1 TIMOTHY

1 Timothy 1 From Paul.
God our Savior and Christ Jesus commanded me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.
²Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace!

Warning against False Teaching

³When I was leaving for Macedonia, I asked you to stay on in Ephesus and warn certain people there to stop spreading their false teachings. ⁴You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don't help anyone to do God's work that can only be done by faith.
⁵You must teach people to have genuine love, as well as a good conscience and true faith. ⁶There are some who have given up these for nothing but empty talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the Law of Moses. But they don't know what they are talking about, even though they think they do.
⁸We know that the Law is good, if it is used in the right way. ⁹We also understand that it wasn't given to control people who please God, but to control lawbreakers, criminals, godless people, and sinners. It is for wicked and evil people, and for murderers, who would even kill their own parents. ¹⁰The Law was written for people who are sexual perverts or who live as homosexuals or are kidnappers or liars or won't tell the truth in court. It is for anything else that opposes the correct teaching ¹¹of the good news that the glorious and wonderful God has given me.

Being Thankful for God's Kindness

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. He has given me the strength for my work because he knew that he could trust me. ¹³I used to say terrible and insulting things about him, and I was cruel. But he had mercy on me because I didn't know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in him. ¹⁴Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own.
¹⁵"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! ¹⁶But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life. ¹⁷I pray that honor and glory will always be given to the only God, who lives forever and is the invisible and eternal King! Amen.
¹⁸Timothy, my son, the instructions I am giving you are based on what some prophets once said about you. If you follow these instructions, you will fight like a good soldier. ¹⁹You will be faithful and have a clear conscience. Some people have made a mess of their faith because they didn't listen to their consciences. ²⁰Two of them are Hymenaeus and Alexander. I have given these men over to the power of Satan, so they will learn not to oppose God.

Don't Trust the Power of Egypt

Isaiah 31 You are in for trouble if you go to Egypt for help,
or if you depend on an army of chariots
or a powerful cavalry.
Instead you should depend on and trust
the holy LORD God of Israel.
²The LORD isn't stupid! He does what he promises,
and he can bring doom.
If you are cruel yourself, or help those who are evil,
you will be destroyed.

³The Egyptians are mere humans. They aren't God.
Their horses are made of flesh; they can't live forever.
When the LORD shows his power,
he will destroy the Egyptians and all who depend on them.
Together they will fall.

⁴The LORD All-Powerful said to me,
"I will roar and attack like a fearless lion
not frightened by the shouts of shepherds
trying to protect their sheep.
That's how I will come down and fight on Mount Zion.
⁵I, the LORD All-Powerful, will protect Jerusalem
like a mother bird circling over her nest."

Come Back to the LORD

⁶People of Israel, come back!
You have completely turned from the LORD.
⁷The time is coming when you will throw away
your idols of silver and gold,
made by your sinful hands.

⁸The Assyrians will be killed,
but not by the swords of humans.
Their young men will try to escape,
but they will be captured and forced into slavery.
⁹Their fortress will fall when terror strikes;
their army officers will be frightened
and run from the battle.
This is what the LORD has said,
the LORD whose fiery furnace is built on Mount Zion.

Justice Will Rule

Isaiah 32 A king and his leaders will rule with justice.
²They will be a place of safety from stormy winds,
a stream in the desert, and a rock that gives shade
from the heat of the sun.
³Then everyone who has eyes will open them and see,
and those who have ears will pay attention.
⁴All who are impatient will take time to think;
everyone who stutters will talk clearly.

⁵Fools will no longer be highly respected,
and crooks won't be given positions of honor.
⁶Fools talk foolishness. They always make plans
to do sinful things, to lie about the LORD,
to let the hungry starve, and to keep water
from those who are thirsty.
⁷Cruel people tell lies-- they do evil things,
and make cruel plans to destroy the poor and needy,
even when they beg for justice.
⁸But helpful people can always be trusted
to make helpful plans.

Punishment for the Women of Jerusalem

⁹Listen to what I say, you women
who are carefree and careless!
¹⁰You may not have worries now, but in about a year,
the grape harvest will fail, and you will tremble.

¹¹Shake and shudder, you women without a care!
Strip off your clothes-- put on sackcloth.
¹²Slap your breasts in sorrow because of what happened
to the fruitful fields and vineyards,
¹³and to the happy homes in Jerusalem.
The land of my people is covered with thorns.

¹⁴The palace will be deserted, the crowded city empty.
Fortresses and towers will forever become
playgrounds for wild donkeys and pastures for sheep.

God's Spirit Makes the Difference

¹⁵When the Spirit is given to us from heaven,
deserts will become orchards thick as fertile forests.
¹⁶Honesty and justice will prosper there,
¹⁷and justice will produce lasting peace and security.

¹⁸You, the LORD's people, will live in peace,
calm and secure, ¹⁹even if hailstones
flatten forests and cities.
²⁰You will have God's blessing,
as you plant your crops beside streams,
while your donkeys and cattle roam freely about.

