Bible Reading Plan

¹ "This^(a) is My Servant;^(b) I strengthen Him,
this is My Chosen One;^(c) I delight in Him.^(d)
I have put My Spirit on Him;^(e)
He will bring justice^[a] to the nations.^(f)
2 He will not cry out or shout
or make His voice heard in the streets.
³ He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick;
He will faithfully bring justice.
⁴ He will not grow weak or be discouraged
until He has established justice on earth.
The islands will wait for His instruction."^(g)

⁵ This is what God, Yahweh, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out,^(h)
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,⁽ⁱ⁾
who gives breath to the people on it
and life^[b] to those who walk on it^(j)—
⁶ "I, Yahweh, have called You
for a righteous purpose,^[c](k)
and I will hold You by Your hand.^(l)
I will keep You and appoint You
to be a covenant for the people^(m)
and a light to the nations,^(n)
7 in order to open blind eyes,^(o)
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,^(p)
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.
⁸ I am Yahweh, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another^(q)
or My praise to idols.
⁹ The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;^(r)
I announce them to you before they occur."

¹⁰ Sing a new song to the Lord ;^(s)
sing His praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea with all that fills it,^(t)
you islands with your^[d] inhabitants.
¹¹ Let the desert and its cities shout,
the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud.^(u)
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy;^(v)
let them cry out from the mountaintops.
¹² Let them give glory to the Lord
and declare His praise in the islands.
¹³ The Lord advances like a warrior;
He stirs up His zeal like a soldier.^(w)
He shouts, He roars aloud,
He prevails over His enemies.

¹⁴ "I have kept silent from ages past;
I have been quiet and restrained Myself.^(x)
But now, I will groan like a woman in labor,^(y)
gasping breathlessly.
¹⁵ I will lay waste mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up marshes.^(z)
16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;^(aa)
I will guide them on paths they have not known.
I will turn darkness to light in front of them^(ab)
and rough places into level ground.^(ac)
This is what I will do for them,
and I will not forsake them.^(ad)
17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed—
those who trust in idols
and say to metal-plated images:
You are our gods!^(ae)

¹⁸ "Listen, you deaf!
Look, you blind, so that you may see.^(af)
19 Who is blind but My servant,^(ag)
or deaf like My messenger I am sending?
Who is blind like My dedicated one,^[e]
or blind like the servant of the Lord ?
²⁰ Though seeing many things,^[f] you do not obey.
Though his ears are open, he does not listen."^(ah)

²¹ The Lord was pleased, because of His righteousness,
to magnify His instruction and make it glorious.
²² But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in holes
or imprisoned in dungeons.
They have become plunder^(ai)
with no one to rescue them
and loot, with no one saying, "Give it back!"
²³ Who among you will pay attention to this?
Let him listen and obey in the future.
²⁴ Who gave Jacob to the robber,^[g]
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord ?
Have we not sinned against Him?
They were not willing to walk in His ways,
and they would not listen to His instruction.
²⁵ So He poured out on Jacob His furious anger
and the power of war.
It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it;
it burned him, but he paid no attention.^[h](aj)

¹ Now this is what the Lord says—
the One who created you, Jacob,
and the One who formed you, Israel^(a)—
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;^(b)
I have called you by your name; you are Mine.^(c)
2 I will be with you^(d)
when you pass through the waters,^(e)
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
You will not be scorched
when you walk through the fire,^(f)
and the flame will not burn you.
³ For I Yahweh your God,^(g)
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior,^(h)
give Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
⁴ Because you are precious in My sight⁽ⁱ⁾
and honored, and I love you,^(j)
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
⁵ Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,^(k)
and gather you from the west.^(l)
6 I will say to the north: Give them up!
and to the south: Do not hold them back!
Bring My sons from far away,^(m)
and My daughters from the ends of the earth⁽ⁿ⁾—
⁷ everyone called by My name
and created for My glory.
I have formed him; indeed, I have made him."

⁸ Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,^(o)
and are deaf, yet have ears.
⁹ All the nations are gathered together,
and the peoples are assembled.^(p)
Who among them can declare this,^(q)
and tell us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate themselves,
so that people may hear and say, "It is true."
¹⁰ "You are My witnesses"^(r)—
this is the Lord 's declaration—
"and My servant whom I have chosen,^(s)
so that you may know and believe Me
and understand that I am He.^(t)
No god was formed before Me,
and there will be none after Me.^(u)
11 I, I am Yahweh,
and there is no other Savior but Me.^(v)
12 I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed—
and not some foreign god^[a] among you.
So you are My witnesses"—
this is the Lord 's declaration—
"and^[b] I am God.^(w)
13 Also, from today on I am He alone,
and none can deliver from My hand.^(x)
I act, and who can reverse it?"^(y)

Because of you, I will send to Babylon
and bring all of them as fugitives,^[c]
even the Chaldeans^(ab) in the ships in which they rejoice.^[d]
15 I am Yahweh, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says—
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path through surging waters,^(ac)
17 who brings out the chariot and horse,^(ad)
the army and the mighty one together
(they lie down, they do not rise again;
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick^(ae))—
¹⁸ "Do not remember the past events,
pay no attention to things of old.^(af)
19 Look, I am about to do something new;^(ag)
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,^(ah)
rivers^[e] in the desert.
²⁰ The animals of the field will honor Me,
jackals and ostriches,
because I provide water in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert,^(ai)
to give drink to My chosen people.
²¹ The people I formed for Myself
will declare My praise.^(aj)

