Isaiah 51-66
New American Standard Bible
Israel Exhorted
51 “(A)Listen to Me, you who (B)pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the (C)rock from which you were cut,
And to the [a]quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to (D)Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he (E)was only one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, (F)the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her (G)ruins.
And He will make her (H)wilderness like (I)Eden,
And her desert like the (J)garden of the Lord.
(K)Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and the sound of a melody.
4 “(L)Pay attention to Me, My people,
And listen to Me, My [b]nation;
For a (M)law will go out from Me,
And I will bring My (N)justice as a (O)light of the peoples.
5 My (P)righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My (Q)arms will judge the peoples;
The (R)coastlands will wait for Me,
And they will wait expectantly for My (S)arm.
6 (T)Raise your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the (U)sky will vanish like smoke,
And the (V)earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die [c]in the same way.
But My (W)salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not fail.
7 (X)Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose (Y)heart is My Law;
Do not fear the (Z)taunting of [d]people,
Nor be terrified of their abuses.
8 For the (AA)moth will eat them like a garment;
Yes, the (AB)moth will eat them like wool.
But My (AC)righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”
9 (AD)Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord;
Awake as in the (AE)days of old, the generations of long ago.
(AF)Was it not You who cut [e]Rahab in pieces,
Who pierced the (AG)dragon?
10 Was it not You who (AH)dried up the sea,
The waters of the great deep;
Who made the depths of the sea a pathway
For the (AI)redeemed to cross over?
11 And the (AJ)redeemed of the Lord will return
And come to Zion with joyful shouting,
And (AK)everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And (AL)sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, I Myself, am He who (AM)comforts you.
Who are you that you are afraid of [f](AN)mortal man,
And of a son of man who is made like (AO)grass,
13 That you have (AP)forgotten the Lord your Maker,
Who (AQ)stretched out the heavens
And laid the foundations of the earth,
That you (AR)fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor,
As he makes ready to destroy?
And where is the rage of the (AS)oppressor?
14 The [g](AT)exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the [h]dungeon, (AU)nor will his bread be lacking. 15 For I am the Lord your God, who (AV)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar (the Lord of armies is His name). 16 And I have (AW)put My words in your mouth and have (AX)covered you with the shadow of My hand, to [i](AY)establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
17 (AZ)Pull yourself up! Pull yourself up! Arise, Jerusalem!
You who have (BA)drunk from the Lord’s hand the cup of His anger;
The [j]chalice of staggering you have drunk to the dregs.
18 There is (BB)no one to guide her among all the sons to whom she has given birth,
Nor is there anyone to take her by the hand among all the sons she has raised.
19 These two things have happened to you;
Who will mourn for you?
The (BC)devastation and destruction, famine and sword;
How shall I comfort you?
20 Your sons have fainted,
They (BD)lie helpless at the head of every street,
Like an (BE)antelope in a net,
Full of the wrath of the Lord,
The (BF)rebuke of your God.
21 Therefore, listen to this, you (BG)afflicted,
Who are (BH)drunk, but not with wine:
22 This is what your Lord, the Lord, your God
Who (BI)contends for His people says:
“Behold, I have taken from your hand the (BJ)cup of staggering,
The [k]chalice of My anger;
You will never drink it again.
23 I will (BK)put it into the hand of your tormentors,
Who have said to [l]you, ‘(BL)Lie down so that we may walk over you.’
You have also made your back like the ground,
And like the street for those who walk over it.”
Cheer for Prostrate Zion
52 (BM)Awake, awake,
Clothe yourself in your strength, Zion;
Clothe yourself with your (BN)beautiful garments,
Jerusalem, the (BO)holy city;
For the uncircumcised and the (BP)unclean
Will no longer come into you.
2 Shake yourself (BQ)from the dust, (BR)rise up,
Captive Jerusalem;
(BS)Release yourself from the chains around your neck,
Captive daughter of Zion.
3 For this is what the Lord says: “You were (BT)sold for nothing, and you will be (BU)redeemed (BV)without money.” 4 For this is what the Lord [m]God says: “My people (BW)went down to Egypt first to reside there; then the Assyrian oppressed them without reason. 5 And now, what do I have here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that My people have been taken away without reason?” Again the Lord declares, “Those who rule over them howl, and My (BX)name is continually reviled all day long. 6 Therefore, My people shall (BY)know My name; therefore on that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.’”
7 How delightful on the mountains
Are the feet of one who brings (BZ)good news,
Who announces [n]peace
And brings good news of [o]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your (CA)God [p]reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen raise their (CB)voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [q]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 (CC)Be cheerful, shout joyfully together,
You (CD)ruins of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has (CE)redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy (CF)arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[r]So that (CG)all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
11 (CH)Depart, depart, go out from there,
(CI)Do not touch what is unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, (CJ)purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in (CK)a hurry,
Nor will you go [s]as fugitives;
For the (CL)Lord will go before you,
And (CM)the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
The Exalted Servant
13 Behold, My (CN)Servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and [t]greatly (CO)exalted.
14 Just as many were appalled at you, My people,
So His (CP)appearance was marred beyond that of a man,
And His form beyond the sons of mankind.
15 So [u]He will (CQ)sprinkle many nations,
Kings will (CR)shut their mouths on account of Him;
For (CS)what they had not been told, they will see,
And what they had not heard, they will understand.
The Suffering Servant
53 (CT)Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a (CU)tender [v]shoot,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He has (CV)no stately form or majesty
That we would look at Him,
Nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him.
3 He was (CW)despised and abandoned by men,
A man of [w]great pain and (CX)familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was (CY)despised, and we had no (CZ)regard for Him.
4 However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself (DA)bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by (DB)God, and humiliated.
5 But He was [x]pierced for (DC)our offenses,
He was crushed for (DD)our wrongdoings;
The (DE)punishment for our [y]well-being was laid upon Him,
And by (DF)His wounds we are healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To [z]fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
Yet He did not (DG)open His mouth;
(DH)Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off from the land of the [aa]living
(DI)For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due?
9 And His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a (DJ)rich man in His death,
(DK)Because He had (DL)done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the Lord desired
To (DM)crush Him, [ab](DN)causing Him grief;
If He renders [ac]Himself as a guilt (DO)offering,
He will see (DP)His [ad]offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the [ae]good (DQ)pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
11 As a result of the [af]anguish of His soul,
He will [ag](DR)see it and be satisfied;
By His (DS)knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
For He will (DT)bear their wrongdoings.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a (DU)portion with the great,
And He will divide the plunder with the strong,
Because He poured out His [ah](DV)life unto death,
And was (DW)counted with wrongdoers;
Yet He Himself (DX)bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the wrongdoers.
The Fertility of Zion
54 “(DY)Shout for joy, infertile one, you who have not given birth to any child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor;
For the sons of the (DZ)desolate one will be (EA)more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “(EB)Enlarge the place of your tent;
[ai]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;
Lengthen your (EC)ropes
And strengthen your (ED)pegs.
3 For you will (EE)spread out to the right and to the left.
And your [aj]descendants will (EF)possess nations
And will (EG)resettle the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will (EH)not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the (EI)shame of your youth,
And no longer remember the (EJ)disgrace of your widowhood.
5 For your (EK)husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of armies;
And your (EL)Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the (EM)God of all the earth.
6 For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife (EN)forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “[ak]For a (EO)brief moment I abandoned you,
But with great compassion I will (EP)gather you.
8 In an [al](EQ)outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting (ER)favor I will (ES)have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your (ET)Redeemer.
9 “For [am]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would (EU)not [an]flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will (EV)not be angry with you
Nor rebuke you.
10 For the (EW)mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My [ao]favor will not be removed from you,
Nor will My (EX)covenant of peace be shaken,”
Says (EY)the Lord who has compassion on you.
11 “(EZ)Afflicted one, storm-tossed, and (FA)not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And I will (FB)lay your foundations with [ap](FC)sapphires.
12 Moreover, I will make your battlements of [aq]rubies,
And your gates of [ar]crystal,
And your entire [as]wall of precious stones.
