Prophets II Catholic Bible study Lesson 8

Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 8 God’s Suffering Servant
the Book of Isaiah 42:1–9
the Book of Isaiah 49:1–6
the Book of Isaiah 50:4–11
the Book of Isaiah 52:13—53:12

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)”
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Redemptive Suffering)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: A Dislocated People Turn to the LORD

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 58–64 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Book of Isaiah 40:1–11, the Book of Isaiah 40:28–31, the Book of Isaiah 41:21–24, the Book of Isaiah 43:1-4, the Book of Isaiah 43:18–21, the Book of Isaiah 44:21—45:7, the Book of Isaiah 45:20–23, the Book of Isaiah 48:17–20, the Book of Isaiah 51:9–11, and the Book of Isaiah 55:6–11
Lesson 7 Deutero-Isaiah Proclaims the End of the Exile begins looking at the fortieth through fifty-fifth chapters of the Book of Isaiah, believed by most scholars to have been written after the destruction of Jerusalem and toward the end of the Babylonian Exile. In addition to announcing the end of the Exile, the prophet Deutero- (Second) Isaiah makes the bold claim that a foreigner, the Persian king Cyrus the Great—who in 538 B.C. gave the exiles permission to return to their homeland—is God’s anointed. And in the Book of Isaiah 40:8 and 55:11, the prophet makes two intrepid claims about God’s word—that it will last forever, and that it will accomplish the purpose the LORD intends.

why there’s no map with this lesson
Because there are no locations listed in the biblical text, there’s no map to accompany this lesson in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

the messianic character of Deutero- (Second) Isaiah (01:07:10)
In the video that accompanies Lesson 8, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses the tendency to be cynical about prophecy referring to things that already had occurred by the time the prophecy was delivered. The Bible does indeed teach us spiritual truths, but these spiritual truths revealed by God aren’t always literal or historical truths. In the case of Deutero- (Second) Isaiah, it’s clear to Christians that the prophet had to be writing about Jesus. It makes no difference whether the Book of Isaiah was written by one person or by three, since all of it was written well in advance of Jesus. The songs of the Suffering Servant are important to Christians because of their prophetic impact, and this section of the Book of Isaiah focuses on prophecy as a means of predicting the future. That’s not all that prophecy does, but it’s an important part. In the previous lesson, Deutero-(Second) Isaiah placed major emphasis on God as the only divinity. Because God knows in advance what’s going to happen, one test of the legitimacy of a prophet who is speaking for the LORD is that he needs to be able to accurately predict the future. That’s the criteria Deutero- (Second) Isaiah has established, and he accurately describes the Messiah in a way that no one was considering when these prophecies were delivered.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 8, “God’s Suffering Servant,” on pages 58–64 in the study book.

what Jesus said about Deutero- (Second) Isaiah
In the Gospel According to John 12:27-41, Jesus refers to the writings of Deutero- (Second) Isaiah—the Book of Isaiah 53:1 and 44:18—explaining that the prophet was describing Jesus’ own glory. The fortieth through fifty-fifth chapters of the Book of Isaiah, often referred to as Deutero- (Second) Isaiah, hold a prominent place in Christianity, primarily because of the prophetic nature of the songs of the Suffering Servant found in the Book of Isaiah 42:1–9; 49:1–6; 50:4–11 and 52:13—53:12.

be careful when you see the word Israel
In the Book of Isaiah 49:5–6, the prophet mentions both Jacob and Israel: “And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength— he says: ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'” In the book of Genesis, Israel refers to the name that the LORD give to Jacob. in the First and Second Books of the Kings that provide the framework for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, Israel most frequently refers to the northern kingdom whose rulers split from the southern kingdom of Judah when David’s son Solomon died. In Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, Israel usually—but not always—refers to all of the descendants of Jacob. This is its meaning in the Book of Isaiah 49:5–6, and a clue can be seen in theparallel reference to Jacob in that same passage. To learn more about the people and places that appear in this volume of our prophets study, visit our online glossary, which also includes the meaning of most of the names in the biblical text.

