trees and cedars of Lebanon—sing out this joyous song: “Your power is broken; no one will bother us now; at last we have peace.”
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The denizens of hell crowd to meet you as you enter their domain. World leaders and earth’s mightiest kings, long dead, are there to see you.
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With one voice they all cry out, “Now you are as weak as we are!”
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Your might and power are gone; they are buried with you. All the pleasant music in your palace has ceased; now maggots are your sheet, worms your blanket!
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How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground—mighty though you were against the nations of the world.
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For you said to yourself, “I will ascend to heaven and rule the angels.
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I will take the highest throne. I will preside on the Mount of Assembly far away in the north.
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I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.”
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But instead, you will be brought down to the pit of hell, down to its lowest depths.
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Everyone there will stare at you and ask, “Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world?
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Can this be the one who destroyed the world and made it into a shambles, who demolished its greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?”
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The kings of the nations lie in stately glory in their graves,
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but your body is thrown out like a broken branch; it lies in an open grave, covered with the dead bodies of those slain in battle. It lies as a carcass in the road, trampled and mangled by horses’ hoofs.
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No monument will be given you, for you have destroyed your nation and slain your people. Your son will not succeed you as the king.
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Slay the children of this sinner. Do not let them rise and conquer the land nor rebuild the cities of the world.
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I, myself, have risen against him, says the Lord of heaven’s armies, and will cut off his children and his children’s children from ever sitting on his throne.
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I will make Babylon into a desolate land of porcupines, full of swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of the armies of heaven.
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He has taken an oath to do it! For this is his purpose and plan.
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I have decided to break the Assyrian army when they are in Israel and to crush them on my mountains; my people shall no longer be their slaves.
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This is my plan for the whole earth—I will do it by my mighty power that reaches everywhere around the world.
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The Lord, the God of battle, has spoken—who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?
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This is the message that came to me the year King Ahaz died:
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Don’t rejoice, Philistines, that the king who smote you is dead.
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That rod is broken, yes; but his son will be a greater scourge to you than his father ever was! From the snake will be born an adder, a fiery serpent to destroy you!
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I will shepherd the poor of my people; they shall graze in my pasture! The needy shall lie down in peace. But as for you—I will wipe you out with famine and the sword.
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Weep, Philistine cities—you are doomed. All your nation is doomed. For a perfectly trained army
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is coming down from the north against you.
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What then shall we tell the reporters? Tell them that the Lord has founded Jerusalem and is determined that the poor of his people will find a refuge within her walls.
This is the third time I am coming to visit you. The Scriptures tell us that if two or three have seen a wrong, it must be punished. Well, this is my third warning as I come now for this visit.
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I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there last; now I warn them again and all others, just as I did then, that this time I come ready to punish severely and I will not spare them.
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I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak in his dealings with you but is a mighty power within you.
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His weak, human body died on the cross, but now he lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak in our bodies, as he was, but now we live and are strong, as he is, and have all of God’s power to use in dealing with you.
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Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t at all?
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I hope you can agree that I have stood that test and truly belong to the Lord.
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I pray that you will live good lives, not because that will be a feather in our caps,
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proving that what we teach is right; no, for we want you to do right even if we ourselves are despised.
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Our responsibility is to encourage the right at all times, not to hope for evil.
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We are glad to be weak and despised if you are really strong. Our greatest wish and prayer is that you will become mature Christians.
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I am writing this to you now in the hope that I won’t need to scold and punish when I come; for I want to use the Lord’s authority that he has given me, not to punish you but to make you strong.
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I close my letter with these last words: Be happy. Grow in Christ. Pay attention to what I have said. Live in harmony and peace. And may the God of love and peace be with you.
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Greet each other warmly in the Lord.
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All the Christians here send you their best regards.
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May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May God’s love and the Holy Spirit’s friendship be yours.
Paul
O God, have pity, for I am trusting you! I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this storm is past.
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I will cry to the God of heaven who does such wonders for me.
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He will send down help from heaven to save me because of his love and his faithfulness. He will rescue me from these liars who are so intent upon destroying me.
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I am surrounded by fierce lions—hotheads whose teeth are sharp as spears and arrows. Their tongues are like swords.
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Lord, be exalted above the highest heavens! Show your glory high above the earth.
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My enemies have set a trap for me. Frantic fear grips me. They have dug a pitfall in my path. But look! They themselves have fallen into it!
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O God, my heart is quiet and confident. No wonder I can sing your praises!
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Rouse yourself, my soul! Arise, O harp and lyre! Let us greet the dawn with song!
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I will thank you publicly throughout the land. I will sing your praises among the nations.
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Your kindness and love are as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness is higher than the skies.
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Yes, be exalted, O God, above the heavens. May your glory shine throughout the earth.
Don’t waste your breath on a rebel. He will despise the wisest advice.
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Don’t steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving their ancient boundary marks, for their Redeemer is strong; he himself will accuse you.