13 (FD)All your sons will be [at]taught by the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be (FE)great.
14 In (FF)righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from (FG)oppression, for you will (FH)not fear;
And from (FI)terror, for it will not come near you.
15 If anyone fiercely attacks you, it will not be from Me.
(FJ)Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.
16 Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals
And produces a weapon for its work;
And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.
17 (FK)No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
And you will condemn (FL)every tongue that [au]accuses you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their (FM)vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
The Free Offer of Mercy
55 “[av]You there! Everyone who (FN)thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have (FO)no [aw]money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy (FP)wine and milk
(FQ)Without money and without cost.
2 Why do you [ax]spend money for what is (FR)not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and (FS)eat what is good,
And (FT)delight yourself in abundance.
3 (FU)Incline your ear and come to Me.
Listen, that [ay]you may (FV)live;
And I will make (FW)an everlasting covenant with you,
According to the (FX)faithful mercies [az]shown to David.
4 Behold, I have made (FY)him a witness to the peoples,
A (FZ)leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you will call a (GA)nation you do not know,
And a nation which does not know you will (GB)run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel;
For He has (GC)glorified you.”
6 (GD)Seek the Lord while He may be found;
(GE)Call upon Him while He is near.
7 (GF)Let the wicked abandon his way,
And the unrighteous person his (GG)thoughts;
And let him (GH)return to the Lord,
And He will have (GI)compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will (GJ)abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not (GK)your thoughts,
Nor are (GL)your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For (GM)as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the (GN)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing (GO)seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My (GP)word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will (GQ)not return to Me empty,
Without (GR)accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with (GS)joy
And be led in (GT)peace;
The (GU)mountains and the hills will break into shouts of joy before you,
And all the (GV)trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the (GW)thorn bush, the (GX)juniper will come up,
And instead of the (GY)stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up;
And [ba]it will be a [bb](GZ)memorial to the Lord,
An everlasting (HA)sign which (HB)will not be eliminated.”
Rewards for Obedience to God
56 This is what the Lord says:
“(HC)Guard justice and do righteousness,
For My (HD)salvation is about to come
And My righteousness to be revealed.
2 (HE)Blessed is a man who does this,
And a son of man who (HF)takes hold of it;
Who (HG)keeps from profaning the Sabbath,
And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3 Let not the (HH)foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will certainly separate me from His people.”
Nor let the (HI)eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who (HJ)keep My Sabbaths,
And choose what pleases Me,
And (HK)hold firmly to My covenant,
5 To them I will give in My (HL)house and within My (HM)walls a memorial,
And a name better than that of sons and daughters;
I will give [bc]them an everlasting (HN)name which (HO)will not be eliminated.
6 “Also the (HP)foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
To attend to His service and to love the name of the Lord,
To be His servants, every one who (HQ)keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it,
And holds firmly to My covenant;
7 Even (HR)those I will bring to My (HS)holy mountain,
And (HT)make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on (HU)My altar;
For (HV)My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
8 The Lord [bd]God, who (HW)gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares,
“I will yet gather (HX)others to [be]them, to those already gathered.”
9 All you [bf](HY)wild animals,
All you animals in the forest,
Come to eat.
10 His (HZ)watchmen are (IA)blind,
All of them know nothing.
All of them are mute dogs unable to bark,
Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
11 And the dogs are [bg](IB)greedy, they [bh]are never satisfied.
And they are shepherds who have (IC)no understanding;
They have all (ID)turned to their own way,
Each one to his unjust gain, [bi]without exception.
12 “Come,” they say, “[bj]let’s get (IE)wine, and let’s drink heavily of intoxicating drink;
And (IF)tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”
Evil Leaders Rebuked
57 The righteous person perishes, and no one (IG)takes it to heart;
And devout people are taken away, while no one understands.
For the righteous person is taken away from (IH)evil,
2 He enters into peace;
They rest in their [bk]beds,
Each one who (II)walked in his upright way.
3 “But come here, you sons of a (IJ)sorceress,
(IK)Offspring of an adulterer and [bl]a (IL)prostitute!
4 Of whom do you make fun?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of (IM)rebellion,
Offspring of deceit,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the (IN)oaks,
(IO)Under every luxuriant tree,
Who (IP)slaughter the children in the [bm]ravines,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
6 Among the [bn](IQ)smooth stones of the [bo]ravine
Is your portion, [bp]they are your lot;
Even to them you have (IR)poured out a drink offering,
You have made a grain offering.
Should I [bq](IS)relent of these things?
7 On a (IT)high and lofty mountain
You have (IU)made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your sign;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have (IV)uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,
You have loved their bed,
You have looked at their [br]manhood.
9 You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have (IW)sent your messengers a great distance
And made them go down to [bs]Sheol.
10 You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘(IX)It is hopeless!’
You found [bt]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not [bu]faint.
11 “Of (IY)whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did (IZ)not remember Me
[bv]Nor (JA)give Me a thought?
Was I not silent, even for a long time,
So you do not fear Me?
12 I will (JB)declare your righteousness and your (JC)deeds,
And they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out, (JD)let your collection of idols save you.
But the wind will carry them all up,
And a breath will take them away.
But the one who (JE)takes refuge in Me will (JF)inherit the land
And (JG)possess My holy mountain.”
14 And it will be said,
“(JH)Build up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every obstacle from the way of My people.”
15 For this is what the (JI)high and exalted One
Who [bw](JJ)lives forever, whose name is Holy, says:
“I (JK)dwell in a high and holy place,
And also with the (JL)contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to (JM)revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will (JN)not contend forever,
(JO)Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the (JP)breath of those whom I have made.
17 Because of the wrongful act of his (JQ)unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on (JR)turning away, in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will (JS)heal him;
I will (JT)lead him and (JU)restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19 Creating the [bx](JV)praise of the lips.
(JW)Peace, peace to him who is (JX)far away and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”
20 But the (JY)wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21 “(JZ)There is no peace,” says (KA)my God, “for the wicked.”
Observances of Fasts
58 “(KB)Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their (KC)wrongdoing,
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they (KD)seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done (KE)righteousness
And (KF)has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight (KG)in the nearness of God.
3 ‘Why have we (KH)fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not [by]notice?’
Behold, on the (KI)day of your fast you find your desire,
And oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast for contention and (KJ)strife, and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you have done today to (KK)make your voice heard on high!
5 Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it for bowing [bz]one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out (KL)sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an (KM)acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is this not the fast that I choose:
To (KN)release the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the ropes of the yoke,
And to (KO)let the oppressed go free,
And (KP)break every yoke?
7 Is it not to (KQ)break your bread [ca]with the hungry
And (KR)bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the (KS)naked, to cover him;
And not to (KT)hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your (KU)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (KV)recovery will spring up quickly;
And your (KW)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the (KX)Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will (KY)call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (KZ)remove the yoke from your midst,
The [cb](LA)pointing of the finger and (LB)speaking wickedness,
10 And if you (LC)offer yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the [cc]need of the afflicted,
Then your (LD)light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
11 And the (LE)Lord will continually guide you,
And (LF)satisfy your [cd]desire in scorched places,
And (LG)give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a (LH)watered garden,
And like a (LI)spring of water whose waters do not [ce]fail.
12 Those from among you will (LJ)rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will (LK)raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the (LL)breach,
The restorer of the [cf]streets in which to dwell.
Keeping the Sabbath
13 “If, because of the Sabbath, you (LM)restrain your foot
From doing as you wish on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a (LN)pleasure, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your (LO)own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And (LP)speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take (LQ)delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride (LR)on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the (LS)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Separation from God
59 Behold, (LT)the Lord’s hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
(LU)Nor is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear.
2 But your (LV)wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [cg]face from you so that He does (LW)not hear.
3 For your (LX)hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with wrongdoing;
Your lips have spoken (LY)deceit,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 (LZ)No one sues righteously and (MA)no one pleads [ch]honestly.
They (MB)trust in confusion and speak lies;
They (MC)conceive trouble and give birth to disaster.