read the Catechism—Deutero- (Second) Isaiah reveals characteristics of the Messiah
Church teaching supports the importance of the songs of the Suffering Servant found in themiddle section of the Book of Isaiah. The description of the Messiah as one who achieves power through suffering is a far cry from the expectation of the Jews living at the time of Jesus. In emphasizing the meaning associated with Jesus’ Passion, paragraph 713 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites a portion of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 2:5–7. The entirety of that passage is translated in the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) and Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) as: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Careful readers will notice the Catechism equates servant with slave, something Matthew discusses in the archived Lost in Translation entry for servant.

713 The Messiah’s characteristics are revealed above all in the “Servant songs.” These songs proclaim the meaning of Jesus’ Passion and show how he will pour out the Holy Spirit to give life to the many: not as an outsider, but by embracing our “form as slave.” Taking our death upon himself, he can communicate to us his own Spirit and life.

servant—you could look it up in our archives
The Book of Isaiah 42:1 introduces God’s Suffering Servant. In the Gospel According to Matthew 6:24, Jesus states that no one can serve two masters. In Lost in Translation, an online column that examines ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at the significance of what Jesus is saying about the concept of servitude, or being a servant—including the frequently overlooked insight that our choice lies in whom to serve, not whether to serve. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

who is this servant who suffers & what are his songs?
There is much scholarly debate about the identity of the Suffering Servant. The four servant songs in the Book of Isaiah (42:1–9; 49:1–6; 50:4–11 and 52:13—53:12) hold immense value as messianic prophecy. Biblical scholars not only have difficulty ascertaining how much Deutero- (Second) Isaiah understood about the future Messiah, they also struggle to learn whether the prophet had a particular person in mind from his own time. The prophet himself fails to identify God’s Suffering Servant, but like all Old Testament prophecy, the servant songs in the Book of Isaiah can be seen as pointing ahead to Jesus. Beginning with the early Church, Christians have embraced these passages as an eerily accurate prediction of Jesus’ Passion.

whom did the prophet think he was writing about?
What draws scholars’ interest concerns the prophet’s intention rather than historical fulfillment. About whom did Deutero- (Second) Isaiah believe that he was writing? Some hold that the Suffering Servant provides a faithful picture of the sorrow and tribulation faced by all of the prophets called by the LORD. A few scholars believe that Deutero- (Second) Isaiah was describing himself or another prophet, possibly Jeremiah. One popular viewpoint proposes that instead of representing a single person, the Suffering Servant in the Book of Isaiah represents the entire people of Israel. It also has been suggested that the prophet may have been writing about the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great in the Book of Isaiah 42:1–9 and about God’s people Israel in the remaining three songs.

troubling inconsistencies
All of these interpretations pose troubling inconsistencies. Another perspective considers the Suffering Servant as an example of a corporate personality, a way of viewing an entire collective as embodied in a single person. For example, a king might embody everything about the nation over which he reigns, so in ancient times a ruler’s name sometimes was used to refer to his realm and everything in it. Seen in this light, Deutero- or Second Isaiah’s Suffering Servant is the essence of all of Israel embodied in a single person—the Messiah. Salvific suffering characterizes both the people of Israel and the Anointed One sent by God to suffer in order to redeem humanity.

the popes inspire us—learn more about the Church’s view of suffering
In his apostolic letter Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering), Pope St. John Paul II sheds light on the concept of suffering in our lives and on the profound effect suffering plays in the life of Jesus Christ. Although the printed version of this powerful magisterial document, written in 1984, is only 23 pages long, it’s packed with important spiritual truth. You can find excerpts and links to this and other magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents.

