A branch will spring from the stock of Jesse, a shoot will grow from his roots. On him will rest the spirit of the LORD, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD: his delight will be in fear of the LORD. His judgment will not be by appearances, his verdict not given on hearsay. He will judge the weak with righteousness and give fair sentence for the poor of the land. He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips bring death to the wicked.

Righteousness will be the belt around his waist and truth the belt about his hips. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard lie down with the kid, calf, lion and fat-stock beast together, with a little boy to lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like the ox. The infant will play over the hole of the adder; the baby will put its hand into the viper’s lair. No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, for the land will be full of knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed to us, for creation is waiting with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. Creation was subjected to futility not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it, in the hope that creation itself might be freed from slavery for the glorious freedom of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation, until this time, has joined together in groaning and labor pains. And not only that: we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too are groaning in ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption as sons, for our bodies to be set free. For in hope we were saved; but hope that can be seen is no hope. Who hopes for what can be seen? However, if we are hoping for what we cannot see, we wait for it with perseverance.

We know that for those who love God everything works together for good, for those who have been called in accordance with his purpose, because those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the eldest among many brothers and sisters; those he called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified. What more shall we say? If God is for us, who can be against us? Since he did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for the sake of us all, will he not with him give us everything else? Who can bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies; who can condemn?

Jesus Christ who died, or rather was raised up, who is also at the right hand of God and who intercedes for us? Can anything separate us from the love of Christ – can hardship or distress, or persecution, or lack of food or clothing, or danger or the sword? As it is written: For your sake we are being put to death all day long, reckoned as sheep to be slaughtered. No, through him who loved us we are more than conquerors in all these things. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nothing already in existence and nothing still to come, nor any power, nor height nor depths, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.