5 They hatch vipers’ eggs and (MD)weave the spider’s web;
The one who eats of their eggs dies,
And from what is crushed, a snake breaks out.
6 Their webs will not become clothing,
Nor will they (ME)cover themselves with their works;
Their (MF)works are works of wrongdoing,
And an (MG)act of violence is in their [ci]hands.
7 (MH)Their feet run to evil,
And they hurry to shed innocent blood;
(MI)Their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing,
Devastation and destruction are in their paths.
8 They do not know the (MJ)way of peace,
And there is (MK)no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked,
(ML)Whoever walks on [cj]them does not know peace.
A Confession of Wickedness
9 Therefore (MM)justice is far from us,
And righteousness does not reach us;
We (MN)hope for light, but there is darkness,
For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We (MO)grope for the wall like people who are blind,
We grope like those who have no eyes.
We (MP)stumble at midday as in the twilight;
Among those who are healthy we are (MQ)like the dead.
11 All of us growl like bears,
And (MR)moan sadly like doves;
We hope for (MS)justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (MT)wrongful acts have multiplied before You,
And our (MU)sins have testified against us;
For our wrongful acts are with us,
And [ck]we know our wrongdoings:
13 [cl]Offending and (MV)denying the Lord,
And turning away from our God,
Speaking (MW)oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and (MX)uttering lying words from the heart.
14 (MY)Justice is turned back,
And (MZ)righteousness stands far away;
For truth has stumbled in the street,
And uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
And one who turns aside from evil (NA)makes himself a prey.
Now the Lord saw,
And it was [cm]displeasing in His sight (NB)that there was no justice.
16 And He saw that there was (NC)no one,
And was amazed that there was not one to intercede;
Then His (ND)own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on (NE)righteousness like a breastplate,
And a (NF)helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on (NG)garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with (NH)zeal as a cloak.
18 (NI)According to their deeds, [cn]so will He repay:
Wrath to His adversaries, [co]retribution to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will [cp]deal [cq]retribution.
19 So they will fear the name of the Lord from the (NJ)west
And His glory from the (NK)rising of the sun,
For He will (NL)come like a [cr]rushing stream
Which the wind of the Lord drives.
20 “A (NM)Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those in Jacob who (NN)turn from wrongdoing,” declares the Lord.
21 “As for Me, this is My (NO)covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My (NP)Spirit who is upon you, and My (NQ)words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your [cs]offspring, nor from the mouth of your [ct]offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”
A Glorified Zion
60 “(NR)Arise, shine; for your (NS)light has come,
And the (NT)glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, (NU)darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you
And His (NV)glory will appear upon you.
3 (NW)Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 “(NX)Raise your eyes all around and see;
They all gather together, they (NY)come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your (NZ)daughters will be [cu]carried on the hip.
5 Then you will see and be (OA)radiant,
And your heart will [cv]thrill and rejoice;
Because the [cw](OB)abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The (OC)wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 A multitude of camels will cover you,
The young camels of Midian and (OD)Ephah;
All those from (OE)Sheba will come;
They will bring (OF)gold and frankincense,
And (OG)proclaim good news of the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of (OH)Kedar will be gathered to you,
The rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
They will go up on My (OI)altar with acceptance,
And I will (OJ)glorify My glorious house.
8 (OK)Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like the doves to their windows?
9 Certainly the (OL)coastlands will wait for Me;
And the (OM)ships of Tarshish will come first,
To (ON)bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the Lord your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has (OO)glorified you.
10 “(OP)Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their (OQ)kings will serve you;
For in My (OR)wrath I struck you,
And in My favor I have had compassion on you.
11 Your (OS)gates will be open continually;
They will not be closed day or night,
So that people may (OT)bring you the wealth of the nations,
With (OU)their kings led in procession.
12 For the (OV)nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.
13 The (OW)glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The (OX)juniper, the elm tree and the [cx]cedar together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the (OY)place of My feet glorious.
14 The (OZ)sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow down at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the (PA)city of the Lord,
The (PB)Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Whereas you have been (PC)forsaken and (PD)hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an (PE)object of pride forever,
A joy from generation to generation.
16 You will also (PF)suck the milk of nations,
And suck the breast of kings;
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your (PG)Savior
And your (PH)Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
And instead of iron I will bring silver,
And instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
And I will make peace your administrators,
And righteousness your overseers.
18 (PI)Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor (PJ)devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your (PK)walls salvation, and your (PL)gates praise.
19 No longer will you have the (PM)sun for light by day,
Nor will the moon give you light for brightness;
But you will have the (PN)Lord as an everlasting light,
And your (PO)God as your [cy]glory.
20 Your (PP)sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the Lord as an everlasting light,
And the days of your (PQ)mourning will be over.
21 Then all your (PR)people will be righteous;
They will (PS)possess the land forever,
The branch of [cz]My planting,
The (PT)work of My hands,
That I may be (PU)glorified.
22 The (PV)smallest one will become a thousand,
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will bring it about quickly in its time.”
Exaltation of the Afflicted
61 The (PW)Spirit of the Lord [da]God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To (PX)bring good news to the (PY)humble;
He has sent me to (PZ)bind up the brokenhearted,
To (QA)proclaim [db]release to captives
And [dc]freedom to prisoners;
2 To (QB)proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the (QC)day of vengeance of our God;
To (QD)comfort all who mourn,
3 To (QE)grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The (QF)oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called [dd](QG)oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4 Then they will (QH)rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
5 (QI)Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And [de]foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the (QJ)priests of the Lord;
You will be spoken of as (QK)ministers of our God.
You will eat the (QL)wealth of nations,
And you will boast in their [df]riches.
7 Instead of your (QM)shame you will have a (QN)double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
(QO)Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the Lord, (QP)love justice,
I hate robbery [dg]in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an (QQ)everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the (QR)offspring whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will (QS)rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in (QT)my God;
For He has (QU)clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a groom puts on a turban,
And (QV)as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the (QW)earth produces its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord [dh]God will (QX)cause (QY)righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
Zion’s Glory and New Name
62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her (QZ)righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her (RA)salvation like a torch that is burning.
2 The (RB)nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new (RC)name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.
3 You will also be a (RD)crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
And a royal headband in the hand of your God.
4 It will no longer be said to you, “[di](RE)Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “[dj]Desolate”;
But you will be called, “[dk]My delight is in her,”
And your land, “[dl](RF)Married”;
For the (RG)Lord delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your sons will marry you;
And as the [dm]groom rejoices over the bride,
So your (RH)God will rejoice over you.
6 On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed (RI)watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who (RJ)profess the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;
7 And (RK)give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes (RL)Jerusalem an object of praise on the earth.
8 (RM)The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm:
“I will (RN)never again give your grain as food for your enemies,
Nor will [dn]foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”
9 But those who (RO)harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courtyards of My sanctuary.
10 Go through, (RP)go through the gates,
Clear a way [do]for the people!
(RQ)Build up, build up the (RR)highway,
Remove the stones, lift up a (RS)flag over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the (RT)end of the earth:
(RU)Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your (RV)salvation is coming;
(RW)Behold His reward is with Him, and His compensation before Him.”
12 And they will call them, “(RX)The holy people,
The (RY)redeemed of the Lord”;
And you will be called, “Sought Out, A City (RZ)Not Abandoned.”
God’s Vengeance on the Nations
63 Who is this who comes from (SA)Edom,
With (SB)garments of [dp]glowing colors from (SC)Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
[dq]Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, (SD)mighty to save.”
2 Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who (SE)treads in the wine press?
3 “(SF)I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no one with Me.
I also (SG)trod them in My anger
And (SH)trampled them in My wrath;
And (SI)their [dr]lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I [ds]stained all My clothes.
4 For the (SJ)day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.
5 I looked, but there was (SK)no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My (SL)own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.
6 I (SM)trampled down the peoples in My anger
And made them (SN)drunk with My wrath,
And I [dt]poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled
7 I will make mention of the (SO)mercies of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has granted us,
And the great (SP)goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His (SQ)compassion
And according to the abundance of His mercies.
