Prepare the Way for the LORD (Matthew 3:1–12; Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–20; John 1:19–28)
1 WBS Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. BSB BSB: “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
2 WBS Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received from the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. BSB BSB: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.”
3 WBS The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. BSB BSB: A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
4 WBS Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. BSB BSB: Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain.
5 WBS And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it : for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it . BSB BSB: And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
The Enduring Word (1 Peter 1:22–25)
7 WBS The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. BSB BSB: The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass.
Here Is Your God! (Romans 11:33–36)
9 WBS O Zion, that bringest good tidings, go up upon the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God! BSB BSB: Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
10 WBS Behold, the LORD GOD will come with strong hand , and his arm will rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. BSB BSB: Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him.
11 WBS He will feed his flock like a shepherd: he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that are with young. BSB BSB: He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
13 WBS Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor hath taught him? BSB BSB: Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor?
14 WBS With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? BSB BSB: Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?
15 WBS Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. BSB BSB: Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered a speck of dust on the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 WBS And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts of it sufficient for a burnt-offering. BSB BSB: Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.
17 WBS All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. BSB BSB: All the nations are as nothing before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.
18 WBS To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare to him? BSB BSB: To whom will you liken God? To what image will you compare Him?
19 WBS The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. BSB BSB: To an idol that a craftsman casts and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains?
20 WBS He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh for himself a skillful workman to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved. BSB BSB: One lacking such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He seeks a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
21 WBS Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? BSB BSB: Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth?
22 WBS It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:BSB BSB: He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 WBS That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. BSB BSB: He brings the princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless.
24 WBS Yes, they shall not be planted; yes, they shall not be sown: yes, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. BSB BSB: No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.
25 WBS To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equaled? saith the Holy One. BSB BSB: “To whom will you liken Me, or who is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 WBS Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things , that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. BSB BSB: Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
27 WBS Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over by my God? BSB BSB: Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God”?
29 WBS He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. BSB BSB: He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.
30 WBS Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: BSB BSB: Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.
31 WBS But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint. BSB BSB: But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.