Contemplative Bible Reading

Micah 4:3 (New Living Translation) The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. At first, I thought this was the famous phrase that […]

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Isaiah 37:7 (New English Translation) Look, I will take control of his mind; he will receive a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down with a sword in his own land. In this verse, the LORD is speaking about the king of an invading army. The LORD will convince the […]

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Isaiah 48:17 (New Living Translation) This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Jehovah God, the creator and Holy One of Israel, isn’t hard to follow. Jehovah […]

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Isaiah 62:6 (New Living Translation) O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. The LORD YHWH appointed watchmen for Jerusalem. Everyone knows the job of a watchman—to watch. Right? The LORD seems a bit confused here as […]

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Isaiah 58:6-7 (New Living Translation) 6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. 7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. […]

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Isaiah 56:3-5 (New Living Translation) 3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’ 4 For this is what the Lord says: I will bless those […]

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Isaiah 56:1a (New Living Translation) This is what the Lord says: “Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, This is a simple statement from the LORD to His people. This is how to live. Be and do. That is all. Why can’t we seem to get this right?

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Isaiah 28:1, 7, 8 (New Living Translation) 1 What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. … 7 […]

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Isaiah 8:19-20  (New Living Translation) 19 Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? These verses seem silly. […]

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Isaiah 1:24-26 (New Living Translation) Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “I will take revenge on my enemies and pay back my foes! 25 I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities. […]

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