8 For He said, “Certainly they are (SR)My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely.”
So He became their (SS)Savior.
9 In all their distress [du](ST)He was distressed,
And the (SU)angel of His presence saved them;
In His (SV)love and in His mercy He (SW)redeemed them,
And He (SX)lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they (SY)rebelled
And grieved His (SZ)Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.
11 Then (TA)His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is (TB)He who brought them up out of the sea with the [dv]shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who (TC)put His Holy Spirit in the midst of [dw]them,
12 Who caused His (TD)glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,
Who (TE)divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not (TF)stumble;
14 Like the cattle which go down into the valley,
The Spirit of the (TG)Lord gave [dx]them rest.
So You (TH)led Your people,
To make for Yourself a glorious name.
You Are Our Father
15 (TI)Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious (TJ)lofty habitation;
Where are Your (TK)zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The (TL)stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.
16 For You are our (TM)Father, though (TN)Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our Father,
Our (TO)Redeemer from ancient times is Your name.
17 Why, Lord, do You (TP)cause us to stray from Your ways
And (TQ)harden our heart from fearing You?
(TR)Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have (TS)trampled it down.
19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.
Prayer for Mercy and Help
64 [dy]Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and (TT)come down,
That the mountains would (TU)quake at Your presence—
2 [dz]As fire kindles brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—
To make Your name known to Your adversaries,
That the (TV)nations may tremble at Your presence!
3 When You did (TW)awesome things which we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.
4 For from days of old (TX)they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of one who (TY)waits for Him.
5 You (TZ)meet him who rejoices in (UA)doing righteousness,
Who (UB)remembers You in Your ways.
Behold, (UC)You were angry, for we sinned,
We continued in [ea]our sins for a long time;
Yet shall we be saved?
6 For all of us have become like one who is (UD)unclean,
And all our (UE)righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us (UF)wither like a leaf,
And our (UG)wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is (UH)no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself to take hold of You;
For You have (UI)hidden Your face from us
And have [eb]surrendered us to the power of our wrongdoings.
8 But now, Lord, (UJ)You are our Father;
We are the (UK)clay, and You our potter,
And all of us are the (UL)work of Your hand.
9 Do not be (UM)angry beyond measure, Lord,
(UN)Nor remember wrongdoing forever.
Behold, please look, all of us are (UO)Your people.
10 Your (UP)holy cities have become a (UQ)wilderness,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11 Our holy and beautiful (UR)house,
Where our fathers praised You,
Has been burned by fire;
And (US)all our precious things have become a ruin.
12 Will You (UT)restrain Yourself at these things, Lord?
Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?
A Rebellious People
65 “I permitted Myself to be sought by (UU)those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which (UV)did not call on My name.
2 (UW)I have spread out My hands all day long to a (UX)rebellious people,
Who walk in the way which is not good, [ec]following their own (UY)thoughts,
3 A people who continually (UZ)provoke Me to My face,
Offering sacrifices in (VA)gardens and (VB)burning incense on bricks;
4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;
Who (VC)eat pig’s flesh,
And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots.
5 Who say, ‘(VD)Keep to yourself, do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My [ed]nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before Me:
I will (VE)not keep silent, but (VF)I will repay;
I will even repay [ee]into their laps,
7 Both your own (VG)wrongdoings and the wrongdoings of your fathers together,” says the Lord.
“Because they have (VH)burned incense on the mountains
And (VI)scorned Me on the hills,
Therefore I will (VJ)measure their former work [ef]into their laps.”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“Just as the new wine is found in the cluster,
And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is [eg]benefit in it,’
So I will act in behalf of My servants
In order (VK)not to destroy [eh]all of them.
9 I will bring forth [ei](VL)offspring from Jacob,
And an (VM)heir of My mountains from Judah;
(VN)My chosen ones shall inherit it,
And (VO)My servants will live there.
10 (VP)Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks,
And the (VQ)Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,
For My people who (VR)seek Me.
11 But as for you who (VS)abandon the Lord,
Who forget My (VT)holy mountain,
Who set a table for [ej]Fortune,
And fill a jug of mixed wine for [ek]Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the (VU)sword,
And all of you will bow down to the (VV)slaughter.
Because I called, but you (VW)did not answer;
I spoke, but you did not listen.
Instead, you did evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
13 Therefore, this is what the Lord [el]God says:
“Behold, My servants will (VX)eat, but you will be (VY)hungry.
Behold, My servants will (VZ)drink, but you will be (WA)thirsty.
Behold, My servants will (WB)rejoice, but you will be (WC)put to shame.
14 Behold, My servants will (WD)shout joyfully with a glad heart,
But you will (WE)cry out from a painful heart,
And you will wail from a broken spirit.
15 You will leave your name as a (WF)curse to My chosen ones,
And the Lord [em]God will put you to death.
But [en]My servants will be called by (WG)another name.
16 Because the one who [eo]is blessed on the earth
Will [ep]be blessed by the (WH)God of truth;
And the one who swears an oath on the earth
Will (WI)swear by the God of truth;
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
New Heavens and a New Earth
17 “For behold, I create (WJ)new heavens and a new earth;
And the (WK)former things will not be remembered or come to [eq]mind.
18 But be (WL)glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
19 I will also (WM)rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of (WN)weeping and the sound of crying.
20 No longer will there be [er]in it an infant who lives only a few days,
Or an old person who does (WO)not [es]live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of a hundred,
And the [et](WP)one who does not reach the age of a hundred
Will be thought accursed.
21 They will (WQ)build houses and inhabit them;
They will also (WR)plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They will not build and (WS)another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For (WT)as the [eu]lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will (WU)fully enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will (WV)not labor in vain,
Or give birth to children for disaster;
For they are the [ev](WW)descendants of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will (WX)answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. 25 The (WY)wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the (WZ)lion will eat straw like the ox; and (XA)dust will be the serpent’s food. They will (XB)do no evil or harm on all My (XC)holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Heaven Is God’s Throne
66 This is what the Lord says:
“(XD)Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet.
Where then is a (XE)house you could build for Me?
And where is a place that [ew]I may rest?
2 For (XF)My hand made all these things,
So all these things came into being,” declares the Lord.
“But I will look to this one,
At one who is humble and (XG)contrite in spirit, and who (XH)trembles at My word.
Hypocrisy Rebuked
3 “But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person;
The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers (XI)pig’s blood;
One who [ex](XJ)burns incense is like one who blesses an idol.
As they have chosen their (XK)own ways,
And their souls delight in their (XL)abominations,
4 So I will (XM)choose their [ey]punishments
And (XN)bring on them what they dread.
Because I called, but (XO)no one answered;
I spoke, but they did not listen.
Instead, they did (XP)evil in My sight
And chose that in which I did not delight.”
5 Hear the word of the Lord, you who (XQ)tremble at His word:
“Your brothers who (XR)hate you, who (XS)exclude you on account of My name,
Have said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, so that we may see your joy.’
But (XT)they will be put to shame.
6 A sound of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple,
The voice of the Lord who is (XU)dealing retribution to His enemies.
7 “Before she was in labor, (XV)she delivered;
Before her pain came, (XW)she gave birth to a boy.
8 (XX)Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be [ez]born in one day?
Can a nation be given birth all at once?
As soon as Zion was in labor, she also delivered her sons.
9 Shall I bring to the point of birth but (XY)not give delivery?” says the Lord.
“Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.
Joy in Jerusalem’s Future
10 “Be (XZ)joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who (YA)love her;
Be exceedingly (YB)glad with her, all you who mourn over her,
11 So that you may nurse and (YC)be satisfied with her comforting breasts,
So that you may drink fully and be delighted with her (YD)bountiful breasts.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I extend (YE)peace to her like a river,
And the (YF)glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;
And you will [fa]be nursed, you will be (YG)carried on the [fb]hip and rocked back and forth on the knees.
13 As one whom his mother comforts, so I will (YH)comfort you;
And you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 Then you will (YI)see this, and your (YJ)heart will be glad,
And your (YK)bones will flourish like the new grass;
And the (YL)hand of the Lord will be made known to His servants,
But He will be (YM)indignant toward His enemies.
