Bible Readings for September 13, 2013

Today our passages are Isaiah 12:1–14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Psalm 57:1-11; and Proverbs 23:9-11. The readings are the Contemporary English Version.

---

Isaiah 12-14:32 (Contemporary English Version)

Isaiah 12

A Song of Praise

 ¹At that time you will say,    "I thank you, LORD!
   You were angry with me,
   but you stopped being angry
   and gave me comfort.
    ²I trust you to save me,
   LORD God,
   and I won't be afraid.
   My power and my strength ^[a] come from you,
   and you have saved me."
    ³With great joy, you people
   will get water
   from the well of victory.
    ⁴At that time you will say,
   "Our LORD, we are thankful,
   and we worship only you.
   We will tell the nations
   how glorious you are
   and what you have done.
    ⁵Because of your wonderful deeds
   we will sing your praises
   everywhere on earth."
    ⁶Sing, people of Zion!
   Celebrate the greatness
   of the holy LORD of Israel.
   God is here to help you.
   

Isaiah 13

Babylon Will Be Punished

 ¹This is the message ^[b] that I was given about Babylon: ²From high on a barren hill    give a signal, shout the orders,
   and point the way
   to enter the gates
   of Babylon's proud rulers.
    ³The LORD has commanded
   his very best warriors
   and his proud heroes
   to show how angry he is.
    ⁴Listen to the noisy crowds
   on the mountains!
   Kingdoms and nations
   are joining forces.
   The LORD All-Powerful
   is bringing together
   an army for battle.
    ⁵From a distant land
   the LORD is coming
   fierce and furious--
   he brings his weapons
   to destroy the earth.
    ⁶Cry and weep!
   The day is coming
   when the mighty LORD
   will bring destruction.
    ⁷All people will be terrified.
   Hands will grow limp;
   courage will melt away.
    ⁸Everyone will tremble with pain
   like a woman giving birth;
   they will stare at each other
   with horror on their faces.
   

There Will Be No Mercy

 ⁹I, the LORD,    will show no mercy or pity
   when that time comes.
   In my anger I will destroy
   the earth
   and every sinner
   who lives on it.
    ¹⁰Light will disappear
   from the stars in the sky;
   the dawning sun will turn dark,
   and the moon
   will lose its glow.
    ¹¹I will punish this evil world
   and its people
   because of their sins.
   I will crush the horrible pride
   of those who are cruel.
    ¹²Survivors will be harder to find
   than the purest gold.
    ¹³I, the LORD All-Powerful,
   am terribly angry--
   I will make the sky tremble
   and the earth shake loose.
    ¹⁴Everyone will run
   to their homelands,
   just as hunted deer run,
   and sheep scatter
   when they have no shepherd.
    ¹⁵Those who are captured
   will be killed by a sword.
    ¹⁶They will see their children
   beaten against rocks,
   their homes robbed,
   and their wives abused.
    ¹⁷The Medes ^[c] can't be bought off with silver or gold,
   and I'm sending them
   to attack Babylonia.
    ¹⁸Their arrows will slaughter
   the young men;
   no pity will be shown
   to babies and children.
   

The LORD Will Destroy Babylon

 ¹⁹The city of Babylon    is glorious and powerful,
   the pride of the nation.
   But it will be like the cities
   of Sodom and Gomorrah
   after I, the Lord,
   destroyed them.
    ²⁰No one will live in Babylon.
   Even nomads won't camp nearby,
   and shepherds won't let
   their sheep rest there.
    ²¹Only desert creatures,
   hoot owls, and ostriches
   will live in its ruins,
   and goats ^[d] will leap about. ²²Hyenas and wolves will howl
   from Babylon's fortresses
   and beautiful palaces.
   Its time is almost up!
   

Isaiah 14

The LORD's People Will Come Home

 ¹The LORD will have mercy on Israel and will let them be his chosen people once again. He will bring them back to their own land, and foreigners will join them as part of Israel. ²Other nations will lead them home, and Israel will make slaves of them in the land that belongs to the Lord. Israel will rule over those who once governed and mistreated them.    