what is an offering for sin?
The Book of Isaiah 53:10 records that God’s Suffering Servant “makes himself an offering for sin.” Many people are unaware of the different types of offerings decreed in the Old Testament. The sin offering is described in the fourth chapter in the book of Leviticus, and its focus is on cleansing. The sacrificial animal wasn’t burned on the altar in its entirety; in fact, most of the animal was carried away from the vicinity of the tabernacle and burned in a clean place outside of the camp. The unique thing about this sacrifice is that the sacrificial blood was used to cleanse the furniture in the tabernacle, signifying that our sin pollutes God’s house. The priest who sinned would sprinkle the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place (later called the Holy of Holies) seven times, and he’d also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of incense. Here we see that sin has far-reaching consequences. It doesn’t just affect us; it blemishes our sanctuary. From a Christian perspective, sin blemishes the Church itself. You can learn more about the LORD’s decrees concerning various type of sacrifice in Lesson 20 Consecration of Aaron & His Sons in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

what’s the benefit to us that Jesus made himself an offering for sin?
God doesn’t dwell in a Temple at Jerusalem today. Instead, he has made our hearts the place of his residence. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews 10:22 explains that sin tainted the temple of our hearts, and therefore we needed Jesus to “sprinkle our hearts,” cleansing them from pollution. Jesus is described as our sin offering in the Letter to the Hebrews 13:10-12: “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” Jesus was our priestly sacrificewho sprinkled the temple of our hearts with his blood, cleansing them for all time. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation examines how it is that Jesus’ death is able to bring the possibility of salvation to humanity.

how a guilt offering differs from a sin offering
The guilt offering in the book of Leviticus 5:14-6:7 focuses on yet another aspect of sin’s effects—the need for payment. This offering is sometimes referred to as the reparation offering because it highlights the need for payment when wrong has been done. Forgiveness was dependent upon the worshiper making amends, and the sacrificial animal was viewed as a restitution. The idea is that it’s not enough to be forgiven—we need to make things right.

the LORD as the true king
One consistency that appears throughout the Book of Isaiah is that in all three sections of this prophetic work God is seen as the only true ruler over the descendants of Jacob. In all of the songs of the Suffering Servant found in Deutero- (Second) Isaiah, it’s clear that it is the LORD who’s being served. This builds on the view of Proto- (First) Isaiah, who was sent by God to the southern kingdom of Judah about 150 years prior to the Babylonian Exile. The sixth chapter in the Book of Isaiah opens with a vision of the LORD seated on a throne. At a time when the kingship in Judah was rapidly deteriorating, the prophet was called to see God as the real and rightful king. The major problem in the south was not infidelity but poor rule. For Proto- (First) Isaiah to see God on his throne is an alarming experience, and one that leads the prophet to recognize his own unworthiness. The book of Exodus 33:20 records the LORD warning Moses that it isn’t possible to see God and live. Instead of dying, however, Proto- (First) Isaiah is commissioned to speak for God, the king. Deutero- (Second) Isaiah continues doing just that, only instead of delivering the LORD’s message prior to the fall of Jerusalem he’s delivering it prior to the end of the Babylonian Exile. You can learn more about Proto- (First) Isaiah The first volume of thisTurning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, looks in more depth at the prophet known as Proto- (First) Isaiah, who also sometimes is referred to as Isaiah of Jerusalem.

how is this relevant?
What difference do ancient ideas about kingship make in the lives of Christians? Each lesson in thestudy book Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains commentaries designed to make it easier to reflect on ways that God’s Word applies to present-day Christians.

? What is the clearest reference identifying God as king over all of Creation in the songs of the Suffering Servant found in Deutero- (Second) Isaiah?
? Aside from the obvious fact that the LORD is allowing his servant to suffer, what seems to be the most unusual feature about the way in which God’s servant demonstrates his allegiance to the LORD?
? Identify passages in the songs of the Suffering Servant that point to Jesus’ as Messiah. Which of these passages presents the strongest evidence that Deutero- (Second) Isaiah was describing the Messiah?
? Are there any passages in the songs of the Suffering Servant that may lead readers to identify with the servant?
? Are there any passages that may lead readers to identify with those who are persecuting God’s servant?
? What purpose might the prophet have had in writing the songs of the Suffering Servant?
? What might Deutero- (Second) Isaiah have to say to present-day Christians?