15 For behold, the Lord will come in (YN)fire,
And His (YO)chariots like the whirlwind,
To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For the Lord will execute judgment by (YP)fire
And by His (YQ)sword on [fc]humanity,
And those put to death by the Lord will be many.
17 “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the (YR)gardens,
[fd]Following one in the center,
Who eat (YS)pig’s flesh, detestable things, and mice,
Will (YT)come to an end altogether,” declares the Lord.
18 “For I [fe]know their works and their (YU)thoughts; [ff]the time is coming to (YV)gather all the nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. 19 And I will put a (YW)sign among them and send survivors from them to the nations: (YX)Tarshish, [fg]Put, (YY)Lud, [fh]Meshech, (YZ)Tubal, and [fi]Javan, to the distant (ZA)coastlands that have neither heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will (ZB)declare My glory among the nations. 20 Then they shall (ZC)bring all your countrymen from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, and on camels, to My (ZD)holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a (ZE)clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21 I will also take some of them as (ZF)priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
22 “For just as the (ZG)new heavens and the new earth,
Which I make, will endure before Me,” declares the Lord,
“So will your (ZH)descendants and your (ZI)name endure.
23 And it shall be from (ZJ)new moon to new moon
And from Sabbath to Sabbath,
All [fj]mankind will come to (ZK)bow down before Me,” says the Lord.
24 “Then they will go out and look
At the (ZL)corpses of the people
Who have (ZM)rebelled against Me.
For their (ZN)worm will not die
(ZO)And their fire will not be extinguished;
And they will be an (ZP)abhorrence to all [fk]mankind.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 51:1 Lit excavation of a pit
- Isaiah 51:4 Or people
- Isaiah 51:6 Another reading is like gnats
- Isaiah 51:7 Or mankind
- Isaiah 51:9 I.e., a sea monster, not to be confused with Rahab in Joshua 2
- Isaiah 51:12 Lit man who dies
- Isaiah 51:14 Lit one in chains
- Isaiah 51:14 Lit pit
- Isaiah 51:16 Lit plant
- Isaiah 51:17 Lit bowl of the cup of reeling
- Isaiah 51:22 Lit bowl of the cup of
- Isaiah 51:23 Lit your soul
- Isaiah 52:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 52:7 Or well-being
- Isaiah 52:7 Lit good
- Isaiah 52:7 Or is King
- Isaiah 52:8 Lit eye to eye
- Isaiah 52:10 Or And all...will see
- Isaiah 52:12 Lit in flight
- Isaiah 52:13 Or very high
- Isaiah 52:15 LXX many nations will wonder at Him
- Isaiah 53:2 Lit suckling
- Isaiah 53:3 Lit pains
- Isaiah 53:5 Or wounded
- Isaiah 53:5 Or peace
- Isaiah 53:6 Lit encounter Him
- Isaiah 53:8 Or life
- Isaiah 53:10 Lit He made Him sick
- Isaiah 53:10 Lit His soul
- Isaiah 53:10 Lit seed
- Isaiah 53:10 Or will of
- Isaiah 53:11 Or trouble
- Isaiah 53:11 DSS see light; LXX also has light
- Isaiah 53:12 Lit soul
- Isaiah 54:2 Lit Let them stretch out
- Isaiah 54:3 Lit seed
- Isaiah 54:7 Lit In
- Isaiah 54:8 Lit overflowing
- Isaiah 54:9 Some mss the waters of Noah this is to Me
- Isaiah 54:9 Lit cross over
- Isaiah 54:10 Or faithfulness
- Isaiah 54:11 Or lapis lazuli
- Isaiah 54:12 I.e., bright red
- Isaiah 54:12 Or carbuncles
- Isaiah 54:12 Lit border, boundary
- Isaiah 54:13 Or disciples of
- Isaiah 54:17 Lit rises against
- Isaiah 55:1 Lit Hoy
- Isaiah 55:1 Lit silver
- Isaiah 55:2 Lit weigh out silver
- Isaiah 55:3 Lit your soul
- Isaiah 55:3 Lit of David
- Isaiah 55:13 I.e., the transformation of the desert
- Isaiah 55:13 Lit name
- Isaiah 56:5 As in DSS; MT him
- Isaiah 56:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 56:8 Lit him
- Isaiah 56:9 Lit animals of the field
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit strong of soul/appetite
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit do not know satisfaction
- Isaiah 56:11 Lit from his end
- Isaiah 56:12 As in DSS and some ancient versions; MT I will
- Isaiah 57:2 I.e., graves
- Isaiah 57:3 As in ancient versions; MT she prostitutes herself
- Isaiah 57:5 Or wadis
- Isaiah 57:6 I.e., symbols of fertility gods
- Isaiah 57:6 Or wadi
- Isaiah 57:6 Lit they, they
- Isaiah 57:6 Or repent
- Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand
- Isaiah 57:9 I.e., the netherworld
- Isaiah 57:10 Lit the life of your hand
- Isaiah 57:10 Or become sick
- Isaiah 57:11 Lit You did not set it upon your heart
- Isaiah 57:15 Or dwells in eternity
- Isaiah 57:19 Lit fruit of the lips
- Isaiah 58:3 Lit know
- Isaiah 58:5 Lit his
- Isaiah 58:7 Lit for
- Isaiah 58:9 I.e., an abusive gesture
- Isaiah 58:10 Or soul
- Isaiah 58:11 Or soul
- Isaiah 58:11 Or deceive
- Isaiah 58:12 Lit paths
- Isaiah 59:2 As in ancient versions; MT faces
- Isaiah 59:4 Lit in truth
- Isaiah 59:6 Lit palms
- Isaiah 59:8 Lit it
- Isaiah 59:12 Lit our wrongdoings we know them
- Isaiah 59:13 Or Revolting against and
- Isaiah 59:15 Or evil
- Isaiah 59:18 Lit accordingly
- Isaiah 59:18 Lit requital
- Isaiah 59:18 Lit repay
- Isaiah 59:18 Lit requital
- Isaiah 59:19 Lit narrow
- Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed
- Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed
- Isaiah 60:4 Lit cared for
- Isaiah 60:5 Lit tremble and open wide
- Isaiah 60:5 Lit roar
- Isaiah 60:13 Or cypress
- Isaiah 60:19 Or beauty
- Isaiah 60:21 Lit His
- Isaiah 61:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 61:1 Or liberty
- Isaiah 61:1 Lit opening to those who are bound
- Isaiah 61:3 Or terebinths
- Isaiah 61:5 Lit sons of the foreigner
- Isaiah 61:6 Or glory
- Isaiah 61:8 Or with malice
- Isaiah 61:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 62:4 I.e., Azubah
- Isaiah 62:4 I.e., Shemamah
- Isaiah 62:4 I.e., Hephzibah
- Isaiah 62:4 I.e., Beulah
- Isaiah 62:5 Lit joy of the groom is over
- Isaiah 62:8 Lit sons of foreigners
- Isaiah 62:10 Lit of
- Isaiah 63:1 Or crimson
- Isaiah 63:1 Lit Inclining
- Isaiah 63:3 Lit juice
- Isaiah 63:3 Lit defiled
- Isaiah 63:6 Lit brought down their juice to the earth
- Isaiah 63:9 Another reading is He was not an adversary
- Isaiah 63:11 Some mss shepherd
- Isaiah 63:11 Lit him
- Isaiah 63:14 Lit him
- Isaiah 64:1 Ch 63:19b in Heb
- Isaiah 64:2 Ch 64:1 in Heb
- Isaiah 64:5 Lit them
- Isaiah 64:7 As in DSS and ancient versions; MT melted
- Isaiah 65:2 Lit after
- Isaiah 65:5 Lit nose
- Isaiah 65:6 I.e., individually and fully
- Isaiah 65:7 I.e., individually and fully
- Isaiah 65:8 Lit blessing
- Isaiah 65:8 Lit the whole
- Isaiah 65:9 Lit seed
- Isaiah 65:11 Heb Gad
- Isaiah 65:11 Heb Meni
- Isaiah 65:13 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 65:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 65:15 As in LXX; MT He will call His servants
- Isaiah 65:16 Or bless(es) himself
- Isaiah 65:16 Or bless(es) himself
- Isaiah 65:17 Lit heart
- Isaiah 65:20 Lit from there
- Isaiah 65:20 Lit fill out
- Isaiah 65:20 Lit one who misses the mark
- Isaiah 65:22 Lit days
- Isaiah 65:23 Lit seed
- Isaiah 66:1 Lit is My resting place?
