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Isaiah 3-5
Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 3-5
Christian Standard Bible
Judah’s Leaders Judged
3 Note this: The Lord God of Armies
is about to remove from Jerusalem and from Judah
every kind of security:
the entire supply of bread and water,
2 heroes and warriors,(A)
judges and prophets,
fortune-tellers and elders,
3 commanders of fifty and dignitaries,
counselors, cunning magicians,[a] and necromancers.[b]
4 “I will make youths their leaders,(B)
and unstable rulers[c] will govern them.”
5 The people will oppress one another,(C)
man against man, neighbor against neighbor;
the young will act arrogantly toward the old,
and the worthless toward the honorable.
6 A man will even seize his brother
in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak—you be our leader!
This heap of rubble will be under your control.”
7 On that day he will cry out, saying,
“I’m not a healer.
I don’t even have food or clothing in my house.
Don’t make me the leader of the people!”
8 For Jerusalem has stumbled
and Judah has fallen
because they have spoken and acted against the Lord,(D)
defying his glorious presence.(E)
9 The look on their faces testifies against them,
and like Sodom,(F) they flaunt their sin;
they do not conceal it.
Woe to them,
for they have brought disaster on themselves.(G)
10 Tell the righteous that it will go well for them,
for they will eat the fruit of their labor.
11 Woe to the wicked—it will go badly for them,
for what they have done will be done to them.
12 Youths oppress my people,(H)
and women rule over them.
My people, your leaders mislead you;
they confuse the direction of your paths.(I)
13 The Lord rises to argue the case
and stands to judge the people.(J)
14 The Lord brings this charge
against the elders and leaders of his people:(K)
“You have devastated the vineyard.
The plunder from the poor is in your houses.(L)
15 Why do you crush my people
and grind the faces of the poor?”
This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.
Jerusalem’s Women Judged
16 The Lord also says:
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,(M)
walking with heads held high
and seductive eyes,
prancing along,
jingling their ankle bracelets,
17 the Lord will put scabs on the heads
of the daughters of Zion,
and the Lord will shave their foreheads bare.
18 On that day(N) the Lord will strip their finery: ankle bracelets, headbands, crescents,(O) 19 pendants, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle jewelry, sashes, perfume bottles, amulets,(P) 21 signet rings, nose rings,(Q) 22 festive robes, capes, cloaks, purses, 23 garments, linen clothes, turbans, and shawls.
24 Instead of perfume there will be a stench;
instead of a belt, a rope;
instead of beautifully styled hair,(R) baldness;(S)
instead of fine clothes, sackcloth;(T)
instead of beauty, branding.[d]
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26 Then her gates(U) will lament and mourn;
deserted, she will sit on the ground.(V)
4 On that day seven women
will seize one man,(W) saying,
“We will eat our own bread
and provide our own clothing.
Just let us bear your name.
Take away our disgrace.”(X)
Zion’s Future Glory
2 On that day the Branch[e] of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious,(Y) and the fruit of the land(Z) will be the pride and glory(AA) of Israel’s survivors.(AB) 3 Whoever remains in Zion and whoever is left in Jerusalem(AC) will be called holy(AD)—all in Jerusalem written in the book of life[f](AE)— 4 when the Lord has washed away the filth(AF) of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodguilt(AG) from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment(AH) and a spirit of burning.(AI) 5 Then the Lord will create(AJ) a cloud of smoke by day(AK) and a glowing flame of fire by night over the entire site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies. For there will be a canopy over all the glory,[g] 6 and there will be a shelter for shade from heat by day and a refuge and shelter from storm and rain.(AL)
Song of the Vineyard
5 I will sing about the one I love,
a song about my loved one’s vineyard:(AM)
The one I love had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2 He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones,
and planted it with the finest vines.(AN)
He built a tower in the middle of it
and even dug out a winepress there.
He expected(AO) it to yield good grapes,
but it yielded worthless grapes.(AP)
3 So now, residents of Jerusalem
and men of Judah,
please judge between me
and my vineyard.
4 What more could I have done for my vineyard
than I did?(AQ)
Why, when I expected a yield of good grapes,
did it yield worthless grapes?
5 Now I will tell you
what I am about to do to my vineyard:
I will remove its hedge,(AR)
and it will be consumed;
I will tear down its wall,(AS)
and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland.(AT)
It will not be pruned or weeded;
thorns and briers will grow up.(AU)
I will also give orders to the clouds
that rain should not fall on it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies
is the house of Israel,(AV)
and the men[h] of Judah,
the plant he delighted in.
He expected justice
but saw injustice;
he expected righteousness
but heard cries of despair.
Judah’s Sins Denounced
8 Woe to those who add house to house(AW)
and join field to field
until there is no more room
and you alone are left in the land.
9 I heard the Lord of Armies say:
Indeed, many houses(AX) will become desolate,
grand and lovely ones without inhabitants.
