The Daily Audio Bible
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17 “The [a]afflicted and needy are seeking (A)water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the Lord, (B)will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I (C)will not forsake them.
18 “I will open (D)rivers on the bare heights
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make (E)the wilderness a pool of water
And the dry land fountains of water.
19 “I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia and the (F)myrtle and the [b]olive tree;
I will place the (G)juniper in the desert
Together with the box tree and the cypress,
20 That (H)they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the (I)hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 “[c]Present your case,” the Lord says.
“Bring forward your strong arguments,”
The (J)King of Jacob says.
22 (K)Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place;
As for the (L)former events, declare what they were,
That we may consider them and know their outcome.
Or announce to us what is coming;
23 (M)Declare the things that are going to come afterward,
That we may know that you are gods;
Indeed, (N)do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.
24 Behold, (O)you are of [d]no account,
And (P)your work amounts to nothing;
He who chooses you is an (Q)abomination.
25 “I have aroused (R)one from the north, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon rulers as upon (S)mortar,
Even as the potter treads clay.”
26 Who has (T)declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, “He is right!”?
Surely there was (U)no one who declared,
Surely there was no one who proclaimed,
Surely there was no one who heard your words.
27 “(V)Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a (W)messenger of good news.’
28 “But (X)when I look, there is no one,
And there is no (Y)counselor [e]among them
Who, if I ask, can (Z)give an answer.
29 “Behold, all of them are [f]false;
Their (AA)works are (AB)worthless,
Their molten images are (AC)wind and emptiness.
God’s Promise concerning His Servant
42 “(AD)Behold, My (AE)Servant, whom I [g]uphold;
My (AF)chosen one in whom My (AG)soul delights.
I have put My (AH)Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth (AI)justice to the [h]nations.
2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 “A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth (AJ)justice.
4 “He will not be (AK)disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the (AL)coastlands will wait expectantly for His [i]law.”
5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who (AM)created the heavens and (AN)stretched them out,
Who spread out the (AO)earth and its [j]offspring,
Who (AP)gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am the Lord, I have (AQ)called You in righteousness,
I will also (AR)hold You by the hand and (AS)watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a (AT)covenant to the people,
As a (AU)light to the nations,
7 To (AV)open blind eyes,
To (AW)bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 “(AX)I am the Lord, that is (AY)My name;
I will not give My (AZ)glory to another,
Nor My praise to [k]graven images.
9 “Behold, the (BA)former things have come to pass,
Now I declare (BB)new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
10 Sing to the Lord a (BC)new song,
Sing His praise from the (BD)end of the earth!
(BE)You who go down to the sea, and (BF)all that is in it.
You (BG)islands, and those who dwell on them.
11 Let the (BH)wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where (BI)Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of (BJ)Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the (BK)mountains.
12 Let them (BL)give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the (BM)coastlands.
13 (BN)The Lord will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His (BO)zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will (BP)prevail against His enemies.
The Blindness of the People
14 “(BQ)I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 “I will (BR)lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will (BS)make the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 “I will (BT)lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will (BU)make darkness into light before them
And (BV)rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will (BW)not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be (BX)utterly put to shame,
Who trust in [l]idols,
Who say to molten images,
“You are our gods.”
18 (BY)Hear, you deaf!
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My (BZ)servant,
Or so deaf as My (CA)messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as he that is [m](CB)at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (CC)You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;
Your ears are open, but none hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the law (CD)great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and despoiled;
All of them are (CE)trapped in [n]caves,
Or are (CF)hidden away in prisons;
They have become a prey with none to deliver them,
And a spoil, with none to say, “Give them back!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will give heed and listen hereafter?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to plunderers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they (CG)were not willing to walk,
And whose law they did not (CH)obey?
25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the (CI)fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not recognize it;
And it burned him, but he [o](CJ)paid no attention.
Israel Redeemed
43 But now, thus says the Lord, your (CK)Creator, O Jacob,
And He who (CL)formed you, O Israel,
“Do not (CM)fear, for I have (CN)redeemed you;
I have (CO)called you by name; you are (CP)Mine!
2 “When you (CQ)pass through the waters, (CR)I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you (CS)walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 “For (CT)I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your (CU)Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
[p](CV)Cush and Seba in your place.