Death to the King of Babylonia!

 ³The LORD will set you free from your sorrow, suffering, and slavery. ⁴Then you will make fun of the King of Babylonia by singing this song:    That cruel monster is done for!
   He won't attack us again. ^[e] ⁵The LORD has crushed the power
   of those evil kings,
    ⁶who were furious
   and never stopped abusing
   the people of other nations.
    ⁷Now all the world is at peace;
   its people are celebrating
   with joyful songs.
    ⁸King of Babylonia,
   even the cypress trees
   and the cedars of Lebanon
   celebrate and say,
   "Since you were put down,
   no one comes along
   to chop us down."
    ⁹The world of the dead
   eagerly waits for you.
   With great excitement,
   the spirits of ancient rulers
   hear about your coming.
    ¹⁰Each one of them will say,
   "Now you are just as weak
   as any of us!
    ¹¹Your pride and your music
   have ended here
   in the world of the dead.
   Worms are your blanket,
   maggots are your bed."
    ¹²You, the bright morning star,
   have fallen from the sky!
   You brought down other nations;
   now you are brought down.
    ¹³You said to yourself,
   "I'll climb to heaven
   and place my throne
   above the highest stars.
   I'll sit there with the gods
   far away in the north.
    ¹⁴I'll be above the clouds,
   just like God Most High."
    ¹⁵But now you are deep
   in the world of the dead.
    ¹⁶Those who see you will stare
   and wonder,
   "Is this the man
   who made the world tremble
   and shook up kingdoms?
    ¹⁷Did he capture every city
   and make earth a desert?
   Is he the one who refused
   to let prisoners go home?"
    ¹⁸When kings die, they are buried
   in glorious tombs.
    ¹⁹But you will be left unburied,
   just another dead body
   lying underfoot
   like a broken branch.
   You will be one of many
   killed in battle
   and gone down
   to the deep rocky pit. ^[f] ²⁰You won't be buried with kings;
   you ruined your country
   and murdered your people.
   You evil monster!
   We hope that your family
   will be forgotten forever.
    ²¹We will slaughter your sons
   to make them pay
   for the crimes
   of their ancestors.
   They won't take over the world
   or build cities
   anywhere on this earth.
    ²²The LORD All-Powerful has promised to attack Babylonia and destroy everyone there, so that none of them will ever be remembered again. ²³The LORD will sweep out the people, and the land will become a swamp for wild animals.
   

Assyria Will Be Punished

 ²⁴The LORD All-Powerful    has made this promise:
   Everything I have planned
   will happen just as I said.
    ²⁵I will wipe out every Assyrian
   in my country,
   and I will crush those
   on my mountains.
   I will free my people
   from slavery
   to the Assyrians.
    ²⁶I have planned this
   for the whole world,
   and my mighty arm
   controls every nation.
    ²⁷I, the LORD All-Powerful,
   have made these plans.
   No one can stop me now!
   

The Philistines Will Be Punished

 ²⁸This message came from the LORD    in the year King Ahaz died: ^[g] ²⁹Philistines, don't be happy
   just because the rod
   that punished you
   is broken.
   That rod will become
   a poisonous snake,
   and then
   a flying fiery dragon.
    ³⁰The poor and needy will find
   pastures for their sheep
   and will live in safety.
   But I will starve some of you,
   and others will be killed.
    ³¹Cry and weep in the gates
   of your towns,
   you Philistines!
   Smoke blows in from the north, ^[h] and every soldier is ready.
    ³²If a messenger comes
   from a distant nation,
   you must say:
   "The LORD built Zion.
   Even the poorest of his people
   will find safety there."
   

