WELS Through my Bible in Three Years

By WELSReligion & Spirituality Christianity

WELS Through my Bible in Three Years episodes

February 01, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – February 1
Through My Bible Yr 2 – February 1
Matthew 4 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – FEbruary 1
Matthew 4 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0201db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
Matthew 4
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The Tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered, “It is written:
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” [1]
5 Then the Devil took him into the holy city. He placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you. And they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” [2]
7 Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written:
You shall not test the Lord your God.” [3]
8 Again the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:
Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” [4]
11 Then the Devil left him, and just then angels came and served him.
Jesus Begins to Preach
12 When Jesus heard that John was put in prison, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 He did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light,
    and on those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death a light has dawned. [5]
17 From that time, Jesus began to preach: “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”
“Come, Follow Me”
18 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
23 Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread throughout all Syria. People brought to him all who were ill with various diseases and suffering severe pains, the demon-possessed, those who experienced seizures, and the paralyzed. Then he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Footnotes
Matthew 4:4 Deuteronomy 8:3
Matthew 4:6 Psalm 91:11-12
Matthew 4:7 Deuteronomy 6:16
Matthew 4:10 Deuteronomy 6:13
Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1-2

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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4 min
January 31, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 31
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 31
Matthew 3 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 31
Matthew 3 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0131db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
Matthew 3
1 In those days, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 2 “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” 3 Yes, this is he of whom this was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.” [1]
4 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him. 6 They were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit in keeping with repentance! 9 Do not think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 Already the ax is ready to strike [2] the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I baptize you with water for repentance. But the one who comes after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John Baptizes Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John at the Jordan. 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”
15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, because it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John let him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened for him! He saw the Spirit of God, descending like a dove and landing on him, 17 and a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with him.”

Footnotes
Matthew 3:3 Isaiah 40:3
Matthew 3:10 Literally is placed against

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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3 min
January 30, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 30
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 30
Matthew 2 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 30
Bible reading based on Matthew 2 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0130db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
The Visit of the Wise Men
Matthew 2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, 2 “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose [1] and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 He gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet:
6 You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.” [2]
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.”
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose [3] went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11 After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.
Flight to Egypt
13 After the Wise Men were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod will search for the child in order to kill him.”
14 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod. This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” [4]
Herod Kills the Boys
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Wise Men, he was furious. He issued orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under. This was in keeping with the exact time he had learned from the Wise Men. 17 Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
    Rachel weeping for her children,
    and she refused to be comforted,
    because they are no more. [5]
Return to Nazareth
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. The angel said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded his father as ruler in Judea, he was afraid to go there. Since he had been warned in a dream, he went to the region of Galilee. 23 When he arrived there, he settled in a city called Nazareth. So what was spoken through the prophets was fulfilled: “He will be called a Nazarene.” [6]

Footnotes
Matthew 2:2 Or in the east
Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:9 Or in the east
Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
Matthew 2:18 Jeremiah 31:15
Matthew 2:23 The text does not indicate that this is a direct quotation of the Old Testament, and it does not seem to be an exact quotation of any passage in the Old Testament Scriptures.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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4 min
January 29, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 29
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 29
Matthew 1 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 29
Bible reading based on Matthew 1 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0129db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
Matthew 1
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father [1] of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the Babylonian exile.
12 After the Babylonian exile, Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born (who is called Christ).
17 So altogether there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen generations from the Babylonian exile to Christ.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. His mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage [2] to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her. So he decided to divorce her privately. 20 But as he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, [3] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will name him Immanuel,” [4] which means, “God with us.”
24 When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife, [5]

Footnotes
Matthew 1:8 The Greek word for father of does not always mean immediate ancestor, but can also mean grandfather or male ancestor. In this genealogy, some generations are deliberately skipped to arrive at three groups of fourteen generations (verse 17). Three names are omitted after Joram: Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:25; 2 Chronicles 22:1), Joash (2 Kings 11:21; 12:1 [Hebrew text]; 2 Chronicles 24:1), and Amaziah (2 Kings 14:1; 2 Chronicles 25:1).
Matthew 1:18 Or betrothed
Matthew 1:21 Jesus means the Lord saves.
Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14
Matthew 1:25 Some witnesses to the text omit her firstborn and simply read she gave birth to a son. (“Witnesses to the text” mentioned in footnotes may include Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, translations, and quotations in the church fathers.)

