Isaiah 4
1 Seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel, only let us be called by your name, to take away our disgrace.”
2 In that day, the Lord will shine in counsel and glory on the earth, to exalt and glorify those of Israel who remain.
3 And it shall come to pass that those who remain in Zion and in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem,
4 because the Lord shall wash away the filth of the sons and the daughters of Zion, and shall purge the blood of Jerusalem from their midst by the Spirit of judgment and the Spirit of burning.†
5 He shall come and there shall be with regard to Mt. Zion and everything round about, a cloud to overshadow it by day, and as it were smoke and light of fire burning at night, and it shall be covered altogether with glory.
6 It shall be for shade from the heat, for a place of shelter, and for a hiding-place from inclement weather and rain.
Psalms 62
1 A psalm by David, when he was in the desert of Judea. †
2 O God, my God, I rise early to be with You; My soul thirsts for You. How often my flesh thirsts for You In a desolate, impassable, and waterless land.
3 So in the holy place I appear before You, To see Your power and Your glory.
4 Because Your mercy is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
5 Thus I will bless You in my life; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
6 May my soul be filled, as if with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall sing praise to You with lips filled with rejoicing.
7 If I remembered You on my bed, I meditated on You at daybreak;
8 For You are my helper, And in the shelter of Your wings I will greatly rejoice.
9 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand takes hold of me.
10 But they seek for my soul in vain; They shall go into the lowest parts of the earth.
11 They shall be given over to the edge of the sword; They shall be a portion for foxes.
12 But the king shall be glad in God; All who swear by Him shall be praised, For the mouth that speaks unrighteous things is stopped.
Proverbs of Solomon 12
26 The hand of the chosen shall prevail easily, But the deceitful shall be for captivity.
27 A fearful word troubles the heart of a righteous man, But a good message makes him glad.
28 A righteous arbiter shall be his own friend, But the decisions of the ungodly are unreasonable.
29 Evil things shall pursue sinners, And the way of the ungodly will lead them astray.
30 A deceitful man will not gain his prey, But a pure man is a precious possession.
31 In the ways of righteousness there is life, But the ways of remembering wrongs are unto death.†
2 Corinthians 1
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sharing Suffering, Sharing Comfort
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,†
4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.†
7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
Sharing in Adversity by Prayer
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.†
9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,
10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,
11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.
Paul’s Pure Conscience Toward Corinth
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
13 For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end†
14 (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Paul Does Not Vacillate
15 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit— †
16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea.
17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No?
18 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.†
20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.†
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,†
22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.