Q&A—was Isaiah’s wife a prophetess?
There aren’t many women prophets described in Scripture, and a participant in this study wonders why that is. It undoubtedly has something to do with the place of women in society at the time that the Old Testament prophecies were written, but beyond that it’s difficult to speculate.

Q: Was Isaiah’s wife a prophetess?

A: In the Book of Isaiah 8:3, Isaiah’s wife is referred to as “the prophetess,” either because she was endowed with a prophetic gift from God—like Deborah in the Book of Judges 4:4 and Huldah in the Second Book of the Kings 22:14–20—or simply because she was married to a prophet. Proto- (First) Isaiah, who sometimes is called Isaiah of Jerusalem, had two sons by his wife, “the prophetess.” The Book of Isaiah 7:3 records that the elder son was named Shear-Jashub, meaning “A Remnant Shall Return, and the Book of Isaiah 8:3 recordsthat the younger was named Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, meaning, “Spoil Quickly, Plunder Speedily.” Check out our online glossary for this study to learn more about the meanings of various names in the biblical text in Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

comments about the video with this lesson
The following comments came from two different people who watched the video for this lesson in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. The first comment is from a woman who’s doing this study privately with a friend.

the first comment: “In the video overview for this lesson Matthew shares his insight about how the Suffering Servant prophecies would have been much easier to write before Jesus. It’s awesome to consider that no one would write like that after the fact, once they’d realized who Jesus was and what his Passion, death, and Resurrection meant. These lessons are incredibly dense. One set of questions and one section of the video is the equivalent of a whole lesson in any other Bible study with which I’m familiar. The first block of questions and Matthew’s reflection on what’s going on with that passage in the Book of Isaiah 42:1–4 are particularly insightful.”

the second comment: “There is a lot of content with the lessons, but not too much. The amount isn’t overwhelming, and it’s available to anyone interested in knowing more. I like referring to content from the online lesson that may not be in the book or may be presented in a slightly different way in the hopes it will generate an urge for others to visit the online pages. Turning to God’s Word offers such a big picture and everything is related. Sometimes the connections aren’t clear until our study group starts responding to the questions in the lesson.

“Something that stood out for me in this lesson was when Matthew mentioned an idea that isn’t realized until Jesus—the death of a person and not just the death of an animal can cancel out iniquity and sin. The potent prophecy of the Suffering Servant in Deutero- (Second) Isaiah is all about Jesus acting in the same role as a sheep for the sake of helping people to atone for their sins. When Jesus offers himself, his offering is a reality that’s accepted spiritually. In the Old Testament, animals were offered symbolically, and their sacrifice was unable to bring about the possibility of eternal life. Jesus’ sacrifice does.”

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Book of Isaiah 42:1–9 (NIV)
the Book of Isaiah 49:1–6 (NIV)
the Book of Isaiah 50:4–11 (NIV)
the Book of Isaiah 52:13—53:12 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

Lord God, you blessed Israel and chose it
to be a channel of your blessings to all the nations.
Give us wisdom and a listening ear
that we may know, trust, and obey your will.
We make this prayer in union with the Holy Spirit
and with your Son, Jesus Christ,
who endured the suffering that should have been ours
to make salvation possible for humanity. Amen.

you also may like our free Lenten study of Jesus’ Passion (digital only)
Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering is a five-lesson Catholic Bible study offering an in-depth look at the biblical foundations of the movie The Passion of the Christ. This revised study, which has been granted an imprimatur, contains all of the original material of the 2004 edition as well as many new features in an improved, reader-friendly format. Click on the book’s cover to view the introduction. Free digital lessons of Jesus’ Passion: The Story of Redemptive Suffering are available on the website during Lent.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of more significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”