Is. 49:8–26

49:8 This is what the Lord says:

“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;

in the day of deliverance I will help you;

I will protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people,

to rebuild the land

and to reassign the desolate property.

9You will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ‘Emerge.’

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

10They will not be hungry or thirsty;

the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them,

for one who has compassion on them will guide them;

he will lead them to springs of water.

11I will make all my mountains into a road;

I will construct my roadways.”

12Look, they come from far away!

Look, some come from the north and west,

and others from the land of Sinim.

13Shout for joy, O sky!

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the oppressed.

14“Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me,

the Lord has forgotten me.’

15Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast?

Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne?

Even if mothers were to forget,

I could never forget you!

16Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms;

your walls are constantly before me.

17Your children hurry back,

while those who destroyed and devastated you depart.

18Look all around you!

All of them gather to you.

As surely as I live,” says the Lord,

“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;

you will put them on as if you were a bride.

19Yes, your land lies in ruins;

it is desolate and devastated.

But now you will be too small to hold your residents,

and those who devoured you will be far away.

20Yet the children born during your time of bereavement

will say within your hearing,

‘This place is too cramped for us,

make room for us so we can live here.’

21Then you will think to yourself,

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced.

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

22This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

23Kings will be your children’s guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children.

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you,

and they will lick the dirt on your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

24Can spoils be taken from a warrior,

or captives be rescued from a conqueror?

25Indeed,” says the Lord,

“captives will be taken from a warrior;

spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.

I will oppose your adversary

and I will rescue your children.

26I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;

they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine.

Then all humankind will recognize that

I am the Lord, your Deliverer,

your Protector, the Powerful One of Jacob.”

Ps. 35

35:1 By David.

O Lord, fight those who fight with me.

Attack those who attack me.

2Grab your small shield and large shield,

and rise up to help me.

3Use your spear and lance against those who chase me.

Assure me with these words: “I am your deliverer.”

4May those who seek my life be embarrassed and humiliated.

May those who plan to harm me be turned back and ashamed.

5May they be like wind-driven chaff,

as the angel of the Lord attacks them.

6May their path be dark and slippery,

as the angel of the Lord chases them.

7I did not harm them, but they hid a net to catch me

and dug a pit to trap me.

8Let destruction take them by surprise.

Let the net they hid catch them.

Let them fall into destruction.

9Then I will rejoice in the Lord

and be happy because of his deliverance.

10With all my strength I will say,

“O Lord, who can compare to you?

You rescue the oppressed from those who try to overpower them,

the oppressed and needy from those who try to rob them.”

11Violent men perjure themselves,

and falsely accuse me.

12They repay me evil for the good I have done;

I am overwhelmed with sorrow.

13When they were sick, I wore sackcloth,

and refrained from eating food.

(If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered.)

14I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother.

I bowed down in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother.

15But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together;

they gathered together to ambush me.

They tore at me without stopping to rest.

16When I tripped, they taunted me relentlessly,

and tried to bite me.

17O Lord, how long are you going to watch this?

Rescue me from their destructive attacks;

guard my life from the young lions.

18Then I will give you thanks in the great assembly;

I will praise you before a large crowd of people.

19Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me.

Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes.

20For they do not try to make peace with others,

but plan ways to deceive those who live peacefully in the land.

21They are ready to devour me;

they say, “Aha! Aha! We’ve got you!”

22But you take notice, Lord; do not be silent!

O Lord, do not remain far away from me.

23Rouse yourself, wake up and vindicate me.

My God and Lord, defend my just cause.

24Vindicate me by your justice, O Lord my God.

Do not let them gloat over me.

25Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha! We have what we wanted!”

Do not let them say, “We have devoured him.”

26May those who rejoice in my troubles be totally embarrassed and ashamed.

May those who arrogantly taunt me be covered with shame and humiliation.

27May those who desire my vindication shout for joy and rejoice.

May they continually say, “May the Lord be praised, for he wants his servant to be secure.”

28Then I will tell others about your justice,

and praise you all day long.

John 15:1–17

15:1 “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

5“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire and are burned up. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.

9“Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. 10If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 12My commandment is this—to love one another just as I have loved you. 13No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15I no longer call you slaves because the slave does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends because I have revealed to you everything I heard from my Father. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 17This I command you—to love one another.