The cross, atonement and reconciliation with Yahweh

4 Despite that, he’s borne our sicknesses

≈ and carried our pains.[ref]

We thought that he’d been struck down by God—

≈ attacked and made to suffer.

5 But he was pierced for our disobedience,

≈ and crushed for our wicked actions.

The punishment that gave us peace was on him,

≈ and we were healed thanks to his wounds.[ref]

6 We’ve all strayed away like sheep—

≈ everyone’s gone in their own direction[ref]

and Yahweh has placed all our disobedience onto him.

7 He was oppressed and tormented

but like a lamb being led away to be slaughtered,[ref] he didn’t open his mouth,

≈ and like a sheep that’s silent in front of its shearers, he didn’t open his mouth.

8 After oppression and judgement, he was taken away,

but how many of his peers even cared that he was cut off from the land of the living?

He was wounded because of the disobedience of my people.

9 His burial place was among the criminals,

and a rich man at his death,

although he’d committed no violent acts,

and had never spoken deceitfully.[ref]

10 But Yahweh desired to crush him—

he made him sick if it would make his life a guilt offering.

He will live long and see offspring,

and Yahweh’ plans will prosper through his work.

11 Due to his internal anguish, he’ll be able to see.

He’ll be satisfied with his knowledge.

My obedient servant will justify many,

and he will carry their disobedience.

12 Because of that, I’ll allocate a portion for him.

He’ll divide out the plunder to a powerful people

because he poured out his life resulting in his death.

He was included with the wicked,[ref]

and he bore the disobedience of many people,

and he intervened on behalf of the disobedient.

32 There were also two other criminals being led along to be executed with Yeshua.

33 When they got to the place named ‘The Skull’, they attached Yeshua onto a post[fn] and the same for the two criminals, one on each side of him, 34 but when they divided his clothes, the soldiers threw dice to divide them up.[ref]

35 The people observing were standing there, and some of the Jewish leaders were there too, sneering at him and saying, “He saved others, so now if he’s God’s son, the chosen messiah, let him save himself.”[ref]

36 The soldiers also mocked him, going up and offering cheap wine to him, 37 saying, “If you’re the king of the Yehudim (Jews), then save yourself,” 38 as an inscription had been placed above him that said, “This is the king of the Yehudim.”

39 One of the criminals that was hanging there insulted him, saying, “Aren’t you the messiah? Save yourself and us too.”

40 But the other criminal told him off, saying, “Don’t you even respect God when you too have been sentenced to death? 41 At least we deserve our punishment that fits what we’ve done, but in contrast, this man did nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus), remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

43 “I can assure you,” he replied, “that you’ll be with me in paradise today.”

6 While we were still weak, and at the right time for ungodly people, the messiah died for us. 7 Now it’s rare for someone to offer to die to save a guiltless person, although perhaps someone might offer for the greater good, 8 but God demonstrated his love towards us in that the messiah died for us while we were still sinners!

9 So now that we’ve been declared guiltless because of his blood, we’ll certainly be spared from his severe anger, 10 because if we were reconciled to God through the death of his son while we were still enemies, now that we’ve been reconciled, how much more certain that we’ll be saved by Yeshua’s (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) life! 11 ⇔And not only that, because of what our master Yeshua Messiah has done so that we might receive that reconciliation, we can now boast in God about it.

14 because the messiah’s love controls us since we are convinced that he died for everyone. Hence we’ve all died 15 and he died for everyone, so that anyone who’s living, won’t be living for themselves any more, but for the one who died for them and then came back to life from the dead.

16 So from now on, we don’t just know people in the physical dimension, and even if we have known Messiah physically, that’s no longer how we know him. 17 So then if anyone is in Messiah, they’re a new creation—the old has gone, and wow, it’s now become new! 18 Everything is from God, the one who reconciled us to himself by Messiah and who has given the ministry of reconciliation to us. 19 God was in Messiah reconciling the world to himself, not listing their sins against them, and having given the message of reconciliation to us.

20 Because of that, we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though God is encouraging others through us, so we implore you for Messiah: Make your peace with God. 21 God took the one who hadn’t experienced sin and made him into sin for us so that in him, we could become not guilty in God’s sight.

13 You all were dead in your disobedience and because your bodies were ‘uncircumcised’. Then he made us alive together with him after he forgave us for all our disobedience.[ref] 14 He erased the writing that listed the charges against us and so it was removed—nailed to the execution post.[ref] 15 He had disarmed the rulers and authorities and publicly exposed them, because he had won the victory over them on the post.[fn]

21 because that’s what we’re called to, because the messiah also suffered for you chosen people. He left an example for you, so that you can follow in his steps: 22 he didn’t do evil or say anything that wasn’t true,[ref] 23 when he was insulted he didn’t retaliate, when he was persecuted he didn’t threaten,[ref] but put his trust in the one who’ll judge everyone with true justice. 24 He sacrificed his own body on the wooden post for our sins, so that when we die to sin we can live for righteousness. By his wounds, you chosen people were healed.[ref] 25 He did all that because you were like lost sheep, but now you’ve returned to your souls’ shepherd and overseer.