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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4 min
January 28, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 28
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 28
Isaiah 66 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 28
Bible reading based on Isaiah 66 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0128db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
Isaiah 66
This is what the Lord says.
The heavens are my throne,
and the earth is a footstool under my feet.
Where, then, is the house that you could build for me?
Where, then, is a place that could serve as my resting place?
2 For my hand made all these things,
so all these things came into existence,
declares the Lord.
Those Who Tremble at the Lord’s Word
Yet this is the person I will watch over:
    the one who is afflicted and whose spirit is crushed,
    the one who trembles at my word.
3 One who slaughters an ox, also smites a person.
One who sacrifices a lamb, also breaks the neck of a dog.
One who offers a grain offering, also offers the blood of pigs.
One who offers memorial incense, also blesses a useless idol.
Yes, they have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their detestable things.
4 So I myself will choose their punishments,
and the things that terrify them I will bring to them,
because I called, and there was no one who answered.
I spoke, and they did not listen.
They did what is evil in my eyes,
and they chose things that do not please me.
5 Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word.
Your brothers, who hate you
and exclude you for the sake of my name, say:
“Let the Lord be glorified so that we may see your joy.”
But they themselves will be put to shame.
6 Listen! An uproar in the city,
the sound of an uproar from the temple,
the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies in full!
Lady Zion’s Final Blessing
7 Before she suffers labor pains, she gives birth.
Before birth pain comes upon her, she delivers a male child.
8 Who has ever heard of something like this?
Who has ever seen such a thing?
Is a land brought forth in one day?
Is a nation born all at once?
But as soon as Zion experiences labor pains, she gives birth
    to her children.
9 Would I bring a baby to the point of birth and not let it be born?
says the Lord.
Or would I let a baby be conceived but shut the womb to prevent
    its birth?
says your God.
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem and celebrate with her, all you who love her.
Share her joy with her, all you who have been mourning over her,
11 so that you may nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breast,
so that you may suck and find delight from her milk-filled breasts. [1]
12 Yes, this is what the Lord says.
I am ready to extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream.
You will be nursed. You will be carried on her side,
and you will be bounced on her knees.
13 Just like a man [2] whom his mother comforts,
in the same way I myself will comfort you,
and you will be comforted concerning Jerusalem.
14 Then you will see, and your heart will be glad.
Like grass you will receive new strength, right down to your bones.
Then the Lord’s hand will be known to his servants,
but his fury to his enemies.
15 Look, the Lord will come like fire,
and his chariots like a whirlwind,
to pour out his furious anger
and his rebuke like flames of fire.
16 For the Lord will bring judgment on all flesh
    by fire and by his sword,
and those slain by the Lord will be many.
17 Those who try to sanctify themselves
and those who try to purify themselves
    in order to follow others into the groves,
    in order to eat the meat of pigs and other disgusting things like mice—
together they will be swept away, declares the Lord.
18 As for me, because of their works and their thoughts,
the time is coming for me to gather people from all nations
    and all languages.
They will come, and they will see my glory.
19 Then I will set up a sign among them,
and I will send out survivors from among them to the nations,
to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, [3] to those who are archers,
to Tubal and Javan, [4] to the distant coastlands,
who have not heard my message and have not seen my glory.
Then they will declare my glory among the nations.
20 Then they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them on horses and chariots and wagons and mules and dromedaries [5] to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, in the same way that the people of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the Lord’s house. 21 Even from among these people I will take priests and Levites, says the Lord.
22 For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain standing before me, declares the Lord, in the same way your offspring and your name will stand. 23 As often as one new moon follows another and one Sabbath follows another, all flesh will come to worship before me, says the Lord.
24 They will go out, and they will see the corpses of the ones who were rebelling against me, for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and all flesh will be horrified by them.

Footnotes
Isaiah 66:11 Literally her heavy or glorious nipple
Isaiah 66:13 The Hebrew uses the word man rather than child.
Isaiah 66:19 Tarshish was in the western Mediterranean, probably in Spain. Pul is probably the same as Put, a region in Libya. Lud may also be in Libya but may refer to Lydia in present-day Turkey.
Isaiah 66:19 Tubal was in the distant north. Javan refers to the Ionian Greeks.
Isaiah 66:20 Or two-humped camels