10 For a ten-acre[i] vineyard will yield
only six gallons of wine,[j]
and ten bushels[k] of seed will yield
only one bushel of grain.[l]
11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning
in pursuit of beer,(AY)
who linger into the evening,
inflamed by wine.
12 At their feasts they have lyre, harp,
tambourine, flute, and wine.
They do not perceive the Lord’s actions,(AZ)
and they do not see the work of his hands.(BA)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile
because they lack knowledge;(BB)
her[m] dignitaries are starving,
and her masses are parched with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat
and opens wide its enormous jaws,(BC)
and down go Zion’s dignitaries, her masses,
her crowds, and those who celebrate in her!
15 Humanity is brought low, each person is humbled,
and haughty eyes are humbled.(BD)
16 But the Lord of Armies is exalted by his justice,(BE)
and the holy God(BF) demonstrates his holiness through his righteousness.(BG)
17 Lambs will graze
as if in[n] their own pastures,(BH)
and resident aliens[o] will eat
among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe to those who drag iniquity
with cords of deceit(BI)
and pull sin along with cart ropes,
19 to those who say,
“Let him hurry up and do his work quickly
so that we can see it!
Let the plan(BJ) of the Holy One of Israel(BK) take place
so that we can know it!”
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,(BL)
who substitute darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who substitute bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
21 Woe to those who consider themselves wise
and judge themselves clever.[p](BM)
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
who are champions at pouring beer,(BN)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe(BO)
and deprive the innocent of justice.
24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes straw
and as dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their roots will become like something rotten
and their blossoms will blow away like dust,
for they have rejected(BP)
the instruction of the Lord of Armies,
and they have despised
the word of the Holy One of Israel.(BQ)
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger burned(BR) against his people.
He raised his hand against them and struck them;
the mountains quaked,(BS)
and their corpses were like garbage in the streets.
In all this, his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is still raised to strike.(BT)
26 He raises a signal flag for the distant nations(BU)
and whistles(BV) for them from the ends of the earth.
Look—how quickly and swiftly they come!
27 None of them grows weary or stumbles;(BW)
no one slumbers or sleeps.
No belt is loose
and no sandal strap broken.
28 Their arrows are sharpened,
and all their bows strung.
Their horses’ hooves are like flint;
their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring is like a lion’s;(BX)
they roar like young lions;(BY)
they growl and seize their prey
and carry it off,
and no one can rescue it.
30 On that day they will roar over it,
like the roaring of the sea.
When one looks at the land,
there will be darkness and distress;
light will be obscured by clouds.[q]
Footnotes
- 3:3 Or skilled craftsmen
- 3:3 Or mediums
- 3:4 Or mischief-makers
- 3:24 DSS read shame
- 4:2 Or plant
- 4:3 Lit Jerusalem recorded for life
- 4:5 Or For glory will be a canopy over all
- 5:7 Lit man
- 5:10 Lit ten-yoke
- 5:10 Lit one bath
- 5:10 Lit one homer
- 5:10 Lit yield an ephah
- 5:13 Lit its
- 5:17 Syr reads graze in
- 5:17 LXX reads sheep
- 5:21 Lit and clever before their face
- 5:30 Lit its clouds
Isaiah 3-5
New International Version
Isaiah 3-5
New International Version
Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah
3 See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:(A)
all supplies of food(B) and all supplies of water,(C)
2 the hero and the warrior,(D)
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner(E) and the elder,(F)
3 the captain of fifty(G) and the man of rank,(H)
the counselor, skilled craftsman(I) and clever enchanter.(J)
4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”(K)
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.(L)
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.
6 A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But in that day(M) he will cry out,
“I have no remedy.(N)
I have no food(O) or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people.”(P)
8 Jerusalem staggers,
Judah is falling;(Q)
their words(R) and deeds(S) are against the Lord,
defying(T) his glorious presence.
9 The look on their faces testifies(U) against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;(V)
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
They have brought disaster(W) upon themselves.
10 Tell the righteous it will be well(X) with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.(Y)
11 Woe to the wicked!(Z)
Disaster(AA) is upon them!
They will be paid back(AB)
for what their hands have done.(AC)
12 Youths(AD) oppress my people,
women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;(AE)
they turn you from the path.
13 The Lord takes his place in court;(AF)
he rises to judge(AG) the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment(AH)
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder(AI) from the poor(AJ) is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people(AK)
and grinding(AL) the faces of the poor?”(AM)
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.(AN)
16 The Lord says,
“The women of Zion(AO) are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,(AP)
flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
the Lord will make their scalps bald.(AQ)”
18 In that day(AR) the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,(AS) 19 the earrings and bracelets(AT) and veils,(AU) 20 the headdresses(AV) and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings,(AW) 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks,(AX) the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments(AY) and tiaras(AZ) and shawls.
24 Instead of fragrance(BA) there will be a stench;(BB)
instead of a sash,(BC) a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;(BD)
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;(BE)
instead of beauty,(BF) branding.(BG)
25 Your men will fall by the sword,(BH)
your warriors in battle.(BI)
26 The gates(BJ) of Zion will lament and mourn;(BK)
destitute,(BL) she will sit on the ground.(BM)
4 1 In that day(BN) seven women
will take hold of one man(BO)
and say, “We will eat our own food(BP)
and provide our own clothes;
only let us be called by your name.
