ISAIAH 55

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The Compassion of the Lord55:1

“Come, everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price. 2

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food. 3

Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,

my steadfast, sure love for David. 4

Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander for the peoples. 5

Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,

and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.
6

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near; 7

let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12

“For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

ISAIAH 56

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Salvation for Foreigners56:1

Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,

for soon my salvation will come,

and my righteousness be revealed. 2

Blessed is the man who does this,

and the son of man who holds it fast,

who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,

and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,

“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;

and let not the eunuch say,

“Behold, I am a dry tree.” 4

For thus says the Lord:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose the things that please me

and hold fast my covenant, 5

I will give in my house and within my walls

a monument and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that shall not be cut off.
6

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,

to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,

and to be his servants,

everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,

and holds fast my covenant— 7

these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on my altar;

for my house shall be called a house of prayer

for all peoples.” 8

The Lord God,

who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,

“I will gather yet others to him

besides those already gathered.” Israel’s Irresponsible Leaders9

All you beasts of the field, come to devour—

all you beasts in the forest. 10

His watchmen are blind;

they are all without knowledge;

they are all silent dogs;

they cannot bark,

dreaming, lying down,

loving to slumber. 11

The dogs have a mighty appetite;

they never have enough.

But they are shepherds who have no understanding;

they have all turned to their own way,

each to his own gain, one and all. 12

“Come,” they say, “let me get wine;

let us fill ourselves with strong drink;

and tomorrow will be like this day,

great beyond measure.”

PROVERBS 27

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27:1

Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring. 2

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips. 3

A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,

but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both. 4

Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,

but who can stand before jealousy? 5

Better is open rebuke

than hidden love. 6

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy. 7

One who is full loathes honey,

but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet. 8

Like a bird that strays from its nest

is a man who strays from his home. 9

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel. 10

Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

than a brother who is far away. 11

Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,

that I may answer him who reproaches me. 12

The prudent sees danger and hides himself,

but the simple go on and suffer for it. 13

Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,

and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress. 14

Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,

rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing. 15

A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a quarrelsome wife are alike; 16

to restrain her is to restrain the wind

or to grasp oil in one’s right hand. 17

Iron sharpens iron,

and one man sharpens another. 18

Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,

and he who guards his master will be honored. 19

As in water face reflects face,

so the heart of man reflects the man. 20

Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,

and never satisfied are the eyes of man. 21

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise. 22

Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle

along with crushed grain,

yet his folly will not depart from him.
23

Know well the condition of your flocks,

and give attention to your herds, 24

for riches do not last forever;

and does a crown endure to all generations? 25

When the grass is gone and the new growth appears

and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered, 26

the lambs will provide your clothing,

and the goats the price of a field. 27

There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,

for the food of your household

and maintenance for your girls.

HEBREWS 13

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Sacrifices Pleasing to God  13:1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?”
    7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
    17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
    18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Benediction20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings22 I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you.