- Isaiah 66:3 Lit offers a memorial of incense
- Isaiah 66:4 Lit ill treatments
- Isaiah 66:8 Lit born through labor-pains
- Isaiah 66:12 Lit nurse
- Isaiah 66:12 Lit side
- Isaiah 66:16 Lit all flesh
- Isaiah 66:17 Lit After
- Isaiah 66:18 As in LXX; know not found in MT
- Isaiah 66:18 Lit it is coming
- Isaiah 66:19 As in LXX; MT Pul
- Isaiah 66:19 As in LXX; MT those who draw the bow
- Isaiah 66:19 I.e., Greece
- Isaiah 66:23 Lit flesh
- Isaiah 66:24 Lit flesh
Jeremiah 1-8
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
1 The words of (A)Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in (B)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of (C)Josiah the son of (D)Amon, king of Judah, in the (E)thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of (F)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of (G)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I (H)formed you in the womb I knew you,
And (I)before you were born I consecrated you;
I have (J)appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then (K)I said, “Oh, Lord [a]God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because (L)I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
(M)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And (N)all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 (O)Do not be afraid of them,
For (P)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and (Q)touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have (R)put My words in your mouth.
10 See, (S)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
(T)To root out and to tear down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
(U)To build and to plant.”
The Almond Branch and Boiling Pot
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see, (V)Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a branch of an [b]almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for (W)I am [c]watching over My word to perform it.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “(X)What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling (Y)pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “(Z)Out of the north the evil [d]will be unleashed on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I am calling (AA)all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and (AB)place, each one of them, his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the (AC)cities of Judah. 16 And I will [e]pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have (AD)abandoned Me and have [f](AE)offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the (AF)works of their own hands. 17 Now, (AG)belt your garment around your waist and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. (AH)Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them. 18 Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for (AI)I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
Judah’s Apostasy
2 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and (AJ)proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember regarding you the [g](AK)devotion of your youth,
Your love when you were a bride,
(AL)Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 Israel was (AM)holy to the Lord,
The (AN)first of His harvest.
(AO)All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says:
“(AP)What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me,
And walked after (AQ)emptiness and became empty?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who (AR)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who (AS)led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [h]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no person lived?’
7 I brought you into the (AT)fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and (AU)defiled My land,
And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8 The (AV)priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the Law (AW)did not know Me;
The [i]rulers also revolted against Me,
And the (AX)prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after (AY)things that were of no benefit.
9 “Therefore I will still (AZ)contend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10 For (BA)cross to the coastlands of [j]Kittim and see,
And send to (BB)Kedar and observe closely,
And see if there has been anything like this!
11 Has a nation changed gods,
When (BC)they were not gods?
But My people have (BD)exchanged their glory
For that which is of no benefit.
12 Be appalled at this, (BE)you heavens,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me,
The (BF)fountain of living waters,
To carve out for themselves (BG)cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That do not hold water.
14 “Is Israel (BH)a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?
Why has he become plunder?
15 The young (BI)lions have roared at him,
They have [k]roared loudly.
And they have (BJ)made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 Also the [l]men of (BK)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [m]shaved (BL)your head.
17 Have you not (BM)done this to yourself
By your abandoning the Lord your God
When He (BN)led you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing (BO)on the road to Egypt,
Except to drink the waters of the [n](BP)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 (BQ)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your (BR)apostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (BS)bitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And (BT)the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [o]God of armies.
20 “For long ago [p](BU)I broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (BV)high hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 Yet I (BW)planted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (BX)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you (BY)wash yourself with lye
And [q]use much soap,
The (BZ)stain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord [r]God.
23 “(CA)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the (CB)Baals’?
Look at your way in the (CC)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel (CD)running about senselessly on her ways,
24 A (CE)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
Who can turn her away in her mating season?
None who seek her will grow weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from being bare,
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘(CF)It is [s]hopeless!
No! For I have (CG)loved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’
26 “Like the shame of a (CH)thief when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their (CI)backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the (CJ)time of their [t]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But where are your (CK)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can (CL)save you
In the time of your [u]trouble!
For (CM)as many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have (CN)all revolted against Me,” declares the Lord.
30 “(CO)In vain I have struck your sons;
They did not accept discipline.
Your (CP)sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 You generation, look to the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a (CQ)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘(CR)We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her jewelry,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have (CS)forgotten Me
For days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even to the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The (CT)lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them (CU)breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 You said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will (CV)enter into judgment with you
Because you (CW)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you (CX)go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, (CY)you will be put to shame by Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame by (CZ)Assyria.
37 From this place as well you will go out
With (DA)your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected (DB)those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
The Defiled Land
3 God [v]says, “(DC)If a husband divorces his wife
And she leaves him
And becomes another man’s wife,
Will he return to her again?
Would that land not be completely defiled?
But you (DD)are a prostitute with many [w]lovers;
Yet you (DE)turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Raise your eyes to the (DF)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
You have (DG)sat for them by the roads
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have (DH)defiled a land
With your prostitution and your wickedness.
3 Therefore the (DI)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a (DJ)prostitute’s [x]forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(DK)My Father, You are the (DL)friend of my (DM)youth?
5 (DN)Will He be angry forever,
Or keep His anger to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [y]had your own way.”
Faithless Israel
6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (DO)went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there. 7 Yet (DP)I [z]thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (DQ)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the [aa]adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (DR)given her a certificate of divorce, yet her (DS)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also. 9 And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she (DT)defiled the land and committed [ab]adultery with (DU)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (DV)deception,” declares the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(DW)Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(DX)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(DY)I will not [ac]look at you in anger.
For I am (DZ)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only [ad](EA)acknowledge your wrongdoing,
That you have revolted against the Lord your God,
And have (EB)scattered your [ae]favors to the strangers (EC)under every leafy tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (ED)master to you,
And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
And (EE)bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (EF)shepherds [af]after My own heart, who will (EG)feed you knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will (EH)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (EI)Throne of the Lord,’ and (EJ)all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the (EK)name of the Lord; and they will no longer (EL)follow the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (EM)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (EN)from the land of the north to the (EO)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [ag]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (EP)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (EQ)My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover,
So you have (ER)dealt treacherously with Me,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the (ES)bare heights,
The weeping, the pleading of the sons of Israel.
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (ET)forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you faithless sons,
(EU)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
23 Certainly (EV)the hills are a deception,
[ah]Commotion on the mountains.
Certainly in the (EW)Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But (EX)the shame has consumed the product of our fathers’ labor since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our (EY)shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, (EZ)from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
Judah Threatened with Invasion
4 “If you will (FA)return, Israel,” declares the Lord,
“Then you should return to Me.
And (FB)if you will put away your detestable things from My presence,
And will not waver,
2 And if you will (FC)swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
(FD)In truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
Then the (FE)nations will bless themselves in Him,
And (FF)in Him they will boast.”
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“[ai](FG)Break up your uncultivated ground,
And (FH)do not sow among thorns.
4 (FI)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your hearts,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My (FJ)wrath will spread like fire
And burn with (FK)no one to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“(FL)Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘(FM)Assemble, and let’s go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 Raise a (FN)flag toward Zion!
Take refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing (FO)evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 A (FP)lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a (FQ)destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To (FR)make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins,
Without an inhabitant.
8 For this, (FS)put on sackcloth,
Mourn and wail;
For the (FT)fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned away from us.”