²² "But Jacob, you have not called on Me,
because, Israel, you have become weary of Me.^(ak)
23 You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings
or honored Me with your sacrifices.^(al)
I have not burdened you with offerings
or wearied you with incense.^[f]
24 You have not bought Me aromatic cane with silver,
or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened Me with your sins;
you have wearied Me^(am) with your iniquities.^(an)

²⁵ "It is I who sweep away your transgressions^(ao)
for My own sake^(ap)
and remember your sins no more.^(aq)
26 Take Me to court; let us argue our case together.^(ar)
State your case, so that you may be vindicated.
²⁷ Your first father sinned,^(as)
and your mediators have rebelled against Me.^(at)
28 So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary,
and set Jacob apart for destruction^(au)
and Israel for abuse.

¹ "And now listen, Jacob My servant,
Israel whom I have chosen.^(a)
2 This is the word of the Lord
your Maker who formed you from the womb;
He^[a] will help you:
Do not fear; Jacob is My servant;
I have chosen Jeshurun.^[b](b)
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit^(c) on your descendants
and My blessing on your offspring.
⁴ They will sprout among^[c] the grass
like poplars by flowing streams.
⁵ This one will say, ‘I am the Lord 's';
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord 's,'
and name himself by the name of Israel."

I am the first and I am the last.^(e)
There is no God but Me.^(f)
7 Who, like Me, can announce the future?
Let him say so and make a case before Me,^(g)
since I have established an ancient people.
Let these gods declare^[d] the coming things,
and what will take place.
⁸ Do not be startled or afraid.
Have I not told you and declared it long ago?
You are my witnesses!^(h)
Is there any God but Me?⁽ⁱ⁾
There is no other Rock;^(j) I do not know any.

⁹ All who make idols are nothing,
and what they treasure does not profit.
Their witnesses do not see or know anything,
so they will be put to shame.^(k)
10 Who makes a god or casts a metal image
for no profit?^(l)
11 Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame,
and the craftsmen are humans.
They all will assemble and stand;
they all will be startled and put to shame.

¹² The ironworker labors over the coals,
shapes the idol with hammers,
and works it with his strong arm.
Also he grows hungry and his strength fails;
he doesn't drink water and is faint.
¹³ The woodworker stretches out a measuring line,
he outlines it with a stylus;
he shapes it with chisels
and outlines it with a compass.
He makes it according to a human likeness,^(m)
like a beautiful person,
to dwell in a temple.
¹⁴ He cuts down^[e] cedars for his use,
or he takes a cypress or an oak.
He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
¹⁵ It serves as fuel for man.
He takes some of it and warms himself;
also he kindles a fire and bakes bread;
he even makes it into a god and worships it;
he makes an idol from it and bows down to it.
¹⁶ He burns half of it in a fire,
and he roasts meat on that half.
He eats the roast and is satisfied.
He warms himself and says, "Ah!
I am warm, I see the blaze."
¹⁷ He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it.
He bows down to it and worships;
He prays to it,⁽ⁿ⁾ "Save me, for you are my god."
¹⁸ Such people^[f] do not comprehend
and cannot understand,
for He has shut their eyes^[g] so they cannot see,
and their minds so they cannot understand.
¹⁹ No one reflects,
no one has the perception or insight to say,
"I burned half of it in the fire,
I also baked bread on its coals,
I roasted meat and ate.
I will make something detestable^(o) with the rest of it,
and I will bow down to a block of wood."
²⁰ He feeds on^[h] ashes.
His deceived mind has led him astray,
and he cannot deliver himself,
or say, "Isn't there a lie in my right hand?"^(p)

²¹ Remember these things, Jacob,
and Israel, for you are My servant;
I formed you, you are My servant;
Israel, you will never be forgotten by Me.^[i](q)
22 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,^(r)
and your sins like a mist.
Return to Me,^(s)
for I have redeemed you.^(t)
23 Rejoice, heavens,^(u) for the Lord has acted;
shout, depths of the earth.
Break out into singing, mountains,
forest, and every tree in it.
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
and glorifies Himself through Israel.^(v)

I am Yahweh, who made everything;
who stretched out the heavens by Myself;^(y)
who alone spread out the earth;
²⁵ who destroys the omens of the false prophets
and makes fools of diviners;
who confounds the wise
and makes their knowledge foolishness;^(z)
26 who confirms the message of His servant
and fulfills the counsel of His messengers;
who says to Jerusalem, "She will be inhabited,"
and to the cities of Judah, "They will be rebuilt,"
and I will restore her ruins;
²⁷ who says to the depths of the sea, "Be dry,"
and I will dry up your rivers;
²⁸ who says to Cyrus,^(aa) "My shepherd,
he will fulfill all My pleasure"^(ab)
and says to Jerusalem, "She will be rebuilt,"^(ac)
and of the temple, "Its foundation will be laid."