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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6 min
January 27, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 27
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 27
Isaiah 65 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 27
Bible reading based on Isaiah 65 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0127db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
The Lord’s Response
Isaiah 65
1 I was available to those who did not ask.
I let myself be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I reached out my hands all day to a stubborn people,
who are walking in a way that is not good,
who follow their own ideas.
3 This people continually provokes me to anger, right to my face,
    by sacrificing in the groves,
    by burning incense on the bricks.
4 They sit in tombs
and keep their vigils all night.
They eat the flesh of pigs,
and broth made from unclean meat is in their pots.
5 They say, “Keep to yourself.
Do not touch me because I am too holy for you.”
These people are smoke in my nostrils,
like a fire burning all day.
6 Look, I have put it in writing.
I will not be silent until I repay them.
I will repay into their lap
7     both their [1] guilt and the guilt of their fathers,
    says the Lord.
Because they burned incense upon the mountains,
and upon the hills they ridiculed me,
so I will measure out their full pay into their lap.
8 This is what the Lord says.
Just as sweet wine is found in the grape cluster,
so that someone says, “Do not destroy it
because there is a blessing in it,”
so I will act in the same way for the sake of my servants,
in order not to destroy the whole people.
9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will inherit my mountains,
so that my chosen ones will possess the land,
and my servants will dwell there.
10 Sharon will become a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
for my people who seek me.
11 But you who are abandoning the Lord,
you who have forgotten my holy mountain,
who are setting a table for Fortune,
who are pouring out mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword.
All of you will bow down to be slaughtered,
because I called, but you did not answer.
I spoke, but you did not listen.
You committed evil in my eyes,
and you chose that which does not please me.
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says.
Watch! My servants will eat,
but you will go hungry.
Watch! My servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty.
Watch! My servants will rejoice,
but you will be ashamed.
14 Watch! My servants will shout because of the joy in their heart,
but you will cry out because of the pain in your heart,
and because of a broken spirit you will wail.
15 You will leave your name for my chosen ones to use as a curse,
and the Lord God will put you to death,
but he will call his servants by another name,
16 so that anyone on earth who blesses himself
    will bless himself by the God of Amen, [2]
and anyone on the earth who swears
    will swear by the God of Amen!
For the past troubles will be forgotten.
Yes, they are certainly hidden from my eyes.
The Lord’s New Creation
17 Watch this! I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered.
They will not come to mind.
18 Instead, rejoice and celebrate forever, because of what I am creating.
Watch this! I am about to create Jerusalem to be a source of gladness,
and her people will be a source of joy.
19 I also will be glad because of Jerusalem,
and I will rejoice over my people.
The sound of weeping will not be heard in her again,
nor will the sound of crying.
20 There will never again be an infant there who lives for only a few days,
or an elderly man who does not fill out all his days,
for one who dies at a hundred will be considered a young man,
and one who fails to attain the age of one hundred will be regarded
        as cursed.
21 Then they will build houses and live in them.
They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build a house and have another person live in it.
They will not plant and have another person eat the crop,
for the days of my people will be like the days of a tree,
and my chosen ones will enjoy all the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor only to receive nothing,
and they will not give birth to children doomed to disaster,
for they will be offspring who are blessed by the Lord,
and their descendants will be with them.
24 Then even before they call, I will answer.
While they are still speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together,
and lions will eat straw like cattle,
but the serpent will eat dust as its food.
They will not harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain,
says the Lord.

