ARKCODEX
Isaiah
Ch. 9–10
The Future King
1There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble. The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. They lived in a land of shadows, but now light is shining on them.
3You have given them great joy, Lord; you have made them happy. They rejoice in what you have done, as people rejoice when they harvest grain or when they divide captured wealth.
4For you have broken the yoke that burdened them and the rod that beat their shoulders. You have defeated the nation that oppressed and exploited your people, just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.
5The boots of the invading army and all their bloodstained clothing will be destroyed by fire.
6A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.”
7His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace. He will rule as King David's successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time. The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this.
The Lord Will Punish Israel
8The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob.
9All the people of Israel, everyone who lives in the city of Samaria, will know that he has done this. Now they are proud and arrogant. They say,
10“The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar.”
11The Lord has stirred up their enemies to attack them.
12Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
13The people of Israel have not repented; even though the Lord Almighty has punished them, they have not returned to him.
14In a single day the Lord will punish Israel's leaders and its people; he will cut them off, head and tail.
15The old and honorable men are the head—and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies!
16Those who lead these people have misled them and totally confused them.
17And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
18The wickedness of the people burns like a fire that destroys thorn bushes and thistles. It burns like a forest fire that sends up columns of smoke.
19Because the Lord Almighty is angry, his punishment burns like a fire throughout the land and destroys the people, and it is each of us for ourselves.
20Everywhere in the country people snatch and eat any bit of food they can find, but their hunger is never satisfied. They even eat their own children!
21The people of Manasseh and the people of Ephraim attack each other, and together they attack Judah. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
Isaiah 10
1You are doomed! You make unjust laws that oppress my people.
2That is how you keep the poor from having their rights and from getting justice. That is how you take the property that belongs to widows and orphans.
3What will you do when God punishes you? What will you do when he brings disaster on you from a distant country? Where will you run to find help? Where will you hide your wealth?
4You will be killed in battle or dragged off as prisoners. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended; his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
The Emperor of Assyria as the Instrument of God
5The Lord said, “Assyria! I use Assyria like a club to punish those with whom I am angry.
6I sent Assyria to attack a godless nation, people who have made me angry. I sent them to loot and steal and trample the people like dirt in the streets.”
7But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations.
8He boasts, “Every one of my commanders is a king!
9I conquered the cities of Calno and Carchemish, the cities of Hamath and Arpad. I conquered Samaria and Damascus.
10I reached out to punish those kingdoms that worship idols, idols more numerous than those of Jerusalem and Samaria.
11I have destroyed Samaria and all its idols, and I will do the same to Jerusalem and the images that are worshiped there.”
12But the Lord says, “When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride.”
13The emperor of Assyria boasts, “I have done it all myself. I am strong and wise and clever. I wiped out the boundaries between nations and took the supplies they had stored. Like a bull I have trampled the people who live there.
14The nations of the world were like a bird's nest, and I gathered their wealth as easily as gathering eggs. Not a wing fluttered to scare me off; no beak opened to scream at me!”
15But the Lord says, “Can an ax claim to be greater than the one who uses it? Is a saw more important than the one who saws with it? A club doesn't lift up a person; a person lifts up a club.”
16The Lord Almighty is going to send disease to punish those who are now well-fed. In their bodies there will be a fire that burns and burns.
17God, the light of Israel, will become a fire. Israel's holy God will become a flame, which in a single day will burn up everything, even the thorns and thistles.
18The rich forests and farmlands will be totally destroyed, in the same way that a fatal sickness destroys someone.
19There will be so few trees left that even a child will be able to count them.
A Few Will Come Back
20A time is coming when the people of Israel who have survived will not rely any more on the nation that almost destroyed them. They will truly put their trust in the Lord, Israel's holy God.
21A few of the people of Israel will come back to their mighty God.
22Even though now there are as many people of Israel as there are grains of sand by the sea, only a few will come back. Destruction is in store for the people, and it is fully deserved.
23Yes, throughout the whole country the Sovereign Lord Almighty will bring destruction, as he said he would.
The Lord Will Punish Assyria
24The Sovereign Lord Almighty says to his people who live in Zion, “Do not be afraid of the Assyrians, even though they oppress you as the Egyptians used to do.
25In only a little while I will finish punishing you, and then I will destroy them.