9 “And it shall come about on that day,” declares the Lord, “that the (FU)heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the (FV)prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Oh, Lord [aj]God! Surely You have utterly (FW)deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘(FX)You will have peace’; yet a sword touches the [ak]throat.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A (FY)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too [al]strong for [am]this—will come [an]at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.”
13 “Behold, he (FZ)goes up like clouds,
And his (GA)chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are (GB)swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for (GC)we are ruined!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem,
So that you may be saved.
How long will your (GD)wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from (GE)Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim to Jerusalem,
‘[ao]Enemies are coming from a (GF)remote country,
And (GG)they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 Like watchmen of a field they are (GH)against her all around,
Because she has (GI)rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord.
18 Your (GJ)ways and your deeds
Have [ap]brought these things upon you.
This is your evil. How (GK)bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”
Grief over Judah’s Devastation
19 (GL)My [aq]soul, my [ar]soul! I am in anguish! [as]Oh, my heart!
My (GM)heart is pounding in me;
I cannot keep silent,
Because, [at]my soul, you have heard
The (GN)sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 (GO)Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed,
For the (GP)whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my (GQ)tents are devastated,
And my curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the flag
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “(GR)For My people are foolish,
They do not know Me;
They are foolish children
And have no understanding.
They are skillful at (GS)doing evil,
But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a [au](GT)formless and desolate emptiness;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were (GU)quaking,
And all the hills jolted back and forth.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no human,
And all the (GV)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, [av]the (GW)fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The (GX)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (GY)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (GZ)earth will mourn,
And the (HA)heavens above will become dark,
Because I have (HB)spoken, I have purposed,
And I have not [aw]changed My mind, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and archer (HC)every city flees;
They (HD)go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
(HE)Every city is abandoned,
And no one lives in them.
30 And you, desolate one, (HF)what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you adorn yourself with jewelry of gold,
Although you (HG)enlarge your eyes with makeup,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [ax](HH)lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a voice cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child.
The voice of the daughter of Zion (HI)gasping for breath,
(HJ)Stretching out her [ay]hands, saying,
“Ah, woe to me, for [az]I faint before murderers.”
Jerusalem’s Godlessness
5 “(HK)Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look and take notice.
And seek in her public squares,
If you can (HL)find a person,
(HM)If there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty,
Then I will forgive [ba]her.
2 And (HN)although they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’
Certainly they swear falsely.”
3 Lord, do (HO)Your eyes not look for honesty?
You have (HP)struck them,
But they did not [bb]weaken;
You have consumed them,
But they (HQ)refused to accept discipline.
They have (HR)made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to repent.
4 Then I said, “They are only the poor,
They are foolish;
For they (HS)do not know the way of the Lord
Or the judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great
And speak to them,
For (HT)they know the way of the Lord
And the judgment of their God.”
But together they too have (HU)broken the yoke
And burst the restraints.
6 Therefore (HV)a lion from the forest will kill them,
A (HW)wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
A (HX)leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
Because their (HY)wrongdoings are many,
Their apostasies are numerous.
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And (HZ)sworn by those who are (IA)not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They (IB)committed adultery
And stayed at the prostitute’s house.
8 They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing at his (IC)neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord,
“And (ID)shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
But do not execute a complete destruction;
Strip away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11 For the (IE)house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.
12 They have (IF)lied about the Lord
And said, “[bc](IG)Not He;
Misfortune will (IH)not come upon us,
(II)Nor will we see sword or famine.
13 The (IJ)prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
So it will be done to them!”
Judgment Proclaimed
14 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of armies says:
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am (IK)making My words fire in your mouth,
And this people wood, and it will consume them.
15 Behold, I am (IL)bringing a nation against you from far away, you house of Israel,” declares the Lord.
“It is an enduring nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose (IM)language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their (IN)quiver is like an (IO)open grave,
All of them are warriors.
17 They will (IP)devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your (IQ)vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish your (IR)fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make a complete destruction of you. 19 And it shall come about (IS)when [bd]they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will (IT)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, you foolish and [be]senseless people,
Who have (IU)eyes but do not see,
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 Do you not (IV)fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (IW)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.
Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, they will not cross over it.
23 But this people has a (IX)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who (IY)gives rain in its season,
Both (IZ)the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The (JA)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 Your (JB)wrongdoings have turned these away,
And your sins have kept good away from you.
26 For wicked people are found among My people,
They (JC)watch like fowlers [bf]lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (JD)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 They are (JE)fat, they are sleek,
They also [bg]excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [bh](JF)orphan, so that they may be successful;
And they do not [bi]defend the rights of the poor.
29 (JG)Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord,
‘Or shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?’
30 “An appalling and (JH)horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31 The (JI)prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule [bj]on their own authority;
And My people (JJ)love it this way!
But what will you do [bk]when the end comes?
The Coming Destruction of Jerusalem
6 “Flee to safety, you sons of (JK)Benjamin,
From the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow a trumpet in Tekoa
And raise a warning signal over [bl](JL)Beth-haccerem;
For evil looks down from the (JM)north,
Along with a great destruction.
2 The beautiful and (JN)delicate one, (JO)the daughter of Zion, I will destroy.
3 (JP)Shepherds and their flocks will come to her,
They will (JQ)pitch their tents [bm]around her,
They will pasture, each in his [bn]place.
4 ‘[bo](JR)Prepare for war against her;
Arise, and let’s [bp]attack at (JS)noon.
Woe to us, for the day declines,
For the shadows of the evening lengthen!
5 Arise, and let’s [bq]attack by night
And (JT)destroy her [br]palaces!’”
6 For this is what the Lord of armies says:
“(JU)Cut down her trees
And pile up an (JV)assault ramp against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished,
In whose midst there is only (JW)oppression.
7 (JX)As a well [bs]keeps its waters fresh,
So she [bt]keeps fresh her wickedness.
(JY)Violence and destruction are heard in her;
(JZ)Sickness and wounds are constantly before Me.
8 (KA)Be warned, Jerusalem,
Or [bu](KB)I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
An uninhabited land.”
9 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“They will (KC)thoroughly glean the (KD)remnant of Israel like the vine;
Pass your hand over the branches again
Like a grape gatherer.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Behold, their (KE)ears are [bv]closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, (KF)the word of the Lord has become for them a rebuke;
They take no delight in it.
11 But I am (KG)full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am (KH)weary of holding it in.
“(KI)Pour it out on the children in the street
And on the [bw]gathering of young men together;
For both husband and wife shall be taken,
The old [bx]and the very old.
12 Their (KJ)houses shall be turned over to others,
Their fields and their wives together;
For I will (KK)stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord.
13 “For (KL)from the least of them to the greatest of them,
Everyone is (KM)greedy for gain,
And from the prophet to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have (KN)healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
15 Were they (KO)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
Nor did they know even how to be ashamed.
Therefore they will fall among those who fall;
At the time that I punish them,
They will collapse,” says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the (KP)ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
Then (KQ)you will find a resting place for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 And I set (KR)watchmen over you, saying,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, you congregation, what is among them.
19 (KS)Hear, earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The (KT)fruit of their [by]plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My Law, they have (KU)rejected it also.
20 (KV)For what purpose does (KW)frankincense come to Me from Sheba,
And the [bz](KX)sweet cane from a distant land?
(KY)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.”
21 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, (KZ)I am [ca]placing stumbling blocks before this people.
And they will stumble against them,
(LA)Fathers and sons together;
Neighbor and [cb]friend will perish.”
The Enemy from the North
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Behold, there is (LB)a people coming from the north land,
And a great nation will be stirred up from the (LC)remote parts of the earth.
23 They seize (LD)bow and spear;
They are (LE)cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (LF)roars like the sea,
And they ride on horses,
Lined up as a man for the battle
Against you, daughter of Zion!”
24 We have (LG)heard the report of it;
Our hands are limp.
(LH)Anguish has seized us,
Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.
25 (LI)Do not go out into the field,
And (LJ)do not walk on the road;
For the enemy has a sword,
(LK)Terror is on every side.
