WWW.ISAIAH 58 (KJV)

 Isaiah 58

New King James Version

Fasting that Pleases God

58 “Cry aloud, [a]spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek Me daily,

And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?

Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And [b]exploit all your laborers.
4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast that I have chosen,

A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the [c]heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are [d]cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The [e]pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your [f]darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of [g]Streets to Dwell In.

13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 58:1 do not hold back
2. Isaiah 58:3 Lit. drive hard
3. Isaiah 58:6 Lit. bonds of the yoke
4. Isaiah 58:7 wandering
5. Isaiah 58:9 Lit. sending out of
6. Isaiah 58:10 Or gloom
7. Isaiah 58:12 Lit. Paths
   
   
   

PSALM 50 (GOODNEWS BIBLE)

 

PSALMS 50

True Worship

1The Almighty God, the LORD, speaks;

he calls to the whole earth from east to west.

2God shines from Zion,

the city perfect in its beauty.

3Our God is coming, but not in silence;

a raging fire is in front of him,

a furious storm is round him.

4He calls heaven and earth as witnesses

to see him judge his people.

5He says, “Gather my faithful people to me,

those who made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”

6The heavens proclaim that God is righteous,

that he himself is judge.

7“Listen, my people, and I will speak;

I will testify against you, Israel.

I am God, your God.

8I do not reprimand you because of your sacrifices

and the burnt offerings you always bring me.

9And yet I do not need bulls from your farms

or goats from your flocks;

10all the animals in the forest are mine

and the cattle on thousands of hills.

11All the wild birds are mine

and all living things in the fields.

12“If I were hungry, I would not ask you for food,

for the world and everything in it is mine.

13Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats?

14Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God,

and give the Almighty all that you promised.

15Call to me when trouble comes;

I will save you,

and you will praise me.”

16But God says to the wicked,

“Why should you recite my commandments?

Why should you talk about my covenant?

17You refuse to let me correct you;

you reject my commands.

18You become the friend of every thief you see

and you associate with adulterers.

19“You are always ready to speak evil;

you never hesitate to tell lies.

20You are ready to accuse your own relatives

and to find fault with them.

21You have done all this, and I have said nothing,

so you thought that I was like you.

But now I reprimand you

and make the matter plain to you.

22“Listen to this, you that ignore me,

or I will destroy you,

and there will be no one to save you.

23Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honours me,

and I will surely save all who obey me.”

Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.

Learn More About Good News Bible

Explore Psalms 50 by Verse

WWW.GENESIS 12 ( AMPC) AMPLIFIED BIBLE

 Genesis 12

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

12 Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].

3 And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and [a]curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves].

4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had directed him; and Lot [his nephew] went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

5 Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the persons [servants] that they had acquired in Haran, and they went forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

6 Abram passed through the land to the locality of Shechem, to the oak or terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your posterity. So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, Who had appeared to him.

8 From there he pulled up [his tent pegs] and departed to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

9 Abram journeyed on, still going toward the South (the Negeb).

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram [b]went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous).

11 And when he was about to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, I know that you are beautiful to behold.

12 So when the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.

13 Say, I beg of you, that you are [c]my sister, so that it may go well with me for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.

14 And when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house [harem].

16 And he treated Abram well for her sake; he acquired sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, maidservants, she-donkeys, and [d]camels.

17 But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his household with serious plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

19 Why did you say, She is my sister, so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and get away [from here]!

20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they brought him on his way with his wife and all that he had.

Footnotes

1. Genesis 12:3 To look with disfavor on the Jews was to invite God’s displeasure; to treat the Jews offensively was to incur His wrath. But to befriend the Jews was to bring down upon one’s head the rewards of a promise that could not be broken.
2. Genesis 12:10 Some books on archaeology frequently allude to the critical view that strangers could not have come into Egypt in earlier times, quoting Strabo and Diodorus to that effect; but later archaeological discoveries show that people from the region of Palestine and Syria were coming to Egypt in the period of Abraham. This is clearly indicated by a tomb painting at Beni Hassan, dating a little after 2000 b.c. It shows Asiatic Semites who had come to Egypt. Furthermore, the archaeological and historical indications of the coming of the Hyksos into Egypt around 1900 b.c. provided another piece of evidence that strangers could come into that land (J.P. Free, Abraham in Egypt).
3. Genesis 12:13 Sarai was Abraham’s half sister. They had the same father, but different mothers (Gen. 20:12).
4. Genesis 12:16 Critics have set aside the statement that Abraham had camels in Egypt as an error. But archaeological evidence, including some twenty objects ranging from the seventh century b.c. to the period before 3000 b.c., proves the authenticity of the Bible record concerning Abraham. It includes not only statuettes, plaques, rock carvings, and drawings representing camels, but also “camel bones, a camel skull, and a camel hair rope” (J. P. Free, Archaeology and Bible History).
   
   
   

PSALM 33 (KJV)

 King James Version

33 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

4 For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.

5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.

14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.

16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Psalm 33

New International Version

Psalm 33

1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

Footnotes

1. Psalm 33:7 Or sea as into a heap