26I, the Lord Almighty, will beat them with my whip as I did the people of Midian at Oreb Rock. I will punish Assyria as I punished Egypt.
27When that time comes, I will free you from the power of Assyria, and their yoke will no longer be a burden on your shoulders.”
The Invader Attacks
28The enemy army has captured the city of Ai! They have passed through Migron! They left their supplies at Michmash!
29They have crossed the pass and are spending the night at Geba! The people in the town of Ramah are terrified, and the people in King Saul's hometown of Gibeah have run away.
30Shout, people of Gallim! Listen, people of Laishah! Answer, people of Anathoth!
31The people of Madmenah and Gebim are running for their lives.
32Today the enemy are in the town of Nob, and there they are shaking their fists at Mount Zion, at the city of Jerusalem.
33The Lord Almighty will bring them crashing down like branches cut off a tree. The proudest and highest of them will be cut down and humiliated.
34The Lord will cut them down as trees in the heart of the forest are cut down with an ax, as even the finest trees of Lebanon fall!
Tobit
Ch. 10–12
Tobit and Anna Are Worried
1Meanwhile, every day Tobit was keeping count of the time needed to travel to Rages and back. When the time was up and his son had not returned, Tobit said to his wife,
2What can be keeping him? Do you suppose Gabael has died? Maybe there is no one to give him the money.
3Tobit was very worried.
4Then Anna said, My son is dead. I'm sure of it. She began to weep and to mourn for Tobias,
5Oh, my son, the joy of my life, why did I ever let you leave home?
6Tobit tried to comfort her. Calm down, my dear, he said. Don't worry. He will be all right. Something unexpected is probably keeping them there longer than we counted on. Besides, his companion is a reliable man and a relative at that. Don't let yourself get so upset over him, dear. I'm sure he is already on his way home.
Departure from Ecbatana
7But she replied, Be quiet and leave me alone! Don't try to fool me. My son is dead. Each day she would rush out of the house to the road which Tobias had taken and would watch for him until sunset. She would let no one comfort her, and when she returned home she would weep and mourn for her son all night long, without sleeping. The two-week wedding feast which Raguel had promised to hold for his daughter Sarah came to an end. So Tobias went to him and asked, Please let me go home now. I'm certain my parents have given up all hope of ever seeing me again. Please, Raguel, let me go home to my father. I have already told you the condition he was in when I left.
8But Raguel answered, Stay, my son. Stay here with me. I will send messengers to your father to tell him that you are all right.
9But Tobias insisted, No, I can't! Please let me go back to my father.
10So Raguel gave Tobias his bride Sarah without further delay. He also gave Tobias half of everything he owned: slaves, cattle, sheep, donkeys, camels, clothes, money, and furniture.
11Raguel embraced Tobias and sent them on their way with his blessing, Good-bye, my son. Have a safe journey. May the Lord of heaven protect you and Sarah. And may I live to see your children.
12Raguel then said to Sarah, Go with your husband and live in his parents' house. From now on they are as much your parents as your own mother and I are. Let me hear only good things about you as long as I live. After saying good-bye he sent them on their way. Then Edna said to Tobias, Tobias my dear child, may the Lord bring you safely home. And may he let me live to see your children. The Lord is my witness; I am placing my daughter in your care. Never, at any time in your life, do anything that would break her heart. Have a safe journey, Tobias. From now on, Sarah is your wife and I am your mother. May we all prosper as long as we live. Then Edna kissed them both and sent them safely on their way.
Tobit 11
The Homecoming
1When Tobias left, he was as happy as could be. He praised the Lord of heaven and earth, the King of all the world, because his journey had been so successful, and he promised to honor Raguel and his wife as long as they lived. As they came near the city of Kaserin, just outside Nineveh,
2Raphael said, Tobias, you know the condition your father was in when we left him.
3We should go on ahead of your wife and get the house ready before everyone else arrives.
4Be sure to bring the fish's gall bladder with you. So they went on ahead, and Tobias' dog ran along with them.
5Meanwhile, Anna sat looking down the road for her son.
6Suddenly she saw him coming and she shouted out to Tobit, Look! Our son is coming, and his friend is with him!
7Before they reached Tobit, Raphael said to Tobias, Your father will be able to see again.
8Just put the fish's gall bladder on his eyes like a plaster. The medicine will make the white film shrivel up so that you can peel it off, and your father will then regain his eyesight.