26 Daughter of my people, (LL)put on sackcloth
And (LM)roll in ashes;
[cc](LN)Mourn as for an only son,
A most bitter mourning.
For suddenly the destroyer
Will come against us.
27 “I have (LO)made you an assayer and an examiner among My people,
So that you may know and put their way to the test.”
28 All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
(LP)Going about as a slanderer;
They are (LQ)bronze and iron.
They are, all of them, corrupt.
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
In vain the refining goes on,
But the (LR)wicked are not [cd]separated.
30 (LS)They call them rejected silver,
Because the (LT)Lord has rejected them.
Message at the Temple Gate
7 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “(LU)Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who enter by these gates to worship the Lord!’” 3 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “(LV)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you live in this place. 4 (LW)Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, ‘[ce]This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ 5 For (LX)if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly (LY)practice justice between a person and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the [cf](LZ)orphan, or the widow, and do not shed (MA)innocent blood in this place, nor (MB)follow other gods to your own ruin, 7 then I will let you (MC)live in this place, in the (MD)land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
8 “Behold, you are trusting in (ME)deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, [cg](MF)offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow (MG)other gods that you have not known, 10 then (MH)come and stand before Me in (MI)this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are saved!’—so that you may do all these abominations? 11 Has (MJ)this house, which is called by My name, become a (MK)den of robbers in your sight? Behold, (ML)I Myself have seen it,” declares the Lord.
12 “But go now to My place which was in (MM)Shiloh, where I (MN)made My name dwell at the beginning, and (MO)see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and I spoke to you, (MP)speaking again and again, but you did not listen, and I (MQ)called you but you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the (MR)house which is called by My name, (MS)in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, just as I (MT)did to Shiloh. 15 I will (MU)hurl you out of My sight, just as I have hurled out all your brothers, all the [ch]descendants of (MV)Ephraim.
16 “As for you, (MW)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [ci]children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (MX)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (MY)provoke Me to anger. 19 (MZ)Are they provoking Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves instead, to their [cj]own (NA)shame?” 20 Therefore this is what the Lord [ck]God says: “Behold, My (NB)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on human and animal life, and on the (NC)trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your (ND)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (NE)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (NF)speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [cl]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(NG)Obey My voice, and (NH)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk [cm]entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may (NI)go well for you.’ 24 Yet they (NJ)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they [cn](NK)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (NL)sent you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily, again and again. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (NM)stiffened their neck; they (NN)did more evil than their fathers.
27 “So you shall (NO)speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you; and you shall call to them, but they will (NP)not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that (NQ)did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept discipline; [co](NR)trustworthiness has perished and has been eliminated from their mouth.
29 (NS)Cut off [cp]your hair and throw it away,
And (NT)take up a song of mourning on the bare heights;
For the Lord has (NU)rejected and forsaken
The generation of His wrath.’
30 For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,” declares the Lord. “They have (NV)put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 31 They have (NW)built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to (NX)burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I (NY)did not command, and it did not come into My [cq]mind.
32 “(NZ)Therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of the Slaughter; for they will (OA)bury in Topheth [cr]because there is no other place. 33 The (OB)dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. 34 Then I will (OC)eliminate from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride; for the (OD)land will become a site of ruins.
The Sin and Treachery of Judah
8 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will (OE)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (OF)heavenly [cs]lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (OG)nor buried; (OH)they will be like dung on the face of the ground. 3 And (OI)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (OJ)places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.
4 “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Do people (OK)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [ct]repent?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(OL)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (OM)hold on to deceit,
They (ON)refuse to return.
6 I (OO)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(OP)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (OQ)horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
(OR)Knows her seasons;
And the (OS)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [cu]migration;
But (OT)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.
8 “(OU)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the Law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 The wise men are (OV)put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have (OW)rejected the word of the Lord,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (OX)give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (OY)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have (OZ)healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (PA)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
And they did not know how to be ashamed;
Therefore they will (PB)fall among those who fall;
At the (PC)time of their punishment they will collapse,”
Says the Lord.
13 “I will (PD)certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord.
“There will be (PE)no grapes on the vine
And (PF)no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
(PG)Assemble yourselves, and let’s (PH)go into the fortified cities
And perish there,
For the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us (PI)poisoned water to drink,
Because (PJ)we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We (PK)waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (PL)Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (PM)stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and (PN)devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (PO)sending serpents among you,
Vipers for which there is (PP)no charm;
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.
18 [cv]My (PQ)sorrow is beyond healing,
My (PR)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (PS)distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (PT)provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign [cw](PU)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
And we are not saved.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 1:6 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 1:11 Heb shaqed, see note v 12
- Jeremiah 1:12 Heb shoqed, a wordplay on almond in v 11 (see note v 11)
- Jeremiah 1:14 Lit opened
- Jeremiah 1:16 Lit speak
- Jeremiah 1:16 Or burned incense
- Jeremiah 2:2 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 2:6 Or the shadow of death
- Jeremiah 2:8 Lit shepherds
- Jeremiah 2:10 I.e., Cyprus and other islands
- Jeremiah 2:15 Lit given their voice
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 Heb Shihor
- Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
- Jeremiah 2:22 Lit acquire much soap for yourself
- Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or desperate
- Jeremiah 2:27 Or evil
- Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit saying
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit companions
- Jeremiah 3:3 I.e., calloused appearance
- Jeremiah 3:5 Lit been able
- Jeremiah 3:7 Lit said
- Jeremiah 3:8 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:9 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:12 Lit make My face fall
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit know
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit ways
- Jeremiah 3:15 I.e., with hearts like Mine
- Jeremiah 3:19 Lit the
- Jeremiah 3:23 I.e., from idolatrous rituals
- Jeremiah 4:3 Lit Plow for yourselves plowed ground
- Jeremiah 4:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 4:10 Or life
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit full from
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit these
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit for Me
- Jeremiah 4:16 As indicated in LXX; MT watchmen
- Jeremiah 4:18 Lit done
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit The walls of my heart
- Jeremiah 4:19 Another reading is I have heard
- Jeremiah 4:23 Or waste
- Jeremiah 4:26 Or Carmel
- Jeremiah 4:28 Or been sorry
- Jeremiah 4:30 Lit paramours
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit palms
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit my soul faints
- Jeremiah 5:1 I.e., Jerusalem
- Jeremiah 5:3 Or become sick
- Jeremiah 5:12 Lit He is not
- Jeremiah 5:19 Or you
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit without heart
- Jeremiah 5:26 Perhaps, crouching down
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit pass over; or overlook deeds
- Jeremiah 5:28 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit judge
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit over their own hands
- Jeremiah 5:31 Lit at the end of it
- Jeremiah 6:1 I.e., house of the vineyard
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit against her round about
- Jeremiah 6:3 Lit hand
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit Sanctify war
- Jeremiah 6:4 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Lit go up
- Jeremiah 6:5 Or fortified towers
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:7 Lit keeps cold
- Jeremiah 6:8 Lit my soul
- Jeremiah 6:10 Lit uncircumcised
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit council
- Jeremiah 6:11 Lit with fullness of days
- Jeremiah 6:19 Or devices
- Jeremiah 6:20 Lit good
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit giving
- Jeremiah 6:21 Lit his friend
- Jeremiah 6:26 Lit Make for yourself mourning
- Jeremiah 6:29 Or drawn off
- Jeremiah 7:4 Lit They are
- Jeremiah 7:6 Or fatherless
- Jeremiah 7:9 Or burn incense
- Jeremiah 7:15 Lit seed
- Jeremiah 7:18 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 7:19 Lit their faces’
- Jeremiah 7:20 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 7:23 Lit the word
- Jeremiah 7:23 Lit in all the way
- Jeremiah 7:24 Lit were
- Jeremiah 7:28 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 7:29 Lit your crown
- Jeremiah 7:31 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 7:32 Or until there is no place left
- Jeremiah 8:2 Lit host
- Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
- Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming
- Jeremiah 8:18 As in LXX and ancient versions
- Jeremiah 8:19 Lit futilities
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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