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 12:2 strength: Or "song."
2. Isaiah 13:1 message: See the note at 1.1.
3. Isaiah 13:17 Medes: People of a nation northeast of Babylonia, which became part of the Persian Empire.
4. Isaiah 13:21 goats: Or "demons."
5. Isaiah 14:4 He. . . again: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
6. Isaiah 14:19 deep rocky pit: The world of the dead.
7. Isaiah 14:28 King Ahaz died: 715 B.C.
8. Isaiah 14:31 north: The Assyrian and Babylonian attacks came from the north.

---

2 Corinthians 13:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)

2 Corinthians 13

Final Warnings and Greetings

 ¹I am on my way to visit you for the third time. And as the Scriptures say, "Any charges must be proved true by at least two or three witnesses." ²During my second visit I warned you that I would punish you and anyone else who doesn't stop sinning. I am far away from you now, but I give you the same warning. ³This should prove to you that I am speaking for Christ. When he corrects you, he won't be weak. He will be powerful! ⁴Although he was weak when he was nailed to the cross, he now lives by the power of God. We are weak, just as Christ was. But you will see that we will live by the power of God, just as Christ does.     ⁵Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith. If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you. But if Christ isn't living in you, you have failed. ⁶I hope you will discover that we have not failed. ⁷We pray that you will stop doing evil things. We don't pray like this to make ourselves look good, but to get you to do right, even if we are failures.
    ⁸All we can do is to follow the truth and not fight against it. ⁹Even though we are weak, we are glad that you are strong, and we pray that you will do even better. ¹⁰I am writing these things to you before I arrive. This way I won't have to be hard on you when I use the authority that the Lord has given me. I was given this authority, so that I could help you and not destroy you.
    ¹¹Good-by, my friends. Do better and pay attention to what I have said. Try to get along and live peacefully with each other.
   Now I pray that God, who gives love and peace, will be with you. ¹²Give each other a warm greeting. All of God's people send their greetings.
    ¹³I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you and be kind to you! May God bless you with his love, and may the Holy Spirit join all your hearts together.

---

Psalm 57:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)

Psalm 57

(For the music leader. To the tune "Don't Destroy." (Psalm 57; 58 Don't Destroy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.) A special psalm by David when he was in the cave while running from Saul.)

Praise and Trust in Times of Trouble

 ¹God Most High, have pity on me!    Have mercy.
   I run to you
   for safety.
   In the shadow of your wings,
   I seek protection
   till danger dies down.
    ²I pray to you, my protector.
    ³You will send help from heaven
   and save me,
   but you will bring trouble
   on my attackers.
   You are faithful,
   and you can be trusted.
    ⁴I live among lions,
   who gobble down people!
   They have spears and arrows
   instead of teeth,
   and they have sharp swords
   instead of tongues.
    ⁵May you, my God, be honored
   above the heavens;
   may your glory be seen
   everywhere on earth.
    ⁶Enemies set traps for my feet
   and struck me down.
   They dug a pit in my path,
   but fell in it themselves.
    ⁷I am faithful to you,
   and you can trust me.
   I will sing and play music
   for you, my God.
    ⁸I feel wide awake!
   I will wake up my harp
   and wake up the sun.
    ⁹I will praise you, Lord,
   for everyone to hear,
   and I will sing hymns to you
   in every nation.
    ¹⁰Your love reaches higher
   than the heavens;
   your loyalty extends
   beyond the clouds.
    ¹¹May you, my God, be honored
   above the heavens;
   may your glory be seen
   everywhere on earth.

---

Proverbs 23:9-11 (Contemporary English Version)

-9-

 ⁹ Don't talk to fools--    they will just make fun.
   

-10-

 ¹⁰ Don't move a boundary marker ^[a] or take the land    that belongs to orphans.
    ¹¹God All-Powerful is there
   to defend them against you.
   

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 23:10 marker: See the note at 22.28.

---

 

Verse of the Day

 

“[Suffering for Doing Right]Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble.” - 1 Peter 3:8

Today's passage is from the Contemporary English Version.

---

Thought for the Day

Will Durant, American writer, historian, and philosopher, wrote, “To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.”