9Anna ran to her son, threw her arms around him, and exclaimed, Now that I have seen you alive, my child, I can die in peace! And she wept for joy.
Tobit's Cure
10Tobit got up and stumbled out through the entrance of the courtyard.
11Tobias went up to him, holding the fish's gall bladder in his hand. He blew on his father's eyes and steadied him. Don't worry now, father, he said.
12-13Tobias then applied the gall, and beginning from the corners of Tobit's eyes, he peeled away the white film.
14Tobit threw his arms around Tobias' neck and wept for joy. Then he exclaimed, I can see you! My son, the light of my eyes! Praise God. Praise him for his greatness. Praise all his holy angels. May he continue to bless us. Praise all his angels forever.
15He brought this illness upon me, but now I can see my son Tobias! Then Tobias went happily into the house, praising God at the top of his voice. He told his father how successful he had been, that he had not only brought back the money, but had married Raguel's daughter Sarah, who was on her way and would soon arrive.
Sarah's Arrival
16Tobit was excited and praised God as he went out to meet his son's bride at the city gate. When the people of Nineveh saw him, they were amazed, because he was walking on his own, with no one leading him by the hand.
17Tobit praised God and told everyone how God in his mercy had restored his sight. When Tobit met Sarah, he greeted her, Welcome, daughter! Praise God for bringing you to us, my daughter. May God bless your father, as well as you and my son Tobias. Welcome to your new home. May you always be blessed with good health and happiness. Come in, daughter! It was a day of great joy for all the Jews of Nineveh.
18Tobit's nephews Ahikar and Nadab came by to share Tobit's happiness with him.
Tobit 12
The Angel Raphael
1When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called his son Tobias and said to him, Son, be sure to pay your traveling companion, and don't forget to give him a bonus.
2Tobias asked him, Father, how much do you think I should pay him? I wouldn't mind giving him half of everything we brought back with us.
3He brought me back home safe and sound; he went to get the money for me from Gabael; he rid my wife of a demon; and he cured your blindness. How much of a bonus should I give him?
4Tobit answered, Give him half of what he helped you bring back. He well deserves that.
5Tobias then called Raphael and said to him, Here is half of what you helped me bring back. You have earned it; have a safe journey home.
6Then Raphael called the two men aside and said to them, Praise God and tell everyone about the good things he has done for you, so that they too will honor him and sing his praises. Let everyone know what God has done. Never stop praising him.
7It's a good idea to keep a king's secret, but what God does should be told everywhere, so that he may be praised and honored. If you do good, no harm will come to you.
8It is better to pray sincerely and to please God by helping the poor than to be rich and dishonest. It is better to give to the poor than to store up gold.
9Such generosity will save you from death and will wash away all your sins. Those who give to the poor will live full lives,
10but those who live a life of sin and wickedness are their own worst enemies.
11I have already told you that a king's secret ought to be kept, but the things God does should be told to everyone. Now I will reveal to you the full truth and keep nothing back.
12Tobit, when you and Sarah prayed to the Lord, I was the one who brought your prayers into his glorious presence. I did the same thing each time you buried the dead.
13On the day you got up from the table without eating your meal in order to bury that corpse, God sent me to test you.
14But he also sent me to cure you and to rescue your daughter-in-law, Sarah, from her troubles.
15I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him.
16Tobit and Tobias were terrified and fell to the ground, trembling with fear.
17But Raphael said to them, Don't be afraid; everything is all right. Always remember to praise God.
18He wanted me to come and help you; I did not come on my own. So sing God's praises as long as you live.
19When you thought you saw me eating, I did not really eat anything; it only seemed so.
20While you are on this earth, you must praise the Lord God and give him thanks. Now I must go back to him who sent me. Write down everything that has happened to you.
21Then Raphael disappeared into the sky. Tobit and Tobias stood up, but they could no longer see him.
22They began to sing hymns of praise, giving thanks for all the mighty deeds God had done while his angel Raphael had been with them.
Proverbs
Ch. 10
9Honest people are safe and secure, but the dishonest will be caught.
10Someone who holds back the truth causes trouble, but one who openly criticizes works for peace.
11A good person's words are a fountain of life, but a wicked person's words hide a violent nature.
12Hate stirs up trouble, but love forgives all offenses.