Footnotes
Isaiah 65:7 Some Hebrew manuscripts read your.
Isaiah 65:16 Amen is the literal rendering.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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6 min
January 26, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 26
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 26
Isaiah 63:7 – 64:12 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 26
Isaiah 63:7 – 64:12 (EHV)
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-0126db.mp3
See series: Through My Bible
Isaiah’s Announcement
Isaiah 63
7 I will tell about the Lord’s mercies,
about the praises of the Lord,
about all that the Lord has done for us,
about his great goodness to the house of Israel,
which he performed for them according to his abundant compassion,
and according to his great mercy.
8 He said, “Surely they are my people,
children who will not deal falsely,”
so he became their Savior.
9 In all their anguish he felt anguish, [1]
and the Angel of his Presence saved them.
In his love and in his pity he himself redeemed them,
and he took them up and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit,
so he turned against them and became an enemy.
He himself fought against them.
11 Yet he remembered the days of old,
the days of Moses and his people.
Isaiah’s Plea
Where is the one who brought them up from the sea,
    with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is the one who set his Holy Spirit in their midst,
12 who sent his majestic arm to the right hand of Moses,
who divided waters before them
    to make an everlasting name for himself,
13 who let them walk through the depths?
Like a horse in the wilderness, they did not stumble.
14 Like cattle that descend into a valley,
they were given rest by the Lord’s Spirit.
This is how you led your people
    to make a majestic name for yourself.
15 Gaze down from the heavens and see,
from your holy and beautiful dwelling place.
Where is your zeal and your might?
The feelings of your heart and your compassion
    are withheld from me.
16 But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
though Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, the Lord, are our Father.
Our Redeemer from everlasting is your name.
17 Why do you cause us to wander from your ways, Lord?
Why do you harden our heart so that we do not fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes that are your heritage.
18 For a short time your holy people possessed the land.
Now our adversaries have trampled your sanctuary.
19 We have been your people from ancient times,
but you have not ruled over the other nations.
They were not called by your name. [2]
Isaiah 64
1 Oh, that you would rip open the heavens and come down.
Mountains then would quake because of your presence. [3]
2 As fire ignites stubble and as fire makes water boil,
make your name known to your adversaries.
Then nations would quake in your presence.
3 You did amazing things that we did not expect.
You came down. Mountains quaked because of your presence.
4 From ancient times no one has heard.
No ear has understood.
No eye has seen any god except you,
who goes into action for the one who waits for him.
5 You meet anyone who joyfully practices righteousness,
who remembers you by walking in your ways!
But you were angry because we sinned.
We have remained in our sins for a long time.
Can we still be saved?
6 All of us have become like something unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth. [4]
All of us have withered like a leaf,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
7 There is no one who calls on your name,
who rouses himself to take hold of you.
So you hid your face from us.
You made us melt by the power of our guilt.
8 But now, Lord, you are our father.
We are the clay, and you are our potter.
All of us are the work of your hand.
9 Do not be angry, Lord, without limit.
Do not remember our guilt forever.
Please look closely.
All of us are your people.
Isaiah’s Lament
10 Your holy cities have become a wilderness.
Zion has become a wilderness.
Jerusalem is a desolation.
11 Our holy and glorious house, where our fathers praised you,
    has been burned by fire,
    and everything we desired has become a ruin.
12 Since this is so, how can you hold back, O Lord?
How can you remain silent and afflict us without limit?