4 “Since you are (CW)precious in My sight,
Since you are (CX)honored and I (CY)love you,
I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.
5 “Do not fear, for (CZ)I am with you;
I will bring (DA)your offspring from the east,
And (DB)gather you from the west.
6 “I will say to the (DC)north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My (DD)sons from afar
And My daughters from the (DE)ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is (DF)called by My name,
And whom I have (DG)created for My (DH)glory,
(DI)Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is God’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are (DJ)blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have (DK)gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can (DL)declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present (DM)their witnesses (DN)that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are (DO)My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And (DP)My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that (DQ)I am He.
(DR)Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 “I, even I, am the Lord,
And there is no (DS)savior (DT)besides Me.
12 “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no (DU)strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God.
13 “Even [q](DV)from eternity (DW)I am He,
And there is (DX)none who can deliver out of My hand;
(DY)I act and who can reverse it?”
Made Alive in Christ
2 And you [a]were (A)dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you (B)formerly walked according to the [c]course of (C)this world, according to (D)the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in (E)the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all (F)formerly lived in (G)the lusts of our flesh, [d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [e]mind, and were (H)by nature (I)children of wrath, (J)even as the rest. 4 But God, being (K)rich in mercy, because of (L)His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were (M)dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ ((N)by grace you have been saved), 6 and (O)raised us up with Him, and (P)seated us with Him in (Q)the heavenly places in (R)Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing (S)riches of His grace in (T)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For (U)by grace you have been saved (V)through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is (W)the gift of God; 9 (X)not as a result of works, so that (Y)no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, (Z)created in (AA)Christ Jesus for (AB)good works, which God (AC)prepared beforehand so that we would (AD)walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that (AE)formerly (AF)you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “(AG)Uncircumcision” by the so-called “(AH)Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, [i](AI)excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to (AJ)the covenants of promise, having (AK)no hope and (AL)without God in the world. 13 But now in (AM)Christ Jesus you who (AN)formerly were (AO)far off [j]have (AP)been brought near [k](AQ)by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is (AR)our peace, (AS)who made both groups into one and broke down the [l]barrier of the dividing wall, 15 [m]by (AT)abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is (AU)the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might [n](AV)make the two into (AW)one new man, thus establishing (AX)peace, 16 and might (AY)reconcile them both in (AZ)one body to God through the cross, [o]by it having (BA)put to death the enmity. 17 And (BB)He came and preached (BC)peace to you who were (BD)far away, and peace to those who were (BE)near; 18 for through Him we both have (BF)our access in (BG)one Spirit to (BH)the Father. 19 So then you are no longer (BI)strangers and aliens, but you are (BJ)fellow citizens with the [p]saints, and are of (BK)God’s household, 20 having been (BL)built on (BM)the foundation of (BN)the apostles and prophets, (BO)Christ Jesus Himself being the (BP)corner stone, 21 (BQ)in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into (BR)a holy [q]temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being (BS)built together into a (BT)dwelling of God in the Spirit.
The Nations Exhorted to Praise God.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
67 God be gracious to us and (A)bless us,
And (B)cause His face to shine [a]upon us— [b]Selah.
2 That (C)Your way may be known on the earth,
(D)Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the (E)peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4 Let the (F)nations be glad and sing for joy;
For You will (G)judge the peoples with uprightness
And (H)guide the nations on the earth. Selah.
5 Let the (I)peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6 The (J)earth has yielded its produce;
God, our God, (K)blesses us.
7 God blesses us,
[c]That (L)all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
29 Who has (A)woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions? Who has complaining?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who (B)linger long over wine,
Those who go to [a]taste (C)mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it [b]sparkles in the cup,
When it (D)goes down smoothly;
32 At the last it (E)bites like a serpent
And stings like a (F)viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things
And your [c]mind will (G)utter perverse things.
34 And you will be like one who lies down in the [d]middle of the sea,
Or like one who lies down on the top of a [e]mast.
35 “They (H)struck me, but I did not become [f]ill;
They beat me, but I did not know it.
When shall I awake?
I will (I)seek [g]another drink.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.