October 5: Isaiah 23–25; Psalm 89:1–29; Acts 12

Isaiah 23–25 (Listen)

An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon

23The oracle concerning Tyre.

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor!
From the land of Cyprus^{Hebrew Kittim; also verse 12“>1}
it is revealed to them.
2Be still, O inhabitants of the coast;
the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
3And on many waters
your revenue was the grain of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile;
you were the merchant of the nations.
4Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken,
the stronghold of the sea, saying:
“I have neither labored nor given birth,
I have neither reared young men
nor brought up young women.”
5When the report comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish^{Hebrew they will have labor pains“>2} over the report about Tyre.
6Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
7Is this your exultant city
whose origin is from days of old,
whose feet carried her
to settle far away?
8Who has purposed this
against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9The LORD of hosts has purposed it,
to defile the pompous pride of all glory,^{The Hebrew words for glory and hosts sound alike“>3}
to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
10Cross over your land like the Nile,
O daughter of Tarshish;
there is no restraint anymore.
11He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
he has shaken the kingdoms;
the LORD has given command concerning Canaan
to destroy its strongholds.
12And he said:
“You will no more exult,
O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon;
arise, cross over to Cyprus,
even there you will have no rest.”

13Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;^{Or that has become nothing“>4} Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.

14Wail, O ships of Tarshish,
for your stronghold is laid waste.

15In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days^{Or lifetime“>5} of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

16“Take a harp;
go about the city,
O forgotten prostitute!
Make sweet melody;
sing many songs,
that you may be remembered.”

17At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD.

Judgment on the Whole Earth

24Behold, the LORD will empty the earth^{Or land; also throughout this chapter“>6} and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
2And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
for the LORD has spoken this word.


4The earth mourns and withers;
the world languishes and withers;
the highest people of the earth languish.
5The earth lies defiled
under its inhabitants;
for they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant.
6Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt;
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched,
and few men are left.
7The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
8The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9No more do they drink wine with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10The wasted city is broken down;
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
12Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.
13For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.


14They lift up their voices, they sing for joy;
over the majesty of the LORD they shout from the west.^{Hebrew from the sea“>7}
15Therefore in the east^{Hebrew in the realm of light, or with the fires“>8} give glory to the LORD;
in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
16From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise,
of glory to the Righteous One.
But I say, “I waste away,
I waste away. Woe is me!
For the traitors have betrayed,
with betrayal the traitors have betrayed.”


17Terror and the pit and the snare^{The Hebrew words for terror, pit, and snare sound alike“>9}
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18He who flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
20The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.


21On that day the LORD will punish
the host of heaven, in heaven,
and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22They will be gathered together
as prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
23Then the moon will be confounded
and the sun ashamed,
for the LORD of hosts reigns
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and his glory will be before his elders.

God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

25O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the foreigners’ palace is a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
5like heat in a dry place.
You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
as heat by the shade of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is put down.


6On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
8He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
9It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
10For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain,
and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,
as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.^{The Hebrew words for dunghill and for the Moabite town Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2) sound alike“>10}
11And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it
as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,
but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill^{Or in spite of the skill“>11} of his hands.
12And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,
lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.

(ESV)

Psalm 89:1–29 (Listen)

I Will Sing of the Steadfast Love of the Lord

A Maskil^{Probably a musical or liturgical term“>1} of Ethan the Ezrahite.

89I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
3You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
4‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah


5Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beings^{Hebrew the sons of God, or the sons of might“>2} is like the LORD,
7a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8O LORD God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
with your faithfulness all around you?
9You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
10You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
16who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
17For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.
18For our shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.


19Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one,^{Some Hebrew manuscripts godly ones“>3} and said:
“I have granted help to one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.
23I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm^{Or will remain faithful“>4} for him.
29I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne as the days of the heavens.

(ESV)

Acts 12 (Listen)

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Peter Is Rescued

6Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

12When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.”^{Or brothers and sisters“>1} Then he departed and went to another place.

18Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

The Death of Herod

20Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain,^{That is, trusted personal attendant“>2} they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

24But the word of God increased and multiplied.

25And Barnabas and Saul returned from^{Some manuscripts to“>3} Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

(ESV)