Footnotes
Isaiah 63:9 An alternate Hebrew reading is he did not feel anguish.
Isaiah 63:19 Or we have become like those you never ruled, like those who are not called by your name
Isaiah 64:1 English 64:1 is part of 63:19 in Hebrew. All the subsequent verse numbers in chapter 64 are one number higher in English than they are in Hebrew.
Isaiah 64:6 Literally the cloth of periods. The blood of a woman’s period made anyone who contacted it ceremonially unclean.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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6 min
January 25, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 25
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 25
Isaiah 61 – 63:6 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 25
Isaiah 61 – 63:6 (EHV)
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The Fifth Servant Song
The Spirit Anoints Him [1]
Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the afflicted.
He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release for those who are bound,
2     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance for our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
3     to provide for those who mourn in Zion,
    to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
    the oil of joy instead of mourning,
    a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit,
    so that they will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord to display his beauty.
The Result of the Servant’s Work
4 Then they will rebuild ancient ruins.
They will raise up what was formerly devastated,
and they will renew ruined cities,
    which have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will stand and shepherd your flock,
and foreigners will be your farmers and vinedressers.
6 You will be called the Lord’s priests.
You will be named ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
and you will boast about their riches.
7 In place of your shame, you will receive a double portion.
Instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their share of the land.
In fact, in their land they will inherit a double portion.
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 Yes, I am the Lord. I love justice.
I hate robbery in a burnt offering. [2]
I will repay them in faithfulness,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring will be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
    that they are offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord.
My soul will celebrate because of my God,
for he has clothed me in garments of salvation.
With a robe of righteousness he covered me,
like a bridegroom who wears a beautiful headdress like a priest,
and like a bride who adorns herself with her jewelry.
11 For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden causes what has been sown to sprout up,
so God the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up
    in the presence of all the nations.
For Zion’s Sake, Cry Out
Isaiah 62
1 For the sake of Zion I will not be silent.
For the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth shining brightly,
and her salvation burns like a torch.
2 Nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings will see your glory.
You will be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will assign to you.
3 Then you will be a beautiful crown in the Lord’s hand,
and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.
4 You will never again be called Abandoned, [3]
and your land will never again be called Desolation, [4]
for you will be called My Delight Is in Her, [5]
and your land will be called Married, [6]
because the Lord delights in you,
and your land will be married.
5 For just as a young man marries a virgin,
your sons will marry [7] you,
and just as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
your God will rejoice over you.
6 Upon your walls, Jerusalem, I appointed watchmen.
All day and all night they will never be silent.
You who keep reminding the Lord, do not rest!
7 Do not give him rest
until he establishes Jerusalem,
and he causes her to be praised on the earth.
8 The Lord swore by his right hand
and by his strong arm:
    I will certainly never again give up your grain as food
        for your enemies,
    and foreigners will not drink the sweet new wine you worked for.
9     For those who pick fruit will eat it, and they will praise the Lord,
    and those who harvest grapes will drink in my holy courtyards.
10 Go through, go through the gates.
Prepare a way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway.
Clear it of stones.
Raise a banner for the peoples.
11 Listen, the Lord is making a proclamation to the end of the earth.
Tell the daughter of Zion:
“Look, your salvation is coming.
Look, his reward is with him,
and his compensation is out in front of him.” [8]
12 Then they will be called holy people,
the redeemed of the Lord.
Then you will be called Sought After,
A City Not Abandoned.
The Day of Vengeance
The Prophet’s Question
Isaiah 63
1 Who is this coming from Edom, with bright red garments?
Who is this coming from Bozrah, clothed majestically,
marching out [9] with great strength?
The Servant’s Response
It is I, the one who speaks in righteousness.
It is I, the one who is mighty to save.
The Prophet’s Question
2 Why is your clothing so red?
Why are your garments like those of someone
    who has been trampling grapes in a winepress?
The Servant’s Response
3 I have trodden the winepress alone,
and from the peoples there was no one with me.
So I stomped on them in my anger,
and I trampled them in my wrath,
and their juice splattered on my garments.
I stained all my clothing.
4 For the day for vengeance was in my heart,
and the year for my redemption has come.
5 I looked intently but there was no helper.
I was shocked that no one supported me.
My arm delivered me,
and my wrath supported me.
6 I trampled the peoples in my anger.
I made them drunk in my wrath,
and I will pour out their juice [10] onto the ground.

Footnotes
Isaiah 61:1 This song does not contain the title servant, but it is part of the same set of descriptions of the Messiah as the earlier Servant Songs.
Isaiah 61:8 The translation follows the reading of most Hebrew manuscripts. A variant found in some Hebrew manuscripts and supported by the ancient versions reads with wrongdoing.
Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Azubah
Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Shemamah
Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Hephzibah
Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Beulah
Isaiah 62:5 Or your Builder will marry you. In Hebrew the words your builder and your sons look alike.
Isaiah 62:11 This may refer to the people whom the Messiah has won by his labor, or it may refer to the gifts he brings for his people.
Isaiah 63:1 The translation follows the Syriac and Latin. The Hebrew reads bending over.
Isaiah 63:6 That is, their lifeblood

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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7 min
January 24, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 24
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 24
Isaiah 60 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 24
Isaiah 60 (EHV)
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See series: Through My Bible
A New Day Dawns for Zion
Isaiah 60
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord is dawning upon you.
2 Look, darkness covers the earth,
and deep darkness covers the peoples,
but the Lord will dawn upon you,
and his glory will be seen over you.
3 Nations will walk to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 Look up. Look all around and see!
All of them have been gathered. They are coming to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
and people will carry your daughters on their side.
5 Then you will look and be radiant.
Your heart will race with excitement and burst with joy.
For great riches from the sea will be delivered to you.
The wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 Caravans of camels will cover your land,
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba will come.
They will carry gold and incense,
and they will announce the good news of the praise of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you.
Rams from Nebaioth will serve as sacrifices for you.
They will be accepted as burnt offerings on my altar,
and I will beautify my splendid house.
8 Who are these who fly along like a cloud,
who fly like doves to their coops?
9 Yes, the coastlands will wait for me with hope,
and the ships of Tarshish will be the first
to bring your children from far away.
They will have their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he makes you beautiful.
10 Then foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you,
because in my wrath I struck you,
but in my favor I had mercy on you.
11 Then your gates will always remain open.
Day and night they will not be shut,
in order to bring you the wealth of the nations,
and their kings will be led in procession.
12 For the nation and the kingdom that do not serve you will perish.
Such nations will be completely devastated.
13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you:
the fir, the maple, and the pine tree together.
They will beautify my holy place,
and I will glorify my footstool.
14 Then the children of your oppressors will walk up to you and bow down.
All who despise you will fall down under the soles of your feet,
and they will call you the city of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 You were abandoned and hated, with no one walking through you,
but now I will make you a source of everlasting pride,
a joy from generation to generation.
16 You will nurse on the milk of the nations,
and you will nurse at the breast of kings.
You will know that I am the Lord, your Savior,
and that your Redeemer is the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold.
Instead of iron I will bring silver,
instead of wood, copper,
and instead of stones, iron.
And I will make peace your overseer,
and righteousness your strong ruler.
18 Violence will never again be heard in your land,
nor destruction and ruin in your boundaries.
Instead, you will call your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will never again be your light by day,
and the moon will not shine to provide brightness for you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your splendor.
20 Your sun will never again set,
and your moon will not wane,
because the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your mourning will be over.
21 As for your people, all of them will be righteous.
They will inherit the earth forever.
They are shoots I have planted,
the work of my hands, to display my beauty.
22 The smallest will become an army of a thousand,
and the least will become a powerful nation.
I am the Lord.
When the time is right, I will do it quickly.