Take away our disgrace!”(BQ)
The Branch of the Lord
2 In that day(BR) the Branch of the Lord(BS) will be beautiful(BT) and glorious, and the fruit(BU) of the land will be the pride and glory(BV) of the survivors(BW) in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion,(BX) who remain(BY) in Jerusalem, will be called holy,(BZ) all who are recorded(CA) among the living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth(CB) of the women of Zion;(CC) he will cleanse(CD) the bloodstains(CE) from Jerusalem by a spirit[a] of judgment(CF) and a spirit[b] of fire.(CG) 5 Then the Lord will create(CH) over all of Mount Zion(CI) and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night;(CJ) over everything the glory[c](CK) will be a canopy.(CL) 6 It will be a shelter(CM) and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge(CN) and hiding place from the storm(CO) and rain.
The Song of the Vineyard
5 I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:(CP)
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.(CQ)
He built a watchtower(CR) in it
and cut out a winepress(CS) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.(CT)
3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.(CU)
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?(CV)
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?(CW)
5 Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;(CX)
I will break down its wall,(CY)
and it will be trampled.(CZ)
6 I will make it a wasteland,(DA)
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns(DB) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain(DC) on it.”
7 The vineyard(DD) of the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,(DE) but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness,(DF) but heard cries of distress.(DG)
Woes and Judgments
8 Woe(DH) to you who add house to house
and join field to field(DI)
till no space is left
and you live alone in the land.
9 The Lord Almighty(DJ) has declared in my hearing:(DK)
“Surely the great houses will become desolate,(DL)
the fine mansions left without occupants.
10 A ten-acre vineyard will produce only a bath[d] of wine;
a homer[e] of seed will yield only an ephah[f] of grain.”(DM)
11 Woe(DN) to those who rise early in the morning
to run after their drinks,
who stay up late at night
till they are inflamed with wine.(DO)
12 They have harps and lyres at their banquets,
pipes(DP) and timbrels(DQ) and wine,
but they have no regard(DR) for the deeds of the Lord,
no respect for the work of his hands.(DS)
13 Therefore my people will go into exile(DT)
for lack of understanding;(DU)
those of high rank(DV) will die of hunger
and the common people will be parched with thirst.(DW)
14 Therefore Death(DX) expands its jaws,
opening wide its mouth;(DY)
into it will descend their nobles and masses
with all their brawlers and revelers.(DZ)
15 So people will be brought low(EA)
and everyone humbled,(EB)
the eyes of the arrogant(EC) humbled.
16 But the Lord Almighty will be exalted(ED) by his justice,(EE)
and the holy God will be proved holy(EF) by his righteous acts.
17 Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;(EG)
lambs will feed[g] among the ruins of the rich.
18 Woe(EH) to those who draw sin along with cords(EI) of deceit,
and wickedness(EJ) as with cart ropes,
19 to those who say, “Let God hurry;
let him hasten(EK) his work
so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One(EL) of Israel—
let it approach, let it come into view,
so we may know it.”(EM)
20 Woe(EN) to those who call evil good(EO)
and good evil,(EP)
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,(EQ)
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.(ER)
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes(ES)
and clever in their own sight.
22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine(ET)
and champions at mixing drinks,(EU)
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,(EV)
but deny justice(EW) to the innocent.(EX)
24 Therefore, as tongues of fire(EY) lick up straw(EZ)
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay(FA)
and their flowers blow away like dust;(FB)
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word(FC) of the Holy One(FD) of Israel.
25 Therefore the Lord’s anger(FE) burns against his people;
his hand is raised and he strikes them down.
The mountains shake,(FF)
and the dead bodies(FG) are like refuse(FH) in the streets.(FI)
26 He lifts up a banner(FL) for the distant nations,
he whistles(FM) for those at the ends of the earth.(FN)
Here they come,
swiftly and speedily!
27 Not one of them grows tired(FO) or stumbles,
not one slumbers or sleeps;
not a belt(FP) is loosened at the waist,(FQ)
not a sandal strap is broken.(FR)
28 Their arrows are sharp,(FS)
all their bows(FT) are strung;
their horses’ hooves(FU) seem like flint,
their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.(FV)
29 Their roar is like that of the lion,(FW)
they roar like young lions;
they growl as they seize(FX) their prey
and carry it off with no one to rescue.(FY)
30 In that day(FZ) they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.(GA)
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness(GB) and distress;(GC)
even the sun will be darkened(GD) by clouds.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
- Isaiah 4:4 Or the Spirit
- Isaiah 4:5 Or over all the glory there
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, about 6 gallons or about 22 liters
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 360 pounds or about 160 kilograms
- Isaiah 5:10 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
- Isaiah 5:17 Septuagint; Hebrew / strangers will eat
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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