Jerusalem Will Be Safe

Isaiah 33 You defeated my people. Now you're in for trouble!
You've never been destroyed, but you will be destroyed;
you've never been betrayed, but you will be betrayed.
When you have finished destroying and betraying,
you will be destroyed and betrayed in return.

²Please, LORD, be kind to us! We depend on you.
Make us strong each morning,
and come to save us when we are in trouble.
³Nations scatter when you roar and show your greatness.
⁴We attack our enemies like swarms of locusts;
we take everything that belongs to them.

⁵You, LORD, are above all others,
and you live in the heavens.
You have brought justice and fairness to Jerusalem;
⁶you are the foundation on which we stand today.
You always save us and give true wisdom and knowledge.
Nothing means more to us than obeying you.

The LORD Will Do Something

⁷Listen! Our bravest soldiers are running through the streets,
screaming for help.
Our messengers hoped for peace, but came home crying.
⁸No one travels anymore; every road is empty.
Treaties are broken, and no respect is shown
to any who keep promises.
⁹Fields are dry and barren;
Mount Lebanon wilts with shame. Sharon Valley is a desert;
the forests of Bashan and Carmel have lost their leaves.

¹⁰But the LORD says, "Now I will do something
and be greatly praised.
¹¹Your deeds are straw that will be set on fire
by your very own breath.
¹²You will be burned to ashes like thorns in a fire.
¹³Everyone, both far and near,
come look at what I have done.
See my mighty power!"

Punishment and Rewards

¹⁴Those terrible sinners on Mount Zion tremble
as they ask in fear,
"How can we possibly live where a raging fire
never stops burning?"

¹⁵But there will be rewards for those who live right
and tell the truth,
for those who refuse to take money by force
or accept bribes,
for all who hate murder and violent crimes.
¹⁶They will live in a fortress high on a rocky cliff,
where they will have food and plenty of water.

The LORD Is Our King

¹⁷With your own eyes you will see the glorious King;
you will see his kingdom reaching far and wide.
¹⁸Then you will ask yourself, "Where are those officials
who terrified us and forced us to pay such heavy taxes?"
¹⁹You will never again have to see the proud people
who spoke a strange and foreign language
you could not understand.

²⁰Look to Mount Zion where we celebrate
our religious festivals.
You will see Jerusalem, secure as a tent
with pegs that cannot be pulled up
and fastened with ropes that can never be broken.
²¹Our wonderful LORD will be with us!
There will be deep rivers and wide streams
safe from enemy ships.

The LORD Is Our Judge

²²The LORD is our judge and our ruler;
the LORD is our king and will keep us safe.
²³But your nation is a ship with its rigging loose,
its mast shaky, and its sail not spread.

Someday even you that are lame
will take everything you want from your enemies.
²⁴The LORD will forgive your sins,
and none of you will say, "I feel sick."

Psalm 119

³³Point out your rules to me,
and I won't disobey even one of them.
³⁴Help me to understand your Law;
I promise to obey it with all my heart.
³⁵Direct me by your commands!
I love to do what you say.
³⁶Make me want to obey you, rather than to be rich.
³⁷Take away my foolish desires,
and let me find life by walking with you.
³⁸I am your servant!
Do for me what you promised to those who worship you.
³⁹Your wonderful teachings protect me from the insults
that I hate so much.
⁴⁰I long for your teachings.
Be true to yourself and let me live.

⁴¹Show me your love and save me, LORD,
as you have promised.
⁴²Then I will have an answer for everyone
who insults me for trusting your word.
⁴³I rely on your laws!
Don't take away my chance to speak your truth.
⁴⁴I will keep obeying your Law forever and ever.
⁴⁵I have gained perfect freedom
by following your teachings,
⁴⁶and I trust them so much that I tell them to kings.
⁴⁷I love your commands! They bring me happiness.
⁴⁸I love and respect them and will keep them in mind.

⁴⁹Don't forget your promise to me, your servant.
I depend on it.
⁵⁰When I am hurting,
I find comfort in your promise that leads to life.
⁵¹Conceited people sneer at me, but I obey your Law.
⁵²I find true comfort, LORD,
because your laws have stood the test of time.
⁵³I get furious when evil people turn against your Law.
⁵⁴No matter where I am,
your teachings fill me with songs.
⁵⁵Even in the night I think about you, LORD,
and I obey your Law.
⁵⁶You have blessed me
because I have always followed your teachings.

⁵⁷You, LORD, are my choice, and I will obey you.
⁵⁸With all my heart I beg you to be kind to me,
just as you have promised.
⁵⁹I pay careful attention as you lead me,
and I follow closely.
⁶⁰As soon as you command, I do what you say.
⁶¹Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your Law.
⁶²Your laws are so fair that I wake up
and praise you in the middle of the night.
⁶³I choose as my friends everyone who worships you
and follows your teachings.
⁶⁴Our LORD, your love is seen all over the world.
Teach me your laws.