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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5 min
January 23, 2025Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 23
Through My Bible Yr 2 – January 23
Isaiah 59 (EHV)

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Through My Bible – January 23
Isaiah 59 (EHV)
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See series: Through My Bible
Guilt Separates People From God
Isaiah 59
Listen to me! The Lord’s arm is not too short to save,
and his ear is not too deaf to hear.
2 No, it is your guilt that has separated you from your God,
and your sins have hidden God’s face from you,
so that he does not hear.
3 Look, your hands are polluted with blood,
and your fingers drip guilt.
Your lips speak lies.
Your tongue mutters dishonesty.
4 No one calls for justice,
and no one argues his cases honestly.
They rely on empty arguments and commit perjury!
They conceive trouble and give birth to wickedness!
5 They hatch viper eggs,
and they weave spider webs.
Anyone who eats their eggs will die,
and a cracked egg hatches into a venomous snake.
6 They cannot make a garment from their webs,
and they will not be able to cover themselves with their deeds.
Their deeds are evil deeds,
and violent actions fill their hands.
7 Their feet run to do evil,
and they hurry to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are futile [1] thoughts.
Destruction and ruin are the destination of their highways.
8 They do not know the road to peace,
and there is no justice on the route they follow.
They made crooked paths for themselves.
No one who walks on them will experience peace.
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but look, there is only darkness.
We hope for bright light, but we walk around in the darkest gloom.
10 We grope along a wall like blind men.
We grope like people with no eyes.
We stumble at noon as if it were twilight.
Among the healthy, we are like dead men.
11 We growl like bears—all of us—
and like doves we always mourn.
We hope for justice, but there is none.
We hope for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 Yes, our rebellious deeds are many before you,
and our sins testify against us.
Our rebellious deeds are with us,
and as for our guilty deeds, we are aware of them.
13 Those deeds are rebellion and treachery against the Lord.
We turn back from following our God.
We incite oppression and apostasy.
We conceive and mutter deceitful words from our hearts.
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far away,
for truth stumbles in the city square,
and honesty cannot enter it.
15 The truth is missing,
and anyone who turns from evil makes himself prey. [2]
The Lord looked and saw something evil—
there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one.
He was appalled that there was no one who could intervene.
So his own arm worked salvation for him,
and his own righteousness supported him.
17 He clothed himself with righteousness like armor
and wore a helmet of salvation on his head.
He dressed in garments for vengeance,
and he wrapped himself with zeal like a cloak.
18 He will repay in full what they have earned,
namely, wrath to his foes and full payment to his enemies.
He will repay even the distant coastlands.
19 From the west they will fear the Lord’s name,
and from the rising of the sun they will fear his glory,
for he will come like a raging river,
driven by the Spirit [3] of the Lord.
20 Then a redeemer will come for Zion
and for those in Jacob who turn from rebellion.
This is the declaration of the Lord.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord. My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouth of your offspring or from the mouth of their offspring, from this time forward and forever, says the Lord.
Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Footnotes
Isaiah 59:7 Or sinful
Isaiah 59:15 Or pays the price
Isaiah 59:19 Or wind or breath

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
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5 min